Game just finished, watched it on Celtic TV. Celtic werent at the races tonight and DC United, 17 points clear at the top of the Easter Conference in the MLS and halfway through their season, illustrated the importance of fitness in the way they passed Celtic's midfield by tonight. Kenny Miller also got sent off which sums up the players frustration tonight.

Wouldnt be panicking just yet and I'll have a wry smile if I happen to see a few cracked crests in the tabloids in the coming days as the media really should have learned their lesson from this time last year when we looked no better. Hope Strachan drills some fight into the players for the next 2 games in America and the remaining friendlies.
Poor stuff but now is not the time to panic as the manager is trying things out at the moment as well as bedding the new players in. Remember, we are playing good sides in our pre-season and I do feel this is the only way to go, theres no point in playing amateur teams, banging in the goals, thinking we are great as this merely papers over the cracks. By playing strong opposition we are rightly testing ourselves in order to judge how good a side we are, regardless of the results that is our priority, as well as gaining fitness, of our pre-season schedule. If we are no better come the first day of the new season, on 29th July at home to Kilmarnock then we should be concerned but at this moment in time we should be looking to learn from defeats like these and use the experience to strengthen.

I'm off to bed, Hail Hail

Oh dear Oh dear...

we all said that this time last year tho so I'll reserves judgement for when the real games start
incidentally, Freddy Adu is as good as he's been made out to be, some of his tricks tonight were awesome

Aye, the pre-season counts for nothing...remember Man United thrashing you a year or two ago and the press having a field day, which no doubt they'll have again..but isnt the lack of goals causing some concern?

even if preseason, this is still an embarassing result, i can imagine the rangers fans having a field day today

I'm sure it'll only be those Rangers fans with short term memory who will use this defeat to gloat as we all know who had the last laugh last season after a similarly poor start to the campaign

It's still quite amusing though you would have to admit?

4-0 is a complete and utter humping, regardless of whenever it happens

I'm not counting chickens just yet, but I mean, the lack of goals in the Celtic team has to be a worry, considering all the strikers have done so far is get sent off?

EDIT: Infact, after watching the highlights here

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6...74644&hl=en

Celtic look thoroughly outplayed, it doesn't even look close to fitness being the issue there, DC United just danced round about them, they looked a team devoid of any kind of passion. As for the Miller tackle, thats appaling!

my point being though that we were laughed at last year and we turned it round

Exactly, but we were laughed at last year after our Champions League Group draw so I wouldn't worry too much about it...

I think though you are being too dismissive of the game, I know it's early-ish, but if you keep losing, it's hardly going to pose well for the start of the season....

i'm not being dismissive, its plain to see that this was a bad 90 mins. i'm not a panic merchant though, and I'll take a more informed look at how the team is shaping up at the end of our pre-season schedule ahead of when the real games begin and getting beaten 4-0 actually means something. The main lesson to be learned is that at the moment the team is underperforming, but theres still time to sort things out, I'd rather we got beat 4-0 in pre-season and sort things out than turn up and get beat at home to Killie on the first day of the season. The lack of goals is obviously concerning and somebody like Tristan from Deportivo would be ideal, but I'll panic when the time is appropriate, not after our 3rd game of the Summer based on games in which we havent had full strength teams out

We're lucky that there is not some sort of Artmedia during our pre-season this year.. Let's hope they can get themselfs on the right course just in time, because altough it means nothing it is pretty embarassing.

i thought Celtic would have learned their lesson about exhausting pre seasons but apparently not

absolutely no point going round the world tiring the players out with a plane journey and the heat then getting pumped 4 - 0

Ouch. Isn't that three in a row bhoys?

It's funny as hell, but means little imo. Once Celtic find their feet they will still be a major force and will give Hearts a great fight for 2nd place.