1) 180 minutes without a goal. Against Sion we didn’t look like scoring at least against St Johnstone we passed up numerous opportunities to make us comfortable.
That’s no great thing when you consider that Sion are or looked ordinary and St Johnstone are already looking relegation haunted but for long spells in both games they could have played with slippers on and reading Tv Quick.
2) Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, out for a throw in. Pass, pass, pass, pass, back pass, humped to no-one. Pass, pass, pass, pass, move breaks down. Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, cross to no-one. Pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, pass………(continue for 180 mins until it feels like knitting needles being put up your nostrils and your praying for Daryl Murphy).
3) Have we now seen the end of Shaun Maloney as a credible option for Celtic Football Club? I watched footage of him, via The Celtic Viewer, from 2004-05 and it was heartbreaking to see a shadow of that player, an almost broken version of that player, yesterday.
He is now a Channel 5 afternoon weepy in which the main character dies but is fondly remembered by a memorial park bench in his favourite garden.
4) Going to mention two players in this. Paddy McCourt once again was abused by the management team. He was sent on in the hope that he had his Super Paddy knickers on to produce that bit of magic.
The problem was that it all others in green and white hoped this was going to happen as well and shunned all responsibility or the notion that they should maybe do a bit themselves. Paddy should have started this game in the place of the unfit and out of form Commons.
It was funny once but after the third time Danny Masjtorivic raised his hand sheepishly to acknowledge the groans of the crowd after he found row Z with another cross field pass is just embarrassing.
5) I think we can end all debate whether or not Kelvin Wilson, Izzy, Kayal and Hooper are our 4 best players. It’s quite clear that they are. The debate can also end about the merits of some fringe players. They have none.
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You are right, sadly, about Shaun Maloney. He left for Aston Villa & fell off the radar, injured for long spells & now 28 the injuries have taken their toll. He has no burst of acceleration of old, his top speed is markedly slower, his twinkle-toes of old are more heavy legged & his stamina is now poor, sadly. It is time up at Celtic for Shaun. I like McCourt, folk mention his fitness/stamina, Lennon has & some fans have said similiar. He does look fitter from the pre-season games & his Man of the Match performance & 2 goals for Northern Ireland the other week, that is not my point. He is stuck out in the wing, when he doesn’t need to be. he doesn’t hit byeline & whip in crosses, he is wasted out on the wing. Folk mention his fitness but he is stuck out on wing & expected to cut in & do his ‘messi’ impression. he is a great passer as well as his tremendous feet & dribbling. He should be played behind either lone striker or front two like a number 10. he should be further up field & more central. He played a similiar role at ibrox to fantastic effect. He doesn’t need to be out on the wing 50 yards from goal & then having to beat 4 or 5 players. Played up higher he would cause great damage ‘in the hole’. He’d have options of playing in the forwards, overlapping wide players & supporting midfielders. he is wasted the way the management use him. he should be played as classic no.10 Hail Hail
Your description of the modern day Maloney is spot on.
Paddy needs starts and as you say in that hole? Remember he won a slide tackle on the edge of our box at Ipox?…that was great.
I believe if he was used in that area he’d be great. He’d do all of the above. He’d keep things rolling with his passing & movement but the added bonus of shifting the gears & running at defenders. If he was used this way i guarantee Sion would identify him as the most dangerous player. Too many folk are short-sighted & talking of maybe letting him go. he is the only player who is genuinely worth the admission fee. He should be given a run in that area, no more pointless energy wasted by running at 4 or 5 players from way out on the touchline. Just a waste in so many ways. * the Ipox tackle was & is, a fond memory *
Him being used as the last throw of the dice is no good. It’s an obvious ploy which sees teams get wise the other players get lazy.
Some of the crosses going into (and usually over or through) the opposition box, make me ask myself “Is Lee Naylor back in a Celtic jersey?”
I read elsewhere, that as of a few games ago we had scored 5 times from our last 247 corners. FIVE times! That’s about once in a hundred efforts, and that says it all.
As for our pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-passing game, it’s all very well maintaining possession for 89 mins. But if the other team scores during their 0NE minute of possession — you’re screwed! The idea of maintaining possession is so you can actually score goals — which is the whole point of the game, NOT maintaining possession. And you don’t score goals by continually passing back to the halfway line, when you’ve reached your opponents 18-yard line.
And as for shooting at goal? Someone needs to coach these “professional” players on how to shoot from outside the 6-yard box. It involves keeping your head over the ball and not leaning back — but none of our players seem to know
The Tika-taka that Spain use is a defence tactic as if you have the ball the others can’t score but…..they can also score if they only get one chance we need at least 5 or 6…
Our set plays are a joke, end off. We don’t seem to work on them at all.
Sorry! meant to say “twice in a hundred efforts”.
It would be crime to watch paddy mccourt spend the golden years of his career warming our bench, he looked great at the start of last season when he got a run of starts (before he got injured) – why not try that again!!!. Play him as a striker or just behind, and we will have teams in knots with his quick feet and quicker brain.
I really wish Paddy was as good as he is being painted but he usually ends up being snuffed out, receiving a trickle of applause for what he nearly achieved. This just reflects how badly we’re doing and our cry for someone to get us out of this hole.
McCourt would be a first pick for any other SPL team week in week out. The last time I looked we were an SPL team…..
well said
C’mon Guys, let’s not fall into the McCourt trap! He wouldn’t be good ‘in the hole’ because he very rarely looks up! Most of his play is very selfish and very individualistic! The reason he scores the ‘wonder goals’ is for exactly this reason. I think playing McCourt from the start could be the equivalent as starting the game with 10 men!
What a load of rubbish. Total nonsense
McGeady was selfish and individualistic. Used not on the wing you wold seen and we have seen he is a great passer off the ball.
Glad to see almost everyone agrees paddy should be played ‘in the hole’, for me this has been obvious for some time, this would give him even less defensive responsibilities and allow him to concentrate on what he’s good at…ATTACKING. His defensive play when used on the wing is not good enough. Instead we should give him a free role behind one stiker, however with this formation the wingers and full backs also have to play their part….there is also a real need I feel for a striker in the mould of Hartson/Sutton, if we can sign this type of player the SPL should be won comfortably.
Hartson and Sutton types are now dinosaurs in the modern game. Most big frontman have the build of Sammy and Jellyandicecreamvic. Steptoes Horse Murphy is as close to a target man as you can get and he is a lump of wood and untrusted by the manager.
ohhh lads listen to yous,i sit in the stands and here idiots beside me saying,, oh get him into the team,,hes irish,,,,doesnt matter if he can play or not,, hes one of us,,,,WISE UP ,,, we just want people who are good enough for celtic,, dont care where they come from,,and by the way i am scottish through and through,,not one of these guys who think when i put my celtic scarf on me on a saturday and become irish,,,,HAIL HAIL
Nationality of the player is not a guide for selection. You are correct, idiots.