All In The Mind
Nae matter what anyone say’s fighting between teammates is fine. It shows the correct attitude and a will to win that is needed if yer going to be, well, winners. It happens up and doon the country at every level of fitbaw.
Guys with more passion and desire get on at guys who are half hearted and gie up. Players, like normal people, get annoyed by different things, some will not be to bothered that losing a goal in the last minute of a game in a game we won at a canter while others will get annoyed. Especially if yer the Pole in the goal and you had just lost 3 goals in midweek and ye fancied a wee clean sheet.
Now, for Arfur losing a soft goal is like him being booted in the baws. He was hurting from the midweek and to watch a poor, poor 1st division bound Dunfermline side go down oor right hand side with ease and whip in a cross ball must have been galling. So like all guid goalies he springs to his feet and looks for a scapegoat.
He decides the midfield is it. He berates oor captain for not tracking back. Now oor captain had been shouting, moaning and abusing any slack pass for the last 15 minutes of the game. I think Arfur decided to give the torn faced Lurgan man some of his own medicine. A bit off if yer big enough to gie it oot ye better be big enough to take it sort of thing.
A wee pushing match ensues with much handbags at 10 paces stuff. More like two rutting stags or buckiefied neds doon the park trying to impress wee Kylie from the top estate. It dies doon, nothing to see bhoys move on, then Lenny slips back into bully mode.
On the way back up the pitch, Lenny decides to pick on the weeist person on the park. As Aiden feels the worst of the scolded Ulsterman’s Irish brogue for not tracking back- which he didn’t- the blond bombshell decides that he has had enough. He lets rip with a volley of expletives and name calling that would make Marco Matteratzi proud and would probably get him lifted if the Scottish executive had their way.
A pushing match ensues until it’s broken up by assorted par and hoopy players. Tommy Burns rushes on the park and ushers wee twinkle toes up the tunnel probably for his own safety as those nasty bullies always attack from behind. IT WAS BLOODY FANTASTIC TO SEE. It also, for me, says a lot aboot the character of oor team and Mr Lennon.
Now, it’s great to see a guy with such a will to win but his choice of tactics, choice of game and leadership style to force this issue across leaves a lot to be desired. The main question has to be WHY WAS HE NOT GRABBING BALDE BY THE THROAT IN COPHENHAGAN? WHY DID HE NOT KICK GRAVESAN UP THE ARSE IN THE SAME GAME? WHY DID HE HIDE IN COPHENHAGAN?
Why did he choose a game that we had won to vent his so-called leadership qualities. Where was he on Wednesday night when the troops maybe needed encouragement and arse kicking? His tactics of leadership leave a lot to be desired. He likes to throw his hands in the air and throw strops. He seems to resort to bullying tactics as yesterday proved.
I’m not going to make a big deal out of that. He knows the mental make up of his teammates, he knows who needs the arm round the shoulder and who needs a bit of a rollicking. What happened yesterday happens in training grounds up and doon the country. It’s unusual to see it happen in the public domain but what worries me most is that he didnae do it when it was justified.
Wednesday night was the night to have a fight on the park. Wednesday night was the night to have strops fallouts and throw punches. What he did yesterday proves once and for all that oor team lacks a mental toughness at the higher level. They lack the confidence and belief in their own ability at the higher level. They accept that they are not guid enough and are quite happy to accept mistakes.
Oor team seem to lack belief in them when they travel away. Players who are normally reliable and creative suddenly go into their shells and freeze. It’s ok wanting the ball against Dunfermline but against a European side with their tails up is a different story. That’s when a leader should stand up and be counted that’s what makes yesterday tit to tat laughable. It was bravado nothing else. It was a case of bolting the door once the donkey had bolted. It was a token gesture, which once again gives the meeja ammo.
I’m beginning to believe that oor players are not mentally prepared correctly. They find it easy domestically to be brave on the ball and create chances- like they did yesterday- but when they are under the cosh and on our Euro trips they believe all the constant failings they get levelled at them. Not guid enough, too slow, journeymen, bosmans and has beens. Maybe some are in that category but when they start believing it then we have problems.
This mental toughness can be coached to the youngsters. They can also be coached out of errors. It is the older players you have problems with. Doesn’t matter how many times you tell them an old dog can’t learn new tricks. Also older players lose that bravado that younger pups have.
George Connelly in a rare interview yesterday said that basically the gallus-ness he had when he was young was lost in latter years as basically you become more aware. He pointed to David Marshall as being a perfect example. He said that now Marshie would go the Camp Nou and lose at least 5 goals.
Older players know what they can or can’t do. They know the level they are comfortable at. Maybe this is why Lenny chose yesterday at East End Park to throw a strop instead of Denmark in the midweek. He is comfortable being a Celtic captain at East End Park but out his depth in Europe.
The thing is players should approach every game the same disnae matter if it’s in Barcelona, Madrid, Rio, Fife, coatbrig or doon the local five a side hall. They should believe and have the confidence in their ability to want the ball and be brave no matter who the opponents. Sometimes you will get beat by the better team you will sometimes not get what you deserve but hey that’s the nature of the beast.
Forza Celtic
Guys with more passion and desire get on at guys who are half hearted and gie up. Players, like normal people, get annoyed by different things, some will not be to bothered that losing a goal in the last minute of a game in a game we won at a canter while others will get annoyed. Especially if yer the Pole in the goal and you had just lost 3 goals in midweek and ye fancied a wee clean sheet.
Now, for Arfur losing a soft goal is like him being booted in the baws. He was hurting from the midweek and to watch a poor, poor 1st division bound Dunfermline side go down oor right hand side with ease and whip in a cross ball must have been galling. So like all guid goalies he springs to his feet and looks for a scapegoat.
He decides the midfield is it. He berates oor captain for not tracking back. Now oor captain had been shouting, moaning and abusing any slack pass for the last 15 minutes of the game. I think Arfur decided to give the torn faced Lurgan man some of his own medicine. A bit off if yer big enough to gie it oot ye better be big enough to take it sort of thing.
A wee pushing match ensues with much handbags at 10 paces stuff. More like two rutting stags or buckiefied neds doon the park trying to impress wee Kylie from the top estate. It dies doon, nothing to see bhoys move on, then Lenny slips back into bully mode.
On the way back up the pitch, Lenny decides to pick on the weeist person on the park. As Aiden feels the worst of the scolded Ulsterman’s Irish brogue for not tracking back- which he didn’t- the blond bombshell decides that he has had enough. He lets rip with a volley of expletives and name calling that would make Marco Matteratzi proud and would probably get him lifted if the Scottish executive had their way.
A pushing match ensues until it’s broken up by assorted par and hoopy players. Tommy Burns rushes on the park and ushers wee twinkle toes up the tunnel probably for his own safety as those nasty bullies always attack from behind. IT WAS BLOODY FANTASTIC TO SEE. It also, for me, says a lot aboot the character of oor team and Mr Lennon.
Now, it’s great to see a guy with such a will to win but his choice of tactics, choice of game and leadership style to force this issue across leaves a lot to be desired. The main question has to be WHY WAS HE NOT GRABBING BALDE BY THE THROAT IN COPHENHAGAN? WHY DID HE NOT KICK GRAVESAN UP THE ARSE IN THE SAME GAME? WHY DID HE HIDE IN COPHENHAGAN?
Why did he choose a game that we had won to vent his so-called leadership qualities. Where was he on Wednesday night when the troops maybe needed encouragement and arse kicking? His tactics of leadership leave a lot to be desired. He likes to throw his hands in the air and throw strops. He seems to resort to bullying tactics as yesterday proved.
I’m not going to make a big deal out of that. He knows the mental make up of his teammates, he knows who needs the arm round the shoulder and who needs a bit of a rollicking. What happened yesterday happens in training grounds up and doon the country. It’s unusual to see it happen in the public domain but what worries me most is that he didnae do it when it was justified.
Wednesday night was the night to have a fight on the park. Wednesday night was the night to have strops fallouts and throw punches. What he did yesterday proves once and for all that oor team lacks a mental toughness at the higher level. They lack the confidence and belief in their own ability at the higher level. They accept that they are not guid enough and are quite happy to accept mistakes.
Oor team seem to lack belief in them when they travel away. Players who are normally reliable and creative suddenly go into their shells and freeze. It’s ok wanting the ball against Dunfermline but against a European side with their tails up is a different story. That’s when a leader should stand up and be counted that’s what makes yesterday tit to tat laughable. It was bravado nothing else. It was a case of bolting the door once the donkey had bolted. It was a token gesture, which once again gives the meeja ammo.
I’m beginning to believe that oor players are not mentally prepared correctly. They find it easy domestically to be brave on the ball and create chances- like they did yesterday- but when they are under the cosh and on our Euro trips they believe all the constant failings they get levelled at them. Not guid enough, too slow, journeymen, bosmans and has beens. Maybe some are in that category but when they start believing it then we have problems.
This mental toughness can be coached to the youngsters. They can also be coached out of errors. It is the older players you have problems with. Doesn’t matter how many times you tell them an old dog can’t learn new tricks. Also older players lose that bravado that younger pups have.
George Connelly in a rare interview yesterday said that basically the gallus-ness he had when he was young was lost in latter years as basically you become more aware. He pointed to David Marshall as being a perfect example. He said that now Marshie would go the Camp Nou and lose at least 5 goals.
Older players know what they can or can’t do. They know the level they are comfortable at. Maybe this is why Lenny chose yesterday at East End Park to throw a strop instead of Denmark in the midweek. He is comfortable being a Celtic captain at East End Park but out his depth in Europe.
The thing is players should approach every game the same disnae matter if it’s in Barcelona, Madrid, Rio, Fife, coatbrig or doon the local five a side hall. They should believe and have the confidence in their ability to want the ball and be brave no matter who the opponents. Sometimes you will get beat by the better team you will sometimes not get what you deserve but hey that’s the nature of the beast.
Forza Celtic
posted by Keving at Monday, December 11, 2006
6 Comments:
Kevin, you are becoming THE lateral thinker among men! The team often look nervous against better opposition with passes getting shorter and heading backwards too often.
Perhaps Lennon can excuse losing goals in Europe but not losing them to the poorest team in the league. I think that Lennon`s game only really works if he can give the ball to creative players who can make things happen. I still think that he`s a good player but he can`t be part of this team`s long term plan.
i know wot u mean lads but its not exactly rocket science that its harder to play against better teams and that lennon at 35 has not got a long term future with celtic.
i hope im wrong but when lennon eventually leaves it will be very hard to replace him as he for me is the heart-beat and driving force of that team and has been for years.
lennon did lose the plot but wasn't the only one at fault but it was a storm in a tea-cup.
hail hail.
Having seen it on TV I think Boruc stirred the whole thing up but if a goalie goes mad just let him. I think Boruc is still smarting from Copenhagen and was ready to get into someone.
It might not be rocket science Seven but the debate here is much wider than on the radio phone ins.:-)
All in the mind?
What about Alex Ferguson only counting his lead as 5 points? Remember that Chelsea play Newcastle this week. Mourinho had already said that it would be 5 points if Newcastle were beaten and now Fergie has freely admitted that they will win. Mmmmm :-/
Talking about mind games, did the Bhoys turn off when they saw only 1 minute of injury time was to be played on Sunday? (did Dunfermline score in the 2nd minute of injury time?)
I think players should be fined for losing goals in injury time! Or do I?
Agreed however it`s normal to feel tired at the end of the game.
Next time you see a Celtic programme look at the stats page where it shows when we lose goals in league games. You won`t be surprised! ( early in both halves and near the end)
For a long time I`ve thought that if we score the occasional late goal then fate will decree that we will lose late goals too. It`s our turn to score the late goal!
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