Celtic 1 – 4 Sparta Prague
Morning,all.
Bonfire night might have been the night we saw Neil Lennon’s hopes of taking us towards The Fabled Ten go up in flames. You all saw that last night,and it was utterly shambolic. That argument though can wait for another day,let’s just deal with last night,the here and now.
We have a team of highly paid professionals,internationalists almost to a man,and they played like strangers to each other,strangers to even the game of football. There is not a player out there who can be proud of his performance last night.
I don’t want to go overboard too much about it,the autopsy can wait till later-but certainly this Celtic team is not showing much sign of life,and there have been way too many embarrassing and frankly piss-poor performances this season for any of us to casually dismiss as a bad day at the office or even just needing a bit of tinkering at the edges.
This isn’t a car which just needs a retune,a bit of work done under the bonnet. From what I saw last night,there isn’t an engine left to work on,the wheels have came off and the brakes are shot.
On top of which,there’s a big problem with the driver who seems not to know how to drive the bloody thing in the first place.
We had a front line who couldn’t hold the ball up,certainly didn’t seem to be playing as a unit and who couldn’t get into dangerous areas. A midfield who couldn’t provide them with the bullets and who also couldn’t protect our men at the back,and a defence which was fucking useless,if I’m honest. Sparta drove through our middle any time they felt like it and there was as much chance of me putting in an effective tackle from 400 miles away as there was of any of our players doing it.
And by the way,Sparta,when they weren’t putting the ball in the net,looked like a bloody ordinary team,so just how bad were we then?
I don’t want these players to publicly apologise to the fans for the performance last night,nor for any of those performances in the last three weeks or so. I want them to cut them out. They are vastly better players than they have shown recently,and it is way past time they showed it and earned their money.
They were a disgrace to the jersey,an expression I doubt I’ve ever used before. I don’t think there’s a single one of them can argue to the contrary.
I know you folks don’t.
Above article by BMCUWP
Other teams we play not only move faster, they also move the ball faster. One or two touches to move the ball is all it should take. Our players labour with the ball. Big Tam and French Eddie particularly hold on to the ball too long at times.
Our throw ins are frankly atrocious. Our players are static and man marked at every throw in. No movement from the players to create space for the thrower. Back in the day Celtic players were not allowed to stand still. Our movement off the ball is non existent. It’s all a shambles
When in trouble we have no outball. Our players never create or move into space. Every successful pass, which are becoming fewer and far between, are always to feet or worse still, behind the proposed recipients. We NEVER pass into space for the player to run on to
We have become too predictable
Big Sutty was banging on about an overweight Griffiths. I couldn’t see it on the telly but if it’s true keep him out of the team and off the bench until he shapes up. French Eddie needs a rest. Whether it’s the result of COVID or his head he’s not performing. Give Ajeti and Klimalla an extended run (3 games at least) and let’s see what they can do
Scott Brown also needs a rest. Play Soro.
Turnbull also deserves a slot.
Team for Sunday
………………. Barkas
Frimpong El Hamed Bitton Laxalt
…………………. Soro
………..Christie Turnbull McGregor
……………. Klimalla
…………………………..Ajeti
“We’re so disjointed it’s unbelievable ” Callum McGregor
No callum it’s not it’s very believable at the moment
1 win in 6 games, 3 defeats all at home. That surely equates to a Celtic manager losing his job no?
Something has to change quick style or we’ll end up winning nothing. Sort it Celtic as we deserve better. Off topic, not saw Garry posting of late, I hope he’s okay?
Ayrshire bhoy,
Your stats point to one thing in my mind – the players are not playing for Neil Lennon. Right or wrong you can’t get rid of 20 players so Neil will have to leave. And we can’t wait any longer. If we do the league will be over in the next two games. I felt last night Sutton didn’t want to say the actual words but all his comments said that he also thinks Neil needs to go. I wanted him to leave after the sevco game as I had never seen such a bad performance. I think last night was worse. Again I reiterate, he should not have been given the job in the first place but this board have shamed themselves with where we have ended up. When you compare us and sevco in the last 3 years it’s like Tesco getting overtaken by the spar. Embarrassing business acumen. Also while I’m on the subject of the board, I noticed bada posted last night that uefa told us to remove the green brigade banner with the tommy burns quote on it. I can only assume that reference to a people and a cause is deemed political. A leading board with backbone would have told them to F off and paid the fine. Next to football without fans is nothing that quote is the second most memorable touchstone phrase for our club. It was said by a true Celtic man who was loved by our support yet we took the banner down to appease the paymasters. Sickening.
Neil Lennon never had the tactical nous to be a top class coach.
He was a supporter and fist pumper.
His passion has gone.
That a squad of fairly good players look so disjointed and inept tells the story.
Our spacing and off the ball movement would shame an under 10’s team.
Good players have gone backwards at an alarming rate under Neil’s tenure and i honestly can’t think of one who has improved.
No secret that i did not want Neil at Celtic but it was for all of the above reasons and not personal.
Central mid is our biggest problem with one aging player and another who flatters to deceive.
Neither are suited to their role which is why they produce little in an attacking sense and offer no defensive protection.
Big question is does anyone know their role in the footballing department?
Our CEO is a fraud and overpaid imposter who also needs to go.
His chief scouting and recruitment abilities are tragic.
Of course the de facto owner DD has also been a deciding factor in our present shambles and the sooner he packs up and leaves the better.
BMCUWPS,
Fair play for writing the article. If memory serves me correctly you said something like, ” that must never happen again.” After the Servo game.
Unfortunately it has happened. Maybe the only positive is that it didn’t happen at Ibrox at the New Year?
Fair play to the GB for their efforts with the banner despite it’s removal by the usual UEFA stage management.
The deeper problem is that all this marketing about A Cause and A Calling is just hot air from the Plc.
It’s not what TB meant imo.
Too many distractions about Huns and the Scottish Government, religion etc on blogs (not this one).
That’s all just a licence to exploit money and leads to lazy thinking.
It’s bound us to the fraud at Ibrox.
We are a shambles off the park. Amateur recruitment strategy. Targets found in the bin. Including players (like Eddy who were likely to be sold) Open season for the media to write whatever they like, referees getting away with blatant cheating…
Shower room appointments, favoured agents, ongoing decline in Europe.
John Beaton?
Assaults on players on and off the park. Zaluska/ Christie.
Nothing ever done, nothing ever said by the main man. Just titbits and distractions from well meaning plants.
The on the field lack of performance is a symptom of the arrogant incompetence off the field.
The real dog’s dinner is the 5WA etc and the mess Pedro has been allowed to make there.
The reality is Neil never had a hope.
31003 @4-50am
We never have an outball simply because our player in possession sole focus seems to be a backwards and sideways pass.
Last night i watched us have 3 free kicks in their half and on every occasion the ball ended up back with Bain following a few backwards passes.
Perhaps the lack of off the ball movement in front of them is due to the players themselves knowing that the ball is going backwards or sideways anyway?
We never seem to have any awareness of our teammates so the hesitate, swivel and sideways/backwards
pass is the norm.
Fan-a-tic,
We can’t even take shys.
At one stage in the First Half, Frimpong was taking a shy about halfway up our defensive half and nothing.
He looked around and up and down the field and nothing.
Eventually Eddy had to show for the ball, leaving heehaw further up the pitch.
Good to see you back.
Till later.
Well I have to hold my hands up and admit that Neil John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan all have go and please resign ASAP
That performance last night was shockingly bad we looked like a team devoid of structure and tactics and most of all commitment and fitness
The players are definitely not playing for the manager and that is very plain to see.
Apologies to all who have been highlighting this for a while now and I will admit I had my head in the sand thinking and hoping it would get better but alas it has got worse
CELTICCHAMPSELECT
To be fair we were all thinking and hoping it would get better,because it isn’t really in our nature to call for our manager to get the sack,and particularly not one who meant so much to us as a player.
But eventually there can be no room for sentiment in football. The on ly certainty as a football manager is that you WILL get the sack. And after last night,that should now be a certainty for our management team.
On Wednesday the final question asked by the Czech media to Neil was “Are you going to speak to Jiří Jarošík about Sparta?”
(Maybe pick up a few insights)
Neil told them what a good guy Jarošík was but “No.” He wouldn’t be speaking Jiří.
My heart sank at the answer.
HH
Regarding the Tommy Burns banner, it was rolled up due to it covering up the UEFA signage. How I wish we had someone like Tommy at Celtic Park, he would’ve went through that team last night and left no one standing.
I’m stunned at what we witnessed last night. We’ve gone from Larsson, Sutton, Lubo, Hartson, Petrov, Mjallby etc to this shower. Stunned. And still seeing people on Twitter saying to keep the faith, in Lenny we trust and other assorted pish.
Not anywhere near good enough CSC
Paddy power hitting nail on head with a tongue in cheek dig at ‘the zombies’ stealing 101ar. Sevcoites aren’t happy.
https://news.paddypower.com/football/2020/11/06/dawn-of-the-dread-celtic-raided-by-zombies-as-rangers-make-move-for-10th-title/
seems i have changed my moniker without realising?
Sol Kitts,
That slogan, ‘In Lenny we trust’ was always uncomfortably close to the mindset ‘ In Ally/Walter we trust.’
No reflection on Neil but too much of an Old Firm mindset, I guess.
CCE
No need to apologize for your honestly held opinions.
We may differ on certain subjects but we all have the same wishes for Celtic’s success.
HH
The Gombeen Man Sol Kitts.
In Lenny we trust was a well meaning statement.
Unfortunately it was for all the wrong reason’s.
His credentials as a Celtic man and supporter are impeccable.
His credentials as a coach should have seen him nowhere near the job.
SOLKITTS,FAN-A-TIC
Yep. So who gets to shoot Bambi?
Not excusing Moi – I don’t think players should have mobile phones in their possession during a game – but if he was quickly checking the score of Milan v Lille, it’s hardly a sign of indifference!
jimthetim53,
Re Moi on his phone, while no fan of his (he’s brutal). He had been subbed, got changed so yes he’d have his phone on him. Feck all to see here but a free hit at Celtic.
HH
Lenny should have told the BT reporter that clyped on MOI to grow up and stop acting like a 5 year old – or even better – “what the feck has that to do with you”.
TEST
keeps changing my moniker to 10 — Spooky 😨👀
10/Spooky,
Yes, he should have told her to eff off.
She sounded desperate to grass.
DaftbintCSC
Score predictor reminder
There.are.4.games tonight..
CCE
Glad you’ve come around.
Mags even I could not support that last night 🙂
Predictor link for weekend games,and there are four tonight.
https://sentinelcelts.com/?p=5783
Not gossip, my son’s pal was at a hairdresser in Glasgow this morning, a player who played last night, was sitting next to him,the players have the day off……..seems only Broonie in at Lennoxtown…..
If NL wasn’t Celtic manager, what level of club would he be at? Dundee,Bristol Rovers…?
If the Board is worth its salt, it would have concluded after the Ferencvaros game that NL had to go. On that night he demonstrated that he was failing in the football department, as he had before with Cluj and Copenhagen. However, the final strike would be that his performance was causing failure in the financials again through failure to progress to the CL. At that point, it was probably all about transition. When should it happen and who could be brought in? Any half decent Board would have examined this scenario. Apparently, a decision was made to let NL continue until the end of the season then he would go. However, events have continued to spiral downwards due to disorganisation on and off the park. This has impacted results…….Sevco, Aberdeen, Milan and, finally, Sparta. Although, mathematically, the league has not gone, its final destination is not within our hands. It requires us to get two wins out of three and one draw against Sevco in the remaining games versus them, assuming that they do not implode. Even in a very good year that level of performance versus Sevco is unlikely, given that two of these games will be away.
Further, there is something very negative going on behind the scenes that we are not party to, but the CEO and, thus, the Board will be aware of this. Keeping NL in place as long as possible meant that he would carry the can for the loss of the 10iar, not the Board, who supported the manager in the transfer window! However, after Sparta, the spotlight switches to the Board, because everyone now knows the manager is not up to the task. To leave NL in place until the end of the season is no longer viable because to do so would clearly shift responsibility onto the Board. The transition now has to be speeded up, and how that is handled will be both interesting and instructive on the ability of the Board to reason strategically. Have they got another BR up their sleeves, or will it be an interim appointment, such as Strachan? I suspect something along the lines of the latter. This would be the better option since it removes the burden of the ten from the new manager going forward.
Trouble is, a decision needs to made very quickly to salvage something from the season.
Rebus
NFL said last week that there was no justification for him to be sacked 🤔
REBUS67
ATHINGOFBEAUTY and I were on the blower this morning,and we agree with everything you said. Have you tapped our phones?
The Ten is no longer in our hands as I doubt they will drop more points against other teams than we will. Our only hope there is for an implosion over there,similar to last season. As for the manager,we concluded the same as you too-that an interim manager like WGS is the best bet while the board do their bloody job properly this time and read a CV or two.
Neither of us can pinpoint why our players are playing so poorly,bar the lack of proper coacjing and fitness programmes. And if that is the case,NL should be bloody ashamed of himself.
GORDON64
Izzatso?
From Lustig, Simunovic, Boyata and Tierney.
To Frimpong, Loan player, Bitton and another Loan.
This year, of all years, can anyone make sense of the above? For me, it’s impossible to come to any other conclusion than it was done on purpose. Now we are in such a precarious position, we are talking about changing manager?
What a monumental fuck up this is turning into.
Dermot the 🐭
If we weren’t going for 10,he would be gone by now
Bobby,
There is nothing like validation early in the morning.
As I indicated I chucked CelticTV after the 3-3 Dons game and have no intention of returning until NL has gone. Yesterday I almost subscribed to another football streaming service that covers the CL, Europa, EPL and Series A for less than the cost of CTV. But watching games like that when there is no emotional investment is a pale shadow compared to ones involving my team. Once I invest in another streaming service, I shall not be back to CTV this season because the budget will not allow it. I shall hold off one week to see if the club wants to move forward. I think it now has no option but to do so. However, if it is John Kennedy then I will not be back, but I think there is very little chance of that.
Funnily, I had a very bad feeling after Damian Duff left. I thought he was holding the liaison with the squad plus the coaching together.
Although this is a long way off, the next time I am in London or Scotland, I would like to meet up with you and your family for a drink, alcohol or otherwise.
This pandemic is a real bummer. I was talking to my sister in law yesterday in Glasgow. Although she is retired she is feeling the strain of the tighter restrictions…..the isolation.
Rebus
REBUS67
That’s a date!
BTW,I think the board will act during the international break.
If I have read correctly that the players are off today, I want the whole management team gone! How in God’s name can last night warrant a day off!?
We are on 9iar and one win from a 4th consecutive treble, and I can barely remember a time I was so gutted with the club!
BAD,
Misery loves company! We are all scunnered but look around you! Look at life….it is far bigger than kicking a ball back and forwards, or, should I say, sideways!
Health, happiness, kids, grandkids, fresh air, partners, helping others………compared to these Celtic is just dust blowing in the wind.
Cheer up,
Rebus
Morning troops.
Joe all but announced. Great stuff.
If the players are off today then looks like all she wrote for Lenmy and BJK. John has to go also.
Could be a big weekend. Snow forecast here also!
Hail Hail
Mahe,
We had snow two days ago…3 cms. Next day, it touched 17 degrees so goodbye snow. Trouble is it soaked all of the fallen leaves, making them difficult to suck up.
The geese have started going South to see you. Wear a hat!
Rebus
Everyone, cheer up. As my mum would say, this will pass.
Rebus
Believe me pal, I’m trying. I know what would cheer me up, my club not being infested with rats like Desmond.
Hope you’re well, mate. HH
How can anyone be surprised?
DD said 8 years ago that Celtic needed a strong Rangers, and they weren’t liquidated, but were relegated, So, he sgnalled that rules would be bent or ignored to ensure that they survived.
And then Celtic conspired to do everything possible off the pitch (5 WA, LNS) to ensure the zombies’ survival and resurgence off the pitch. The willingness to accept being second best off the pitch would inevitably lead to (and was intended to lead to) the resurgence of Rangers on the pitch. There was no other possible reason for it.
That was always the plan.
And when Rangers were too dishonest, and disorganized, to walk through the door we were holding open for them, Celtic then kept shooting itself in the foot; if the zombies can’t rise to our level, we’ll lower our standards to meet them.
How else do you explain the events of the last decade? Taking a team that was 10 times more valuable than theirs, and in only a few seasons blowing that advantage? That doesn’t happen by accident.
DD told you all that he wanted a strong Rangers. So when BR demanded money and success, he was pushed out the door, and branded a traitor. Why? Because he wanted to be successful.
Otherwise, we bring one guy (RD) who was way over his head, and then bring back one guy whose most attractive quality seemed to be his OF quotient (they HATE him, so we love him), and who left previously because as he said ‘you are selling my best players’. So, after serial failures elsewhere, he is brought back!
The problem is that while Rangers are now on an upward trajectory, we are going the other way. And as everyone knows, once you jump off that cliff, it is difficult, if not impossible, to stop (until you hit the ground).
So, when we were 10’s of millions ahead of Rangers, we slowed down to let them catch up. Now that they are in the ascehdancy, and look set to do better (and make more money) than Celtic, does anyone believe they will slow down to make sure we don’t fall too far behind? Will they fuck!
I suspect NFL will be let go shortly. And I feel bad for the guy. He will be fired for achieving exactly what his boss brought him in to do (although they will never admit it, of course, as that would shatter the illusion): take the next step in Operation Old Firm Revival, where Rangers return to the top of Scottish football.
You can’t say you weren’t told.
DD told you in 2012 that Celtic were in on the scam. You guys were being conned. They sucked you in by letting you win a few hands (titles), but they were setting you up for the big con (returning a dead club to the top of Scottish football). Their big pay day was down the road.
Well,Their payday is now at hand. Rangers – a dead club! – are succeeding, and starting to pull ahead!
The question is how many times are you guys going to keep buying the Brooklyn Bridge before you realize that you are being conned?
BAD,
Has Pedro done a deal with Sevco/SPFL?
Trouble is Pedro’s record in terms of football appointments is so poor.
This is just a repeat of Pedro’s cycle combined with whatever he’s agreed with the other half of the Old Firm/SPFL
The appointment of a clearly unwell Neil was always likely to end in tears and the main concern is his health.
Pedro is either unable to make a change (finance/knock-backs) or is too arrogant to admit a mistake.
Decent supporters have been sold a domination pup.
The bright side for Dermot the Bookie, is that he’ll have a rejuvenated OF to try and hawk to a different league.
Sevco on 55.
Celtic with 9 x 2 in a Row. 4 x Treble (hopefully)
Two clubs in CL Qualifiers (next season?)
And a new coach, when they are done with Neil and throw him under the bus.
A classic switcheroo.
The writing has been on the wall since they binned Res12.