The All New FOOTY Thread 21/22

[Marco]

utd win and are top of epl with liverpool.

gers had umpteen chances to win that game but a draw it is; still they go top.. alas for celtic, they struggled away to livy and lost 1-0. both glasgow teams have injury issues but from both thats not good enough.

Shite is the only word for it, lol! Bogey-ground plastic pitch pish.. I'll comment properly later. However, I did say don't expect us to be the real deal until at least Xmas - seems that's going to be the case!

Marco.

[rmcin626]

Shite is the only word for it, lol! Bogey-ground plastic pitch pish.. I'll comment properly later. However, I did say don't expect us to be the real deal until at least Xmas - seems that's going to be the case!

Marco.

Worst start in 23 years

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58617548


We need to sort out our final third play, should have been 4 up by half time yesterday, trying to walk the ball in the net all the time is not the way to score goals.

[struth]

Worst start in 23 years

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58617548


We need to sort out our final third play, should have been 4 up by half time yesterday, trying to walk the ball in the net all the time is not the way to score goals.

too many players think they are better than they are. also a few are i think, disappointed not to have got a move and hence not playing well. not saying its deliberate, but it is psycological.

[rmcin626]

too many players think they are better than they are. also a few are i think, disappointed not to have got a move and hence not playing well. not saying its deliberate, but it is psycological.

You might be right Grant, but Kent didn’t play and Morelos only played the 20 minutes or so yesterday, far too many passes around the 18 yard box.

[struth]

goldy, barisic, kamara.. davo is being overused although he played well yesterday. wright, roofe and sakala dont play enough. aribo was at best. tav too hasnt played particularly well either. A number of injuries, like patterson, Jack(long term) and big Phil... Simpson hasnt had a lot of matches but he already looks unsuited to Scottish game. Not sure shagger is now our best keeper either now.

[rmcin626]

goldy, barisic, kamara.. davo is being overused although he played well yesterday. wright, roofe and sakala dont play enough. aribo was at best. tav too hasnt played particularly well either. A number of injuries, like patterson, Jack(long term) and big Phil... Simpson hasnt had a lot of matches but he already looks unsuited to Scottish game. Not sure shagger is now our best keeper either now.

Simpson didn’t look lol that comfortable, not worried about the goalie, both are decent, Davis bossed the first half but started to tire, none of the recent signings look like starters in the team so far.

[Marco]

No mention of the cup games and results, chaps?

Both of us through to the semis now, with you guys beating Livi at home 2-0, and us Raith Rovers, 3-0 last night at home. Interesting draws too for the semis at Hampden. You've got Hibs and we've got the holders, St Johnstone.

We're *SO* missing our captain, McGregor, and Furuhashi, which are two main reasons why our recent results (last night aside, against lower-league opposition) have been poor. And now our new Greek striker picked up a calf knock last night during the warm up! Ange certainly doesn't have his troubles to seek!

I was of course very disappointed with the Livi result last weekend, but plenty of other Celtic managers, including the great Brendan Rodgers, have struggled to win there, so hardly anything new - and this time it was with a team that's being rebuilt under a new manager, with numerous key players out...

So. realistically, what do the fans expect? Aside from anything else, Ange hasn't been able to field a settled defence since he arrived, and that, coupled with new players still settling in, is bound to bite you on the bum sometimes, in terms of losing goals, a lack of spark, and poor play,

Therefore, the fans calling for his head *this early* need a reality check and a swift boot in the baws!

He's done just about as well as he possibly could so far under the circumstances: got the team into the group stages of the Europa League, playing superbly well going forward against a very good Spanish team at their ground, scoring 3 goals and nearly beating them (all with key players out injured), including now getting the team into the semi-finals of the League Cup, and it's WAY too early in the league to start talking about winning or losing titles, especially when Rangers aren't on top form either.

Look at the three away games Celtic have lost so far: to Hearts, narrowly, in Ange's very first game in charge, playing mostly with kids and a non-goalkeeper. Given the form of Hearts currently, Celtic won't be the only team to drop points there, then to Rangers, in a tight game we could've won instead, and lastly narrowly again, at our historically bogey ground of Livingston, on a pitch that simply isn't conducive to playing good football.

So ALL of that needs taken into consideration. It's not as if we're going to grounds and getting pumped by teams we'd normally easily beat, and at home so far we've been excellent, scoring a barrowload of goals and conceding few. Therefore, some Celtic fans and pundits need to cut out the knee-jerk reactions and analyse things calmly and logically, taking everything that's relevant properly into consideration, and so all things considered, Ange is doing well - but he needs time!

Anyone with even half a brain can see what he's trying to do, and so he needs time to do it. When it clicks, the team are a joy to watch, and there'll be plenty more of that ahead once injured key players return and new players gel and settle in.

This isn't a quick fix or a short-term project, and it's not as if he hasn't had success so far under VERY difficult circumstances. As I've repeatedly said, don't expect to see the 'real' Celtic until Xmas, and by the looks of things that may also apply to Rangers, and with it the league table looking rather different after the winter break, once both teams have had all their best players back.

Yes, Hibs and Hearts are currently going great guns, and well done to them, but it's a marathon, not a sprint, and when they start getting injuries to some of their key players, that's when their form will start to slump. They simply can't maintain their current winning form for the duration of the season.

From Celtic's point of view, aside from McGregor, who'll be back sooner rather than later, players such as Furuhashi and Jullien, when they return from injury and get match fit, will make a BIG difference to the team and its ability, not only to break down tight defences at tricky away grounds, but also concede soft goals, which lead to dropped points - and once that happens and we can field a settled defence, week in, week out, consistency with results will come and so will the subsequent rewards!

Marco.

[struth]

think celtic's start to season has probably been better than expected. ours probably worse for most although i thought this might happen.. a long way to go

[Marco]

think celtic's start to season has probably been better than expected. ours probably worse for most although i thought this might happen.. a long way to go

Indeed so, and that's the view of anyone, without a biased agenda, and with more than two functioning neurones! It's testament to how good a manager Ange is, that the team is doing better than expected.

Undoubtedly the form of Rangers now is much poorer than expected. Quite simply, your results so far domestically, and in Europe, are incomparable with last season.

However, as I said, I think both halves of the old firm will markedly improve, and the league table will have a different look after the winter break, or hopefully sooner, for both of us!

Marco.

[Marco]

What are you saying to it all then, Robin?

Marco.