Celtic Banter Archive November 26 2013

26 Nov 2013 23:37:27
This is not a knee jerk reaction from me, but I hope Lenny leaves at the end of the season. Things have become stale and personally a managers shelf life should be 3/4 years max. I know alex ferguson went beyond that but at least he moved with the times and brought youth through the ranks, which freshened the team up. For me Lenny has to many favourites and maybe just gives the board an easy time as regards funds.

Briggs

27 Nov 2013 00:10:20
i completely agree though I wish he would go sooner. lennon's reliance on his favourites who are out of form or just not good enough is a sham, mulgrew in midfield is the final straw,, he can't play there, end of story.lets get a new man in with new ideas. for the Celtic manager to be on twitter exchanging views with rangers fans sums him up, u r the manager of Celtic .rise above it.

mk bhoy

Whilst the manager insists that James Forest is an outstanding player, and with the signings that we are making I have no faith in the manager and his backroom staff taking us any further. We now have a team full of average players who are making hard work of winning the league against teams that are on their knees financialy. The money spent during the summer on Bo Restricter and Pukki Man could have and should have been spent on bringing in a class STRIKER.

Of course it's a knee jerk reaction if we won the night you wouldn't be saying this

Enough is enough as long as we continue to play a lone striker that can't hit the side of a barn we have a problem, sami's consistency is shocking just because he play great every 7 or 8 games does not mean he should be picked first every game in Europe as a striker. We have purchased players for positions but still we don't give them a chance as Neil continues to pick his favorites Forest, Mulgrew, Sami, its about time you changed Neil changed his tactics everyone talks about we need a play maker its amazing that we have one on the bench in Rodic but he won't give him a chance and I know Blade has the touch of an elephant but so does sami give the kids a chance.

Foxybhoy

Total Kneejerk reaction. Lennon was a god last season when getting to the lasy 16. Now he is stale and has to go. The people that should be getting pelters are the board not backing Lennon.
They are more interested in the balance sheet rather than progression on the field. If they had backed Lennon and let it sign a few proven players this would never have happened.
Blame the board and the balance sheet not Lennon.

Ian

@3 good talent you have there of reading my mind. Not! If truth be known I was hoping NL left at the end of last season. If we won tonight it would have been the old classic of 'papering over the cracks'. He has been great for us especially with all the sh!t that he had to put up with but as I said things need freshened up.

Briggs

Not sure about Lennon having to go but he surely has to learn by his mistakes. The board have their part to play as well and I don't advocate their resignations either. However, and I am the eternal optimist, the vast majority of posts regarding the squad were spot on. Everyone accepted that Hooper and Wanayama were going, it was a gimme. However most posts also stressed the need to fill the positions with competent replacements. This did not happen and we are out, plain and simple. We had a good team and then ripped out the backbone of it without maintaining it. Not exactly progress is it? So where do we go from here? Interesting few months ahead of us, methinks.

Wake up MonkeyBhoy, fans have been saying the same kind of things since July yet some choose blind faith and ignore the fact we've went backwards the past 4 months.

I do however agree that picking out of form favourites will lead to him getting the bullet sooner or later, especially Forrest, who last night couldn't have been in a mentally fit state to be playing CL football after being arrested.

I don't agree with Lenny going, he's doing the best he can with the restrictions placed upon him by the board. The board should be the ones walking, they may have given us financial stability but that doesn't give you wins on the pitch. The wage cap of £25k p/w needs to be raised and spending to around £5m per player so we can bring in quality.

We've been accepting mediocrity for too long, our club lacks ambition and it needs a major shake up from top to bottom!

Was it not just a couple of weeks ago that Lenny said we are too big for scottish football . so where are we big enough for? cause going on last nights performance we are a poor poor team with a support who far outshine this team . scottish cup, if we draw sevco they will pump balls into box all day after watching that shambolic zonal defending . i'm afraid its the double or nothing now Lenny, I would love you too stay but fear the choice might be taken if the double is not delivered . time for a re-think

Lennon will not be sacked as the board have never had it so easy. They have dismantled a promising team and made us a 'pot 4 make up the numbers' lot.
Therefore he has to resign and admit he is taking us backwards.
WGS had to cut the spending and stick to a tight budget, but compare the two teams for quality and entertainment and this squad is a very poor second.

JJ

I have said I don't rate Lennon as a manager before and I have been slated for it. The board didn't want him initially hence the reason why they took months to appoint him. When appointed he has has been used as a puppet by the board and he has put up with decisions that a non-Celtic minded manager might have walked for. He has continually had his best players sold from under his nose and been given a pittance to replace them.
I also said before the season started that we have brought in far too many squad players and not enough starting 11 quality. This has happened for the last 2 to 3 years. About time we started buying guys capable of being first 11 players.
My last point is why start Mulgrew ahead of Ledley?

Niall

27 Nov 2013 15:03:36
If lennon 'did' leave at the end of the season could anyone say truthfully they would be that gutted about it? bein honest I wouldn't. It's not a reaction just cause of this result iv said to my dad an several friends I think maybe the job came just 2 early for lennon. Can't argue about what's he's done ie the comeback from 15 points down and winnin the league then winning it again last season all be it with no competition and the last 16 of the cl which was outstanding. But daft wee things llike being on twitter arguing with rangers fans. A celtic manager shouldn't even using twitter. Imo he's tactically naive which he's showed time and time again and decisions like makin sammy captain is baffling his persistence of playing mulgrew in midfield, seeing forrest as some sort of world beater saying he's 1 of the best players 2 have pulled on a celtic shirt in years left me in shock. Just think maybe its time for a fresh challenge for him and bring in someone with fresh ideas. If he stayed i'd be happy but just making a point that 'if' he did leave I don't think anyone could honestly say they would that bothered

GunnieBhoy {Ed007's Note - I have been saying for a few weeks that I can see NL leave at the end of the season depending what jobs are available in England. If he stays another year he can't decide to move on or he will be accused of running scared from The Rangers/Sevco/Newclub top league debut (if they are promoted that is) so he will need to stay for another two years at least to put The Slug in his place again.
I don't think his heart is in it to stay for that length of time. His team is in decline, he is not getting the backing from the board in transfer funds or wages for incoming/existing players. The board has let him and the fans down badly in the last two summer transfer windows especially with losing Hooper and Wanyama for large fees and failing to reinvest in the squad.
And come next summer I expect Forster to leave and van Dijk if there is a good enough offer received whilst NL and his staff have to be happy with getting 3/4th choice scouted players coming in as replacements. Add on players like Izaguirre, Mulgrew, Forrest, Commons who seem to bring nothing to the table and Samaras who has even became inconsistent at being inconsistent.
His team is getting progressively worse every season and his tactics leave a lot to be desired, plan A isn't the best and plan B doesn't even seem to exist, for any team to go into the CL without a recognised goal-scorer shows that there is something seriously wrong at some point in the chain of command.
There is nothing left in Scotland to offer Lennon any long term challenge. It will probably even take The Rangers/Sevco/Newclub a few years to get up to the the standards of the SPFL so he will only have European football to look forward to and with the board tying his hands behind his back with their penny-pinching on that front I can't see anything that will appeal to him to stay after this season. And Owen Coyle doesn't have that clause in his Wigan contract for nothing.
I wholeheartedly agree with you on the NL and Tw@tter situation, it is a mortal embarrassment and it is something the club should have addressed a while ago.
We need to get a manager in who will instil a sense of discipline and dignity in the players and keep the distance between player and management at an acceptable level. Lennon seems to have his 'friends' in the squad which is wrong, all players should have the same respect, even fear, for their manager Lennon's attitude to the job can differ between interviews and dealing with the media is not one of his strongest points.
Just being happy to reach the CL group stages shows a total lack of ambition, and brings me back to the small club mentality too many people are accepting as the norm.
It's as if PL and the board are saying 'We won't win it so why spend money we don't need to', we should be aiming to qualify from the group stages to the Last 16 or dropping down to the EL at least. That isn't going to happen with the people we have running the club on and off the park.}

26 Nov 2013 21:50:54
I've said it before this season, I'll continue to say it again and again. Celtic lost Vic and Hoops in the summer, we failed to replace both. We were two signings off being a strong side, instead we've been conned by the board with the cheap options yet again and embarrassed in Europe tonight. Anyone asking how tonight's an embarrassment? This is Milan's first away win of the season in all competitions. 10 games, 1 win, 5 draws, 4 defeats! We are Celtic supporters faithful through and through, and that blind faith will lead to our continued backing no matter how much the board fail us!

Absolutely terrible performance. Fraser Foster is an average goal keeper who is too keen to listen to the hype that he could play for Engerland. Again the board have sold the fans down the river. To be successful you must hang on to your best players and stop spending money on so called works in progress. Julieghirl

In terms of the first goal, zonal marking wi a goalkeeper who couldn't catch a cold (he's 6ft 6in tall yet fails to command the box from crosses) is nothing short of a catastrophe waiting to happen!

Sorry Hamiltonbhoy we are far more that 2 players off a strong side. We have one really good player in Van Diljk and a few other good players and lots of very poor players. We have got what we deserved in Europe this year. 2 goals in 5 games says it all and we were well beaten tonight by a team who if you believed the hipe on her and Facebook were on their knees!. Totally disgusted tonight with the performance and our Managers lame excuses after the game. Anyone who was at Parkhead on Saturday and left thinking we had a chance to beat Milan had clearly had too much sauce. Oh and continuing to play Charlie Mulgrew is midfield is a major mistake! Des H

@DesH I meant back in June mate, if we had signed a DM + goalscorer capable of filling the Wanyama/Hooper voids then we would've been on par, if not better than last seasons team. Agree about Virgil, he's a fine player and I said it before we signed him, but got shot down due to his early performances (who's laughing now comes to mind). Charlie Mulgrew should be played at CB, LB should be a last resort.

26 Nov 2013 21:07:08
Shocking goalkeeping, shocking defending and shocking first touches.

Don't need to say anymore.

Ian

As I have said many times before, neil lennon shocking manager time to get rid of PRONTO.Nothing whatsoever to do with the board, ross county, hearts, st mirren, kilmarnock, morton.In all of those
games wrong team selection and tactics
for me he is too loyal to certain players
who continually under perform, and we know who they are, and as for tactics
for me he dosent have any, and as I said after the ajax game in amsterdam what has samaras done to
earn the captaincy, shocking management.jimbhoy

26 Nov 2013 20:49:52
Just when we need to do the business in a must-win game we stutter and falter and what a ridiculous goal to lose - ball watching from a basic corner! Forster?
At this level we need to do the basics spot-on and take any chances that we create and we have failed so far. Wee ref looks a fussy fecker BTW
Boerigter and Izzaguire good going forward but at least Forrest starting to get involved at last.
Samaras (I hate that guy) belongs on the left so swap him for Derk - as I know Lennon would never do the decent thing and hook his erse - and get Stokes on for Commons, who is really lumbering tonight.
Had a lot of the ball but Milan are happy with that so we need to batter their goal for 15/20 mins and make something happen in the second half or we are oot.
Come on Celts don't go out with a whimper!

Jungle Jim

Boerigter is the worst player to pull on the hoop in many a year and to think we paid 3.5 million for him.
Sh!ts out of just about every tackle. Another major blunder in the transfer market!

DesH boerrigter shown more desire and ability in one game than James Forrest all season he has a good left foot pace to burn and can beat a man ok he has been injured for a wee while but with a descent run in the team he can be a real good asset.

Chalky bhoy

26 Nov 2013 17:53:07
Just on to wish Celtic good luck tonight, I think you will get the 3 points. Enjoy the occassion if you are going.

Thanks OMR.

26 Nov 2013 16:34:23
Afternoon Ed007, as you know I lost my friend last week, I'm pretty well feeling sorry for myself, then I came across the E-TIMS story on hugh keevins, one of the posts had me smiling., he ended with this little gem about you, Ed007 on celtic banter is a.greasy mutt, person and a troll . my god have you been out with his mother or sister, there was me thinking you were a pillar Of the community lol . P.s 2-1 the hoops . {Ed007's Note - I have no idea who the muppet is mate lol, at least it's better than being accused of starting Sons Of Struth!}

26 Nov 2013 17:04:51
@Ed007, thank you for cutting out the swear word, was still laughing as I was typing, what line up would you go with tonight, btw, jpl is back on with his tips, celtic should give this guy (gal) a shout, I've said before I look forward to his views, sadly, only seems to appear at the transfer windows or am I being naive, anyhoo, nerves starting to get to me, cmonnnn the hoooooops {Ed007's Note - I haven't decided on what team I would go for yet. Forrest and Samaras are far too unreliable just now and with Boerrigter and Commons both fit there is big decisions for NL to make as to who plays out wide. Commons could be moved into the middle to play off of Stokes or will NL be brave and go with 2 upfront, I just hope it isn't Stokes and Pukki together. The defence will be as you were with Lustig, van Dijk, Ambrose and Izaguirre with Mulgrew and Kayal in the middle of the park.
I would love NL to be a bit more adventurous with his tactics and play a 4-2-3-1 as I feel we have the players who could make it effective if set up in the right way.}

26 Nov 2013 18:46:41
@Ed007, I know i'ts not good time to change, but izzy could be more effective left wing, less defending for him to worry about, 3 - 5 - 2. Efe. Vvd. Charlie
Lustig. Kayal. Commons. Ledley. Izzy
Borrigter. Stokes .
Subs
( Sammy ) pukki. Balde. Atajic. Fisher. Mcgeogh.

Zaluska
Plenty of options. Let's hope whatever team nl puts
Out and finishes with do us proud .I'm off
Yeeehhaaaaa!

26 Nov 2013 12:37:44
alright chaps? what's the general feeling about tonights score? I for one am extremely confident, I think this could be a famous, famous victory. i'm going to stick my head on the line here and say we will put four past them. if we can score early, milan might capitulate and with the crowd roaring us on, I think we could give them a right going over. milan are a team on the edge, their confidence is so fragile at the moment and if the first 20 mins pan out in our favour I think they will lose the plot. wouldn't be surprised to see a milan red card either. i've goata feelin in ma watir!

my team would be -

forster
lustig ambrose virgil izzy

forrest ledley charlie boerrigter
commons

sami

subs - zaluska, fisher, kayal, rogic, stokes, balde, pukki

so you heard it here first bhoys, get yer arse down to the bookies - the score will be.

CELTIC 4 AC MILAN 0

ledley 1st goal

sami hatrick

a man can dream!
hail hail!

0-0 I fear. I think we can dominate the ball, and keep Milan pegged back, but as has been shown all campaign, we have no quality goalscoring striker. Stokes is SPL level, hopeless in the CL. Balde is a 'project in progress' and Pukki appears to be totallyincapable of playing the striker role, and would probbably be best utilised elsewhere. (or at another club). The failure of the board to give e manager the tools he needs means we almost certainly won't quaify. I honestly think even europa league football will be beyond this group - a disgrace ater last year's hard work.
Jean-Pierre Laguerre

Have you been watching Lisbon Lions videos again lol. I can't see us scoring 4 goals in most SPL games never mind CL?
I realise they are not at their best but we cannot keep clean sheets and are still unsure of our best forward line. But suppose CL nights are always that bit special?
I would be delighted with a 1-0 or 2-1 and hope Ajax get hammered and maybe then we can grab the Europa place and gain more experience.
I think if we do that we can go on and have a real good tournament.

JJ

26 Nov 2013 12:14:55
Hi Ed - it is just another suggestion, but I would hope the Club is keeping an eye on Ibrahim Cisse (Ciss�) at Standaard Liege. He is 19, but has played in defensive midfield in most of Standaard's games this season. He has reasonable size (6'0'') but for a 19 year old is very strong and physical in the tackle. He is also fast and technically sound - he has played for Belgium through all age grade teams. A big(gish) strong, fast, 19 year-old defensive midfielder from Belgium. I don't want to draw comparisons, but there are clearly a number of similarities with Wanyama. I have not seen any rumours linking him with other clubs yet, and the one negative might be he was sent home from a recent Belgium U21 squad after arguing with the coach. An awful lot of clubs want a player like him in their squad.
Jean-Pierre Laguerre