Work ahead of the new season is underway in earnest after Celtic came through a game in Austria against top flight Russian club FC Krasnodar in Austria yesterday afternoon. Every hour has to be carefully planned from now on.
Ronny Deila has only 11 days before taking to an Icelandic field on Champions League duty. Players need to step up, from 45 minutes against a fellow-preseason team, to 90 minutes of competitive action against a team who are already midseason. Pushing muscles too hard now will be counterproductive; players need a planned gradient of training, rest and games to get them as close to peak condition as possible. No matter how well this goes, the players will be short of their peak for weeks.
Trying hard not to think or talk about signings but it’s good to see Craig Gordon confirmed. Fraser Forster is the most committed professional at the club, so he’s not a player who needs to be driven to improve, but we all need fresh incentives to go back to the well again, and the arrival of Craig will give Fraser fresh focus after returning from a disappointing World Cup campaign.
Welcome to Celtic, Craig.
There are around 36 CQNers already out on Aberdour Golf Course in what could be described as ‘fresh’ conditions. A great night lies ahead.
This year we are raising money for Glasgow the Caring City and The Cookiejar Foundation. We have two copies of this magnificent canvas, signed by Billy McNeill, one is available to the highest bidder on ebay here.
The other is available for raffle. Every donor to this JustGiving page gets an entry in the raffle. The minimum donation is £1, which we can all afford to participate in, although you can donate as much as you want. Our thanks to @BarryMcGonigle for the image on the canvas and OPG Graphics for creating the work.
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praecepta
SFTB
Agree re: final – though the Dutch might not get past Costa Rica (a pay-day me but with a little saver on if they don’t)!
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Same here, backed Germany, Brazil, Argentina and the wild card Costa Rica :o)
WGS on now. . . Sense at last!
mungolian bhoy
I’ve got an empty for another three weeks, football, music and junk food, magic!!
Got a weeish list of things to do before the Mrs gets back though, I’ll get to them the day before I guess…
So, little doubt about who FIFA want to win this World Cup, eh?
Nytol
Mungolian Bhoy
Battiston, Gepetto’s victim, still has damaged vertebrae and teeth from the assault, 32 years on.
Didnae even git a foul!!
Cowiebhoy
Re Gordon
If true …there’s no way he was signed as a third choice keeper on those wages
Maybe Zaluska will be moved on …in which case fair enough
However …we could be left shelling out £6k per week for a permanently injured player
The defending by Brazil at 2 nil was crazy.They just kicked the ball anywhere like a bunch of 6 yr olds. There is no doubt they are wired to the moon by all the hype. They are a pale shadow of past Brazilian sides but are still hanging in there. I have my money on a Brazil/Argentina Final. So I’m happy enough they got through but I totally understand the sentiments on the blog regarding their behaviour.
Hi Hebcelt
Doing fine apart from the late nights due to extra time and penalties leading to sleep deprivation.
Next World Cup – early games will go to ET and penalties. Late games will be decided on quick toss of the coin.
Celtic back in action – other teams are “excited” about playing Buckie Thistle. I suppose it is the nearest they will get to playing a team in green and white hoops this year.
What’s not to like?
Top Tip for tomorrow night – Costa Rica (+1) @8/5!
Here we go again. Another game with a couple of debatable refereeing decisions – has there ever been a game at any level without them? – and the word “corruption” is thrown into the CQN mix.
Y-A-W-N
bliddydramaqueens.csc
Pfayr,
I know most have wished Craig well,
And I will support if he makes it into our team, but,
I just cannot see any logic in this, I can’t get my head around, a player out for approaching 4 years, and offered that type of deal.
Only me, if not confident on any of our youths coming through, go out and get the best young keeper around, and develop him.
It selling Fraser, use some of that money to sign someone
Struggling to see any logic in this move
Hail Hail
night night all
Brazil a team we all loved to see every 4 years are a pale imitation of the magical footballing sides that went before them, as some posters have mentioned. I actually wanted them to get beat tonight & also go out the competition
Never thought I would see the day that I would actually dislike a Brazilian side a country, that once made watching football a joy to watch & made a young boy growing up look on in awe and wonder,who now only sees greed, corruption on a massive scale ruin Brazil as a country and lose its footballing soul
Or perhaps I see a Brazil from my youth through rose tinted spectacles and want to see that “samba” magic that I grew up on but sadly has disappeared
Just Feeling Nostalgic csc
tom mclaughlin
So you don’t agree with wee Strachan’s assessment that he thought the second half was like a throwback to the 80s with the number of fouls that went unpunished?
Italiabhoy
Yeah, they knew that the Chilean substitute was going to hit the bar in the last minute of extra time against Brazil with the score at 1-1.
They’ve got all angles covered.
Hey hey hey…..Calm down Bhoys……
We had a geriatric Everton centre half failure captaining the Orcs to 3 in a row,in Scotland,under Everton’s worst ever manager….,
Dreadful period in Scottish football history really……..
Things can only get better,ey.?
It was really dreadful stuff.
ryecatcher, where did that post come from?.
Ryecatcher.
Things have got a lot better. Haven’t you noticed?
Oops chucking out time at The Troll Cafe…
The dream team appear at the same time again
Wooosh!
Thermoman lands back on earth after another mission.
SOAL
That place on my mantelpiece awaits you.
The Brazilian team at the 1974 world cup were the exact opposite of the 1970 team despite Jair & Rivelino playing for them. They kicked the opposition more than the ball. The Dutch overcame the roughhouse tactics beating them 2 nil. They had a guy with part peroxide long air who played left back who just jostled and kicked players. For the life of me, I can’t remeber his name. The centre half they had was just as bad.
Rivelino knew how to look after himself but he was a real let down in that tournament.
Brazil have had only won great team since 1970 and that was in 1982, stating the obvious. The 2002 team may have won but were more a collection of individually good players.
The only good thing about the legned’s BBC article is his praise of Tommy as a man and for his football philosophy.
Only Thiago Silva would get into any of the past Brazil sides. Neymar would be well down the list of list.
Mind you, he’s behind at least six of the best front men ever.
hamiltontim –
Of course I agreed. The referee was weak throughout.
My point was about the overuse of the word “corrupt” whenever a big team wins and the referee has been poor.
The Colombian team, getting all the praise, gave away 23 fouls to Brazil’s 31. Nobody was badly fouled or hurt. The knee in the small of the back to Neymar was the closest it came to a bad foul. OK there was a lot of niggling small fouls but that first half was breathless, open and all action.
Dallas
Marinho
SFTB
the ref was too lenient in the first half,Rodriguez got it tough in particular,
its ok trying to keep cards in your pocket but not when the result is 54 fouls in one game
marrakesh
It is hard to actually name a famous Brazilian defender. The ones you recall are usually swashbuckling right backs.
I am beginning to doubt my eyes when I read the reaction on here. I remember dazzling runs by Luiz and Rodriguez, tricks and flicks from Neymar and Oscar, whole hearted rabble rousing from Marcelo and Hulk, a captain’s performance from Tiago Silva and a great free kick from Luiz.
Still a great WC for me
Just seen tonight’s goals. Silva must’ve been studying Big Stephen McManus’s goalscoring tips
Dallas
Chagas = blondie?
gordybhoy
There was no great harm done to Rodriguez. Most fouls were bumps while he was jumping for a ball. He rolled around more than Neymar. He is a great player but we are being one eyed in seeing Brazil as the villain.
Marrakesh, thank you.
I thought it was Mourinho but wasn’t sure.
His peroxide highlights made him stick out even more and played more like a rugby player. Against Holland he rugby tackled Cruyff or Neeskens as they went by him.
Paolo Cesar was their player who was getting built up as something special but he too, was mince or badly affected by the lack of football played by his team.
The leniency of the ref tonight reminded me a bit of Dougie Dougie at Ibrox when Broonie was sent off when he let the horribles away with hunners.
Dallas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinho_Chagas
just cos its the best
god bless moravcik67
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ZKQfp7D6U
SFTB
There were a number of tackles,from both sides that could have been bookings
much earlier in the game,had the ref penalised the offenders we might have got a more entertaining game than we had,although it did have its moments,canny agree with you about some of the players contributions but I thought Rodriguez and Luiz were standouts for their teams
Brazil 82 were great- but no match for a newly released jailbird called Paolo Rossi.
Today’s team just looks average. Indeed id have been shocked if Scotland had played the way they did at 2 0. Aimless hoofs up the park and belting the ball into the crowd to waste time.
The legend of Brazil as the home of pure football is – like many things from our youth- a cruel mirage.