Christchurch Celtic Supporters Club Est 2007

Here we go again. After what I felt was a good performance last weekend we are it seems one step forward and two steps back. I thought we had a decent enough first half against Hamburg,albeit with the usual squandered opportunities. but the second half we were just not in the game. And when it came to making substitutions,I could have sworn he made a phone call to Gordon Strachan! FFS we're chasing the game and desparately need a win,so what do we do ?. Well we replace McGeady with----Lee naylor of course!!! That will really upset the German defence!. Sorry Tony but I just cannot fathom your substitutions at all. However as I have said from the start of this season anything in Europe was a bonus, lets now just concentrate on winning back the league title, if we can!!

At long last a welcome return to a display befitting a Celtic side at Parkhead. I was pleased not only that we at last managed to capitalise on all our possesion,but in the manner in which we approached the game. I have read that Tony Mowbray claims that it was the same as the game against Hearts, but I disagree. It seemed to me that there was SO MUCH more commitment all round. In Particular big "Sami" looked like he had been given a real boot up the "proverbial",lets hope it's the start of a decent run of eqally good performances. Although by the comments I've read we are going to be back to trying to play defensive against Hamburg!. I didn't think they were any great shakes at all I would prefer we have a real go at them. After all If Hapoel can take three off them why can't we ? We are on a hiding to nothing anyway so if we get beat lets make sure it's with "All guns blazing" lets not go out with a whimper !!

I went on to say, It would seem we are now being served the same platitudes we got from Strachan,eg " I would be concerned if we were not making chances" It will come good,we know what we have to do" etc,etc,etc. Mowbray has changed his tune. from one who espoused "Quality was all that mattered" to,after the game against HAMILTON ACCIES F F S, where we went from a two goal lead to hanging on by the skin of our teeth for the three points!!. to "It's the result that matters" Well the result mattered against an equally poor Hearts side and we didn't get the result!. But,"We've just got to take it on the chin and move on to the next game" he says, F F S Tony there's only so much my chin can take. GET IT SORTED ! Like I said GROUNDHOG DAY at Parkhead !!! Don't know why this bit was cut off my last post.

It's "Groundhog Day" at Celtic Park. I thought (hoped !) we had seen the last of inept, dire,weak,abysmal,(hard to find enough adjectives !) performances with the departure of Gordon Strachan. I was confident that Mowbrays arrival heralded the begining of great things to come, having just witnessed the latest debacle at Parkhead It would seem that confidence was somewhat misplaced.

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So whats new about referees and their allegences and no surprise about Hugh (the hun) Dallas sticking up for his lodge brother Scotlands no 1 referee craig thomson who,s performance in this latest old firm game was a credit to hugh dallas and the legacy he carrried on and left behind .
Unfortunatly we dont have the know how at the moment to beat the establishment, BUT, it will come, I am sure Tony Mowbray will get it right in time. and although I am gabout the result I remain upbeat about the future
Cheating refs and officials have always been with us and have always been a hurdle to overcome for Celtic but we have climbed mountains before and will do again.
And that is one of the reasons why we are not just a football club but Celtic.
God Bless Them.
Hail Hail

You can forgive a referee for getting a decision wrong,but when they see a re-play and still insist they got it right when it is obvious even to a blind man that they got it wrong,it is even more galling. so when I saw the headline that the ref in the game at Ibrox admitted he got it wrong, I thought at last an honest referee. However, on reading the full extent of his admission I am still in disbelief not only that he has admitted to only getting one incident wrong but to read that his boss Dallas was "Satisfied with his overall performance". F F S !!. What about the other THREE stonwall penalties he didn't give ?. I know you are NEVER going to get that many penalties in a game ,especially at Ibrox but for my money that is exactly how many we SHOULD have had, (I think Wilsons booking for diving was also a penalty !). What about the studs up tackle by Lafferty on Zhe ?. (a similar tackle for which Loovens is facing suspension ) What about the deliberate handball by Novo,his second bookable offence ?. What about Scott MacDonald nearly getting his head pulled off in the penalty box ?. And Dallas is satisfied with that ??. Now who says he was biased ?
Having said all that we still only have ourselves to blame for defeat against, at best, a very ordinary Rangers side. Last season we developed a habit of losing silly goals at free kicks, we have taken that bad habit to a new low,we are now not only losing silly goals, from anywhere,but contriving to do so in the first few minutes of the game !. The new found optimism I had at the start of the season is disappearing faster than snow in Hawaii !. We are back to the same old failing in the final third and are still "huffing and puffing "in trying to turn our almost complete possesion into goals. indeed if you add the previous mentioned failings, we could even be going backwards. I guess we have to wait till the end of the season before passing too harsh a judgement,but we have to get our act together or it will all end in tears again.We just cannot go on gifting goals and spurning goal scoring chances.

Very very disappointed with the Europa league result BUT, I do believe we will get better and qualify for the next stage , we quite simply have to get better if we want to go forward in the European stage AND we have to get better in the SPL as well the huns drew again 0-0 and we have to start putting points between us and them and dont do what we done last season and give them all the motivation they need to hang on in there The new manager needs to have some time to get things rolling, but I hope he understands that he has to get it together pronto, I just pray that Tony Mowbray knows what he is doing and it all starts to click together sooner rather than later. as for Gary Caldwell, he should be grateful that he gets a game, and if he is not happy then sell him if a buyer can be found
Hail Hail

I had said on a previous post that I was quietly confident about the coming season. That comment it would seem was 'cum grano salis' ( He who believes wiil understand the Latin!) I have given Tony Mowbray some credit for the way we have played in pre-season games, but I must admit having just watched the latest fiasco against, at best a middle of the table SPL team, ie Hapeol,and the equally dire display against Dundee Utd at Parkhead, it seems like one step forward and two steps back! From his starting line up to substitutions I could swear he'd had a a phone call to 'You know who". Gary Caldwell is NOT a midfield player !!!.
I see from comments in the press that Caldwell has given Celtic some sort of ultimatim? Well my advice is GO Gary,the CELTIC JERSEY does not shrink to fit INFERIOR PLAYERS!!!. He is on record as saying "Celtic can win this Europa Cup" I sincerely wish he would do his talking ON the park. I have maintained from the start that anything in Europe this season is a bonus, some chance!. So let's hope we can pick up the pieces from this latest debacle and at least win back the SPL title. Over to you Tony. Early days I accept but F_F_S, Let's get our act together or even that's a lost cause !!!!!!. VERY VERY DISAPPOINTED. Time to PULL FINGER Celtic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!