22 Apr 2018 13:54:45
bad day at the office or same glaring mistakes being made? We have now lost three games to the exact same tactic, press high and have two pacy players from middle to front. The key? These teams all kept two runners up. Yet we keep falling for it. Frustration does not cover it.
While i always want to see us play out have we the players for it? On this evidence no. I include Gordon in this, as the amount of times he chips up to halfway only for us to lose it is shocking. It's only close control, you practice it every week, so what's the problem? Why are we not making angles?
When you watch teams in Europe who have passed us to death, sadly there are a few, they draw us in and play in tight threes and fours, all confident because they know a team mate will be only five yards away. We never seem to have this it's always 10-20 yards, hence the flyers can shuttle across, IF they play two.
This must be addressed. The cup final will be the same, high energy with two up who will run and chase everything. I would be hugely surprised if murty does not try the same to be honest. And young Hendry, who i like, is not a right back, not against proper wingers who go outside. The boy was exposed a few times.
Finally. Did McGinn pass his audition? i would say yes, but not for crazy money, he still has to learn more.
22 Apr 2018 14:49:52
Ajer and KT are the only defenders comfortable under pressure, whereas, Gordon, Boyata and Hendry repeatedly made basic mistakes yesterday and opponents know if they press us high and wide we will give the ball away because as you say, we lack the quality and organisation to combat this tactic and Hibs, Motherwell, Hearts, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone have all given us problems in these areas and the same can be said to a certain extent with the midfield as all you have to do is compare the performances, Of Broony, McGregor and Rogic against Sevco - where they had time and space and yesterday, where it was hectic and harrasing.
James Forrest (who has not been at his best for a while) was getting no change out of Stevenston, but we had nothing on the other wing until Sinclair came on to switch the attacks and playing through the middle brought little luck or success.
I agree Muttley will have this in mind for Sunday, but hopefully that result/ performance yesterday - and the return of Dembele will be motivation enough to get this in the bag.
The summer window will be crucial as it seems we may lose some star players (as well as surplus) and it is imperative we, not only replace them, but improve the standards in key areas, not only for European progress, but to keep a healthy distance between ourselves and the two or three, improving domestic opponents, (Hibs, Kilmarnock and Motherwell) who are finding ways to not only stop us playing, but take the initiative and the points.
22 Apr 2018 17:18:38
Settle down 3 defeats in 2 years. The defence has been Garbage so hopefully Boyata and Simunovic will be away and replacements brought in. The squad will have an overhaul in the summer. We haven't divine rights to win every game and will lose from time to time. I will be happy with a Double Treble and getting into the CL next season.
22 Apr 2018 17:39:17
We lost yesterday because our players heads were not in the right place . It reminded me of the European Cup final of 1970, when Jock had told everyone beforehand that the Dutch were bad and Celtic would win .
It wasn't the Hibs formation but their greed and hunger for the ball all over the pitch . our midfield were wiped out by fair means or foul and Mc Clean only started to yellow card them in the final 10-15 minutes . When you are trying to attack and your mid field is wiped out, then your defence will have a very difficult game and so we had. In hind -- sight it might have helped if we had a left back but K T was either attacking or doing little . After the 2 seasons Scot Brown has had I am sure we can forgive him for yesterday . l G is not ready or fit to lead our attack . I am continuously worried about P R, I doubt if B R will try to get a deal for him . The reason he has had limited time is pretty obvious and he will have to do more than bless himself to win me over
We can't have become such a bad team within a week, Rangers 2021 may have made us look better than we are, but if we weren't Champions Elect we would have handled Hibs differently . Hibs were helped by an offside opening goal, described by Stubbs as just a bit offside . I know how I would have felt yrs ago if any of my daughters when teenagers told me they were just a bit pregnant.
22 Apr 2018 20:31:29
Chris we were beaten by a better team yesterday. Hibs went 1 on 1. They asked individual players to win individual battles and they did. Fair play to them. No point trying to look for excuses about heads not being in right place. Their heads should be in the right place. May as well say they were not fit. we were outfought. It has happened several times this season. We get teams in our face and we can get a bit lost. Game lost move on but we will need to get our act together for next week and for Motherwell. Worrying stat is that since Jan teams like Hibs, Kilmarnock and Rangers have the same points total as us. (I think that's right) and that is not good enough. We can talk about losing 3 times in 2 seasons or whatever but over the last 1p or 12 games we are no better points wise than Killie and Hibs. Too many draws, not putting games to bed. Maybe we are becoming complacent. We have much better players but we need to do better than yesterday.
22 Apr 2018 21:06:56
They were out played yesterday in the sense that hibs came out the traps quicker, high intensity, quick passing, and quick movement on and off the ball, with their midfield playing in midfield and then defending when attacked. Celtic were slow to recover and get it together, it was like watching a different team. Maybe that was BR's master plan. lol
Celtic Team slow the game down and can't deal with being pressed as we have all seen. When Celtic play the tops teams away from home and if they are playing the young boys in defence then they should go with 4 at the back to cover each other and install confidence in each other.
Personally i don't think Br will take PR, and i am not a great fan of the price that's banded about for him.
Roll on Sunday at home and hopefully we will have the intensity and passion and the Hibs game a distant memory
Even a small mouse has anger.
22 Apr 2018 22:17:47
Don't think you can blame Hibs for wanting big money for McGinn, if Hibs hold onto him and some others, they can be Celtics main challengers next year, if they sell him, I think it will be for a lot more than some of the amounts I have seen mentioned in posts on here.
{Ed007's Note - Can you see McGinn signing a new Hibs deal or Hibs letting him run down his contract and leave on a free next summer though, Aindoh? I'd be surprised if anyone would pay the £5 million that Lennon mentioned simply because of the contract situation - would I be upset if we signed the lad for a deal that could eventually total £5 million with Scott Allan and add-ons? No, I think it would still be a good deal for us. Outside of Celtic he is by far the best player in the Scottish league imo.}
22 Apr 2018 23:12:35
No, what I meant was, there might be some teams in the EPL that would want him, and they would pay more than the three million plus Scott Allan, and then you balance that against Hibs doing well in all competitions next year, the league cup, Europe, Scottish cup, league, with increased attendances for an entertaining winning team, and all that increased income, what gets me is some of the numbers talked about, some people on here would be quite happy to pay ten million for some guy from some faraway place, with a strange sounding name, but a Scottish guy would be a waste of money, Scott Brown cost £4.5million I think, and there was a lot of criticism about spending that much, but I thought he was a brilliant signing, and I think John McGinn is a much more talented footballer and if Celtic do sign him I would have him in the team ahead of Brown.
{Ed007's Note - I'd be surprised if any English team would stump up £5 million for him though and what level would they be, bottom of the EPL or the Championship? Would he be a first choice for them, working for managers that are always only a couple of bad results away from the sack. This summer the power is in McGinn's hands, going into the last year of his deal he can force Hibs into a corner regarding his destination.}
23 Apr 2018 12:16:15
He wants to play for us. Allen and £3/ 4m will secure him. We should go for him. If we do there is more chance I will be the next rangers manager, than him turning us down.
23 Apr 2018 23:10:55
Mc Geoch is a better player than McGinn . Mc Ginn was also very good on Saturday and the Hibs midfield took complete control . This left Celtic defence totally unprotected and not at all capable of dealing with the pressure .
Having said that Hibs scored an off side goal plus a completely legal goal .
Even when we got over run Hibs couldn't really punish us on the score line.
Brown went from poor to terrible bad but after the 2 seasons he has had we cannot fault him too much . I don't believe that Hibs had any special tactics or players that we couldn't match . However Saturday was a game that too many of our players didn't turn up to play . This has rarely happened in the last 2 years but of course we would prefer if it didn't ever happen.
24 Apr 2018 19:35:44
Johnny Mac Hibs are not a better team than Celtic . League positions don't lie
On the day Hibs out fought us .
At the end of the day only a goal, that was off side and wrongly allowed, was the difference between two teams, one miss firing and playing well below form and the other firing on all cylinders .
It really does my head in the lack of respect that some Celtic fans have for their team
Even die heart Hibs fans wouldn't claim to be a better team than Celtic.