We’ve Had Better Days!
Morning,all.
Well, we’ve had better days. We went into that game yesterday knowing that a victory would send our opponents into meltdown. We didn’t come close to it. Knowing how our opponents would set up against us,how they would press us throughout, that they would target our captain. We did nothing to prevent their gameplan ticking along very nicely thank you for the entire game. Knowing how close they had come to beating us in the last three games away from Celtic Park, and doing nothing whatsoever to prevent them actually achieving their holy grail.
To call it a shocking display doesn’t even come close to how bad we were. Not kidding, there isn’t a single positive that we can take from yesterday. Not even the coin-throwing incident at the end of the game, cos that’s just huns doing as huns do. It wouldn’t matter what the scoreline was, and it probably only happened then because it was our first corner at that pocket of the ground, with Engels a standing target. Though there were a few of our players guilty of standing around at other times during the game.
All day long, we resorted to the easy and predictable pass. All day long, the opposition were primed to intercept it, moving to cut off the next out ball, swarming us at every opportunity. Barely at all did we look for the long ball over the midfield to cut them out of the play and bring in our pacy wingers to take on their makeshift defence. Mind you,those wingers with so many goals and assists between them this season were bloody awful all day. Did either of them beat their fullback once in the entire game? Or attempt to take them on the outside instead of cutting in? Ffs, Maeda was up against a left-footed right back in Yilmaz and didn’t even try that simple party trick. I mention Maeda not to single him out, but as an example of what went wrong. And in truth, it all went wrong. All day.
Ach, I could go on. I won’t. You all watched it, and I’d only be prolonging the agony for you all by refreshing your memories. But our players and manager have to learn from this that there is no room for complacency. Not in these games, not ever. Not even with a fourteen point lead, now reduced to eleven. Some of us are old enough to remember leads of that size and more being thrown away in the past, and I’d rather not go through that again.
We move on to Sunday, a home match against St Mirren. While I want us to learn from today’s very hard lesson, we can’t afford to dwell on it or to let it define and destroy our season and all the good work we’ve put in up until now. Let’s get our side back on track, back on song. The hard work starts now, hot on the heels of an outstanding 2024. There’s a treble up for grabs along with continued participation in Europe. A lot to be happy about and a lot to be hopeful for, and we need to remember that. We are feeling the pain at the moment, but we have a helluva lot to be happy about!
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Above article by BMCUWP
Auldheid- the idea that someone in Riley’s position at the top club in the country, on such a decision of that magnitude, is in my opinion nonsense, and as for Lawwell saying he hadn’t read it……seriously?
Auldheid
Or simply play quicker,stop using the outdated lateral possession game and put balls in areas you have a chance to score from.
BADABING
Lawwell told the 2019 AGM that he hadn’t seen the 5WA. He got away with it,despite the fact that lying to shareholders at an AGM is a death sentence in a Plc. AULDHEID can provide more details,but the site published the e-mail with his name on it a couple of weeks later. Make of that what you wish.
Auldheid @ 1.53
Do we have the players to do that?
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No, I don’t believe that we do has those players.
One player, in the middle of the park, can make a huge difference to how a whole team performs.
Think the imperious machine that was Man City with Rodri, and the broken biscuits that it is without him. Think O’Neill’s Celtic pre and post Neil Lennon. One player, and suddenly all the cogs run silky smooth.
Engels or Bernardo may develop into that type of player, but they are well short at the moment.
R2ngers play a more random game, their goalie just blootered the ball up the park, sometimes straight out the park. Brendan doesn’t do random, even at two nil down with time still on the clock, we were doing the whole playing out from the back stuff, camped in our own half. Going nowhere fast.
https://youtu.be/bU0XWiFyKhU?si=KF9opQVkroYTBQLc
The Overlap with Martin O’Neill
I’ve waited until today to post, as anger doesn’t help you make rational judgements. Straight from kick off I could see our team looked spooked in a horribly toxic atmosphere. Liam Scales looked terrified, that much was evident from the first few minutes. I’m not going to jump on the bandwagon and say him and Hatate should never pull on a Celtic shirt again, both have given us joyful moments in many games. However should we be trying for better players ? ..the answer is Yes.
When Hatate was penalised for a handball in their penalty area, which was ruled incorrectly he actually chucked it, as he knew we would get nothing for the rest of the game. The players must have sensed anything could happen if they scored first, the long ball played up to Maeda early in the game, which led to a couple of corners (one that Kyogo nearly had a tap in) was the way to play against their high press, but for some reason we never tried it again, yet it should have been more of the same.
The Jefte challenge on Kuhn early on told us which way his game would go, later still when Jefte elbowed him in the face, we could see his race was run, then the coin throwing incident when they are 3 up shows, how toxic that crowd are, and how their players raced to try and drag Engels to his feet, shows their players are just as bad as that rancid support. Compare this with Kyogo, who (even though it drives me crazy) will check on injured players from other teams, we are just too nice at times.
This is not a gripe because we lost, as I admit Sevco wanted it more yesterday. There seems to be during yesterday’s hostile environment, a report that a missile(s) were also thrown at BR, this appears to be happening every time we go to Ibrox, ergo something definitely needs to be done to protect our players and staff from these thugs, or simply just refuse to play them at their midden for safety fears. No one should be forced to go to their place of work in fear.
I think yesterday’s anger felt by many is multiplied because it was a loss against Sevco, and not some other SPFL team. BR has an outstanding record against them, but the last few games have been concerning. This is when we miss a Mooy or MOR type, who could keep the ball and move it forward with some creativity. I am going to put it down to a bad day at the office, however BR and his staff need to fix it, and fast, as YB may adapt the same high press, so we need a way to play around it.
Overall we are still 11 points ahead, still in the CL stages, have overtaken their mythical trophy count, and probably on course for another treble, however we should take this as a boot up the ass.
HH
Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Celtic are confident to make Kieran Tierney deal happen.
Talks well underway, as exclusively revealed earlier today.
Fan
Although yesterday supported your point about McGregor and .midfield we have to remember that BRs passion mantra works against all other teams in SPFL because they do not have players of the quality R2ngers posses.
So do we change the possession approach altogether or just for games against Rangers?
We beat teams with the possession policy so does it need changed overall or just when we play R2ngers?
My solution is to have a snarling defender to cover midfield especially v Rangers and it looks like KT is coming and could fill that role a la GT model or even play defensive mid fielder.
I suggested earlier a way to combat R2ngers approach but should that mean dropping the possession approach that see us, for all it’s faults 11 points clear?
First the good news. It appears that we have successfully sold Bernabei, and for a small profit. Some good business to start off the transfer window.
Now back to that pitiful capitulation yesterday. A couple of observations. I noticed that every time Taylor and Scales had the ball, Jefte moved to the center of defence, leaving Kuhn in acres of space with his hands up asking for the ball with a long diagonal. He did not receive a single one. Why did Jefte do this? He could see that the Celtic left sided players had neither the vision nor the ability to find Kuhn, or alternatively were playing to instruction never to attempt it.
However, when Johnston had the ball, Jefte was close enough to Kuhn to touch him, bully him, foul him, and frequently dispossess him. Simple tactic really, for which we had no answer. Maeda was facing a left footed player filling in, but only once or twice attempted to take him on the outside. Yilmaz had an easy game, with 6 shots on our goal.
One priority for us this window is to address our dire lack of recovery speed in midfield. Callum doesn’t have it, while Hatate and McCowan are painfully slow. This will simply kill us in Europe.
The really disheartening thing for me yesterday was seeing the same 11 emerge at halftime, with no change in formation or tactics. Is there something about the 60th minute that is so holy or sacred that subs cannot be made at any time prior? Even then, as we typically do, we wasted time getting them on, so it was minute 64 when they eventually entered the field. Watching CCV manfully trying to bring the ball upfield with the rest of the team except Kyogo looking like Subbuteo men was also discouraging. CCV was the only player to try a long diagonal to Maeda. If we had kept doing that to our wingers, it would have forced their midfield back. Instead, the 5 of Hagi, Bajrami, Cerny, Diomande and Raskin simply outnumbered our 3 of McGregor, Hatate and Bernardo, and waited for our back 4 to make the inevitable mistakes. We obliged, and were overwhelmed. If you have 5 vs 3, the 5 don’t have to be that good, right?
Still baffled why we did not correct that. It reminded me of the last time Brendan lost at Ibrox. We started with Lewis Morgan on his own up front against 2 towering center backs, and Callum at left back. It was obvious from the first minute it was not going to work. Yet we persisted. Like yesterday, we never looked remotely like scoring.
St. Mirren on Sunday will be a very difficult game. I watched their games against both the Sheep and Sevco, and was impressed by the speed and athleticism of some of their players.
I wonder what the crowd reaction will be if we start off with this suicidal slow sideways passing across our box?
Lots of interesting ideas about formations, systems, tactics, personnel etc. on here both before and after the game.
Any idea why Brendan hasn’t considered changing things. He’s had plenty of warnings in recent months.
INIQUITOUS IV
Terr analysis ✅✅
If Brendan does go to Man U as rumoured will you be available to replace him.
Only downside is you would have less time to watch the TV 😁🤣🤣🤣
Frodshambhoy
January 3, 2025 2:51 pm
Lots of interesting ideas about formations, systems, tactics, personnel etc. on here both before and after the game.
Any idea why Brendan hasn’t considered changing things. He’s had plenty of warnings in recent months.
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Hi Frodshamsbhoy:
Hope you are doing well and in the pink ( Well, apart from yesterday.🤣 )
”Any idea why Brendan hasn’t considered changing things?”
You have hit on the nub of it. I would love to hear other posters views of this. I’ve read of various theories, complacency, stubbornness, arrogance, and the various conspiracy theories, which I discount, unless we see evidence to the contrary. I thought his post match pressers were, for Brendan, exceptionally inadequate analyses of why we so abjectly poor.
He decided to go with the same 11 at halftime “Because they couldn’t be so poor again.”
Whit?!!! C’Mon! That is just pathetic. What about your own role, Brendan?
Auldheid
We need a central midfielder with the ability to understand his role!
Also the possession game we play is an outdated version of Pep’s system at Barcelona.
The top coaches in today’s game play a possession game but it is a more direct version and prioritises getting the ball into forward areas quickly.
The side to side possession we employ works against teams with limited coaching and players yet even Goodwin nullified us.
Huns have a little more savvy due to European participation and have shown how patience and a game can render our limited system impotent.
Will other coaches copy same blueprint and is our coach capable of updating his system to a modern potent possession game?7
Frodsham Bhoy
Perhaps as I mentioned to Fan it is because BRs possession approach works against every other SPFL club bar R2ngers who have better players than other clubs, but do not find the same space R2ngers find when they play us.
Perhaps it is because they struggle against clubs that play a compact game that we think they are a poor team with poor footballers?
Possessiom has us 11 points clear.
St Mirren will be competitive opponents but if we have more of the ball at CP than they do the chances are we will win.
If your midfield three is being swamped, wouldn’t the obvious, logical solution be to bring on another midfielder?
Fact the above statement is deemed controversial is part of the problem.
Nobody seems to question the Saint.
HH.🍀
Frodshambhoy
January 3, 2025 3:00 pm
INIQUITOUS IV
Terr analysis ✅✅
If Brendan does go to Man U as rumoured will you be available to replace him?
————————
Does ‘Terr’ mean terrible?🤣😂😅
Haven’t read that rumour. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be available, as the wife wouldn’t move to the UK.😊. I think that club is hamstrung financially, and it is resembles a poisoned chalice at the moment. Difficult to get a tune out of them. Amorim and Den Haag are no mugs, so I think any manager would struggle.
I lead teams to quite a few trophies at the amateur level, but obviously didn’t have the issue of dealing with temperamental egotistical millionaires. I quit, because I was kicking every ball on the sideline, taking it all far too seriously, and it was affecting my health, even at amateur level, because I desperately wanted to win. Not too smart. I honestly don’t envy these managers.
HH
Iniquitous IV😊
Am I the only one wondering whether The Old Firm game might have been mentioned during BR’s recent audience with TGD?
AFTERNOON ALL AND JIM AND MAGUA magua hope you are ok buddy, not seen you posting for a while, as regards yesterday ive calmed doon ,but ive watched great rainjurs teams beat us at Ibrox with the likes of wullie henderson wullie johnston and yes John greig, although his tackles against wee jinky left a lot to be desired, that rainjurs team from yesterday would not get a game for stenhousemuir apologies to stenhousemuir, we were rank rotten from start to finish another true story👍❤
BTW frodshambhoy went to Sainsburys in eddisbury square at 11-30 this morning wee joan likes the fruit and veg from there, got back into the car it wouldn’t start, called the AA said they would be there in 30 minutes, but luckily AJ FRYDAYS chippy was just across the road 😎🙏
ERNIE would love to know👍
Perhaps I am deluded but I can see some good emerging from the Ibrox wakeup call. Firstly, it is foolish to expect a public display of his thoughts from BR. He strikes me as a persona that only acknowledges his errors internally. I sure hope I am correct in this!
The evidence for this is clear from Dortmund. He did not acknowledge that he got it wrong but he made changes after it that improved our play. I expect he will follow the same process this time.
The timing of this reversal is also in our favour with the opening of the transfer window. However, I am not convinced that BR has a good eye for a player. His recruits have had mixed impacts on the first team….impacts on squad depth are different. My personal hope was that he was putting Hatate in the shop window but I am not confident that his performances have attracted many suitable suitors. In the round, I think at least one midfielder will have to move for us to bring in another. Holm and Hatate would be the likeliest.
As IQ4 has pointed out, as ever, the problem for our midfield vs Sevco is not our lack of quality, it is numbers. To me, it is quite shocking that BR does not see this! I suspect that he is married to the 433 format with the front three having two wide players, hence he cannot adjust the front three to supplement his outnumbered midfield. Buying another winger is not going to solve this problem. Nor do I see KT as a possible solution to this either. If anything, he may solve another issue.
Overall, what matters is whether the team is improving and becoming more competitive in Europe. Atalanta and Leipzig were high points but Brugge and Zagreb suggest regression, particularly the latter.
Yesterday was coming. Ever since the Brugge game, most of us have felt “something” was not right. Was it the blend of the midfield three; was it our strikers not hitting the net; was it the 433 format? In reality, it is a bit of all three. Playing SPL fodder disguises the problems. Sevco provided us with compelling evidence of our failings yesterday. Personally, I would much rather be us than them. If you are looking for deep rooted issues, look there and not at our club!
Yesterday was not a disaster, it was an opportunity to build towards where we should and can be as a competitive European team.
Rant over!
Rebus
Iniquitous IV
Oops, terrific, don’t know what happened.
If you got the job I reckon the young lady we saw in Graces would be impressed by your new credentials so it could be a good thing if your wife stated in the US of A.
bigpacky hope you enjoyed the chips and hope the car has been fixed.
Hearing Motherwell only giving us the top tier behind the goals from now on
Fan
January 3, 2025 2:17 pm
Auldheid
Or simply play quicker,stop using the outdated lateral possession game and put balls in areas you have a chance to score from.
=======
It is an option but do we have the players who can deliver a long ball never mind win it first time or knock it on first time to another forward or can win second ball in midfield if a defender clears?
What about away games with less space to play a long ball into?
I don’t think we have the players to play the type of game MoN had players for and BR can only make the best of what he has that works 90% of the time. Maybe we have to handle the 10% failing against R2ngers better?
The blame for that can then be pinned on BR for recruitment but are the kind of players of players to meet that role available, willing to come to play in Scotland or affordable?
Its easy to pin blame on BR but surely factors outside his control should be recognised and the positives as well as the negatives taken into account?
Having said that I hope we get an experienced player to be a midfield anchor-man, a player who can read the game and put in a tackle that wins the ball rather than tickles it from behind.
FRODSHAMBHOY yes enjoyed the fish and chips and in a proper box as well, but remember back when we had a fish supper wrapped in the evening times, or the green citizen, shows you how old I am😎😎😎😎😎
Auldheid I get what you say about our 11 point lead.
I’d still like us to be able to beat “good” teams as well as SPFL fodder.
We had every chance to go 17 points clear if only Brendan had figured out how to compete at Ibrox.
Bada Bing,
If true, I’d tell them to shove them.
Kilmarnock will be next.
Watching games from both on TV, with no fans in lower tiers, is embarrassing.
HH
Frodshambhoy
January 3, 2025 4:54 pm
Auldheid I get what you say about our 11 point lead.
I’d still like us to be able to beat “good” teams as well as SPFL fodder.
We had every chance to go 17 points clear if only Brendan had figured out how to compete at Ibrox.
=========
One point or goal difference wins the league.
Is it not the case that there is some annoyance that the Gloatfest we anticipated did not materialise and in fact their performance allowed their support to indulge in it is a factor at play.?
We have beaten or matched good teams in the CL.
Bada Bing
January 3, 2025 4:44 pm
Hearing Motherwell only giving us the top tier behind the goals from now on.
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Did they give reasons for the decision and cost to them?
JimDom
January 3, 2025 2:32 pm
Auldheid @ 1.53
Do we have the players to do that?
————————————————
No, I don’t believe that we do has those players.
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Great minds eh? 🙂
If this is true from Fitbaw Gospel (3) Facebook
BREAKING: Kieran Tierney’s return to Celtic FC FINALISED
All parties are satisfied with the deal on a table and the move will be completed in days rather than weeks
Three-year-deal on the table with just the finer points to be ironed out
The prodigal son has returned
What a signing for Celtic and Scottish football – if he stays fit he’s easily one of the best left-backs in the UK
then it is a step in a positive direction.
Bada Bing
Re Eric Riley’s absence would you like to see SPL Minutes?
Info is from a Motherwell fan
Auldheid- I would never doubt your info my friend, but to think the 2 main figures from Celtic at that time,did not know anything about it,is a bit of a stretch for me HH
What possible reason could you have (That makes sense) for turning away paying customers.
Especially clubs in Scotland.
Makes no sense.
Auldheid, yes we have beaten teams in the CL. Possibly teams that thought they were good enough to beat us if we both just got on with things and played our own way.
Everyone on here knew how the opposition would play yesterday. They tried it a few weeks ago and, according to some, were cheated out of a cup win by cheating officials.
We did nothing to counteract them or their approach to the game.
wait a minute a guy who sat on his arse at arsenal because he wasnt consider good enough, now wants to come back to his spiritual home, how much are we paying him as regards his arsenal ;paycheck,,think about it👍👍
BADABING
Hell mend them when they next send out the begging bowl. And all the other clubs that do the same.
BIGPACKY
I’m never in favour of bringing players back,it hasn’t worked since Bertie Auld. And with his injuries over the years and the slight loss of pace that goes with that,my concern is that he will be even more of a target now than first time around.
But to say that he just sat on his arse?
BOBBY apologies, he never sat on his arse, he done his best for arsenal, but just was not good enough 👍👍
BMCUWP,
Loved KT in his first run. But a no for me.
and my sense was the club played him when not fit in order to ensure they got a large transfer fee. Can’t do that with young injury prone players. Yes, it is up to the player to say if they are injured, but young players will never say that. So the club needs to look out for the players and sit when necessary. Problem was Celtic wasn’t looking at the long term for KT. My sense was they were more focussed on selling, and weren’t concerned if the engine fell out as soon as it was driven off the lot. Could be wrong, but that was my feeling at the time
After the success the team has given us, I would like to see us cut them a little more slack
It’s just 11 guys kicking a ball around and sometimes it’s not pleasing on the eye, but we seem to expect them to be able to deliver a great performance every time they take the field.
We are maybe being a little unrealistic, as even the best teams have off days.
The huns have beaten us twice in 21 attempts,, that’s reality. Win no1 came after we had already win the league, and in this current loss we were 14 points ahead.
This is the kind of domination we could only dream about in the past.
Some say we’ve become spoiled …hard to argue?
How many games will it take until BR addresses the Calmac issue.
in BR’s formation, as the deep lying mud, he is expected to play 2 roles simultaneously – the deep lying Pirlo QB role, as well as defensive cover. Problem is he is not suited for either role, any more than he was a left back when he was played there. He gets away with that role in most SPL games, but doesn’t do it when pressed.
BR has to make the tough call and play players in their right positions to start. I think Bernardo or Engels would be better in that role, given time to develop. And/or he has to show some flexibility in his set up. Europe consider a 4231 with both Engels and Bernardo sitting deeper. Not sure another player isn’t required for that role, but until he changes the system or gets the players to play the system he wants …
and yes, Auldheid…change for 1 game. What works in Europe will be good enough for the SPL
BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE I see your point, but it was the way they bossed us from back to front that annoyed me 👍🙏❤
Re KT.
Some cynic might think he wouldn’t be coming back to Scotland in his prime if he hadn’t had so many injury problems.
Or maybe he has tasted football in another couple of country’s and has decided to come back to his real home.
I’m sure he’ll tell us it’s option two.
Ach, good luck to the lad.
Auldheid@4-52
I get you’re playing devils advocate and trying to be a voice of reason.
But the same could be said about all events on a football field
You say do we have players to effect change?
Who knows as BR made some quick judgement and picks from a small group.
Good teams create and deny space.
Players can be coached to be better at position they play.
Poor and snap judgement by coaches can adversely affect a players efficiency and confidence.
Only thing certain from yesterday was coach went with same system that did not work against same opponent from LC final with even less success yet made no adjustments to change pattern of game.
Bringing KT back is a big risk because of his injury problems.
To me it’s a risk worth taking. The potential upside is greater than the possible downside.
Jobo
I’ve calmed down slightly, so…
MOTM Kasper with SIX saves
CCV with an 8/10
Kyogo who “scored “ with the only chance created for him.
The other 8 were an abject disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves!
😡
Bada Bing
January 3, 2025 5:16 pm
Auldheid- I would never doubt your info my friend, but to think the 2 main figures from Celtic at that time,did not know anything about it,is a bit of a stretch for me HH
=============
I totally agree but seeing what took place and what did not is what tells me LNS was the biggest sham played on Scottish football and history will confirm.
The reason Riley was not involved in the final decision to appeal is simply plausible deniability. The same factor behind the PL reply of not seeing it that avoided answering part 2 of the shareholder’s question which was did anyone at Celtic take part in 5WA.
How LNS was a sham is explained at HOW NIMMO SMITH WAS MISLED AND THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SCOTTISH FOOTBALL | Celtic Quick News
PL expressed surprise when LNS Decision made public in 2013 and that was only possible because Riley absented himself from the SPL second meeting to reach a final decision
The idea that Riley and PL were unaware of what was taking place regarding LNS and why some of the SPL Board queried it at the first meeting that Riley did attend is an even bigger stretch but in order to maintain the “surprised ” reaction and be truthful plausible deniability was essential.
It is the sort of stuff folk really don’t want to know and I’ll not add more..
BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE as you say good luck to the lad, but his salary at arsenal will be miniscule at what he will get at celtic, if he is happy with that and commits to celtic im happy with that👍👍👍👍
BP,
Maybe it’s aging and cooling down a bit but yesterday didn’t bother me too much, cause I know my team will win the league.
If it had been the Scottish cup then you’ve lost a trophy, that would have bothered me muchmore! As far as the league’s concerned yesterday will just be a slight speed bump, as we will canter to this year’s championship 👍