Celtic Banter Archive September 26 2015

26 Sep 2015 21:26:08
All that remains now is Jackie will replace RD and inherit his old squad. would it surprise you.

26 Sep 2015 21:50:48
Thankfully Lawwell and McNamara don't get on due to a contract he was supposedly offered before he ended up at Wolves on a free. Can you imagine him with Donelly and Darren Jackson in the Celtic dugout. I would be heading for the hills and probably wouldn't return!

{Ed007's Note - Would they really be any worse than John Collins?}

26 Sep 2015 21:58:41
I like Paul Hartley, and looking back he would have been a good no 2, he's the only one in Scotland I'd let near Celtic. McInnes is doing well, but not for me. I like Ronny, and given time, and a bit more money and support will do well. You are only as good as your players though. I don't think Guardiola would make Burnley that much better. And I love Guardiola, - having guys like Xavi and Messi certainly helps though!

26 Sep 2015 22:07:39
I know you don't fancy Collins Ed, I remember you didn't want him appointed in the first place. I'm not sure about him as a coach/assistant manager, I think he knows the game, but it's not just about that, look at Steve McClaren, I remember Fergie raving about his coaching sessions, he doesn't seem to get the complete respect of the players though, I don't know if he comes across as a know it all/arrogant. I fancied Roy Aitken for the position. It doesn't matter now.

27 Sep 2015 10:15:36
RE the Pep/ Burnley post.

I think he probably could make Burnley better for the following reasons;

1) he would probably be 1st choice for the job
2) be backed financially
3) be able to pick the coaches he wants to work with
4) have a say in the players he wants to sign
5) have the respect of the board
6) be strong enough to get rid of crap players earning 10- 20k for doing nowt
7) implement his own playing style

I think RD has 1 out of the 7 above.

27 Sep 2015 12:05:21
Yeah I wasn't meaning that Niall. I meant if everything was the same as it is now at Burnley, - I don't think he would make that team a force. I don't think he would make guys like Scott Arfield that much better. You've basically went through everything Deila isn't getting at Celtic. Obviously all those things help any manager/coach. Of course it's all relative. My own opinion is that the manager makes about 20% of difference and the players he has the other 80%. When I first got a season ticket it was hard work watching Celtic, the only real top players we had for any period was McStay and Collins, the other mob had brought in Souness and were buying guys like Butcher, Gough, Laudrup and Gascoigne - are you telling me if Billy McNeil or Davie Hay was in charge of their team they wouldn't have won the league also. And do you think Souness would have been as successful with guys like Lex Baillie? That's what I meant when I said you are only as good as your players. It's not just about coaching and tactics, it's about buying the right players. I don't think Davie Moyes is a top tactician, he was brilliant in the transfer market though. I was watching Everton last week, their back 4(all bought by Moyes) - Coleman, Stones, Jagielka, and it's normally Baines, they cost around £12 million for the 4. That's why scouting and having an eye for a player is as important as anything else at a club. We need to improve big time in this area. You need to be getting at least 60/70% of your signings right, over the last few years we must be at about 30%. So bottom line although you can work with the team and improve tactics, fitness, etc, and of course guys like Guardiola get instant respect, and deservedly so, I think he is the best around, it will always be about good players!

27 Sep 2015 12:54:25
My doubts about Ronny are not so much to do with his coaching ability, more the fact he seems from the outside to be too much of a yes man.
In my view, it's bad enough that he doesn't seem to have a say in who we sign, but the fact he doesn't seem able to pick his own backroom staff just makes him look weak. when he was interviewed for the job you'd think he would have insisted on it, with all the other restrictions placed on him, you'd think that would be a minimum requirement.
If he is as weak as that, it's inevitable that players will eventually start to lose respect for him.
The board at Celtic in my opinion, is such that it needs a strong character to stand up to them, and fight the playing side's corner. When we have a manager who can't even argue for his own coaching staff, I have very little faith that he is the man to do this.
I reckon Celtic's board can't believe how lucky they are in getting such a puppet, most decent managers wouldn't work under these conditions, It makes me wonder whether Ronny really has the club at heart, or whether he is just happy to feather his own nest.

27 Sep 2015 13:19:39
Delphic

I agree that if you have garbage players you won't turn them into world beaters overnight but it is all about getting the best out of the players you have and being consistent.

RD is far too much like Lennon for me in that he never plays the same team 2 games in a row. I understand that players need a rest but we have played around 15 games and already we have played 7 different centre halves VVD, Boyata, Ambrose, Simo, O'Connell, Mulgrew, Blackett in different combinations. Players are never going to improve if they are never given a run of games. Why was Denayer a standout last year? Because he played week in, week out and was rarely rested (plus he actually had ability).

With MoN and to an extent Strachan you roughly knew who would be starting when fit but RD doesn't have a clue who his best 11 is.

27 Sep 2015 14:28:14
I think you guys make good points. I think part of the problem with not knowing his best team is that they are all very ordinary and there isn't much between them. Other than Lustig(when actually fit) Gordon, Brown and Biton, last year Johansen, I don't know who the best of the rest are. Up front I suppose Griffiths, simply because Cifti has done nothing and Stokes can't be trusted. With regards Ronny bringing his own staff, and being a yes man, - the board are so intransigent I don't think they would employ anyone who would be making demands. Supposedly that's the main reason Keane said no, - they wanted his no 2 to be Ronny. Keane actually said that it showed they didn't trust him if they wouldn't let him make his own decisions. I was told that the board after going for Deila wanted someone who knew the club to assist him because he knew nothing about Celtic/Scotland, - they had Collins, Willie McStay(who came back as a scout not long after) and Peter Houston(who took the Falkirk job not long after) lined up. Ronny was told he could meet them then decide, after meeting John Collins he said they got on brilliant and had the same views on the game! He has brought at least 2 staff from his old club, who work more behind the scenes, inc sports science. He also goes on about how much he loves John Collins, so personally I don't think that's the problem. The biggest thing for me is the lack of ability. A top striker would be a start, we've also needed another left back for about 3 years. We knew Van Dijk was leaving, going further back knew Hooper was leaving. Whoever is in charge of all that is to blame for me. If we had better players we would have beaten Malmo, and we'd all be in a better mood! The ones that played that night were a disgrace! Off the top of my head only Janko got pass marks. So what chance have you got?

27 Sep 2015 19:35:50
Why did we need better players to beat Malmo? Individually we are every bit as good as Malmo. As a team we just don't perform on big occasions. It's not just the players the manager and back room team must take a lot of that blame

27 Sep 2015 20:47:41
You obviously rate our players more than me, - I thought our's were better than theirs also, until I saw the second leg! If the players can't handle pressure it's not Deila's fault! I'm not saying he's blameless, but it's not his fault the players don't have the character. The strike force is an embarrassment, are you telling me if we had 2 decent strikers we wouldn't have had a much better chance? Hooper has never been replaced, who's to blame for that? You obviously don't rate our manager, and that's totally cool. I like him, and think to change the whole infrastructure/dynamic of the club will take him a bit of time. In the short term though he needs more support from the players, they need to do what they're paid to do! And by the way - most of our players get paid at least 3/4 times what the Malmo players do, - are the Celtic players 3/4 times better?

28 Sep 2015 00:50:57
Nialh I note that you say Guardiola would be strong enough to get rid of players earning between £10,000 and £20,000 per week for doing nowt .
I would be interested in how you think he could do that , as players have contracts that are virtually unbreakable unless thes want to , and secondly it wouldn't be his job
Practically every successful club nowadays don't waste their manager/coach time fiddling around with contracts .

28 Sep 2015 21:43:58
All this nonsense about Ronnie not having enough input in choosing players and the current players not being good enough is only a smokescreen to camouflage Ronnie's lack of ability as a manager and coach,the way the team/squad is rotated is ridiculous,find his best team and play it,play it in domestic and european games,change it as minimally as possible,playing one striker is ridiculous as well.

29 Sep 2015 12:07:18
Aindoh. I don't know if all eleven players on team can play twice a week over a pro long period . I don't know of any club that doesn't regularly give their players a break if continuously playing week-end , mid- week , week- end etc .

26 Sep 2015 20:59:44
Hi ed was gonnae suggest last night that newbies tell there fav game mine was at love street Albert Kidd sorry for being a bit short about my misses suffers from progressive ms and my 2kids are. 11 n 8 just back from game crowd were up for it players just no doing it hail hail

{Ed007's Note - Och that's not too good, I'm really sorry to hear that mate and I'm sure you're doing a grand job taking care of your family.
As for my favourite game I can't decide between Love Street or the Wim Jansen title day. Seville was ruined for me because we didn't win and I couldn't give a toss about Barca, I pay to watch CFC not their opponent.
Oh and a special mention for the 1989 SC Final because I was there with my dad, we rarely sat together at any games over the years and that was the first Old Firm final he took me to as a treat for my 15th birthday and I got in to meet the players after the game.}

26 Sep 2015 21:34:25
Thanks for letting me post that I was just thinking coming back from the game today about your favourite game it brings back memories some very sentimentle for various reasons love you all davo

{Ed007's Note - (yes)

26 Sep 2015 21:38:27
Mine was the 85 Scottish Cup Final(100th) it was my 2nd or 3rd game. I'll never forget those old wooden seats, a friend of the family who owned a garage got us all tickets - he had arranged for the C5 Sinclair to do a lap of the stadium(they had just come out) it must have been some deal he was asked to do, it was the first game I remember. Provan and McGarvey. Apart from that the centenary year when McGhee scored I think it was against Hearts, and McAvennie against D Utd. All the best DA.

26 Sep 2015 22:11:09
Maybe started something!!

27 Sep 2015 10:18:48
First old firm game. 5-1 in 1999. Doom and gloom going into the game then Lubo arrived!

27 Sep 2015 16:04:53
I forgot about the St Patrick's Day Massacre, we beat them,I think it was the week before or the week after also! Those were the first Old Firm games I had been to that we had won! I think games when you are younger mean more, as well as being romantic, you are also a little terrified as well, - there is always that sinister feel when you're playing them, especially as a kid!

{Ed007's Note - We beat them 2-0 (Creaney & Wdowczyk) on St Patrick's Day in 1991 in a Scottish Cup QF where Peter Grant, Mark Hately, Mark Walters and Terry Hurlock were all sent off. The following week - Palm Sunday - we beat them 3-0 with Anton Rogan, Joe Miller and Tommy Coyne scoring the goals.}

27 Sep 2015 19:09:36
Yeah well remembered Ed, I thought one was 2-0 and the other 3-0, I couldn't remember though what game came first! I only really remember Wdowczyk's shot, and Hurlock getting sent off, - as you know the fans hated him, ex Millwall I'm sure and made Vinny Jones look like an angel. I just watched YouTube a minute ago and Forgot the Wdowczyk goal took a deflection. He had some left peg all the same!

{Ed007's Note - I had to look up some of it :) but you're right, Wdowczyk was a brilliant player for us.}

28 Sep 2015 00:55:22
I think it was a league cup game and Murdoch sent in a free kick which dropped just a couple of yds. Out Gemmill nearly got down on his knees to head home . Legend Greig punched his goalie .
I think it was 71 or 72 .

26 Sep 2015 18:51:13
I See on Celtic Web Site that Rd is saying we must convert chance into goals, somebody needs to tell him that he should not play 4,3,21,somebody should tell him he should have bought a Striker,not a cheap skate option from Dundee,and now maybe somebody has,and we are trawling around out of contract players,it's not all his fault,I am sure the Board pressure is great,But,if you come on a "Yes Man" deal then you know what you are getting.Off the field he should Fire John Collins tomorrow

26 Sep 2015 19:24:10
This is by far the worst strike force I have seen in my 30 years going to games. Even in the dark dark days we had at least 1 top striker. Nicholas, McAvennie, McInally, McClair, Cadete etc etc, - every one of these guys would walk straight into the team, well obviously, they are a level up from what we currently have, never mind being better. I honesty don't know who is choosing who we actually buy, we know Park is heavily involved, I'd be amazed if Lawwell wasn't at least poking his nose in, but I don't know who has the final say! It's nothing to do with the system though, 4231 is just another version of a 433 or a 442, - you still technically have 4 attacking players, it's just that our no 10 and 2 wide players in the 3 are all very average, and so is the options for the single striking role. Last year I liked Johansen, and I like Armstrong, but the rest like Forrest, GMS, Commons, McGregor I'm not overly fussed about. The whole team lacks real quality. The current situation isn't down to the formation or John Collins though, - last week it was Ronny, it's the bloody players, and whoever is signing them. I said last week that for me Ronny's only faults for me were he was a little naive, not ruthless enough, and someone contradicted that, what I meant was he has to tell Lawwell etc about the quality of player we have, and also leave them out the squad altogether if they aren't doing it. I like our Manager, and have always backed him, for the life of me I don't know what Forrest brings to the team, in the 5 years watching him I can hardly think of any top top performances from him, his only one in the last year or so was away at Kilmarnock in the 2-2 draw.

26 Sep 2015 19:30:36
Ronny Deila is blameless for me today and I am by no means a Ronny apologist, I call it as I see it and always have done. He played the right team at this moment in time, nowt wrong with the formation we were just unlucky not to convert our many, many chances and were not clinical enough. All it takes is for Forrests' shot to go in off the post or for Rogic to take an extra touch and a bit of composure to finish his chance first half and we've got 3 points. It was just one of those games when nothing comes off for you. In saying that Ronny would have been under massive pressure had Aberdeen won today and stretched it to a 7 points gap.

He played the best of a bad bunch with our strikers which currently is Griffiths(Who was on a 6 in row league goal-scoring run and has a decent record v Hearts), but I agree he's not the long term solution as he's nowhere near clinical enough, especially in Europe. Is Carlton Cole the answer? I've no idea but surely he'd have put some of those chances away today. I know for sure that both Ciftci and Stokes are not the answer and Ronny needs to take some criticism for the signing of Ciftci as he wanted him in his squad and had a big say in his signing as he was impressed by him against us.

I'll finish with this, Ronny did something today that I never thought he would do, and that is be brave enough to drop the under performing Johansen and bench him. This was the correct decision and the three behind the striker was spot on, Forrest caused them problems, Rogic too in the first half and Commons was ok but Johansen most definitely deserved to be dropped. Special mention to Efe as well for taking one for the team with his red card, he played really well today as well.

26 Sep 2015 20:13:34
GMS Armstrong Forrest Allan etc all very average players.
Yet RD won't play a proven goal scorer at his disposal in a 442. Stokes and Griffiths would have tore Hearts a new 1.Managers fault full stop.

26 Sep 2015 20:55:45
TTTS he won't play Stokes unless he has no other option. Stokes is never a wide player but I think he can hold the ball up and bring others into play but RD won't go with him.

26 Sep 2015 21:47:47
Do you not think that the fact we can sit and argue about Stokes Griffiths and Ciftci is the actual problem?

{Ed007's Note - That's far too sensible!}

26 Sep 2015 22:29:27
Simple fact Jim, anyone that plays ciftci ahead of Stokes,shouldn't be about, not ideal by any means, but a better option.
As for GMS and Armstrong, this is Lawwell way of winning the league, not by strengthening his own team but weaken the opposition.
I can't mind a Celtic outfit as poor and I travelled regularly in the 90s.

27 Sep 2015 09:45:11
Johnason is getting a bit of stick just now but he can pop up and score important goals or create the odd one

29 Sep 2015 12:13:53
Johannson doesn't appear to be very happy just now . I heard that a German team made a decent bid for him in the summer and it was turned down .
Player of the year last year , seems he is getting a bit of abuse from some loud mouths . Could it be he is a bit sensitive and allowing that to affect him .
Whatever the case, we all need the all action pressurising Johannson that pushed opponents into mistakes .
Last season he was very valuable

26 Sep 2015 16:57:37
It's time for rd to go what a joke in all the time he has been at the club he has not won one game that matters are board got rid of Lenny for him they need to hang there heads in shame OK he left because he had no choice same thing I can't remember last time I felt like this OH yes I do the last time we needed to win we all know the next step from that parasite DD sign a has been to keep the masses quiet this whole team has no heart

26 Sep 2015 17:21:25
RDs fault the players can't put the ball in the net. RDs system created more than enough chances to win that game.

26 Sep 2015 18:04:04
If you were at the game Jim you would have seen as the game wore on we became predictable and not too many shots looked like troubling them. Izzy and lustig must have put in 50 similar crosses all game and the hearts back line didn't have any problem dealing with it. Don't know why Ronny didn't use all his subs as Forrest and commons ran out of steam in final 30 minutes.

26 Sep 2015 18:07:43
Time for RD to go? What an opening gambit after a 0-0 draw where hearts were pinned to the ropes almost the entire game and defended like there very lives depended on it. The fault today was lack of quality finishing. Like above posters have said 24 shots and not 1 goal. To get 24 shots at a goal means the movement organisation and drive of the team were all going in the right direction but with lack of composure and clinical finishing they get 0. Manager totally vindicated for me on this one. I'd like to see the stats on total crosses in game as well because from what I heard it must also be in the hight 20's either with poor quality cross or poor movement from the striker. Again RD didn't mess up his cross or mistime his jump. We drew 0-0. We move on and win the next game while the oppositions slope begins to get slippery.

26 Sep 2015 18:28:53
I wasn't at the game no but managed to catch a stream so I know what I was looking at. Every time we don't win we can't be calling for the manager's head can we? The RD OUT brigade have been quiet the past week. I said when NL left their would be aspects we would miss, the main one being a bit of grit and heart but just to enlighten English bhoy; Lennon left. He wasn't got rid of at all. Ask yourself why. And then ask if the 'problems' really lie with our head coach.

26 Sep 2015 18:37:04
@Pedro yep you can say that, or you can say that the manager has set a team up that can't convert those crosses. He has set a team up that can't get past a determined defense. He has set a team up that struggles to score goals if LG is having an off day or injured. And set a team up with only 1 real goalscorer.
This is not rocket science you can't tell me that RD doesn't know that teams will sit in against us.

26 Sep 2015 19:05:25
Great opportunity to cut the gap, but the players that scored 6 last week at home to Dundee could not convert one chance from numerous opportunities created.
It's not the first time this (or last) season that we have dominated a game and squandered chance after chance and it is a glaring reminder of the lack of quality finishers at CP.
It's not so much the managers fault directly - although the buck stops at him - but more the predictability of his players who are bereft of flair and killer instinct in front of goal.
The positive is a third clean sheet in a row and of course Aberdeen hitting a 'mini slump'.

28 Sep 2015 01:11:13
There has always been days when Celtic teams cannot score . We were held scoreless in Jock Stein's time and in Martin O'Neil's time and after missing chance after chance . Both Jock and Martin , although angry and disappointed always said they would be more annoyed if we weren't making chances.

26 Sep 2015 12:10:54
Hi guys, Is there anywhere, apart from Paradise, that I can whatch the game today? I have a t8.

{Ed007's Note - The Operation Robocop add-on is ran by a CFC fan. Google how to install that or if you're on Tw@tter the guy's called @markeymark1888}

26 Sep 2015 08:56:59
Would like to see johannson dropped today and Allen getting a run out! SJ don't look interested just now, heard Celtic knocked a bid back for him and he took the huff!

26 Sep 2015 10:13:31
I think that Allen is carrying a knock just now.

26 Sep 2015 10:53:22
As far as league games go this is big. Not sure it's the time to give people run outs when you have Rogic and even Commons on form.

Could be true about SJ was there not a German side after him? Hamburg?