Sack Mowbray

Start off by saying I am gutted after that tonight, really disappointed. Anyone watching could see we never deserved to lose but that has been the story too often this season. Being wasteful up top and loose at the back has undermined what are improved patterns of play under Mowbray and a step up technically and in pace from last year. So where to start?

First thing, which Hammer alluded to and I am sure people forget. WGS's side, at this time last year were unbelievably bad. We were horrid to watch, trampling over the top of the clubs footballing traditions and, when given the opportunity to win the league by winning the last two games of the season, we could not do that. We could not even score a goal. Thus, as much as history often seems rosier on reflection, we were as atrocious then as we are now.

Now, on to Mogga. I have backed him to the tilt thus far but must admit doubts are beginning to creep in. But, as others have pointed out, please try and realise the financial reality of sacking him. Having spent the best part of £6/7 million on getting him here it would cost a huge amount in compensation to sack him after 7months and then another £6/7 million to bring in new staff. When this is combined with getting in new players for the new man, well, it would be a huge outlay and Mogga would be written in the accounts as a very exoensive mistake. Frankly, it is a mistake we cannot afford.

Secondly, on the pitch, I can still find enough to keep the faith in Mogga. Firstly, and it's something that amazes me, look at the players he has brought in:

1) N'Guemo: an unmitigated success thus far and potential snip for the money we need. A real player, great find, well done.
2) Fortune: despite the negative pish sputed on here, another good player who is starting to deliver consistently. Big money spent but fairly well spent. Arguably, I accept, the jury is still out, but by no means a dud.
3) Fox: a fairly cheap investment who was a MASSIVE improvement of WGS's Naylor, with whom we had to put up with for 2 years of pish. Fox is tidier, faster, stronger, etc and also, as has been shown in this window, may bring in a tidy profit if moved on.
4) ZZ: free transfer who is versatile and tidy. No complaints.
5) Ki: convinced this lad will be an absolutely brilliant piece of business tonight. May have gone over too easily tonight (second game in a new league, if he'd won a free-kick and put in the top bag we'd all have been nursing semis) but thought he made a real difference when he came on. Thought of him and N'Guemo and a fit brown fighting for midfield, along with a tidy marc Crossas is delicious, frankly.
6) Hooveild: can't judge yet.
7) Rasmussen: also can't judge. I will go on record though, in something I never would normally say of a new player as I am always very patient (I defended Fortune on here and even defend Sammy) but this lad looks like a panic buy. Looks, from what I've seen of him in Norway, too slow and lacks dynamism. Think he will flop here, and badly. Just my opinion, would love to be wrong.

These players listed above, the ones we can fairly judge anyway, are an improvement on Strachan's team. We play at a quicker tempo and with better structures. SO what's the matter, why is it going so wrong?

I think now it is fair to outline his mistakes so far:
1) Selling Caldwell and Robson: was very surprised to see this happen. Despite the plethora of Caldwell related head banging smileys posted on here, a detached observer could see he was our best centre half of a bad bunch. Selling him seemed strange, especially as he was captaining the side and was experienced, vocal and a leader. We are now playing with two kids at the back and I think we miss him. I think we also miss the needle that Robson brought. Very strange to sell those two, who were instrumental in good run before January.

2) We badly lack leadership. Seeing O'Dea as skipper is a joke and is a microcosmic representation of the much larger issue of no grown men who know what the club stands for and performing week in week out for us. The need for experience, aggressive, motivated, physical professionals is difficult to take, after a decade of Thompson/ Lennon/ Lambert/ Petrov/ Hartley/ Robson/ Sutton/ Hartson, etc. Their ability as footballers was different but their spirit and professionalism brought us consistency.

3) Naka - perhaps under-rated when he was here, the precision of Naka's final ball from both set plays and in open play brought us many goals when he was here. His European-class quality, despite a tendency to go missing at times, is missed when breaking sides down.

4) And by far the most worrying: a seeming mismatch in the dynamic of the individual with the needs and demands of the club. Mogga seems overwhelmed, overawed and uncomfortable. His players often look the same. No-one plays with the chest out, despite so much ability in the squad (for SPL at least) and there is an evident lack of both character ad characters in the dressing room. This comes from the manager down, look at O'Neil (whom I adored) and Strachan (who I struggled to like, I'll admit): both men packed their team with character and personality. This team is like a wardrobe at times: static, wooden and quiet. A real concern.

SO what do you do? The million dollar question! Actually, perhaps it would be the over £10 million question as elucidated above. Mogga should be given until mthe end of the season. Wth Brown back I think he will give us more go forward and dynamism in the midfield, as will N'Guemo on return and Ki, who I can't wait to see week in week out. Maloney will add options and Skippy, for all his faults, will provide a few goals for sure. Is the league over: if we stay as flaccid as we seemed tonight, then I think it is? Mathematically and in all footballing senses, no, there are 2 old firms left and points to play for. Mogga, for financial reasons and because he deserves more time with his players than 7months will stay. We will improve from this point. But by the close of the year, I must see a change in character and feeling from the players in the glorious hoops, or I too may start posting head-banging littered threads screaming to 'get Mogga * oot!', the favoured pass-time of so many TC users.

Let's calm down, give it time and try and change that dynamic a little ourselves, by showing the attributes of faith, loyalty and patience we purport to have but lately rarely show.

Hail Hail!

 

Oh jesus christ sometimes i think people are in a whole other universe.

I go to celtic park week in week out for a cut price of £180 through the 16-18 package. I paid this myself even though i am currently out of work. As of next season i will have to pay nearly double that to come and watch celtic Is it worth it?.

Answer: if mowbrey stays i will not renew simply because nothing will change we will continue playing this awful system witch dosen't work and be told it's all ok because we are playing decent football (witch we aren't)

Mowbray has made so many mistakes and he's got to just leave for the sake of the club.

If you think things will get better then you are either not watching the games or don't know what football is all about.

 

BBC Sport - Football - Celtic 1-2 Hibernian

Highlights are up for those who haven't seen it.

 

GTF Mogga.


A good manager gets the best out of average players, Mowbray gets the worst out of decent players.


All those still defending him should take a look at themselves, this guy is not the answer.


We've only won 3 games against Top 6 opposition all season.


* embarrassment.

 

Oh come on mate i wear my green tinted shades too (frequently) but Ki * dived pure and simple and he was caught out a touch of inexperience me thinks and it cost us with a swift counter when we were seriously committed to attack

 

Frank_the_bhoy:

"Oh jesus christ sometimes i think people are in a whole other universe."


Mate, with all due respect, I think that those that explode on a bi-daily basis with the punchline 'Mogga out' are the ones in the other universe. Not for footballing reasons, although I would disagree with you on those, but for financial reasons. Whereas on Football Manager there is no financial penalty for firing an entire backroom staff and management team after 7 months who cost an arm and a leg to get here in the first place so you can spend the same again (and maybe sack them all again if we've not satisfied the at-times ludicrous standards expected by Celtic fans) on a new management team, the impact on Celtic in real life would be massive. Mowbray cost lots, his outlay since arriving has not been small: it is evidently a longer term project than 6 months.

I appreciate your hurt, we are all hurting but the 'sack, sack, sack' mentality lacks both footballing and commercial sense. Just a thought.

 

a right back at left back,weak defence,weak midfield and weak upfront SHAMBOLIC

 

Getting rid of Mowbray isn`t the answer. Due to the fact we paid a couple of million to take him away from West Brom in the first place is the main reason, wether or not he walks is a different matter. Although I doubt it as he talks so much about intergrity an honesty. Some might say he`ll have to hold his hands up, and understand that he has a worse record than Barnes, but at the end of the day the buck has to fall with the players. Watching Samaras miss an open goal after a pin point cross from Caddis was unreal and happens way too often. But the thing that annoyed me most tonight was Ki. He dived. Simple. Alot of people will disagree with me but thats what I made of it, he lost control of the ball and fell like a ton of bricks. Hibs then countered and eventually scored the winner, all of which could have been avoided had Ki stayed on his feet and tackled the Hibs player instead of falling.

 

Our supporters just donm't have the passion anymore they would rather watch us lose the league to rangers than be bad too mowbray.

Mowbray is setting the team out all wrong his tactics are useless and his team can't defend these are all facts.

He won't change his tactics he can't motivate the team he keeps buying foreigners with no passion for celtic or the ability to scrape out results.

Your going to wait till he * the league up for us next season before you want him out

You can't see it, your blind .

The knee * reaction stuff is just rubbish, it's fine if it's just 1 game every so often we ain't winning but if we are dropping points all over the place how can it be a knee * reaction, You think i'm going to get up tomorrow and feel differently?

 

The managers tactics aren't wrong then.

I think we have a great bunch of players there who given the right guidance could be a great team.

These players are capable of beating hibs and falkirk and a new manager could be the kick in the * they need.

 

Celtic is a business driven forward by us fans that pay our hard earned cash to see a team competing and winning our matches more so in our home ground..its all about getting points as you all know however with the way things are at the moment and another title slipping away then this will eventually come back to hurt us we will be the club tightening the purse strings next season points mean prizes and that's revenue..to bad were giving it away too easily to a bankrupt club.

 

I can`t see Mowbray getting the sack after us paying millions for him thats all. And any decent manager would cost us more money. Who do you think we should get in should Mowbray leave?

 

When we lose the money for winning the league and not qualifying for the CL it's gonna cost a whole lot more.

We'll survive and I'm sure we can afford to fire him fs

huge over estimation on the amount of money it would cost.

 

I dunno who would you be looking at mabye lambert?

 

Would he not fall into the same category as Mowbray though? I mean in the sense he hasn`t been at a big club, I know Martin O`Niell was at Leicester and Strachan at Southampton(both small clubs) but they both did a better job than Mowbray at WBA. I know Lambert completed his coaching badges in Germany which is meant to be one of the top places in europe but I think the job might be too big for him at the moment. I always say I`d love a foreign coach so I`d go for Slaven Bilic but thats my opinion.

 

Lambert?

Whats criteria are you using?

Playing for Celtic doesnt mean that you are able to manage Celtic

 

Embrace the changes
The chase is better than the catch

 

I'm really not too sure sacking is the right move here. Strachan couldn't do anything with these players last year either. Lets see how these new lads do and we'll see.

 

nah.... billic lost it at croatia don't fancy him much

dunno who i'd bring in yet that's the boards job i suppose.

 

He's doing well with norwich and he's a natural born leader and it dosen't take much to organise a team witch mowbray seems to struggle with.

We got a decent squad.