Ugly Football!

I am so fed up with the style of football we are playing nowadays. It seems everyone on the park is playing cautiously and are simply afraid to take a chance or take a shot from range.

I have never seen such a poor Celtic team as I have this season. The last couple of seasons under Strachan hasn't been much better but we seem to be getting worse and worse by the season. So lets get on with the three points I want to make...

1) Too many square passes.
On Saturday we had so much possession but most of it was either in our half or passing it back to players behind us. Why so negative??? I watched the Man Utd vs Man City match yesterday and the attack style of Fergie is a dream to watch. OK I do not expect us to play like Man Utd cos we ain;t got the players, I just would like them to play in that attitude - to score and attack at every opportunity. Not like us where we like to keep the ball in our own half where we won't score nor concede. I am so sick of this Scenario :
McDonald holds up ball on edge in opposition hald, passes back to Hartley, he passses back to Naka, Naka passes to Hinkel, Hinkel passes back to Naka, Naka passes back to Hartley, Hartley passes all the way back to Mick, Mick then make square pass to Caldwell, Caldwell make runs into midfield into opposition half, then passes pack to Mick, Mick under pressure passes back to Boruc, Boruc boots it up the pitch, opposition gains possession.
[How often does this happen: why can;t we just constanly move forwards and run at defenders. Seems nowadays only McGeady is brave enoguht to drive at defenders but teams know this so there are 2 defenders on him at all times.]

2) Lack of attempts outside of box.
Not so long ago, we had players who loved to strike the ball from 20-30 yards. Petrov frequently fancied a shot as did Paul Lambert who scored a cracker every now and then. The current team of players don't seem to fancy it ever. Either that or Strachan is telling them not to strike it from range. But then again, our midfield is so poor there is not many who I would put money on to score from any sort of range.

3)Playing too many defensive minded players.
I do not understand why Crosas and Hartley (both defensive midfielders) played against Rangers. Both of them are not gonna really venture deep into the opposition half and run from midfield into the opposition box and become the 3rd striker like Petrov would in his day. Brown does once every so often when there is a full moon, but he is pretty defensive too. Seems like the mentality of the team is actually pretty defensive. Most of these players like Brown where more attacking at Hibs as they are now...seems like maybe Strachan's orders. Nevertheless Robson should definately had started in place of Brown against Rangers. He would certainly cause more problems then either Crosas or Hartley.


Basically I am getting sick of watching this team of defendsive and unimaginative players week in week out. The football we are playing are now beyond the point of ugly...its unbearable to watch. In europe we are so bad to watch against even the poorer Portugese, French or Eastern European teams, cos they play with so much more flair and imagination.
The quick solution would be to this is to get rid of Strachan and bring in a more adventurous manager. But thats only if the new manager would get total control of the team and the funds to rebuild. If not, there is no point. No point in getting rid of Strachan for someone like Craig Levein who won't do any better than Stachan and probably be just as negative.

 

man u are good to watch because they are the best team in europe, to compare us with them is ridiculous. If you want that kind of football i suggest you get a season ticket for old trafford.

we are * mate, pure and simple, but i'll still be singing my heart out on tuesday night, * it, we will still win the league, and then we can make changes in the summer.

 

The team are waiting on the forwards to take a defender or two out of the way to create space but VoH is so stationery that this didn't happen. The midfielders very rarely got shooting angles through this happening.

Samaras isn't great but will run the channels and make the likes of Weir follow him.

 

I agree, the football has got so 1 dimensonal, slow and predictable. When we lose the ball at home against Hearts and ABerdeen etc they can play quick 1-2s around our players but we dont seem able to do that to them.

 

Bit harsh fella but you do make alot of valid points ill give you that. Your totally right about our football, it is ugly, we are lacking creative players thats the problem, the only creative players weve got is mcgeady, maloney, naka and brown. 4 players out of a squad of 16-17 is a problem. Flood and mizuno culd be considered creative also but i dont think they are good enuff to play for the club.

I think its time for change also, i dont think strachan can take us any further than he already has but part of me is saying its still too early to decide. He hasnt been given big enough funds to help his cause. If we give him 15 million in the summer itll be easier to make an assessment this time next year.

I dont agree with your comparison to Man United, different league, different side, different circumstances etc. The reason they an play attractive football is because they have the best team in the world, one of their players is worth more than our whole team (ronaldo).

 

i am not directly comparing to man Utd, I am talking about the attacking mentality of real champions. They do not hold back and play cautiously. Even Stoke was playing more attacking football than us in the weekend and they are relegation strugglers.

I am not saying trying to say that we are crap compared to man Utd cos we are, what i am saying is we should not be playing so negatively and play like the champions of Scotland. I rather see the players give their all trying to get the win and losing rather than playing all defensive and getting a draw!!

 

The thing is they do give their all. Like i said in my last post we just lack creativeness against better teams. Its not the fact we play negatively because we dont, we just have no creativeness.

In regards to man u,they have played games on the defensive this season against better sides but they have players that can change games in ronaldo, rooney, tevez, giggs etc. we dont have anyone that can change a big game other than aiden

 

I actually agree with everything you're saying mate.

The only thing i would nit pick on is the midfield on Saturday, i don't think Strachan had much choice when it came to the central midfield pair, Robson is only just back from injury afterall.

Maloney shouldn't have been a starter, he had played 90 minutes from December. That, to me was a bad decision from Strachan. McGeady hasn't done much against Rangers in recent times, but at least he was match fit. Who knows, if McGeady had started, this could have been one of the games he done something against them and we might have won.

Vennegoor of Hesselink has continued to frustrate me, though he was the only one with any real chance in that game for us, with the few headers he had - i think if Samaras had started he might have been better for this game. I don't think Rangers' defence like being brought out of position to chase people like Samaras (Davie Weir certainly doesn't have the legs for it anymore.) But with Vennegoor, he's not as hard to keep track of.

Samaras could have ran into the channels, aswell as McDonald running into the channels, they could have caused that tiring defence some real problems.

But to hit on no doubt countless threads which have popped up since that annoying saturday afternoon, regarding the majority of our fans resting every ounce of blame on Strachans head, i have this to say;

From the first second until the last we were denied decision after decision by Craig Thomson which includes 2 stonewall penalties within the space of 10 minutes.

We didn't have a snowflakes chance in * on saturday and not because of the way Strachan set his team up and to say it was, would be unfair.

 

ugly football - lets see:

Davie Dodds, Ian Dowie, Mendez, Peter Beardsley, Whittaker (Sorry I cant do pics)

seriously though, the football is not ugly. Lacking penetration and real pace but there are actually not that many Celtic teams I can remember with more tricky ball players compared to Aidan, Naka and Shaun and the dynanism of Brown and attacking FBs like Hinkel and we can be a good passing side on our day. We are just short in the striker department IMO, very very short of quality, guile and pace there. No sense in saying its all mince when it isnt. I think WGS has moulded the style to get the best out of some players who are not work beaters.

 

When did you start watching Celtic? It can't have been before Martin O' Neill if this is the worst Celtic team you've seen. Just to put things into perspective, here are Celtic's league positions from 1990 to 1995 :

1990 - Fifth.
1991 - Third.
1992 - Third.
1993 - Third.
1994 - Fourth.
1995 - Fourth.

The current squad wouldn't even crack my top 5 worst Celtic teams. Yes, the football under Strachan is not great but it's worth sacrificing for the success we're seeing at the moment. I'd rather see us play * and win trophies than play great and win nothing.

 

One of the main problems with the team at the minute is that we have no pace in the squad let alone the first xi, apart from McGeady, Brown and maybe Maloney all our players look as though they're running through treacle. We had plenty of the ball at the weekend but couldn't make anything happen because our build up was so slow with no zip to it, letting the huns get back behind the ball.

 

JohnBhoy79

Absolutely spot on mate ! We lack real pace, so our build up is so slow ! Therefore teams get organised and make it difficult ! The sort of attacks we had against the Huns are food and drink to defenders like Weir and Bougherra.

Col

 

Btw I first started watching Celtic when Tommy was manager and I never said this is the worst Celtic team I have ever seen (don't make false accusations when you don't even read my original post)...I said the style of football the current team is playing is the worst I have ever watched...it is sometimes unbearable. In the past when MON, Wim Jansen or Burns or even venglos was here...we played much more attacking style of football.

"tricky ball players" they might be, but they are playing under the tactics and command of Strachan who only know how to play defensively from his previous managerial jobs at Coventry or Southamption. He does not play his wingers high enough sometimes when we have so much flow and posession. Apart from McGeady, no one can really beat a defender. Naka has the skill but he has no pace for a winger. Maloney can run fast but thats it, he ain't gonna even try beat a player one on one.

Hinkel is a decent attacking FB, but we have always had good attacking full baks. Agathe was probably one of our best right backs, because he had electric pace and McNamara was always a good player in my eyes throughout his time at Celtic.

 

well said that man

and at times under MON we were awful to watch, wimbledon esque.

 

We've been in a hole all season & Strachan won't put the shovel down!

 

That was when there was much turmoil at the club on and off the pitch, we have a now home, a new diection and stable finances.

For a manager in his 4th season the team should be progresing more and not look like theyre playing together for the 1st time.

You mention Oneill's era well After his powerful 3-5-2 defeated Advocaat, McLeish used wide men to get the beter of him so in his 4th season he changed to a 4-4-2 because he was aware of this. We are prdictable and play into the oppositions hands, He should be able to change the system to try and improve the team.

 

Agreed, the team now looks like it is going backwards, and yet it was said earlier this season that this is Strachans strongest squad yet? I fail to see that lol.

 

I'm not putting words in your mouth. You didn't say anything about the "style of football". The exact quote was "I have never seen such a poor Celtic side as I have this season" which seems to me like exactly the same thing.

 

Potato/potato (doesnt work unless you say it out loud really).

Either way it isnt a great Celtic team. Just caught some highlights of Celtic vs Juventus

Mjallby, Valgaeren, Lambert, Lennon, Moravcik, Petrov, Sutton, Hartson, Larsson.

You would cut off your left nut for a few of those now.

 

I am sick of mcdonalds first touch, everytime he gets the ball it bounces off him and his second touch is a tackle. He is defo our best striker but ffs surely he can learn to control the ball!!

I think we would be great if we just had a little bit more class in certain areas, i.e., forward, midfield and left back. I think we are three players off an excellent team.