Celtic Banter Archive December 21 2014

21 Dec 2014 21:39:29
im happy with the formation we play cause if we change to 4-4-2 for the rest of the season we will then be swapping back to 4-2-3-1 for europe meaning players won't be used to it and will be up against better opponents

if it wasnt for bad mistakes and bad calls from the officials today we would of won comfortably 3 nil. dundee utd didn't really have chances in that game

as for the jg debate 4 games without a goal and we are all saying he isn't good enough? what's that all about? everyone was crying out for that boy finbogasson and he's something like 12 games without a goal, what i'm saying by this is that's what happens in football. strikers do go games without scoring

surely all these mistakes on a consistent basis will have opened the managers eyes and tbh there isn't a good time to be making mistakes but right before the transfer window opens might mean we will act and get a real good cb in

obviously rd will have targets picked out for who he wants and I for one can't wait til he has his own team

Couldn't agree more Kieran mate

Totally agree 4-4-2 is old fasioned now, and jg will get back to scoring, fickle bunch are fitba supporters.

@keiran I not sure if another CB will make much difference. If you notice when we attacking we only have the 2 cb sitting back and sometimes not even that. Both our full backs bomb forward and leave them exposed. when we defend we press high on the pitch and if the opposition get past it we exposed again as half our team are in oppositions half. Its high risk football and we have been found out even in the SPFL but esp Europe with this type of defending.Its a very rare thing to see our back 4 together and our midfield in front protecting them.

Finnbogason scored 2 the other night in the cup

@bravetart86 was finnbogasson not injured for a while and only getting used as a sub to get fitness up?

21 Dec 2014 17:06:36
I can honestly say this is the strangest celtic team I have ever seen. We all know when we play well in SPFL we will win, why is this not the case now we not having to beat much. We have a right winger yet most of our play goes down the left. We have the best defence we have had in years (last yr stats) so why they leaking bad goals. Imho we are a 1st half team and SJ typifies this, he plays well 1st half then disappears and our play drops. What sticks in my throat about today and other games is we dominate the game create more chances and yet the opposition have just as many shots on target as we do, how can this be? My only answer is we lack quality in the final 3rd not just today but other games as well. Sorry but I don't agree with the "we are still making chances " stuff, no point in making them if you don't put them away. Other point is we have Commons Griffiths Scepovic on the bench, how many goals are we missing all season by not playing them regularly? maybe 30 -40? When you look at our team it is not filled with goalscorers, the more goalscorers you have on the pitch the more you will score its not rocket science.RDs tactics seem to be score more than the opposition well what if we don't score and if that really the case why not fill your team with scorers because he doesn't seem too concerned about defending. You just need to see our European games away to see that RD goes all out attacking which is madness for me.

I agree with a lot of your points bud but if you put the 3 In that you say are goalscorers, who do you leave out?, as you could argue there are as much goals in stokes, Yohanson, Forrest, Guddetti. Any one of those 7 can have good/bad games and can score or draw blanks, you can't play them all. And to be fair to stokes, Yohanson and Guddetti in patticular (Forrest is just back so it's unfair to judge) they have all been scoring. I mean we would really have scored 2 today if the ref wasn't crap, and if Ambrose wasn't as bad at the back we wouldn't have lost the first goal. A 2-1 win against arguably the second best team in our league, played them off the park most of the game, and away from home, we would problably be relatively happy. Sorting out the defence has got to be priority for me. I do believe the goals will some soon. Markie

As I said before Markie if you want to sort the defence out its about more than Ambrose, we were equally weak when he wasn't in the team. VVD needs to be told his job is to defend not play inside left, if he won't then buy someone who is aggressive attacks the ball and marks the opposition centre forward none of which he does he also missed a sitter today yet very little criticism comes his way

Said it at the time I think big Johan is a huge miss.

Rayman did you see Commons when he came on, at every counter attack we had he slowed the play right down.

We were just unlucky today a good few howlers at the back from ambrose, the offside goal which couldn't have been any more on.

We had about four or five good chances in the last 15 mins, so how can we be a first half team if we are still battering at the oppositions door right to the final whistle.

@Frew, our goal was a lump up the park, LG hitting the post also a lump all in the last 10 mins I wudnt say we were battering the door. We must have 10 -15 good crosses per game why we not scoring from any of these? The ball was fizzed across the 6 yard box 3or 4 times, why no one on the end of this? Commons is accused of slowing the game down but he was only on 20 mins or so and I think he was the only player to have a go from outside the box who hit the target.We have too many players in the team who can't hit the target when shooting. For me LG hits the target most times so does KC and Scepovic looks like a goalscorer. KC and LG if played instead of Forrest and Stokes would score more imho.Why wudnt any manager want his team to score more goals or is his system more important.Football is about players not systems.

@Rayman If you think this is the strangest Celtic team you've ever seen you must be about 18. I can remember Macaris teams or the John Barnes team that had players that were that confused by his tactics they didn't even know where on the park they were meant to be playing. It's not like you to exaggerate things to have a go at Deila is it?

21 Dec 2014 15:29:26
Well, that was a tough one to take. Firstly I see Effie getting a load of stick for the first goal.Is he becoming our defences scapegoat? The pass inside took a bad deflection which deceived him in my opinion, the swing at the ball made it look more his fault than it actually was. Main culprit? VVD. drawn out left to cover, let his man get the ball inside and strolled out instead of bursting a gut to get in line with the defence.If he had done that Cifti would have been off, whether mclean would have given it is another story!

We hit the woodwork three times, had two, maybe three stonewall penalties denied, and dominated the game, that will not stop the Ronny haters though! This guy cannot legislate for players making basic errors, he can however clean them out.Today we carried too many passengers. Matthews, nothing short of shocking for weeks, I would have had him out the door after shirking a tackle v Hamilton. Sadly, pnce again the finger has to be pointed at Forrest.

We would all love to see the exciting winger we witnessed when he burst into the team, bit it looks as if he has no plan b when defenders don't dive in, as as for his final ball. FFS.But by far the worst, and this saddens me as there is talent there, was Guidetti. His contribution in the last few games has been very poor. Maybe the lone striker role is not for him, if not either change or drop him. Griffiths was on the pitch ten minutes and done more.Scepovic had a goal chopped off, which I am convinced would have helped us draw, unjustly. In fairness I thought Guidetti should have had a penalty, but honestly he hardly touched the ball all game.

Second goal? Where the feck was Mathhews, in the middle of the box instead of defending his post.This is really basic defending, he must have knew Utd had a man over. Last point, just to please ED, Gordon should have done better at the goal. He should have been off his line quicker to pressure Cifti. having said that we played pretty well possession wise so not a total nightmare.

Agree with a lot you say gj. We played well today but there are still too many passengers in the team. Forrest was shocking today and I don't think made one complete pass and don't get me started about his standing on the 18 yard line watching the second go in! Gudetti is struggling just now and I'd give Scepovic or Griffiths a start of team one of them up with JG.

Don't know of many RD Haters GJ? Bit strong mate IMO atvb jb7

Gj, Ambrose is the scapegoat because he's a complete bombscare and makes ridiculous mistakes throughout most games. We didn't have 2 or 3 stonewall penalties denied at all. We had the Guidetti one which tbh you'd be raging if it went against us. And finally Adam Matthews had to come in central at the second goal. He was supposed to be marking Armstrong but the centre halves both left their number 17(?) so he had to try and cover. Should have been a draw with the awful decision for offside though 100%

Rd must be wondering what we should do defensively, sign 2 in January as we all know VVD and Denayer will leave in summer. Give them time to settle and bond.

I like the no nonsense defending of Martin at Norwich but have no idea on a replacement for Virgil. Maybe Stranberg from Rosenborg.

I would let Kayal and Biton go and replace with Armstrong. Commons, Tonev, Berget, Wakaso can all leave in January, all have been disappointing and no value gained in keeping them.

Let's see what Calvin Miller can do, if he was playing in Europe he would probably already have made his mark. Come on Celtic get some young Scots on the pitch especially in domestic league games

Agree too, when the balls on one wing all the defenders cover that side which means the wing back moves more in to a CB position I couldn't believe when the ball was played in how much room there was behind the penalty spot surely anyone with eyes on the pitch would see that space and think maybe I should go in there and cover, Shocking amateur defending you see in Sunday league football. A lot of people might slate RD for our poor defending but i'm sure we have been working on it of late so it's no ones fault but the players

@Gj I have defended Effe but that was shocking defending not only did he fresh air it he then recouped it by getting behind Cifti and had him covered only to let a guy with his back to goal get a shot away without any real pressure.Any defender will tell you keep the forward facing away from goal and you doing ok. Apparantly that doesn't apply to him.

@Rayman Big Ambrose kicked fresh air because the the ball took a deflection off Biton. Not many players can change the direction their legs going once it's moving. If that's your rule then you must blame your man Gordon for the goal against Salzburg that deflected off big Efe. If it was Ambrose's fault yesterday it was Gordon's fault against Salzburg as they were both beat by a deflection off one of our own players, would you agree with that?

21 Dec 2014 14:51:29
Think today's POTD says it all really! Cannot for the life understand why we don't go with 4-4-2 domestically? If LG can do that in 12 mins what can he do in 90? We know he is never going to be up for a sainthood but ffs let him play!

Don't understand why then RD tries to salvage something then goes 4-4-2? agree with other poster Guidetti has went a bit off the boil & agree we were robbed/ref's rotten & unlucky today

Cifti could have been off inside a minute IMO no difference in what he did & Gomis did in the Hearts game!

Surely that argument is dismantled by the way we dominated play? Basic errors, from good players, cost us.

Sorry GJ but when we go a goal down in the backwater of Scottish Football it is far to easy for the opposing team to nullify/alienate a lone striker! then it requires a 4-4-2 to win it! why no go 4-4-2 get a good lead and then revert? Even if we go 1 down then we don't need to change shape surely

atvb jb7

21 Dec 2014 15:36:56
GJ, we did not have any good players I our 1st 11 and that is very concerning. Griffiths must be given his chance. Hail Hail

21 Dec 2014 14:09:24
I can't class that as a loss, penalty not given and a perfect goal chopped off for nothing should have been 3-2 defence was shocking but the ref was worse!

21 Dec 2014 13:43:18
Watching Ambrose trying to defend is painful, sorry but the guy is a donkey, cannot defend, cannot pass a waste of a jumper, he does not learn or appear to want to learn from his mistakes, why not play one of the kids Celtic would get a better more honest performance than the ones this clown Ambrose gives.
Also when was the last time Forrest put in a good cross?
Guidetti seems to have lost something recently and is way off the pace.

21 Dec 2014 14:41:04
AMBROSE!! what more does this guy have to do to be put out the team! I've honestly never witnessed a worse celtic player in my time supportin the hoops! If delia doesn't get another centre half in January I don't think I can watch! It's that bad! Shockin!! And I know they've both been injured but Forrest and in particular Matthews have both been woeful!! Plus points are biton and defo johanssen! Both stepped up there game! Also think wee griffiths is due a run in the team! The boys a natural goalscorer!

21 Dec 2014 13:16:42
What is Chris Suttons problem? Has he been given a bung just to criticise everything Celtic? He's turned into a prized pr&*%.
Otherwise slack pass lead to the goal, sorry but Ambrose only had a second to react he missed timed it and from that angle the ball was basically right at Gordon but he decided to fall like a big pansy. I'm with you ED I think he comes under the same catergory as Degea when he does the stuff he should be doing he's a world class keeper. But they fail to point out all the mistakes they make.

Dont no how you can blame Gordon for any of todays performance. Big Effe made another blunder for the first, could have put the ball out for a throw in for the second and what was Forrest doing leaving Matthews with two players to mark?

{Ed007's Note - (rofl)

Can you name one world class goalkeeper who's never made mistake, anyway it was'nt Gordons fault, it was the defence.

I didn't blame him for anything. If you cared to read I said it was the slack pass that was the fault of the goal. I said he fell like a big pansy all he had to do was stay up and stick a hand out simple as that. Like I said when he makes basic diving saves or saves in general he's a godsend but most keepers do that anyway. But nothing is said with the amount of mistakes/misjudgements he makes.

21 Dec 2014 11:40:44
Hopefully this Guidette situation is settled one way or another within next few weeks. If he signs pre-contract then great, if he signs for someone else at least club knows where they stand and can identify new target.

Seen a rumour online linking Guidette with Inter Milan. I'm not buying this. Has all the makings of an elaborate piece of bull$hit to sell papers. We are playing Inter in Europa Cup and just by chance Mancini (who never rated guidetti at man city) manages them.

Hope club signs a striker (if no Guidetti), CB, CM and a RW. Hopefully some of the fringe players who are out on loan, something permanent can be arranged to free up wages.

Just wish he'd get his finger out and score a few goals. He has looked pretty ordinary in the last few games!