{"id":18900,"date":"2025-01-06T08:58:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T08:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=18900"},"modified":"2025-01-06T08:58:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T08:58:42","slug":"celtic-diary-monday-january-6-2025-thats-us-telt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=18900","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Monday January 6 2025 : That’s Us Telt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Normal service was restored yesterday when Celtic overcame St Mirren 3-0 in Glasgow. The buddies put up a fairly decent performance but were undone by two goals from Nicolas Kuhn, who seemed to be over whatever affected him at Ibrox, and Auston Trusty, who had been restored to the team having promised to do as the gaffer told him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Combined with “rangers ” dropping two points at Easter Road, that more or less restores the league table to what it was before the hoops collapsed at Ibrox, and although there are still a few niggling doubts, the train has settled back onto the rails again.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bizarrely, but rightly, Brendan Rodgers post match drew attention to the support…or lack of it…after fans seemed to be a little frustrated with his charges.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“I have a big respect for this group of players, especially on a day like today, because when it was 0-0 for the first 20 minutes, we\u2019d make a backward pass and the crowd would be on to the team.<\/em><\/p>\n

“That cannot happen. One, if you know about football, and two, if you can understand that when teams come here, they\u2019re going to make it really difficult.<\/em><\/p>\n

“You can\u2019t turn up every single week and be 3-0, 4-0 up in 20 minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Teams are well-organised, teams are well set-up, you have to work the game.<\/em><\/p>\n

“So sometimes you have to play a backward pass to change the point of attack. We make a backward pass, and then they get on to the players, and that\u2019s why I was proud of the players.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t need the cheers when it\u2019s 3-0, and the support when it\u2019s 3-0 or 4-0, or 5-0.<\/em><\/p>\n

“You only need to look at the facts and how this team plays to know they\u2019re an attacking team, a creative team that creates goals and scores goals.<\/em><\/p>\n

“So when we decide to go back to change the point of attack, clap the players, don\u2019t panic.<\/em><\/p>\n

“And that was my annoyance today. We need the support when it\u2019s 0-0. We want to attack. Look at our numbers, look at our stats. Trust the team. Trust the management.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He’s right, and wrong. But mostly right.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Criticising the support never ends well, it merely widens the audience for whatever complaint they have. In this instance, he’s drawing attention to the frustration shown when one of the defenders fires the ball sideways or backwards across the face of the goal, which invites pressure, and makes everyone nervous.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Nervous fans lead to nervous players, and that leads to mistakes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the other hand, he’s right. If a player cannot see a way forward, then it’s right for him to look elsewhere, but because play has slowed down, it invites pressure from forwards….which makes everyone nervous, and so on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The solution would be for the midfield to come back a little and increase the options available, or at the very least move around a bit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There don’t seem to be many outballs if Calum McGregor is marked.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Maybe the rant from Rodgers was partly because he himself was frustrated with the lack of forward movement, and there seemed to be more anger the manager wanted to get out of his system regarding the fans when he defended Greg Taylor, who , for some reason, gets more stick than others… even to the point where supporters are singing about another player who they think would be a better option at left back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“A total lack of respect. Of course it is.<\/em><\/p>\n

“Greg Taylor, he\u2019s been absolutely amazing at this club. How does he feel? He nearly breaks his nose (today), bleeding for the club, for the cause.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I\u2019m more worried about the players that are here. It\u2019s not very respectful to sing for another player, no matter what Kieran\u2019s history is. I don\u2019t like that.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I have a young player who\u2019s given so much to this club over a number of years, consistently. His robustness, ability, what he\u2019s done for the club. So, that needs to be respected. He might decide to go elsewhere.<\/em><\/p>\n

“But at this moment in time, he\u2019s here, he\u2019s very much a Celtic player and we want to support that. Hopefully we can get to some agreement to let him stay.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I hear the stuff around, oh, maybe Champions League. But I\u2019ve had hundreds of Celtic players that haven\u2019t been good enough in the Champions League.<\/em><\/p>\n

“What I know is this is a man who gives everything for this club. Hopefully we can keep him here because we\u2019re trying to build a strong squad.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I put myself in his shoes playing left-back in the game and we are singing the name of someone else.”\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In this instance, he’s absolutely right.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keiran Tierney almost joined Everton, just weeks after his heroic charge with a megaphone at Hampden. Brendan Rodgers talked him out of it. Tierney had accepted the Everton offer, which at the time surprised Rodgers and Peter Lawwell.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then Arsenal came along, Celtic assessed the fitness of Tierney, and away he went.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unless he’s grown a new hip, his fitness isn’t any better than when he went. And Taylor certainly doesn;t want to sign a new deal if he’s going to be downgraded to second choice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His loyalty is beyond reproach, but as ever the football fan remembers players as they were when they leave, and not as they are now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although bringing Tierney back does fit the company policy of signing players who can’t get a game for their club, it doesn’t make sense to herald him as some sort of homecoming hero.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fans are a fickle bunch. All defenders make mistakes, but some pay a higher price than others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Liam Scales had a nightmare against “rangers “, and as a result will probably have to save Brendan’s puppy if it falls into the river before he gets another chance. He, too, suffered unacceptable abuse from the support after the game, a game in which pretty much everyone had an off day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cameron Carter Vickers, on the other hand, is beyond criticism, despite what could prove to be a costly own goal against Bruges when he couldn’t be arsed looking to see of there was anyone on the end of his pass while his mind was elsewhere.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He also has a habit of turning around while in possession and running towards his own bye line, he did it again yesterday where he was bundled off the ball, but as far as hoops fans are concerned he’s our best defender since Virgil van Dijk.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That might be right, but it says more about our defenders than it does Carter Vickers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Celtic have tried several players alongside him, none seem to fit. Maybe it’s time to try it without him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Then again, someone has to help keep Schmeichel awake when he starts to doze off.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Champions League restarts in ten days or so. Rodgers was simply trying to get the players back into European mode, possession football played patiently and maturely. It’s worked so far and clearly he’s worried that fans screaming at players isn’t going to help.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Especially when one seasoned campaigner, Taylor, is getting a wee bit fed up of always being the fall guy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s January, and with that comes the usual speculation around signings, and the eternal worry of upsetting the balance in a squad which is doing very well. Obviously there’s room for improvement, and there’s the added headache of Champions League qualifiers in the summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rodgers will have to keep this team firing and at the same time plan ahead for next years competition,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To do both will require an enormous amount of luck as well as judgement, and in that context it’s easy to understand why he lets off steam from time to time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elsewhere, and over at Ibrox there is a sense of resignation in the air…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Celtic<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That brief period when they were just eleven points behind has gone, the window of opportunity slammed shut. At least, that’s how they saw it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quite why they figured they ever had a chance is largely down to the media throwing their weight behind manager Clement, following a remit from the Ibrox board to help them keep\u00a0 the Belgian in place for doing pretty much what they’d asked him to do…finish second and have a good run in Europe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clement, though, knows how to solve the problems at Ibrox.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He’s written to the SPFL asking if they can play their remaining games on a Thursday, as his players can handle that. It’s the other six days that are costing them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On Friday, we had this…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
Dave<\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a02 days ago<\/em><\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Police release picture of man suspected of eating Ally McCoist\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Celtic<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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