Celtic Banter Archive November 17 2015

17 Nov 2015 19:03:10
I have only 1 xmas football wish this year.
Can Johansson stop this running 50 yards all out to close down the goalie when he only boots the ball straight back up, what waste of energy that could be useful elsewhere.
Peter Grant did it for 15 years and it didn't make him a better player or ever get anything out of it.
Also wtf is RD doing here surely he can't be condoning this total waste of energy, ffs Ronny have a word wi him.

17 Nov 2015 19:28:12
How many times last year and even this year have we benefitted goals from johansson closing down the defender or keeper?

17 Nov 2015 21:45:07
R D is put under so much scrutiny and is to blame for every step a Celtic player takes . He must really be managing FIFA or some other computer game .

17 Nov 2015 22:25:59
Johannson needs a couple of weeks on the bench. it will benefit him in the long run.

17 Nov 2015 22:27:30
Old bhoy. Last year Johanson did this with other helpers. It was a tactic and we did it well. There was a togeerness in the " pressing" game. These days SJ does it on his lonesome from time to time. It is a waste of time because he never gets close enough to the 3 players that pass it around him at will. Maybe he is attempting to show an example. I think SJ does it to cover up poor form or he thinks it will inspire others to follow. They ain't following which means that it is indeed a complete and utter waste of energy.

17 Nov 2015 23:03:45
Paradise the comment re Johanson trying to close down on his own is not just happening to him. We don't close down as a team so we always have players isolated and gaps appear where opposition players run into. That's one reason we std so easy to play against. No idea why the original tactic which was to get groups of players all closing down has fallen by the wayside? Maybe it just takes up too much energy but it does look as if the players don't want to do it. So SJ tries it on his own and it just looks as if he is useless but that's not the case he is just getting isolated because the other players are not supporting him.

18 Nov 2015 09:00:52
RD spoke initially of a high pressing game and it works well with other teams but apart from Johansen and Brown We lack the players to carry it out for 90 minutes.
Can you see Commons, Forrest, Armstrong or even Bitton chasing and closing down when we don't have the ball?

18 Nov 2015 11:19:04
Griffiths will always chase down and usually when Griffiths and Johannson do it together they can put the opposition under pressure and they encourage another of midfield / attacking players to join in we can often cause opponents to rush their clearance out of play . I would be amazed if the like of Biton was to chase down and put under pressure as we need him and most of the players in position in case our opponents create the time to clear the ball.

17 Nov 2015 11:53:23
At last we have heard from Johansen that he is having a poor season and has lost form, something all us fans knew weeks ago, apart from our manager who kept telling us "he was coming back to form" this is why myself and other fans do not have any faith in him or "we were better than Molde" Collins, you cannot believe anything they tell the fans.
Ronnie TALKS a good game (which is I believe one of the reason Celtic hired them, they believed his bullish rhetoric) but he cannot WALK THE WALK. He is out of his depth at Celtic.
One of the regular posters on here who I have a lot of respect for Green Jhedi, said yesterday we cannot blame the manager for players poor passing, not tracking back etc. sorry GJ but we CAN and DO blame Ronnie because HE is in charge of training, watching every player each day, he should be working more intensely with the players on these issues, not washing his hands of them.
If a player is unwilling or incapable of improving, then the manager must replace him with a better player in that position even if it means bringing in a young inexperienced player but one who is willing to work and learn.

17 Nov 2015 12:43:12
Timalloy did you have a go at Lennon for constantly playing Samaras or Strachan for playing McGeady? All players go through patches. Even when Johansen is playing bad he runs a lot and closes down players. I can understand why Ronny still plays him. I completely disagree that he is out his depth. I think a few young players have improved dramatically and I think Ronnys philosophy will really show next year/the following year. Now I know Celtic fans expect more and the manager will never get that time but do you really think bringing in a new manager will sort the problems with Celtic/Scottish football? I think some of the football i've seen this year and last year has been some of the best since O'neills time. Yes we've not been good in Europe but with the young squad we've got it's going to take some time and i'm willing to give him that. Try taking in the big picture before belittling our manager and his achievements. I'm really getting tired of hearing the same old BS. "He cannot walk the walk" I disagree but I don't doubt that he needs to grow with us as we do with him.

17 Nov 2015 12:57:06
cmc, some folk just can't see the wood for the trees.

17 Nov 2015 13:51:00
. Johansen, Gordon, izzy all need benched for a while. Hope some of the deadwood go in January. Surely there must be a few decent Defenders out there to bring in. Young Christie will be a good addition and young Nesbbit needs a shot at the 1st team.

17 Nov 2015 14:27:02
Once we are officially out of the Europa I think he will rest Johansen - especially if Brown is back and I agree about Gordon too as he has clearly had a reaction to playing so many games after being out so long and is not showing the form of last season.
Tierney has made a great impression but I would not like to see him rushed and over-played so rotating with Izzaguire might work in domestic games.
It would be sensible to move out Stokes, Boerigter and Mulgrew and return Blacket as long as we can attract better in January; but that isn't the best window for good players being available, so it may not happen?
More importantly I would like to see big improvements in Ciftci, GMs and Boyata as they have disappointed so far.

17 Nov 2015 14:53:20
Agree with all of that JJ2 but I don't think there's ever a good window for us!

17 Nov 2015 15:40:27
At least he's man enough to admit it, - they should be forming a queue right enough, I would only give Biton, Teirney and Griffiths pass marks this season. Also I've never heard guys like Forrest apologising over the 4 years Lennon had him as the first name on the teamsheet! The non internationals seem to always get time off, in fact I don't know how many times I've heard the old chestnut about the senior players getting an extended break, - I remember Commons and the missus going to Dubai for a week, - they should check out Rothesay! Anyway I'd give Johansen and Biton a week off, between them they have done well for the club and are young so will go through different spells, neither can play against Ajax, so we'll never have a better chance. It will be interesting to see if Scott Allen gets a game over the next few weeks, he has never looked the fittest, he's been here a few months so if not sorted it out then he should go on loan or whatever in Jan, and take a few with him!

17 Nov 2015 15:50:23
A valuable skill good manager's possess is lifting a players spirits when he is down and off form . It's the manager's job to publicly praise out of form players to try and give them a lift . I cannot believe any football supporter could criticise his manager for doing that .
Of course we have fans who think Deila isn't good enough for us .

17 Nov 2015 17:34:51
Out of form is one thing, but Johansenn was supposed to be carrying a back injury or niggle, don't see the point of playing a player like that, might be doing himself damage for the future, and if that was just a story to camouflage his poor form, and it was just poor form, sometimes playing an of form player might be doing his confidence more harm than good, specially when he is performing bad in important games, mmaybe playing with the youths will be more beneficial for him in trying to get his form back.

17 Nov 2015 22:07:58
Aindoh Celtic have invested in some well known fitness experts and medical people who I am sure have checked Johannsen and indeed other players with niggles and knocks and after consultation with player etc decide whether player can play or not .

17 Nov 2015 23:09:53
Old Bhoy it was JS who has said he can't blame him "injury" on his poor form. So if he was injured, don't play him. If he is not injured and playing below par, then rest him. Either way why keep playing him? All layers need a rest at some time do just rest him for a couple of weeks as for whatever reason he is not performing and everyone. Even you can see that.

18 Nov 2015 09:12:13
By all means publicly support a player and give his confidence a boost but how many players have ended up puggled or even disabled playing constantly with injury?

18 Nov 2015 11:44:54
Every player plays through an injury at sometime. Some players play through injuries at all times . Managers using the medical expertise of their back-up team have to make decisions about playing injured players every week . They make the best decision in interest of club and player.
No two players are the same Biton can go down in obvious pain ane he gets up and plays on . .
Lustig goes down and is out for months.