When Celtic fans look across the city, one of the most amusing things is watching them refuse to learn from defeats.
So, when anyone is talking this morning about putting yesterday behind us, moving on to the next game, and not letting it get in the way because we have an 11-point lead at the top of the table—when Rodgers himself talks about focusing on the “big picture”—I just want to scream.
This is the big picture. You either learn from mistakes, or you repeat them.
Am I worried about the title race? No, not at all. We’re so far ahead that it would be embarrassing—humiliating even—to lose it now. And frankly, the side we faced yesterday isn’t good enough to mount a proper title challenge. I’ll get to them later. For now, let’s talk about us—because that’s more important.
I’m concerned because we didn’t learn from the cup final. Initially, I was relaxed about that performance, first because we won, and second because the manager and players acknowledged it wasn’t good enough. They spoke about addressing it, about making improvements. But instead of progress, yesterday’s performance was worse—by several degrees of magnitude.
And this concern goes far beyond yesterday’s opposition, who I’ll discuss in more detail later. My issue is that we still have important games to win and trophies to secure. We have European ties to play, and if we perform like that against Young Boys, we won’t beat them. If we play like that against Villa, we’ll get absolutely hammered—far worse than yesterday. I’d rather this season didn’t have any more humiliations.
Last year, we lost just two games—one against Hearts and one against Dortmund. After Hearts, we went on a long winning run. After Dortmund, we regrouped and never looked back. We learned from those performances. But does it really take a heavy defeat for lessons to sink in? I’d prefer we avoided a battering by learning before it happens, by putting those lessons into practice.
Whatever discussions happened after the cup final, I see no evidence they’ve improved us. Yesterday, we faced the exact same tactical setup we encountered in that game, and even with weaker personnel, they still managed to win—and convincingly.
We were absolutely murdered yesterday. There’s no sugar-coating it, no excusing it.
We either learn lessons from that or suffer more performances like it in Europe and domestically. Play like that, and forget about a Treble. Play like that, and the next round of the Champions League will be a distant dream. In fact, play like that, and we might as well not bother showing up.
Let me be clear: we have the best manager in the country, by far. We have the best squad in the country, by far. We’re top of the league by 11 points, and every one of those points is well-earned. I don’t believe we’ll drop enough for yesterday to matter in the title race. I’ll talk about the opposition later, but let no one kid themselves—that wasn’t a one-off. You don’t get past a result like that without sitting down, taking stock, and learning some hard lessons.
We’ve made the classic mistake common to winners: believing we’ve seen it all, done it all, and have nothing left to learn. Victory can trick you more easily than defeat can. It’s a real danger for the club across the city, and it’s a risk for us as well. The problem started when we came off the podium at Hampden having not played particularly well. I think people stopped looking for answers then.
The players spoke a lot after that, and they talked a good game. They’ve usually been excellent at backing up their words with performances. This time, they didn’t. So the criticism they’re getting now is absolutely deserved, as is the criticism of the manager. For the next few days, I don’t want to hear excuses. I don’t want to hear chatter. Silence would be preferable—silence, and hard work to fix what went so dreadfully wrong yesterday.
By the end of the season, this might just be a bad memory. But that depends entirely on how we respond. Rodgers talks about the big picture, but I am looking at the big picture. If we carry that kind of attitude and performance into other games, this will not be the end of the misery. Without a Plan B, we’re setting ourselves up for more days like yesterday.
What they did to us yesterday required no magic tricks. That manager has faced us six times, and we’ve played the same way in every one of those games. You’d have to be very foolish not to learn something from that. And boy, oh boy, we’d better learn some lessons of our own—and fast.
That is six yes six goals lost in ten days against this so called awful Rangers team. We are not able to cope with their system and you are right that we must learn. They had half a defence and still hammered us. It was more than a defeat it was a total over run. No excuse is acceptable for that yesterday we never laid a glove on them and they broke through our midfield at will. Look at the shots on target we were lucky it wasn’t 5-0.
Very lucky Mark…we were powder puff in midfield
We beat the huns 2-1 twice at Celtic Park in the league last season.On both occasions they were down to ten men and we were hanging on at the end of both matches.Although we have had successful outcomes against them recently our performances apart from the 3-0 earlier this season have been nowhere near good enough.Get it fixed Brendan.
Awful performance & completely agree the players & coaches have taken the quality of our squad compared to ours for granted.
When we play them & it’s not at Paradise they are usually the better team.
I don’t think our players are as up for the game as they are & it doesn’t mean as much to them as there players.
Yesterday every second ball fell to a Sevco player. At first I thought it was luck but when it happens for the full 90 minutes you have to say actually that is work rate & players wanting to be at the second ball.
They up there game against us & I said it after the League Cup final too. Clemont knows how to set up against us & stagate out tactics.
Scales lost the ball almost every time he had it. They played for the ball to go to him. Igamame would block off CCV which pushed Scales forward who would then lose the ball (Rinse & repeat for 90 minutes)
What I don’t understand about that is if I can see that how the hell can’t anyone on our bench. Trusty was hooked at half time in the cup final & had a far more solid display than Scales managed.
I like Hatate but agree with people that he was just woeful also.
For me the 75th minute summed us up. 2-0 down, & we’re watching CCV, Scales & Kasper play keep ball triangle passes. GET THE BALL UP THE FUCKING PITCH.
I also know you are a big fan of Idah but he done nothing, not that he had much help to do anything but with his size & power he should be able to impose himself on a game more than he managed. I’m glad we have him at the club as I think he can do a job but paying £9m was bonkers!
As you said in your article yesterday no player gets a pass. I actually thought CalMac managed to have more impact on the game this time as he got far more involved compared to the cup final. He just didn’t do anything with it.
Watching us feels like watching Arsene Wengers Arsenal a few seasons after they went unbeaten. They were trying to hard to make cute intercut passes until they get in the box then tap it in. Sometimes you need to just take a shot.
They had a second choice GK today who has probably had the easiest day of his life. Kick the ball long when you get it & had to make 1 save at the end of the first half. Probably the easiest match he’ll have in there goal.
I’m glad we don’t have a winter break this year because none of them deserve anything but back to work after that display. It would bring me back to the Lennon frustration of being beat & then seeing them sipping beers on the poolside in Dubai like they don’t care.
That Celtic team yesterday gave us one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen against the Ibrox mob, and my 1st game against them was in 1950. This against a makeshift Ibrox outfit, it was 3-0 going on 7.
The Celtic team looked beaten after the 1st goal in the 7th min, we kept waiting for a positive reaction, it never happened.
I’ve seen some Celtic supporters criticising individuals, but in my opinion this defeat went beyond that, it was a failure from all players and backroom staff. Hard to understand but we seemed to roll up at Ibrox unprepared tactically and psychologically. It was a total embarrassment and I hope the players and management are feeling it just as badly as the supporters this morning.
Hopefully after the 2 cup warnins and then that horror show yesterday he does work on a plan b, because there was none evident in those 3 games. They won yesterday no because of any great skill, but mainly through guts and determination and we were missin all over the park. Maybe there’s somethin in naismith sayin we looked as if we couldnae be bothered. Although, as expected, we’re now gettin all sorts of wild, over excited, hysterical claims about us, especially from the DR disciples. Apparently the ‘world’ thinks we’re ‘worried’. No bad ! We’ll see where we are in 4-5 weeks time. Tho we should get some new players in. Another striker for a start. KT also for me, is an absolute non starter. How many games will he play without injury ? If this is some sort of gesture from the board tae keep the support happy, they’re hugely mistaken. We should already be lookin at other signin prospects.
Just got to give my opinion on KT, if he passes a medical and BR wants to sign him then I’m all for it. Tierney at 80% of what he was will be an upgrade at LB,and that’s from a guy who has always reckoned GT did a pretty good job for the team.
Watched most games live now for over 40 years and that was one of the top ten worst performances in all aspects especially attitude wise I’ve seen. Very concerning from some of those players. Cowardly! Maedas attitude was unforgivable. Reo was beyond a joke and singularly the worst performance I’ve ever seen and I watched Biggins, Slater and that early 90s shite. Scales awful.
I’m sure the players thinking. after the Cup Final, was that if we can play badly and still beat them then, with just a wee bit more effort, that they were there for the taking. Unfortunately, there was no evidence of any effort from us as we capitulated to them all over the park. If that’s complacency, then we are guilty as charged and we absolutely got what we deserved. It was a very sore lesson learned, but it will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season, we will not be so blaise in the future.
James how come every other club in the spl can go tae the midden with allegedly lesser players at their disposal and give them a hard game ,but we go and play like a primary school team
We give them far too much respect and treat them as a better team than they are. We play shite to a shite team. That said , they won fair n square no question. Over to the guys that earn the bucks in the ” big picture”
All the comments are true regarding our performances against them lately BUT!! Your forgetting that no matter what we think about their squad, theirs is a side that has shown it can grind out results against better opposition in europe. They’ve been doing it for a few seasons now, that breeds a certain type of dogged mentality. Which has started to show in their games against us. Yes they’re no great footballing team but it doesn’t always have to be to get results. Yet when the game really, really matters we find a way. I think we need to calm down just a touch. You stated yourself we’ve only lost two games in a calendar year!! Thats not normal in the footballing world and we’re that used to winning and success people forget this. We only conceded 4 in the league before yesterday!!! We’ve been phenomenal at times this season, there are always gonna be blips, unfortunately it’s came twice in quick succession against our biggest rivals. I believe we will learn and regroup, as you also stated we have a top top manager who will be hurting, especially as he is not used to tasting defeat against theRangers. So while you want to scream at folk who point out our unbelievable stats this season as a rebuke to our defeat yesterday, I say we’ve earned the right to do it. Hail Hail
Great post BAM79 !
But if Sevco find a way to win at places like Kilmarnock, Paisley and Motherwell we could be bang in trouble…
I’d like to hope (without sounding arrogant) it’d be ok for this season but we need to be thinking about these possibilities going forward for sure !