Nailed-on starters missing isn’t always good news

272

It’s always dangerous to welcome news that an opponent will be without an automatic first choice player – think back to last month, when news of Leigh Griffiths’ injury broke, forcing Brendan Rodgers into playing Moussa Dembele against Newco. Well-resourced teams have strong squads, but for every Dembele waiting in the wings, there are a dozen or more Pukkis.

So while news that Borussia Monchengladbach are likely to be without striker, Raffael, winger, Thorgan Hazard and central defender, Andreas Christensen, is encouraging, it’s no more than that. It’s little more than Celtic replacing Roberts, Griffiths and Sviatchenko (three nailed-on starters at the beginning of the season) with Forrest, Dembele and Simunovic.

The absences will have no impact on Brendan Rodgers game planning, but it might play on the mind of Gladbach manager, Andre Schubert, who is dealing with the first run of sustained disappointing results since he was promoted from Gladbach reserve coach last season.

Manchester City looked vastly more accomplished than Gladbach when they met in the opening group game, so the draw City took at Celtic Park, and the manner in which they were forced to fight for it, is likely to convince Schubert that a point would be a good result for his team.

A draw would be an inconclusive result for both teams chances of finishing above the other, but a win for either team would be the most important result of the group.

Looking for tickets for the semi-final on Sunday?

Celtic sponsor, Intelligent Car Leasing, have given us a pair of tickets for the North Stand (Celtic supporters area). Tickets are all sold, if you or your auntie’s brother’s son want one, this is one of the very few ways left of getting your hands on any!

The pair will be raffled together, to enter, email the address below with the correct spelling of Monchengladbach (clue, this is not a trick question).

I’m not taking this too seriously, so all entries will be considered. Here’s the thing, though, we should be doing what we can for the Celtic Foundation on such a great occasion. While you are entering, why don’t you make a donation to YOUR Foundation here.

The last competition winner made a donation. It was a coincidence. Honest…….

Entries to competition@celticquicknews.co.uk . Competition closes at 14:00 on Thursday, winner will be informed that day. Make sure I have contact details for you, it wouldn’t be the first time someone won a CQN competition and didn’t check their email until after the event.

Good luck, and enormous thanks to Intelligent Car Leasing.

For a short period we are shipping a FREE copy of Paul John Dykes acclaimed book, The Quality Street Gang, with Andy Lynch’s autobiography, Hoops, Stars & Stripes, written with Paul. That’s two quality books for £14.99 + p&p – an absolute bargain.

Order now and the CQN Bookstore. We take delivery of Andy’s book later this week, they will be arriving with you soon thereafter.

Fill your boots before The Quality Street Gang offer ends.

img_2429-38.jpg

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

272 Comments

  1. Melbourne Mick on

    Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    Finally crawled back home from the rebel peninsula, don’t know

     

    who’s idea it was to have a food and wine tasting festival on our

     

    Celtic weekend but they deserve a medal. As per usual the hoops

     

    were everywhere and after our bhoys had made a few trawls up

     

    and down the main st. it was a wonder there was any wine left

     

    for the visitors.

     

    Talking about visitors, ALMORE’S bhoy Dr Marc graced us with

     

    his presence and what a lovely lhad and a real pleasure for us all

     

    to meet him, as has all the CQN family members who have made

     

    the effort to visit us this side of the planet.

     

    Well, free wine, cheap Guinness and malt whisky is a powerful mix

     

    and as you can imagine our Celtic day was a great success again

     

    and with Capt.Spalding band belting out music from the 60’s mixed

     

    with rebel tunes from us the dancing was bizarre, think of rock and

     

    roll, Irish dancing, and the twist rolled into one, and that was just

     

    PADDYMACOZ kidding on he was trying to find his wallet to buy a

     

    round :-))

     

    More new members signed up and a Welsh family approached us

     

    and enquired if they could join explaining that they didn’t know

     

    much about football but they knew of BBJ and they loved the Celtic

     

    atmosphere.

     

    Think were gonna need a bigger club.

     

    H.H Mick

  2. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    When we played Gladbach in a pre season friendly 3 years ago, some of their challenges were of a Lasleyesque nature.

     

     

    Ter Stegen was their goalie absolutely clattered Tony Watt about 20 yards out. If it was a competitive game, Ter Stegen would have walked.

  3. Stairheedrammy on

    Dessybhoy, the polis are taking their lead from the media and politicians who are keen to stamp out any public anti hun (and by hun I mean rampaging horde) demonstrations. As a result blow up dolls are deemed more serious than sectarian fueled vandalism. Common sense doesnt come in to it when you are chasing the budget to keep your specialist unit funded for the next 5 years. The bottom line is that we are more attractive targets for them.

  4. GEORDIE MUNRO on 18TH OCTOBER 2016 7:31 PM

     

    HEADTHEBALL @ 5:18 PM

     

     

     

    “you don’t want to cross our Brendan.”

     

     

     

    Bit racist that clip is it not? ;))

     

    __________________________________________

     

     

    Probably in Southern States so would get away with it ;)

     

     

    HH

  5. Belfast Joe.

     

    Go into settings and switch java script off.

     

    I think I had the same problem, Almore told me to do that and its worked for me, so far.

  6. Phil`s site is available again for those who like to read of the continuing tale of potential woe at Waterworld..

  7. STAIRHEEDRAMMY

     

    For most of Scotlands stormtroopers we are the only target.

     

    A perfect representation of Scotlands shame.

  8. I see the team 5th in the Bundesliga , two points ahead of our opponents tomorrow, are leading Sporting 0-2 AWAY. That is an indicator of the task we have tomorrow.

     

    JJ

  9. Melbourne Mick: We spoke to Dr Marc on Sunday and he was thrilled with the way you and Paddymacoz looked after him. Can’t wait to go into the Bad Ass Cafe with our polo shirts from Down Under.

     

     

    He supports the idea of a Celtic store in Melbourne but says he’d prioritise the fans’ café beside the superstore:-)

     

     

    Míle buíochas for all your help.

  10. ” We don’t play against a typical Scottish team, we’re playing Celtic. They play in the Champions League because they are good.”

     

    Cristoph Kramer, BMG

  11. ….and goodnight all.

     

    Golf in the morning then another trip to the Magnificent Celtic Park.

     

     

    JJ

  12. I think a win tomorrow night will be up there with our best in recent years, given where we have been in the last few years.They played really well v Barca a few weeks ago, their GK threw 2 in.We will need another high energy, high pressing 14 man performance IMO.A draw isn’t the worst result.

  13. Been with CQN since the start and it is a fantastic achievement by Paul67 and team. Only visit occasionally now as very few interesting characters or opinions remain. Too much in-fighting and drivel. Can’t believe only around a dozen posts per hours at a peak time – used to be a dozen a minute not so long ago.

     

     

    Standards have fallen as the CQN focus has shifted from blog to publishing. Paul67 used to ensure decent standards of language and content so that it was a safe place for people of all ages. Some of the stuff now makes the daily mail look enlightened.

     

     

    Hope we can work together to bring it back towards former standards in this 50th anniversary year celebrating one of the greatest ever team sporting achievements.

     

     

    Tomorrow is going to be another tough but magical Euro night!

  14. anyone else know the feeling of when you say “you can get my ticket I’ll be on holiday.” and it seems fine! but then you’re on holiday and the game’s tomorrow and all the bars are saying “no amigo, barca man city” and you start saying to the wife “it was your idea to go at the october week” … or is that just me!!

     

    so i’ll try this from spain.

     

    CELTIC

     

    Pointing at you lot back home!!

  15. Badabing

     

    Hi mate.seen yir hero Springsteen on C4 News bout U.S elections.he is also on newsnight beeb2 later on same subject

     

    HH

  16. ALMORE

     

     

    Sorry I’m late getting back to you, had to put my auld body

     

    back under the duvie cover, still suffering.

     

    Dr Marc is a real credit to you and your family and I’ve told

     

    him i will let him know about our christmas BBQ day on 4th

     

    Dec. before he goes home to see his maw and paw.

     

    I’ll visit your cafe next time home, hopefully ,and nail anybody

     

    i can find from sales and merchandising to badger them

     

    about investment over here to help us keep the Celtic ethos

     

    alive and into the next century.

     

    H.H Mick

  17. GEAROID1998 on 18TH OCTOBER 2016 10:28 PM

     

     

    Depends what time I get out of Coias at. I know you won’t flee the country for ten spot so nae worries. I can get it another time if need be.

     

     

    FAC the Act

     

     

    KTF

  18. Goooooooood evening CQN:-)

     

     

    Really slow blog today, not surprised- I tried to log in this afternoon on my works hi tech and powerful system, and was gobbled up by an advert which kept tripping my session.

     

    Now on iPad, which also appears to be acting much slower on this BT infinity

     

    Are these adverts taking up too much memory/speed ? With graphics ?

     

     

    Anyway, hopefully by this time tomorrow I’ll be home, hoarse, but celebrating 3 pts :-)

     

    Oh and I hope it’s dry, I got soaked at last game, as I’ve been moved down nearer the front in North Stand, as sponsors take my seats

     

     

    Hail Hail

  19. Hi Celts,

     

     

    Hope to be in town early and a dry day so I can have a dander round George Square.Glasgow is green and white.

     

     

    Will be in blane valley from after 4.hope to share a beer or 2 before the game with fellow Celts :-)

     

     

    See yiz in there

     

     

    HH