1) It was a game of chess. A cagey game where one team was attempting to play football but in the end failed miserably. 0-0 looked a predictable and welcome outcome from early on.
2) Lennon played a massive game of Jenga last night with numerous formation changes and player swapping positions but style couldn’t get anything to fit. It never collapsed though. Did it work? Well, I pleased that I saw changes that weren’t reactionary for once. That’s a bonus.
3) The scapegoat that is Samaras must be discussed. I understand and bemoan the faults of the Big Greek but the main fault is that when he plays our system and style of play has to change to accommodate him. He is a different option but an option that rarely works. He also seems like the shy newcomer at school who has bonding issues.
4) Samaras was not the worst on the park by quite a distance. Scott Brown get’s that award. He couldn’t find a Celtic player with a Sat Nav and once again proved that he is not a centre midfielder no matter how often he is played there and we are told that he is.
Games like last night when he sees a lot of the ball and needs to dictate play highlight his failings like a big neon arrow following him and pointing.
5) I mentioned before the game the sense of unrealistic expectations that come when we play against those not from our shores. Teams are written off as diddies before decent consideration is given to their or our merits.
We take a big time Charlie attitude just because we have massive stadium and large budget compared to the majority we face. We seem to forget that we are playing these qualifiers as our league standing in the co-efficient, something which while flawed is not too far from the truth, deems that we need to.
We have struggled to beat ordinary European teams for a few years now. That is our level and last night performance should have come as no surprise.
The sad thing is the reaction of the booing fan is also no surprise. We act like toddlers not getting sweeties.
This is borne from misinformed opinion thinks that we have a divine right to win and the not being able to grasp that maybe we are not as good as we want to be.
We need education. I read recently an article about Bill Shankly putting in his program notes that Liverpool were changing their playing style in Europe as he reckoned that it would bring them success longer term. He had to condition the support to accept that the ball wouldn’t be humped forward at every opportunity.
Maybe we need to do something similar? Instead of focusing on great European nights we should just put games since Aalborg away on a loop, on the Jumbotrons, where we have faced ordinary and average sides and struggled to get results.
Condition the support to the realities of European Competition and maybe we will eventually see games like last night as not suicide inducing.
While I acknowledge that this article makes a few good points, particularly Scott Brown’s inability to pass to a colleague, I feel that there is an acceptance for us to put in mediocre performances. You refer to the fact that we, “have faced ordinary and average sides and struggled to get results.”
However, there seems to be an unwillingness to accept that we should be protesting as a fan base in the face of such below-par performances. Yes, we don’t have the budget of top EPL sides, but surely as a support; a community; we deserve better than the fare that was delivered on Thursday night.
A look across the teams that have competed regularly in European competition in recent years is a clear indicator of where our ambition should lie- a nil-nil draw should not be the height of our ambitions!
Off course I want us to do better but want a reality check. We are better than Thursday night suggests but not that much better in the grand scheme of things and that won’t change unless we allow the team to develop and breath.
Acting like spoiled children booing and berating means we will never see that happen.
Also in general a football fan doesn’t deserve better because we are really all mugs with an emotional attachment to something we can’t control. We should all be sectionioned. 🙂
Whilst i agree about the booing, its not on, there are basics that were lacking from every player/position on Thursday night, did we not know what to expect from Sion by way of formation, we had guys who looked/played as if unfit (Mulgrew, Wilson, Commons(whats going on with him))We were punting balls at Sammy early with no-one near him, he eventually moved Ki (our best hope of industry from Mid) in there, Stokes wide left no impact remove goal threat don’t understand that one, didn’t work last year either, back four shape should have been Mulgrew left back from start, we should have had Width (energy, Paddy, James, Shaun) from start of game, Sammy was isolated but his ball retention is zero, and goals ratio doesn,t make you confident. Whilst some of the ‘lesser’ teams are technically better we should still be imposing our game on them, having said that we did have a lot of changes (enforced)but we through in several poor performances last year and cannot introduce those (anymore) this year!!!
Injuries contributed to the lack of balance and selections. I also think it was the main factor in a poor performance that ended up with a not earth ending result. We are better than we showed. But we need or better players back.
The first fact surely from the game is ,we will never gave to watch S