The Official Glasgow Celtic Thread

[hackjam]

Another slick performance, well impressed with quick movement of the ball and clever runs off the ball. Tam(rested) and Forrest(knock) replaced by RC and Eddy. Always exciting to see 2 strikers play together. St M shot themselves in foot with a horrendous tackle on Turnbull, who would go on to have an outstanding game, netting hat trick.  

 

 

New Croat defender in the house, seems to tick a lot of boxes. Interestingly, read somewhere that he can fill in at LB too, as Taylor is the weak link in Ange’s system. Hopefully, some more transfer movement in the coming days.  Also, hearing that we have offered Griff and cash for Nesbet, would be a good deal, as fans seem to have finally given up on Griff following his recent antics.

[salty]

Another very encouraging performance by the Bhoys. Young Abada has been another great signing. Big week coming up. Fingers crossed we can continue our hung ho approach..

[CelticBhoy]

5 hours ago, salty said:

 Big week coming up. Fingers crossed we can continue our hung ho approach..

I'm hoping more for a continued "gung ho" approach to the coming week, Salty old son.

A "hung ho" approach, as you say, sounds more like a night out at a Chinese restaurant.

 

All kidding aside though, this is a great Celtic team to watch right now. From start to finish it is wonderful to see. The new manager has done quite an amazing job so far.

[salty]

Celtic survived severe pressure for most of the game to get through to the Europa League on a 3-2 aggregate. I expected a nervy evening and Celtic certainly provided it with 2 calamitous goals conceded.

 

We were in dreamland in the 3rd minute when Ralston put Abada away and the Israeli crossed a superb ball for Kyogo to score. But our hopes of a relaxing evening dissipated with 3 minutes when Walsh failed to deal with a long ball and JH was far too slow to clear. He was robbed and Alkmaar were back in the tie. The Dutch piled on the pressure confirming that they were an accomplished side. In 26 minutes Celtic handed the Dutch a 2nd . Starfelt failed to get his legs set and conceded an og off his standing leg. We managed to survive till ht despite continual pressure. We hung on till HT to our 3-2 agg lead

 

 

The 2nd half was like the Alamo for long periods. Celtic defended for dear life, with Hart making a few good saves and had a little luck. Starfelt was better and won some important headers. He remains very slow however and will give us all cardiac arrest at the present rate. We were also helped by Alkmaar missing some good chances.  Thankfully we survived and all was well at the end. Eddie came on for Rogic and helped to give us some respite. Montgomery played well when came on for the injured Taylor.

 

The Bhoys played some good stuff at times but too often poor control let us down. Alkmaar seemed to win most 50/50 balls. The ref was keen to let the game flow and I felt Celtic should have got free kicks on a few occasions. But all is well that ended well. Another feather in Ange's cap.

 

We may have injury worries for Sundays Glasgow Derby. Tonights result should act as a huge boost for the Bhoys and we don*t look no hopers it would have seemed a few weeks back.

[hackjam]

2 terrible goals to concede, Hart should have put laces through ball, he also had a lucky escape in second half when he totally misjudged a high ball on edge of penalty box, did make a few decent saves.  Jury still out on Starfelt, another major screw up. Our goal was really well worked, great ball by Ralston.

Monty did well, poor positioning initially when he came on but grew into game, Walsh and Ralston really good.

We seemed to get over run in midfield, I wanted RC ahead of Tam from the start, he did come into it when Tam got hooked, and we seemed better balanced at that stage.

4 days left on transfer window, we still need some bodies, especially a LW.  Scales in Glasgow today for medical, saw first glimpses of him for SR last night, looks decent, eye for goal, big lad. 

[Bangel72]

Unplayable at the weekend, unwatchable last night.  Qualification is great result despite the self destruct tendency, they missed a lot of chances, we still have a lot of work to do with that team if we want to compete against better teams.

 

3 up in a do or die match, needs a plan safer B than continuing with plan A then panic. Very wary that our tactics are so open and clear it just takes a team and manager with a bit of skill and gameplan to counter it.

 

That said, we have come a long way in 4 weeks.

 

 

[salty]

An0ther disappointing Glasgow Derby defeat today especially as we wasted a couple of great opportunities to score, We played well in the 1st half and Eddy wasted the best chance when set up by Kyogo and screwed wide when he should have buried it. Overall he was poor and by Ange*s own admission Kyogo ,was wasted on the wing when he would surely be much more influential in front of goal. Our defence were coping with attacks from the home side . But what was worrying was the concession of free kicks in dangerous areas.

 

In the 2nd half Celtic were losing all over the place in 50/50*s  and our midfield seemed to disappear with all 3 never gets to grips with the play. We were under severe pressure for most of the half , Surprisingly we  seem to have overall 66% possession overall  but we very rarely created anything. The Rangers broke through midway thru the 2nd half when Helander headed in a corner for the only goal of the game outjumping Starfelt. Kyogo now playing in the centre was foiled by McCrorie and in a burst of Celtic pressure in the closing stages had a shot saved by the keeper when he should have squared to Christie who would have had a tap in. It confirmed a demoralising defeat for the Bhoys. 

 

Ralston was again very good and ready to take the fight to the opposition. Juranovic made a solid debut. Walsh and Starfelt were decent apart from the goal.  Abada was well shackles by Barisic who delivered the corner for the killer goal. Overall Kyogo looked our only likely saviour.

 

So today we lost the battle but not the war. Ange was not hiding his disappointment but hopefully he can continue to improve the side

[hackjam]

Always tough to take such a defeat but we just failed to take our chances, Eddy with 2 in the first half and Gogo with 2 in second half. Was happy enough with the team that was picked but only Tam on the bench that would potentially impact the game, shows lack of squad depth. Forrest injured, Taylor no great loss.

Overall, defense played well enough, midfield controlled the first half but disappeared second half. Dada was terrible, so static, never showed for an out ball from Ralston. And for second game in a row, Turnbull never stood up, thats a worry. Christie too seemed back to his headless chicken last season form, after looking so promising early season.

 

Will be interesting to see what transfer movement over next 2 days.

We do have Scales on board, I have high hopes for him, impressed in LOI whenever I have seen him. Young Norwegian boy gone to Leeds, dont know if we picked up a fee for him???

 

[bolt]

I agree Celtic had plenty of chances and no real complaints, I thought Rangers showed how to kill the game once they got in front.

 

I want to comment on what Ange said after the game about Kyogo playing through the middle.

When Celtic played AZ in Europa League, Kyogo played through the middle and in my opinion, Celtic were a shambles it wasn’t fixed until Eddy came on, once Eddy came on Celtic had a real shape to their play, so I believe Ange picked the right team to play against Rangers but the Celtic players especially  the midfield didn’t turn up.

I’m not here to gloat but Rangers have a mark over Celtic just now, they know how to win these games at this moment, I have always said Ange needs at least 2 transfer windows to figure it out but the question in Glasgow is will any manager be given 2 transfer windows.

I'm looking forward to watching and supporting Celtic in Europa League, and I'm hoping Ange can tweak his style home and away, We’ve been told Ange plays his way or no way, so I hope he can adapt his style, I believe this is a HUGE step up for him even though he likes to tell people he’s managed a team at the world cup.

[wilai]

23 hours ago, hackjam said:

Will be interesting to see what transfer movement over next 2 days.

Edouard going to the Palace....and not to meet the Queen! 18m euros

[Bangel72]

Interesting transfer window, here are some of my somewhat random thoughts on those leaving.

 

Edouard - great player on his day, held the ball well to get us through to Europa. Would have liked to see how it would of worked with Kyogo through the middle and him supporting. I think he played that way with Dembele but I could not find a lineup from back then to confirm.  Best of luck to him, good to get the money in, the over hall is more important that keeping one player.

 

Griff - Still Scotland's most natural goal scorer in my view but right choice to loan him out, looking forward to a dundee hattrick against rangers. maybe too late for Scotland but they could really have done with him in form this year.

 

Christie - Too hot and cold in my view but at times brilliant. Very poor against rangers then topped it off by an over the top berating our best player when he opted to shoot rather than pass that directly resulted in Kyogo opting to pass the next chance when he would likely have scored had he shot, Christie's earlier tantrum cost us a goal in my view. Bournemouth, money and game time I guess. Worth more than we got but 4 months left on contract so still good money.

[Bangel72]

Some more random thoughts on those coming in. At the back of my mind there

 

The new right back looks solid and hit the ground running, both in left back position and he played well in the international in his favored right back. 

 

Jota - if he can discover some of his earlier form should be an exciting player to watch, skill and pace if he can stay on his feet. Mikey Johnstone may be a better backup if fit.

 

Georgios - Seems to have been main penalty taker where he was before, mixed bag of goals including some decent headers. Celtic have been missing a corner target man so hoping he can bring that in. Worth noting he did get a lot of space with his team relegated but looks promising.  How to get both him and Kyogo as attacking pair would be interesting.

 

Scales - I have not watched him play go good rep, really hope he can fill the left back gap but he may not be first team ready yet.

 

CCV - This is the interesting one for me. Defense really needs strong CB's as we continue to not have any decent set piece defensive coaching. He has played with hart before and potentially with the leadership between them they may have a good chance of taking on that coach and positioning responsibility. Being able to switch from zonal defending when ball is in play to man marking and someone at back post on set pieces. 

 

Midfield is still a bit short for me, we are not going to dominate the midfield with current set up.

 

A huge step forward though in terms of overall team.

[bolt]

I agree that fundamentally the team has improved, but the squad appears to be weaker post window.

Huge test coming up now for Ange, games against Betis Away in Spain, and 2 weeks later Leverkusen at home, the rest of the games in September are relativity easy, October has trips to Pittodrie Firpark and easter road, so by end of Octoberwe will see 

[hackjam]

Looking forward to game on Sat, good time too.

Hopefully, all our players get back intact, long haul for the like of Tam and Gogo, suspect may not see them start Sat.

Not too concerned about the European games, some tough sides there, hopefully Ange uses it as a learning curve, maybe tinker with the system.

As for transfer window, its not been too bad. Lots of unproven players in, that may come good, most seem to have decent pedigree. We do seem to be well covered in most positions, especially right side. What is major concern for me is midfield. We lack steel, and with Christie gone, very little creativity, if without what looks like Anges favored three CMcG, DT and Tam. I dont hold out much hope for the likes of Soro, Bitton, Hendo, JMcC, etc, Maybe the like of Shaw can step up?? 

Left side is a bit of a hopeful really. I do like what I have seen of Scales in LOI, Monty looks as if he has something about him, as does Jota. MJ just looks bogged down with injuries.

Center half now we have options with CCV, and CJ due back, especially with Starfelt still finding his feet and uninspiring, especially with that fee, was expecting more from him.

Upfront, seems to be plenty of talk that Ajeti may come good, and now we have the Greek guy, so we do have options.

Would like to have offloaded some keepers-we have 4 full international keepers on the books-and none a decent back up option for JH. 

Transfer window still open in places like Russia and Turkey, so faint hope of offloading deadbeats like Barkas and Boli.

I think I have mentioned before the performances of the like of Moffat and Lawel in the Colts, both may see promotion soon.

 

PS: We are so <deleted> at set pieces, I was hoping to see something happen on the coaching side, cant stand Kennedy and his lap dog/top. Our defending, attacking and deliveries of set pieces is pub league standard.

 

[hackjam]

Welsh on B list???

[bolt]

19 hours ago, hackjam said:

Welsh on B list???

what list is this?

Europa league group stage?

https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/clubs/50050--celtic/squad/

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by bolt

[salty]

An ominous silence regarding Kyogo injury on International duty. Hopefully our worst fears will not be realised.

[hackjam]

Hearing out for a month. 

[salty]

Only saw highlights. The main thing was to get 3 points. Not a vintage display. Struggling until we got a lucky break to go ahead.

 

One wonders what is the story behind CE resignation. Not a reassuring scenario.

 

Eddy 2 goals for Palace. Wish him well but would have wished for something similar in the Glasgow Derby.

[hackjam]

Watched game Sat night. kinda overshadowed by Dom's departure, would think they should have waited till after game to make announcement. 

After hectic internationals,  was surprised to see the like of Tam start but maybe highlights lack of creative options we have in midfield, CMcG and Josip looked knackered. And looking like Forrest, AR injured, Greek striker must not be match fit. And amazed to see Welsh dropped.

 

Joto had a really good first half, faded second half. Dada quiet but still had a few chances. Got breakthrough eventually with a deflected shot, Ajeti tagged on 2 that were easy enough chances, but need a lot more from him.

 

JH impressed in goals with one good save at crucial time but it was his quick restarts and distributions that caught the eye. Taylor decent link up but zero penetration, as usual, what a difference Monty made, chalk and cheese. CCV decent debut, looks a unit. JMcC done well when introduced, hit bar with header before Ajeti poked home. Soro really negative, just taking the safe option every time, no bravery on the ball.

Starfelt, while done nothing wrong, looks so uncomfortable on the ball, even clumsy at times.

 

We were absolutely pathetic at set pieces, surprise surprise. 

 

Next up RB midweek. Interesting, they play tonight. 

[Bangel72]

Very similar view on Saturday's game, some really good balls into danger areas that were just begging for Kyogo to be on the pitch.

 

Despite the 3 goals that group were still not clinical enough in front of goal, the first goal was hard to come by with a bit of luck that settled the team.

 

Montgomery did well when he came on, I think he will be better than Taylor but still work in progress and lost the ball a couple of times that could cost goals against tougher opposition.

 

I agree our midfield is still weak, our bench on Saturday did not have anything that would change things around a bit or bring in a new spark.

 

Soro is okay for some of the lower end of the table games but when pushed risks getting cards if on for 90 minutes as he compensates for lack of skill.

 

CCV good debut in my view.

 

Much bigger challenge on Thursday though, unlikely to be trying to grind out a win there.

 

Dom's departure is worrying, I thought he had chance to really bring in change on international forward thinking team level.

[hackjam]

A few setbacks for tomorrow night, Cal Mac out with a knock. Abada out due to some 'religious feast" not sure about Bitton, don't get it, our boys train on Xmas day and play Sundays??? 

Taylor going under the axe, big chance for the likes of Scales and Monty, suspect Croat boy will play LB tomorrow. Hope to God Forrest and Ralston are fit or we are up the creek.

[hackjam]

Mixed emotions after last nights game, lots of positives and the usual negatives.

Team pretty much makeshift, CMcG, Forrest, Abada, Gogo all missing. Welsh again dropped???

Anyway, started brilliantly and 2-0 up. in a really good  first 25 minuets. But then the usual power puff defending saw us go in 2-2 at HT. Soro picked up stupid booking in the 9th minuet for a dumb tackle in midfield and was on a tight rope till hooked. He was weak for 2 of the goals too, he needs to get a grip of himself.

They come out and score 2 quick fire goals at start of second half. Ralston looked off it but stuck at it like the warrior he is and got his reward at the death. Our CH's were unconvincing but reckon there's a player in CCV. Josip also looks a player. Turnbull and Tam played well. As did Ajeti, even some of his hold up play good-another goal too. Last night will also stand to Monty, was out of it for periods but never hid. Jota some lovely touches, needs to cross low into the danger area and did leave Ralston exposed way too often. JMcC did show reasonably well, looks like he needs more game time.

The fact we only made one substation just shows how threadbare the squad is-they made 5. 

Just felt we could have gotten something from the game.

[salty]

Disappointing to lose after being 2 up early on but given recent history not a surprise. Hart had to make a flying save early on as we failed to clear a corner so the signs were ominous.  Soro is rapidly becoming like a bull in a china shop. 

 

Some excellent early play but then undone by usual sloppy defending. Hopefully we can get some of the injured back in action at the weekend.

 

Yesterday was Yom Kippur a Jewish feast day so I would expect that there will be no further withdrawals for religious reasons. We will need as many available bodies as possible for next game against Ferencvaros.

[hackjam]

Gubbed by bottom team, the performance reminded me of the <deleted> we had to suffer under Lenny and then Kennedy, if we were still at it now, we would never score. No bravery on the ball. Only for JH, would have been 3-0. 

Surprised to see Boli start and he was decent enough. Was glad to see Welsh start but he was so weak for their goal. A positive was the performance of CCV. Tam was his usual sublime on the ball, Turnbull never stopped trying but the rest, so poor.

 

[salty]

Only saw the lowlights. Welsh brushed aside very easily for the goal. We has 79% possession but did sod all with it.  

 

For the first time Ange is taking flak after this, Hopefully it is a one off. Fortunately we are 4 and not 6 points behind. 

 

We need to start winning away games or our title hopes will disappear.

[Bangel72]

Yep a big flashback to last year, no lessons from yesterday, only thing worse than the play was he celtictv commentary, every second comment was on timewasting, parking the bus or the pitch all of which we knew in advance, could have said it once not over 100 times.

 

We knew how they would play, they knew how we would play, they beat us on tactics. 

 

We needed much more pace, even after the opposition get a corner and are all up field we are knocking it about at the back rather than going forward to take advantage of them being out of position. A bigger target man may also be the solution to the parked bus approach but it needs a tactic to suit parked bus.

 

Going to need another transfer window but also hope ange can get a new backroom team and think a bit more about different tactics for different games.

 

 

 

 

[bolt]

Celtic fans need to remember that Ange needs at least 2 transfer windows, playing in Europe and SPFL takes its toll on the players that’s why Ange is resting Ralston for example, if they don’t get any rest they’ll be burnt out or injured by early October.

 

Unfortunately, 2nd in Glasgow is a disaster, whichever club is 2nd at end of the season will be calling for the head of the manager which is sad really.

The bigger picture is European competition season 2024-25

https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/news/0268-1213f7aa85bb-d56154ff8fe8-1000--uefa-announces-new-format-for-club-competitions-to-be-introduce/

 

The biggest change will see a transformation from the traditional group stage to a single league stage including all participating teams. Every club will now be guaranteed a minimum of 10 league stage games against 10 different opponents (five home games, five away) rather than the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home and away basis.

The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stage, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition.

Similar format changes will also be applied to the UEFA Europa League (8 matches in the league stage) and UEFA Europa Conference League (6 matches in the league stage). Subject to further discussions and agreements, these two competitions may also be expanded to a total of 36 teams each in the league stage.

[hackjam]

Another poor performance saw us advance to a semi final against the Saints at Hampden. Not sure when? 

Greek guy injured in the warm up and Micky J hurt in training, if he was a horse, he would be off to the glue factory.

It was a similar performance as the Livi game on Sunday, lots of possession, very blunt up top,  but we did manage 3 goals. Jota was impressive, CCV also at CB, Scales looked promising when introduced, even as it was a done deal at that stage. The rest bang average against poor opponents. JMcC did thread a nice ball for opener but huffed and puffed otherwise. Tam had an off night, Dada scored but so poor otherwise, he does have a knack of getting into the right position for a finish. Monty average but does look to have bags of potential.

Badly missing Forrest, CalM and Gogo.

[Jockstar]

Quote

Another poor performance saw us advance to a semi final against the Saints at Hampden.

Really? After the game. BBC saying Celtic thrashed them. So i clicked on the link thinking they had actually pumped them badly. As much as 3-0 is a good score. Its not really a thrashing. More BBC <deleted>.