Neil Lennon will begin to get his players back at Lennoxtown tomorrow after, what for most of the first team, has been a two week international break. For many of the established players, he’ll be hoping for a clean bill of health, but with trips to Tynecastle and Milan ahead, the manager will be keen to spend time with Teemu Pukki.
Teemu played 92 minutes for Finland in Tbilisi last night so will get little time on the training fields before Celtic’s next two games. Tynecastle itself may provide the most effective training opportunity ahead of Wednesday’s game at the San Siro.
Delighted for Gordon Strachan, who has already caused an unlikely upturn in Scotland’s fortunes. He is a better coach and tactician than he ever got credit for. His Key Performance Indicators (winning leagues, knock out stages of the Champions League) were achieved in spades, but there was a soft underbelly which always seemed to undermine progress. Curiously, his Celtic team went 15 months without keeping a clean sheet away from home in all competitions, despite winning the league in both seasons this run spanned.
The one game during this period of note was the 1-0 defeat to Milan in the Champions League knock out stage; the only game Celtic completed 90 minutes without conceding. If Neil Lennon can replicate this achievement he stands an excellent chance of a second successive memorable Champions League campaign.
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Get on!
HH
Thoughts with STARRY PLOUGH and his nearest and dearest.
YNWA
Fractions? I’m trying to put a calendar on a spreedsheet….help !!
1st team squad?
SP-Hail Hail.
hi
If Lenny has learned one thing from WGS over the last two Scotland games its Charlie Mulgrew in the holding midfield role is our only option to try to replace Victor in Milan. Superb in both games, with his captain by his side. No more wide left midfield or left back, get Charlie in the middle in front of Efe & Virgil.
Cannot wait to see Teemu in the Hoops. Tynecastle and San Siro, spells huge week ahead. Bring it on!
Delighted for wee Gordon last night. But glad that the ole Internationals can take a back seat for a wee while leaving us to pass the time with trips to Tynecastle and then the San Siro…
0 – 0 in Milan after 90 minutes? I’ll take that right now thanks
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS forza Oscar and Mackenzie
13:02 on
11 September, 2013
Thoughts with STARRY PLOUGH and his nearest and dearest.
YNWA
Bobby I spoke with Starry yesterday and he thanks everyone in the CQN family for their prayers and wishes. I am meeting him tomorrow morning in Glasgow for a coffee and will pass on your best wishes mate.
KTF
HH
Teemu 33/1 for a hat trick v Hearts….
Thoughts with SP and family.
Thanks to ACGR for Zadok.
HH
I oft wondered what Strachans Celtic would have achieved in that season Milan beat us in extra time if we had a Henrik in the side?
I am glad WGS is doing well, and impressed that he seems to have learned from previous mistakes – I thought he let himself down at Southampton by not having a go when they reached the Cup Final against Arsenal. He put out a defensive line-up and seemed happy enough to have got away with a narrow defeat.
There were odd occasions at Celtic when he seemed to have less confidence in the team than we supporters had. I think the win against Manchester United was a watershed moment for him.
Incidentally, does anyone know how our Japanese hero Shunsuke is getting on? I like to think of him on Japanese TV dispensing punditry in the manner of John Hartson.
Hearing Mouyokolo has a bad injury again….
The Cardigan is back talking to the media since he walked away or should I say ran away but it’s not about his role as a previous Sevco chairman
Today in the record that Smith loving paper where he is known affectionately as Walter he makes a plea to the government no less and it’s not about a national inquiry into his rotten club nope it’s about the national game.
Smith is taking the well trodden line for public gratification by voicing his concern for Scottish football at grass root level. It’s also a neat tactic to worm his way back into the public arena whilst avoiding questions about Sevco.
Since he took flight literally when he resigned his post as Sevco chairman he has been an elusive figure even more elusive than Scottish journalists asking him questions about the reasons for his departure.
Smith is well worth the watching he knows more than he lets on about the oldco scandal and is every bit as sly as Sally albeit on a higher level.
Smith will masquerade his interests in the national game as genuine whilst always looking out for the best interests of his dead club.
Lest we forget he chucked the Scotland job for old Rangers.
Some say he was only there for Mintys plan B post Le Guen and was a plant in the SFA for old Rangers whilst tapping the national squad and taking a good few of them back to oldco with him.
So in a nutshell Smith’s primary obligations have always been to the Govan mob Scottish football is secondary.
traditionalist88
12:05
Agreed. Tomlin I was a bit like ‘who’s this guy – what’s this last minute bid all about?’ but it makes sense now. Looking at him he’s very similar to Kris in stature (i.e. he’s a bit round for an athlete) but that can be worked on and he actually looks like he’s got a good bit of pace about him. He can dribble and shoot and runs at defenders, which they don’t like! His goal-scoring rate is pretty good as are his assists. He’s contributing to a goal every 2 games, all very comparable with Commons who is playing in a dominant team.
He seems like an under the radar type. If parts of his game can be improved he could be a really good player and potent weapon.
Phil’s latest
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/the-importance-of-good-men/#more-4005
Thoughts with starry and his family today.
hi
on the seventeenth anniversary of my dads passing…..thoughts with you starry
Hi Paul67,
Great result for Gordon and Scotland.
The more died clubs tentacles get cut away, the better Scottish Football gets.
Noticed that?
Cracking game BTW.
AC Milan Will be interesting as most of our new players havrn’t bedded in yet, it won’t be definitive, but against relatively beatable Milan side it should tell us where we are.
Hail Hail
Sftb from previous. Brilliant mate :)
Paul. Clean sheets are overrated imo.
Well, the footy ones certainly are.
You would think the Sevco mob would have more on there mind, I.E. who owns them, when is the AGM/EGM when are the releasing there accounts, if they get them signed off that is, naaaa maybe am paranoid but I think this Specer pantomime is all a distraction from what is really going on, they do it all the time, and you have to hand it to them, they are good at it as they have had plenty of practice at it, just a thought.
Woke up this morning thinking of 2 games, which are indelibly printed on my Celtic soul. The first was the game Kai Johansen missed a penalty with about 10 minutes to go. I think we were 2 down. We won 3-2, with (I think) Bobby Lennox scoring the winner. Was in the Hayshed that night. It was a league cup tie. The other was the Ne’er day game where we hammered them 6-1 in the fog. All the goals were at the Celtic end (including theirs). It was one of the very few times I was ever there; so, I had a great view of all the goals..
Joe Filippis Haircut
12:29 on
11 September, 2013
Well im confused ( nothing new in that ) but why are Rangers no longer Glasgow Rangers and are called The Rangers ? Why did Glasgow Rangers who played in the SPL no longer play there ? The Rangers are playing in the third tier of Scottish football why is that ? Why did players leave Glasgow Rangers when The Rangers replaced them ? If any Rangers fans read this could they give me the answers ? H.H.
———————————————————————————-
I`m not a fan of them but think I may be able to answer you.
I`ts only the holding company that plays in the third tier. The club itself are still appearing in the group stages of the Champions league, are top of The SPFL, are top of the EPL and are only behind Barca on goal difference* in La Liga. The players who left were not good enough, just look at the class that their master coach has brought in to replace them.
Last night they qualified, unbeaten, for Brazil 2014. And the holding company is running away with the third tier, what a contest we`ll have when said holding company return to the top table to play against the club. More mouthwatering than a £10 voucher for Greggs.
*Barca have played 18 games more.
Hope this clears it up………..
Thindimebhoy
“So in a nutshell Smith’s primary obligations have always been to the Govan mob Scottish football is secondary.”
Wrong mate…….In a nutshell Smith’s primary obligations have always been to Walter Smith.
How much in EBT’s does he owe the nation? THAT would fund a fair bit of what he says is required.
It’s also a bit rich since the same guy didn’t bring any youths through the ranks at either Rangers or Everton, classic cheque book manager.
PAUL67
I think we may have missed Bobo during those fifteen months
“Baldé made his first start of the 2007/08 season on 26 December 2007 exactly a year after his last appearance, in a 2–0 away win to Dundee United. His presence also helped Celtic to their first away clean sheet in almost 15 months.[19] He was awarded Man Of The Match.”
Paul67:
The late, great and (in the eyes of the Celtic devout and other purist football supporters not of the Celtic persuasion) immortal, Jock Stein, once said, “if they score six, we’ll score seven”.
Wee Gordon was just trying to be a disciple. And he came a Willo Flood window short of ‘four in a row’ too. No bad for a wee ginger, and no doubt another wee ginger will better Gordon’s achievements; but here’s hoping for no more ‘Willo’ windows.
Kayal33 13:07 on agree on Charlie , thought he was the standout player for Scotland over the two games. Didn’t look out of place against an outstanding Belgium team. Kept possesion , simple passes and the occasional defence splitting pass. Ideal for the away Euro games where the pace of Derk and Teemu will be useful on the break.
Food for thought for Neil.
Looking forward to seeing the Hoops back in action, international breaks seem to last forever.
OneJimspenceCSC
Oldco – One Body One Death!
Is anyone familiar with Munich ?
Familiar enough to recommend a venue for watching Celtic V The Zombie Cousins on Saturday
There are no Munich venues listed in Celtic Bars
Any suggestions greatly appreciated
The Onlooker
Malone Bhoy
Aye, haven’t had a chance to view clips of him and there has been some negative reaction but I’ve learned my lesson about writing off players before they arrive(Moravcik!) and likewise, getting too excited about higher profile signings(Graveson).
It does appear we will be back for Tomlin in January if we can deal at a decent price and put that mouthpiece that is their chairman in his place:)
HH
Gordon_J:
0 – 3 in Milan after 90 minutes? I’ll take that right now instead thank you very much.
South Of Tunis
11:31 on 11 September, 2013
Hrvatski Jim @ 23 21 .
Jim Croce
” I cannot understand why his songs have not been covered by others ”
You may be interested in these ——-[ LPs ]
The Ventures ——-The Ventures Play the Jim Croce Songbook .
Jerry Reed ———– Jerry Reed Sings Jim Croce .
There is also a dire Nashville [ Various Artists ] tribute to Jim Croce .
————————————-
Thanks. I will take a look at them.
Different Subject – yesterday I sent an email to a colleague about a pan European project that I am working on, good guy but with appalling taste in football teams. Today I sent this:
Dear M,
I have looked again at my email from yesterday and just realised how insensitive it was of me to talk so much about Europe to you.
I humbly apologise and will, of course, amend the document to cover only the Ramsden Cup jurisdiction so that it is more meaningful to you.
gordon_j backing neil lennon
13:08 on 11 September, 2013
0 – 0 in Milan after 90 minutes? I’ll take that right now thanks
Defeatist thinking, 0-1 on the scoreboard at full time will do me. A draw at anytime will never do always think of winning first HH
I might be in the minority,but i think we have a better all round squad this season.I think once we get up to speed ,we will have more pace and a bigger goal threat.