Celtic Banter Archive September 13 2015

13 Sep 2015 22:58:38
I've said it before but how can Ronnie seriously think we are stronger this year after the transfer window. Last season we probably needed a skilful centre mid a decent forward and left back, and probably a defensive midfielder. This season we still need the same plus a new central defensive partnership. If griffiths gets banned for his refs comments where are the goals going to be scored from? I have to say the league form is bad just very worried what the teams in the Europa group could do to us when we are in bad form

13 Sep 2015 23:29:58
@quinn1888. How stupid is Griffiths. He knows that we are short handed up front and that he is going to have to fight Cifti for the lone striker roll and he comes out with that statement. I will be amazed if he is not banned. So much for him maturing and settling down!

14 Sep 2015 11:47:53
Robbie Neilson,John Hughes ,only two weeks ago openly on television slaughtered two referees for their performances ,and very little is made in the press regarding their comments.Leigh Griffiths voices his opinion and they want him dealt with by the authorities,typical anti Celtic country.killy.

14 Sep 2015 12:19:42
Killy mate stop with the paranoia, there were several open debates I read in articles online, watched on sportscene and STV news and such like questioning Neilson and John Hughes comments on refs, particularly Neilsons comments on Willie Collum suggesting he felt he had an agenda against Hearts and knew Collum would send one of his players off which was why they had practiced with ten men before the game. People debating whether his comments were too far or not on Collum. As someone who was taught by Willie Collum at R.E in High School I can confirm he has no agenda or affiliation with ANY football team. His only passion if for refereeing and whilst he may not be very good at that(Although I thought he had a great game in the Super Cup)I can tell people he has no agenda after having several chats with him on the subject at school as to who he supported. There were actual rumours of Partick Thistle believe it or not but I didn't believe that, he just wants to get to the highest level refereeing, think his next aim is getting to a Euro finals or World Cup finals.

Anyway, going off subject with that ramble, point is Griffiths has been silly here and should have known better, his comments basically suggested has an agenda against Celtic which you can't do as a player and will probably cop a two game ban or something.

14 Sep 2015 12:22:34
There are a thousand clichés he could of rhymed off "some decisions don't go your way, I can't say too much on the matter without repercussions" etc. Players/managers should really of got the hang of this by now but fall into these traps giving the press columns to fill. Stupid thing to say were you know honest negative opinions are punished. Sterile suggestions are all that's allowed.

13 Sep 2015 22:00:46
Most of our posters (including me) are crying out for a quality striker but what striker worth going after would want to come to us when you see the service that we provide our existing strikers? My other concern is that by playing the single striker, we take the pressure off the opposing defenders because we never look like breaking quickly and in numbers, so they are not nervous when they attack us like they were in the past. Celtic park, it's a fortress, unfortunately somebody has opened the back gate.

13 Sep 2015 22:55:56
No point in crying out for a quality striker ,if they are not going to give him any service.

13 Sep 2015 19:15:05
I was one of the people that was pleased that we got RD I thought we needed to freshen things up. Now I am not to sure what is going on as far is do we think the board is backing RD with the finances he thinks we need at a sensible level?
Or is RD saying we need defenders and not a playmaker or a striker?
As I have said before on here we should be so far in front of other teams on here apart from the very odd hick up we should be running away with the league every year, (Not as a god given right) but because the finances we have compared to the rest of the league. but sadly lack of investment and poor choice of players brought in are in part I am sure to blame some were panic buys have got us to where we are now pre Martin O Neill era. Way forward we all know what sort of players we needed to bring in so QUESTION who IS it to blame? the board? or RD? I really don't know any more

13 Sep 2015 18:04:08
Just two weeks ago the majority of folk on here were calling for the board to be sacked. That this time they weren't just going to sit back and they weren't going to just let the board carry on bla bla bla. Well fast forward a fortnight and it seems the blame has already been deflected. PL must be the happiest man in Parkhead right now.

13 Sep 2015 20:54:44
jim ,, if rd is as bad as his critics believe then the boards day of reckoning is coming very soon ,,,,,but if rd turns it around wins treble and has el run do we then not praise their foresight??

13 Sep 2015 21:33:20
The ed is convinced that Ronnie won't be sacked and I totally understand why but peter and Dermot won't be long in changing their tune when Ronnie start's costing them money rather than saving them it .

13 Sep 2015 21:35:08
Said before. The appointment of RD did a bit of making up between me and the board. They haven't backed him as much as they could though. No where near. And i'm back to being done with them. It's the board that has our coaches hands tied. Like the coach before him. We're constantly trimming. We shop in a market where you're going to pick up a bit of shite. The ones that do come good inevitably leave. I mean, we sell a CB for 13m and replace him for 3m. No questions asked. We're just a pointless cycle that doesn't put enough back into the side. ZERO this summer. The paying fans are being mugged.

13 Sep 2015 23:21:08
jimtim you know we never paid at for vvd .we are buying the new boyfor more than we paid for vvd I think you are a bit harsh on that one, I do agree they should have invested more of the money coming in

13 Sep 2015 17:19:05
Simple! Do the maths. Compare return on investment between Celtic & Aberdeen. Cause Gross mis management. Simply lost the plot. Change now or dismal season awaits.

13 Sep 2015 16:28:09
Guys I will repeat myself here and say that I don't want RD sacked but I feel he is not up to the task. All the evidence supports this SO FAR.I seriously hope he can turn it round but the football I watching is not good to watch.
This is only my opinion mind you and you can make your own I sure, but I wish the excuses would stop.
No 1 Excuse : Blame the board ie not been backed, did the previous manager not have this problem. Yet it seems they were Lennons signings then but now it seems its the boards fault for signings.
No 2 excuse: Blame John Park,yet again JP was at the helm with the previous manager, see above for fault of signing bad players etc.
No 3 excuse: He needs time to get a settled team etc.It doesn't look like he wants 1 because as soon as we have 1 he changes it.
No 4 excuse:He is trying to revolutionise our club, WHY? we were winning the league by a country mile before he came in and getting to CL and last 16.Now I all for change if its for the better but not for change sake.
My biggest fear is it takes us years to get to winning the league by 30 points and to get into the CL.
EXACTLY where we were in the 1st place so what's the point of it.
Agreed sometimes you need to take a step back to go forward sometimes. But not at the cost of going on 40 m (CL money).
Also did anyone seriously think when we got in CL and last 16 that we could go any further? Not me that was us peaking and unless some serious money was spent there was no chance and we don't have serious money.
Jeez we even had a better record in the CL than Man City at the time and they spent hundreds of millions.

13 Sep 2015 17:41:42
When you say excuse they're more like reasons mate.

I said there were qualities of Lennon's managerial style we'd miss. If anything that bit fight and grit. And i've said the more i've warmed to RD the more I think he'd benefit us with more of a back seat role perhaps? I certainly think he should be kept on to some capacity. Definitely not sacked at this stage.

Tactically he has made some blunders. I'll not sit here and pretend everything is going well just now. Again repeating myself but do you pick players for a system or a system for players? He's stuck a bit in no mans land at the moment and not just the Malmo and Aberdeen games but there has been countless efforts to get the ball up to the striker as quick as possible. Humping the ball up to LG is hopeless it really is. RD needs to strike a balance or come up with a plan B. Even his former coach was saying last week he was surprised we didn't keep the ball but instead just lobbed it forward.

REASON no.1: Blame the board. Yes. Entirely. Lennon had players forced on him too you know. This window the board put NOTHING into the side. After fees and wages we've made/trimmed 12-13m this summer. The figures released showing a loss don't include the Virgil money btw.

REASON no.2: Blame John Park. Again yes. For every good signing there's a few duds. Just as there was under Lennon.

REASON no.3: The settled team thing. He's been FORCED to make changes with sales, form, injuries etc. He said we'd use a squad, it seemed like he said that out of choice. Well he needs to now. Be a bit more ruthless and drop a few for a bit.

REASON no.4: Revolutionise the club. Why not? We were well behind the times in a few areas and even before RD came in we weren't exactly CL regulars. Not qualifying this year is a blow of course but I genuinely think that with the right investment, on the right players, with the right back room staff or tactical input, with a pinch of time and a dusting of patience we can be CL regulars.

13 Sep 2015 18:11:21
Jim Tim and Rayman. You list a load of mistakes he is making and reasons why he is failing but say I don't want him sacked! Well hell mend you. If you are willing to watch him dismantled this club then crack on. not for me. Can't think of any any any reason to keep him.

13 Sep 2015 18:54:20
Jim exactlty my point just before RD we WERE CL regulars. If its not broken!!

13 Sep 2015 19:06:03
Who would you bring in johnny and why? Would you like to keep Deila in any capacity?

13 Sep 2015 19:37:04
OK rayman so NL got us there twice but how long did it take him?

13 Sep 2015 21:02:32
It's not about how long it took our last manager he's history it's about how long it's likely to take Ronny? Maribor and Malmö was as easy as you could get for final qualifiers.

13 Sep 2015 21:40:28
No. 3 The settled team thing,but Ronnie was doing this last season as well,the team would play well one week then he'd change something about for the next week,for no reason it seemed than he likes to change the team about,why did'nt he play Simunovic against Aberdeen,if he's going to play him against Ajax,at least he'd a game to get to know his teammates strenghs and weakness'ss,or if he's not going to play him,why has he been bought,same with Allan,the team lacks creativity ,why's he not getting a game

13 Sep 2015 21:44:35
It's about people calling for a mans head that hasn't been given as much of a chance as others. It's about calling for a managers head after how many games of the season? How have we started this season compared to last? We're not a CL club because we refuse to operate like one.

13 Sep 2015 22:55:08
@JImTim we are not a CL club because we cudnt beat Maribor and malmo simple as, no matter how we operate.
We would have bitten the hand off for those 2 teams 2 qualify, don't u think?

13 Sep 2015 15:51:16
To green jhedi.you say utter nonsence and sticking up for r d ronny has done nothing he even got rid of berget we seen how crap he is in the malmo game eh? Paul lambert knows his stuff mate u don't manage premier league teams in england if u dont. Remind me of the last big club ronny was in charge of 2 thousand fans chating ronny out yesterday but u know better eh.ronny has had long enough to show us leave it any longer and aberdeen will be gone and too late the man is clueless.did big jock ever play one up front make 9 changes in inverness but you and ronnie know better eh

13 Sep 2015 16:38:03
Well that's probably the most stupid post I've seen on here and not because you seem to be championing paul lambert to replace rd because like miss Celtic fans I'm very fond of the guy as a player and a man, but that still wouldn't guarantee he would succeed as Celtic manager , I say it's the stupidity of your comments against Green Jedi as its direct dig at him , and just to make things clear in not going to get into a daft argument and tit for tat with you , having been on this site for a couple of years now there's only s handful of posters that make sense and who are worth reading ( ed 07, mrs e , timalloy, dn30 , GREEN JHEDI ) just to name a few , and your comments my friend are worth tuppence .

13 Sep 2015 16:38:57
are we not a big club? 2k. lambert had a whole stadium wanting rid of him ,689 lambert isn't the answer most villa fans didn't want him to begin with ,and plenty of duds have managed in England .having captained England gets you a srack at a job down there . look at the position around december and see where we stand as we are still recovering with the cl disappointment and rd isn't the pnly celtic manager who has fell at that hurdle

13 Sep 2015 17:17:02
I actually haven't replied to a post for years, but had to when I read this nonsense. I nearly fell off the chair when I heard you slating Ronny for not keeping Berget,(I think the fee we had agreed with Cardiff after the loan was £1.2 million) - not one season ticket holder I spoke to wanted him. The fact he was Norwegian didn't help Ronny , because it would have been seen as the old pals act if he had kept him. Bottom line - there would have been fans at the front door of Celtic Park wanting him sacked, saying he was deluded. So for you to say with the benefit of hindsight that he should have been kept on is a belter. Fans like you are the problem, you don't have a clue. Berget is an ok player, if he was going to be a saviour then we really all should just chuck it. We needed a manager like Deila 10 years ago. Martin O'Neil spent about £40 million and didn't leave the club 1 asset. He left us with a team that included Varga/Sutton/Lennon/Hartson to name a few, who were all in their 30,s and not worth a bean. O'Neil was a selfish manager, and super wide. We now have a manager who is trying to manage and sort out the rest of the club, - like Ed said, behind the scenes was draconian. He is a young manager, trying to learn on the job. His only fault is he is a little to naive and loyal. John Park has wasted fortunes over the last few years, and we've had guys behind the scenes running the youth setup who don't have a clue either. Stevie Frail has left, he is a scapegoat because they should all have left. We need someone from France/Holland/Belguim to run our youth setup. Clubs like Anderlecht, Ajax, PSV, Lyon are producing world class players every year. The current shambles is down to the players, the are a disgrace. If they don't get a grip I'll be at the front door of Parkhead wanting them out. The should be training more, not less, it is a brass neck watching some of them. Ronny has to be more ruthless, that's my only complaint. Come Jan we also have to get rid of a good few, and let the manager build something better. Guys like Johanssen, Boyata etc can't just be guaranteed a game, they have been rotten for a couple of Months, and Ambrose/Stokes/Commons/McGregor are very very average. There is not one player that Would leave me heartbroken if they were sold, but our manager has had all this put on him. Denayer was his signing, because of his Man City links, so was Boyata, who hasn't impressed so far, I think Blacket and the new Croatian lad were his signings, but they only arrived last week! He has to be firmer, do what he believes in, what he did in Norway, and if he fails he can at least say he was true to himself. The players better start showing him and the fans more respect though, because whatever you say about Ronny, you can't say he isn't working his bollocks off!

13 Sep 2015 21:53:31
Why has Kriss Commons been getting so few games this year,or since Ronnie took over,presumably because Ronnie does'nt think he is fit enough,Ronnie has many faults like picking the wrong players and playing the wrong system and not trying to get a settled team,but I think he is obsessed with the fitness angle,he has to learn sometimes a team has to accomadate a player who might not be upto his fitness requirements but brings more to the team than someone who is fitter than a butchers dog

13 Sep 2015 12:13:00
why don't we get big tony mowbary . good celtic man . started the huddle .

13 Sep 2015 13:12:20
Great idea my jaw is just about recovered and I am ready to take it on the chin all season

13 Sep 2015 14:35:01
"Celtic minded" is he?

There's some fickle folk on here. Noticed there were a few posters on yesterday who crawled out of the cracks. Looking at past 5 posts they only seem to get on when we lose.

The same people who were "backing RD from day one" are calling for his head after two bad results. He needs more than a season to lay the foundations he's trying to. He needs time, that equation hasn't changed after two games. He's having to deal with new inferior players all the time and can't get a settled defence and doesn't have striker capable of that role. RD is not without criticism but knee jerk reaction is not the word. One poor soul was even suggesting Big Sam yesterday.

Thought the dust might have settled a wee bit but no, and i've just done the great north run today so can't be f*cked.

Goodnight.

13 Sep 2015 16:35:58
It's not just a couple of bad results, it's the way we have been playing all season and the lack of form, fitness and ability from the whole team (with the exception of Griffiths).
We are pedestrian and predictable in possession and our passing and tackling is very poor.
The team that finished last season compared to this is night and day - and it's virtually the same players.
The high pressing, slick passing game that he has been working on for a year seems to be a myth and there are certain players who have lost faith in the system or can't adapt to it.
We are losing goals too easily and regularly and many of the support are worried at the quality of players we are bringing to the club. There seems to be a lack of confidence and direction from the dug-out to the pitch.

13 Sep 2015 08:47:48
Not posted for a while so bear with me guys.

Reading through the posts re yesterday,and as poor as the display was,are some of us going right off the deep end here? Look,we all hurt when Celtic lose,more so in the toothless fashion shown v the sheep,But as ED pointed out it was a game that was never a given.

I posted weeks ago that I thought Aberdeen might present a real challenge to us,i was in the main told I was wrong.I don't want to say told you. but I did!

Lets get the possible excuses out the way. Weather.Pretty flimsy as both teams have to play in it. Defence.It was always risky playing new players in this particular game.I believe if Izzy had been home from the internationals he would have started.Now to our newest scapegoat,Boyata. For the first goal he was rash and stupid.Not because he fouled the guy,i still say he backed into him and fell,But because he let the player position himself to con him.

Which in turn leads to the Ref. This is one of Scotland's highest ranked,or Elite as UEFA will tell you,Ref's. The other being Collum.Enough said there eh? The decision not to send the Aberdeen player off at the penalty was nothing short of a disgrace.Three yards from goal and no clear scoring opportunity? There was also the kick at Lustigs body,a by product of which saw him catching a knee to the head,while the whistle had went to stop the game!

Sadly this is not the worst of yesterday.I could go round the players,but what's the point? We all know the game and we know who 'phoned it in'. The worst is the stick RD seems to be getting from our own support. The press,and I have to mention Keevins directly here,are dying for this guy to fail. If you swallow their drivel then more fool you frankly,but it gets worse.Some clowns seem to be equating us with sevco.Why?


Schrodinger FC are not in the same league,so why waste a second on them? Seems some of us are dreading drawing them in a cup,again why? They play in a league that the standard is not at all great.They are playing three up top,would they do it against an SPL team? We will soon find out. My advice? Forget them and support us.

As for the Ronny must/should/will go mob,really? When he arrived some on here,and I include myself in this,were genuinely excited.I still am. This was never a quick fix,or as ED put it a 'light switch moment' (some lovely meeting talk there mate!). This is an overhaul of our whole club,from top to bottom. I still Believe some day we will be sick at the thought of him leaving. I still think we are lucky to have him. Will he make mistakes,as a young manager of course he will. Will I still back him? Of course I will.

13 Sep 2015 13:11:14
GJ much as I appreciate your points I can't see where there is any evidence on the pitch of RD becoming the manger you propose. I have yet to see him do something exciting or radical in a game which changes things in our favour. He can't deviate from the system no matter the threat of the opposition. This idea that he will only focus on our team is naive and nonsense. Good coaches and managers know the strengths and threats of the opposition and make consideration to counter them. Our team is wide open and any team can score against us we have lost eight goals in the league this season, we can't defend set pieces and RD seems incapable of any flexibility. I truly would love him to be successful but I just can't see what people imagine to be just round the corner. The claims he has made have not come to fruition, the team is not fitter and we lose more goals now in the final ten minutes of games than we ever have, we don't play a high tempo pressing game, our build up is pedestrian and our single forward is increasingly more isolated. This is a tactical and managerial failure. Some may have a view that we should keep him because we won't attract anyone better, fair enough, I may be pessimistic but I fear he does not have the experience or knowledge to stop this slide. In terms of PL I probably like others are sick to death with the policy of selling our best players, and I think I have to recognise the pressure on RD and the managers before him off having to build a team evy year, at some point this must go wrong

13 Sep 2015 13:39:41
gj,,when he arrived his formation was a rigid 433, and we were promised high tempo , fitter, pressing ,atackimg football team, this never worked and we have ended up with this 4411/451 system and the football still hasn't improved to his ideals/promises in fact we are pedestrian in our play now so were does the fault/blame lie he has brought in a whole new team but still plays the players who aren't good enough .this is a progressive young coach/manager we were told so is that were the problem lies is he a coach or a manager . there have been great acclaimed coaches who couldn't handle the managers job?are we too big a club that he is overwhelmed with the pressure and is he still too inexperienced too handle this?we know his hands are tied financially but we know even our poor players were/are capable of playing in an spl winning team , I listened to him and liked what I heard but it isn't showing itself in the current football and we seem to have stalled , has rd peaked or is this just work in progress that has hit a rough patch .how long do we then wait to make that judgement, I don't think we should turf him out now but come the winter window and we are still as limp as we are now a decision needs to be made , you know what sums the club for me just now is stokes ,,,he is good enough for spl but not Europe , we don't want him, but we won't sell him and won't play him

13 Sep 2015 13:48:10
This overhaul of our club from top to bottom was needed is utter crap. What I will say is the time RD and JC are finished with our club that is exactly what will be needed. Can anybody hand on heart say this is a fitter Celtic than previous years? To watch our defence repeating the same mistakes week in week out can only be down to poor coaching. Our standards have dropped so far we have gone from being a regular CL team to a team struggling to win a one horse race. How we have gone from being 30 to 40 points better than the rest pre Sevco to having a fight on our hands is astonishing. Aberdeen haven't improved that much their Euro efforts this season prove that, they are no better than the teams in previous years that have filled 3rd spot. RD and JC have got to go purely because no improvement has been shown in their 16 months in charge only deterioration.

13 Sep 2015 14:31:41
All of the above are valid points,no question. What I fear is that,as usual,players are walking away from this unscathed.My worry is that the players are not listening.I agree the pressing seems to have stopped,but why? Hands up I was surprised by his subs yesterday. GMS off and Commons or Allen on to spread the game and make Aberdeen run was my shout early in the second half.We also started to hit long balls,again why? Who instructed them to do that?

Are these rumours of some type of barry the crab revolution true?

13 Sep 2015 16:01:11
Agree with GJ, need more creativity I the team that is the issue up front, we aren't creating chances to finish teams off never mind the problems in defence but we still don't bring on commons?. Boyata is having a poor start to his career but he must be a decent player for himTo be in Belgium squad and signed by man city but might be best to drop him for a coiple of games so he knows that he has to fight for his place and learn to attack the ball. Think RD needs to shake it up a bit as we are too predictable, 3-5-2 would suit us I think

13 Sep 2015 16:09:49
GJ players only ever revolt when they know something is wrong.

13 Sep 2015 10:20:13
Celtic lose £3.9 mill to June 2015! We sold Foster for £10 mill but only made £6.8 mill due to write down for players we allowed to leave. We have now sold VVD and we may lose the same amount this season? Now we have no more £10 mill players left to sell so where do we now go for money? Unless we have CL participation we won't be losing £4 mill but £10 or £11 mill. Not getting CL over 2 seasons has cost £30 mill And all the best players have gone? What is going to happen now!

13 Sep 2015 13:08:21
What should happen is you calm down and stop listening to a poisonous media mate. How much do you think it takes to run Celtic? This is why we need to develop young players.

13 Sep 2015 13:17:22
The boards shite bag strategy is doing what all of us who haven't our heads stuck up Lawell's arse said it would.

We are a shambles. No ambition. Hope to qualify before buying. Sell our best players when it suits them and not us.

Bet the spiv hasn't gone without a bonus on any if the years we git our baws booted out of the CL.

CL qualification should be the only trigger fir any bonus.

Why should the overpaid Delboy even get a bints at all?

Fir winning the league minus the gers?

My cat could win the league with our squad last year.

Maybe not this year though as we have bought a Fud if a CB in Boyata. No striker brought in. No creative midfielder and a cb that the fans if his old club are pissing themselves
In between Hugh giving that they git shot of him for such a sum.

We get beat by the dons after another set if defensive balls ups, no penetration and a team that knows to fall back and let our final baw end up where it always does, naewhere

But let's keep the faith eh?

My arse.

13 Sep 2015 18:20:16
Green Jedi I don't need to calm down. You need to learn how to read a set of financial accounts. What I am telling you is fact based on turnover of £51 mill and current cost from last season. So stop sticking your head up your backside and start to understand the finances. I will keep it simple for you. We made a profit of £6.8 mill from transfers. We lost £3.9 mill, so to break even we need this year to make £10.8 mill from transfers just to break even. Fact. No point in any argument about it that is Where we are. So don't tell me about listening to the poisonous media facts are facts.

13 Sep 2015 10:08:57
Paul lambert would come in and have this team rocking.he knows celtic inside out please pl get ronny away how did he ever get to manage the mighty hoops he probably didn't even know where celtic park was

13 Sep 2015 11:38:58
I refer you to my comment above.

13 Sep 2015 12:08:05
Get ronny out now

13 Sep 2015 12:08:59
Gj are you happy to stick with that clueless clown deila?

13 Sep 2015 09:52:33
Peter go and get paul lambert now he is waiting for the call and ronnie can go look at scott brown how he played under lenny it is so far away from where we were at two seasons ago aberdeen took the piss yesterday what a joke

13 Sep 2015 11:39:58
Are you for real? Remind me of Lamberts recent coaching record will you.

13 Sep 2015 12:24:50
Lambert done very good work at norwich

13 Sep 2015 00:37:51
Has anyone seen much of logan bailly? Is he any better than gordon? Mind ye it wouldn't take much to be better than gordon

{Ed007's Note - And on that note I think I shall bid you goodnight (yes)

12 Sep 2015 23:12:51
Ed, just seen your post down the page saying RD will not be replaced. Are u really sure about that because if u were at the game today and stayed behind with the near 2'000 travelling fans u would clearly have heard what they think. Not saying I agree but the chants of "Deila must go" were pretty clear

{Ed007's Note - Thankfully the board doesn't pay much attention to knee jerk reactions after a match and I doubt any of them heard it. They showed their loyalty in the past when they stuck by the previous manager who had a worst start than RD has.
Were any the fans saying how we are two points better off than this time last year when they wanted the manager sacked?
I wonder if that's the same fans that moaned last season that RD should be sacked for not winning the treble, or the same fans that wanted him sacked for taking 2 days off during an international break to visit his young daughters and took in 2 international matches during his break? Or the same fans that wanted him sacked for forcing professional footballers getting paid £1000s a week to train harder and look after their health and fitness better.
There's been fans who wanted RD sacked since the day he got the job, some even to the extent they can't wait to gloat and even enjoy seeing any mistakes.
I've said it a million times before, the position we find ourselves in is because of long term neglect of the standard of player recruitment and the entire footballing side was run, RD has dragged CFC into the modern game behind the scenes with the latest techniques, technology and equipment used by all the top teams, it was never going to be a lightswitch effect, it was always going to take time.
Were the fans happy with the players' performances today, why is it RDs fault GMS is looking like a waste of a jersey and that our two most influential players in Brown and Johansen are both in a form slump? You can't blame the manager for the performances I've seen off a lot of CFC players over the last week.
Is Craig Gordon exempt from criticism about today?
Let's look at this from realistic point of view, we lost what is traditionally a tricky away tie to the team that finished second in the league last season, would you rather lose to Aberdeen 7 games into the league season or in a semi-final in April when were at the business end of the season?
CFC will comfortably win the league this year and hopefully go one better than last season and claim a treble, we gave our previous manager until his third season in charge before getting CL football and people want RD sacked for losing a league game to away to Aberdeen? Anyone who thinks CFC won't win the league this year really isn't worth listening to.
RD has already won the same amount of trophies it took NL two season to win and RD has given us European football until Christmas at least (and qualified to KO stages in the EL) twice, in NL's first season we had no European football and his second season was the group stages of the EL, I want to know what are fans comparing us to to warrant calling for the manager's head after a defeat away to Aberdeen caused by a GK's mistake?
I think it's a bit of perspective some fans need.
P.S. That's not aimed specifically at you, Gary, before you think I'm having a pop at you (yes)}

13 Sep 2015 02:10:29
All that's fine Ed the club needed bringing up to date, the problem is he can't manage the team, it was today not for the first time a total shambles, we never have the same defence never mind the same team two games running. Johanssen has been struggling yet he plays him wide right which is surely not going to get the best from him. I could go on about players not being up to scratch or played out of position but the bottom line is it's the mangers responsibility, he prepares the team and seems unable to alter his approach if things don't go our way. The comparisons with NL are a bit unfair as we have discussed before NL inherited a complete shambles and had to rebuild a team in one way that worked in his favour as progress was visible. the problem for RD is the team seems to be going backwards and it is difficult to see how it will improve

{Ed007's Note - If we can't compare him with NL who are we to compare him with, seriously Grouto?
And RD has had a shambles to clear up with a lot less money than NL had invested in the team, Juarez the Mexican(??) lad, quality like Hooper against Ciftci, and it goes on... Hasn't RD had to rebuild a team as well?
So who or what should we compare him to, what's the yardstick we're measuring him against? Man City? Jose's off to a bummer at Chelsea, do you think Anbramovich is taking advice because he's thinking of sacking him? And I'd rather have RD than a dinosaur like Van Gaal any day.
I've compared us to teams in Holland, Belgium, Switzerland etc and got shot down for that, teams and clubs that took time to build up and perfect a system of a well organised team, that ticks along nicely producing players, spending money on the right players to improve the team and earning their level of CL money. These teams change manager/coach and that's it, the new guy only tweaks the system - even bigger club's with mega money do it now, how much say do managers at Barca or Real Madrid get on transfers, even at Chelsea there's more important opinions on players than Mourinho's.
To judge someone you need to have something to judge them against, if not our previous manager then I'm lost. I don't see what people are judging RD against to be calling for his head tonight.
Excuse the spelling, I'm on my tablet here.}

13 Sep 2015 02:15:19
If Ronny doesn't start getting ruthless with certain players(GMS, Mulgrew, Boyata)and out of form players(Brown, Johansen) as you've mentioned by dropping them then these players will eventually cost Ronny his job imo because they have proved time and again that they aren't up to task.

I don't think Ronny has the balls to do it personally and sadly this will cost him. Stevie Woods also needs to do some work with Gordon in commanding his box better, perhaps Gordon is afraid to come out and punch in case he gets injured so it may be a mental thing but he needs to work on it because we've lost quite a few goals now from this in the last few games. My team against Ajax would be.

----------------------------Gordon---------------------------

----Janko----------Lustig(c)----------Simunovic--------Izzy---

---------------------Bitton-----------Rogic-------------------

--------McGregor-----------Commons---------------Allan--------

---------------------------Griffiths---------------------------

Lustig as captain, Commons vice captain in this game.

Bench: Bailly, Blackett, Ambrose, Forrest, Ciftci, Tierney, Johansen.

Forrest perhaps on for McGregor or Allan(If whoever are playing poorly). Not too fussed with other subs after that just there for cover.

Discard the rest, the likes of Mulgrew, Boyata, Brown, GMS, Armstrong, Boeriggter and Stokes SHOULD not be travelling. I wouldn't even bring guys like Ciftci and Johansen either but we need players to make up the bench.

Ronny it's time to act now and do this before it's too late, this is the sort of team I want to see on Thursday night as I would be semi confident in this team rather than a team with the likes of Brown, Mulgrew, GMS, Boyata and Johansen being a part of it.

Would like to see how this team would cope.

{Ed007's Note - Sounds a bit drastic but it would send out a message lol imagine he done it and we got humped? I'd be off to North Korea before you lot even logged on here. I'm hoping Simunovic can sort the defence out, I'm looking forward to seeing him, he sounds like my kind of player and without sounding stereotypical I'm hoping he's harder than a coffin nail, you don't get many light on their loafers CBs from that neck of the woods, hopefully another on the park leader, something I felt VVD was lacking in his game.
I want to see big Simunovic with a blood soaked bandage on his head bug eyed throbbing vein screaming into the GB corner after scoring the goal that takes us into the EL KO stages!
Wait a couple of weeks though and you'll probably see posts that he's a bombscare and a red card waiting to happen. Pedro forbid we give a 21 yr old a bit of time to settle in, get up to speed and get to know the club and his team mates.
Has nobody noticed the amount of changes to what looks like our starting XI? People wanted Izzy dropped, we dropped him for Mulgrew as people wanted and got rag dolled and dumped out the CL, we bring in Blackett, play him at LB with Mulgrew in the middle, lose to Aberdeen and Blackett gets slaughtered!
And while the manager is building a brand new defence, we lost a game to Aberdeen without our latest big signing CB by an accumulation of poor individual performances and another GK error people want him sacked!
Bonkers!}

13 Sep 2015 11:49:04
ED. Ronny knew when he took the job what the position was as regards the board signing players, it hasn't been sprung on him.
The only way you can judge him is on the way he prepares the players for matches, and from what I've seen, in the major matches we are coming up short.
Alex Neil did a good job at Hamilton, he got them promoted, and established them in the Premier league. He is now doing a good job at Norwich. I don't see clubs from England falling over themselves to get Ronny as manager.
If Ronny was happy to take the job knowing the restrictions he would be under, then I can't see what's wrong in judging him under those conditions.
If he isn't to be judged on the performance of his team when they lose, is it right that he takes the credit if the team wins.

13 Sep 2015 13:20:59
Ed you and I have completely different views on NL I don't think we will ever agree. The main point of my post is not comparisons but current performances and I stand buy my view that the team is a shambles, teams with poorer players than we have are better organised and play to their strengths at the minute our system seems to diminish our players, for me that is a tactical and managerial failure

{Ed007's Note - Teams that were better organised beat NL's teams as well, how many CL qualifiers did he fail in and we never had any European football in his first season, yet we reached the KO stages of the EL in RD's first season. So were in a better position going into RDs second season than we were going into NLs second, the facts speak for themselves mate. Weren't Braga and Utrecht better organised teams than NLs when they put us out of both the CL and EL in the qualifiers - that meant no European football in NLs first season, then in the second year the Sion debacle let us in the back door.
And as you say, RD is being provided a poorer standard of player to work with than NL was, and yet he's still in a better position and been more successful than NL was going into his second season.
Try to detach from the emotional tie to NL, did NL have a more successful first season than RD? No. European wise we're at the same level we were in NLs second season, the EL group stages.
At this point in NLs managerial time with us he had won one cup and had just qualified for Europe for the first time. He was getting players like Forster, Wanyama and Hooper, Ledley etc brought in while RD has won a double, reached the KO stages of the CL and is getting muck like Craig Gordon, Ciftci, and Scott Allan.
So who or what are you comparing RDs team to that you think warrants his sacking? He's off to a better start than our last manager and no matter how you try and dress it up that's the facts of it - you can go and look if you don't believe me.
We don't want to go down the 'Celtic minded' road I don't think, that was covered extensively last year when some (probably the same ones?) wanted him sacked - even though he had a better debut season than our previous manager and the fact that our previous manager also lost a SC semi final and a league that was still winnable when he took over in March of the previous season. NL won ONE of the first five domestic trophies he managed us in and didn't give us any European football at all in his first season.
Are you denying this?}

13 Sep 2015 14:31:17
Ed I am pointing out that the current team is a shambles, the comparison with NL is false because they were starting form different situations, remember RD inherited a squad which had won the league by a massive points margin. We are not better off now at this point in the managerial tenure as you claim because the team is getting progressively worse, surely you recognise the deficiencies of the managers tactical approach, I hope I am wrong but I don't believe he can turn it round. I have grave concerns about our ability to cope in the Europa league, surely to god we are not going to go from accepting we are not a CL team to having to admit we are not even at a standard to compete in the Europa league within a month

{Ed007's Note - I have no idea what you're on about then unless you can tell me what you're comparing RD and the team to. Are you saying we aren't in a better position than we were after NL's first full season in charge? If the team is getting worse why are we in a better position in Europe than NL was after his first full season in charge? I just don't get it and until you decide on what you're comparing RD's team with there's no point carrying on this conversation as we're just going round in circles.
Outside the damp squib transfer window the only thing I'm unhappy about is our failure to reach the CL and I put the blame for that firmly at the players' feet.
I used to read posts about how the players had let NL and the fans down etc when we got dumped out of cup after cup by the likes of Morton and put out of Europe - how times change eh?}

13 Sep 2015 19:05:27
OK let me be clear then I don't compare him to NL because NL took over a team that hadn't won't the league in three years and was up against a financially doped rangers. He took over after an abysmal defeat by st mirren and at the end of that season had half a team left. We sold Mcgeady and he built a team which lost the league I thought somewhat unluckily by a narrow margin while he was subjected to intolerable abuse and threats. I can only tell you my view that I was far happier with the progress of the team then than I am now under RD. RD inherited a team which had won the championship three years in a row with a raft of excellent players including commons who scored thirty goals in the prior season. The situations are so different it makes the comparison difficult, but if pushed I have to say the improvement under NL was far greater than anything RD has accomplished on the field. NL had a clear rebuilding job to do, I don't think RD had the same need and basically the changes he implemented have failed. So if you want a comparison my view is RD does not compare to NL