Gio's improvement since Braga away

[Sir Know it All]

I think we (and likely Gio) are going to miss a few players who likely depart a lot more than some think TBH.

A decent example of this is Goldson, a lot seem to think moving on and just transitioning from him will be a peace of piss, good luck with that, I would apply that if Kent were to depart as well.

 

[Barrhead Bluenose]

Which is largely crap and forgetting what happened throwing untried players into key games at our toughest away grounds was simply folly. There were better options. The lack of squad rotation was another key failing.

Absolutely agree it looks different now but what went before was more than a manager finding his feet.

We are pretty much back playing similar to how this squad played and this myth we’ve got Celtics number? We could have had it from the first game-set up in the first 2 OF games was wrong and many predicted the issues before the games.

Gio might have been better keeping the system Gerrard played with this group of players but he 100% deserves the opportunity to build his own team and implement his ideas with them next season.

 

[Barrhead Bluenose]

I think we (and likely Gio) are going to miss a few players who likely depart a lot more than some think TBH.

A decent example of this is Goldson, a lot seem to think moving on and just transitioning from him will be a peace of piss, good luck with that, I would apply that if Kent were to depart as well.

There’s a reason Goldson, Tav and Kent have played just about every minute of every game they have been available.

 

[Brick_Top]

I think we (and likely Gio) are going to miss a few players who likely depart a lot more than some think TBH.

A decent example of this is Goldson, a lot seem to think moving on and just transitioning from him will be a peace of piss, good luck with that, I would apply that if Kent were to depart as well.

Goldson most definitely has his faults and horror moments, but finding a quality centre back that can play 50+ games a season to replace him is going to be a very difficult task.

 

[The Lone Sniper]

I have a slightly different opinion on this.

I think it's more to do with the pressure being off.

The league was confirmed as lost at Ibrox and against Braga at Ibrox and the league games that followed you could consider some of them free hits in that Celtic were winning the league and Europe we're just going out and seeing what happens and it's worked.

When it's tight in the league and the pressure is on, I still have serious doubts about Giovanni and most of these players.

Utter claptrap.

The pressure was turned to 11 in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

 

[dt17]

Been on the fence with Gio but I do think he's learned from his mistakes and realised you don't need to be as defensive domestically. He also seems to have figured Ange out lately.

Main gripe is how he's stuck with McGregor despite him costing us time and time again.

 

[JeffreySpauIding]

I wanted him gone after the first Celtic game at Parkhead. It was a run of 4 games where it looked like he is wasn't changing anything and we were haemorrhaging points.

Since then he has shown he knows what he is doing and can fix problems. He came in midseason to a stale team that were playing shit and tried to figure out how to play with the squad he was given whilst not getting any time on the training field due to playing twice a week.

I'd like to see him with new signings next season when he has had proper backing in the summer. We are talking a £20m rebuild. We will need to sell a few players near the end of their contract but it is time for a refresh.

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

Hindsight though isn't it, every man, woman and dug wanted him subbed at halftime because he was that shite and we were all baffled when he wasn't. I don't think him scoring in the end takes away from how poor a decision it was to keep him on.

Bloody hell. Don’t get your logic mate.

I’m no Sakala fan, but he scored the equaliser & very nearly won us it.

Pretty clearly some agendas flying about on this thread.

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

Gerrard’s points per match in the league this season 2.25.

Gio’s points per match in the league this season 2.27.

The difference is that Celtic were crap when Gerrard was still here. Since Gio came in they have only dropped 6 points in the league including today.

And let’s not forget beating them to reach the SC Final, as well as a significant improvement in Europe.

 

[wee_cric]

I think next season will all be about the transfer windows. Our European run should have hopefully eased financial pressures and hopefully we can spend some of that. On the other hand the filth have been handed a 30-40m jackpot with the CL money and they're likely to spend some of that too while using the lure of CL to retain their best guys. There's a (very very) small part of me wishes they had won yesterday, just so it lured them into a false sense of security that they didn't need to make big changes in the summer - and the result wouldn't have mattered to us anyway.

 

[Manc Bear]

I think we (and likely Gio) are going to miss a few players who likely depart a lot more than some think TBH.

A decent example of this is Goldson, a lot seem to think moving on and just transitioning from him will be a peace of piss, good luck with that, I would apply that if Kent were to depart as well.

100%. We need to pull out all the stops to keep goldson and kent

 

[Manc Bear]

It's fair to say Gio over the last few weeks has turned it around and won plenty on here including myself over you csn see he's good tactically and is willing to adapt and lean from previous mistakes. If he can bring in 4/5 guaranteed starter's that can make a difference to the first 11 then I'd be pretty confident going into next season

I’m confident already, gvb has impressed me a lot over last 8 weeks. Obviously recruitment and contract extensions have a massive part to play but already looking forward to the next campaign

 

[SilvioBerlusconi]

If he wins the Europa League we will be lucky to keep a hold of him

 

[thebluebaron]

When they will strengthen and we go for some free transfers and bargain basement signings. Cant wait.

We might as well just throw in the towel now then…

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

Does he need to have a "style"?

I actually like the fact that he has shown adaptability & a pragmatism in recent months.

 

[HandsomeHead]

He has got away with it due to the European campaign. Not many managers get away with a 12 point swing in the league

It’s been pointed out many times on here that league results under Gio have remained more or less the same as they were under Gerrard; the dominant factor in the swing is that Celtic improved exponentially.

 

[Drumgelloch Loyal]

I'm glad Gio has silenced the doubter's on here. I have been enjoying seeing so many people eating humble pie in the match threads lately.
I don't know how many people I've seen screeching about his subs, or lack of.... then his decisions making a direct impact in the games. He definitely has something about him tactically, it's just taken our squad a bit of time to adapt into his own way of playing in the game.
Next transfer window with his own players who slot right into his style of play will do us the world of good.

 

[Sir Know it All]

It’s been pointed out many times on here that league results under Gio have remained more or less the same as they were under Gerrard

That's not a silver bullet statement TBH

 

[Scooby]

When Gio arrived in Scotland as a player, I thought he was very good technically, but lacked fight and aggression, he just wasn't suited to the Scottish game.

But he adapted, and he soon developed a nasty streak. He wasn't averse to leaving the boot in as and when required. It made him into a much more rounded player and I am sure it stood him in good stead for the rest of his career.

I am hopeful that Gio the manager is adapting and will take us forward.

 

[Bigbluebear]

It’s been pointed out many times on here that league results under Gio have remained more or less the same as they were under Gerrard; the dominant factor in the swing is that Celtic improved exponentially.

89 points that we are likely to finish with now, has been enough to win the league before.

 

[Macky]

It’s been pointed out many times on here that league results under Gio have remained more or less the same as they were under Gerrard; the dominant factor in the swing is that Celtic improved exponentially.

So no improvement then?

 

[brain]

He's recovered we'll but I’m reluctant to read too much into a late season rally when the league is gone. When the chips were down and there was all to play for, we crumbled.

 

[HandsomeHead]

So no improvement then?

That’s probably the fairest criticism of him.

 

[chucknorris]

So no improvement then?

A Scottish Cup final and a europa semi final suggest there has been, yes

Cant believe you are in for day 2, give it a rest

 

[Macky]

A Scottish Cup final and a europa semi final suggest there has been, yes

Cant believe you are in for day 2, give it a rest

I still can’t believe the fawning over a draw against a team that apparently every player is shite tbh.

 

[MwgRFC88]

No i'm not, but people are underestimating how much of an impact Gerrard walking out mid season, with no warning, had on our season. Any team will struggle with that. We got a new manger bounce before players had to adapt to a new regime. On top of that several players have under performed all season, even before Gio arrived.

If youre looking for someone to blame look at the players, not Van Bronkhorst

So many people on this forum also completely dismiss the impact our European run has had on us domestically.

The games against Dortmund, Red Star and Braga have taken a huge toll on the squad. We don't have 20 players we can rely on.

Only the very best teams like City, Liverpool and Real can keep both domestic and Europe going simultaneously.

We have thrown away the league but there have been mitigating circumstances. Before you even discuss the refereeing decisions and moving of the winter break to aid a team dead on their feet.

 

[RabSpackman]

Which is largely crap and forgetting what happened throwing untried players into key games at our toughest away grounds was simply folly. There were better options. The lack of squad rotation was another key failing.

Absolutely agree it looks different now but what went before was more than a manager finding his feet.

We are pretty much back playing similar to how this squad played and this myth we’ve got Celtics number? We could have had it from the first game-set up in the first 2 OF games was wrong and many predicted the issues before the games.

If another point of view on an opinion board must be, “largely crap” then knock yourself out

You want him not including untried players but at the same time rotating the squad more.. you can’t have both when a manager comes in to find a squad that beyond 10 or 11 first team picks is just not what he expected or needed.

I wouldn’t say we have Celtic’s number… but that game in February was critical in us chucking this championship - and the factor of the players shitting it on the park overrode team selections IMO.

 

[Sir Know it All]

So many people on this forum also completely dismiss the impact our European run has had on us domestically.

The games against Dortmund, Red Star and Braga have taken a huge toll on the squad. We don't have 20 players we can rely on.

Our worst run of domestic form and performances came when we were least active in Europe and before those games TBH

 

[MwgRFC88]

I still can’t believe the fawning over a draw against a team that apparently every player is shite tbh.

It's not the draw though is it?

As has been pointed out several times it is the manner of the game. A really really good performance away to your rivals with a lot of key players missing 3 days after a tough European semi final.

No point in discussing it with you though as you obviously have an agenda against the manager and no amount of points proving you wrong will change your mind.

 

[MwgRFC88]

Our worst run of domestic form and performances came when we were least active in Europe and before those games TBH

Fair point. We struggled to get going after the winter break like we have done for a few seasons now.

GVB took time to learn what is required in Scotland. It is maybe not the best league but it is very unique and it takes some getting used to. He has made mistakes but he seems to be learning from them.

 

[Pacman]

Wrong starting 11 Thurs, changed to aribo CF second half and got going, then changed it and we became toothless.

Yesterday he had sakala as a right mid with Arfield CM and both were dreadful first half. Changes sorted this.

He can read a game as it's happening but his starting selections leave a lot to be desired

 

[GeckoBear29]

Today wasnt a great result.

In the context of the league.no

In the context of a one off result away at Parkhead with the amount of injuries we had, being inches away from a win without our first and second choice centre forwards and only being undone by 3/4 players collectively switching off at the wrong time? Great result

 

[GeckoBear29]

I think we (and likely Gio) are going to miss a few players who likely depart a lot more than some think TBH.

A decent example of this is Goldson, a lot seem to think moving on and just transitioning from him will be a peace of piss, good luck with that, I would apply that if Kent were to depart as well.

I certainly don’t want Goldson to go. I think the ship has sailed now though

 

[Bigbluebear]

Wrong starting 11 Thurs, changed to aribo CF second half and got going, then changed it and we became toothless.

Yesterday he had sakala as a right mid with Arfield CM and both were dreadful first half. Changes sorted this.

He can read a game as it's happening but his starting selections leave a lot to be desired

I think the 1st half was exactly as they intended on Thursday TBH, going by post match interviews.

 

[NDC bear forever]

Does he need to have a "style"?

How many top teams don’t have one?

 

[Bigbluebear]

How many top teams don’t have one?

As I said earlier in the thread, what was Walters style? What was Ecks style?

They didn't really have one set style, they changed and adapted to suit the opposition

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

So many people on this forum also completely dismiss the impact our European run has had on us domestically.

The games against Dortmund, Red Star and Braga have taken a huge toll on the squad. We don't have 20 players we can rely on.

Only the very best teams like City, Liverpool and Real can keep both domestic and Europe going simultaneously.

We have thrown away the league but there have been mitigating circumstances. Before you even discuss the refereeing decisions and moving of the winter break to aid a team dead on their feet.

Yes, if you take Leipzig into it, that’s 8 games where we’ve been ‘disrupted’ domestically both before & after the European match ? And they’ve had 2.

History has shown us that Europe costs you domestically.

In saying that, it’s been fantastic seeing our players mix it with the big boys.

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

In the context of the league.no

In the context of a one off result away at Parkhead with the amount of injuries we had, being inches away from a win without our first and second choice centre forwards and only being undone by 3/4 players collectively switching off at the wrong time? Great result

I think the performance was better than the result GB.

 

[NDC bear forever]

As I said earlier in the thread, what was Walters style? What was Ecks style?

They didn't really have one set style, they changed and adapted to suit the opposition

Football has change a lot since then mate, I don’t think it’s fair to reference them. Although I do think in recent weeks we’re beginning to see some hallmarks of a GvB team, a high, man for man press, forcing teams on the outside. With the ball the wingers are playing a bit narrow but I don’t think he’s a particular fan of that I think he wants his wingers to be high and wide stretching the opponents

 

[HandsomeHead]

I think the performance was better than the result GB.

We were the width of the post away from a win.

If we’re being hyper critical though, Sakala should have buried it.

Not doing so effectively handed them the title so it’s difficult to be too upbeat about the result, but Thursday was always the bigger game.

To still be playing European games in May is incredible.

Let’s hope we still have one more to come.

 

[Grigo Yossarian]

We were the width of the post away from a win.

If we’re being hyper critical though, Sakala should have buried it.

Not doing so effectively handed them the title so it’s difficult to be too upbeat about the result, but Thursday was always the bigger game.

To still be playing European games in May is incredible.

Let’s hope we still have one more.

Yes, I actually thought the one Hart tipped over the bar was more disappointing HH. If that was lower to a corner ( like his goal to be fair ) it had a real chance.

When I saw the one he hit the post again I thought Hart had his angles pretty good. Maybe Sakala should have dinked that one higher ?

 

[Pacman]

I think the 1st half was exactly as they intended on Thursday TBH, going by post match interviews.

1 down?

 

[Bigbluebear]

1 down?

It was 0-0 at HT?

 

[Pacman]

It was 0-0 at HT?

They scored after about 20 mins

 

[Macky]

We were the width of the post away from a win.

If we’re being hyper critical though, Sakala should have buried it.

Not doing so effectively handed them the title so it’s difficult to be too upbeat about the result, but Thursday was always the bigger game.

To still be playing European games in May is incredible.

Let’s hope we still have one more to come.

We were lucky it was only 1-0 at halftime. They missed a few good chances towards the end of the first half.

 

[DylanGer]

If another point of view on an opinion board must be, “largely crap” then knock yourself out

You want him not including untried players but at the same time rotating the squad more.. you can’t have both when a manager comes in to find a squad that beyond 10 or 11 first team picks is just not what he expected or needed.

I wouldn’t say we have Celtic’s number… but that game in February was critical in us chucking this championship - and the factor of the players shitting it on the park overrode team selections IMO.

Apologies if I hurt your feelings with my robust language.
It’s not the same thing at all-you don’t throw untested players into tough away games when you are trying to win a league. But here’s the thing having tried both those players they weren’t seen again for a long time-so how does that work?
Clearly the squad rotation was under utilised -hence Alfie getting over stretched and Roofe being rusty even recently Wright has contributed-squad rotation was minimal in the period when the league was lost.

 

[Bigbluebear]

They scored after about 20 mins

Clearly talking about different things here I think

I referenced Thursday, not yesterday

 

[HandsomeHead]

We were lucky it was only 1-0 at halftime. They missed a few good chances towards the end of the first half.

That’s true and on the balance of play / chances created over the ninety minutes a draw was probably a fair result, but nevertheless the game was there to be won with that last gasp chance.

I think because he’d beaten Hart at his near post earlier he opted to go down the same route again. It was probably the correct decision because he did beat him again, but the execution was just a little bit off.

Being hypercritical, I think both Roofe and Morelos would have scored it, but I also believe we need to improve on the conversion rate any of our strikers produce moving forward.

It’s that degree of quality I feel we still lack.

 

[Pacman]

Clearly talking about different things here I think

I referenced Thursday, not yesterday

My mistake, in thought you were referring to Thurs post match comments about yesterday

 

[Barrymoped]

We were lucky it was only 1-0 at halftime. They missed a few good chances towards the end of the first half.

It’s easy to say that though.

They were lucky they weren’t 1-0 down after Kent missed a glorious chance.

It’s far to easy to take the negative slant on everything.