Decanted Newsamble- Pre Motherwell(a)....

Women always say us men moan. Like this week, I reckon I’m coming down wie “Man Flu” or the plague or shingles while MrsG thinks am at it as I dinny want to dae anything roond the hoose. My foul mood has nothing to do wie The Hoops not being able to buy a win or the failure to beat 10 man Motherwell. I have an excuse.

So does Derek Riordon have something to moan aboot. He mentions that oor esteemed manager “Talks rubbish”- guilty as charged me thinks on that count, for proof see later on- and mentions the manager telling him he was a superstar -that could play anywhere bar in goals- then not playing him.

Nice, that the story broke just after a Championship blowing type defeat against 10 man Motherwell- can you tell I’m annoyed that we couldnae beat 10 man Motherwell- but it’s not wieoot substance this story. It’s another blow to the image of GS.

We sign the hottest property in Scottish Fitba’- 64 goals in 146 games before he joined us- and promptly use him sparingly and in the wrong position. Anytime he has been called upon to play as a left winger he has chipped in wie 8 goals in 13 starts and- as Deek says- the manager seems to fancy him on the- rapidly becoming more common- occasions that we need a goal.

We all have heard the rumours. I don’t feel it’s right to comment on the rumours- we don’t know whether him being steaming in training, going oot in Leith wie his mates when he was told not to, punching Kenny Miller, getting it on wie GS’s daughter or just being a wee ned in training- as we don’t know whether they’re true or not.

But this is a story Barry Robson should take note off.

Barry was kind when talking aboot his new boss. I wouldn’t expect him to be anything but.

Problem for Barry is he has went from POTY contender in a decent DUTD side to a fringe player who is not getting a game for a side that is struggling to score goals from the midfield. I’m sure the 10 mins, here and there he gets- and usually in those ten mins he plays in three different positions – is not what he was promised by the esteemed manager when he signed.

He’ll have watched the poor midfield performances- including his one against Barca at home but....he did score- and wonder why he is not getting a shot. Brown, Donati, Hartley, Sno and Naka all seem to be before him. Hartley aside not one of them deserve to be starting at this moment in time.

Makes you wonder why sign the best form midfielder in Scotland- much like Deek was the best striker in Scotland when he signed- and then not play him when the area he excelled in before arriving is struggling like Albert Steptoes horse going up Primrose Hill wie a lead fireplace on it’s back?

More worryingly though, is the talk of “new systems”, “tactical work on positioning” and the manager wanting him to play a different way. What was wrong with the way he was playing before? Is that not why we signed him due to his goal scoring from wide areas?

Should I expect anything else from a coach who takes 20 mins to make a sub, spends 5 mins wie the sub drawing diagrams on a bit of paper and who utterly bamboozled me last week discussing zonal marking wie The Beast.

But then what do we know? We are all fickle fuckers who dinny know we are born. Aiden was quite right to have a go at the "fans" . Same as I had a go at those "fans" as well.

Fair do’s pointing oot GS record but ignoring the record of one win in seven, no wins in four against r*ngers, no goals in four against r*ngers, 11 points dropped at home to the not very good, put oot of two cups at home by poor sides and failure to score in oor last three hame games- how I long to hear “Chelsea Dagger” again- is something that can’t be ignored.

Maybe they would stop being as fickle if Aiden managed to put in a decent cross every now and again. If that happened they widnae need to be fickle as we would be winning 5 or 6 nil and Aiden would be king. But that is not happening.

And like Aiden, I believe one of the reasons this is not happening is because the players have lost form. Arguments can rage over systems, positions and tactics- they do influence games- but at the end of the day, once the 11 players trot over that line there is not much the manager can do if they start having a mare.

Ok, the manager can stop the players having a mare by dropping them, subbing them or rollicking them but if the manager feels he is putting his best 11 on the park and they are not producing then something has to give. Worrying thing is the manager seems to have his heid buried under his bed covers singing "nanananana..I'm not listening" (Is this the most embarrassing interview EVER from GS?)

Over the last two seasons and the early part of this season, we have relied heavily on individual brilliance- it is the “Celtic Way”- to dig us out of holes. Whether it has been a Naka free kick, an Aiden turn, a Maloney rocket or a 26 goal Skippy we have always have had quality that others have not. The need to change the set up never reared it’s heid due to this.

Thing is these players in the current set up are not producing it. Yes, the manager is being let down by his players but......the manager is letting the players down by playing them while they are struggling.

Skippy McDonald,chucked a hissy fit when he was subbed last week. Thing is, he shouldnae have had a chance to chuck a hissy fit as he should have been coming on to the park at that point not going off.

Skippy has been the epitome of the general decline in certain players. Fantastic before xmas now has Kenny Milerites and couldnae hit a coo wie a banjo. The second heaviest man at CP should have been rested before now wie the impact loan signing Georgios of the junglios being used more from the start than has been seen.

We could also make the case for Naka being dropped and Robson coming in to take his berth, a case for Mick to be dropped, a case for Lee Naylor to be sent back to the black country and a case for Scott Brown to go back to salt and sauce land to find his form.

And.....we have to return to Fir Park the scene where we last lost the league, to play on a midden, which should be reported to the U.N for crimes against grass. Troubles? Mair troubles than the middle East.

I would usually end this blawhard rambling by producing some stats like a big fat green statosaurus who has lumbered into view armed wie Google and prozone. But I have already done that last week.

What I can add is....Motherwell have won their last two games 1-0 and Celtic have lost theirs 1-0. Celtic have also failed to score in their last three games. Once again, I predict a tight one goal victory either way wie Motherwell the slight favourites wie winning 12 out of the last possible 15 points at home. Mind you oor away record is the same for the same amount of away games.

We can finish on a total of 89 points if we win the remaining games. If we continue on oor current form we will lose the league by 13 points. We can only cling to the hope that we find form and r*ngers implod. Them dropping points last week made us losing three against 10 man Motherwell even more bugging.

But we need to get our ain house in order and Sunday is a chance to get three points closer.

Forza