On course for our 2nd best season in 15 years and probably one of our top 5 ever.

Anyone think it's funny to think that as psychologically after last season this season seems a massive come down and yet we got through the CL into the Europa after Christmas and are only 3 Scottish Cup games away from the Treble.

It's weird how you realise you are doing it, the same happens with players as well that after a player has a big breakthrough season they never seem as good again even though they are sometimes even better they just never seem like they are cause when they had that one big season it stood out so much that not getting that much better again seems like they are worse or stagnating.

If we switched and had this season last season, we'd have been over the moon and milking every second of it yet even though its great it just feels like a normal season.

 

Yep. Victims of our own high standards. Didn't matter what we did this season, it would always appear worse due to last season.

 

The only way we would have topped last season was another unbeaten season but progress further in Europe

 

When you are so successful and at such a high domestically it's only natural levels will drop..

Success can also be downfalls for many team's because of expectations from fan's. This isn't a downfall as such but we've definitely dropped off considerably compared to last season..

I wouldn't even say that our fan's are ruined/spoiled because of our discontent in recent month's. I think the team has still been backed well and individual player's have been more than encouraged in getting through poor runs of form..

We've hit a rough patch, no doubt, but this can still be a memorable season in it's own right..

Just watch the lift in this place alone if we get a win Thursday..

 

It's mad how big an affect it is though, when I think of this season so far I don't really think i've enjoyed it. It should really still feel like a great season, we will likely finish the season with more points than we averaged under Strachan, Mowbray or Lennon, we already have a Trophy in the bag, we already qualified for the CL and then EL and the League is pretty much done, so we have 3 important games and the bonus of the EL on top.

If the seasons were done in reverse and this season was the unbeaten run even though we got knocked out in the CL Group Stage compared to what would have been last season, the feeling would be euphoric and people would be hailing Rodgers as the messiah at this point because it would have been a 2 year build up.

Makes you think we will need to hit a big low, like only winning the League and probably even getting KO'd in the CL qualifiers before we feel "good" again and are able to then beat that by winning a double and getting back into the CL again.

 

Disagree with this somewhat. I think things only turned negative because losing 1-0 at home to Anderlecht with a terrible performance, losing 4-0 at Tynecastle and drawing 0-0 at home to sevco with a terrible performance all happened in relatively quick succession, followed by the winter break.

If we'd won that Anderlecht home game as most were expecting we would and should have, things would feel different. It felt like a real chance to show that we'd kicked on and improved- we may be on the end of humpings against the rich super powers like PSG and Barcelona, but against a continental team on a similar playing field, it was a chance to show we were a side to be reckoned with. Losing that was a really deflating defeat.

 

Being 3 games away from back-to-back Trebles in a season we also qualified for the CL Group Stages and then progressed from there to the EL Last 32 just seems like we should be going off our nuts the now with excitement but nobody really seems to be enjoying it.

At any point in the last 50 year back-to-back Trebles wouldn't probably even have been imagined now we are 1 trophy away theres an anti-climax about it.

 

Injuries have played a heavy toll for us over the past few months which was something which we mostly avoided last year. I think that is a factor as well. But there is no doubt that even matching what we did last season was all but impossible in terms of going undefeated again domestically. I think when you see how bad some of the pitches can be for away games in winter and the issue of getting a run of injuries then it really all just goes to show how insane and incredible it was to go undefeated domestically last season.
If we can get our injured players back on the field over the next few weeks and actually have a full or close to full team to pick for the business end of the season then we still have every chance of this season ending up being right up there as a memorable season.

 

That was a * display at the time no doubt but for me it's a distant memory and doesn't even register in the turgid displays domestically..

We hammered them away. Barring an absolute pumping at home we were always going through. Gladbach at home the year before felt worse as getting beat by them at home really meant we were finishing bottom and going out of Europe..

 

I think come the end of the season when we're lifting the trophies and reflecting it'll be so much more upbeat and positive. But we're in a lull at the minute. Anderlecht in September and League Cup Final (against Motherwell, not a big rival) are the last big games we won. In the same timeframe we've had 5-0 and 7-1 defeats to PSG, a home loss to Anderlecht in a game where we didn't turn up, plus the 4-0 humping vs Hearts and a terrible 0-0 draw with Sevco where we were hanging on by the end, plus last week's loss to Kilmarnock without a shot on target for 89 mins. It's only natural that we aren't heralding this as an unforgettable season just right now following that.

BUT, I really think it'll all turn around if we put out Zenit. That's exactly what we need to give us the boost to have a positive atmosphere for the entire rest of the season. If not, there'll be a big boost come trophy day and if/when we complete the treble. It's the big games that dictate the level of positivity around the place at a club like Celtic.

 

Agree with a lot of the above.

It was always going to be difficult to maintain the high standards of last season but our performance levels have dipped hugely this season. The manner of some of the defeats we've suffered have been pretty hard to take and even when we've won we've rarely been at the high-pressing, fast & clinical levels that teams couldn't live with last season.

I thought after the winter break that we'd come back refreshed and build some momentum for the business end of the season. So far it's been a bit of a stutter. Our high-pressing, chasing in packs and relentless pressure all seem to have been completely abandoned, for what reason I don't know and it's no coincidence our form & results have slumped.

I can't recall our club ever being as unified as we were last season, literally everyone was pulling in the same direction. Even those not getting regular game-time were coming in out of the cold and making a contribution towards our campaign. This season it just doesn't feel the same.

I don't know if that's down to unrest behind the scenes or a disagreement with the direction we're going but I hope it can be rectified soon.

 

Aye we've won one cup, still going in the other and have a healthy lead in the league. I'll never complain aboot seasons like this. After having had to sit through the scum's 9 in a row I appreciate every bit of success we have as you never know in fitba how it's going to go. I worry for us a wee bit in CL next year with 8 ties just to get to group stages though.

Things like that and the 'big' leagues making it tougher and tougher for smaller nations like us means domestic successes need to be celebrated even more.

 

Love your Danny McGrain theme by the way. A true Celtic legend on the park and a true gentleman off the park.

 

A lot of good points being put forward, I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying.

 

That last bits an interesting point..

Does seem to be a bit more disharmony around the group compared to last year..

Started with Armstrong wanting away and then only signing a short contract. We've had Simunovic looking like he's gone and reportedly has wanted away for a while. Dembele ongoing saga and then him and Griff being dropped for a few game's for our third loan striker. Ntcham and Broony arguing at the end of a home game recently. Brendan having to drag Simunovic to applaud the fan's etc etc..

Every side has fallouts and everything isn't always rosey but you do get that hunch that all isn't well behind the scene's compared to last year. Player's out of form or just miserable like Sinclair, it's hard to tell if it's just one and not the other..

That could just be to frustration at our performances and some dropped points though. Only they'll know..

 

If we do back2back trebles it will top last season in many ways , just for the sheer magnitude of what were trying to achieve never in the history has it been done , talking about Smith 9inarow team , our lisbon lions 9inarow EC winners, Martin Onei'lls , Advocaates etc etc.

 

Aye forrests doing so well this season hes gonna be in for some abuse next year on here

Like sinclair, izzy, mulgrew etc.

Pritty much avoid winning poty awards

 

I am not so fussed by the results this season, it is more the way we are playing, very predictable, and we seem to have not strengthened much, most teams know we are happy to play side to side low risk football, even when we are down, and they have adapted to it.

 

When did Brown and Ntcham argue? I don’t think that’s even worth noting. People argue all the time, doesn’t mean they don’t like each other or there is trouble.

Also don’t agree with this “miserable”, “sulky” or “moody” thing about players. Heard it been said about Dembele mostly. It’s absolutely rubbish.

Rodgers has said that a huge factor of his squad selection is he players attitude and where their head is at. Sinclair wouldn’t be playing if he was miserable.