Celtic Banter Archive February 23 2018

 

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23 Feb 2018 17:48:58
I'm sticking to my guns Ed. If we'd have had a goalkeeper in Seville rather than a brickie we'd have won the cup. Last night if my uncle Craig had been fit he might have got a hand to first goal albeit not a centre half attacked the ball because we don't have ONE! Second goal my uncle Craig would have saved. Third goal would probably never have happened plus you could see the back line had absolutely no faith in Rodgers replacement for my uncle Craig. Bottom line Doris isn't good enough and buck stops with Brendan who thought he was. Andrews, Muggleton, McNight and add to their name now bold Doris de Vries.

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23 Feb 2018 18:46:13
Bit harsh on big rab, the bricklayer had some excellent performances on way to Seville. If big Hartson was fit we would have one the cup. The big man was on fire that year!

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23 Feb 2018 19:04:25
Aye big Rab the Crab ha ha - The brickie that couldnae 'hod' a baw.
Better than Dorus the the bricker though.

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23 Feb 2018 21:52:04
If it wasn't for big rab during the run to Seville we would have been out earlier. Put in some great performances in the tournament.
Agree Dasa if big Hartson wasn't injured we would have won it.

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24 Feb 2018 06:22:07
Cheers boys! šŸ˜‚ šŸ˜‚ šŸ˜‚.

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24 Feb 2018 11:00:27
Although it wasnā€™t during the UEFA cup run to Seville, big Rabs performance against Valencia in the Mestalla was one of the best performances Iā€™ve seen of any Celtic keeper in my time. We could have lost double figures that night but the big fella kept it to 1-0.

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23 Feb 2018 17:30:03
Sunday team 3-5-1-1

De Vrise

Hendry
Jozo
Ajer

Forrest

Brown
Ntcham
Rogic

Tierney

Edourd

Dembele.

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23 Feb 2018 17:41:22
Wouldn't have De Vries in there, would throw Bain in and hope for the best.

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23 Feb 2018 17:50:56
Me too Stevie Iā€™d put Doris Day in there and hope for the best. ā˜˜ļø.

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23 Feb 2018 17:59:08
Doubt Jozo will play.

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23 Feb 2018 19:08:57
Think he'll stay with Dorus unfortunately, as throwing Bain in with such a shaky defense might be too risky?
The most important thing for me is that the forwards find/ regain their form and we play on the front foot at pace from the start.

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23 Feb 2018 20:58:17
De Vries makes the defence shaky.

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24 Feb 2018 00:12:47
Dorus gives me the DTs and not in a good way.

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23 Feb 2018 15:20:11
So now we are out of Europe, as much as it it's a disappointment and there's many points that need addressed if we really want to progress at that level, all of our focus needs to be on winning the league and Scottish Cup.

Rogic, Roberts, Griff, Armstrong, Compper should all be available to play soon. I want to see a resurgent Celtic with more energy and aggression between now and the end of the season. It starts with Aberdeen on Sunday and every game between now and playing the Manky Mob. We want to build that gap again.

Obviously its been hard juggling European and Domestic football with a big number of injuries but its time for Rodgers to find his best 11 and stick with it. There will be some natural rotation/ changes but we can't be making 5/ 6 changes like we've down on too many occasion this year.

I'd like to see us be more attacking and direct, it's great having the ball, but having most of the ball in your own half of the pitch is pointless, it just allows other teams to get in behind and stay in their shape. 2 up front with a diamond in midfield would be my shout.

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23 Feb 2018 17:49:42
Think the mistake was in not playing the same team in the two zenit and st Johnstone games, the team that played so well in the first leg were only playing together for the first time, after the win everybody was buzzing and their confidence was good, but the team is changed for the st Johnstone game, this team doesn't perform, players that had played well in the zenit game were deflated, they went into the game last night with doubts in their minds,

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23 Feb 2018 18:35:47
Aindoh I wouldn't have changed it either but a can see why he did. Imagine one or 2 key players got injured against St Johnstone, the backlash would've been worse than this. A don't get why anyone is surprised by the result last nite, awrite the performance was well below par but we can't compete with the money teams like that have got, they spend an absolute fortune, on our day we can match them on the park but over 2 legs it's always going to be tough.

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23 Feb 2018 19:12:41
I think playing the same team was the only option, but unfortunately Mancini would have expected that too and planned accordingly.
As much as he is a very experienced and wily tactician - he couldn't have foreseen the goals we gifted them that did his job for him.

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23 Feb 2018 21:05:49
The spirit and the confidence of the team was more important than one or two players getting injured, that team needed to play more games together as a unit, how many times had Ajer and Simonovic played together?, how many full games had Dembelle played since coming back from injury?, he needed more full competitive games to get his sharpness, not a part game against st johnstone,

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23 Feb 2018 14:15:52
I am totally gutted from last night not that we got beat but more than for the manner we got beaten I am sorry to say but I think the tactics of just holding on to the ball even when we are 2-0 down and out were bemusing to me you don't win a game when you are losing by just ball possetion it's by getting the ball into the opposition net yet for most of the game we seamed to be happy at just keeping possetion not going to blame any individual player for last night just the tactics.

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23 Feb 2018 14:46:44
The basic errors have never went away and whenever we go a goal down, (especially an early goal) any confidence and cohesion just evaporates and even when we do try to keep possession, very few seem to know what to do with the ball and fail to find a teammate.
The slow keep-ball - especially in our own half, just plays into opponents hands, but then the pressure gets to the players and we lack ideas, motivation and concentration - leading to more errors.
Broony always has to cover a shaky back line and whoever goes missing in midfield, where the lack of experience is exposed.
The difference between Celtic home and away in Europe is drastic as we have shown for a long time, but whether the players - and manager learn from these results remains to be seen.

The most important thing right now is for the players to fully focus on domestic matters and get Thursday out of their system, so that we can all appreciate the challenges that we CAN conquer and worry about preparing for improvement in Europe once we have won the right to be there - and see what the summer brings?

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23 Feb 2018 11:18:00
This season's European campaign has shed a harsh light on the problems of having a (relatively) small budget and having to rely on too many young players in big games. Last night was the exact same team that completely outclassed Zenit 7 days previously. Is there really much BR can do about that? Especially when you look at the state of the goals? One criticism is that the money is there to recruit a higher class of player and the club are unwilling to do so. We need to strengthen in the summer; properly this time.

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23 Feb 2018 13:40:39
Kev. i agree somewhat with you . but this is the worst run of injuries i think I've seen . gordon . boyata . commper. roberts . armstrong . griff. all who would've played at some point if not started last night. guys who could've filled in biton and hayes also injured . add to that lustig who is struggling with fitness imo (and his replacement Ralston was also out long term) . aligned with that (re budget ) two of our best players (money signings) from last season Sinclair and dembele just are not performing. should the board give br more money for better quality. Of course. but it's how the money is spent . if he was told he could spend 8 million on a player of standing would he have brought in kouassi and ntcham? Should that 8 mill been spent on either a quality goalie or ch which imo where areas that needed improving more .? And 1.3 for hayes and letting the better (imo) Christie leave on loan.

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23 Feb 2018 14:14:02
I always want any Celtic team to have young talent in it, but there has to be more experience throughout. We have the money to buy a better GK, RB and CB in the summer and it needs to be done imo. Itā€™s been the case since last season that when Sinclair doesnā€™t play, or play well, Dembele doesnā€™t play well so we need to try and sort that out somehow.

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23 Feb 2018 14:36:58
Commper couldn't have played, which kinda puzzled me why he was bought when he was cuptied for the Europa league.

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23 Feb 2018 14:54:00
The incredible unbeaten season was never going to be equaled and when you take away players like Dembele, Griffiths, Armstrong, Rogic and Roberts for large parts of this season, along with additional losses like Gordon, Boyata, Hayes and Biton and the poor form of Lustig, Sinclair and Simunovic in several games - then it's probably amazing we are where we are at present - Always look on the bright side HH.

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23 Feb 2018 16:17:31
Forgot about that aindoh.

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23 Feb 2018 16:44:32
There are teams left in the Europa league that get far less income than we do. They spend less in players than we do, they have much smaller crowds than we do.

We were rubbish home and away against Zenit. 14 corners over two games and not one reached a celtic player. Even worse all 14 were taken by the same player.

In what way is that right? Anyone could see after 20 minutes last Thursday than ncham.

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{Ed007's Note - What teams get less income than us, Viktoria Plzen and then who? 15 of the last 16 all have vastly superior income to us. In fact if you look at some of them we're more used to seeing them in the latter stages of the CL.}

23 Feb 2018 16:45:25
Cont. anyone could see after 20 minutes ncham couldnā€™t take a corner yet we persisted for 180 minutes.

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23 Feb 2018 11:08:43
Just had a look at 'knuckle ball' goals. Jeeze DDV might have a point. Watch the replays from behind the kicker, amazing. A comparison might be Commons v rangers at Celtic Park in the three nil game.

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23 Feb 2018 13:46:09
Really! Take a step to the left and catch it- simples!

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23 Feb 2018 14:00:40
Not quite that easy mate, you shift your weight and your done. still maybe should have got a touch but he has a point. Remember the speed the balls moving at.

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23 Feb 2018 14:47:08
Absolute nonsense! There is no excuse for losing a goal like that! The ball was literally straight down the middle of the goal! Knuckle ball! Good excuse Doris but the bottom line is your not good enough and never have been!

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23 Feb 2018 14:52:11
some might say lack of concentration / posistion on the gk part, but out players should have closed him down and not given space or opportunity to shoot, seems like they are taught to back off now. Approx 25 / 30 yards from our goal there was 9 celtic players and 4 zenith players, 3 zenith players marked and 6 celtic players watching the one taken the shot. the issue, ball watching.

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23 Feb 2018 17:22:41
Knuckle ball? DDV should get a Knuckle sandwich taken to him. šŸ˜‚šŸ¤£.

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23 Feb 2018 10:51:31
Bhoys av been reading the many posts some positive and prob more negative but 2 bobs worth is this. We currently aren't good enough for the level we were at last night the results prove it and I know we could have scored more last week but we didn't and the better teams do. the defence ain't good enough lustig is finished at the top level jozo struggles also young ajer remains to be seen Tierney definitely is good enough. abd even when we play a more solid line up we can't do it away from home, The proofs there we are not good enough for even Europa league level. We will win the league but these players need to start playing and more importantly putting the ball in the net which we are struggling to do at the minute HH.

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23 Feb 2018 13:02:02
Need a striker. Dembele is half the player of last season. Also drops so deep to get the ball as he is isolated up front. We just don't hold the ball then when we are in their third of the field only Forrest and Tierney try to carry the ball forward. Where does the press go when we play against the better teams? We can't do it because we are so far down the park.

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23 Feb 2018 13:59:39
like to see Celtic play with 2 strikers, or 1 behind the other, its BRs tactics ( got a thing now about BR's philosophy ) that make Dembele and their lone striker come deep for the ball. your midfield for me is there to cover that area and feed the ball to the forward / wingers. Dembele not getting the service as he was getting in and around the 18 yard line as last season. HH.

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23 Feb 2018
New image uploaded to the
Celtic Player Sightings page entitled, Only one Scott Brown!

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23 Feb 2018 10:11:13
Can't believe how many times I have read that we are not going to win the league on this site lately. Some people need to get a grip.

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23 Feb 2018 10:35:18
You"ll get pelters for comments like that Kev.

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23 Feb 2018 11:10:45
No one saying that mate but there is a bit of over confidence amongst some. Been warning on it for weeks. The amount of points we have thrown away is shocking. Our home records dismal really.

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23 Feb 2018 12:25:50
Totally agree, Iā€™ve been advising caution. In the last 10 games played in the SPL Kilmarnock have gained more points than Celtic. We are too inconsistent at a time where we need to be consistent.

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23 Feb 2018 12:26:25
There have been quite a few saying it FGJ. It's a load of nonsense. This league was won before a ball was kicked and the next one is in the bag tae.

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23 Feb 2018 07:33:31
Hands Up!

The reason so many of us are so gutted this morning is we believe in our team and manager and last week they gave us something to be proud of.

Lastnight of course was a whole different story. The man between the sticks should never see the light of day again in a Celtic Jersey. Never has been good enough and never will be. Yes BR signed him, however I don't believe for one minute anyone of us can honestly say that we've bever made an error and remember he had done well for BR in the past.

Lustig has been a great servant for Celtic and deserves more respect than some of the rubbish been thrown at him. Yes this season it has been highlighted that he is getting on in years and it is a position that needs strengthened but that guy has the club at heart, so let's not get personal.

Jozo lost his man for the first, he has been at 6's and 7's this season too, however the move by BR to bring in an older head I believe will steady the ship at the back and give Broonie more support.

Overall we have a young squad and they are learning and getting better, consistency comes with age and unfortunately given economics, we need to buy young and develop. We need to keep faith in our team.

BR here for 10 in a row,

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23 Feb 2018 08:24:39
The only saving grace was that it wasnā€™t three defensive and goalkeeping balls ups. After having four windows to sort that area and it being now worse than when he started would not be the kind of judgement bigger teams are looking for in a manager.

Brendan rightly tells his players what they need to do to get to the next level. Well, the same criteria applies to him. He hasnā€™t sussed what everyone on the planet has, apart from Board members, that thecdefence and goal keeper arenā€™t anywhere good enough.

We have all known since Ronnies time that we are weak defensively. His inability to improve it is as damning to his future move as the performances of some of our players wanting better things is to theirs.

Dorus de Grief should never play again. Lustig needs a rest and replaced. Hendry or Commpare arenā€™t the answer. We actually started ok. The confidence, yet again, was drained through defensive balls ups. Itā€™s killing our mid to front as they, like us, have zero confidence in a defence even worse that in Ronnieā€™s time because we have a totally crap keeper and a great servant in Lustig has got older and slower and has forgot how to pass.

Now we have the prospect of another scramble about in the summer to try and get defenders.

Hereā€™s hoping itā€™s fifth time lucky for Brendan. The truth is, his hopes for move to a big club has no chance unless he improves a defence that weans trying to get in a close find easy to get by.

Gutted but not surprised in the slightest. And that makes it even worse. Four windows is or should be enough for anyone. Seemingly not when youā€™re at Celtic, Rogers needs to get his finger out, itā€™s his fault that defence is our defence.

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23 Feb 2018 10:11:53
Agree with your post magic except for the Compper bit, Iā€™m really hoping this guy will be a good player for us. Ajer is not the answer at this point too young and inexperienced. Itā€™s fair to say that the players look low in confidence the next couple of weeks will show us exactly how the teams mind set is. Hail Hail.

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23 Feb 2018 11:18:13
Well Iā€™ve had time to digest last night's game! Think itā€™s obvious weā€™re just not up to the task in these games. one of the things that stuck with me last nite was when Brendan was asked if the first goal knocked the stuffing out us. his reply was something along the lines of I knew even before the first goal something wasnā€™t rite! I find that statement incredible by the way!

Weā€™re coming off the back of dominating this team and with a goal advantage, and somethings not rite! I'll tell u exactly what isn't rite, itā€™s the mediocre half hearted players in our team that isnā€™t rite! Far to many wee boys in there who go hiding when any sort of pressure is applied! Only KT and Broony arenā€™t on that list! Far to many who just arenā€™t up to the challenge IMO! De Vries Jozo and Lustig are done at the club as far as I'm concerned, no where near good enough!

Big Sutton hit the nail on the head a while back and said it last nite again, thereā€™s a major lack of belief in that squad when it comes to these games! I thought Zenit all though a decent team were no world beaters! We had 66% possession away from home and donā€™t absolutely nothing with it! They had maybe 4 or 5 shots and scored 3 of them!

We went out with a whimper and thatā€™s the most frustrating thing about it! That team needs a serious boot up the arse in the league run in and cups, Starting with the sheep on Sunday! Anything else other than victory will be totally unacceptable! Hi The I.

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23 Feb 2018 10:31:30
I am not gutted about last night, with the league we play in this is about the furthest we will get in Europe if we're honest with ourselves.
The thing the Club needs to address though is why we have such a soft centre when we travel abroad. Going back to Neil Lennon's days when we lost heavily to Barcelona, through to this season when we have lost heavily to PSG, we seem unable to make ourselves hard to beat. There is no way we can match these teams for attacking flair so it makes it more important that you don't give away goals cheaply.
Brendan Rodgers is a good coach, but sometimes you have players who can only be coached so far, they reach a level where they don't improve any more, it's then when you have to see if you can get players in who can go a bit further. If you do that it keeps the manager motivated as well, I'm sure If Rodgers realises he's gone as far as he can with a player it must affect his enthusiasm.
Celtic or any other Scottish club are never going to seriously challenge to win a European trophy any time soon, the financial gap is too big, that's why I can't say I'm gutted about last night. All I want the club to do is give the manager the best players they can to let him do his job.

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23 Feb 2018 11:26:01
I hope Comparre is the answer. We need one and we need it fast. Like, the last four years fast.

Our tankings in Europe are down to defensive and goalkeeping serial blundering. To go from window to window four times and do nothing that has improved it is criminal. No excuse for it, none.

There are rumours on line that the German is finished with that injury. Now, I never believe rubbish online, but a 33 year old player signed who was cuptied?

The other addition a young guy from Dundee who looks as vulnerable as what we already have?

Not even in the ballpark of good management. The weakest part of the team made even worse with Dorus in there. Hendry not even used?

CL qualification made even more difficult because our defence is still utterly shit. Thatā€™s down to Rogers 100%. He admitted it was defensive frailties yet again. Itā€™s his defensive frailties that worry me more. If after four windows you have a rubbish defence then questions need to be asked about his judgement.

He picks the team, donā€™t blame the players for not being good enough, blame the manager who has done nothing to change his options. Even with every defender fit we are poor. That canā€™t be good enough and itā€™s not.

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Review Of The Day 23rd February 2018

23 Feb 2018 05:56:47
{Ed's Note - Tris Burke has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 23rd February 2018

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23 Feb 2018 00:13:35
Disappointed, the bhoys were boys in Russia. Let's sort it out Sunday!

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