Groundhog day

Groundhog day

The old black ash football pitch which once stood behind St Roch’s Primary school in Glasgow’s Garngad area was a tough setting to play on. The surface was uneven and rough and the pitch seemed enormous to us primary aged footballers. Every other Saturday we would play there against similarly bemused youngsters from other schools and often had the ash scraped into our skin when we had the audacity to try a sliding tackle. As a defender I was always told by the Manager, a teacher called Mr Gallagher, ‘don’t let it bounce, you can never tell where it will end up.’  As the solid weight of a Mouldmaster football dropped out of the brooding Glasgow sky like a cannon ball hurtling towards the enemy, it was my job to head it back in the direction from whence it came.  It could be a daunting prospect, especially if some forward gave you a nudge. You didn’t want one of those balls hitting you anywhere you didn’t plan on. Blocking shots could be another challenging activity as a Mouldmaster hitting you on the thigh scored a good 8 out of 10 for pain and left a red welt as a reminder. To be struck in the most delicate of places usually meant lying on the black ash in a crumpled heap for several minutes trying not cry. Such was the way Scottish kids learned to play football once upon a time. It either toughened you up or made you think that there must be less traumatic ways to spend a Saturday morning.

There was a distinct feeling of déjà vu about the place as Celtic tumbled out of the Champions League for the third successive year to a team they really should have beaten. Lessons about the need to defend well for 90 minutes and concentrate fully in European ties were not learned and the two goals Celtic lost were so preventable that they should have been wrapped in gift paper. Teams do not need to work hard to score against Celtic and that is hugely disappointing. The winning goal this week for Ferencvaros was typical of goals lost in recent qualifying matches. It consisted of a misplaced Celtic pass 25 yards from the Ferencvaros goal, a fairly aimless blooter up the park from a defender which found Celtic defender El Hammed seemingly in command of the situation. As I watched the ball sail towards him, the words of Mr Gallaher came back to me from all those years ago ‘don’t let it bounce!’  Of course, he did let it bounce and the speedy Tokmac latched onto it before skipping past a feeble attempted tackle from the Israeli to slip the ball past a goalkeeper whose positioning was, in honesty, poor.

It was like Groundhog Day; like watching the same disaster movie over and over and hoping it’ll somehow end differently. Defending like that is absolutely criminal in European football. All the good work, possession and attempts at goal are undone in few those moments of ineptitude. You could have been forgiven as you watched Ferencvaros score that goal if it brought to mind similar calamities against the likes of Maribor, Malmo, AEK Athens, Cluj or FC Copenhagen. The outcome was the same; games Celtic should have won were lost. Not because of the brilliance of the opposition but because the Hoops seem unable to defend in the manner a team of their stature should.

Celtic had 71% possession of the ball and 28 shots at goal and still contrived to lose. But as Sergei Rebrov, Ferencvaros head coach and a decent striker in his own time said…

‘They have quality players, but I think we deserved this. Most of the time we defended, but football is about scoring goals, not about the possession of the ball’

Neil Lennon was barely able to hide his anger and broke the cardinal rule of football management by criticising his players in public. He said…

‘I’m sick of seeing us making basic defensive mistakes. We did the same against Copenhagen when we were on top. He’s (El Hamed) in the right position and should deal with it. He doesn’t and we get punished. In the final third we should have been better as well because we had so many opportunities to score.  The players need to buckle up. We’ve been ok but some of their attitudes need to be better. They come and want to play for the club but I detect a little malaise sometimes among them and they’re not as good as they think they are sometimes. We have to analyse where we went wrong and make it a season to remember as we go along.’

That was strong enough from the Celtic manager but he went further in post-match interviews and blasted players he suggested have been agitating for a move…

"There are some players who may want to leave. They have made inroads into that in the last six months or so. So if they don't want to be here, we have to do something about it. If they are making waves to leave the club, they are obviously not committed. We want players committed to the club. I am not going to go into it but I am putting it out there because it has been bugging me for a long, long time."

That statement worried Celtic fans as this is a historic season for the club and they want a team which is united and committed to the cause. The club should either tell those players involved to shut up and honour their contracts in a professional manner or show them the door and get in players who will give their all for the club. With the signing of David Turnbull and the ongoing speculation about Shane Duffy it is likely Celtic will sell one or two players to recoup money in what is a difficult financial situation for football. The club is stuffed with midfielders and it wouldn’t be a surprise if N’tcham or Rogic sought a new challenge elsewhere.

A friend said to me of the Ferencvaros game, ‘Celtic’s defenders are a soft touch. They’re not physical enough and don’t intimidate anyone. They need an old style defender with balls that clang and a bit of nastiness about him.’ Shane Duffy may fit that bill as he is the sort of no-nonsense defender who clears his lines and takes no prisoners. Hopefully the Celtic board see the need for such a player and get the deal done.

Sunday’s game with Motherwell now becomes the main focus. A solid display and three points are required to steady the ship and get Celtic back on track. The fans are frustrated with another European disappointment but they know this is a big season and there is much to play for. The disappointment will pass in time; who was thinking of Copenhagen when N’tcham scored that winner in Rome against Lazio? The priority remains the league title and if that is delivered it will assuage any European frustrations.

Celtic supporters love their club. Their frustration and anger this week is born out of that love. They care too much times but that is better than not caring at all. They invested tens of millions this summer in season ticket money and merchandise with no sign that they will actually see the team in the flesh any time soon. They kick every ball, cheer every goal, share every triumph and disaster and above all are 100% committed to the team.

All they ask is that those who wear the green and white hoops do their job with the same passion and commitment.