23 Jul 2015 17:29:45
Dear all,
I was looking at some of the posts (post Sjarnan) and I was once again left head scratching.
A few things that have occurred to me are noted below:
Primarily, the difference between aspiration, ambition, expectations and limitations.
On aspiration firstly, I aspire for Celtic to out-perform expectations and to find a "system" that allows us to punch way way way above our weight. This will be accomplished by players who have good energy, excellent positional sense, can pick a pass, tackle, run fast, jump high, tuck away more chances than they screw wide or blaze over etc etc.
Many on here talk about misplaced passes, poor off the ball running, poor cover, mistimed tackles, profligacy in front of goal and such like. We ALL aspire to have our team play NEAR PERFECT football. Unfortunately, there are (currently) not enough professional players on the planet to ensure that all professional clubs have players that play the game to a near perfect standard. Indeed, Celtic have, in the majority of cases, players that the majority of successful and illustrious clubs don't want (they've probably never even heard of half of them!) The super clubs have players who can deliver pinpoint crosses accurately almost all of the time, or who can execute on the breakaway and utilise the spare man and so on. The best clubs can play for 3 hours non-stop and still look positively energised. We cannot because our players are, generally speaking, pretty average.
This takes us nicely on to "limitations". We are limited in what we can offer and provide to the talented, ambitious modern day footballer. Money talks. A bit of perspective here. Man City are on the cusp of signing Kevin De Bruyne (from Wolfsburg) for £60m who will join Sterling (£50m) and they may bring in Ibrahimovic for good measure. Mind boggling. Now De Bruyne is not 10 times the player of Johanssen but there is a good chance that he will score more goals than SJ in a like for like competitive scenario, complete more passes, make better decisions and get up and down the park more efficiently. We mock our own players for their wastefulness or poor decision making, but in reality WHO ARE WE COMPARING THEM AGAINST EXACTLY? If we understood our limitations, we would maybe have a more realistic view on what exactly is possible from individual players and from the team as a whole. We are Celtic and we are a great club, make no mistake about it (a club like no other) but we operate in a marketplace that is miles away from perfect, and yet many of us (judging by the posts) think that error strewn play is unacceptable. Is it not all relative?
I will deal with expectations and ambition together. What we as fans expect may be somewhat removed from what the Board's demands are from the footballing side. ED touches on this theme routinely. This Board will give us as little as possible without upsetting the whole applecart. It is no coincidence that some of us think we are going places, whilst others think we are going backwards. Every transfer "window" gives us that heightened sense of hope that this will be the year when we deliver 1 if not 2 marquee signings to cement progress, and we love the associated hype, but when was the last time we were left anything other than disappointed when the window slams shut? Can anyone recall a transfer window where the Board exceeded the support's expectations?
Are we ambitious? If so, in what regard? The best run club in Europe? A club with a very high credit rating? A club who can harvest youth football's cream of the crop efficiently for others to exploit down the line? The club that unearths Wanyamas and Foresters and Kis and such like for fun, provides a bit of spit and polish and makes a "financial" killing? A very intelligent poster asked a very searching question in a previous post; why do we develop and trade (and make a profit) IE to what end.
Now if the end (IE the cash surpluses) gave us the best youth academy in the UK and the best youth and development coaches and we somehow managed to hold on to half a dozen "nuggets"m each and every season and compete effectively in the ECL Groups or in the latter stages of the Europa League we'd be EXTREMELY HAPPY. But that isn't the case and so , to what end? What do we do with the money when its generated via a high profile player sale? Surely the Board don't expect the fans to buy scarves and jerseys and season tickets because we're quite smart at turning a profit? The profit would only ever be a welcome aside if it manifest in an improved performance and product on the park, but at the moment there seems to be a growing consensus that it does not.
When Rangers come back, they will be less diligent and less interested (I fear) in racking up business and financial astuteness awards off the park. They will be hellbent on moving up (quickly) to number 1 spot in Scotland. Any Celtic supporter who doesn't see this as a threat is absolutely deluded. Their re-emergence is inevitable in my view. Some time in the future no doubt, but it will happen and CFC have to work out where they're at and what VISION they have for our great club.
Stature, reputation, brand, and ethos does not put trophy's in the cabinet, nor does it put backsides on seats. I think I understand the limitations, but that said, I still want to see some kind of VISION. We are big enough and grand enough to attract half decent potential (not quarter decent) HALF DECENT. If the focus is on development of what we have as opposed to buying success, then that's fine too, but let's adequately resource the scouting and development functions to put emerging quality on the park.
This is no rant. I'm genuinely unsure about our club's trajectory and not because of a misplaced pass or having 3 ex dundee united players in the ranks. I couldn't care if they were clyde players! I want the best we can get given the limitations that confront us and a Board that are very clear about keeping celtic as the dominant force in Scotland (with European competitiveness actually targeted)
23 Jul 2015 17:54:15
Nice rant. ;) 'll keep it simple. Better players make better teams. Are we buying the best players we can afford?
23 Jul 2015 17:54:19
Excellent post mate a lot of great points which a would think most people would totally agree with you
23 Jul 2015 18:10:15
Jim Tim we defo are not buying the best players we can afford buying the cheapest options and as usual pure shit a used to get excited this time of year always checking the news hoping to see who we are buying these days a don't bother checking already knowing in advance nothing to get excited about
23 Jul 2015 18:10:28
Paradise I read often post rarely
But as always you have hit the nail on the head with all your points specifically the over unrealistic expectations placed upon our signings, this is by no means a defence for pukki, balde and bangura , but for Griffiths( who is proving people wrong at the moment ) and others are expected to be of almost suarez quality, if they bang in goals they are good enough for me.
We all would like a larrson again it's just not the market place and league we are in. A player of that calibre now goes for 50 million and above which is shocking , sterling is never worth that , aubamayang from borussia dortmund is valued at 30 mill and above that's classed as a steal!!
In ronny's video shown here a few months back he explained his favourite market is taking talented youth and players teams don't want and he can see talent is there, this is where we are looking and I'm fine aslong as the team can play an attractive attacking style of football and do well domestically as well as give ourselves a good showing in continental competition I am a happy man.
We are still a massive team with a fantastic history nothing will ever change that .
Green lantern
23 Jul 2015 18:36:47
Paradise,you left ability to control the ball out of you list re aspirations,thats the big difference between you and me ,and me and RD.
23 Jul 2015 18:57:17
Fine remarks Paradise. This should be put to the board directly at the next available opportunity
23 Jul 2015 21:30:35
i have asked the board to give me a good hour at the shareholders meeting to work through my various points but they always resist; granted I also ask for an additional hour for Q&A from the general masses….my timing always seems to be off
we move on….
23 Jul 2015 21:35:22
Aindoh, if my leaving "ability to control the ball" out of my repertoire of skills-sets listed (an oversight I may add), is the BIG difference between us, where does that leave us with distinguishing the small immaterial differences?
LIke pees in a pod you and I ….green pees in a green ipod
23 Jul 2015 21:56:50
I do agree with all of your post,I feel very happy that I can enter his forum and read such, Passion,Bellief and understanding of the situation that we are in today,however I do believe that we are treading water with ref to Sevco and Europe, in Europe we should have an aspiration to win,by that I mean 6 CL Games, a place that moves us to last 16 or a move into Europa league where we stand a better chance of progress,we have little debt and a guarantee of half decent money,so we should at least be in a position to take a Risk on Marquee signings,we need flair and goal scorers,they do not come cheap,but with so many big clubs of loading young quality,then I think we should be able to do business.
24 Jul 2015 07:55:27
Malika20, Let's hope so ….
24 Jul 2015 13:09:45
Is it unrealistic to expect a player on £7k a week to be able to cross a baw?
Is it unrealistic to think that there are better defenders out there than Ambrose?
Is it unrealistic and far too ambitious to think we should have always been good enough to beat teams in the early qualifying rounds?
Nobody expects us to be able to compete with the big money clubs. We can expect players to be able to carry out basic functions their position requires. We have to accept that we have purchased some utter roasters, costing us money we don't have. Is it unrealistic to think the Fud to Good ratio be improved?
My two main problems are defensive balls ups and flogging dead horses like Forrest who has had more comebacks than Sinatra. Thankfully GMS will solve one of those thorns and the acquisition of a left back who can defend and another CB to replace VVD will also help.
If we want to get better we have to believe we can. We we stop doing that we accept less than we ought to deserve.
24 Jul 2015 15:05:10
Fud to good ratio lol that is a belter!
25 Jul 2015 18:02:20
Paradise: keep keepin on mate. Glad you are able to make these meetings. Can't think of a better poster to make constructive criticism in such a forum (Ed007's sarcasm would get him barred from the site I reckon)