Celtic Banter Archive December 31 2013

31 Dec 2013 22:03:15
Both top for the new year

Happy new year ed

{Ed007's Note - They don't give out prizes in January, at least LFC done there usual up at Christmas and down in January Christmas tree number. Happy New Year mate.}

31 Dec 2013 20:56:56
Hope you all have a very happy and healthy 2014!

All the best xxx

And to you Mrs E.

31 Dec 2013 16:16:51
Who do we think was the better player for us Alan Thomson or Kris Commons. Just putting it out there. Ian L

Great question. Two big players but at the moment kris is our go to guy. On the other hand Thommo was the #***SKELPER!

Two different kinda players a think ian. Thompson was an old school left winger where as a think commons is better just behind a striker

GunnieBhoy

It could be a toughie Ian L. Given the importance both players were/are to the teams at given times.
It's got to be Thompson for me though, produced the goods most weeks in a better league against better player.
Didn't go down as easily and tracked back when need be!
Good bit of business though if true that commons has signed on again.
The bit that would top it off would be Samaras leaving.

Bigbadjohn

Not been on for ages guy just came into my head. Thought I'd get your thoughts on it. I'm not sure myself. if we are going on appearances = Goals. Commons is way out in front. Ian L

Don't think this is even up for debate. Thommo, end of.

@5 Don't disagree with you HB but thommo played in a better team, any way all the best to the ed and poster's on this site when it come's.Gawn the Hoops
Tambhoy

{Ed007's Note - Happy New Year Tam.}

31 Dec 2013 18:24:36
Thompson for me was in with better players around him and still stood out done it in Europe aswell. Love commons but and even getting compared to Thompson shows how good a player he has become for us.

I think Commons has carried this team at times and I don't think Thomson could have done that - even though he was a better player.
It's also a pity Commons had less OF games to play in as he might have been just as prolific as Thommo?

JJ

Thompson for me not only great player but loved the way when someone would try and take out one of our players you knew within 5mins Thompson would have sorted him out think we're badly missing that type of minder in the team just now

31 Dec 2013 15:39:21
Tony watt was back training with the first team today at lennoxtown. Any info on this, is he back with us or just training during the Xmas period? I wouldn't mind seeing him given a chance now he's been away for a while, hopefully he'll appreciate the opportunity he has and screw the bit down

31 Dec 2013 15:28:22
Anyone have any information on Hiroki Yamada? Like if we are planning on offering him a deal? He looks a very impressive player

If your judging by youtube so did Banguarra!

31 Dec 2013 13:18:47
Samaras could be off to Hull City for a million take the money and run.

I will drive him there if that numbers true.

I’ll come with you GJ, make sure!

Well ill be gutted lol I love big Sammy. Aw well though won't hurt as much as when we lost naka. I'll miss the big fella! I doubt he will go to hull though, he had said he doesn't want to go to a small team

Darrenbhoy

Make sure you put wee Forrest in the glove compartment.

Briggs

If he's not going to sign a new deal by say 14th January? Take it. Run. In the meantime, keep him out the starting XI.

@1&2. I'll supply the pen and take photograph as evidence

31 Dec 2013 11:54:28
I am positive I heard the word progression being mentioned by our manager at the weekend and how the squad is doing precisely this. THe following is not something I have dreamed up after a pretty stale game on sunday this is something I have thought for quite a while now.

My thoughts on this are yes we have progressed in terms of league results but not very much anywhere else.

Tactically we have been predictable; we have not used this time without any form of rival to try to develop a more expansive game. To develop the players we have technically and tactically. It has been a case of sticking to pretty much the same rigid set up and tactics we have used for a long time now.

The team (unsurprisingly minus Sammy and Jamsey) proved that a more direct slick passing game wielded results against teams who played no differently to how other Scottish teams play against us namely hearts and Motherwell.

This was a progression. This was football being played rather than a stifled rigid team playing to a set tactic of just getting the ball in the box from out wide. Yes there was an element of this play during these games, however it was not the main focus of our attacks like it seems to be in 99% of other games.

So this progression, it came and it disappeared again. why? (this would take me too long to write out my opinions on this)

I don't expect or even want 7-0 scorelines every week. But it irks me when we are being fed lines about progression when there has been no real progression in our play barring the very odd performance.

Why we stick to this non expansive game in a majority of matches is really beyond me. In our league we are the team with the bulk of the possesion ergo it is our onus to do something different with it. But this seems to be either lost by our lack of imaginative players or through our lack of imaginative tactics.

This in my opinion leads us onto the problems we then face when we have been entering European competition.

This year we were found out pure and simple. Last year we were an unknown quantity (and yes we had more quality in the squad) but as I said we were found out.

We are a team who went from trying to play one form of football at the weekend to trying a completely different midweek and bhoy did we look like it this season anyways. We simply do not have the players capable of such sweeping changes in our dressing room anymore.

Progression for me is trying to play a style of football in our league that we can then try to implant onto any European campaign we then may have. Yes each game is different and we wouldn't be able to dominate teams on the European stage like we could domestically. However, if we play with a certain ethos in the league that is more expansive, when it comes to Europe we will be more capable of doing something with the ball when we get it rather than the kick and rush game we have basically played the last 2 years. This for me would be progression.

I'm not saying we open up against the likes of barca. We would still have to adapt our game to try to counteract the likes of them. But if we try to instil a more technically minded and intelligent style of play to our team, we may prove a more lasting challenge to teams on the European stage.

Which leads me to my final point. Football in our minds is an entertainment business. To the manager and players it's a results business which has become the scourge of professional sport pretty much everywhere. But in my mind there is a balance that our club can find between the 2. Finding somewhere between these 2 would be progression in my book and in the Scottish league we have the opportunity to do just that.

Yes this is a simplistic view and full of ideologies and wouldn't it be nices. But there is room out there for football at least in regards to Celtic to become entertaining again!

for me this doesn't have to come at the expense of 5 mil strikers etc. It can be done with what we have by instilling the right ethos and tactics on the training ground. And instilling a sense of enjoyment and fun for the players on the pitch by giving them a bit more freedom of expression. But hey i'm no coach and I know all the ways this could be shot down. even with that said I want progression!

Evinguu

As far back as when NL got the job I was concerned that we would struggle tactically and motivationally with a severe lack of personalities in the management team that could bring out the best of the squad, invigorate training and give the manager an experienced advisor.
Too many times when I watch the Celtic dug out when we are struggling, I see the three wise monkeys.
There are many candidates that we all know are out there but either the manager was too stubborn/proud to accept more experienced colleagues?
Most of the current players are not playing to their peak or potential and we have had too many long term injuries to guys like Mathews, Brown, Forrest and Kayal over the past two seasons which could also be down to poor training methods?

Celtic are probably too good for this league and that brings complacency, but the players should realise after the CL shambles that they are not as good as they think and neither, unfortunately is the manager and they all need to improve or make room for better candidates.

JJ

As usual a well thought out post mate. It has been said here, many times, that the problem in the CL is the dramatic change of style we have to endure in Europe. But why?

If we implement a style that runs through the whole club, youths, development and first team, surely this would help.The games v Motherwell and Hertz should be the style we play every game. As you say we could not go into the CL with the team unchanged, but a little defensive tinker to tighten things up would see a relatively unchanged style.

I remember as a kid my Dad telling me one thing regarding Celtic. Winning was important, but the way we play was the most important thing, the exception coming in huge games. He always said it was set us apart from our now dead rivals. It was all about the football.

I don’t like to be too negative about the Club as we cannot forget Neil Lennon has given up Champions League football now 2 seasons in a row, something that was missing the previous 3. So, this is a plus but something I don’t think is unreasonable for the fans to expect.

With regards the 2 games against Hearts and Motherwell- they were fantastic to watch and if I was to give a negative it would be the Hearts team is full of kids and Motherwell lost key players last Summer.

Barcelona – you cannot play like we did against a team like that. It is disappointing we have little possession and cannot play our preferred attacking football but that’s the reality. I could blame Scottish football but most teams cannot open up to Barcelona, why Celtic thought they could let their guard down is anyone’s guess. If ever we needed a reminder who the superior team is, then it was well and truly lesson learned. Very naïve football at the Nou Camp which should never have been allowed to happen.

I don’t envy the position the Club have found themselves in and I think Scottish Football is experiencing a transition period with the loss of Scotland’s second biggest Club, this cannot be ignored. The new Club at Ibrox is now operating at a 10m loss per season whilst every other Club in Scotland seems to have adopted a more sustainable business model.

It goes without saying our league is not the most attractive, we do not have the population of Germany, the competition of the EPL or the quality involved with La Liga. We do not come close!

Celtic are a massive Club by anyone’s standards but we are in a poor league (no disrespect intended) and unfortunately unless we can get European football every season, I think it will become more and more difficult to attract players.

Al tell you who would get bums on seats and raise the profile Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Happy New Year Evinguu!

Finally other supporters are starting to see what's actually happening within our own club & are now asking some serious questions about the style of play tactics/coaching methods & the recent acquisition of some pretty poor players (sorry I meant potential) instead of focusing on the demise of the Zombies!

I really do hate to say it but all of this shambles was oh so predictable. Selling and encouraging our best players to leave last year was the thin end of the wedge for me. I also ad naseum berated the "Policy" adored and feted by many. I also said this season would be shocking. Why is anyone surprised?
Sopotcelt.

31 Dec 2013 14:15:16
Come on guys get real, we are in a shocking league

Only a few weeks back we were world beaters now as you guys seem to think we can't string 2 passes together, I agree and I would love to see us playing the Celtic way but given the nay sayers on here if we did and got beat playing open football it would be the end of the world and sack Lenny shouts again.

The unbeaten season quotes are to generate support interest(as there is not much else to get excited about), I would rather we blood youngsters and play attractive footie but only on the proviso some on here would have to expect the odd defeat (without jumping of the deep end as is the norm)

Faithful through and through
Dannybhoy

GJ, you are right and nothing summed this up than Lisbon 1967 when Big Jock spoke about the importance of that game. To him it was not just about the win, what was most important to him was how it was achieved by playing beautiful flowing football.