After the Hibs game our contributor – The Comicsnob – wrote a blog about the fans booing and the general acceptance of below par performances because a dead club are no longer in the league.
I wrote a blog arguing that this was rubbish and the team deserved a break as we had just got into the Champs League for the first time in four seasons and in that game we ended up with an 18 year old and 19 year old in the center of midfield.
I must admit that the boos were justified today.
That our contributor was correct.
Not for the first time this season the players attitude was found wanting. Wanting safe in the knowledge that they will win the league anyway no matter the points they drop.
I could also claim that not for the first time under our manager that we produced a performance so poor I rank it in my top ten worst ever witnessed Celtic performances.
While I think he is the man for the job and doing a fantastic job and is one of the most exciting coaches in Britain if you look back and add in a Ross County – cup tie and league this season – Inverness away, Hearts semi final, Kilmarnock final, St Johnstone twice (home last season and away this season) not to mention the complete no show when we could have won the league at Ibrox this is not the first time we have been found wanting big time.
Not the first time we have been completely unprofessional in our attitude.
That is being harsh. I know it’s being harsh. We have progressed sooooo much that some of those defeats can be overlooked and not over analysed.
Defeats happen.
Today if a one off this season could be overlooked. It’s not.
Ross County, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock this season have seen us turn in some of the worst performances under Lennon. In a tabloid link it’s hard not to point to the lack of a challenge in the league for the players nonplussedness. The vultures will feast on this carcass with glee.
Kenny Shiels has Lennons number. Lennon struggles against the biggest troll in Scottish football. He lost against a team today that had lost it’s previous two games and had to play a 16 year old at right back.
Lennon was powerless in the light of the ineptitude of his players.
Efe Ambrose shows promise but in someways today his performance proved why he is a Celtic center back. Adam Matthews was woeful. Forster hesitant. Let’s stop this Charlie Mulgrew experiment. He either plays center back or left hand side of midfield. If their is no room there then he doesn’t play. It reminds me of Strachan with Caldwell.
James Forrest is the most annoying player in our team. All histrionics and lack of end product. He could look at Naill McGinn for his next career move. I laugh in the face of Kris Commons when he complains about the performance. Really, Kris is there no mirrors in your house?
Miku? Aye, return him at Christmas and embrace that Tony Watt is the best striker at the club behind Hooper.
In light of Wanyama exercising his right and proving there is no loyalty – he is too good for Scotland anyway – my faith in footballers is as thin as a fag paper. For all the good they have done days like today just prove them to be uncaring and selfish carrots.
I wondered how Lennon could get them back on the ground, reign them in, in light of the fulsome praise and not let them get too gallus. He failed today. The players failed today. The feeling today was that all the hard work had been done. I’m sure a certain German is chuckling somewhere.
Today we were well beaten by a competent team. Nothing more. Lennon banged on about them learning from St Johnstone. Today proved we hadn’t. Today proved that the players will let us down and wont learn. Cause, in all honestly they are stupid. And we are stupid putting our faith in them.
That’s two defeats in a row and a cup tie to come to an in-form team in an empty stadium. That’s more than a test than a trip to the Nou Camp.
Time to regain the trust.
One of the main problems today was that we had too many defenders on the park.
Along with the back four we had Mulgrew in the middle of the park and two defensive midfielders in Kayal and Ledley . All of these guys have the tendency to hang back and play sideways passes. Mulgrew and Ledley are so one footed and this meant that the entire team was unbalanced.
There was absolutely no one committing anyone anywhere on the park. I’ve spoken about Forrest before. He really needs to ‘man up’, ‘grow a pair’ or whatever but he is rapidly becoming a prima donna.
Commons is always waiting for contact to go down instead of trying to beat a man.
How Miku was in the team before Watt is beyond me. He was awful. His attitude is not right either. He went straight down the tunnel after his substitution.
Forster’s indecision was visible for all to see.
This was as poor a display as I’ve seen in a long time. We seem to go from highs to lows in the space of days.
On a side issue what is the extent of Stokes injury?
I left out Kayal and Ledley for the reasons you say. I wouldn’t ask a painter to rewire my house so for me they were blameless.
Miku, I have given up and despite warnings about Lassads hamstrings we seem destined to mismanage him.
Stokes? Unsure, end of November return?
Spot on with everything you said there. Also the half empty stadiums at cup games and empty seats in general surprise me because there’s so many people “desperate” for Barcelona tickets. Part timer fans annoy me as much as part timer players. Totally off point I know but the atmosphere is crap at home, without The Green Brigade it’d be totally silent at Celtic Park. It’s a bad day when you’re out played and drowned out by the away team. The hysterical overreactions of fans at home when the players lose the ball or a pass is wasted is bloody annoying too!
Folk like to drink fine wine on occasions but when good auld buckfast is the weekly fair they will forgo it regularly.
Ive spoke about the reactions of the ‘home fan’ many times. You go to the game to support the internet is the place for ranting and venting.
But Kilmarnock played very well. They were committed and worked hard. They deserve full praise.
Yes, Celtic were very poor But thre were just as many poor performances in the first three months of last season. And this season there is less pressure.
The league is not going to be as easy as people thought it was going to be. Celtic supporters need to wise up. Many are not going because they are not that interested any way. it is just another leiure activity. Some would go but it is just too expensive (29 quid a ticket indeed). Others go and complain when Celtic are not winning 5-0 every week while moaning about the lack of competition.
Celtic will need to work hard to win the league. This is a good thing. The SPL, the most competitive league in Europe, who would have thought it.
I like Kilmarnock. They play the correct way. I don’t like their manager but he seems to have the hex over Lennon. Sheils has his number.
I fully agree with Lennon. Kilmarnock didn’t need to work for their victory yesterday. While they were tidy they werent spectacular or particular over whelming.
The league was never going to be easy. We have took our eye of the ball with Europe. That has been admitted by all.
Constancy of performance and mental toughness will only come via experience of the Tues/Wed then Sat routine.
The players are not used to dining with kings then eating out of chicken buckets.
As it seems that the Kilmarnock supporters have taken on the mantle as the visiting scumbags with their vile sectarian singing and references to Jimmy Saville being “one of your own”, I hope that all of us hold true to the boycott of Rugby Park and push them further towards bankruptcy like their fantasy up the road.
I agree that these players cannot handle the Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday routine and as for post internationals!
Generally I`m disappointed. The home games in the league are my mainstay but the manager and the players think differently.
Kilmarnock were okay. They kept a shape, had a few attacks and won with comfort. With a first win at Celtic Park for 57 years they may well be celebrating for weeks!:-)
An over reaction of an article I think lotw. If ledley had scored his sitter I feel we would have went on and wo the game comfortably. Hooper missed his usual chances that he would normally score and tony watt missed a sitter too to pull one back.
You can’t win every game, as much as we would all like too. Kilmarnock pressed us hard and stuck to their jobs well. But let’s be honest, there goals came from a feck up and a penalty. Those things don’t usually happen so its not as if we were out played.
Keep the faith bhoys. Hail hail
I think it’s harsh but fair. I do still love them. Just not talking to them for a bit.
i agree that sometimes our attitude is wrong but i think that the ross county semi showed how much work neil had to do to show mowbrays misfits the door and we have came such a long way in 2and half years
We can continue to make excuses for the highest-paid players in Scotland failing to show up for games, and we can yammer on endlessly about supporting the team. Or we can wake up, open our eyes and see that although NL accepts the blame, it’s actually entirely the fault of the overpaid prima donnas who think they only have to show up to deserve the cheers of the fans, and pick up the three points.
The players need a swift kick in the crotch, rather than having excuses repeatedly made for their lackadasical and poor performances, and having NL accept the blame for their failures.
Simply put, if you can play fitba’ you can play fitba’. And if you’re one of the highest-paid internationalist players in Scotland, you shouldn’t be REPEATEDLY failing to defeat lesser teams.
Defeats are part and parcel of the game. Sometimes the richer get beaten. What annoys more is what is easily perceived as a lack of effort or the lack of care they seem to have.
Off course Lennon is trying to deflect the blame from his players. He has been on the phone to Auld Red Nose recently….