Time for a rethink.

As was Maribor, Legia, Molde, Ajax, Fenerbache, Zagreb, Salzburg etc etc.

He's out of his depth in Europe. So I suppose it's what level of ambition you want our club to have, a league and a cup or two or that and competing at the highest level as well.

I think we should always aim for the latter.

 

Have to admit, Dirk, I've thought the same thing. I know they're a division down but * me if they aren't playing really nice football sometimes. We really need to get our act together cus they seem to have done.

 

Do you think there is a realistic challenge domestically, as far as the league title goes?

 

:smiley-laughing002: I know your not joking, og. But with all this talk of Ronnie all the time, what about the players? They surely have to take some of the blame for some of our recent terrible performances?

 

What can you do about the players though? Realistically speaking we can't afford to make huge, wholesale changes to the squad and bring in proven quality in every position. It's worth remembering also that deila has now had 18 months and 20 signings to make this team his own.

 

Look I am no longer a lone voice, in fact I am part of the majority. It's his job to get the best out of the players. Simple as that. I have seen it dozens of times when a new manager can come in a whip the lads into shape. MON is a master of getting the best out of his players. Also what motivation do the players have? Look at Tony Stokes that man has delivered more for us than Rogic, Armstron, GMS, McGregor, Ciftci, & Cole put together and they are all above him in the pecking order. Why? Stokes delivers on the pitch far more than they all do.

 

Ronnie picks the team so the buck stops with him. maybe if he dropped a few of the players who were under performing it might help. Fortunately Izzy had an enforced absence giving Tierney a chance to prove his worth.

 

You've hit the nail on the head there. It's how ambitious our club are and what level do we want to achieve. Our fans are the most important gauge as far as Celtic are concerned because they're the ones who put all the money into the club, and the majority of fans see us as a team who should qualify for the group stages of the Champions League. The upper tier being closed last season is a testiment to that.

 

This

Proving we are better than Partick, Hearts, Aberdeen, Motherwell etc. does not excite me. We are clearly the best team in Scotland. We can only measure our worth when playing teams outside of Scotland.

 

Its either stick with him and fail to get into next season's Champions League or remove him now, let a new manager salvage the team, get the players believing in themselves like Lenny did and get us back in the CL again.

I wonder if Lenny would return.

 

Fair points. But it's worth remembering the best players we currently have are all young, late teens/early twenties. Ronnie, ultimately, is here to sort out our youth system and build a team for the future but also to get the best out of the experienced players. I think he's doing well in terms of improving the youth system, clearing a path for the best and giving them real incentive to do their best. Our under19 are in the last 32 of the UEFA Youth League and we've got youngsters like Tierney and Nesbitt really coming along well. Also signing players like Christie who was, before signing for us, probably the best footballing player out with us in the Prem.
Building a team and fundamentally changing the way things are done behind the scenes takes time and requires some 'growing pains' and that's why I'm still behind Ronnie.
Saying all that, some of our overall performances this season have been baffling. But we've also had a few really good ones too. I'm trying to work out why that is.
Ultimately I think this team, on their day, firing on all cylinders are capable of brilliant football, what's really bugging me at the moment is why we haven't had that recently. Not having the Huns constantly breathing down our knecks hasn't helped in terms of keeping us on our toes but that surely isnt the only reason.
Ronnie, I think it's fair to say, is still a young guy learning the ropes too. But I hope he and the team learn quick and start performing because, I have been really patient and want him to succeed, but I'm beginning to doubt a bit.

I think, or hope, with this being a new year and having got our first win at home in a while, Ronnie's 200th and Griffs 20th, etc etc, we can kick on now and really start playing like we can and hopefully get a treble. Maybe even get Them in the Scottish Cup, which would be very interesting indeed as their playing some good stuff and, on the pitch at least, seem to have got their act together.

Who'd be a football fan, eh?:smiley-laughing002:

 

Lol yeah , unless you've been stuck on some remote island for a couple of years with no access to a tv or radio that is !!

 

I'd go as far as saying this side is worse than Mowbrays.

We should have sacked Ronny weeks ago and brought somebody else in. Unfortunately it won't happen and we will be watching the same old story next season. This club has become an absolute joke.

 

It's not a rethink we need it's a complete overhaul, from top to bottom.

It's not working it's clear as day.

 

What's funny on here sometimes is folk who speak in Sun headlines or are either really happy or really angry, with no middle ground.

 

A lot of valid points the most infuriating thing i dislike is the set up, formation etc a think we could be far better if we were using the correct formation, but he wont change it, Armstrong for instance is wasted out on that left, imo he,s the box to box midfielder we have been crying out for.

We dont need 2 defensive mids, no other manager a can think of for us used 2 especially in the scottish league, 1 up front is a major concern, the lone striker is on a hiding to nothing up there alone, far more useful having a partner to link up with especially as teams just want to sit in.


If the manager keeps sticking to his ways we will not improve, his signings have been very poor and am just sick and tired of watching us under perform as are a lot just now.

 

I think that's actually, exactly what Ronnie as brought in for and something like that is never going to be plain sailing.

 

In this case the middle ground has been ronys friend for the last 2 seasons !! If you want more of the same drivel then keep taking the middle ground !!

 

The formation thing has been one of my main bugbears with Ronnie, he needs to find at least one other formation that suits the players and the style he wants to play. He needs to learn to be much more flexible, it's not betraying your philosophy to be flexible with shape and formation, it's being tactically and strategically intelligent.
He has changed it now and then but doesn't do it nearly enough, he still seems to be stubborn in that regard and, like you, I find it quite annoying.
Two of our best performances this season came in Europe against good teams and they happened to be games where he changed the formation from the start. Those were games we would have won but for two stupid individual mistakes from players. He should remember that and find a second, maybe even third alternate formation to change around when needed. It would show that he's tactically intelligent.