El Cormaco considers life as a Celtic supporter when we have two levels of football to contemplate and enjoy
Schizophrenic Celtic Supporting time again!!
Here I’ll be pondering the weird nature of following Celtic in a Champions league season, and wondering how we can play in Europe in the same manner and with the same mentality we do in Scotland. I should point out I have no idea how we can do this, so if you are expecting answers you’ve come to the wrong place!!
The Champions league eh? Great stuff, the glamour ties, money into the club, the support getting acknowledged all over Europe for our passion and unity of purpose, players testing themselves against the best, jumpers for goal posts, innit marvellous eh?
Yes, it is, absolutely. There really is no down side if Celtic is in your heart. But it does create a strange duality in my mind at least, a form of schizophrenia, watching games over the next 12 weeks or so.
We have our domestic football – we are the biggest club in Scotland, the most successful club in Scotland, pre eminent in our league, able to buy players in our market just on a whim or to annoy other clubs (hello & goodbye Scott Allan). Our under 20s are able to progress well in Cup competitions, we stroll the youth league set ups, have the finest young Scottish players coming through battling to get into the strongest first team line up in Scotland, we can outspend any other team in the league, have the finest, best maintained ground, the largest and best fan base, are coming off the back of 5 consecutive league championships and while Aberdeen and maybe Hearts will make a go of it, we are odds on the take the league again this year.
I have to admit to a strange sense writing that last paragraph. I got seriously into Celtic around the centenary season; the centenary strip was my first Celtic kit. Obviously that was an incredible double winning season but was the exception rather than the rule for the years ahead, as Murray’s spending (in reality the Banks and ultimately our money as taxpayers) sent Rangers out of sight and by the time I came to Glasgow in 1994 to go to University Celtic were miles away from challenging for the league. Something I soon learned made the Press very happy indeed.
But as they say, karma is a bitch. Rangers got theirs for “loading the dice” for years and we are now the biggest and best in every sense, something a little part of me is still getting to grips with. The fact that this dominance is happening from what appears to be a controlled and sustainable platform means I should have a long time to get used to it. As should our rivals. Which is nice.
So domestically we can win two leagues under Ronnie when the team were dysfunctional, low on quality unmotivated and directionless, but this is where the schizophrenia comes in, for our Champions League ties everything about how we view ourselves going into the game changes. Well, nearly everything.
For domestic games the recent league cup game against Motherwell is the model – Celtic attacking for 90 minutes, bossing the ball, playing energetic, aggressive football always asking questions of the opponent and being ruthless when chances to score come along.
We would aim to average a minimum of 65% of the possession over the domestic season, score over 100 goals and concede less than 30. Win a cup, or even two, entertain the people and generally swat teams away bar the odd inevitable off day.
When it comes to Europe though suddenly we are playing with 30% or less possession, are looking to score from set plays or errors by our opponents, holding out for as long as we can against waves of attacks, happy to see our team come off and not be embarrassed by the score. In short we experience what it must be like for every other team in the SPL when they play Celtic. We become Ross County, or Motherwell or Ranger2 – well not quite that honking but you get my point.
Then the weekend comes and we are Celtic again, bossing the ball, asking the questions, scoring the goals
I wonder how players and management make that transition. Barcelona play the same way every game, league or Champions league, and they know that that will usually be good enough to beat the opponent. Bayern, Real etc the same, but we switch entirely from huge favourites expected to win to huge underdogs holding out for a minor miracle back to huge favourites again in 7 days.
The Be’er Sheva game was a classic example, and a comment in the diary on Monday when John said “I hate when Celtic fans are confident” got me thinking about this. Monti replied it was a strange statement, well I get it, 100%.
Be’er Sheva away should have been a chance for Celtic fans to be confident and the team to play like they do in domestic away games, to dominate the ball and manage the situation. Fans online were confident, and like John, that always makes me a little anxious.
Of course that game turned out a gut churning, time standing still nightmare and a tie we could easily have lost. They are a good team, better than SPL opponents sure, but we should still have been able to play with some more authority than we did. Instead it was the inferiority complex European Celtic that played the minnow against the giant, afraid to be on the ball and hoping for the end to come soon.
So what to do? How do we switch mindset to believing when we play in Europe we can be dominant, can ask questions of our opponents, win games by playing football rather than the Barca game model of a dozen rosaries, a set piece, a mistake and a couple of good strong lines to pep up the goalie?
I don’t know. I should probably have said that. Oh I did., so I m not apologizing now for wasting your time, I told you at the start, go and check if you want.
The one thing that doesn’t change is the belief that is always there some where in every fan. I remember walking into the “Tony Watt” Barcelona game and there wasn’t confidence in the air, but there was something tangible, a feeling of “we could do this here”.
That feeling of believing it can be done, if it can be transmitted to the players seems to be the way we can hope to transcend our minnow status in Europe. That feeling will be a given, Celtic fans never have a game where their touch is poor and they miss chances. As Tommy Burns said, “They’re there and they’re always there” but the players need to believe in the same way we do, and play with the courage to make a mistake but come and try it again, relish the challenge and know that if they come off having lost but given the opponent a real challenge we’ll be right with them.
So basically I got nothing, no tactics, no bright ideas, just a rallying call that its alright to be schizophrenic, to demand we keep the ball and look assured domestically and moan when a pass goes out of play and then applaud a guy wildly for winning a throw in against Vincent Kompany and company in a couple of weeks (there’s only one of them –Ed) so long as we keep the faith that anything really is possible and one day we can go into Europe and play like lions again. We’ve done it before after all.
Before the Champions League we have the return sic of the old Firm sic. We are using this game as preparation for the real test in Barcelona, our “rivals” went to Belfast to play sister club Linfield. Which is like sparring against your wee sister before you have to take on Conor Mc Gregor in a UFC bout. It was also a bit grim to see photos of the *Rangers squad with a Shankhill road flute band. An organisation built on sectarianism, division and bigotry, with the Shankhill Road flute band.
It also saw fat salary re –appear for a Level 5 PR thing for a restaurant or something. There was “super” standing beside a cheap looking sign with some horrendous looking food on a plate he was holding
There was something very familiar about seeing his big grinning face standing beside a cardboard sign while serving up unappealing fayre that no one wanted. Can’t quite place it…
Win lose or draw tomorrow its Tuesday that’s really important. What I’m looking forward to tomorrow is seeing the Green Brigade tifo, it’s going to be pretty special I think. And Scott Sinclair running at their defence is getting me excited too I must say.
Hail hail and roll on the Champions league schizophrenia!!
Welcome Hame Ralphy, That Desi!s been at it,stirring the pot.
I would like to hear advice on a crowed funding event for raising cash for the family!s of suicide victims,to show our solidarity with them,any ideas would be appreciated.
H.H.
SAMH, The Scottish Association for Mental Health.based in Glasgow. It was clear that a lot of Tims had friends or relatives who have experience of this dreadful condition,i think it would be a good idea for Tic supporters and the club to raise some cash for this wonderful charity,i am certain that it would be appreciated.
Please will you join me in making a small donation to this good cause,i will publish the details later.Any thoughts or suggestions would be very welcome.
Apologies Elcormaco,its been a Very long three days.
Try again. Our previous Manager played the same system time after time,without acknowledging that,we do not have the quality of player to play the system,or to be able to change it during game time.
This time under our new Manager,that has changed.Be-er Shiva,yes we played badly and some players made simple mistakes and our confidence drained.Brendan got rid of a few players since and added also,so i am more confident now and stand by my later post.
Great article and when i woke up it gave me food for thought,what more can an article like yours achieve.H.H.
The one thing about tonight is we will get chances , we have very quick players who can spring into attack , barcelona will attack us leaving just two defenders at the back , with the likes of sinclair roberts and dembele on the counter we will def get chances to score. If we can frustrate them with big kolo and eric defending like there lifes depended on it and nick a goal who knows , either way we have nothing to lose
How do we make the transition from domestic league to C.L.
!/ Bring in a Manager that kens the game.One who can instill confidence into the players.
2/ Add a better quality player into the team and get rid of the duds.
3/ Talk up the opposition,to give them a sense of false confidence.
4/ Give your players a complete dossier of the oppos players and how to play them and nullify them.
5/ Go for it cautiously,if that fails kick lumps oot of them.
Hossana.
They are the best teams,
They are the best teams,
The main event,
They are the Champions,
They are the best teams.
Brilliant script el Cormaco. Schizophrenia Celtic Supporters? Definitely! Still no real answers as to why we’re like this and unless we try being the SPL Celtic, we’ll never know. HH
great article el cormaco but after your performance on pointless yer kiddin about you going to the uni surely ha ha
Cheeky sod!
I think he was a janitor there!
A brilliantly thoughtful article! Inspiring.
Dont know about anyone else,But i reckon Celtic will give a good account of themselves no matter what”Yes we are up against it the night but we’ve been in this kinda predicament before.Send on the Barca COYBIG!!HH!!!67 springs tae mind with Inter.We need to be FEARLESS!!!
man markers all over the pitch we need tonight dont gei thum an inch brendan will know how to nullify the barca style ……..ffs nullify were the fuck did a get that word fae ha ha
I’m not a schizophrenic….at least that’s what the other 7 of me is saying!
monti that makes 24 ae us
Am no either nor am I
And here was me thinking Janko was the weak link!!
caballeros v ninos
Gamboa?…..
this is awful
Gamboa what is that a fish or an animal. This guy is unbelievably poor, De Vries is not much better. The rest , well they play in Scotland.
Never mind Cally Thistle at the weekend.
7-0 thank God it could have been worse
Not surprised.We saw what happened to Malmoe last year. The gap between the top European teams is now unbelievable – money talks. We might get lucky at home time and again. Take the money and try to built. Probably could have done better but we were up against a team who are a class above. I can’t really see it as a humiliation as the champions of most smaller European countries would have got the same treatment.We have nil points. Doubt many fans thought we have had any at the end of tonight.Deep breath and on to the City game.
totally outclassed.
Nobody died
Evidence that we are merely the best in a truly bad league.
And you were saying,phsycology wise?
Hoping BR and his assistants will have a tete a tete with Toure, Lustig and DDV to discuss what must be changed. Scott Brown is a liability at this level.
Just recalled: Spanish version of Friday 13th = Tuesday 13th 🙁
I thought Scott Brown had a decent game. On the whole it was Giants against Men! We expected a hard time but we had a glimmer of hope because of who our manager is. Unfortunately our defense couldn’t cope with the relentless pressure. Too slow of mind, lack of awareness, to slow to act and the sum was a porous defense.A mitigating factor is the team don’t really know each other like Barca’s players know each other. Our players ran into positions but the ball went to a different position. Barca did not do this once. Perhaps playing Gamboa was a mistake – he hasn’t played regularly and he had never played with his team-mates ever. Well we can debate that. BR is human, we hoped not. But things will improve to some extent as players get to know each other better. But the defense has been weak for years and BR hasn’t sorted it out yet.
Our European away form continues to be dire no matter what manager is in place, if we can’t beat Lincoln Red Imps away from home, it should be nothing less than a mauling at the Nou Camp. Although he was far from the worst, it pains me to say that Tierney was annihilated for the second game in a row at this level, Dembele too cocky at the penalty, but some of the Barca play was a joy to behold.
7 EFFIN 0.
CELTIC.
Kings of Scotland, Clowns of Europe.
I have full confidence in BR but he has got a mountain to climb.
Too much fear, too much respect. It was painful. It was what some of us expected. So what? Our home games are what will count, even against Barca. Sinclair should take penalties. De Vries is worse than Gordon. He should have saved the free kick. It could only go one place and he wasn’t there. Neymar? A showboat who needs the show taken out of his boat. Where is Roy Aitken when we need him? Why do we kick the ball into space? Why do we pass so badly when we are pressed? I thought only Sinclair might provide a goal. We must start learning to keep clean sheets and defend corners. That said, Barca is top class, even if two of their goals were offside. I love being in the Champions League but have never liked being humiliated by millionaires, players or otherwise. These games remind us how Partick and Motherwell feel about us. We should maybe lose to Barca by 3-0 or 3-1. 7-0 is NOT the Celtic way. We must go all out to beat Monchengladbach to third place so we can stay in European football all year. But I am still proud of our bhoys and Brendan. Nobody expected us to take a point at the Nou Camp. I did expect us to player better than that.