28 Nov 2014 00:23:10
The decline of Celtic Football Club is so sad, but even sadder are the supporters who are accepting the current squad of players/manager as progress.
In recent years when it became clear we had to live within our means, we have went from holding our own in CL groups under WGS with a solid reputation in Europe and teams dreading trips to Celtic park to a period of European mediocrity and the evaporation of home advantage and memorable results and I include last seasons awful CL campaign in that.

There are very few players at the club who would qualify as true Celtic class in previous years and the inability to keep a clean sheet (in almost every game) is not being compensated - like it has been in the past - with enough quality, attacking players who guarantee goals.
There are players who make the same mistakes time and time again and there are others who think they are better than they actually are.

Salzburg were better than us all over the pitch and controlled large parts of the match and could have scored a few more as they were much more threatening and slicker than our lads.
However, cast your mind back to the Astra games and we were again, anything but convincing in both.
Obviously we have qualified for the knockout stage, but looking at the calibre of potential opponent, we really need to up the stakes and bring in some quality to avoid embarrassment and that is not easy in the January window with little options available.

Maybe Europe is pie in the sky at this time and we should be concentrating on retaining our title and adding a cup or two as to be honest, from one week to another I am never over-confident in any game.
I suppose it could be worse? I remember the Anglo-Scottish Cup and Texaco Cup games when we were even worse than we are now.

1.) 28 Nov 2014
Jungle, yes we know you are not often over confident and it is true Salzburg could have scored another goal or two. However it is equally true Celtic could and probably should have scored another two or three goals . Two positives, we have European Football after Christmas and secondly I thought despite been torn apart for the first twenty minutes, we steadied the ship and we were probably the best team in the second half . We got a bit of the Celtic pride and determination back in the second half .

2.) 28 Nov 2014
28 Nov 2014 07:25:01
JJ I think you have summed it up pretty well. Over the last number of years we have got weaker and weaker.

I remember Rosenborg having a great home record during the early 2000s when they beat teams like Real Madrid on their home ground in Norway. They, like us, had an enviable home record in Europe and seemed to pull off incredible results against the odds. Fast forward a decade and they have all but disappeared from the European scence.

It shouldn't be a comparison that I feel I can make given that we have superior resources and potential earnings etc. It worries me though that we are gradually disappearing of the radar.

Deep River Bhoy below also made a great point. I have been watching Celtic for 30+ years and can only remember one or two more squads that I couldn't select a players from for a select team.

3.) 28 Nov 2014
JJim. Good post a very good points. However, I am a bit practical. WGS did exactly what you said. Unfortunately with the other side going into liquidation (or, as some would say, unfairly relegated!), Hearts and Hibs going down. our league is very unattractive to sponsors and top players. The cash and challenge is just not there. Hibs, the first British team to play in Europe, Celtic, the first British team to win EC/CL whatever. Evn Rangers won the Cup Winners Cup. Great days. But that was then and this is now. The biggest leagues (not necessarily the biggest clubs) have choked the finances. Champions league. Oh, England, Germany Spain etc had 4 Champions? financial cow for the big boys and we along with many other great clubs can only try to get a slice of the cake. Its hard to invest when the commodity is limited. I follow the team because I am a loyal supporter. I wish we could break the chains and play in a bigger league but the smaller players in those leagues don't want the competition and EUFA/FIFA have to look after that cash cow. I wish the clubs like ourselves would get together and form their own super league. Yes FIFA and UEFA would ban us etc. but you watch if the sponsors start to take an interest (which I believe they would). Before you know it the big boys would be interested. I can dream anyway. Sorry for the sidetracking but I passionately believe that starting a super league would, over time, either pull FIFA/EUFA towards us or create another European/International Association. With all the corruption feeling against FIFA this may be the time to do it. Ed if you don't publish I will not be offended. My rant and feelings vented now. Hail Hail

4.) 28 Nov 2014
I think this is very harsh on the team. Salzburg flew out the traps last night and caught us cold (which is no defence) but I think the way they started they would have taken the lead against anyone.

I thought for the entire second half we were the better team, and could easily have equalised with griffiths header or izzy squaring that ball. They only got their third because our fullbacks were pushed so far up the park trying to salvage a draw. Worth pointing out we had already qualified when the third went in. 2-1 or 3-1 makes no difference, a defeat is still a defeat, i'd rather see us push for an equalizer.

With more sharpness at the start and guidetti on the pitch I think we'd have beaten a very good side last night. in fact I think that's the best we've played in europe all season.

5.) 28 Nov 2014
Sounds like another dig at Deila. Cut the guy a bit of slack! That team has dropped in standard over past 4 years, it has not happened overnight

6.) 28 Nov 2014
DN30 read it again . it has heehaw to do with Deila; it is about the direction our club has taken over a relatively short time and the decline in quality and standards that some of you are happy to accept in silence.

7.) 28 Nov 2014
It's good to have qualified and over the course of the group we deserve to be through. that said there are serious flaws in the team and the manager must take responsibility for these and find a remedy. I won't talk about the team selection as there may be reasons we as supporters are not aware of, however what has Ben clear since the start of the season is we start games very slowly, in fact in the majority of games particularly at home we have been lucky not to be one or two goals down in the first fifteen minutes. it has been striking how much possession opposition teams have in the first fifteen minutes of games. I am not only talking about European opposition, Motherwell, Hamilton and Dundee to name a few made better starts to the game than us. This sluggish approach was bound to result in what happened last night when we could have lost four goals in the the opening period.

8.) 28 Nov 2014
Junglejim it looked that way to me mate. Apolgies if I've picked it up wrong.

9.) 28 Nov 2014
Top players are not likely to come to Scotland just because Hibs and hearts are in the SPL . The other club had an unique way of attracting top talent . It's unlikely that they will ever be able to put the transfer war chest together or wages and loans together to get the type of player they had at the end of the last century and first decade of this century . With any Govan club in the future, having to play by rules, somewhat similar as every other SPL club, I don't see the standard of players we had in the late 90's and early 00's ever been back at Celtic park for longer than a season or two.

10.) 28 Nov 2014
@DN you truly have been found out mate. Why do you only single out the last4 years? Is It because a certain NL was manager? You are constantly on here having a go at posters for having a "dig" at RD. Is that not what your doing to NL? This celtic minded thing is only in your head mate, there was plenty of opinions who would be good before RD was appointed and many were nothing to do with Celtic. My own choice was Stevie Clarke.I just glad it wasn't Magath. Also I sure you may be aware we won the European cup in 67. Does that not mean we been in decline ever since?

11.) 28 Nov 2014
@Rayman The man who would rather watch us lose 6-1 to Barcelona than see us lift a trophy.

12.) 28 Nov 2014
@ AM you talk utter piiiish mate where did I say that. I said I would rather got to a CLnight than a final against St> Mirren you are a another who loves to put words in peoples mouth. I tell you what though I would rather go to a final against St.Mirren than watch us get humped by Europe league standard.

13.) 28 Nov 2014
Also do you remember beating Barca that famous night or do you remember beating some chump in a league cup final years ago mate. I know which game the world stood up and noticed.

14.) 28 Nov 2014
@rayman You've just repeated it so how am I putting words in your mouth?

"I said I would rather got to a CLnight than a final against St Mirren"

CL night Barca 6 Celtic 1, or a final against St Mirren with a good chance of winning a cup? You'd rather watch any CL game than see us win a trophy. I don't need to put words in your mouth, son, you tie yourself in that many knots you'd need Houdini to get you out of it, you don't even seem to know yourself what you're saying just read the cracker on here. I followed Celtic to see them winning matches n wining trophies long before the cl was even heard of, a cl night is as important to me as a Scottish Cup game or a league cup game. The cl isn't the be all and end all of it, whatever game, in any tourney that the Hoops are playing is the be all and end all and lifting a trophy is the the aim of the game and as a supporter the best feeling in the world is seeing us doing. The scotish cup final and Winning the Double in our centenary year, I wouldn't swap that for a cl night, a Cl trophy maybe but not just one game, ask old guys that remember the 7-1 lc final if they would swap that just to watch a CL group match against Maribor. Was the 1989 Scottish cup final not better than watching us getting beat with Milan last year or remember the 1985 final, give me that over playing Braga any day? Cup wins are our bread and butter, the more trophies you win the more your dominating, trophies build you records and your history. I'm not saying Cl nights aren't quality but I wouldn't swap them for seeing us in a final, cl I important to us for the budo but the trophies we win make is the club we are, we've got the Coronation cup, the Empire exhibiton tophy, trophys that can never be won again. Sure get in the cl and fight tooth and nail, get to the last 16 and have a gloat and a party but don't forgot who we are, the biggest club in Scotland, the most successful club in existence in Scotland. I just don't think there is a better buzz than seeing us lift a trophy. You're going on about beating Barca, but what about all the rest of the games we've lost, had major flops in Europe, you seriously enjoy watching games like that rather than seeing us lifting the Scottish?

15.) 29 Nov 2014
Yes I do mate. The football world has changed the cups no longer give us what we need. Only 10 -20 yrs ago the FA cup in England was 1 o the biggest games in football now nobody cares about it. Even the teams in it put out 2nd teams at times. Europe is where it is at its the only place where we can gauge ourselves. How do we know how good we are by beating St .Mirren in a cup final? Yes trophies are good but the Glasgow cup was a big thing in the days you talkabout, how is that trophy doing now? there is nothing nowadays like going to Celtic park on CL facing Barca for eg with the prospect of beating them, yes of course we might lose but we might lose the cup final too. Also the atmosphere on these nights are 2nd to none. Hampden is a shiiit hole with no atmosphere for me. Another wee point I bet you have watched the European cup final win in 67 a few times and like me can name the team and prob the teams we beat on the way. But can you name the team that last won us a cup? The point I makin is this is what puts us on the map worldwide and gives us kudos and vital finance for us to improve.The cups now sadly never will, that vital finance will allow us to get better players/coaches/scouts/facilities etc.The cups will never achieve this, so if I want my club to improve this is the right road to go down. Europe is king now esp CL and if you ask me the treble every year or the league and CL nights I will chose the latter.