The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

Started by Gaoth Dobhair Abu, January 26, 2007, 10:41:11 AM

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From the Bunker

Tougher than should have been today.

17th April 2016 the last time Celtic lost a Domestic Cup game!

illdecide

Been a bad week for the hoops, have been really dejected. I know people are now saying we are not a CL club anymore but the frustrating thing is the teams that keep knocking us out are smaller clubs with smaller budgets and half the stadium so really there is no excuse. NL has certainly dented his popularity with the fans, quite a few didn't want him in the first place so now he's less on his side.
The Board have known about our problems for quite some time and they haven't been addressed, no matter who is in charge or who writes the cheques it's not good enough that we haven't replaced the vital players that have moved on. The depression levels moved on to the Dunfermline game at the weekend passed and it was pure dung too, there is a really big two weeks coming up which will show us where we're really at. Will we make into group stages of Europa League and will we survive Castle Greyskull (actually think we'll be beaten easily there), for the first time in a long long time i'm worried that this season could be a disaster unless we turn things around.

If we have a good two weeks and get the positive results then things will look to be on target but another few bad results and this could be the end of our dominance of Scottish football for a while...how the hell has it came to this when we had the chance to bury them once and for all but tried to do everything on the cheap as usual. I know we have to balance the books too but we sure have f**ked it up
I can swim a little but i can't fly an inch

Main Street

Quote from: illdecide on August 19, 2019, 10:47:47 PM
Been a bad week for the hoops, have been really dejected. I know people are now saying we are not a CL club anymore but the frustrating thing is the teams that keep knocking us out are smaller clubs with smaller budgets and half the stadium so really there is no excuse. NL has certainly dented his popularity with the fans, quite a few didn't want him in the first place so now he's less on his side.
The Board have known about our problems for quite some time and they haven't been addressed, no matter who is in charge or who writes the cheques it's not good enough that we haven't replaced the vital players that have moved on. The depression levels moved on to the Dunfermline game at the weekend passed and it was pure dung too, there is a really big two weeks coming up which will show us where we're really at. Will we make into group stages of Europa League and will we survive Castle Greyskull (actually think we'll be beaten easily there), for the first time in a long long time i'm worried that this season could be a disaster unless we turn things around.

If we have a good two weeks and get the positive results then things will look to be on target but another few bad results and this could be the end of our dominance of Scottish football for a while...how the hell has it came to this when we had the chance to bury them once and for all but tried to do everything on the cheap as usual. I know we have to balance the books too but we sure have f**ked it up
Blaming the board for the abject defeat by Cluj at Celtic Park??   Of course they appointed Lennon and now everybody has to take the consequences, but it is inescapable that Lennon had a squad that should beat Cluj 99/100. He fcked up the challenge that faced Celtic and refuses to take responsibility. He has a lot of ground to make up in the EL, yet he has a squad good enough to get through a group to the knock out stage, the onus is on him to take Celtic that far.


Angelo

Celtic got an absolute packet for Rodgers too when he left nevermind getting him off the wage bill given he would almost certainly have been the highest earner at Celtic.

The wage bill has been significantly reduced. The board knew from last January and beyond what areas needed addressing and they sleep walked into that disaster.

We are paying for years of plugging gaps with loan signings. The likes of Roberts, Guidetti, Denayer, Benkovic, Weah etc just leave us back at square one the following season.

Linked with a loan move for Jordan Ibe this morning. f**k that, there is plenty of money there to spend and Celtic need to be using it.

Lennon quite clearly is out of his depth, sacked by Bolton and Hibs and suddenly walks into the Celtic job because he's a cheap yes man to the board. It's time Lawwell had the full wrath of the fans. It needs to get louder against him and more relentless.
GAA FUNDING CHEATS CHEAT US ALL

Applesisapples

Quote from: Angelo on August 20, 2019, 10:46:57 AM
Celtic got an absolute packet for Rodgers too when he left nevermind getting him off the wage bill given he would almost certainly have been the highest earner at Celtic.

The wage bill has been significantly reduced. The board knew from last January and beyond what areas needed addressing and they sleep walked into that disaster.

We are paying for years of plugging gaps with loan signings. The likes of Roberts, Guidetti, Denayer, Benkovic, Weah etc just leave us back at square one the following season.

Linked with a loan move for Jordan Ibe this morning. f**k that, there is plenty of money there to spend and Celtic need to be using it.

Lennon quite clearly is out of his depth, sacked by Bolton and Hibs and suddenly walks into the Celtic job because he's a cheap yes man to the board. It's time Lawwell had the full wrath of the fans. It needs to get louder against him and more relentless.
That Lennon is out of his depth is open to debate. I would be concerned at the manner of his departure from His though. What is clear though is that Celtic's performance under Rogers had become ragged and inconsistent Neil Lennon has continued that trend. Perhaps more to do with the lack of investment in the squad which, like Lennon's appointment is down to the board.

ned

We have five good players, one good player on the wane (SB). The rest are mediocre and in vital positions including four of the defensive five. If Celtic had bought a proper RB and LB we would be still in the CL. Downsizing has happened for the last two seasons. We have lost around seven first team players who have not been replaced with anywhere near the same quality. We are playing with fire.

Angelo

Quote from: Applesisapples on August 20, 2019, 12:03:16 PM
Quote from: Angelo on August 20, 2019, 10:46:57 AM
Celtic got an absolute packet for Rodgers too when he left nevermind getting him off the wage bill given he would almost certainly have been the highest earner at Celtic.

The wage bill has been significantly reduced. The board knew from last January and beyond what areas needed addressing and they sleep walked into that disaster.

We are paying for years of plugging gaps with loan signings. The likes of Roberts, Guidetti, Denayer, Benkovic, Weah etc just leave us back at square one the following season.

Linked with a loan move for Jordan Ibe this morning. f**k that, there is plenty of money there to spend and Celtic need to be using it.

Lennon quite clearly is out of his depth, sacked by Bolton and Hibs and suddenly walks into the Celtic job because he's a cheap yes man to the board. It's time Lawwell had the full wrath of the fans. It needs to get louder against him and more relentless.
That Lennon is out of his depth is open to debate. I would be concerned at the manner of his departure from His though. What is clear though is that Celtic's performance under Rogers had become ragged and inconsistent Neil Lennon has continued that trend. Perhaps more to do with the lack of investment in the squad which, like Lennon's appointment is down to the board.

The performances under Rodgers turned a corner after the defeat at Ibrox. After that we won 8 league games on the trot and routed two teams in the cup before Rodgers left. Only one of those wins were by the minimum.

Under Lennon we were scraping results out and looking far less in control of matches. I think he's a very, very poor coach who was lucky to get the breaks at the right time.

He shouldn't be in the job but everything should be directed towards the board and in particular Lawwell.
GAA FUNDING CHEATS CHEAT US ALL

illdecide

Quote from: Main Street on August 20, 2019, 12:54:19 AM
Quote from: illdecide on August 19, 2019, 10:47:47 PM
Been a bad week for the hoops, have been really dejected. I know people are now saying we are not a CL club anymore but the frustrating thing is the teams that keep knocking us out are smaller clubs with smaller budgets and half the stadium so really there is no excuse. NL has certainly dented his popularity with the fans, quite a few didn't want him in the first place so now he's less on his side.
The Board have known about our problems for quite some time and they haven't been addressed, no matter who is in charge or who writes the cheques it's not good enough that we haven't replaced the vital players that have moved on. The depression levels moved on to the Dunfermline game at the weekend passed and it was pure dung too, there is a really big two weeks coming up which will show us where we're really at. Will we make into group stages of Europa League and will we survive Castle Greyskull (actually think we'll be beaten easily there), for the first time in a long long time i'm worried that this season could be a disaster unless we turn things around.

If we have a good two weeks and get the positive results then things will look to be on target but another few bad results and this could be the end of our dominance of Scottish football for a while...how the hell has it came to this when we had the chance to bury them once and for all but tried to do everything on the cheap as usual. I know we have to balance the books too but we sure have f**ked it up
Blaming the board for the abject defeat by Cluj at Celtic Park??   Of course they appointed Lennon and now everybody has to take the consequences, but it is inescapable that Lennon had a squad that should beat Cluj 99/100. He fcked up the challenge that faced Celtic and refuses to take responsibility. He has a lot of ground to make up in the EL, yet he has a squad good enough to get through a group to the knock out stage, the onus is on him to take Celtic that far.

CELTIC went to Ibrox on 29 December 2018 and lost 1-0. The scoreline flattered Celtic, Craig Gordon stood up to the hostile environment better than any of his teammates, and was then rewarded by being dropped.

The back four that played in front of Craig Gordon at Ibrox on 29 December was Lustig, Boyata, Benkovic and McGregor.

At the time Celtic were planning a bid for the Belgium right back Timothy Castagne, we later discovered that we had an £8million bid rejected for him as we reported on The Celtic Star – see HERE.

Celtic was at this managed by Rodgers but as Harry Brady reported this week, the Celtic Board knew that his departure was imminent.


Celtic's midfield three at Ibrox that day was Brown, Ntcham and Christie, a mistake that would be repeated last Tuesday against Cluj by replacement manager Neil Lennon.

Up front the three players in the team were Scotty Sinclair and James Forrest on the wings and Mikey Johnston through the middle. There was no-one else available to play centre forward as Odsonne Edouard was out, Leigh Griffiths was off his work and Moussa Dembele had been sold for £20million on the last day of the transfer window which of course meant that there was no time to replace him. Conveniently.



Dembele was sold for £20million to Lyon

Another window has come and gone and Dembele's still not been replaced. Yet we could bid £8million for Castagne in that window, but not for a striker.

Anyway, of the back four that day three players have left Celtic – the three defenders, as has Kieran Tierney who was on the bench as a sort of bluff aimed at the Rangers. He was unfit that day and has subsequently been sold to Arsenal for £25million with the Premier League club now saying that he's be out until October.

Lustig was exposed that day and indeed in the next visit there in May, in the 2-0 'dead rubber' defeat. It does count though as it gives them belief, it gives them momentum. The Swedish right back from the previous summer's World Cup – where he was a stand-out – was let go in the summer. He signed for Belgium side Gent and his wife posted a lovely video about his last few medal winning days at Celtic. On 29 December Lustig was replaced at the interval by Anthony Ralston – who incidentally stood his ground better than Lustig.

Boyata also starred at the World Cup, for Belgium and actually came back with a bronze medal. Beside him in the centre of the Celtic defence was Filip Benkovic, who played despite carrying an injury and didn't last too long before having to go off injured. He was replaced at the interval by Kris Ajer. Celtic were losing at the interval after Jack's deflection off Scott Brown finally beat Gordon on 30 minutes.

So for the second half the Celtic back four was Ralston, Ajer, Boyata and McGregor.

Lessons from the game for The Celtic Board? Remember, Rodgers they knew was for the off.


Leicester City paid £9million in compensation for Rodgers

The whole Celtic family knew that Callum McGregor was NOT a left back, he did okay, even scored but was flagged offside (it was tight) but the loss of him. in midfield and the way it exposed Scott Brown was the problem. I know this, so do you but it seems Celtic didn't.

Lustig needed replacing – roasted in that first half. Kieran Tierney was injured but was going to be sold anyway (Lawwell was always selling him), and Emilio Izaguirre was not trusted to play in this game. He had conceded a penalty at Aberdeen on Boxing Day (it was never a flaming penalty incidentally), and was substituted. Celtic won 4-3, Scotty Sinclair scored (remember him Neil?) scored a hat-trick.

Boyata was leaving, having been refused a move to Fulham in August which would have brought £10million into the club, and Benkovic was a Leicester City player, so would be going back (Lenny should call Rodgers today and see if he can get him sent back up the road for another loan period today!).


Arsenal paid £25million for Kieran Tierney

We needed to sign a first pick right back and left back (as KT was to be sold) and both our central defenders that day needed replacing. Kris Ajer filled one of those gaps but one quality central defender was needed.

None of these problems were sorted in that January window although Bayo was brought in on the recommendation of Kolo Toure who cleared out with Rodgers the next month. Bayo has had a few minutes playing time, against Kilmarnock in stoppage time at Rugby Park and against Cluj in the time added on against Cluj on Tuesday. Rumours from Lennoxtown have NOT been encouraging about the level he is at as a player.

So we moved on with Bayo and some loan players coming in – the unimpressive Toljan, the wide boy Weah and the work in progress Burke – but it worked and we pulled away from the Rangers, who drew level on points with us after that win on 29 December. We also retained the Scottish Cup, with Aberdeen taking care of the Rangers threat for the second cup competition that season. Lucky that eh?

Neil Lennon replaced Rodgers after he was in rather strange circumstances available to do so after falling out with the players at Hibs. Cynics might think this was more than fortuitous but we'll never know. Perhaps it was some kind of pay-back for the John McGinn stand-off from the previous summer, who knows? Celtic also picked up £9million in compensation for Rodgers leaving from Leicester City.



Lennon took Celtic to Ibrox in May having already won the title, and he should be given immense credit for doing that in the circumstances.

He lost 2-0, it was a dead rubber as we've said, but it did give them oxygen. It also proved to Dave King that his fans were correct in forcing him into reducing the ticket allocation for Celtic fans. They had turned two home defeats against Celtic from the previous season into two home wins and there were certainly plenty of evidence that certain Celtic players didn't fancy playing at Ibrox under these new more intimidating circumstances.

On 12 May at Ibrox Neil Lennon had Scott Bain in goal (Craig Gordon was injured incidentally so there wasn't an alternative, other than 'Dreadful' Dorus de Vries), the back four was Lustig, Ajer, Simunovic and Hayes.

Boyata had done his hamstring in the 2-1 win over them at Celtic Park at the end of March, so his playing career at Celtic was finished. Benkovic was an unused sub – Lennon didn't fancy playing loan players unless he had to, thinking ahead to the Champions League qualifiers (no laughing at the back).

Tierney was still unfit and his understudy Izaguirre still wasn't trusted.

Lustig failed to make the second half again, being replaced by the disinterested Toljan, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else other than in Govan.

Up top Oli Burke played and showed why Celtic would not be signing him, apparently his display was the subject of a conversation in the dressing room with the then caretaker manager after the game.

So the board by this time knew we needed two first pick full backs, at least one first pick central defender and a striker.

To be fair though they were busy planning. Planning The Celtic Festival, another excuse to take money from the support, this time during July, normally a financially. poor month for takings. Actually, that is also now a month when there's money to be made from the huge gates, matched nowhere else in Europe, for these lucrative Champions League qualifiers.



Minutes after the Sottish Cup was won Peter Lawwell announced that Neil Lennon had been given the job. He also said that no-one else had been considered, far less interviewed.

We moved on, with the support getting behind the manager. The transfer window was about to open. There was going to be a clear-out, KT would be sold but new signings would come in as Celtic geared up for 9 and 10 in a row.

Rodgers had signed load of players who were frankly a waste of space. There were residue signings too, the Scott Allan for example, that were draining resource and contributing nothing. Lawwell actually in what looked like a cheap shot at Hibs refused to allow Allan to leave in January to join up with the Easter Road side after having signed a pre-contract with them.

The players out included Lustig, who was offered one year but wanted three and Kieran Tierney and £25million came in from that transfer.

Players signed are Bolingoli, Jullien, Elhamed and Connell and that adds up to around £12million in transfer fees, with only Elhamed being seen as a Neil Lennon signing.

Lennon did want to sign Nice left back Romain Perraud who was on loan at Paris FC in the French second tier last season. Lennon scouted him personally, he was in Paris in the day the sad news broke that we had lost Billy McNeill.


Celtic dropped their interest in Perraud who signed instead for Brest

Perraud made no secret of the fact that he wanted to join Celtic to play in the Champions League. After two bids were rejected he eventually signed for Brest, who were promoted to Ligue 1 in May so knew Perraud from their games against Paris last season. The fee was £2.5million.

Perraud after the move explained that Celtic had mysteriously dropped their interest in signing him so he went to Brest. Harry Brady in his second article last week revealed that this interest in Perraud was dropped due to the effect his signing would have on the Tierney fee from Arsenal – remember Arsenal had had two bids rejected as they had at that time not met the £25million price that Celtic had set (it wasn't KT who set this was it?)

So the boardroom decided that Neil Lennon could not have his left back. They already brought in Bolingoli – apparently recommended by Shaun Maloney (Jullien seems to have come from a John Kennedy contact) – and he would have to do.

The Cluj disaster needs to be seem in the context of all of the above and it goes some way to explaining the crazy team selection that gifted the tie to the Romanians.

Lennon apparently did not trust either Jullien or Bolingoli to play in that game. Both played yesterday against Dunfermline and Jullien in particular looks well short of what is required at this stage. He may get better but he'll not be selected at Ibrox unless injury forces Neil Lennon's hand on that one.

And he didn't fancy Bolingoli either. He'd also gone through the Hayes as a left back trial and didn't fancy that either and the boy he wanted to sign had gone to Brest due to our boardroom's negotiation tactics with the Gunners.


Bolingoli signed for £3m from Rapid Vienna and said he had not yet spoken to Neil Lennon

That's why we got Callum McGregor in the side at left back against Cluj.

Now John Kennedy, very much Lawwell's man incidentally, stood beside Rodgers at Ibrox and watch what happens when you move McGregor to left back and play a midfield three of Brown, Ntcham and Christie yet he let it happen.

We go to Ibrox in a fortnight. As things stand Craig Gordon is in goals, Bain's injury saved Lennon the trouble dropping him. He was at fault for the opener at Fir Park and Lennon ignored the warning signs and played him against Cluj.

The back four?

At Right back we have Elhamed or Ralston (not fancied by Lennon but he did okay there previously).

In the central defence we have Ajer and Simunovic (if they are fit, Ajer was injured yesterday and Jozo is always an injury doubt) and Jullien, who gifted Dunfermline a great chance to score early in the game yesterday. No thanks! Then we have Jack Hendry.

At left back we have Bolingoli or Johnny Hayes (we have read the script on that one in the game in May).

So we need to do something about that and quickly. The game is two weeks away and the window remains open until the day after we play at Ibrox. We need a left back urgently and probably a right back too.

The Green Brigade's banner yesterday pointed to Celtic's down-sizing and say that the board were gambling with Ten in a Row. They are 100% correct in this.

The mood among the support should worry The Celtic board. They have two weeks to sort this mess out. A mess that THEY caused. The Champions League elimination is NOT down to Neil Lennon, or Callum McGregor, or Scott Brown or Scott Bain and thy all had terrible nights against the Romanians.

The blame lies fair and squarely with one man and that is you, Peter. Yet again your failed transfer strategy has cost Celtic tens of millions in lost revenue. You are an Accountant, a CEO you are not and never will be a Director of Football.
I can swim a little but i can't fly an inch

illdecide

After you read that then blame it all on Neil Lennon...The Celtic Board have a lot to answer for TBH...On Neil Lennon and last week i agree 199% with you that his team selection was brutal and could well have been the reason we're out and he has to take full blame....and i believe i did say that a few days ago...but when you read what i've posted above it makes you think differently
I can swim a little but i can't fly an inch

Angelo

Forster on the way back. Never rated him that highly.

That's 3 average keepers we will now have on the books with two of them taking up big wages.
GAA FUNDING CHEATS CHEAT US ALL

lenny

Quote from: Angelo on August 22, 2019, 09:51:04 AM
Forster on the way back. Never rated him that highly.

That's 3 average keepers we will now have on the books with two of them taking up big wages.

He hasn't played in a while because of injuries and he was stiff enough before that.

Orior

Quote from: lenny on August 22, 2019, 10:30:23 AM
Quote from: Angelo on August 22, 2019, 09:51:04 AM
Forster on the way back. Never rated him that highly.

That's 3 average keepers we will now have on the books with two of them taking up big wages.

He hasn't played in a while because of injuries and he was stiff enough before that.

Arlene will be delighted.
Cover me in chocolate and feed me to the lesbians

illdecide

Our summer signings are not getting anyone too excited...piss poor tbh
I can swim a little but i can't fly an inch

marty34

Quote from: illdecide on August 22, 2019, 12:26:58 PM
Our summer signings are not getting anyone too excited...piss poor tbh

That's a panic decision. 3rd choice Southampton keeper but probably better than Bain when he gets up to speed.

Lennon on today about hysteria in reference to Cluij result - it was his defence, a farce of management.  His fault.

Lawwell is messing about badly this past fee years.  Supporters need to calk him out.  He threw away a heap of money last year and this in not getting to champions league group stage - speculate to accumulate and all that.


Main Street

#14429
It's quite astonishing that the so called bigger league top clubs have overlooked Kris Ajer. What do the scout report say, "he's got ability but we have questions because he's playing in a crap league so he must be crap"?  But I have to admit, I had thought he was a good player but I didn't think he would turn out to be this good.