Celtic Banter Archive January 18 2015

18 Jan 2015 22:09:00
Just thought I'd put this up as its def worth a mention
watching yesterday's game at halftime, and the reaction young jay Beattie got from everyone inside the ground as he took the applause from both sets of fans was very heart warming to witness, credit to Hamilton for inviting the young boy over as their guest. It was great to see everyone making this wee guy and his family's day, well done everyone

Hamilton are a small club with the class of any of the worlds big boys. Magnificent gesture, even their fans were singing for the wee man.

18 Jan 2015 20:32:59
Hi Ed, how's things mate?
I bet as usual this is a busy time of year given the amount of players leaving and coming into our great club? Barring rumours. Maybe not? Lol

Yesterday we got the win, great, 3 more point chasing the leaders. Can't ask any more?!
I was a wee bit disappointed with a how we played and a couple comments on here yesterday!
"Good result against a good/decent team!
Is only 1 of them.
At 35 I'm old skool ( old before my days), expecting more against not a good/decent team.

I was at my dads today, big St Mirren fan, he also said it was a good result against a decent team!
'Nodded my head in agreance' but was thinking otherwise!
Now I'm not for a minute saying Hamiltin aren't decent, it's more to do with Celtic. we are just ordinary!?

Is it at the point now I expect too much?
Or is it a few are happy with ordinary?

I was one who said yesterday it was a great result against a decent team on a different surface. Hamilton are on 39 points and have proved by beating us and others this season that they are a decent team. We are only 6 points ahead of them so i'm quite happy to praise the team and manager for getting the 3 points.

The league is definately in our hands at the moment. The sheep have undoubtedly put on an impressive run of results. The draw against Dundee shows they are a resilient team grinding out results. It wasn't too long ago we were that resilient and we need to show that again.
We have a few big games coming up and the bhoys need to be prepared for them. The cup tie against the new tax dodgers, 2 ties against Inter Milan, Scottish cup game against Dundee and the game against the sheep could make or break our whole season. What a month!

John I know what your saying mate. We maybe aren't as exciting as other celtic sides But I think some credit should be given to both us and hamilton. They have been playing well mate. They bust my coupon every week cause I keep expecting them to loose and they keep winning. Yesterday we went to there artificial park on a cold day in a very open cold ground and beat them in a professional manor where they only threatened our goal once. I think some credit where it's due mate.

I have got a good few years on you BBJ but the bare bones of it is we are a shadow of former Celtic teams in terms of quality, creativity and standard of player we can (afford) attract to Celtic.
The vast majority of today's team would never have got a game in previous sides However we are in a one horse league (no offence to the mutton molesters) in terms of sponsorship and TV interest and we are no longer a force in the CL and have to cut our cloth accordingly.

This season has been very difficult in terms of new management, systems and personnel and we have struggled to find a consistency of high level performances and dominance.
But all things considered, I posted on here that the result was a good one and gaining 3 points every week is a priority while RD strives to improve the team and the performances.
The important thing at the moment is we are still in 4 competitions and we must give the team some credit.

3 points is a priority ever week so happy to take them when they come around, especially coming into the home straight.

My question and statement were double barrelled!
I didn't want to go down the route of a few others on here, who get abuse for stating the obvious and getting it tight for being truthful, probably right but coming across negative at the same time.
It's the here and now and where we are but it seems a lot of fans/supporters are happy with mediocre and just accepting it?

This isn't against RD and the new set up before anybody jumps in! It's been long running and a lot of people were blinkered by Lennon the saviour. We've been static.

everybody has a vision, and for the first time in a while it seems we have a vision? RD does anyway and it would be amazing if he could help push for it and see it out, I just doubt he will be given the time? (2/3 seasons just to scratch the surface)
Sounds a bit condratictive I know!

Fed up with hearing "great result and great performance"
It wasn't, it was good result rubbish performance, and most of our wins have been!

18 Jan 2015 18:52:59
Having watched the game yesterday, I felt, for perhaps the 2nd time this season, a degree of confidence about our "domestic" prospects as we pursue a clean sweep.

Assuming a decent injury-free run, we now appear to have a defence that could have just about enough metal and guile to provide for a solid enough foundation from which to minimise goals conceded and to (effectively) build attacks from the back.

The Brown, Bitton and Johansen engine room is purring sufficiently to give us hope from middle to front.

The agonising thing is that we still don't have "up top" solved but there appears to be a decent pool of options which serves as some consolation.

If GMS signs in January and Commons stays, we are looking at any 3 from Scepovic, Henderson, Guidetti, Commons, Forrest, GMS, Griffiths Stokes, McGregor, Wakuso and Tonev

With Lustig and Mulgrew due back soon, we have good options too in term of re-shuffling middle to back.

But the preferred "system" that RD would otherwise opt for still gives me real cause for concern. The system may prove to be our achilles heel.

By insisting on width which means one up top out left and one up top out right, we are forcing players in to positions who are not good enough to make the "overall 11" more solid and dynamic.

To illustrate, if you take Gordon Matthews, Izzy, Denayer, VVD, Brown, Bitton and Johanssen and then add . McGregor and (say) Forrest and Stokes we appear to end the line up on a damp whimpering squib!

McGregor Stokes and Forrest wouldn't have me up worried all night if I were an opposing defender.

On the other hand, when you find room for Guidetti Stokes and Commons, the team seems fuller, stronger, more robust and more experienced .

The "key" will be finding a system to get our best players on the park at the same time.

As an aside, Henderson's footwork and general footballing intelligence has been a real surprise for me in the past 2 games.

An on form Matthews would be like a new signing.

Denayer replacing Efe is like playing with an extra man!

It seems that CFC are looking head and shoulders above the rest once again but we need to look at the players (pool) we have and find a system (however unorthodox) and make it work around the players we have AS OPPOSED to forcing the players to play to a system that runs the risk of making 2 or 3 (of the starting eleven) ineffective and thus hampering the overall team.

Against MWell away and Killie away and Hamilton away there was a hint of a "swagger" and it will be this that will get backsides on seats across February

Totally agree with what you say about or front line. We do no have the players for this I have said this from the start. Nothing wrong with the system per say but you need the right players to utilise it.But we should have enough in the bag for the title and a cup or 2.

18 Jan 2015 16:48:08
A seriously question ed not just point scoring, I heard Chelsea were moaning about the financial fair play side of things regarding man city's signing of boney ( I know they have a cheek ) . Now surely a team playing in the lower division of Scotland's leagues who are losing around a million pound a month must have questions to answer regarding these rules or do the sfa not have these rules and it is only for teams playing in uefa competition's?

{Ed007's Note - The UEFA/FIFA FFP Regs. only cover teams playing in European competition. The English leagues have their own FFP rules in place which are separate from the UEFA/FIFA ones.}

Cheers ed

{Ed007's Note - (yes)