To listen to some of the reactions on last night’s Europa League results, you’d think that one half of Glasgow performed heroics whilst the other scraped through against a lesser side. In point of fact, that’s exactly what did happen … just not the way they presented it.
I thought that two errors aside – the ones that cost us the goals – we were disciplined and solid enough.
You cannot legislate for a goalkeeper freezing on the spot as Hart did.
I’ve seen defenders do what Starfelt did last night in all manner of circumstances. But he performed well in spite of it and Hart made the saves you expect a good keeper to make.
AZ created chances. Were they not supposed to?
They finished third in Holland last year so anyone who expected an easy ride against them must not know much about football.
The press corps talked as if they were an ordinary side of no quality … we certainly made them look that way in the first leg and in flashes last night. We deserved to go through over the two legs no matter what idiots like Pat Bonnar might have thought.
I mean, what else can you ask of a team except that we get the critical opening goal, and go through because of it? At no point were AZ level in the tie. At no point did they look favourites to progress.
They gave us a couple of scares. No more than that.
Yet our media acted as if we made it by the skin of our teeth.
Even with away goals, we’d have gone through without needing them. It was an aggregate victory. The hacks who wanted to focus on nothing but negatives were simply indulging their own bitterness.
Because let’s be honest; few expected us to go through.
If you’d polled the press corps before the home game you’d have gotten near unanimity that the Dutch would be too strong for us. Before we so easily took care of Jablonec I’d have said the same.
But I knew we had a right good chance, and I knew we were probably secure from the moment the full time whistle blew at Celtic Park. I knew we’d score over there. I just didn’t expect that we’d do it in the first moments of the game.
The hacks believed the Dutch would go through comfortably, even after we beat the Czech side. Many of them, doing what they did last night, focussed on our defence after the first leg and still believed that AZ would be too strong for us over the tie.
The second half performance, after we took off Rogic, was a level well above what they expected. To be honest, it’s a level above what I expected. We comfortably closed the game out.
We never looked in real danger from the moment we made that change.
The credit our team deserves for navigating this tie … well, it’s vast isn’t it? Consider where we were just a few weeks ago. Consider the predications of those who thought that we would be in the Europa Conference League if we were lucky.
Some, like Keevins, thought we’d be challenged in terms of second place in the league.
We are miles ahead of where they reckoned we’d be. Miles ahead.
I understand that it takes a huge amount of mental adjustment when your prejudices are challenged like this. I understand that there is a sting when what you hoped for comes into conflict what reality.
It hurts. It’s difficult to manage. But hard lines.
Some of the criticisms are absolutely ludicrous.
Some of them reek of frustration and bitterness. The way they’ve talked about the club across the city, you’d never believe they were reeling and rocking and toiled against a ten-man team from Armenia on the same night.
Alashkert are a team who wouldn’t have lived with us.
We’d have blown them out in the first half of the first leg of the tie.
No-one who has watched us can be in the least doubt about that. If we had turned in such an horrendous display over the two legs the media would have been screaming. But their club got praised instead whilst we eat dirt.
Their bias is obvious.
So is their bafflement that we’ve turned this so quickly.
Their fear is too, their fear of what we are what we’re going to be.
We’re going to make them choke on it.
A mixture of the new and the old. We gave them 2 goals, they did not rise to the level of atrocious defending. Turnbull and Rogic away is not a good idea, but I think we will see McCarthy in away legs with Cal-Mac further forward. Turnbull needs to get physically stronger. Still vulnerable to simple diagonal balls aimed at full-backs. Some really good defensive blocking in the second half.
Who cares, we beat a significant Dutch side, whereas Sevco were just dire against a Lincoln Red Imps level side.
Dont expect any priase from the Sevco serving SMSM, even when we beat them in the local derby it will be smoke and mirrors.
For me one of the main changes is the man in charge. His attitude towards the team is a complete turnaround. His reaction to defeat was not to blame want aways, fitness, but to take a shit happens reply. Always promoting the good play the fact that we’re still a progoodb lots more to come. All positives. Players react to being flrng under buses by doing what was on show last season. Ange just asked and said while here you play and if good enough you’re picked. Eddie and Christie playing for the team. Attitude is everything, and a positive attitude has become part of the psyche in Celtic this season. On current form we should batter them come sunday.
And no doubt we will have the full rendition of poison from the scum and swept under the aprons lets silence the filth
I wouldn’t say threy ached appallingly.
I would say they acted predictably.
Media in mason scotland enough said thats why their papers cant sell everyone in scotland no the media are shite scared of the bullies at liebrox the biggest cheats in Scottish football ranjurs were liquidated 2012 dead forever RIP SCUM.
Ange has been fantastic. What an incredible bloke and a fantastic manager. He is really already one that we will always remember!! It’s in the way he talks about football his father handles the smsm picks/treats players etc. He is a brilliant fit for Celtic!! In addition Joe Hart is too !!! What a fabulous addition he is … So positive such a influence on the pitch … Class act to the extent of speaking to opposition keeper during a 6 nil drubbing to replying bto fans FB posts to his influence in the pitch … At last a keeper !!! Yup he makes errors but he gets back up
” That idiot Pat Bonner” as you say was one of the worse goalkeepers Celtic ever had and that is saying something. Celtic still have a problem in that department like Kennedy the relevant coach is probably “sack-proof”. Barkas? I looked at his “highlights on YouTube and couldn’t believe how bad he was. Too weak and couldn’t catch a ball.
Apart from “the Holy Goalie and the “Wall” who were ok there has never been anybody worthy of Ronnie Simpson’s jersey. Across the city they seem to breed them. I often said Celtic should fined out who Rangers were interested in and buy him at all costs.
I hope Hart comes good as he seems a great lad but I have my doubts. I just found out he was the goalie Griffiths put the two Scotland free kicks by.
Oops “find”.
Have to say loving Ange and for the first time ever I am not bothered about Sunday has he has had to hit the ground running with limited resources. It can only get better and the league is “in the bag”. Kyogo is worth the admission money alone and we will always score more than we lose.
A damning indictment on the Scottish game as a whole when the Scottish champions struggle against the Armenian champions lime they did, but then again I care very little for Scottish football. All I care about is putting them back where they belong (in the gutter) and hope we properly fcuk them tomorrow. Hopefully DD is working hard behind the scenes to get Celtic out of Scottish football (yes, I know, but if you don’t have a dream…)