Scotland returned to their Glorious Failure nation status last night after completing their final five games of the World Cup qualifiers with three wins and two draws, a decade high-water mark. Glorious Failure being a status well ahead of the recently-discarded Pathetic Failure nation status.
We can now compete with decent sides, like Slovenia, Slovakia and England, and win comfortably away from home against Lithuania, who we were unable to beat at Hampden one year ago yesterday.
Problem is, I have a niggling feeling that this recent success has more to do with Brendan Rodgers than anyone else. In delivering an Invincible season and two Champions League group stage qualifications with overwhelmingly Scottish players, Brendan has effectively said: “Gordon, check out the really good players you have here”.
It is not all Gordon Strachan’s fault that he didn’t pick any Celtic players in the 1-1 home draw with Lithuania, whereas he selected six Celts in the recent 0-3 away win. Scott Brown was temporarily retired from international football then, and Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor were struggling to get into the Celtic team. But the omission of Gordon, Tierney, Griffiths and Forrest for large parts of the early campaign, in retrospect, looks unforgivable.
The reason Scotland didn’t qualify for the World Cup has less to do with our genetics, than the fact that we didn’t select our best players for the home game against Lithuania (for example). The fact that Gordon didn’t pick so many Celtic players early in the campaign, as he did later, reflects the corresponding appreciation in Celtic players’ stock over the period. But picking the right players is a big part of the job. We have a relatively small pool of talent and the manager missed a lot of value.
For you and I there is a compensation. We will not have the stress of worrying about having to play Champions League qualifiers with up to a dozen players on World Cup duty. The bulk of the squad will go through a preseason routine designed for Celtic’s needs. The Scottish players will also not have to compete in a play-off round amid Champions League games against Bayern Munich and the final stages of the League Cup.
The rest of the country will have no compensation, only disappointment that they are unable to participate in a Celtic dividend.
Fancy yourself as a collector of Celtic memorabilia? James Forrest’s match-worn National Famine Memorial Day shirt is available for raffle later today. These shirts are go for incredible sums at auction, but this one is open to the wider community.
Oh! And if you know your history, you will know what good you will do by participating. Laters…………
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NEW CQN PODCAST – A CELTIC STATE OF MIND OUT NOW!
A NEW CQN Podcast is out now featuring interviews with Celtic legends Bobby Lennox, John Fallon, Tommy Callaghan and Kenny Dalglish.
This week, ‘A Celtic State of Mind’ pays tribute to The Quality Street Gang.
In the second of a two-part series, Paul John Dykes interviews:
Bobby Lennox, John Fallon, Tommy Callaghan and Kenny Dalglish!
The discussion is all about one of the finest crops of youngsters ever to emerge from Celtic Park…
And we finally reveal just where that nickname came from.
Enjoy the new podcast…
The new Invincibles treble disc DVD is now available from CQN Bookstore HERE. It is quite simply unmissable. What a season that was!
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CORKCELT,
another vote for her. Done deal. Hope she has every success :))
HH
Gerry
I see brother thompshun is reffing the Israel v Spain game, the Spanish pundits really don’t rate him, calamity has been mentioned.
Turning over now to hopefully see the Free State taking care of the Welsh, not holding my breath but you never know.
Corkcelt,
Kickoff is upon us and haven’t had time to read back, but just tell me where to vote and I will gladly do so.
By the way your lass has the most beautiful name.
Corky …a braw tip …post your request at the top of each new page…
Nae body will mind ….
Have a braw night ..
Coybig…
Braw
No Houlihan again, I hope it disny come back to bite you on the arse martin
That’s a brawvtipmindeed
It’s a braw tip an ‘aw!
COYBIG in Cardiff tonight!
ParkheadcumSalford, GerryBhoy, Thank You.
Field of Dreams thanks, let’s all take a break & watch the game and I’ll repost the details after the game.
Corkcelt on 9TH OCTOBER 2017 5:51 PM
Sorted! Hope she gets loads of votes.
Anthems done…..’mon the MON squad.
HH
TC45
Corkcelt
I voted for her on my iMac, but I also have an iPhone and iPad and I just got alerts to verify my vote on them as well, so hopefully she’s got three from the Oslo jury! :)
DD….
Just as well Lynne isn’t up Just now, she would be well outnumbered in here. COYBIG. ☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘
Wales are well on top
Yep TET, it’s all one way stuff at the moment.
Thanks Celt45. Greenbingley LOL.
O’Neill really is a conservative manager
CORKCELT
Vote cast , good luck to Niamh !!
We lost this group at home to Wales. They were on the ropes coming into it and 4 points behind us and Martin played for a nil all draw
He is WITS but the longer game goes scoreless the more the pressure will grow on Wales.
They need a win as well.
I would have sacked him and Roy that night. Actually I would have sacked both of them before the 2016 Euro campaign after they appeared on ITV wearing poppies
Park Road Thanks so much. If my count is correct you are number 32 to respond. As a certain poster might say a Braw number.
Need to get James McClean on the ball. He impresses me the more I see him for Eire.
Corkie who will be vote 67 or 88
Delaneys
James McClean has been top class for us
Gordon Strachan. Not a stupid man, but yesterday an absolute idiot.
Play your Celtic Champions League-ready core, win the game, get a crack at the play-off.
Instead, we get players even the Huns wouldn’t touch if they had any cash, and wasters like Fletcher; choked on my beer when he ran on the park; thought he’d gone Sunday league.
A second-half of compounded pish and lame chickens coming home to ge ttheir necks rung.
CORKCELT
Vote cast from me and Wee BGFC -good luck to your girl :-)
CORKCELT
Just catching up!
Vote cast for Niamh(Sp)!
Best wishes to your wee ghirl!!!
Stars
In a round about way I could understand MoN wearing a poppy, but Keano.
Ireland making small inroads, great cross from james Mc
BIG PACKY on 9TH OCTOBER 2017 6:38 PM
DELANEYS DUNKY .car brokedown this morning two guys stopped towed me to nearest garage. one was polish one was irish wouldnt take a penny lovely guys. thought youd like that hail hail.
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Happened to me two days ago, car broke down on the motorway. A chiropodist stopped and gave me a toe.
WITS
Irish improving here after slow start.
A James McClean goal would be nice. The Welsh crowd seem to dislike him, booing his every touch. Wonder why??? :)
Corky
Vote cast,good luck.
I’m away to put my AdamAnt outfit oan,don’t want to waste the make-up.hh
McClean gets a bit of payback on Allen.
Thanks BGFC & Wee BGFC & to Philbhoy, all ye ghuys out there are magic.
I think MON will be quite happy with this.
Weathered a bit of an early storm. Get to half time 0-0 and the second half will be a different story.
Mon the Republic
Corkcelt
The Murcia jury has voted!!
Coybig
HH
The Welsh sub is supposedly 24 today, looks closer to 44 in my eyes
Joe Allen went in hard on Meyler & got a yellow. McClean gets him in a sandwich with Meyler & it’s an early bath for Joe.
Thanks Voguepunter much appreciated.
Allen subbed.
Looks dazed.
Irish Bhoys looking out for each other.
Love it!
Very Happy with first half. In a way we are better off scoring late in game. Any time we got an early goal we sat back and were pummeled.
It’s a 50/50 game now & Wales will be getting worried.
LMCBhoy, Thanks very much for the vote.
Our Niamh just voted for your Niamh. All The Best.
And a late winner tonight would be just grand!