Some years ago, a pal of mine went through to Edinburgh after the first Black Sunday debacle. He encountered the Rangers support on his way there, as he went by train.<\/p>\n
I didn’t go to the game yesterday, deciding instead to watch it at my parents house with my dad, now in remission, and my brother.<\/p>\n
Heading home last night, as I exited the wee Argyll Ferry at Gourock, the hordes were getting on it.<\/p>\n
I know how my pal felt now, and I have to say he wasn’t exaggerating.<\/p>\n
Scott Brown, Ronny Deila and John Colllins, our leaders on and off the park, should have been made to stand there with me.<\/p>\n
Glasgow Central had its share of cabaret as well, the delightful strains of Billy boys, echoing under the glass roof.<\/p>\n
An awful evening, an awful day, and Deila, who at the point of typing, still hasn’t fucked off. Or that idiot sidekick of his.<\/p>\n
Celtic got absolutely everything wrong yesterday. In fact, I’m surprised that clown even remembered it was eleven a side.<\/p>\n
I’m not going to bother with any quotes, mainly because i can’t face reading them, yet alone commenting on them. Deila did, however, after the game, say that there were positives, and mostly Celtic had contained “rangers ”<\/p>\n
Contained ?<\/p>\n
The hoops sat back and allowed them the ball. And they scored twice. That isn’t containing them, thats letting them play. Deila, who came with a reputation of making players better, succceeded yesterday in making a distinctly average team look like world beaters.<\/p>\n
Only it wasn’t, and not for the first time, his team.<\/p>\n
Celtic played a first division side in a major Cup semi final, and sat back, hoping to catch them on the break.<\/p>\n
One down at half time after Scott Brown fed Kenny Miller an opening goal, although Dedryck Boyata is equally to blame for that one, being turned by a thirty six year old who creaked away from him, Celtic started the second half as they should have the first. four corners and a goal within five minutes.<\/p>\n
At this point, I thought normal service would be resumed. It wasn’t even difficult. Erik Sviatchenko, who had replaced Boyata, removed from the play as the smell from his shorts was upsetting other players, rose above the “rangers ” defence to head an equaliser, and you felt that this scenario would be repeated a few times to establish superiority. We’d just done what other sides had done to them. a wee bit of pressure on their defence, and they fold.<\/p>\n
But no, it was back to sleep again, back along our own eighteen yard line to wait for something to happen.<\/p>\n
Extra time loomed, and we hadn’t even had the honest mistake\/penalty incident yet.<\/p>\n
In the first period of extra time, we got the honest mistake. a seemingly innocuous one, but when Craig Thomson, who until that point had done quite well, awarded a throw in to “rangers ” near the half way line, and Barrie MacKay, who can’t even spell his first name, cracked a hopeful shot beyond Craig Gordon.<\/p>\n
Celtic woke up briefly, and Keiran Tierney fed Tom Rogic, who had replaced Stefan Johansen around an hour and a half too late, cut in a second equaliser, and Craig Thomson, unable to award a penalty earlier, in a fit of generosity , now gave both sides five…<\/p>\n
Bizarrely, the “rangers ” captain, having won the toss, ( our captain, not having given a toss all day ) chose to have the penalties at the Celtic end.<\/p>\n
The result wasn’t affected. “rangers ” had no pressure in the shoot out, having already achieved a result beyond their most realistic expectations by getting to this stage in the first place, whereas the Celts could only make things worse for themselves…<\/p>\n
It became obvious that the ball would gain height fairly quickly, but Tom Rogic hadn’t noticed that, as he beame the third Celt to miss, and that was that.<\/p>\n
We’ve gone from wanting to be in the champions League groups, to the Europa latter stages, to the treble, the double, and now possibly just the league.<\/p>\n
And eight points ahead or not, I’m less confident about that than I should be.<\/p>\n
Where does the blame lie ? What will be the repercussions ?<\/p>\n
The manager picks the team, and lays out the game plan. He got both of them spectacularly wrong.<\/p>\n
The captain should lead, and if its not going to plan, he should change it.<\/p>\n
The players ? One or two notably did not have the stomach for the battle. One or two were hiding, Nir Biton, for example had a bout of phew my leg hurts and wanted to come off, which would have left Celts with ten men, the subs having already all been used.<\/p>\n
So, I’ve ordered a taxi, hang on, make that a mini bus, to head up to Celtic Park for around three o’clock this after noon, to give some people time to say their farewells, and time to collect their stuff.<\/p>\n
Ronny Deila, John Colllins, John Kennedy, Scott Brown, Nir Biton, Stefan Johansen, Gary Mackay Steven, Nir Biton -he can go twice-, Mikael Lustig, Patrick Roberts and especially that waste of space Dedryck Boyata.<\/p>\n
That’ll do for now, to be going on with. The new manager can decide what he wants to do with the ones not deemed good enough to get in that side.<\/p>\n
And the board, who were ultimately responsible for this ?<\/p>\n
Well, we hear that they are delighted. A competitive “rangers “. The renewal of old rivalries, that should shift a few season books.<\/p>\n
Its what they wanted all along.<\/p>\n
Another mini bus, for four o’clock.<\/p>\n
For all of them. No exceptions.<\/p>\n
Lawwell especially. His ability to make \u00a0money for the club isn’t in doubt, but the policy of downsizing is a vicious circle, and the curves are getting smaller.<\/p>\n
His tenure is over.<\/p>\n
Clear the lot out and start again. Complacency and a lack of ambition has eroded their effectiveness, and they are not the people to run the club. They’ve shown that over the last couple of years.<\/p>\n
Later today, no doubt one or more of them will come out and say they’re hurting too, perhaps ahead of an expected hike in season book prices, although they may wait a day or two before announcing that one.<\/p>\n
Don’t let them fool you. They don’t give a fuck. The management doesn’t give a fuck, and most of the players don’t give a fuck.<\/p>\n
The support do, you can tell from the tempers on here post match in the comments. Though we , at least, should show some unity. Who knows, it might catch on at the club.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Celtic yesterday were terrible, a lack of heart, a lack if fight and a lack of cohesion.<\/p>\n
Sviatchenko, Tierney got pass marks. Rogic as well, and maybe McGregor.<\/p>\n
Three of those were substitutes. That tells you how badly Deila got this wrong. And quite why Collins didn’t advise against the holding game is beyond me. He is supposed to be the Scottish football expert. He isn’t.<\/p>\n
Thats why he wasn’t in a job when Celtic came calling.<\/p>\n
When Deila first arrived, i was very critical of him. Over time, I started to think he did have a plan. Maybe he does, but he doesn’t have the mental strength and the ability to communicate that plan to players.<\/p>\n
What we have here is fairly obviously a man who doesn’t want to be here, a team that doesn’t want him and a support that doesn’t want any of them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It’s over.<\/p>\n
Have they gone yet ?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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