The Monday mood is low in Timdom

Celtics poor showing against the ultra defensive Killie has had many pushing the panic buttons already. The main focus for the mini revolt appears to be team selection, substitution and Maciej Zurawski! On the subject of selection, Strachan set his team out in the way that many (including yours truly) had forecast, and one would say that on paper that was arguably the strongest team available to the manager on the day.

One such player who has taken the brunt of the blame for yesterdays showing appears to be Maciej Zurawski. His poor attempt with the outside of his foot or the sitter he missed from a rebounded shot would appear to have most people up in arms.

On the other hand his strike partner JVH seems to have got off relatively blame free, which I believe is unfair on Magic. Given the amount of off the ball movement supplied by the much-maligned Pole and the lack of it from Jan how can one be blamed and the other not? One may argue that at least Magic got in amongst the chances.

Put simply, you cannot blame one without the other.

A fully confident Zurawski would have buried both of those chances, but that is not the problem in my humble opinion. The lack of chances created by the team on a whole is the route of the issue, and the one that should take precedent.

The fact that Celtic could only carve one real goal scoring from open play is the most worrying aspect of the whole affair. Many may scream that Derek "The best finisher at the club" should have been playing but would Deek have managed to score either of the chances that Magic missed? Or more importantly would he have got himself into similar positions?

He may be the best finisher in the club, but the chances need to be created before they can be finished, and the positioning has to be just right before the creation can commence. Whether or not Riordan can adapt to that type of role is another debate for another day, it is in essence a moot point.

One player who is not above reproach however is Paul Hartley, who has made zero impact on that team since his move in January. What Strachan sees in this player I will never know. He adds absolutely nothing in any of the positions he has been deployed in with Celtic and looks a shadow of the player whom tormented us in previous years. He adds absolutely nothing to this team and quite why he remained on the pitch whilst Donati was hooked has raised an eyebrow or two

The defence appeared to be robust enough, and pass marks will be granted to them for their defensive roles alone, the lack of decent delivery from the full backs was a major cause for concern.

Regardless of where the problems did or did not lie, and at whose feet the blame should rest more, the startling fact of the matter is that the team that took the field yesterday should have been good enough to beat Kilmarnock with something to spare. This should be the main focus of our concern. But with time to get things right there is no need to hit the panic buttons quite yet!

With two away games in the league to look forward too plus the small matter of a Champions League Qualifier in the next fortnight don’t take too long to remedy it Gordon!

Yours in Celtic

Clydebuilt

Celtics poor showing against defensive Killie has had many pushing the panic buttons already. The main focus for the mini revolt appears to be team selection, substitution and Maciej Zurawski! On the subject of selection, Strachan set his team out in the way that many (including yours truly) had forecast, and one would say that on paper that was arguably the strongest team available to the manager on the day.

One such player who has taken the brunt of the blame for yesterdays showing appears to be Maciej Zurawski. His poor attempt with the outside of his foot or the sitter he missed from a rebounded shot would appear to have most people up in arms.

On the other hand his strike partner JVH seems to have got off relatively blame free, which I believe is unfair on Magic. Given the amount of off the ball movement supplied by the much-maligned Pole and the lack of it from Jan how can one be blamed and the other not? One may argue that at least Magic got in amongst the chances.

Put simply, you cannot blame one without the other.

A fully confident Zurawski would have buried both of those chances, but that is not the problem in my humble opinion. The lack of chances created by the team on a whole is the route of the issue, and the one that should take precedent.

The fact that Celtic could only carve one real goal scoring from open play is the most worrying aspect of the whole affair. Many may scream that Derek "The best finisher at the club" should have been playing but would Deek have managed to score either of the chances that Magic missed? Or more importantly would he have got himself into similar positions?

He may be the best finisher in the club, but the chances need to be created before they can be finished, and the positioning has to be just right before the creation can commence. Whether or not Riordan can adapt to that type of role is another debate for another day, it is in essence a moot point.

One player who is not above reproach however is Paul Hartley, who has made zero impact on that team since his move in January. What Strachan sees in this player I will never know. He adds absolutely nothing in any of the positions he has been deployed in with Celtic and looks a shadow of the player whom tormented us in previous years. He adds absolutely nothing to this team and quite why he remained on the pitch whilst Donati was hooked has raised an eyebrow or two

The defence appeared to be robust enough, and pass marks will be granted to them for their defensive roles alone, the lack of decent delivery from the full backs was a major cause for concern.

Regardless of where the problems did or did not lie, and at whose feet the blame should rest more, the startling fact of the matter is that the team that took the field yesterday should have been good enough to beat Kilmarnock with something to spare. This should be the main focus of our concern. But with time to get things right there is no need to hit the panic buttons quite yet!

With two away games in the league to look forward too plus the small matter of a Champions League Qualifier in the next fortnight don’t take too long to remedy it Gordon!

Yours in Celtic

Clydebuilt