So... My plus points are as follows ... We have 7pts from 3 games and are top of the group (no idea how we've managed that though) Scepovic scored (at last!!) ... other than that it was abysmal and I don't want to re-live it again ... EVER.
A 2-0 win at home to Kilmarnock at the weekend in the league was followed up by a 6-0 thrashing of the Jags last night in the league cup. That's 4 wins on the bounce now for Deila with 15 goals scored in that time. Granted the majority of football on display against Astra was pretty turgid however there are signs that things may start to be taking shape. Having Lustig back in the team is a big bonus and Guidetti looks like the striker we've been yearning for since Hooper's departure. The concern now is whether or not we have financial clout (which I believe we have) and the will (from the boardroom - which I am less sure about) to get him signed up permanently.
So last nights 1-1 draw with Astra in the Europa League stopped our winning streak at 5 after our 1-0 victory over ICT in the league at the weekend. Both matches had some similarities. We are, at times, still struggling to assert ourselves when we have the upper hand in games which can lead to us being pegged back later in matches. We seem to tire in the second half of games. This then leads to lapses in concentration and an overall drop in our standards in the 2nd 45mins of games. Sometimes we get by with the 3pts (see ICT) and sometimes we get caught out (see last night). Btw, that 'tackle' on Charlie Mulgrew was absolutely shocking and deserves to be punished with more than a 3 game ban imo. Still, things are looking a lot rosier than they were a few weeks ago. League We're now two points off the top of the league with a game in hand. Since the defeat to Hamilton we've won 3 straight in the league without conceding a goal Europa League Currently sitting 2nd on 8pts behind Salzburg. We have them at home next and must take something to avoid a winner takes all last game in Zagreb. Still a bit of work to do but I reckon we will get through. League Cup Drawn against some unknown new team in the semi finals which has apparently stoked up a lot of interest for some reason... Scottish Cup Drawn away to Hearts. Tough draw but realistically we should be able to squeeze by them. In other news... ... there was a rumour going around that the club were close to signing free agent Lassana Diarra. Would be a great signing for us but, unfortunately, Diarra has taken to twitter to state he has not agreed a deal to sign for anyone yet. With premiership clubs now allegedly starting to circle (Newcastle have been mentioned) I doubt we'll see him in the hoops. More importantly though, we surely must make every attempt possible to turn the Guidetti deal into a permanent move. Lastly, Tonev (on loan from Aston Villa) has been banned for 7 matches for racially abusing Aberdeen's Shay Logan. If this is true he should be shipped back to his parent club on the first available bus but Celtic are appealing the decision so they obviously believe this not to be the case.
Another win for Ronny, 2-1 away to Aberdeen. It may not have been a great performance in terms of footballing ability but it was a terrific performance when looking at the grit, determination and desire of this team. Three products they have been accused of lacking. With Scott Brown seeing red rather than sitting on a 1-1 scoreline we kept pushing forward and got our pay off with an injury time winner from big VVD. Coolness personified - as usual. Ronny and the players seemed to enjoy it afterwards. Maybe Derek McInnes should think twice about what he says and who he says it to. Still, always nice to wind up the sheep in their own ground at the end of the match ----
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 1m1 minute ago FULL TIME Celtic 1 - 3 Salzburg. Celtic qualify for the last 32 after Astra beat Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 in Romania. #UEL
I would love to say we're just lulling everyone into a false sense of security ... but it's pretty clear to see this team still has a long way to go. Obviously we were missing quite a few players for various reasons last night (Guidetti, Lustig, Denayer, Wakaso, Forrest not fully fit) and it maybe shows the strength in depth we have isn't a good enough standard.
A 1-0 victory over Partick Thistle midweek highlighted again our inefficiency in killing off teams from a position of strength. It took a great save from Craig Gordon in the dying minutes to save us dropping 2 pts. In other news - http://www.celticfc.net/news/7220 Always hated travelling to Tynecastle for a match. Didn't do many mind but the ones I did were not an enjoyable day out by any means. A poisonous atmosphere doesn't begin to do it justice.
Hmm, I'm really getting nervous when thinking about the EuroLeague KO round drawing on Monday. ;-)) Fraser, do you want me to return to Celtic-Park after our friendly from summer 2013? Unfortunately, I'd very likely not get a ticket for the away sector (since I don't have BMG membership and don't belong to a supporters club).
So we got Internazionale. I reckon that's a pretty good draw. The history is there (obviously). Although they have been in pretty poor condition recently they (Inter) are still a 'big name' for want of a better term. Serious investment in central defence and central midfield (DM especially) needed if we are to have any chance against them though. Meanwhile we lose in the league for the first time since October away to Dundee Utd. We had plenty of chances to win the game and weren't helped by some inept refereeing (Scepovic offside... really?!) but fair play to the Arabs. Not losing too much sleep over it though.
As a Celtic supporter I was obviously disappointed in the result at Tannadice but as a general observer/fan of the Scottish game it was quite pleasing. I forgot the match was being broadcast here and only tuned in at around the 75th minute (already 2-nil) but what impressed me was how United defended the lead....sure Celtic was dominant in the period I saw but when on the ball United still showed a willingness to go forward and for such a young side they showed a lot of composure. I was quite impressed. Sure, Sepovic was onside but (hands up) at full speed I thought he was about a yard offside......replays are wonderful! I am often torn between wanting Celtic to win every match they are in and realizing how important it is during these turbulent times to see teams like DUFC and Aberdeen mount a serious challenge and generate season long interest in the competition. As it stands now, the top 5 are separated by 6 points.....that is quite impressive.
I think the main issue was the positioning of the assistant. It wasn't just that Scepovic was onside but he wasn't even the most advanced Celtic player in the move. I do agree though that watching Dundee Utd these days can be pleasing on the eye. I've held the opinion that in the last few seasons more Scottish teams are trying to play football the right way. Long may it continue.
So what's the thoughts on Delia? I applauded Celtic at the time as I thought it was a forward thinking move and the perfect time to experiment. Is their progress? I have to admit I've not watched Celtic or an SPL match for the whole time Rangers have been out of the top league.
I'm still quite happy to give him a chance to imprint his style on the club. He wants a high energy fast press (possibly akin to Borussia Dortmund on song) but obviously we are a million miles away from that. He needs the players to implement that type of system and many that he inherited won't fit into that system. Kris Commons is a perfect example however Commons was one of our best players on show last night and is probably one of our better players for breaking down packed, stuffy defensive sides such as Killie last night. Admittedly not so many SPFL teams bunker that much these days (thankfully) but there still needs to be a place in the Celtic squad for players such as Commons. Maybe Ronny didn't realise that until he got his feet wet in the league and maybe now he is having to refine his tactical idea for the team going forward. Has there been a lot of progress? Probably not. Nowhere near as much as many fans would wish for but I can see he is at least trying to impose something different with the club and once he gets more of the players that he wants, that fit his vision, then I'm sure we will improve. Case in point is Johansen. He was signed by NL in the January window last season. He came with a reputation as being one of the best players in Scandinavia and started off well enough. However as the season progressed his performances regressed and by the start of this season he was leading up to be the new whipping boy for the support but Delia has turned it around for him. He now plays primarily at the head of the diamond or just behind the main striker in 4-2-3-1 and is flourishing. I also like the fact that Ronny is happy to promote from within. I'm still not entirely sold on McGregor but it was good to see Henderson back in the 1st 11 last night and he justified his selection with a good game. In a perverse way I was actually excited about the match last night as it was a game we had to go out and get the 3 points in. Being 4pts behind Aberdeen (2 games in hand though) is actually making the league race a welcome interest at this time in the season. Of course I wont be saying that if we are still behind with 2 or 3 games to go. I doubt we will be but the longer the sheep and others such as Dundee Utd can challenge then the better it will be for Scottish football.
Cheers for the info! I think it might be another 19 months before we face Celtic in the SPFL. Which is no bad thing.
No problem. I think that Scottish football is starting to show small signs of recovery. A long road mind you and plenty of time for the powers that be to feck everything up again but at least the football on show is a little more pleasing on the eye.
From scoring the winning goal against Barcelona, to moving to Standard Liege for a 7 figure sum, to playing for Charlton Athletic. The (extremely short high) life and times of Tony Watt.
We've signed Gary-Mackay Steven on a pre-contract. Good bit of business for us. I think he'll fit into Delia's system very well.
If VvD goes, there goes any hope. The board won't goes nuts, they never do, but it's going to leave Deila looking for loan players to sign late in the window. I also hope they keep Guidetti, despite a dip in form.
the BHOYS need to keep playing good football and keeping winning..despit how close it is this year we still are the best team in scotland by miles...the board has to spend wit h the huns coming back up next year
I honestly think VVD will be here until the summer (and then he's definitely gone). I get the feeling Guidetti wants to play at a higher level and despite our best efforts (and RD's) I can't see us signing him on a permanent deal.
Comprehensive 4-0 hammering of Motherwell puts us back on top with a game in hand. Need to carry this form into the Ross County match at the weekend. Team looked good last night. Lustig so close to his hat-trick. In all we hit the woodwork three times and Craig Gordon barely had a thing to do the whole match. Could easily have been 6 or 7 but I'll take 4 this time.