Celtic Banter Archive October 11 2014

11 Oct 2014 14:11:21
Just noticed today's topic for Poll of the Day, it should be "Can Celtic finish in the top six this year?" lol.

Hamilton "bhoy" Have you been a glory hunter supporting Celtic from Hamilton and now switching your allegiance to Hamilton?
No real Celtic supporter doubts where Celtic will finish .

Chris, it was clearly a joke. Would you put your house on Celtic winning the league this season? Because, unlike last season, I wouldn't. So, I guess I for one have my doubts.

I would put my house on Celtic finishing in the top 6 and I would only ask for someone to put half a million on them finish seventh or worse.

Just the top six then?!? Ambitions have dropped more than I thought then.

11 Oct 2014 19:23:48
Hi Ed I see you are becoming agitated by people criticising Delia,s methods. To be honest I agree all players should be as fit as can be but the problem lies much deeper. There is no point in comparing him to previous managers he must be judged on what he achieves.

The major problem is that it wouldn't matter how fit the players there are two many in the wrong areas of the park. RD may think he is playing a 4231 but in effect we have four front players who don't contribute when we don't have the ball. In every game it is clear we are a man short in the midfield. Even in the games we have won we have carried a lot of luck (hearts, Zagreb).

So I won't criticise him about innovations but I will criticise him about gross errors of judgement

1 playing Berget in a CLQ when he hadn't even trained with the team

2 Continuing to have the team attack against Legia when down to ten men and losing two further goals (and two penalties)

3 Leaving Commons out against Maribor remembering he was the player of the year and top scorer last year. Before anyone says they only need a goalless draw, the team is far too open to achieve a result like this

4Making ten changes against Inverness and having to change the left hand side of the team completely at half time

5 Playing Berget at Dundee and having to take him off after 41 minutes

6 Leaving brown and commons on the bench against Motherwell and then having to bring them on to rescue a point

7 Losing at home to Hamilton and then saying we are making progress

So it's not about chips or fizzy drinks, he may well be an outstanding physical trainer! but he is a poor tactician. this is a man with at best an average track record as a player and a manager. So for those people saying it will come good if he is given time I am afraid this is solely based on RD own self promotion, there is no evidence to remotely suggest he can successfully manage at this level of the game

Groutdoc you raise the errors well, albeit in hindsight. The one that really got me was saying we're making progress after getting beat at home to Hamilton. Results wise, it's definitely not progress. Performance wise, it isn't either. Saying things like that is the BS that really angers me. He should have said that it wasn't good enough, he wants to see better, we need to do better. I think it would have angered Hartson too and that's why he was right in saying it was like RD didn't know what it meant. I know he's trying, and could do well, but losing to Hamilton, simply, is NOT progress!

Get a grip of yourself Chris02 n stop acting like a clown.

11 Oct 2014 07:25:53
A suggestion maybe for poll of the day - are some fans concentrating too much on reading about football rather than watching it?

I can see no other explanation as to why anyone would think Celtic are making 'progress' other than they have not been watching the games.

Ronny might have smashing ideas and theories but i'm more for seeing things in practise and at this moment in time, it ain't working.

We'd all like to see it in practice than theory Mrs. E. I'm sure you've said yourself everybody wants to see RD succeed. It really does require patience though. Winning the League, despite struggling to implement a philosophy, is an absolute must. We can't continue the ratio we've been getting. A real run is needed now after the break. As you say though, it needs to be done not said.

I think half the problem is, no matter how good the managers ideas are, the players don't seem to respect him.
I think they look at a young inexperienced manager coming in and telling them that despite winning 3 titles in a row, the way they are doing things is wrong.
This is what went wrong at Manchester United last year, David Moyes who won nothing with Everton, went in and tried to change everything that Alex Ferguson had done. The players never bought into it.
If you are going to make such big changes, you need a manager with a proven track record, who can point to what he has done at other clubs, and can gain the respect of the players.

As a GF said to me once, I don't mind you being right for the wrong reasons, its when you're wrong for the right reasons, that'l get you into trouble, I am with mrs e on this, I want to see good things on the pitch today, not in two years time, what is a manager?, is the clue not in the name, he's got to get the best out of the players that are there by managing them, ie getting the best out of them, if he wants to change things he has to do it gradually, using players to the best of their abilities, in their best positions or getting in new ones that improve the team, the whole diet thing should be a nobrainer
for any modern footballer, as for fitness, can't say I remember celtic being shown up for not being fit enough in europe in recent years, it was more their passing and positional sense and ball control that let them down, maybe RD's being too impatient in trying to get players to play a different game than their used to, and needs to introduce his ideas more slowly.

Thats the only point i've been trying to make I need to see results and performances and right now, I'm not.

I know its very early days for Ronny but he's been asked to beat Hamilton, Dundee, Motherwell etc not Real Madrid or even Maribor. By all means change diet and fitness to give the players the competetive edge at the higher level - spot on with this.

What higher level is Ronny tested at though - none. Does not mean he will crumble, we all have to start somewhere but until then it will be all talk, wait and see stuff.

I'm just an actions speak louder than words kinda person, heard enought bullsh*t in my 21+ years to know better.

So c'mon Ronny, show us a bit of fight in your belly!

Can I add though, I'm happy enough with the Europa League games even if we have been riding our luck a bit :-)