The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[Rav67]

What a sickener, should have had that game wrapped up by half-time.  Samaras was pish and Sheridan even worse when he came on, if only Hesselink was fit at least you always get a consistent level of performance from him.

[clarshack]

what a farce! heads need to roll after that.

[Clown]

thats the worst ive felt after any of those 18 away defeats!

one of the main aims in europe this season was to get this away monkey off our backs, now its going to continue into next years campaign

started off so well creating chances, samaras was woeful throughout and didnt look interested, im sorry to say he isnt good enough. naka's chance was a sitter as well

i dont think many of the current squad are good enough for europe, 2 goals after 5 CL games, do u deserve to stay in europe after that return??

i cant understand why maloney wasnt used earlier, he is one of the few players in our squad that is technically up to that level. mcdonald was playing well until he dived and wasnt given a free and this led to the equaliser, sheridan was out of his depth. the game was made for mcgeady, the way it opened up in the 2nd half he wud hav tortured that backline - such a shame he wasnt fit


changes are needed in the squad, id stick with strachan tho but we need to bring in top quality players!

[Over the Bar]

How many times have Celtic dropped the points away from in the final 3 minutes?    That said Aalborg gave as good account of themselves to ManU & Villa Real as well. 

With the quality of some of the players & injuries this might prove a blessing in disguise if they are to retain the title.

[tyroneman]

Robson for all his faults played well tonight however the game showed up the same issues that have been apparant since the start of last season but which have never been addressed by Strachan

1. The lack of a natural LB. Wilson, while game, couldn't cross his fingers from the left side of the pitch. He also found himself exposed by being out of position time and time again. The need for a LB has been obvious for so long now it's beyond a joke.

2. Neither JVoH, McDonald, Sheridan, Maloney, Killen or Samaras are anywhere near premiership class, let alone CL class. We need a marquee striker. We have 6 guys who will do a job in the SPL. No more, no less. Samaras in particular was brutal tonight. Possibly the worst CF  display ever in the CL. Maybe he was not match fit - if so why was he started and kept on for so long when it was obvious he had no pace, touch, awareness or indeed interest tonight.

3. Naka is a passenger who fails to pay his way time and time again. At home he may get you the odd win, away he simply doesn't exist. Might as well have Strachn himself on the wings. All Aalborg had to do was not foull near goal - no free kick no need for Naka.

4. MF has not one ounce of creativity when McGeady is out of the team.

All these problems have been evident for years now and what has WGS done to sort them out...................nothing.

[clarshack]

2. Neither JVoH, McDonald, Sheridan, Maloney, Killen or Samaras are anywhere near premiership class, let alone CL class.

samaras is an imposter. pat dolan said a while back that 'the guy is an illusion'.

[thebandit]

Its a vicious circle, if Celtic dont spend money on decent players, they wont succeed in Europe, and if they dont succeed in Europe they'll never have money for quality players.

[full back]

2. Neither JVoH, McDonald, Sheridan, Maloney, Killen or Samaras are anywhere near premiership class, let alone CL class.

There is a lot more than them that arent Premiership class

[illdecide]

Looks like there are plenty of guys who couldn't wait to get on this thread this morning and rip the middle out of Celtic...(and some of you don't support Celtic)

[lynchbhoy]

missed the game but saw the highlights. Celtic should have beaten them out of sight. I was afraid that it woul dbe another 'anderlecht' - a game that celtic owned, then anderlecht were reduced to 10 men and finally got a goal against the run of play.
Last night showed that Celtic cannot defend properly. IMO they should have beaten villareal away as well. Lapses in concentration and men who are not up to it are in defence mostly. Hinkel would be the only one that I would pick as a possible first team RB, but thats based on glimpses of what he can do. Otherwise hes as poor as the rest of them. Midfield is a funny one. They cannot get the mix right at all. Brown is a starter, but Robson and Hartley are grafters - neither a wing man any more. Naka not a winger by choice either. McGeady actually prefers the centre too !
Samaras imo has what it takes but he was not match fit. He cost Celtic against villareal away also.
too many injuries, poor marking too often for it to be unlucky.
An impoverished transfer kitty will only buy second rate players. Need to spend more on eastern european scouting in this event.
The team is limited by money but also in style, as GS is limited in his ability. Does ok, but he's no Martin O'Neill.
Then again even paddy crozier would do alright if managing celtic in the spl !

no point in condemning all the players, you cut your cloth accordingly. The money is an aspect, GS's preferences on players and team selection is another.
Celtic  have done well and will be almost better off concentrating at home on winning the league and gaining automatic entry to next years CL again.
The wake up call to the board by not qualifying for europe after christmas will hopefully resonate. I beleive Celtic can win away in CL, its the mindset is wrong, and a few decent quality players wouldnt go astray, though wether GS will buy them over edinburgh born scots is another matter !
Losing last night and being out of europe will do them no harm. OK injuries played a large part of this, but I hope this excuse doesnt stop the boad from  making GS buy decently!

[mylestheslasher]

I watched the game last night and I find it amusing that some people think Celtics forwards are the problem. They may not be the worlds greatest but they aren't that bad. As I see it there real problem is in midfield. Strachan has gone for grafters, guys that are 2nd rate but will work hard. There is a severe lack of class in this area. Maybe that is the best they can buy with the funds available, I don't know. They badly need someone in the middle that can pass the ball and create something. There are problems in defence too. The Ctr backs are built for scottish football where a lot of it is in the air and you can get away with making 4/5 bad passes a match, in the champions league you get severely punished for that. I suppose Celtic are in a no win situation. With crap premiership players going for mad money and get mad wages, it is very very difficult to attract players to go to Scotland. Money talks and unless the owners of the club decide to pump some real money into the club this will probably be the way it is for years to come.

[Rav67]

It's easy to slate Samaras after a shocker like that but he's capable of top-quality performances as well and has a bit of creativity of him when he's on his game.  You have to realise when he's not at the races though- Strachan should have had him off at half-time for Maloney.

[reddgnhand]

Celtic showed a lack of leadership again last night. This is WGS fault. He threw the white flag out against Man Utd (twice) and this has spread throughout the team. We need a good centre half with leadership qualities as McManus is woeful. Thats 3 CL games in a row that an opposing player has been able to take the ball down turn without a challenge and get his shot off. School boy errors and McManus makes them to often in my opinion.

[magickingdom]

celtics away record is beyond comprehension yet they can win the home games almost as regularly as losing the away games. its the mental approach thats letting them down, last night they could have won 3-0. they'd make you tear your hair out

[under the bar]

What have Celtic always had at least one dodgy centre-half?