Celtic Vs Molde 5th of November 6PM BT Sport 2 Streams In The OP

We'll do it guys. I think Molde are just one of those teams that are in their 'element', they've got good results against most of their Euro opposition this season. Although we could and should have beaten them, imo, especially at home, fs. Still, we are still in it, just and we seem to do much better against teams with a bigger name or status than against 'underdogs'. Fecking annoying but there it is.
First half was great, apart from losing Simu and the resultant defensive * ups. Second half was an embarrassment. And Tierney has written himself into the team sheet. What a performance from the kid. I know we've got kids as talented as him who've yet to really get a proper shot at the first team too, so the futures certainly bright in that area. Players hungry for it who play for the shirt. Johansen was * and a good example of the opposite of Tierney, we should get rid and play Hendo or Christie there or something. Rogic did well enough to convince me he deserves the #10 slot for the immediate future.
There are positives, it's just hard to see them after that...

 

6th in the Norwegian league...

 

Gets worse every time you see it. * *.

 

aye not his best chance anyway should have put the ball in the net.

 

It's good to be positive. It's getting harder though because it takes a lot out of you when you are so positive then you see such a negative display. More frustrating is we know we can play better. As you say it's as if we prefer to be underdogs and I know it's human nature but sportsmen should be able to rise above that and play to their best even when they are favourites. The best love being the best. Imagine we beat Ajax and Fenerbahce though wow I would have to go and delete all of the posts I made tonight But we nearly got 6 points off them before so who knows what Celtic team will show up. One thing is for sure it's not already written off so it'll be another tense night against Ajax.

 

It shouldn't matter if we are underdogs or not. This was a must win European game at Celtic Park. If the players can't motivate themselves or if the manager can't motive them for this then there's something seriously wrong.

 

I agree, that is why I was a bit worried about that report suggesting Ronny said the media and Celtic fans put too much pressure on the team? I hope that's not what he said but tonight it looked like we were feeling the pressure. Ajax will be an interesting game because I expect them to come at us making the game much more open. That's when we can get our passing going hopefully. Big test for Ronny and the team, even bigger than tonight because we need to win at least one game at home to give us some confidence of qualifying next summer. Lot of pressure but that is the kind of pressure the team should be expecting playing for us.

 

Same again in Europe. Jozo goes off and you stick on Blackett, who's barely played for Celtic.

Molde had two players we basically needed to man mark and it's a failure to do the basic common sense things that would drive you up the wall with not just Deila, but also whoever signed Blackett has no idea about football.

GMS just didn't get the nod and if you play Armstrong, you need to play GMS.

Also at Dundee United out left wasn't his best position. Interestingly his best position at United was Scott Brown's position.

Johansen gets the nod because those two go back a long way. Playing Johansen in all these games against his friends in the national team was also a mistake.

Starting Rogic, when he's been good off the bench.

You could moan about it for days, but until there are changes at the top we might not get success in Europe until next season. The money that's been open to us in Europe means we're not in the place we should be, but we're not far away.

Deila just makes it easier for the opposition in Europe. Tierney as well maybe was a typical Ronny Deila call.

He's so nonchalant about the whole thing. Never wanted any of these guys as part of the management team. They should all go and take John Park and Peter Lawwell with them.

Bring in a manager and let him sign the players, we don't need many players but we do need a manager and backroom staff.

Whoever's picking Balde, Blackett, Boerrigter etc needd to go as well.

 

Yeah, the Ajax game is huge for Ronny and I really hope he gets a good performance from the team.
But from what I've seen so far this team, under Ronny, has more often than not crumbled in Europe when under pressure. The Legia and Maribor last year, Malmo this year. Even when we were ahead against Fener and Ajax, once they got a goal back and started to put us under a bit of pressure we crumbled. These last 2 games against Molde we looked liked we had given up long before the game ended. That's just not on for a Celtic team.

I remember under Lennon, even when we were getting smashed by Barca, players were getting stuck into tackles and giving their all right to the final whistle.

Celtic, in the past, have always been a team that was greater than the sum of its parts in big European games, especially at CP. We beat big teams and always competed and showed heart at the very least.

This team are lower than the sum of its parts...and that's not even an impressive sum. We are been beating, easily, by some bang average teams over the last 2 years. Deila is just not getting enough out of our players.

 

I definitely agree with the motivational aspect, it was really prominent in the Malmo second leg and both games against Molde. I keep saying though it's a real mystery how the team did have synergy when we played Ajax and Fenerbahce before the mistakes. How can a manager motivate a team for some games and not others? Must be more complicated than him not being able to do it although that is no excuse because it has to get done.

That game we played Barca and Alba scored with the last kick of the ball, I seriously felt like I was greiving for a week after that. That's what made the home leg all that more special. As others have said though, Lenny did have better players. But you're right there was a lot of fight. Karagandy was a good example but we did mess up the first leg. I think Lenny knew how to set up the team to prevent goals more effectively. Helps when you have a stable defence though. Ronny did well against Ajax. I don't know why he hasn't signed anyone as top class as Lenny did, is the scouting team different? Jozo might turn out to be special but I'm not loving his delicate nature.

 

Good post.

The team seems to have lost it's big game mentality. As soon as we come up against opposition of equal level or better, we can't up a gear. Or if we do, as soon as one goal is conceded or we make a mistake, it's panic stations. Last night another example of that. We played some really good stuff for the first 20 mins, then Boyata and Blackett make mistakes, we concede, and then we play like *.

The passing display in the second half was torturous to watch though, was the away game all over again. Sideways, backwards, repeat, sloppy pass and then we're on the back foot. Too predictable, nobody seemed to want the ball (bar KT).

 

Yeah the sideways passing if becoming very frustrating, it's too easy to press us high when we're playing like that because we have to accept we don't have confident enough ball players. Need to be passing it forward and back, least that way we can prise openings. I'm not very clued up on tactics but the sideways show just fills me with dread. It's maybe not even that it's sideways, it's that it's really slow so the opposition can read passes a mile away.

You're right about no one wanting the ball, very strange especially at Parkhead, we should be fighting for the ball on that brilliant pitch in front of our own support. Adds so much more momentum to our attack when players are constantly showing for the ball. Molde looked far more relaxed with it. That is their quality though, they consistently, in Europe at least, play as a team who are confident in their game plan.

 

I think we have plenty players who are also nowhere near good enough.

 

Our team are not at this level, thats the problem... Our level has dropped so much... Leigh Griffiths is our best striker, the best player on the park for us was a youngster, we had to remove a defender and play Nir Bitton at CB because our backup defender was howling! We are way out of our depth now in Europe and it is * depressing but the board are not spending so either cause an uproar or lower your expectations! I know what i prefer.

 

I think those problems mostly go away with a competent manager tbh.

 

We are a terrible, just terrible team to watch.

Congratulations Molde for doing the basics rights.

 

I missed this due to work yesterday, sounds like I was lucky not having to watch it.

 

Think this is a gd point