About a month ago, when the fixture list was being closely examined by a lot of us, we looked at this game today as a potential title-clincher. St Johnstone were very magnanimous in terms of preparing for that; they gave us three out of the four stands at the ground, just in case we were watching a party instead of a football match.
Instead, today we watched an utter embarrassment. That was a shocking result, and a shocking performance to match it. Rodgers now has serious questions to answer.
I understand that when a team is so far ahead, it doesn’t have the same motivation to go out and perform as it does when it’s chasing a lead and trying to build a title challenge. But there is no excuse—none whatsoever—for that performance today. That was the top team in the league against the bottom side.
And although we created chances and made their goalkeeper work, there was no variation in our play at all. We persisted with doing the same thing over and over again, with Rodgers changing only the personnel. He didn’t change the formation. He didn’t change the system. He didn’t change the style.
This guy is as wedded to his formation as any manager I’ve ever seen. And I’ll tell you right now—it’s not good enough.
It’s not even a couple of weeks since he was embarrassed by a tabloid writer masquerading as a manager. Today he’s been beaten by the bottom club in the league, a team who can barely buy a result. And the reason he’s been beaten is the same reason he was beaten at Celtic Park: he will not change the system.
We have become predictable. We have become easy to counter.
We have become boring to watch. And I never thought I would say that about a Brendan Rodgers Celtic team.
So not only was the title party we wanted to have today ruined because we couldn’t beat the Ibrox club at home, but the title party we were pencilling in for next week, in front of our own fans, is also cancelled.
Those fans who turned up today—three stands’ worth of them—were subjected to that absolute shocker. If Celtic had any sense of decency or loyalty to its supporters, they’d fine the manager and the players, and reimburse every single one of the people who travelled to watch that game. And if the club won’t do it, the manager and the players should volunteer to do it themselves.
There are two trophies still to be won. There’s the league title, which we had the perfect chance to wrap up next weekend. And we still might, if we beat Kilmarnock at home—because the Ibrox club have to go to Aberdeen, and they’re not in any kind of form to face one of the in-form sides in this league.
But that would be a crap way to win it—sitting at home, watching it on TV. We’ve ruined the opportunity to clinch it in front of 60,000 Celtic fans, which would have been a fitting end to the campaign. Every one of those players, and the coaching staff, should be embarrassed by that utter failure today.
There were tactical options available.
For some reason, the manager doesn’t want to take them. It’s all well and good for him to say this is a tried and tested tactic that has worked across the season, but that’s the problem—we’ve been using it now for two full campaigns. If teams can’t read it by now, if they can’t predict it by now, if they don’t know how to counter it by now, then they deserve everything they get.
But if they have figured it out and we don’t change, we deserve everything we get. And today, we got what we deserved.
We face this team again at Hampden. Right now, they’ll fancy their chances, because they know how to play against us. And we’ve got a very, very tough final awaiting us—if we get there. I’ll tell you now, we better play a hell of a lot better than we did today. Not just in the semi, but in the final and for the rest of the domestic campaign.
Because what should have been a procession is turning—has already turned—into a stumble and a trip across the line.
And if Rodgers isn’t concerned, he damn well should be.
Another lacklustre 1st half display with no urgency or intent,we’ve lost 3 of our past 6 League games. In those losses we’ve been down 2-0 at half time in two of them, and 1-0 down at half time in the other.We are not a good team at the moment, the form and goals of Maeda has covered for a lot of deficiencies, he had an off day today and my God it showed. Our defence is fragile at cross balls and our M/F has been mediocre at best. Kuhn shouldn’t have been a starter for the past couple of games, he looks tired and out of sorts.
BR, his coaching staff and players let themselves and the fans down bigtime today, the scene was there for the start of a party leading up to Saturday,what a letdown that was.
No plan B but quite honestly if we had started the game positively we wouldn’t have needed one. Lennoxtown had better be a busy place this week, the complacency of the past few weeks had better be booted right oot the park.
You all need to chill out a bit, been a long season give them a break man. Rather have them have few bad games after the hard work for the season is done. We can all start flapping when it’s a really important game we lose. They ain’t robots/perfect, can’t win them all.
Leigh – its not the getting beat (or having bad games) – they are humans not robots as you say – its the MANNER of the defeats/bad games AND the REPETITIVE NATURE of them – each one has the same issue – slow, pedestrian, side to side, tippy tappy play between defenders and midfielders allied to criminal defending at set-pieces. That is what managers and coaches are paid (extremely handsomely in Brendan’s case !!) to sort out. And don’t kid yourself on that its a few bad games at the end of the season – we have been like it in MOST games all season long but generally our quality has eventually overcome the cannon-fodder of the SPFL later in the game. Trust me if you don’t see the obvious issues/signs in our shape, style, play, players then you’re in for a rude-awakening the day the Huns finally get themselves a half-decent manager!!
Another thing that seems tae just go by without any great attention, is we have an obvious big weakness when it comes tae set pieces. Every season. It’s been the same for season after season and under different managers. So its nae coincidence, that 2 in that dug out in particular, have been present all this time through these seasons and that’s kennedy and Strachan.Theyre obsessed with their continual ‘zonal marking’ shit and its been obvious theyre no gettin that right either. Tae think these 2 have nothin tae dae with organising our defence, is bein extremely naive. What are they in that dug out for all these seasons ? Moral support ?
Certain players need dropped to know they do not get to remain in the team just because they are “first pick”
CCV, AJ, Kuhn, Engels & Maeda or Jota should be dropped out for the next game.
I’d actually completely change the front 3 for the start to really make the point if you aren’t performing then you won’t start.
Forrest & Yang were a breath of fresh air when they came on with trying to go slightly more direct. James actually looked very sharp considering how long he has been out. If he’d has hid shooting boots on he could have & probably should have had a goal.
Games like these show we need additional players & perhaps some players who have a different style to change our dynamics.
I think BR should possibly start looking at putting Kuhn on the left for a while. Every defender knows what he is going to do on the right so adding that unpredictability to his game again could do wonders.
As you say a season where we were discussing what points tally we could achieve, how many goals we could end up scoring has now turned into a fumble over the line & has certainly currently taking some of the shine off of what has been an outstanding season.
I believe some players are still jaded from being knocked out of Europe. It seems that we have lost a few gears since being put out.