Celtic Banter Archive August 05 2015

05 Aug 2015 22:18:19
Well got to say before the tie I said I would come back on here and admit I got it wrong if we progressed and we have so I apologise for my Pessimism, I was just so frustrated by what I was seeing in our front four against Starjan and couldn't see where the goals were coming from in this tie(Although I still feel this way as we have had to rely on our CB to open the scoring in these two ties so far).

Everyone for me who started played well tonight excluding GMS imo. The rest I felt had decent enough games. Especially Bitton(MOTM for me), Lustig, Van Dijk, Izzy and Boyata.

Anyway still doesn't change the fact that we need to be far more clinical and imo need more reinforcements and ammunition in attack. The rest of the team isn't too bad.

As people have said, one final push is needed and Lawwell better get the cheque book out to give us the best chance possible of finishing our chances this next leg. I have no confidence in this happening however.

05 Aug 2015 22:47:32
I am sure if the right person picks out someone who will almost definitely make Celtic better , Lawwell will try to sign , if he gets the backing of the board . In the meantime all Celtic supporters should try to be as positive as possible and support Celtic into the Champions League .

06 Aug 2015 00:20:01
The team can play a lot better and create more chances than tonight. The pitch, referee and poor passing let us down tonight and although the word was they were a decent side; I thought Carrierbag were pretty average and rarely threatened. We will face much tougher opponents in the play-off, but this result wil give the team (and manager) confidence.
RD seems to know what we need to improve and I hope the board backs him and we sign better quality than Ciftci.

05 Aug 2015 22:00:10
Ed do you think we will sign anyone before the playoff?

{Ed007's Note - I'd be surprised if we did.}

06 Aug 2015 08:31:56
I can't even see us signing anybody if we get CL proper. The club will have an added £20m+ that they don't budget themselves on and that will be that.

05 Aug 2015 21:40:12
Possible teams
Paritsan Belgrade
Malmo
Astana
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Skenderbeu Korce

05 Aug 2015 21:53:20
Think we should hope for skenderbeu! Easily the weakest of the 5! Tel aviv or Astana would be not bad to! Although Astana is some journey yet again! Hopefully another few games under our belts and we'll be ready for any of them!

05 Aug 2015 22:49:58
My Geography is a bit rusty but it appears we could well be in for a game in a Country far away and in the heat again .

06 Aug 2015 00:23:01
We will have to improve to beat any of them and hopefully with the league games coming thick and fast, we will sharpen up.

06 Aug 2015 16:29:03
Jungle Jim of course we need to improve and we certainly will . We now have seen nearly all of our top players play at least once at the best of their form . I have no doubt Deila will have more of them all hitting top form by the time the next leg comes round .
Our fantastic team spirit , backed by superb medical and all sorts of back up assistants are building us a good fit team and an almighty cohesive force .
For example MGS and Armstrong covered back more last night than in a month with Dundee Utd . Last night we rarely had one of our players isolated in defence , we didn't have any need for desperately throwing ourselves into tackles out of desperation, the team no the team spirit did the job .

05 Aug 2015 21:25:31
Well done tonight I have been a big critic this last, Biton outstanding with Brown Lustig VVD. Also Issy nd Boyata had a very good game. The front four could have done better and poor Forrest he is dammed if he shoots and dos not score and dammed for trying to play in Griffiths for a tap in. No one will talk about Johannsen and his 2 misses or Armstrong missing the target when he cut in from the left.However this was a young team work out the average age and will get better with more European experience. A few really good players could make all the difference The St Pauli LB Grosskruez and a quality CF

05 Aug 2015 23:13:10
Think this was Deila's most important game in charge of Celtic overall. Still havnt lost a game, and didn't conceed away on a ground that has taken down some great teams in the past.
Next round will go by easy I think, players are getting confidence and think they can beat any team, you got a few domestic games in between and by then the players should be close to matchfit. Think you could see a really great season.
The season Strømsgodset won the league under Deila, they looked so much stronger than the other teams from the start to the end of the season, confidence sky high and the same stability in the club in the same way you see in this team.
Get ready for a fantastic season!

06 Aug 2015 18:28:41
You have hit the nail on the head Norwegianred, team spirit blending our players with our young players coming through will make us even better . Our signings at Christmas and in this window seem to be blending in well and augur well for the future .

05 Aug 2015 20:51:07
Never got to see the match as I had to get the bhoy home. Onto the next round though and its make or break time. We need someone of quality added, someone who can do the business, someone who can push us on. Not asking for an £8million striker as price ddoesn't mean quality. the usual Larsson, Lubo, Rafael Scheidt examples come to mind. Surely there is someone on the radar who is available and within our tight wage structure?

05 Aug 2015 21:25:47
I agree mikey. If RD wants to play this system we need someone who can hold the ball up and bring players into the game. We don't have a forward that can do that. Qarabag are an average side. They had 70% possession and although they didn't really trouble us we had 1 shot on goal first half. We should be doing better than this but we will only do it if we buy a striker who can play the system. Think RD is doing as well as can be expected so are the players but we really need more quality.

05 Aug 2015 20:05:19
Tonights game has only reassured my opinion of Lawwell, he is holding club back and his time is up.

05 Aug 2015 20:44:21
Can I ask why? maybe his hands being tied back by the top man and therefore then doing a decent job?

05 Aug 2015 20:54:36
Thought we defended well tonite,on a shocker of a pitch! Fought hard and can't question the effort! Just think we're lacking quality,especially in the final 3rd! Ciftci even though he tried his hardest is not the quality required for champions league level! And this isn't me sayin this going by his performances for us! I've seen enough of him at Dundee Utd to know he's nothing more than a squad player! Hoping that we make moves for another striker before the window! I feel it's a must! I think Armstrong(who I really rate) is struggling to get going at the start of this season to! Hopefully after a few more games he starts getting more involved in things.

05 Aug 2015 21:17:21
What more do SOME fans expect from us? Unfortunately this is the best standard we can go with. Gone are the days of 6million signings and Larssons and Lubo's are few and far between. I took positives tonight from the sheer fact Celtic in the past always go away and get pumped. Job done were through, as long as we don't get pumped and do ourselves proud I'm happy, as were still in it. Well done Celtic

05 Aug 2015 22:17:37
RoscoJEF what "SOME" fans expect is to see a striker on the field who is of a standard that will score goals at both home and away in Europe. If you think Cifti is that man, then you need your head examined.

Not buying this pi$h about £6m striker chat. Never been the case. An adequate scout could identify a far better striker for same amount as Cifti such as Kramer

05 Aug 2015 22:25:24
Aye good philosophy mate! As long as we don't get pumped u'll be happy! Sorry bud but I think I want a little bit more for my club than to avoid getting gubbed! And no one on here has mentioned 6 million pound players! Think u'll find lawells the only one who's mentioned figures like that! But what we want is a wee bit better than the 1 million pound bargain basements we seem to go after now! All fans want is to see our club at least giving the manager half a chance to try and get in the CL! And know that the money we put in goes towards a few quality players the fans can get excited about! No ones daft and want us to spend stupid money! But I'll never believe that we can't push the boat out just a little bit!

05 Aug 2015 22:55:02
Totally agree disco,it's about time some people on here got real,we are not the team we used to be.And the sooner some folk on here realise it the better.Gone are the days of pumping teams 9 or 10 nil on aggregate,the game has changed big time.Teams you would never have heard of years ago are now able to employ coaches and players far superior to ours,we cannot match the salaries these players and coaches can command.Years ago players playing in England would have jumped at the chance to play for Glasgow Celtic,not now it's money that drives football now.And when you get people on here saying increase the wage cap,it just makes me laugh,do you really think that is the solution? ZZZ you only have to look in G51 to work that one out we were knocked back by an AVERAGE striker who then joined BRIGHTON ffs ,we are no longer a big name club to join ,mainly because of the money we pay.The game is bigger than ever it was and it is being driven by TV and these boys are out to make money and I'm sorry we just don't cut it.The sooner the people in Scotland and on a totally personal level realise that the better.I have been a Celtic supporter for over 50 yrs and I remember Sir Bob Kelly saying TV would ruin football, I just didn't think it would only meen Scottish football and Celtic in particular, I am sorry if this post is in the negative but it's just how I feel at the moment.I hope and pray that one day we come back and people will play for US and not just the money,we can't afford the inflated salaries,you only have to look at Greece to see where inflated salaries got them.I AM SORRY IF I TOOK UP TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, BUT IF SOME PEOPLE JUST GET REAL AND THINK ABOUT IT WE MAY BE ALRIGHT.HH

05 Aug 2015 23:33:36
Think you will see the best of Cifci in the latter stages of the season. GMS pointed out how big a difference Celtic was to Dundee United, and even havnt seen the best of him yet.
If you add this with the biting (yea its his own fault but it's also may affect his training and confidence), a goal drought, still early in the season and new players to get to know I think it will take some time for him to be at his best.

06 Aug 2015 00:01:39
DN we have a striker who has a great goal scoring record his name is Griffiths but our manager chooses not to play him. Also Commons is still our best player yet again our manager chooses not to play him.
Only a year or so ago he scored 32 goals in a season and was our best creative player as well, yet cannot get in the team.So we have our best goal scorer and our best creative player who can't get in the team.
With this in mind we must be some team if these 2 players are not automatic picks.We must have improved immensely over the past year or so and be a CL team and wiping the floor with all teams who come calling according to this theory.
Yet IMHO we have went backwards, we cudnt make CL last year despite 2 attemps. Cudnt do a treble. Struggling to beat team in qualifiers this year we have never even heard of and people keep saying we are progressing and even our own manager tells us we are better than last year, though we have a Dundee UTD attack lol.
Not so long ago you heavily criticised the team for getting humped in the CL when NL was manager. If we are fortunate to get there how do you think we will fair this time?

06 Aug 2015 02:04:54
Rayman its not often I agree with you, but I personally rate Griffiths far better than Cifti

06 Aug 2015 06:21:48
I said earlier about Dundee Utd front 3 and got slaughtered for being negative .

06 Aug 2015 16:42:20
Signing one or two top players and paying big wages doesn't necessary qualify you for Champions League .
Ajax continuously sign players at various amounts of millions . Some posters on here may think they have better players than us .
Fans of a certain Turkish team , must have thought signing Van Persie , one of the best players in England , would be a big help in qualifying for the Champions League .
We know both were knocked out of the Champions League .
Building the best possible back room assistance , moulding top team spirit and bringing through our youths is the way Celtic can sustain a long successful future .

05 Aug 2015 19:27:46
As predicted Celtic went through, without getting out of second gear. All the so called supporters that thought we would struggle. You don't know what your talking about! Keep your negativity to yourself. Hail Hail

05 Aug 2015 19:42:07
Tense game but Celtic pretty much controlled.
Thought Bitton, Brown, VVD, Lustig were immense. Boyata also looking the part.
Great save from Gordon in first half
ED. whens draw for next round?

{Ed007's Note - 11:00 am on Friday.}

05 Aug 2015 20:15:00
A few jittery 1st half moments & a controlled Second Half.Wee Jamsie should have Burst the net after a great solo run,Big Bittoon gets better & better( won't be surprised if a 5or 6 million bid comes in before transfer deadline).Pass marks for all (Apart from a Dreadful Swedish Ref!). European Football Guaranteed till xmas, Hopefully in the Champions League.If we do manage to reach it & VVD is sold PL must give RD an actual " War Chest " not a pi$$y chest of drawer's ( I can't see it but hope I'm wrong). H.H

05 Aug 2015 20:19:25
The draw is live on BT sport on friday at 11 am

05 Aug 2015 20:20:54
Looking back , we were in control for almost the whole game. Gordon saved well , but would have been disappointed if beaten for a goal. The longer the game went the better we became and I think Deila got his selections all right . Special praise to all the back four and Bitton and Brown. Izzy was immense in the first half and Lustig in the second .

05 Aug 2015 20:31:18
Is there a list of potentials or does the seeding etc. need to wait until all the games are over?

05 Aug 2015 20:36:04
Stb celtic put in an organised performance tonight and deserve credit for that but we've beat a really poor team 1-0 on agg . Your right we never got out 2nd gear and that's still a worry but tonight we're lucky to be going thru the champions route as that ensures we won't face a decent team next round just a similar standard team to toights team. We need better players in quickly or we'll be the whipping bhoys in group stage.

05 Aug 2015 22:55:49
Jim we are in the Champions route because we won the right . It's nothing to do with luck .

05 Aug 2015 19:24:30
Well done Bhoys; Job done , given the circumstances , Pitch / Heat/ Ref.
Not pretty but that was not needed.

Horses for courses.

HH

05 Aug 2015 18:24:36
so far so good assured from whole team , I think its only a matter of time we get a ball early enough through their defense and a goal will follow , think ref is giving them all the 50/50s , big cifti giving them hard time if he comes of 60/70 min and they relax and Griffiths could run them into ground

05 Aug 2015 18:58:58
I thought ref was a bit iffy but he must be bad as even daily rag is slagging him off

05 Aug 2015 19:20:10
At least the officials are consistent. 5 minutes added time! Sorry, where the hell did they come from?

05 Aug 2015 19:23:21
Job done

05 Aug 2015 20:22:11
Added time was for water breaks I think

05 Aug 2015 18:16:10
Don't know about a water-break, but we are as weak as water up front.
Mackay-Steven is like a wee boy and although he should have had a foul or two, he is just bouncing off them and ending up on the deck every time.
Ciftci is detached and clumsy, although the through balls are over hit and not helping him too much. Great save by Gordon, Izzy has been better so far, but we are making hard work of this and need a wee goal - probably from the midfield to settle us down and see this out. Maybe Griffiths and Commons in the second half to freshen up?

05 Aug 2015 17:00:33
With just over half an hour to go , now is the time for us all to will Celtic to success tonight . This is not the time for incriminations , rather a thirst for success . Doesn't matter at this stare if Deila has picked the wrong team . It's what we have now and we have to hope it is right .
Delighted the way Deila played down the pitch rumours , media trying to wind - us up again? . We just have to get our results .

05 Aug 2015 15:39:03
If we fail to progress tonight aganist this mob, then for me Peter Lawwell has used up all his lives and it is time for him to go.

Really getting sick of the way he tries to cut corners and the issue with John Parks inability to identify a suitable striker.

Just think we need a total overhaul at boardroom level and a review of a salary structure. i'm not saying break the bank stuff, i'm saying raising it to £30k per week

05 Aug 2015 16:27:03
So if a defender sells the jerseys or a ref makes a monumental cock up that's lawwell's fault? If a bad bounce on a poor pitch kills us it's Lawwells fault? C'mon mate.Let's see how we go before we start looking for heads.

05 Aug 2015 16:39:39
No green jhedi, i'm talking about policy of taking a gamble and not investing even £5m before CL qualifiers mate.

05 Aug 2015 16:56:13
If we win tonight and progress through the group stages will lawell and park be receiving all the plaudits from you?

05 Aug 2015 17:23:18
Birminghambhoy no they won't be receiving "plaudits" from me. Why would I give praise to anyone who thinks its okay to gamble potential £20m revenue, not one season, but two seasons in a row?

05 Aug 2015 18:20:46
I replied to team news on other page . No plaudits for me either . When were Dundee Utd last a cl team? What makes the board , scouts or manager think a green n white hoops strip changes this? It's not the colours . Cheap options tried n tested in our poor league . Too many bad foreign buys . No proper scouting . Poor show from our mighty so called club . Even when we had players like Agathe , who couldn't bless him self , never mind cross a ball . Teams feared us . Now we are looking for byes n applauding a manager n press who highlighted a poor pitch? We are Celtic!

06 Aug 2015 05:41:59
Bore off with that dundee utd rubbish it doesn't matter where a player has come from its how he performs whilst at celtic, its getting old mate (Y)

05 Aug 2015 14:15:59
Just read all the latest posts, some really thoughtful observations and perspectives from everyone.
I don't know how long I can go on with this nail biting uncertainty season after season :)
I'm glad I'm not picking the team. Suffice to say I didn't sleep well last night.
Please Celtic, just take care of business this teatime.

05 Aug 2015 10:50:17
My team for tonight would be maybe forrest for for someone what's everyone else's
Gordon
Lustig VVD boyata Izzy
Gms Armstrong biton brown johansen
Ciftci

05 Aug 2015 11:43:31
Agree with everyone but ciftci mate,griffiths should start! Still not happy about left back either! Izzy for me is a liability,we need that position sorted for the next round!

05 Aug 2015 07:26:26
Interesting to see Ronny saying if we don't go through here we cannot consider ourselves to be a CL club.
Is he right?

In my opinion we are not.I say this with great sadness.We are a team who will make the groups now and again,but would you consider that to be a CL club? Stadium,support and many other things show we are undeniably a big,huge even,club. My worry is we seem to be obsessed with reaching the promised land.Is this holding us back?

I noticed last week a few players saying how important it is to Celtic to be playing there.This is obviously true,but is the thought of not getting there affecting our performances? Against Qarabag we looked nervy and were chasing shadows for a bit.Obviously this team could pass better than anything we face domestically,so periods without the ball,at this level is almost a given.Second half was better,a bit more drive but with discipline.This is what gets you through these tricky games.

Lets assume the reports we hear are correct,blazing heat and a nightmare pitch.What is our team?I immediately worry about Johansen.Will his game stand the searing heat?Is he a player we need to use as he can be the key? I would be amazed if Forrest starts,still cannot be trusted for me.We cannot lose the ball on the halfway line. Try putting a team out.I found it very difficult.

Can we trust Izzy? I love his energy and love of the club but fact is he is a weakness in Europe. Who comes in? Would Ronny throw young Tierney the shirt? Up front,Griff or Cifci? I would play a 4-4-1-1 with Commons hopefully picking up lay offs from Cifci just behind him to have a crack.You will never get the full 90 from Kriss but he might just give us a lead. Sorry ED about the length of the post but this tonight worries me.

{Ed001's Note - don't apologise mate, it is an interesting post, being long isn't a bad thing.}

05 Aug 2015 08:34:22
As much as it's going to be a bit squeeky bum, I don't think Johansen is a player to worry about certainly not in terms of energy. Commons for me has to come off the bench. Like you say we were chasing shadows and he'll be much more effective against a tiring side. Ciftci Johansen and GMS behind Griffiths from the start for me. Ciftci can hold it up in wide areas a bit like Sammy used to do, all he used to do really. Nocking it on to Griffihs and the runs in behind from Johansen. Fitness depending, I'd actually play Mulgrew at left back. Much better defensively. 1-1 the 'Tic to go through.

05 Aug 2015 08:48:22
We can over think what a CL really means - if we don't qualify, then we are not a CL Club. If we do, then we are.

In terms of money between the Clubs favourites to make the later stages and a Scottish Club, this is a different conversation I suppose.

05 Aug 2015 09:12:33
Most clubs that consider themselves to be CL level, have achieved that by investment in playing staff. Very few clubs have done this by diets and formations alone, this not a criticism, just a statement of fact.
The financial rewards for regular participation perpetuate getting to and keeping you at that level. How much cash have lost by our failure over the last few years? It is really difficult to understand our clubs mindset of trying to get there on a wing and a prayer knowing that a bit of investment could increase your chances. We keep bleating about our lack of decent income, yet this money is on offer every year, yet we seem to lack the necessary will to go for it.
. Most regular CL clubs are at that level because of that cash, which leaves the question, why don,t we seem to make this more of a priority? Can,t help thinking we get what we deserve at times

05 Aug 2015 10:27:22
Jimtim mulgrew didn't travel

05 Aug 2015 11:06:34
On form today Tims,some great replies.All posts have good points but my thoughts are pretty much the same.To focus on the game,i posted that we had maybe seen all that they had to offer at Celtic Park. I still feel this to be the case. Yes,they will surely come at us pretty sharpish at the start,but this is why I would allow Commons a free role.One of Kris's big skills is buying fouls in the middle and around the box.He also is not afraid to let it go at the slightest encouragement,we have lacked this in my opinion. Cifci as target with Commons on the second ball?

I can see the Griffiths argument completely,but I would rather bring him on to rattle a defence later on.Defenders don't like pace with 20 to go.This is why I would start Commons,if we play it right he could be the trump card.We need to be accurate in our passing to avoid needless running.We cannot go marauding up both wings at the same time.This is a game to see just where we stand after a spirited double header v Inter.Have we learned? Sadly if we have not I fear for us.If we turn up and are on it I would expect us to go through.Having said that there is a job to be done here and we are capable.

05 Aug 2015 11:47:38
Thought Mulgrew would be a maybe for fitness Gordo didn't realise he hadn't travelled though ta.

GJ, each to their own with team selections I guess. I know where you're coming from with Commons. And Griffiths off the bench. I think we'll be looking to catch them on the break with them needing to score. Griffiths in behind is what I think we should be doing. My main concern is, to do this, you need to be able to absorb and even in ways encourage the pressure from them. I'm not sure how resolute we are at the back with VVD and DB in the early stages of their relationship.

05 Aug 2015 12:22:51
@JimTim: great point about absorbing teams and sucking them in,my worry is will the pitch take a long ball? Whoever starts up top will need to conserve their energy,maybe chasing balls over the top is counter productive? A forward could make run after run only to be beaten by a bad bounce.As I said earlier this has turned into a tricky one.

05 Aug 2015 13:11:15
For some reason I'm quietly confident we'll get by with no problems. Don't usually feel so relaxed before a big game like this so I'm going to go for a 2-0 win. A goal in each half, Ciftci and Johansen. Timalloy, stick a tenner on!

05 Aug 2015 13:14:34
On the topic of CL, think you just have to give the team another season or two before you can really challenge. Like Deila said, he you have to build brick by brick and maybe have a season or two off before you can relly challenge. But when you get there, you might only get netter and better.
Deila knows that with experience, the players will feel less and less worried by those type of games, still you can feel the players maybe not up to it quite yet.
Celtic is a sleeping gigant, but it takes more than a shot off adrenaline too wake you up. But trust me when I say, that when you do your going to be a real challenge for any team.

05 Aug 2015 14:03:16
I don't think our board and Lawell in particular has seen us as a CL club since 2012 and has all-but thrown in the towel.
His sabre rattling about us being self sufficient and strong enough on our own seems very hollow now, as he has repeatedly failed to install top managers and help bring better players to a club which is tailor made for Champions League football.
The fear factor and small club mentality has seen us decline and falter in quality in every department of the club.
I hate to repeat myself, but the fact we poached three guys from the team in fifth place in the SPL is a stark warning of the direction we are taking and possibly remaining.
Celtic, in my opinion has been seriously mismanaged since 2012 and has seriously taken giant strides backwards.
A huge club like us can generate cash in it's sleep and the investment in the team and entertainment of fans should go hand in hand with every generation of Celtic teams.
I sincerely hope we do progress tonight, but we are light years behind most of the other CL teams - even the smaller countries that we used to dream about drawing.

05 Aug 2015 14:17:57
HT, I don't know why but I fancy ciftci anytime tonight.

05 Aug 2015 15:18:21
It's a cert jimtim!

05 Aug 2015 16:05:02
I'm not quietly confident about getting over this hurdle, I'm very confident. I think, like GJ said, we saw the best they could do. RD has made progress (still need that striker though) and I think he will have his game plan with alternatives set well in with the players. Hail, Hail.