Monday 19 October 2015

Molde v Celtic: New Beginnings

Now that our annually marked summer of disappointment is over, it's time for our season to truly kick off on Thursday.

Some people go to Ibiza for the summer but most of us Celtic fans just stay at home, wallowing in and around our grey humdrum towns where we cry about Celtic being keek in Europe and where we push forth calls for managers to be sacked.

And who could forget how agitated we get about our Club's unwillingness to sign a goal scoring striker? 

I'm so glad that's all over for another year.

Yep, we had a pretty cataclysmic few months there but we're all better off for getting through it.

Honestly, we are!




And on Thursday evening in Molde, now really is the time for Celtic to get themselves back together and really draft out a statement of intent for this season and beyond.

To take you up to speed since we last spoke, Aberdeen's title challenge looks to have really lost momentum (all before Halloween) and we look to have recovered from an unsettling period where our defence looked broken and general hope for the future seemed lost on us all.

I'm telling you. Tyler Blackett has bedded in well, Stuart Armstrong is back, Nadir Ciftci is scoring goals and Saidy Janko looks nearly as good as James Tavernier.




But more seriously, and more crucially, Celtic have a big test this week with them set to face Europa League Group A leaders Molde away from home in manager Ronny Deila's native homeland.

All of us have been taken aback by Molde's start to the group. Beating Fenerbahce quite comfortably in Istanbul and claiming a more than respectable point at home to Ajax left a lot of us red-faced.

But similarly, very few commentators predicted Celtic's start either.

OK, our start to our Europa League campaign hasn't set the world alight, but we should be contented by the fact that we are scoring goals and picking up points against very reputable and capable teams.

We were deeply unfortunate in Amsterdam, and we were admittedly clumsy at home to Fenerbahce. But we set up in both games the way I always wanted to see Celtic present themselves in Europe.

Brave, bold and attacking. We were all of that.

Gone are the days of when we would rotate and change our style of play from how we set up domestically to how we set up in Europe.

And Deila should be recognised and commended for this. He has a real determination and resoluteness to deliver a specific brand of football at Celtic Park all in the aim of setting us apart from the rest, both here in Scotland and indeed all over Europe.

That's what really pleased me about our 3-3 home draw at home to Inter Milan. I wish I could say I always leave Celtic Park feeling proud, but that night especially filled me with unremitting pride like never before.

We fought and played with great distinction.

And so far in our Europa League campaign, I've felt some sketches of the same feelings of fulfilment I enjoyed after that night.




Many of my mates tell me that Deila merely talks a good game. I'm not going to tell them they're wrong (even though they are). 

And six months ago he delivered probably one of his most strongest messages, that galvanised a load of us but left the doubters cringing in agony. He said:


I'm not into surprising teams. I want them to fear us because they know what is coming.

I do love a good quote...

But who knows, maybe the man's quintessence of Nordic and Viking soul will soon shine forth.

I expect us to line up as always: 4-2-3-1, with Griffiths leading the line.

I predict a Celtic victory and for some of my ramblings to be vindicated.

This Thursday's match is a massive one. Be excited.



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