- Published
When Mika Baur scored early in the second half against Celta Vigo, so much in Celtic's garden was rosy.
asserted
much → publish → garden
The team had an intensity now that they didn't have before.
asserted
they → have → that
They had momentum.
asserted
They → have → momentum
They had a Liam Scales header hopping off the top of the crossbar.
asserted
They → have → crossbar
It was easy to conclude in those naively optimistic moments that Celta Vigo were all passing and no penetration.
asserted
Vigo → conclude → moments
They passed it to death and got pretty much nowhere.
asserted
They → pass → death
The question that Celtic fans will be asking now, some with pitchforks in hand, is what the hell happened in the last half-an-hour of this game.
asserted
hell → ask → game
Particularly, what happened from minutes 68 to 71.
asserted
what → happen → 71
Celtic stopped playing and stopped believing.
asserted
Celtic → stop → ?
They were hit with a bit of adversity and they were bowled over by it.
asserted
they → hit → it
They'll complain - as they already have - about a foul on Camilo Duran that wasn't picked up just before the equaliser, but there is no talking to the errors they made thereafter.
asserted
they → complain → errors
The inability to deal with a free-kick, the failure to pick up the goalscorer in the first instance and then multiple calamities in the concession of the second goal.
asserted
inability → deal → goal
How many chances does one side need to get a ball away to safety?
asserted
side → need → safety
Long before the end, Celtic were gone.
asserted
Celtic → go → end
Something new would have been the sight of them kicking on at 1-0, but in Europe such strength is a dying art form in this team.
asserted
strength → kick → team
A third straight loss in Europe, 35th out of 36 teams in the Europa League table, only a side from Armenia keeping them off rock bottom.
asserted
side → keep → bottom
Domestic football proves lousy barometer
Chris Sutton calls them flat-track bullies.
asserted
Sutton → prove → them
How many Celtic fans would disagree with that depiction?
asserted
fans → disagree → depiction
Thursday was yet another example of domestic football being a lousy barometer of Celtic's capacity to win - or even draw - games in Europe.
asserted
football → win → Europe
In the wake of the 7-1 trouncing of Hearts, some Celtic folk with desperately short memories rounded on a few commentators who were critical of Martin O'Neill, his players and this Celtic board following their losses to Rangers and their failures against LASK, Ferencvaros and Benfica.
asserted
who → round → LASK
As if beating up Hearts made it all better.
asserted
it → beat → Hearts
The message, after the goal deluge, was 'what are you saying to it now?'
asserted
you → say → it
The answer: Exactly as we were saying before.
asserted
we → say → ?
O'Neill said on Thursday that there are still loads of points to play for - and there are.
asserted
O'Neill → say → points
But it was a claim made from a position of serious weakness.
uncertain
it → make → weakness
Even at their best in recent decades, Celtic have struggled awfully to win European games on the road.
asserted
Celtic → struggle → road
Right now, that looks way beyond them.
asserted
that → look → them
Winning at home is too much for them these days, too.
asserted
Winning → win → them
So, yes, there are enough points on offer for Celtic to fight their way out of their Europa League dungeon and into the play-off, but in their current state it's more a philosophical thought than an attainable reality.
asserted
it → be → reality
If you have lost three out of three, have scored three goals and have conceded nine, then banging on about points you might win down the line is an exercise in wishful thinking.
uncertain
you → lose → thinking
In the here and now, Celtic's standards are plummeting.
asserted
standards → plummet → here
It's on O'Neill and his players, though it's easy to have some sympathy for the manager when he not only has to field questions about the stuff he's responsible for but also come up with answers about stuff that he has no responsibility for - the ongoing circus that is Celtic's relationship with large elements of their own support.
asserted
that → have → support
And the blame is also, in greater part, on a board who are happy to have O'Neill and - when he's not around - Shaun Maloney, talking about the disconnect between fans and club, as was the case on Wednesday.
asserted
he → have → Wednesday
No chief executive, no chairman, no major shareholder and no major shareholder's son are anywhere to be seen when those issues are raised at news conferences.
asserted
issues → see → conferences
Just a manager or an assistant who, let's face it, have a few other things on their mind.
asserted
's → let → mind
Do Celtic have vision to make it better?
asserted
it → have → vision
Just after the television coverage ended on Thursday there was a programme of highlights of big Celtic Park Champions League nights.
asserted
coverage → end → nights
Celtic beating the Manchester United of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney; Celtic beating the AC Milan of Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Kaka; Celtic beating the Barcelona of Jordi Alba, Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi.
asserted
Celtic → beat → Alba
Empty seats and people leaving early.
asserted
people → leave → ?
How they have fallen.
asserted
they → fall → ?
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
