Backlash Bhoys?
Will we be pissed off or piss poor again, that is the question waiting to be answered come Sunday afternoon. A good side responds and responds emphatically after a stinging defeat, and Thursday certainly stung. How much of that response is down to the manager demanding better is hard to tell, but after a stinging defeat the man in charge really has one big question, give them a chance to put it behind them or ring the changes as a statement of intent. Both have merit, but the decision needs made.
I would fully understand the same starting 11, they aren’t as bad as that showing, a group shot at redemption. I would understand dropping a few after that shambolic performance, but I just don’t believe Brendan would (or can afford to be seen to) punish players who are oncourse to deliver on all targets set pre-season. For that reason alone I believe we shall see the same or almost the same line-up tomorrow. It’s the Commander In Chief’s duty to win the war, one defeat in battle should not be allowed to transform the outcome but rather focus minds, and on that front Saint Mirren are just about the best ‘victim’ possible right now.
&Good but not great all over the park, porous enough to take advantage off, attacking enough to tear apart on the counter, not only are Saint Mirren facing a wounded animal, but just days ago they bested those who bested ourselves. Sounds like a decent fixture, a decent opportunity to respond from Celtic, a decent scalp to hold aloft and show ‘that’ was a blip. We’ve done exactly the same in Europe since the German mauling, now it’s clearly time to repeat the feat domestically.
Timing wise I don’t see any issues, infact I believe the opposite. We’ve all heard the morale boosting return of a certain left back is imminent, everyone will have heard or read stinging criticism questioning their right to represent our global giant, the mystery virus will be on the way out I assume, plus we play at home infront of supporters who are in the main happy with our standing if not actual form.
3 O’ Clock Sunday offers the chance to say sorry, it offers the chance to tell all the doubters they are very wrong. January 2025 did not start well, but it doesn’t have to end that way.
Come Sunday I want to see a snarling Celtic storm out of the blocks, I want MOTM to be a very tough pick, I want Brendan to use every bit of his magic-touch to fire up the players to fire up the crowd and essentially issue a rebel yell that whilst a good punch was landed we are winning this fight and more importantly up for any title challenge, bring it on.
That must be the mentality at any global name club, for proper professionals, to show defeat was a one-off and merely a blip, not the beginning of a slump.
On that front, the blog wasn’t exactly the greatest read back ‘on the day’. I’m going to chalk it down as a bad day at the office, and remind everyone to play the ball not the man, be respectful but be yourself, and consider the many far flung readers (including myself) who come to our site for connection with our history rather than rancor. Following Celtic isn’t always easy, as this week has shown, but rather than say it’s always worthwhile, I prefer to point out there’s no other team in world football I’d rather follow, and I know you feel the same. As football is nothing without the fans (the one benefit of Covid was reinforcing that fact), a blog is nothing without posters. They say you can judge a man by his friends, well I count you all as friends at this stage and believe me I’m thankful for that, but the basis of any friendship is listening and communicating with each other. I’m no wiser, bigger, more important than any of you just because I have a set of keys to the site, but I do know we have put a hell of a lot of work into helping this site develop into what it’s become. Please help ensure Sentinel Celts is the type of blog someone would want to visit, enjoy visiting infact, and not avoid.
I look forward to this game, the possible maybe probable reaction, and all the first month of the year has to offer.
Up The Hoops!
By Mahe
Auldheid
In reply to your question regarding complacency, I think it’s best to answer it two parts
Complacency within our support?
As we are the best and biggest club, along with the most successful, and ever growing.
Has been in place for a number of years now, you could possibly make a claim that there is a growing complacency factor within our support?
Take tomorrow for example, would it be regarded as complacency to as expecting a response in performance levels and a statement victory as a response from the shit show on Thursday?
Personally wouldn’t class that as complacency, moreso the demands and expectations within our club, that have been in operation for many a long year now.
Complacency within our team?
Possibly the worst trait for any football team to possess.
Believe it’s part of the managers duties, to prevent the likes happening, especially within our club.
However, when Rodgers showed arguably the biggest act of complacency and arrogance also, with how he dealt with the half time issues at that shithole, then only fury is the possibly outcome?
If Rodgers is showing such levels of complacency, then it’s of no real surprise that our players followed suit in return imo?
That attitude remains totally unacceptable.
So tomorrow is all about our response, and Rodgers has now made himself very much the focal point at present imo?
Competition
At our club, we have never run away from Competition, as it’s not within the DNA of our club.
Nearly every game we play within Scottish football is a contest we have to overcome not just with the opposition but against cheating also.
It’s also a huge part of why we celebrate wildly each trophy success, with what we have to overcome within Scottish football both on and off the field.
Yet the theory remains in place, which again has been in place for a good number of years also.
We remain the only club capable of playing CL football, so that should still remain way to good for anything else Scottish football has to offer, especially over the course of a season.
The scum are becoming less relevant over each passing season now, and hopefully remain so.
Don’t take that much notice of them, even moreso when the focus has to remain on what we actually do, and not them whatsoever imo?
If such views currently, makes myself entitled, then entitled I shall remain.
Hopefully that doesn’t change either, especially as I would never want to experience the 90s ever again within our club, even if a level of cheating still exists from the scum still imo?
ASWGL,
Yhanks for clearing that misunderstanding up.
Auldheid,
No issue with you getting mixed up. I do it all the the time!!
THEGOMBEENMAN
I know fine well that he didn’t recruit them. That’s not the point. You keep telling us that he spent a fortune while at both clubs but now you tell us we can’t point out the £250m brought in during his time there?
I didn’t even mention the £130m for Coutinho,ffs.
He wasn’t spending money that wasn’t there while at Liverpool. He was spending money that the club had brought in by selling his top players from under him.
And at Leicester,he was barely allowed to spend at all because of FSR,an example being sticking Ward in goal when Schmeichel left. The main reason they got relegated. Worst keeper I’d ever seen in that league until Muric at Burnley last year and Ipswich last year.
Apparently KT has refused approaches from West Ham Leicester and Brentford.
It also makes me wonder if Ange has found out, a little too late that Celtic are indeed a bigger club than Spurs
As old Sinatra was want to say.. Regrets I’ve had a few.
big packy
January 4, 2025 4:41 pm
as regards kieran and jota coming back. tin hat on, kieran great player but too injury prone we would be paying a helluva lot of money even with discounting his money at arsenal, he would be the highest paid player at parkhead ,every horrible hun would be out to get him, and would be on the treatment table quite a lot, we cant afford to do that,,as regards Jota id take in a heartbeat knows how to beat a man as jinky did👍👍
————————————————-
This ☝️
KT isn’t the answer, neither is Jota though.
HH.🍀
Big Rachel,a force of nature:
https://www.glasgowworld.com/retro/remembering-big-rachel-hardest-woman-glasgow-partick-riot-3937515?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=taboola_referrals&utm_content=below_article_thumbnails
Imagine going home to that lady with your wages short! 😟
HI 16 ROADS hope you are well, out of the 2 of them id take jota ,IMHO of course😎👍
Tierney is free to sign a pre contract as his contract with Arsenal ends 30th of June this year, so if he really wants to come back, there is no transfer fee to pay, as for him being the highest paid player at the club if he comes back, can anyone point me to evidence that that will be the case.
Mahe
Splendid blog.
Dialogue not division.
An openness to being persuaded or not by the perspectives of another based on their experience and what they make of it.
Glad to see you mention the wider perspective.
I was reminded of it years ago on a Spiritual Paths blog by a mindful Jewish lady that not all readers came from the same Christian background as myself.
The metaphor is a blog is a pulpit but the congregation is not from one denomination but from many of many beliefs or none at all.
That stuck with me as it formed part of my experience.
I grieved her passing which was strange, feeling the loss of someone I’d never met in person.
AH,
I guess you missed the point. I won’t bore you by restating it.
I shall leave you and your ego alone in future.
Hope your health issues get resolved and that 2025 is good to you.
Rebus
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2025/01/04/statue-of-rory-gallagher-unveiled-in-belfast-to-honour-musicians-connection-to-the-city/ 🎸
You are right bp.
The manager wants to sign another winger so Jota would be a decent signing, although there are risks attached because there’s no guarantee you are getting the same player as the one who left.
HH.🍀
16 ROADS👍👍
16R
The player you buy back is never the same player you sold … much like the river you stand in is not the one you stepped into.🧘🏼♂️
auldheid would probably appreciate this more … that cheeky Inq certainly wont😆
Profound MIT.
Must remember that one.
HH.🍀
BMCUWPS,
Brendan spent €280m at Leicester on 14 players. His average spend was €20m.
At Liverpool Brendan spent €399m on 34 players. Average spend = €13.7m.
Total spend = €679m.
Having reconciled the fees received from the sale of all those players up to a couple of months ago :
Deficit @ Leicester = – €119m.
Deficit @ Liverpool = – €90m.
Obviously this doesn’t include salaries and bonuses.
Klopp and the staff at Liverpool did well in the sales process after Brendan left.
Hopefully the Leicester numbers will improve as the remaining signings move on. There was a fire sale on relegation. Multiple frees, players allowed to run down contracts. No fee.
There’s an argument that pre-FFP these kind of numbers were par for the course in the EPL.
The underlying problem was the diminishing quality of the squads over a period of time.
This led to failure to qualify for the CL at both clubs combined with concerns about tactics led to Brendan’s dismissal.
A lack of Champions League funds at Leicester was a real problem when FFP came to the fore. They had overspent. Simple as that.
If Brendan repeats these types of performances in terms of recruitment and later sales at Celtic. We have a problem.
We don’t have anything like the broadcast income the EPL enjoys.
Brendan introduced this topic when he stated that, “sign a player for 8/9m and sell for 40.’
I went looking for examples and found little evidence of that.
Auldheid,
Thanks for the responses. I’ll leave any responses until after the game.
Enjoy your night.
Johno
How high where our expectations before the game?
Not having a go but did Never Give a Sucker a Break not raises expectations?
Human nature is that if you expect something to happen for sure then we don’t need to work as hard to get that result.
In football that becomes complacency and whilst I only played at amateur level that human trait rose now and again.
Since it is a human trait it can be widespread.
The opposite is true that if a result is not expected to be easy then more effort is put into achieving a result.
That was pretty evident from R2ngers approach during the game, so why not Celtic?
The good thing is that having experienced what happens from a complacent approach, human nature will not want a further experience if they recognise it in themselves.
What kept me from going overboard when watching was the fact we still had a 11 point gap and I hope I am not being complacent in expecting there to be a title winning gap at season end even if the journey there is more nervous and bad for my watching heart than I’d like.
Summing up I think complacency is part of the human condition, needs guarding against but isn’t always.
As regards not making changes at half time my expressed view is there was no one on the bench who could match R2gers attitude. No snarler in my terms of what was needed.
Now if you want to pin blame on BR for that fair enough, but there is also the case that in spite of that absence he made the best of what he did have to provide a cushion.
Perhaps even a trampoline to bounce back from.
We”ll see.
16 roads
January 4, 2025 5:53 pm
Big Rachel,a force of nature:
https://www.glasgowworld.com/retro/remembering-big-rachel-hardest-woman-glasgow-partick-riot-3937515?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=taboola_referrals&utm_content=below_article_thumbnails
Imagine going home to that lady with your wages short! 😟
—————————————-
I winder how far short of 6’4” and 17 stone her hubby was?🤣
THEGOMBEENMAN
FFS,you’re like a dog with a bone. Firstly,BR took over both Leicester and Liverpool when they were struggling. That means,in most cases with a new manager,major investment on players. And while I’ll grant you that he didn’t sign either Suarez or Sterling,they were sold for £125m and wrecked his frontline. After he’d taken that struggling side to within a slip of winning the title.
He DID sign Coutinho for £8m. But he wasn’t sold for £40m,he was sold for £140m. Which Klopp freely admitted allowed him to sign Allison and VVD,probably the two most important players in guiding them to the title.
Leicester? They had sold the majority of the 2016 side before he arrived,which is why they were in relegation trouble. Some money he was allowed to spend,most of it went on paying off debt. Check the sales,they are eyewatering amounts. Again,a rebuild required but on the cheap. And STILL profits were banked,because again I note you leaving out income from sales of players he signed.
If all you want to get across is that you don’t rate the guy as a manager,we are all fine with that. The late SFTB and I differed on our opinion of Strachan,for instance. Plenty have disagreed with my opinion of Lennon. And Deila,who I think deserves more credit than he got. But I’ve rarely seen anyone resort to very dodgy and selective stats to make a point.
Well,apart from politicians,obviously.
Johno
No idea where you got impression I judged you as entitled.
All I have ever said about competition was it is in the nature of the game, what makes football the attractive sport it is and that in the context of the Thurday game and the title the players were playing for then win lose or draw the competition was over.
Hopefully the result has challenged that belief a bit and moved us from a feeling comfortable gear up one to that of a bit of anxiety that puts the players in a more competitive frame of mind than Thursday.
See if I was a R2ngers player and manager I would be going into the game with a let’s show they gloating bassas we are a lot better than they think.
When I say “I” it’s because I recognise that trait in myself.
FFS! The Gombeen’s oan.
We must be in a transfer window.
McTominay scores for Napoli in 3-0 away win at Fiorentina.
Luis Suarez still has it. 3 goals for Almeria today in 4-1 win over Sevilla.
On Thursday morning, I wrote on here that a defeat wouldn’t surprise me. I knew all manner of possibilities could arise. However, I did not expect this current team to surrender so meekly, to cede possession to such an ordinary team and to allow them to shoot at will on our goal. Only losing by 3 was an act of luck ..
For it’s a grand old team to play for,
For it’s a grand old team be dad,
And when you read it’s history,
It’s enough to make your heart go sad,
God bless them.
We don’t care if we win lose or draw,
Darn the hair do we care,
For we only know that there’s going to be a show,
And the Glasgow Celtic will be there.
Another way of looking at the result last Thursday……if we won, how safe would our players and staff been at that stadium?
Put my money on all sorts of objects being launched at them and a pitch invasion would certainly not be discounted.
After match attacks on the buses perhaps , so dropping three meaningless points is not such a big deal given the circumstances. That stadium is toxic….
San Luis,
I said the same to CCB. He was looking for us to at least get a goal in the last 10 minutes. I told him I wanted the ref to blow the whistle before it got any worse. Escaping with 3-0 was the only blessing of the day. I honestly cannot remember such a gutless performance. You can always have players who are not on their game but for everyone apart from maybe CCV to be so off their game was astounding.
I will be expecting at least three changes tomorrow. Out go Scales, Hatate and Maeda – the first two because they were so bad and Maeda because I think he’s just exhausted.
The players were definitely spooked
Why is just speculation
Nite y’all
A wee tune for tomorrow, for Brendan and the Bhoys.
Orange Juice – Rip It Up
https://youtu.be/UzPh89tD5pA?si=LhFZyQlbQn9THvpu
It’s good to be a Tim.
Tell your friends, they’ll like it.
Stay classy.
HH
BELMONT BRIAN
Orange Juice’s debut album is still one of my favourites.
Edwyn has always been special.
Hard to pick a favourite OJ/EC track … but this is definitely in the mix
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MbZSpFA_KL4&list=OLAK5uy_l2ZGLQuTW0APQx0SNGM74f4zq4MT3MMHg&index=3&pp=8AUB
MIT
yup
the scale goes from good to off the scale
Am I hearing correctly that a sentinel Celt is suggesting Brendan is a leaker? As in; “what’s that smell?”
Nothing wrong with Kieran Tierney but I hope that’s not the end of it
Is it true than when Woke Tims hear
Hatate Daizen Kyogo Konbanwa they build a camp fire ?
Auldheid
Sorry but a bit of a misunderstanding, that I would rather nip in the bud.
Whenever I talk about emotions or feelings within the game, I’m expressing my own and my own only.
So as a supporter, I believe that we are entitled to hopefully get the best product within our team, that’s available?
And in fairness, to date I haven’t seen to much worthy of moaning about to date this season.
But we are only at half way stage still?
Been around the game long enough to know that doesn’t guarantee success whatsoever.
With the money factor within the game, especially within our cash rich club, then the entitlement factor, complacency and expectations etc etc, are naturally going to grow, within many within our support, and got no problem regarding that outlook.
However for myself, the money factor doesn’t bother me to much, especially as value upon the pitch is where it counts, and there contributions to our club.
Prefer to put a value on the success gained, far moreso than the value within the transfer market?
Also natural enough, that when you feel bitterly disappointed, then finger pointing as to who to blame, for feeling such a way, is common enough, and I wouldn’t be no different in that regards.
Personally that anger I felt at being let down so badly on Thursday, is directed towards Rodgers moreso than anyone else, even if we were spoilt for choice.
Yet that won’t stop me giving Rodgers and our team my full backing yet again, no matter who Rodgers sends out to represent our club?
Hope you health improves quickly also
HH
Johnno
Enjoyed reading that
Auldheid
I didn’t know you were under the weather
Hope you are ok old buddy
The Challenges UEFA recognise that are damaging the game.
The Financial Landscape of European Football highlighted many positive aspects
that professional club football in Europe can and should be proud of.
However, there are important and difficult challenges to consider as we plan for the future.
A collective approach from all stakeholders will be necessary to overcome these
challenges:
• Protecting competitive balance: Matchunpredictability and competitiveness
throughout the competition are fundamental to ensuring long-term success of
club competitions and the interest of fans. The trend points to greater
dominance by a fewer number of clubs in many competitions.
• Growing revenue gap between top clubs and others: The financial polarisation
between clubs competing domestically and internationally is increasing and
accelerating.
• Distortive impact of UCC payments: Club distributions from UCC are having a
greater distortive effect in domestic leagues due to the increased size and
concentration of these payments to a small number of top clubs in each
league
True or false?
Mags
Could be under it for longer to my liking but it is what it is.
Going to try to get in a few dives this week, and for some reason this Weller classic popped into my head
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yHTEGP3QoHE&pp=ygUic3R5bGUgY291bmNpbCBpdCdzIGEgdmVyeSBkZWVwIHNlYQ%3D%3D
Rebus67
January 4, 2025 6:11 pm
AH,
I guess you missed the point. I won’t bore you by restating it.
I shall leave you and your ego alone in future.
Hope your health issues get resolved and that 2025 is good to you.
Rebus
===
And I’ll leave you to your all knowing ego too whatever it is.
The idea I’m ego driven and you are not does not surprise me.
I post stuff to inform views others might have, not to say look at me.
How you can come to the conclusion I am ego driven without knowing a single thing about me is down to you.
Lets leave it there. You be your judge of you and I’ll be my judge of me.
https://youtube.com/shorts/J549qHmBZLw?si=ge1U_zGQ96D7NoxB
MIT
while you’re trying to get in a few dives this week I’m going to try and get into a few dives this week. See how it goes
🎯 Dart Kings on Sky Documentaries is worth a watch 😎
INIQUITOUS IV
January 4, 2025 7:27 pm
——————————————
INIQUITOUS IV – No mean city.
Glasgow is different level of mentalness.
Unique character back then.
Don’t even want to imagine what the place is like these days.
HH.🍀
🎶 Sing Oh! they died their land to save..at Aughrim’s slopes, and Shannon’s waves.🎶 ☘️
AH,
You really are so misinformed. As I have explained to you my “ego” post was not aimed at you specifically. But you are the only one who keeps responded to it. Que? In responding to me, you are the one who introduced “ego”. I merely gave tit for tat in my response.
Do I have an ego? Of course, I do. Fortunately, it is somewhat moderated by a) self awareness, and by b) how others see me , which is as unimportant 😀
To make you feel better, this is all my fault for engaging with you. Months ago, I resolved not to do that but, hey-ho, I slipped.
Keep on, keeping on, you are a treasure to the blog. I am a nuisance 🤡
Should I leave a space for the last word? Could you resist? Nope, but I shall!
I really mean have a great year.
Rebus
Johnno
January 4, 2025 10:29 pm
Auldheid
Sorry but a bit of a misunderstanding, that I would rather nip in the bud.
Whenever I talk about emotions or feelings within the game, I’m expressing my own and my own only.
===
Of course you are, we can only speak for self when it comes to feelings as no one else but us can feel what we feel.
What makes us different is how we cope with those feelings.
In my case I’m not going to make BR responsible for how I feel and for how long. That is my responsibility.
I move as quickly as I can to what Kevin Bridges calls a happy place so that like you I can carry on supporting Celtic and hopefully enjoy the next match. It is important to have something positive to look forward to, the alternative is despair.
I enjoyed having a dialogue with you.
Rebus.
When you mentioned ego I thought you meant ego trip.
I also got the impression you thought I was not self aware or self aware as you are. With regard to how others may see me I’m in your camp. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t post at all or be intimidated from posting about what I think.
That impression may have been reinforced by the tone of you asking if I believed in what I wrote about the past being a platform to fashion a new future.
At the end of the day no matter the subject or intent we seem to rub each other up the wrong way and that might just be that the written word is not up to the job of conveying intent or this is not the place to try and connect.
So although I am having the last word I agree it best we scroll on by each other’s post which is a pity as I’ll miss something you say that will cause me to rethink.what I think.
I agree with your solution but very much regret it is necessary, I would have liked to have gotten to know you better.
Matt Le Tissier CSC.☘️
Even the smallest of lights can illuminate the darkness, but there is no amount of darkness that can extinguish the light. 🕯️