Banik Ostrava v Celtic Wednesday July 13th kick off 5pm

Ang will know what he needs and a quality centre half with pace and a quality defensive midfielder in the coming weeks will do nicely and maybe a loan to buy as well .

 

Just watched the second half again. Really enjoyed that. Decent opposition, cracking atmosphere, saw almost the whole squad over the game and some great goals.

Seasons starting well.

 

Just back in and watching tonight's game - what is this pish with Hart being so far out of his box all the time?

 

Nah man, was actually interested in hearing some opinion on tactics… except it was 4.30am here when I typed that post and then fell asleep

Seems as though there won’t be too many changes until we get that proper 6, if we get them at all. When you look around, there aren’t too many 6’s (ones we can afford) putting up stats like Souza was and we might have had our eggs in one basket. I’m sure they are working hard behind the scenes still.

 

I think the rustyness shows up the fragility at the higher levels. We are going to give the ball away against higher opposition in the CL, that’s a given. It’s how we react and tighten up when we lose the ball that matters.

Being rusty isn’t the problem, it is as you quite rightly point out preseason, it just highlights the areas that need worked on. Yes it’s definitely been the fringe that have been most guilty, however the first goal tonight was first team players.

 

Angeball

 

Class interview by their manager.


He wished that baník would return with him to the atmosphere he experienced in Ostrava in the 2003/04 title season. Even knowing that the beloved Bazals were replaced by the Municipal Stadium in Vítkovice. In his bowels, coach Pavel Vrba after losing in the annual match with Celtic Glasgow (2: 4) was looking for a home dressing room, because for a long time he rode here exclusively as an opponent, but the first intention was fulfilled.


The home premiere of the successful coach was seen by over 15,000 people, of whom only a few dozen belonged to the visiting ones. "White *" created a fabulous backdrop. And Willow could have turned his thoughts back 18 years.


"What the fans have done here are things that are not seen in the Czech Republic," he shook his head. He saw defeat with honor for real. "I say Celtic and Rangers are at the level of the English league. When we beat the English teams, it will be nice, but now we don't have what it takes," said Pavel Vrba.

So how do you rate the match?

We came across an opponent who probably deservedly won the Scottish league and advanced directly to the Champions League. Celtic mean something in Europe and especially in the first half when he played in a stronger line-up, we had a big problem with him. It's a shame that we didn't keep the 2:3 situation longer, we could have gone crazy towards the end. However, the opponent deservedly won. But I would like to thank the fans. Once again, they showed that Baník has great support in them. This was an atmosphere I hadn't experienced in a long time, so I'm glad I could be there, although the result probably didn't please them. But that's just the way it is.

What was the biggest problem? That you were losing balls early?




In the first half, it was clear that Celtic's confidence was completely different from ours. They played every action, they wanted to go to quality, to the interlude, and we, when we were under pressure, just kicked and fought for the balls. The 60th minute wasn't accurate enough to make any of it happen. Then their substitution changed a little bit, that we were able to go out, create an outnumber, unfortunately we did not finish it. In the first part, however, the high pressure gave us a huge problem that we were not able to get out of it. That was the difference.


How can this match benefit you?

It's terribly hard. I take it that we have come across a team that means something in Europe and we still have a long way to go to match them. This is a reality that hurts, but it is so. It's a club that has a completely different budget and options. This is not to say that Baník does not have options in the Czech Republic, but they have a budget of around two and a half billion crowns. A slightly different world. But it is good that we play such matches, that we see how it is in clubs that have a name and strength in Europe.

Can you find other positives besides the fans?

It's hard... We scored two goals, we created three more opportunities, that's true, but unfortunately we weren't precise and strong enough in those situations, like the opponent. But let's be fair, they had a lot more possession, they were stronger, they were better. We tried, but it was not enough. The opponent had such quality that he managed it better.

What did you say about goalkeeper Joe Hart's style, who was more out of goal than in it?

He plays like that all the time, then their position in the warm-up is better because they have extra players. This is an advantage. Of course, we could have punished them with the first option, when, unfortunately, we did not keep enough peace. I think it was still 0-0. To score, maybe he would go deeper. But he catches like that all the time and we didn't punish him.


At the first press conference, you said that you would like to see Přerov for the anniversary match. That would be a different match, wouldn't it?

(laughs) That would be a different story, of course. There is a difference when you play with Otrokovice and then you come across a team that is in the Champions League or regularly in Europe in groups. The reality is different. You know that in our country, when elite teams advance to the Champions League group, it is considered a huge success. It's a matter of course here. This then manifests itself. I've experienced these struggles. And when you play against Barcelona or Bayern, the difference is similar.

What was the domestic premiere like? After the game, you didn't hit the locker room for the first time.

I was looking for a dressing room, that's true. I'm used to going in a different direction than I went this time. (smiles) But I want to commend the fans, because what they have done here are things that are not seen in the Czech Republic. Even though our opponent exceeded us in quality, they encouraged us and were on our side. For this they deserve a huge thanks, and it can be seen that Ostrava is exceptional in this. Hopefully it will last through the season and they will be satisfied because the results will be more acceptable.


You wished it looked like it once did on the Basals. Did "white *" kick you in?

To me, yes, and I believe to the fans. I hope they will stick with us in the league and help us because it's a huge support.

Now you are going to a training camp in Poland. Do you believe that the team will continue to play after him?

We're still having fun, or am I reading this as a game? I just want to say that we have some quality, Celtic has some quality, and if they play you with that, they're somewhere else, your level is not so visible. It's different when you're playing with a squad at your level, or "weaker". Then the dominance should be higher. We are going to Poland to prepare for the league as best we can to learn from these games and maybe take something from it. Maybe to try to play dominantly, as Celtic did today.

The transfer deadline is not over, are you still working on strengthening?

Yes, the transfer deadline is not over, but I don't know if we have any players in the pipeline. I'll admit it. Although we talked about some players in the first phase, I don't know at the moment whether something is being finalized or not. It's more of a question for the club's management if they can still bring someone in. I hear some names all the time, but we'll see if anything goes well.

 

The full games on youtube now for anyone who missed it

 

That’s a brilliant interview. What an astute guy. Absolutely spot on.

 

Class. Great quality and no commentary. Watching on the telly now. What an atmosphere. Like a proper European away game. We played some great stuff first half.