I’m backing him
I could listen to Brendan Rodgers all day long, and yesterday’s press conference was an insight into his philosophy which left me assured we are I’m good hands. I read the comments saying he needs to change, or else, but I just found myself thinking he’s right you know.
If one considers this season the first to put his stamp on this team (last season just being a case of win the league and learn about the squad) then we are only 14 games into the true Brendan Rodgers Mk2,,beating an excellent Dortmund side infront of the famous yellow wall was always going to need a miracle. So I’m not surprised when he states he’s not changing, not surprised at all because I’m a true believer that selecting and perfecting a style of play is the best bet towards becoming a formidable side.
And as week after week has shown, we are happy with our style of play, every weekend we dish out accolades,,,there’s a clear plan and that’s always better than a bullshitter just winging it ala John Barnes or even Ronnie. It’s better viewing than Ange-ball one big mishap aside, it scores more goals than Ange-ball also which must be chalked down as a positive.
Of course we shipped 7 goals midweek, which tells me the defense and midfield wasn’t prepared on the night. Some might say a nice wee trip to Ross County is a good opportunity to experiment not with tactics but with personnel in order to try and perfect our playing system. He will not be changing our approach, but he can change individuals and/or their position.
Take Austin Trusty for instance. Last weekend praised, midweek saw him wrote off,,,jeez, he’s only in the door and half his gametime has been outta position. After a dozen games in his specialist position is about the correct stage to consider his positives and negatives, and some would say that’s to early, Arsene Wenger always judged a player in his second season, the first being a ‘find your feet’ write-off. I understand why he was flung in on the right side of defense, but perhaps this weekend there’s a genuine case to put him where he belongs and let the more experienced Scales play out of position.
And you never know, the gaffer might ‘stumble upon’ a stronger rearguard to fall back upon when needed.
Similar with MacGowan. He’s a player I know next to nothing about, but perhaps he’s could play the defensive/holding midfielder role better than Calmac?
Only one way to find out, and Dingwall offers the chance.
Valle will be starting and more than likely playing the entire match because GT is carrying a knock,,,great!
In his second month with the Bhoys he gets the break that was always on the cards, injury forcing him upon the teamsheet. He will have, should have, known this was always going to be the case, and if he wants to start the remaining Champions League games he must impress when playing domestically. I recall KT only getting his chance through another’s injury, I recall KT playing so well as to become undroppable, now that torch passes to the young Spaniard and I would be delighted if he did the same as Kieran.
So while Brendan’s Celtic will stick with the 4-3-3, he’s free to keep trying different player options within that system, and very often there’s a surprise just waiting to be found somewhere among the pack.
It’s also pleasing that Ross County play a 3-5-2 (experiencing a different formation is good education) and have a Belfast born striker as one half of the 2, Hale has 3 in 7 games which isn’t bad going. His side have only lost 2 in 7 league games with lots of draws but that tells us they are no walkover usually.
A good side bounces straight back after defeat, after a heavy defeat they hand one out, and I’ve got the feeling that’s exactly what Celtic have in mind, but we need to win that midfield battle if we are facing 5 across the middle, that’s for sure.
This particular game should be interesting viewing given the timing, clash of formations, and player selections.
I’m looking forward to it.
By Mahe sentinelcelts@gmail.com
POTY competition sencelpoty@gmail.com
Emdy fancy a great night out? Just got this from a good friend,Frank,who many of you will already know either in person or as VFR.
Not sure if you know, but my wife Jacky came out of retirement a couple of years ago to run St Margaret’s adoption agency, the only Catholic adoption agency left in the UK. She now has it back on its feet after some significant issues.
I have been roped in as an Ambassador for the charity and one area I am looking at is fundraising. My big ticket item at the moment is a dinner dance we are running in the Kerrydale Suite on Friday 22nd November at 7:30. This is the first of what we intend to be an annual event to coincide with the Feast Day of St Margaret of Scotland, our Patron Saint (November 16th).
So as you can imagine, I have the begging bowl out! I am contacting like-minded people to see if they are willing to take a table for the event (or just some tickets). Individual tickets are £50 with the tables at £500. We are also looking for sponsorship for the event, ranging from £5k for the event sponsor down to advertising in the programme and on-screen on the night – ranging from £250 to £1000 depending on size and placement/regularity of the ads.
There will be a raffle and charity auction on the night, so we are looking for prizes and auction items for both of those. We may also look at naming tables and allowing some advertising on tables if there is an appetite for that.
So far we are on to our 3rd table for the troops.
As you will all know,the site finally nominated a charity to be the recipient of the generosity and largesse of yourselves,and I think you all deserve huge applause for raising just short of £2k.
⭐️👏☘️👍🍾
That period has passed,and a new charity has been chosen to take us through to the end of the year. A landslide vote in favour of
Lanarkshire Cancer Care Trust.
Once again,CHALMERSBHOY has done the spadework via JustGiving.
Here is the link for the Lanarkshire Cancer Care Trust,our new charity which we will support.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/sentinel-celts-1722588284471?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fsentinel-celts-1722588284471&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
This drive has already raised well over £1000,so join in. The more,the merrier.
Default payment method seems to be ApplePay,which won’t suit everyone. There is an option on the page to change that to your preferred means.
Link to the CHALMERSBHOY Beat The Bookie Challenge.
https://sentinelcelts.com/2024/08/03/chalmersbhoy-beat-the-bookie-challenge/
Please register your interest via the link.
********
In addition to the nominated treble (see above) there is also a weekly 6-team acca. Each of us is looking for a nailed on certainty,but there’s no such thing! But we only make one selection each,and all we ask is
If yer daft enough to follow our advice,put a quid on each for the nominated charity as well! The current drive got a £400 boost from this a couple of weeks back,so we are hoping to build on that.
Go on,folks. A quid? What are you waiting for?
It is possible for a good coach to adapt tactics for each and every opponent. One dimensional play will always be exploited by the better teams.
As for MacGowan?
Jeez oh, as a Celtic site at least give the player the respect he is due and get his name right!
Still to trap for Superbru are:- A thing of beauty, BC Milan, James Cant, McCaff, sannybhoy67, Spootiemad, Tirconnel & Tooting Tim
Just Sayin: I gave Mahe the benefit of the doubt and put it down to auto correct!
I doubt if even auto correct remembers the famous Highland Toffee😀
C c b
Aye, fair enough!
Responsible for many dental fillings!
Have to agree with JS
All our great results against tier one leagues have come from playing different tactics to what we play in Scotland. We have never got a result taking the game to them.
Auldheid
October 5, 2024 12:42 am
‘Celtic are just the totem pole around which we dance.
Ignore the pole and enjoy the dance.’
###
Not sustainable in the long term. Eventually the brain catches on that it’s just a shadow dance. You know, like shadows on a wall. In a cave.
We played Sunday, BD played Friday.
It’s hard enough.
Yes, I’m at the straw making factory grabbing handfuls !
Yep the ability to change tactics and formation to deal with better teams is essential. That was the problem with Angeball. I’d though BR was cute enough to see the issue and do what is necessary. Looks like I was wrong, again.
I can’t see meaningful progress coming without a change of approach.
This week’s Acca is
Burnley
Bolton
MK Dons
WBA
WHU
Exeter
23/1 available,and please remember to chuck a quid on for our nominated charity.
HH
I hope Ross county attack us with 10 of their players inside our half. That would be fun.
H3
As long as they don’t attack us with ten of OUR players inside their half,like what happened so often on Tuesday.
Still my favourite picture of the great man. Fate, a curious word, but so appropriate in remembering the career of a footballing genius.
The Celtic books that I have read. Some are a hard read, listing dates, figures, players long forgotten, teams and brain numbing facts, if they are a hard read, then it must have been 100 times worse for the author. Last night I misspelt his name, unforgivable……Brendan Sweeney, Mea Culpa.
Autobiographies – Ghost written by newspaper men, recording the thoughts and including petty grievances by the ex players, like, I put in a transfer request, but I really wanted to stay, I mean, where do you go with that.
But by a long distance the best Celtic book for me is Tom Greig’s “My Search For Celtic’s John”,
though out of print at the moment, I managed to obtain a copy, I had to force myself to put it down and when I got to three quarters the way through, I conditioned myself strictly to one page per day,
the last two chapters I stopped reading it, couldn’t bear to finish it, I didn’t want to end the story.
A book so compelling that you couldn’t, wouldn’t finish it, that’s how good it is.
Aye…
A few scattered thoughts
Diarra ruling will be bounced about the appeal courts for another decade yet.
We will lose against RB Leipzig. Heavily if they need the points.
Brugge will also be tough.
We need to target away wins or forget about the playoffs
Will Valle start tomorrow?
He deserves too but with AJ and CCV out maybe that’s too much of a change.
Ralston Trusty Scales Taylor/Valle
Hatate over Bernardo ?
Why not give McCowan a start? Hasn’t done much wrong so far so why not?
Idah or Kyogo both must be very fresh
Emdy ken if the Sligo friendly is on Celtic TV ?
What’s the next game after Atalanta?
Ernie Lynch
How long do you give it before it becomes unsustainable and what would you do to change the reasons that make it unsustainable?
How to exit the cave?
Awe Naw
I’m hoping you’re wrong about Leipzig. I was banking on at least a draw there. If not, we’d probably NEED to beat Zagreb away.
After Atalanta we’re at Motherwell on Sunday 27/10 unless you meant in the CL in which case its Leipzig at home on Bonfire night.
Lets hope our Play Off hopes don’t go up in smoke!
I’m not sure about Kyogo being fresh. He ran about the park chasing lost causes all night prior to getting his first touch in (I think) the 46th minute! 🙄
PS Bernardo over Hatate for me every time – although Rio did well when he came on. Maybe coming off the bench was the boot up the arse he’s been needing.
Awe Naw
I saw something about the Sligo game being on PPV. I assume if you’ve got access to Celtic TV it’ll be on. Anyone confirm?
https://scottishfsa.org/chairmans-blog-04-10-24/
lots to consider in SFSA weekly blog.
Awe Naw
Taylor out as well.
Bawheid.
Have you or have you read
”Celtic. 1945-1970 “
Tom Campbell.
Its very good.
Superbru Final Call for Spootiemad, McCaff & Tirconnel.
Unsustainability will be measured by supporter choice.
Domestic domination will probably offset European capitulation, certainly for a year or two.
If even that eventually fails to satisfy supporter demands and the status quo becomes unsustainable the only course is to change the direction of travel.
If nothing is learnt on the job and there is no improvement, only repeated mistakes, change the driver.
Billy Bhoy, Stevenaive
Thanks for the replies
Will be interesting to see how the defence performs tomorrow
Motherwell. Away again but not so much travel.
I had a wry grin on my face last week reading about “Elite pundits” in the SMSM 🙂
From my non elite pundit opinion; It looks to me like RB Leipzig are prioritizing their league campaign this year and who can blame them after last season.
They are third currently. 2 above BVB, 1 above the champions, 1 below the champions elect, Bayern 1 above the champions elect. By tomorrow evening they will be 2 below the champions elect.
I hope and pray that we thrash RB Leipzig but they are up there with Dortmund and any gung ho approach will see us slaughtered. These guys play twice a week in front of a 50 – 80k hostile crowd. Celtic Park will inspire them.
We need to play the Brendan way away from home using the elite games as a benchmark for our battles with the non elite away teams. As we have been pish over the years getting wins in those games too.
Anyways. I’m off to see Eintracht rise to the top of the BL tomorrow night.
Resources available — we should be making a better fist of the CL than we are now.
Player recruitment has been a shambles for the last 18 months.
No progress — possibly even even a decline — since AP in 2022.
At least then the replacement LB was ours and not a loan.
BR with the press yesterday — sounded like he was in an EPL relegation / sacking spiral.
Did not give the impression that he was raring to go / lift a inexperienced and limited squad.
Too much was about him and his ways of working rather than what he was going to change to improve things.
Don’t usually watch press stuff — they are scripted and don’t tell you much.
However yesterday probably told us too much.
BR is a good coach who has had difficulties in dealing with the top of the CL — known problem.
The big issue is that our “Boot room” offers very little support / football ballast.
Time for a complete clear-out of all the bad smells.
New bloke has made a difference — but we need more like him.
Six weeks at L/town and AE is regressing at a rate of knots — corners were the first to go.
Awe Naw / Billy Bhoy The Sligo Rovers friendly is PPV on LOITV 10 Euros
https://x.com/sligorovers/status/1841484896780669192
So I’m not surprised when he states he’s not changing, not surprised at all because I’m a true believer that selecting and perfecting a style of play is the best bet towards becoming a formidable side.
======
Interesting take on things Mahe with valid counter points of view posted on here.
Time will tell as they say.
In the short term I side with the more cautious view of setting up according to the opposition. Stifle the elite guys rather than play them at their own game. Worked for Aston Villa and they have a lot more quality than us at the moment.
I would love to see Brendan develop us to the standard required but I don’t think the current squad has the ability in enough depth to succeed.
ASWGL
Thank you kind sir
Frodshambhoy
To be clear here I’m an advocate of horses for courses but playing devils advocate here (MIT will be outraged). He’s the advocate on here 🙂
Villa have to play regularly defensively in the EPL and it has been a good successful strategy for them. If only we had their squad. Quality in numbers.
We don’t even get that chance to perfect that style of play. Brendan knows we have as much chance to garner points from our remaining away games (Atalanta excepted) as we do at home against Leipzig and Brugge and therefore have to be flying in those away games. The more we perfect his style the better chance we have in those away fixtures. I reckon that’s how he sees it.
I also reckon there is a certain amount of kudos, more important upstairs than on the pitch to be seen as an attacking team rather than a defensive one.
I was full in with Ange until he said “clean sheets doesn’t float my boat mate” after he threw away three points against Leverkusen in his post match interview
Mahe
I was absolutely furious with BR after the latest massacre but I’ve got to say that I too was quite soothed by his explanations yesterday about his intended direction of travel. I have considered everything he said and am happy to go along with his direction of travel meantime.
Disclaimer: the above does not bar me from any future rants following another heavy defeat by either Atalanta or Leipzig.
Isn’t it a pity that our most winnable games are matchdays 5, 6 and 7? The Dortmund defeat would have been a lot less painful if we already had 10 points or more on the board. Going into these games with 3 from 12 will make them more stressful.
Bobby
Re the Acca. I’ll need to substitute the 12.30 ko as I’ve not made it to the bookies yet.
In fact, I’m going to substitute any 12.30 ko’s each week.
It was a bit deflating to have WBA lose their fixture last week meaning that the coupon was burst after one game.
BTW I see WBA have made the cut again. Is Mickey J’s da one of the tipsters?
In the words of Ally McCoist ” I demand to know who these people ARE!!”
😠
AweNaw
I completely get what you say.
I’ve posted several times saying that we don’t get any real chance to defend in Scotland.
I also said that McCowan might be able to help as he would have some experience of keeping things tight before joining us.
Definitely no easy answer.
How about, in domestic games, every time Celtic are two goals up the team park the bus for a while and invite the opposition to attack.
If nothing else it would give the players some practice at shifting playing mode during the course of a game.
Shouldn’t be beyond them.
Good Lead Mahe…
Totally agree, it’s always worth listening to Brendan Rodgers, he’s a very clever ghuy who eats, sleeps and breaths football
He has a plan and we have to be consistent, personel changes and personal development plans to the fore…
A thing of beauty @ 9:49 pm
“I am not a bit surprised by BR’s press conference today. I spoke with bmcuwp yesterday and said pretty much what BR said. We are going to keep playing this way till we get better at it. His thoughts are, in my opinion that we will get beat by Dortmund and Atalanta definitely and be up against it with Leipzig too but if we keep the system and keep trying to get better then we will have a better chance of beating Brugge, Zagreb and young boys. We only need 9 points probably and none of them were coming against Dortmund and Atalanta.
Now, did I like getting scudded 7-1? Did I F… but I can’t be two faced about it. I constantly say that I hate teams coming to Celtic park and going 10 men behind the ball. I believe our league will get better if teams play football against us and then they’ll have a better chance of beating the rest. That’s how I see Europe and how I think BR sees it too.
Right off to hoover in behind the couch. Think I left some crisps in there the other night and they’ll be soggy by the time we play Atalanta😂😂
Great post, we can’t be derailed by one bad result…
We have a plan to somehow get us to a decent European level, we are going to plan, this is not the time to change.
Hail Hail
BILLYBHOY
Only thing worse than a lunchtime pick going down is having the final selection on a Sunday!
As for WBA,I couldn’t tell you how Johnston is doing,but WBA were top of the table going into this week’s matches. Don’t think I’ve picked them before,but they were my choice this week.
And,of course,thanks for supporting the acca. Good man. And a damn fine cause too.
Frodshambhoy
maybe we should approach it from another way. To compensate for a lack of a defensive challenge maybe we should domestically after going 2 up try and improve upon the quality of the goals that we do score. Instead of just trying to score as many as possible.
Every free kick outside the box an attempt on goal. Preferably by one or two selected players. Same with any penalties.
More attempts on goal from outside the box.
More one touch football.
Unfortunately a bit like using the domestic cups for youth development our home crowd will never accept it.
Weekly acca bet on although, like others it’s a 5-fold for me as I missed the lunchtime kick off. Just as well, by the looks of it!
AweNaw
October 5, 2024 11:15 am
A few scattered thoughts
Diarra ruling will be bounced about the appeal courts for another decade yet.
###
There is no appeal from the CJEU. The decision is final.
AFTERNOON ALL AND JIM AND MAGUA just reading mahes leader, methinks he might not want to hurt his fellow Irishman, listen stevie no one is infallible only his holiness the pope😎 that got drummed into me in glenboig going to 11-0 clock mass if I didnt pass my grandfathers window by 10-45 he would be up at our house wanting to know where I was, we stayed in a bungalow ok it was a feckin prefab but it looked like a bungalow😎I degress, my grandfather calling me out for not going to mass FFS he was an albion rovers supporter, only because he was born in coatbridge the luv of his life was John yogi hughes, to this day I dont know if it was because he to came from the brig or played for celtic another true story😎👍
Hope Brendan’s reading this.
Might see some interesting tactics tomorrow.
If nothing else would be interesting to see the fans’ reactions.
Watching Arsenal v Southampton.
One way traffic but Southampton managing to keep them out.
Bet this post jinxes it 😬
Im not backing him sadly. He’s gaslighting the supporters inferring that there are only two ways to play. Suicide attack or parking the bus. There are a million degrees in between and that’s why he isn’t a great manager. Intelligence is the ability to change and adapt.
Steve –
Don’t have that TC book, its on my Christmas wish list though.
I used to speak occasionally to TC over the Internet 2016-17, a great writer and I have most of his books, didn’t want to intrude or take up to much of his time. Don’t know if he ever published it but he sent me a photocopy of his musings regarding during WW2 time when players from different clubs could play temporary for other more localised clubs. His subject matter was Matt Busby playing for Celtic, an imaginary situation but always possible during war times, been searching for it, but probably still behind the wardrobe. Thank’s for reminding me though, I’II get my Seekers songs on along with my ‘Nicky Tams’.
Packy, Stein – Shankly – Busby – Three miners from the same Scottish minefields, but Stein was the greatest of the three. Hope your misses health is getting better.
BAWHIED cheers buddy she is getting there🙏 remember that documentary on stein busby shankly think it was one of the mcilvanney brothers, absolutely brilliant, hope you are well, P.S, its parkheid 😎😎
Had a wee look at Falkirk v Ayr.
Agyeman is on the bench. Maybe he’s still knackered from running all over Valle.
just noticed frodshambhoy on FFS he’s from old kilpatrick, had to google that when we met, thought it was in the outer Hebrides 😎😎😎 only joking bob👍❤
1-0 Southampton
Something in this deep defending malarkey
isnt it nice to be a tim and get loads of celtic supporters on here who you can talk to, about all things celtic ,BOBBY and MAHE take a bow ,another true story❤👍