Oh dear.
Celtic went up to Aberdeen on Saturday and lost 2-1. The team seem to be going through a dip in form, perhaps not helped by the loss of Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer.
Again Celtic were undone by a late goal, showing that either the concentration isn’t one hundred per cent, the fitness is lacking a wee bit, or , more likely, the defenders are all donkeys suffering from a lack of familiarity or continuity.
Changing defenders late on in a game, especially if they are being shuffled around as well, is never a good idea. It means that the players have just about got used to what’s around them, and then its a ll swapped about. This does lead to mistakes, it does lead to a little bit of confusion, and it does lead to late goals which can cost you matches.
So, stop doing it.
Football management ?
Piece of piss.
And I haven’t even got a magic hat.
Alright, so if Aberdeen win their game in hand over Hamilton they will have won seven out of seven and be five points clear of the hoops by the time the players take the field against Ajax in Amsterdam. It’s not an ideal situation, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.
So, to all the lily livered , bed wetting, panty soiling heebie jeebie screamers out there,
Now, there have been a couple of stories circulating that perhaps all is not well amongst the players, so much so that we hear Peter Lawwell called in four senior players yesterday for a chat.
Thats surprised a lot of people, certainly me, as I wasn’t aware we had four senior players. Unless Lawwell does this every year and gives them all an A-z road map of Southampton.
Could be stuff and nonsense, and with it now being repeated on this site, it probably is.
At the last Scotland camp. one of the players allegedly spent a few minutes whinging to a reporter about Ronny, and jonny, and anything else he could think of. In the sweetie wife world of the Scottish press, this is carte blanche for those not of a celtic mind , to tear into the club.
A stupid thing to do. There were five players in that camp. It wouldn’t have been Mackay Steven, he can’t stop grinning long enough to talk to anyone, Craig Gordon ? Maybe. but the only thing he would be concerned about is why he’s been told to stay on his line. He used to command the area, now he’s doing a Fraser and hanging around, presumably to give the opposing forwards a chance .
James Forrest ? No. Whatever bar the conversation took place in probably has a “Do You Look 25 policy? “, so unless it was juice and crisps on the steps outside then i think we can discount that.
That leaves Scott Brown, who admittedly has been playing as though his mind is elsewhere.
And Charlie Mulgrew, who we hear wanted his mind and his body to be elsewhere after this summer, but his wife didn’t want to leave Glasgow. Especially by car, because she wanted everyone to travel together, and the bold Charlie keeps forgetting how many were in the car when he set off.
Maybe Mulgrew is fed up. His body language suggests he may well be, but that’s why we have a chat with the manager, not the press.
Was Brown the culprit ? Well, it wouldn’t surprise me. Not because he has any agenda to pursue, but he has a desire to win, and the perpetual weakening of the side must be having an effect on him.
Forster, Wanyama, Hooper, Ledley, Ki, Matthews and now van Dijk is an impressive list of players, and to lose all of them while you are the captain, thus diminishing your chances of success in europe if not domestically, and knowing that it’s a policy which will continue, must be depressing. It’s no fault of Browns if he is feeling a little despondent.
All of this is speculation, but based on how the captain has been of late, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a little bit of truth in it.
Well, it would. This is Etims, after all.
Even Tony Blair once said , after reading one of our articles, ” they’ll never fall for that. “.
Supporters too, are undegoing the annual feeling of here we go again, as the team is disbanded and we have to start again.
But wait a minute.
Players who are not of a Celtic mind are here for a couple of years, before heading of to southern climes to boost their bank balance. With the exception of Emilio Izaguirre, the exodus has been predictable and frequent.
Nir biton, Stefan Johansen will probably be next. The new guys maybe the next ones.
That is why Scott Allan and Ryan Christie were bought this summer. It’s why Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay Steven were bought last January.
The plan appears to be to gradually phase out the foreign mercenaries and replace them with Scottish talent that can become Celtic minded, and maybe give the club four or five years as opposed to two or three.
That’s when we’ll get the consistency in Europe.
It’s frustrating at the moment, that’s for sure, but after an initial outbreak of panic from the diary when Deila took over, with Mowbrayesque results and performances, it became apparent he had a short term plan, which was to get the players playing in a certain way, and upping fitness levels to allow them to do so. The second stage of his plan is to nurture and develop young Scots.
As long as we can see progress, and a vision for the future which doesn’t involve appearing just to develop players to sell them off, then I’ll give Lawwell and Deila the benefit of the doubt.
This conversation with a reporter, off the record or not, whoever it was, if it actually happened, and isn’t the figment of an overimaginative or manipulative media mind, should be told his time at the club is done.
There’s enough people out there prepared to run the club down, and leap on even the most minor of issues without doing it ourselves.
No-one, from Lawwell down to the stewards is bigger than the club, they all come, they all go, but Celtic remains the constant. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you get to my age.
I will, when I get to my age as well, so you probably won’t be any different.
Peter Lawwell , Ronny Deila and anyone else not given to taking any shit from the press will perhaps want to give the papers a miss for a couple of days.
Especially as the general gist is that Celtic are about to be hit by a cricket score when they face ajax in the Europa league on Thursday.
Well, I doubt that. No-one wants to lose the first game in a group set up, so both sides will be fairly cautious, and anyway, Malmo apart, Celtic aren’t too bad away from home.
The problem is in defence, ronny needs to pick two centre halfs and stick with them. for ninety minutes , injuries excepting.
Lustig , Boyata ( I know ) Simunovic and Izaguirre.
Yes, i know they have not played together before, but they have all played football at some point, they are all quite good at it, and I’m sure they can work something out.
Especially if we can get the old Craig Gordon back, the one who comes out for crosses.
With a little more protection from Scott Brown and Nir Biton in the middle, and help from Stuart Armstrong and James Forrest out wide, Stefan johansen can stop panicking and concentrate on his own job, while Leigh Griffiths can score his customary early goal and then just get on everyones nerves until hes tired, before Nadir Ciftci comes on to show Ajax that we really don’t care.
There’s no reason to panic, but maybe a few words of reasurance from management to players wouldn’t go amiss.
We all know how delicate they can be.
And it’s affecting people outside the club.
Look how excited Dave king was when he heard the result on saturday night;
Serious stuff now. Going to amsterdam ?
Read this, from Christian Visser, the dutch lawyer who helped fans the last time we went out there. Thanks to Fans Against Criminalisation for posting it;
12/09/15 For Celtic Fans travelling to Amsterdam next week: advice from football lawyer Christian Vissser
The following is advice sent to us by Christian for the use of all travelling Celtic supporters next week. If you are travelling to Amsterdam please print out the advice or, at the very least, take the numbers and put them in your phone. Good luck and be careful, the Amsterdam Police are little more than thugs and as you will see at the end the wheels of justice in the Netherlands turn very slowly…
Celtic fans travelling to Amsterdam should read this:
Do I have to carry an ID Card on me/with me? Is there an obligation to carry a form of ID? If I don’t what are the consequences?
It’s not compulsory to carry an ID, but under certain circumstances it is compulsory to show an ID to an officer when asked to do so. A professional football game is such a circumstance.
Is the usage or possession of pyrotechnics legal inside and/or outside the stadia?
Pyrotechnics are forbidden both inside and outside stadiums.
What are the regulations about buying/selling tickets on the “black market”?
Selling tickets on the black market is not illegal according to national law, but it’s an offense under local law. A person who’s arrested for selling tickets on the black market can be held by the police for a maximum of 6 hours. The hours between 0:00 and 9:00 A.M. are not taken into account for these 6 hours. Buying tickets on the black market is legal.
What should I do if I get arrested?
Ask to speak to a lawyer before being interviewed by the police. Meijers Canatan Advocaten will be available before, during and after the game to visit you as soon as possible. Don’t talk to the police before you have spoken to a lawyer. You can ask for a lawyer of your choice. Just tell the police you want to be visited by Christian Visser or any other lawyer of Meijers Canatan Advocaten.
Tel +31206383606 or Christian Visser on his mobile +31646073004.
How much will that cost me?
If you’re detained Christian Visser or any other lawyer of Meijers Canatan Advocaten will visit you free of charge.
Which personal details or information am I obliged to give?
None. A suspect has an absolute right to remain silent.
Am I allowed to make a call?
A suspect is always allowed to call his lawyer. Also he may inform one person about his arrest. In certain cases the right to inform other persons of your detention may be temporary limited.
What is the maximum time someone can be held by the Police?
- A suspect can be held for 6 hours during which time the police can interview him. The hours between 0:00 and 9:00 A.M. are not taken into account for these 6 hours.
- After that a suspect can be held in police custody for three days.
- After these three days a suspect can be brought before an investigation judge who will decide if suspect has to stay detained for another 14 days. If so a suspect will taken to a detention facility. During the hearing at the investigation judge the suspect will be assisted by a lawyer.
What is #Damjustice?
In 2011 Ajax and Celtic played each other in Amsterdam . Many Celtic fans gathered on Dam Square. It was claimed that some incidents occurred, which were the reason for the Dutch undercover police officers to get involved but the way in which they did this was dubious. Celtic fans were confronted with police violence. Mr Visser raised doubts on this police intervention and argued that the police used excessive violence.
As a result of police action 9 Celtic fans received a court summons. 3 Celtic fans have already been finally acquitted, 6 court cases are still pending, 1 of the 6 Celtic fans is still waiting for his trial in first instance. All 9 fans were defended by Christian Visser.
#Damjustice is an ongoing campaign from Scotland, Ireland as well as from the Netherlands to get justice for the boys that were arrested.
Anything else I should know/ consider during my visit to The Netherlands?
The Netherlands might come across as liberal country because of its soft drugs and prostitution policy, but this soft policy does not always apply, as the Dutch police are not very tolerant at all of football supporters.
Emergency Phone Numbers (incl intl. dialcode):
POLICE: 112
AMBULANCE: 112
If you have any questions please feel free to call Meijers Canatan Advocaten on +31206383606 or Christian Visser on his mobile +31646073004.
The Record claims that Dutch police, having made a few mistakes last time, will do their best to avoid a repeat.
Police chief Olivier Dutilh said: “We are targeting the Ajax hooligans and they know that as soon as they come into town, we will arrest them.”
“We know who these people are. We have a specially trained unit who know them by their names and know them by sight.
In fact, if I recall correctly, they were fighting alongside Dutch fans…
“Our mayor has implemented some specific legislation which allows us to arrest them.
“Even when they haven’t done anything but are just present and gathering together, we can arrest them. We have that in our law and can use it for specific events so the mayor has agreed that this match is one of them.
For fucks sake don’t tell Police Scotland about this….they’ll be giving ot the Dave King face at the very thought.
“I can assure the Celtic fans that the day before the match and matchday, it’s completely not possible for the Ajax hooligans to come close to them. We want the Scots fans to be together. They will be safe, they will have fun and can enjoy everything Amsterdam has.
“The main problem two years ago was that the Ajax hooligans were constantly looking for fights – and they sometimes did.
“We had up to 8000 Celtic fans in Dam Square and that was more than had tickets. The problem was the Ajax hooligans mixed with a lot of Scottish fans who had a lot to drink.
“One of the Ajax fans stole a flag and there was an eruption of violence. There are many bicycles in Amsterdam and they were being thrown about along with stones and bottles.
“The difference this time is that there will only be around 2000 Celtic fans, so it’s a lower number. The second point is we will have a specific fanzone at Dam Square where they can be together.
“At that specific area, they will be allowed to drink alcohol – outside of the area, they won’t.
“In the centre of Amsterdam you can’t drink alcohol outside but we’ll have a fanzone where they are allowed.
“We will surround that area so no Ajax hooligans will be able to get near the Celtic fans.
“There won’t be a fence penning people in as such but we are discussing the possibility of a small perimeter. There will be drinks and music. It’s about making it fun, rather than shutting people away.
“We will escort supporters from the fanzone to the match. That means nobody can wait for them and attack them.”
Fair enough. Let’s hope it all goes well.
On and off the park.
Royal news now. The Queen, who became the longest serving monarch, mainly to stop any of her dysfunctional kids getting the job , revealed how she did it yesterday. Obvious when you think about it. Two birthdays a year means she’s now 198, and that easily put old Vic out of the running.
The Express, however, found a much more interesting story, and consequently set a new record for newspaper sales;
Caption competition now, once you’ve got that image out of your head.
Stop it , Dave.
What’s going on here ?
Was Lee Griffiths not in the Scotland squad?
Good shout. But again, he’s got little to moan about.
perhaps he would like some help up front,lone strikers get knackered very quickly ,and need help,it,s ridiculous that when we cross the ball there is usually only one celtic player in the box,one up front is ok in europe away,but is criminal in the spl
If C
Off today to Amsterdam staying 5 days,been many times before,for football and on beer trips,another thing to watch out for is Russian mafia,in and around the red light district,and beggars mostly junkies can be very aggressive,just kid on you don,t speak english and get away as quickly as you can,and dont stick to the awful heinekin many great beer bars selling,great belgian and great dutch beers,try de wildeman ,arends nest(all dutch),and beer temple ,mostly us owned by same people as arends nest,or any of the gollem chain.4 at present,any of the drinker in their will help ,and poiunt you in the direction of other great bars,at least we wont have the bigot thompson in charge on thursday
As always,excellent humorous diary,Ralph/Ritchie
I haven’t commented of late,as I have caught this Twitter bug.But I always faithfully read the diary.
However,now I feel compelled to comment.We will win the league.Killie was worse than sheep result.
For me,Ronny’s time is up.He will be given the season out.A manager manages.His personality is TOO WEAK.
However,2 failures,Maribo and Malmo shows his weakness.Yes,just in the door,but for feck sake we ONLY needed a draw at CP (0-0)against Maribor.Same in Malmo,a draw required.
His team,he carries the can,costing our club 50-70M.
Can we trust Ronny for a THIRD time ?
Desmond has Davie Moyes on speed dial.I feel he will make that call,be it December or May.
I hope he does,as Davie Moyes doesn’t suffer fools gladly.And he can organise a defence,not to lose goal from corners/set pieces. HH
Moyes wont come,has said in the past he would only return to one scottish club and it aint us
ps there are still apparently tickets left for thursday on sale to any STH FROM THE TICKET OFFICE SEE WBSITE, GOT MINE ON SATURDAY GIRL SAID THEY HAD HUNDREDS LEFT,our allocation was only 2600,is this fear of trouble or are fans finally waking up to the fact that ronnie knows fuck all about football
Talking nonsense!! Nuthead.
In recent interview,he said it would be his dream to manage CELTIC !
You no nothing !
Desmond has spoke to him,before.FACT !
Good read today i wont vent about the sheep versus the meek. But when are referees going to be brought to task when they clearly mess up. It might be me just moaning but the standard of all officials is driving me to cardiac arrest on a weekly basis. No doubt i will be forced to listen to the games shortly for the sake of my health as watching lately is torture for anyone within earshot i must apologise for the language too. I hope Ronnie gets it right starting with ajax and the players give us a decent football game hail hail
What’s the picture about?……
“How come before the draw I could get to Malmo for £30 out and £28 back??……..now that Celtic are there, it’s £190 each way!!” (and that is actually what happened)!
Sue
Griffiths was, don’t think GMS was (who showed great form in pre-season and hasn’t kicked a ball since) Wouldn’t be surprised if it was Mulgrew, saw him out at the casino on Sat night. I have always liked him, and felt he’s a guy when in the side gives his all and shows a bit of leadership, but he doesn’t look the same. Perhaps because he doesn’t know what his actual position is meant to be – problem of being a “utility man”.
There is a little irony in remembering that the Ronny Roar and turning point for many with Deila last season came when we scored a late winner when down to 10 in a close game at Pittodrie, remember the post match celebrations that showed the togetherness in the players, etc… fast forward one year and the roles are reversed they do the exact same to us whilst down to 10 and it is them who get the psychological boost and the feeling that they can now beat us, even when up against it. The league race is on and at the moment as many say we are showing a worrying lack of leadership, passion, fight, professionalism, creativity and finishing all of which are required in order to get us back on track.
I still have faith in Ronny but a promising start to the season seems to be falling apart around us over the past few weeks starting in the dropping of points at Killie. We conceded 1 goal in our first 5 games, our last clean sheet was at Partick on 9th Aug, since then we have conceded 12 in
7 games, a poor stat for any Celtic side. The goals lost v Aberdeen may have been different if VVD was here but he was here for the previous 6 games where we conceded too, the problems have existed for a while. We’ve had 4 wins, a draw and 2 defeats in this run of games, mainly getting results through scoring enough, when goals dry up its not a surprise we drop points.
Overall the symptoms are repetitive, profligate in front of goal, weak in midfield creatively and defensively, far too generous in front of our own goal.
Not a crisis yet, but we need to see improvement starting with Ajax on Thursday, but sadly I expect nothing less than a defeat.
As I have said in this post before no intelligence in the team Boyata a fuckin dud why challenge at the penalty that’s twice that brain dead cunt has done that Gordon get off your line ya prick blackett taxi for y8cause your a dud midfield look as if they are running with lead boots on and £50 to a charity if that waste of space cifti s ores double figures money safe the whole club is in free fall and decline john Kennedy you have already been told to get to fuck now go get to fuck with your zonal marking and dailia your next just fuck off back to Norway ya brain dead cunt
If Celtic are not top of the League by Christmas with an 6 point advantage I might get concerned.
Europe will take care of itself we are in a tough group with 2 good sides and one mediocre side.
Second Place is achievable if we sort our defensive issues out.
On the 1 up 2 up debate (here we go again) our goal was created and scored at the weekend playing 1 up and the loser was conceded playing 2 up against 10 men make of that what you will.
The current System has 4 attacking players on the pitch if they do their jobs right and perform as is required for any system then it’s fine as proven last year when we won a League and Cup Double and narrowly missing out on a treble.
This is why the top Managers are deploying it.
It works at any level.
Hence why we use it home and away this way they all know their jobs and it becomes second nature no matter who they play.
The Development also use it so they too can just be dropped into the side already knowing their job.
Comes down to 2 things at the end of the day
Your application
Your opponents application
If ours is sub standard then expect a poor showing and a possible poor result.
Gordon was at fault for the winner no two ways about it he for whatever reason was hesitant to come for the ball.
I don’t personally care too much for the Zonal marking at Celtic and if you remember it was already in place when Ronny arrived.
I prefer man marking and defenders attacking the threat and not defending a space.
In my opinion for what it is worth (like yours fuck all in the big scheme of things) it’s a natural human response to attack the threat not stand there and defend a space void.
This is why they spend hours upon hours doing drills on Zonal Marking.
We are weak at the back we lost the best defensive pairing in the League last year in the Summer.
The replacements need time to settle and as of yet Boyata has failed to do so in my opinion (again see above).
The new kid Simunovic will have to hit the deck running for I fear the boo hoo bhoys will have plenty to say if he doesn’t.
The media are wanks I don’t listen to anything they have to say.
Ps Aberdeen for what it is worth have built a decent side over the past few Seasons under McInnes they unlike us have strengthened in the past few Season and added a bit more quality to an already decent side.
They have not chosen to systematically punt their best players at every opportunity for financial gain.
Anyone who thinks the current Celtic setup is conducive to launching an Assault on Europes top Competition or swaggering our way past every team in Scotland every week is sadly deluded in my opinion.
That’s hun like mentality in my book where spending money= guaranteed success.
Utter shite.
Every game has to be competed in it has to have the same level of application week in week out if we hope to achieve our goals.
Unfortunately (thankfully) Football is not that straightforward there are many factors that can derail a result on any given day.
Poor team performance
Poor individual errors
Basic errors of judgement
Players making the wrong decisions
Managers getting their selection wrong
The Officials
The weather
The opposition putting in a great team performance
Individual moments of brilliance
It’s not as simple as turning up and collecting your prize.
About time some out there got to grips with the concept we have continually downsized since Seville.
Aberdeen by their own admission, didn’t play as well as they know they can.
Neither did we cut’s both ways.
Charlie,
Is failing to qualify for money-spinning CL groups,baring in mind,we only need draws against average Maribor and Malmo acceptable ?
Whilst it’s not ideal it is what it is Holy.
We are not buying quality anymore we are buying potential in the hope they become quality and can be moved on.
We used to build sides at Celtic retain top players and strengthen.
Not now we build ,strip,build ,strip and now that policy is reaping it’s own reward.
Off the Park? Good.
On it? Not so good.
I don’t like it any more than you however I do accept that this is the way it is right now.
Charlie,
if we all ” ACCEPT that this is the way it is right now ” , then it will stay that way , and “Off the park? Good.” will quickly, (quicker than some think), become “Off the park? Not so good.”
This is serious right now and what the Club does or doesn’t do at this juncture may define the next 5-10 yrs.
Remember , the whole landscape is likely to change within the next 12 months, – re – whatever outfit from ibrox turning up on our doorstep!
Indeed it is what it is though and changing Managers right now would only serve to complicate things even more.
It is what it is though no point deluding ourselves it is anything different.
We are not a Big Club in the big scheme of things.
Financially we are an also ran in Euope whereas in Scotland we are the Big Club.
How we bridge the gap between one and the other has proven to be a difficult balancing act.
Right now we don’t have a Virgil ,Victor or Forster to bail us out for £10 plus million next Summer so it’s crunch time..unless of course the young Simunovic turns out to be a gem then the dance continues at Board Level.
Virgils sale which I gather had not hit our books before the Accounts were released will see us again in good profit.
Next season the game changes again as you say something will come up from Ibrox and sure as fuck both CP and Ibrox will be heaving again.
This in turn should generate more Interest in the product again regardless of what anyone thinks about that it will happen we all know it will.
This will generate further funds for team building and perhaps the Club can get back to a more traditional approach of actually investing in some proven quality?
Every cloud as they say.
I personally would like to see the likes of DD sell his shares to the fans so we could become a 51% fan owned enterprise.
That way we could guarantee a say in who and what we spend our money on each year.
Am guessing fancy paving stones might not be the top of everyone wish list?
I would gladly put a few quid in to see that materialise what say yoo?
Yes ,
I see , BIG PICTURE ,DD as the problem.
We had a chance over the last few years, of putting ourselves out of sight of anyone locally , and also of being a common sight in the CL. This remember , was a period (often overlooked) when we had a monopoly on CL qual spot ; also monopoly on these “rough diamonds” with £10m+ sell on potential .
( Expect a rival for these riches next year.)
Potential losses of these to that rival will dwarf any domestic financial gain.
I’m also not convinced of full houses at Parkhead.
There’s a very deep sense of resentment within our fanbase regarding them and the last few years .
We qualified CL 2 yrs running with Lennon , but the warning signs were there when we struggled against the Kazakhs.
An inexperienced manager (at this level) was gambling with the CL ; it failed.
One year on , failed again.
So next year , far from being out of sight , there may not be as much between us and whatever turns up from ibrox (won’t give it a capital I ).
This , I believe , has been a period of complacency and/or a lack of intent & ambition for the club.
This , I lay at Desmond’s door.
Lawwell gets all the flack , but he only does DD’s bidding.
I fear that the scenario you’ve suggested for next year is what DD has wanted since 2012 .
That and only that !
I fear that’s the beginning and end of his ambition for Celtic, going forward.
That’s how he defines us ; one side of the OF coin.
However , since 2012 I think there’s been a sea change in most Celtic fans thinking , regarding the OF .
I think DD is out of touch with the fan feeling on this .
I said before , DD should ” shit or get off the pan”, and since I don’t think he’s interested in the former , then it’s time for him to “get off the pan ” and let someone (maybe , as you say ,us) try to do something with this potentially massive club.
With strategy , planning and intent the CL group money is gettable ( regularly ) and that has to be our future ; what defines us , not OF shite .
Just a pity we’ve blown 2 yrs worth , and a year from now we’ll have to fight each season for the privilege.
Charlie ,
we’re a bigger club in Europe , than the clubs who’ve knocked us out of CL quals 2 yrs running.
Bridging the financial gap means qualifying to groups regularly .
It means taking advantage of a 4 yr monopoly on CL qual spot. A 4 yr monopoly on these ” rough diamonds” with potential £10m sell on .
Come next year we will no longer have that monopoly.
So 2yrs worth of CL money squandered , so far !
Falling out (rumoured) with Lennon ,weeks before qualifiers then taking a flyer on an unknown , is maybe something the “suits” now regret . ( I believe Lennon could have got us through , as he had 2 previous yrs running)
The gap between us and ” whatever they call themselves” won’t be near as big as it could/should have.
Not sure about great financial gains with their appearance next year .
More worried about poss financial losses due to end of those “momopolies ” I stated above.
I want us , in the future , to be defined by our European exploits , not by one side of the OF ,as I fear DD sees us .
I said Deila should be looked at after these EL games and (depending on these showings) , a decision made at X-Mas .(Giving potential new guy 6months , not 6 wks to prepare for CL (surely) quals.)
If however , things start to spiral out of control then an immediate decision will be needed.
As for DD ,if he’s not interested in ” doing something ” with this club then maybe it’s time for him to pass the baton onto someone who is.
Could we ,as you suggest Charlie , do it ?
Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could ?
Moyes won’t come to Celtic because, like all of us, he wants to give his family a decent wage to live on. Moyes has been spoiled by his time in the EPL. Why do millionaires need more money anyway? Ask Moyes.
Lenny would never come back. MON would never come back. WGS is on a good gig right now although we could probably afford him.
Leap into the dark. Barnes. Brady. Macari. Mowbray. No thanks.
Leave Ronny alone for now. One year will tell.
Finally, a player can hate or even disrepect the manager but can still play good football! Our bhoys are not puir wee lambs, especially Broonie and Griffiths.I don’t believe the clype story because I don’t trust the MSM.
Moyes said he would come,and I believe he will.
Correct,not for the money but for the glory.
To manage in the CL groups is the biggest pull for Davie Moyes,with that club being Celtic,will make it even more special for him.
Mark my words,Davie Moyes WILL be the next Celtic Manager.
When? That’s up to Dermot Desmond.
Caption
Lesson 1
How to watch porn with both hands on the desk .
Lesson 2
How to watch Celtic without tearing your hair out.
Lesson 3
Do both at the same time and you will be bald and blind within a month.
Good article, however the team is disjointed. No one talks, they do not hassle the referee, think Chelsea and Man U tied.
The quality of defending is poor, as Cruyff said after the Malmo game, Scottish teams should be superior and heading, leave two or three outfield players up the park, it gives more room for the goalkeeper to operate and forces the opposition to leave more players at the back
Never mind the cheating referee and the paranoid media.
Ok a few thoughts … What’s this Davie Moyes talk ? Isn’t he employed by Real Sociedad ? So what are we waiting for him to get the sack then appoint him ? Are we going to pay compensation to sign him ?
The tactics … As another poster stated almost 80% of top European sides are playing with a variation of just 1 central striker … Our problem stems from creating the opportunities for that striker plus the attacking central midfielder to arrive in the box changing the formation of you like from 4231 to a 442 or even 424 (for those who like quoting formations )
Defense has shown time and time again that the zonal marking doesn’t work at a higher level … Didn’t for Lennon (wasn’t it v Milan that the issue was first raised ?) hopefully Simo will help but can’t put all the issues on his shoulders !
As for the goal for me Broony should have either held his position and catching the scorer offside … Or track the run … In reality never did one or the other and coupled with Gordon staying rooted on his line we conceded a soft goal.
Re Amsterdam : To be fair, all indications are that (even if the SMSM told a different story) the message did actually get through to the Amsterdam authorities that they got it very badly wrong last time round. So, all the footage that was un-earthed and all the negative publicity that the #DamJustice campaign piled onto them, has clearly had an effect on their approach to this match. – The Celtic Trust, Christian Visser and the Celtic support in general deserve huge credit for this!
OK, sure. .. It falls well short of an admission of culpability from the Amsterdam Politie, but the simple fact that they’ve officially sworn to “protect” Celtic fans against Ajax hooligans, plus the entire tone of their statements (a sea-change from the “Celtic fans were to blame” PR blast from last time) does seem to show a genuine willingness to avoid any repeat of what went down last time -and I think that’s something that should be welcomed.
Surely mulgrew has to play beside simo ivic he is most experienced and given a run is decent centre half. The guys problem is he keeps getting switched about.
anyway the thought of boyata playing in holland is the stuff of nighmares
I agree with this 100%
Space Invaders competition, c1980
Aberdeen havent sold their best players because they’ve not had an offer worth taking.
Dont kid yousrself.
McInnes has taken guys who’ve failed down south so are unlikely to get a big offer for them and SPL players and doubled the wage to sign them.
They’re functional, learnt at the feet of the Cardigan. We simply played into their hands, no imagination, no width, no threat and a daft mistake at the end.
Sadly we do that too often now.
He’s built a TEAM.
A team who went to Croatia and scored 3 goals against a much fancied better “side”.
Don’t kid yersel they can play a bit.
Much like the Lenny side that faced Barca and won.
A great TEAM effort ensured a great win against a much better side.
Playing 1 up front too if my memory serves me right?
Good read thanks!
As for the pic….no idea whats going on, but it could be an image from an early Grange Hill…..sure looks like Tucker Jenkins front left.
Ralph; thought and expected you would have given some part of your post to the performance of the team,even more surprisingly no comment about that JEREMY, Thompson,MIB.
Surely the boo boys on here, Celtic Quick News,& Scotsman should have realised that it will be DESMOND and Lawelll who will decide if and when Ronnie goes. It certainly seems that the MSSM smell blood and are circling in the water like the sharks(vermin) that they are in their latest attempt at destabilising Celtic and Ronnie and the management team just before a big European match(which they will lose if they perform like they did on Saturday, although not having Thompson or any of the other MIB Jeremy’s should help, saying that, there have been plenty of other UEFA refs we have suffered with, but not to the extent that we have with the huns with whistles, like Collum, McClean, Allan, Beaton etc.)
Regarding the rumoured split in the dressing room, I have said all along that the problem since Ronnie was appointed has been, imho, Commons, Stokes, Mulgrew doing a Billy Bremner on Brian Clough at Leeds United. Hail. Hail. Mon the Hoops on Thursday.
andybhoy: points 2 and 3. I wanted my warm bunnet for my cold bald heid but couldn’t find it because my sight is failing me….
C’mon the Bhoys. Make those red Amsterdam lights shine green on Thursday.
Caption: Ranjurs telethon celebrates raising its second pound.
Glass half empty or half full, nobody can judge players after five minutes. Players have to be given a chance, and a chance to gell with others especially in a back four.
Boyata has played eleven games having hardly played in the past couple of years and Blackett is in much the same position. God help Simunovic, if he makes any mistakes he’ll be worth f##k all and in the words of Drewster a dud at best, brain dead c##t at his critical worst.
I agree with lots of the criticism after the weekend, we look leggy, but
given the amount of high pressure games we started the season with, this is understandable.
The flack that Izzy is getting is bizarre, he has being playing non stop for the past three years with international games, world cups etc. Because he has had no challengers he has to play week in week out. Give the guy a break
I have posted before that we are in different time from the past, there is no money in our game and to spend wildly, ie, Oldco is just daft. If it takes selling players to maintain winning the league then so be it. We will play a team on Thursday that has adapted to business model for the past 40 years. They haven’t done to badly
I have always been proud to be a Celtic supporter because we always supported our team, our players and our heritage. I will not stop now because we have had a couple of bad results.
It was always the monkeys that slagged of their players, to the extent that they got shipped of to the lower leagues in England. At least we are making profit from Van Dyke etc, how much did they make when Adams went to Liverpool or McCormack’s Leeds deal etc.
Keep the faith
Got to agree with you re Izzy.
I think he is a big miss when he is out of the side, as the tempo we play at suffers when he’s not there .
Well yes time about my comments Boyata is a dead brian cunt how else would you describe him no need to tackle never mind running into back of him he’s done it before and not learned so that makes him brian dead and ambrose why tackle no need as I said and I stick by watch and see for yourself a lot of non intelligent people in a celtic strip right now from top 2 bottom I accept people make mistakes but when they keep repetting them then and they are on 10k a week brian dead simple
Drewster, Not criticising, merely quoting you.
Like everyone on this forum you are entitled to your opinion, as am I.
I don’t think it was a penalty, I think that the referee was trying to balance the decisions.
But again only my opinion
Sounds like we’ll be the new inverness by 2020 snapping up all this Scottish talent i’m sorry but i don’t much of it 🙁
Celtic won a European Cup with entirely Scottish talent.
Them days are long gone Charlie, European teams have become far more technical than any Scottish team in recent times. This is downgrading a team that in my opinion being a faithful Celt for many a year i feel that the ways things are going under the current regime we will struggle to qualify for any Euro Comps. Thursday is going to be embarrassing it will be down to how many ajax want.
So we have had a poor start to the season well kind of similar to last season actually. A lot of coming and going, similar to last season and games to qualify for Europe before a domestic ball has been kicked. I certainly feel no sense of panic at this time. I’m sure as the new signings bed in, we will start to put together a major run of wins in the SPFL and will find ourselves top of the table by 2016, probably sooner. I think we can give a good account of ourselves in Europe and qualify for the playoff stage and I’m pretty sure we will pick up two out of three domestic trophies. We simply have a better class of player than the rest of the SPFL and that will tell over time and more match time together. Am I happy with the start to the season, not at all given the same thing happened last season. So lessons learned may not have been applied. Am I confident we will have a successful season – YES!
Ambrose should never play for us again. He should have went to St.Johnstone, not Fisher
The comment about Mulgrew leaving is GENIOUS! Still laughing.
I’m glad to see there’s a wee bit, just a wee bit, of a more optimistic tone creeping into the Diary today (a good read today by the way Ralph), and not so much blood spilling. The team’s not playing as well as we want it to, but it’s certainly not playing as bad as some describe (Malmo game apart).
Let’s not do the enemy’s work for them by showing disunity and cracks. They’ve already started (true to form just before an important Europea game) their attempts to put extra pressure on the team and manager. viz:- Griffiths makes a comment that a Celtic player would have definitely been sent off for the tackle that gave us the penalty. When asked what he meant, he said “the Aberdeen players would have surrounded the ref…”. So he carefully (intelligently) didn’t clearly imply bias by the ma(so)n in black…but nevertheless the Daily Reeker leads with “Griffiths SAVAGES referee”…it would be funny, if it wasn’t such a blatant, cynical attempt to get the player suspended by the SFA and hinder and scupper us in our league campaign.
Better our players don’t even comment on the weather to these practitioners of the Black Arts…a free (hun)biased press.
F*ck me, look what they’re leading with today:- “Celtic star Dedryck Boyata snapped out in Glasgow’s west end clutching a shisha pipe”
That sentence they put in big bold black type, immediately giving the impression that he’s been doping…then you read down the article and they clarify “Although the venue is similar to the famous cafes of Amsterdam, the pipes only contain tobacco and flavourings such as apple, coconut, strawberry and cola.”
There should be a law against these b*stards never being challenged for the obvious campaign that they’re waging against Celtic.
I take it all the sevco players, in fact all other players in Scotland stay in at night and play Scrabble, never visit a pub, never eat a Pizza, never mix socially with other members of their species.
Can’t see Moyes coming as there’s no money even at Everton he had money to spend.
Everton have been operating like us in recent years they sell to buy.
Moyes had them punching well above their weight year in year out.
His squads were always built on a good team ethic with a splattering of genuine ability.
Had United stuck with him I think he could have done a job but unfortunately for him he followed the main man.
Lees pressure on LVG than Moyes ever had I think.
Yet I gather his overall stats are not that much better given he’s spent nearly £200m since.
You’re only 100 million out Charlie, just a baw hair shy of 300 million .
It’s just plain crazy.
Aye it’s shocking and yet he will be hailed as a genius if they do anything.
I can remember the newspaper headlines and TV news stories when Trevor Francis became the first 1 million pound player in Britain. Now that price only buys you a fud…if you’re lucky.
Our greatest ever signing cost us £650,000
Wanyama cost us £900,000
Bitton-£700,000
Izzy-£600,000
Rogic-£400,000
Commons -£300,000
Ledley – Free
Lustig- Free
Gordon-Free
How’s this for a line up…
…………GORDON
.
LUSTIG K.WILSON MULGREW IZZY
.
COMMONS BITTON WANYAMA LEDLEY
.
……….MORAVCIK
.
……….LARSSON
Estimated cost – £3.5m
…must be an expensive knocking shop in Amsterdam, with you know…buying a fud for a million.
Man United paid alot more than that for Van Gaal Bian 😉
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-34245039
Is he paranoid?……..like we were always told we were…..We were not paranoid enough!!!!
Auld Imran “accused police of being “emotionally connected” to Rangers and described the club as “a religion built on religious bigotry”.
But it didn’t stop him becoming a director at the bigoted entity…now he’s squealing like a wee pig and using this as an excuse to stay overseas and not cooperate with the police investigation. Shameless hypocrite.
@Charlie Saiz…we got lucky!!! I was speaking about football in general, but you’re right.
Well, well,shinnie goes down in the box and another firkin penalty to the sheep, how many is that the sheep lovers have had so far?
….I lived in Holland early 80’s for 2 years until I got deported from Utrecht to UK. Dutch authorities were pretty cool with my 5 days in lockup but wouldn’t fancy being a Tim in an Amsterdam cell morning after Ajax gemm, point of ma ramblings: take care if your goin to the gemm, and a massive GOOD LUCK to the Tic: I think we’ll need it.
HAIL HAIL !!!