Celtic failed to score for the second consecutive game, as they drew to St. Johnstone.
The game could’ve went in for days, and Celtic wouldn’t have found the back of the net, despite the countless chances falling to players.
It was a lethargic performance from the Hoops, but that’s how they’ve played in their first four games this season.
Here are three things we learned after Celtic dropped points in the league.
1. Referee Inexperience Takes a Toll
The performance of the referee in his first game involving Celtic left much to be desired. From allowing St. Johnstone to time waste without repercussions to interrupting the flow of the game with questionable foul calls, it’s clear that inexperience was at play. The lack of time-wasting yellow cards and his interference with ball movement adversely affected the outcome of the match for Celtic. With a role so pivotal, the question of whether he should officiate future games involving Celtic has arisen.
2. The Transfer Window Isn’t Solving Problems
Despite new signings, the match showed that Celtic’s roster still has gaps. Players like Ralston, Scales, Forrest, and Haksabanovic, who were on the field for Celtic, displayed that the squad is not up to the standard expected of the club. Injuries may be a mitigating factor, but it’s clear that Celtic still needs reinforcements, particularly if they wish to be competitive. This match is a wake-up call for the team to reassess its strategy in the transfer market.
3. Rodgers Under the Microscope
Brendan Rodgers finds himself under increasing pressure following another lacklustre performance. Coming into a match against a team at the bottom of the league, anything less than a win would be deemed unsatisfactory. Unfortunately for Rodgers, the game was far from inspiring. His return to the club was a gamble, and thus far, it hasn’t yielded the expected results. The board and fans will be looking for a swift turnaround in form, or Rodgers might find his second stint at Celtic short-lived.
Hopefully Celtic will learn from all there games. More attackers needed on field, on the bench.
Get rid of the glut of midfielders, get two more fitter strikers. As what with very few fit defenders. Time to give Celtic youth their chance.
That’s all we need, more youth players! We do need a striker though and we need to offload rubbish like David Turnbull. But let’s start with a new manager, one who actually knows something about tactical football.
That failure today cost me £1500 on my coupon. All I needed was 2 goals at Celtic park and they couldn’t even find one against lowly St. Johnstone. I cannot explain how frustrated I feel over the mess Brendan Rodgers has made to the playing style of Celtic, not to mention his love affair with David Turnbull who is simply not Celtic quality. The team is disjointed and lethargic with players like Kyogo being played out of position. £1500 may be a drop in the ocean to a man like Rodgers, but it’s a fortune to me and I would have cashed in had Ange still been in charge.
I think the best thing the Board can do right now is let Rodgers go. The warning signs are there and all his sophistry about how new players are adapting and how the current squad is trying to get used to his way of playing is just wind. He has taken a very good team and destroyed it, simple as that. I really fear for Celtic at Ibrox next week, not to mention the humiliation that awaits the team in the Champions League. His appointment was a mistake, best to admit it and replace him quickly than to watch further failures which are assuredly on the cards under the present setup. How the hell did he make such a mess in such a short time? It’s depressing.
There are many issues at Celtic at this moment, however Rodgers is a good manager. Injuries are a clear cause for our current form but not the soul issue.
Rodgers came out and said “I will work with the players I am given” and then this week “we are a weaker side than last season” with this second statement so blatantly obvious now.
However what is really worrying is that Rodgers is not picking the signings. Would you manage a side that doesn’t let you make and pick the signings? No is the answer!
Rodgers left when Pistol Pete wouldn’t pay the money for John McGinn. What a bad decision that was.
The thing I would put at the managers door is why is he playing a 4-3-3? That was Ange’s system not Rodgers as throughout his manager history he mostly played a 4-2-3-1.
Now the Kilmarnock game we were overrun in midfield, that wouldn’t have been the case had he played a 4-2-3-1, also today against St Johnston we flashed balls across the box and Kyogo was yards behind the balls. I get he wants to add a different dynamic by including Kyogo in the build up play and it has worked at times with Kyogo playing players in. However had we played the 4-2-3-1 then Kyogo would have been further forward and would have maybe got on the end of the balls across the six yard box especially in the first half.
However I am sure the main issue is pistol Pete coming back. He left in June 2021, from then we identified players early, signed them early and Ange had weeks to work with them before games. Michael Nicolson, Ange and Mark Lawell done a great job. We were also performing financially off the park also.
After 6 months of pistol Pete coming back, we are signing players that Rodgers didn’t identify. He is getting involved in issues that are not his remit as non-executive Chairman. With the last 2 signings is has been obvious we went low and had to go back with an improved offer that the club wanted from day one. This never happened when pistol wasn’t there, it happened when pistol was there first time. He has come in, got involved in issues that has nothing to do with him, he is not the CFO or the CEO. So should be nowhere near signings, however it is evident that his influence is being felt. Michael Nicolson has to tell him to butt out and be strong as his record which was great when pistol wasn’t there.
Rodgers is making those statements so the fans know the truth, and if the club as in Michael Nicolson and Dermott don’t get behind the manager and continue to let pistol interfere then Rodgers will walk and we will be no longer the best team in Scotland. Even this early we are worse than last year and the manager is being given players, not picking the signings. If this continues it will only end one way and that is with not a good team and the manager walking!
I agree that Lawwell is up to his neck in this mess, but so is Rodgers. He’s the manager and he should demand the players he needs and the right to choose them. Ange did this and no one dared contradict, so why not Rodgers? It’s because he’s not the same calibre of manager and I think he has done a deal with the Board to hoarde the money as much as possible. But aside from that, he has some injuries largely in defence and has really just lost Jota up front, so this transformation of not being able to score goals is down to his style of play. He had a great forward-moving team to start with and he has completely destroyed that. Kyogo is no longer in the six-yard box where he does his best work, McGregor is too far back and Maeda looks completely lost. It’s woeful and it’s down to bad managerial tactics. It was a huge mistake bringing Rodgers back and Celtic fans are going to recognise that big time this year.
THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER BROUGHT BACK, after what he did to Leicester. He lacks tactics and they are slow at moving the ball. This is more or less the team Ange left us with, as for today the only players in my opinion
that earned their wages were Johnston, Largerbielle, and yang the rest were a disgrace, particularly McGregor who has been missing for quite some time. I am totally disgusted
I don’t know what Rodgers has done to McGregor but it’s obvious he’s gone off the boil, as have others. He’s ruining the entire team with his tactics.
I agree with the Kyogo comment however Maeda has looked lost from he got here. He is suited to playing teams that come out (good teams). Where he can get in behind and he is invaluable in his press against such teams. However he has never been good against 11 men behind the ball teams, he can’t beat a man and cross to a teammate. He was totally inept today as well as in every European game he has played!
Out of the 6 Japanese players Ange signed, 3 are not up to it in Ideguchi, Yuki and Iwata, Maeda has pass marks and Kyogo and Hatate are great. That is at best a 50% signing rate. Also CCV, Jota & Matt those weren’t Ange signings, these guys were on Mark Lawells list. Anyone who says otherwise is deluded as there is no way that when Ange was managing in Japan he was also watching Premier league reserve games, Portuguese reserve games and the English 3rd tier, the English premiership as he admitted he always watched, as well as all the other leagues in Asia as he was in the Asian champions league. A manager couldn’t do his job if he was watching that amount of football. Haksabanovic hasn’t lived up to it, as has Bernabei who were Ange signings.
Everyone says we need a holding midfielder like Wanyama, I agree however Ange signed 3 and not one is decent.
As for Ange being strong, pistol wasn’t there! He left when Ange signed in June 2021. Ange also said to the media “you will be surprised by how long I am here”. 2 years, really? I felt Ange wanted another go at the champions league, however pistol comes back and Ange leaves. I am not saying this is the reason as the offer was too good but did pistol coming back and interfering make Ange’s decision easier? Do you think Ange thought he was walking into the nightmare that is Spurs under Levy? I don’t think so but he knows now. Ange will walk with the first offer from a equal or bigger club comes for him.
Continuity is paramount, pistol comes back and there is no continuity. Ange leaves, Rodgers is being undermined like before. Who wants to work like that? Rodgers left due to these circumstances, pistol comes back and Ange leaves for the same reason now Rodgers is back and it is happening again!
In the 18 months pistol was gone, Celtic were great on and off the park. Why mess with that? Why change a winning formula? Only Celtic and fail to improve from a position of strength! And this is not the fault of Rodgers.
Martin backshaw nob
Drew,
It’s times like this when I wish I had the IQ of a house plant. As things stand though, I’m not at your level of intellect to be able to respond appropriately to such a quality comment.