Today’s 2-2 draw at Tynecastle wasn’t a disaster. Remaining six points off top spot with more than four months of football to play, means there is plenty of time to catch up with the teams above us. However, it is the manner of the result which is concerning.
Martin O’Neill has instilled a fighting spirit in his players. By hook or by crook, often with a lack of quality for large parts of games, he has managed to get his team over the line. In Bologna it was hanging on for a point. At Falkirk and St Mirren it was stealing all three. Today was another fight to get a draw and keep the title race alive.
In short, scrapping for points like this is not sustainable. O’Neill can keep getting us through games and edging wins, or draws in crunch title clashes, but the margin for error is minimal. It’s dicing with death every week.
The fact we are still in the title race with this extremely average squad, just shows that new recruits of actual proven quality to enhance the team would see Celtic rise beyond their challengers.
Martin O’Neill is maximising the old second hand tools he has at his disposal. A couple of sharp new ones could see his side pick up points more comfortably and have to scrap less often.
To put us in a position where the often unfancied Dane Murray is getting game time in title defining games, one recognised striker is in the squad at Tynecastle and Stephen Welsh is back at the club – at the end of January – is shocking. Celtic have a huge budget and they risk losing the title, losing the chance to try and qualify for the Champions League (which has a knock on effect in future transfer markets), and allowing either Hearts or theRangers the chance to pick up a huge Champions League windfall (meaning they’ll be able to further strengthen next season).
It’s time to bring in a couple of quality, and likely costly, new recruits to help the manager and his team.
Disjointed garbage from Celtic today, like little boys who could not keep hold of the ball or make a telling pass. They had control of that game and then sold it with poor passing from the usual suspects. That Board needs to spend serious money this week to bring in some quality players or the season is over for Celtic.
I thought the officials today were absolutely horrendous, I’ve said before Scottish football is corrupt, a top of the table clash and you have a referee who’s BROTHER played with one of the teams along with a fanatical Sevco fan on VAR.
Personally I think that point today will be huge come May because the manner with which he refereed both teams today couldn’t have been more different, however MO must instruct his two wingers to STOP constantly conseading stupid free kicks to team’s that only have one tactic.
Just now MN only has the GB + Collective disgruntled however if he doesn’t strengthen at least 3 positions before next Tuesday week he will have the Celtic Maw’s & Da’s against him and then there will be no hiding place, he’s done….
HH
Always very hard to stomach, with the blatant cheating officials within Scottish football?
Even so, we didn’t do anything close enough to say we deserved more from the game?
So despite everything, will take a point gladly today.
Biggest disappointment, was how we couldn’t get any control of the game, in the midfield areas whatsoever.
Biggest concern, that MoN feels he couldn’t trust any of our other 3 midfield options on the bench, to be able to produce any better?
And our midfield 3 today were hardly playing well either?
There was a time during this season, that our 6 midfield options, was considered our strongest and most settled area within our squad.
Clearly that isn’t the case any longer for ourselves, and has to be addressed urgently also imo?