A lot of weird, chippy, angry jockos in the Celtic support.
Part and parcel of playing for a big club with a fervent fanbase. I’d direct my ire at Lawwell though.
Lawwell seems to have played these simpletons like a mug if that’s anything to go by
The Celtic fan base slated Rangers ( correctly ) for a century or so over not signing a pape . Souness signed Maurice Johnston in 1989 and Celtic fans got angry
Sure look at @Rocko
Lost the plot at Rodgers leaving and never once criticised the board for the farcical ongoings in the previous summer transfer window that prompted his departure. Lawwell finishes that particular season as the highest paid executive in world football and we miss out on McGinn over a few 100k.
There’s a big divide in the fanbase, there are those who lap up all the bluster the boardroom feed them and there are others who can see boardroom salaries rise while investment in the playing squad and management team plummets.
Not staying for the 10 is unforgivable. He can come up with every excuse under the sun and look for sympathy but he fucked it himself
Ajeti’s ugly genius is exactly what Celtic need
By Kieran Devlin 7h ago 8
For 35 minutes it was more of the same. Though Callum McGregor had scored an excellent long-range strike after seven minutes, Celtic weren’t producing coherent build-up or defending with a clear shape — as they haven’t for weeks. They were conceding good quality chances, and their passing was so erratic that for a 15-minute spell in the first half they struggled to get out of their own third against Hibs’ well-drilled high press.
Then Ryan Christie dribbled through Hibs’ backline and was tackled but the ball broke for Moi Elyounoussi, whose clever outside-of-the-foot shot was saved well by Ofir Marciano. A fraction of a moment later and the ball was in the net after Albian Ajeti had prodded home the rebound.
Watching back replays of the goal, his anticipation is striking. He’s moving as soon as the ball leaves Elyounoussi’s feet, rather than when Marciano makes the save. It allows him those milliseconds to get ahead when everyone else is static. It’s a tap-in, made so because his instincts are so alert.
Celtic’s second half in their eventual 3-0 win on Sunday was a substantial improvement; not only over the first half but over the majority of this season. There was a more urgent tempo to the passing and greater control over the defensive transitions. There was also a better balance to their midfield, with David Turnbull being subbed on for Christie at half-time and impressing both with possession and without, capping off his day with a lovingly weighted assist for Elyounoussi’s goal. But it occurred without Ajeti, who was subbed off picking up a hamstring injury after scoring.
He was peripheral before his goal, and vanished down the tunnel soon after, but he made the decisive contribution in Sunday’s game. It was a goal that settled Celtic’s nerves and freed them to play their best football since Hamilton on the opening day. But his upcoming absence from the side, for what Lennon said could be a couple of weeks, could have a significant impact.
After his first six league games, Ajeti has scored five times from eight shots across 238 minutes; a goal every 48 minutes, and conversion rate of 63 per cent. For comparison, Odsonne Edouard last season averaged a goal every 100 minutes and a conversion rate of 20 per cent.
Such a return from Ajeti is obviously unsustainable and it will drop with time; but it emphasises, first, how quickly he’s hit the ground running in Scotland. His stocky frame and combative approach to forward play in the penalty area is tailor-made for the Premiership’s physicality, even when he’s still not fully match-fit.
Second, it underlines how crucial an attacking asset with such coldly precise finishing can be. Ajeti’s output so far can be neatly filed under two different brands of goals; the scrappy and the emphatic. His finishes against Dundee United and Ross County at home after a series of pinballs in the box? Scrappy. His powerful but measured strikes against Motherwell and Livingston? Emphatic. His rebound on Sunday? A bit of both.
For all the copious adjectives you could paint Celtic’s ensemble of attacking players with, “scrappy” and “emphatic” aren’t really covered. This Celtic team often relies on the individual ingenuity of their attacking options, but it mostly manifests in goals that are more dainty in their build-up and execution. There’s plenty of fancy interplay and blockbuster strikes, a form of artisanal football that can come unstuck against opposition set up to frustrate.
Against deep-sitting teams — such as Kilmarnock earlier this season (before Ajeti signed), or in Wednesday’s turgid Europa League qualifier against Riga (in which he was subbed on in the second half) — Celtic can often look like they’re politely and gently knocking on the door of the opposition defence. Ajeti brings an axe and a sense of “Here’s Johnny!” to proceedings. It’s all shoulder-barges, endless tussling and brash runs in behind. It’s not particularly delicate, but it’s effectively difficult to defend against.
Ajeti gives Celtic something they haven’t really had for years: the poacher, the instinctive finisher, the guy who might do nothing all game but is somehow so often in the right place at the right time to prod the ball over the line.
While Celtic strikers in the 2010s showed flashes of Ajeti’s characteristics — Moussa Dembele loved a scrappy goal, while a fully fit and on-form Leigh Griffiths is as emphatic as they come — none have committed to the role of the serial poacher as devotedly since Gary Hooper. He was a limited forward all told, especially in contrast to the likes of Dembele and Edouard to arrive in later years, but Hooper’s ability to find space in a crowded penalty area was uncanny. Though he scored difficult finishes more regularly than many might recall, his magic trick was conjuring simple tap-ins from nothing; finding easy solutions to convoluted problems. Ajeti intuitively knows that same trick.
Ajeti’s goal record at Basel suggests that he has a greater variety to his finishing than Hooper, including an excellent ability in the air that Celtic have yet to enjoy, but there’s also the physical dimension to his game. Hooper was no slouch himself, but Ajeti actively relishes the battling at set-pieces, the outmuscling in trying to win high balls. He is a striker designed for the Scottish game, but also offers more than a traditional poacher might.
Ajeti isn’t a like-for-like replacement for Edouard. He isn’t as well-rounded a player and isn’t capable of the moments of elegant improvisation that his team-mate is. But, as his goal against Hibs underlined, he offers his own uglier, scrappier genius that can flourish when the more aesthetically pleasing football fails. It’s ugly genius that will be sorely missed over the next couple of weeks.
Bit of a shame with the injury, hopefully he will be back after the international break.
It’s also time to get Griffiths up to speed, he should be starting next weekend.
How is the lad from Nenagh , Barry Coffey , getting on at Celtic ??
He’s not anywhere near the first team. He signed a new deal in January so seems reasonably highly thought of. Tough on young players at the moment because I don’t think there will be as many reserve and youth fixtures this season in most leagues.
Edouard tests positive for Covid.
Surely out of Sevco game now?
I’d imagine so. Lennon will play Ryan Christie upfront on his own.
Get well soon, French Eddy.
Ryan Christie up front on his own with Ajeti, Klimala and Griffiths on the bench.
Not necessarily out completely, I believe isolation period in France is 7 days, he can conceivably travel back at the start of next week. Far from ideal preparation though of course, but could still be an ace to hold on the bench if required
Think that’s Ryan Christie out of the derby on 17 October now. Stuart Armstrong has tested positive for coronavirus on Scotland duty. Christie and Kieran Tierney are required to self-isolate for 14 days, as they were close contacts.
Who are going to play up front by themselves now?
Elyounoussi?
Not sure if posted on here but it seems Forrest has fractured his ankle so we’re probably not likely to see him until the new year.
We don’t really have much cover for Frimpong in that case? Don’t think Elhamed will offer much from wing back.
Do we still have Ralston on the books or was he released or loaned out? I know he’s not great but he’s probably as good as Elhamed there.
Bitton played for Israel last night so his injury was obviously nothing serious.
He seemed to be training with the first team yesterday based on a picture gallery shared on Celtic’s social media channels.
Bounce game with Motherwell at Lennoxtown today seemingly. Hopefully the likes of Laxalt, Rogic and Griffiths can get a few minutes
You’ve been giving out about forrest for the last 6 months.
Yes.
Your point?