The juices are flowing ahead of tonight’s crucial third round Champions League qualifier against HJK Helsinki at Celtic Park. Not only is it the first competitive game Celtic have had something to play for since winning the league at Rugby Park almost four months ago, it will be one of our most important games of the season.
The Finnish champions are midseason and have already negotiated an earlier qualifying round. After recent August disappointments against Sion, Braga (how little we knew about them at the time) and Utrecht, Neil Lennon will know only too well the pitfalls of summer football.
It will be a long and tiring 90 minutes for the players but a special Celtic Park atmosphere should see them through.
Best wishes to Morten Rasmussen, who joined FC Midtylland yesterday, or to tell the fuller story, was removed from the Celtic payroll with around £250k in compensation heading our way. Morten arrived in January 2010, shortly before Robbie Keane and a host of other loan signing pitched up at Celtic and squeezed his chances of first team football.
Tony Mowbray was replaced by Neil Lennon two months later and Morten was clearly not in the new manager’s plans. It all looked promising for him when he came on as a substitute, scored a goal and turned the game against Hamilton Accies in his first week at the club, but it was pretty much downhill from there.
Lesson here: for several years we signed too many players.
Enjoy the game!
Remember our raffle. All proceeds go to the good causes; The Haven, Cancer Respite Centre, Blantyre, Oscar Knox Neuroblastoma Appeal, Martin Chambers Ecuador Trust and Aberdour Primary School Parents Association.
For the price of a £1 ticket you can win:
A celebrating Henrik Larsson painting.
A painting of Scott Brown in classic pose.
A Neil Lennon print.
Check them out and buy a ticket!
443 Comments- Pages:
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A Son of Dan
Where did you find the info on the game being broadcast on Celtic TV?
I have had a look on the website and it still says coverage TBC…
On a different note, what is the general opinion on the current interest in Wanyama? I like him a lot as a player, but if we could get an 8 – 10 million cash injection to spend on a solid centre half & a physical target man Striker a la Sutton or (dare I say it) Jelavic, I would consider it good business.
Looking forward to tonight, getting new CQN badges, meeting CRC and others possibly, then over to the Gazebo to complete arrangements for Aberdour.
Then the main event, Celtic at Paradise for a Champions League game under the floodlights. Nothing else comes close.
Word of caution for iPad users. The FaceTime function.
Random video calls from scary looking bespectacled shaven headed nuggets from Carluke are a distinct possibility.
Should be considered prior to purchase of said device.
EC67
afternoon, a good week ahead firstly looking forward to the game tonight , on paper we should be good enough but as we know football is not played on paper or all our coupons would be winners.
As a support we can only go along and cheer on whom ever Neil selects , and hope and pray for a good old fashioned euro night with goals galore for the hoops 6-0 Hooper first goal scorer. go on you know it makes sense.
Then off to the CQN open on friday on board the Lanarkshire boogie bus looking forward to some golf a few beers and Paul’s state of the nation address to the asembled CQNers , wonder what he will talk about this year, certainly will not be struggling for material.
Then Saturday it’s back to celtic park to celebrate all that is good about being a Celtic supporter, raise the falg and beat the Sheep
CarlsbergWeekCSC
philvisreturns
I hope that is the last of the elephant related jokes, but just in case….
Why do elephants drink so much?
To try to forget
Paul67/anybody. Why can I not see any posts after the first 50. The second page and subsequent pages for any posts only include the first post on that page. Any help would be welcome.
CNo1.
.
Today is my Wee Ghirl’s 7th Birthday..7 Yrs can’t belive it..
So it is Also 7 Yrs since Artmedia Bratislava as l remember she was Born that Week..
I Think a lot of People were saying we would take 5..6..or 7 off them..That we as a Club were 10 times the size of Artmedia..The were a Pub team..
There are no Easy games in Europe..Our vital Weapon tonight is Us the Celtic fans..Just Pretend The Finnish Team are in fact The Finished Team.. Create a Atmosphere that the Fins have Never heard before and we might Just Spook.. them..
Also let Sammi Run at them..1 or 2 Nil will do me for the First leg..
We Underestimated Artmedia..Our Players IMHO Have Underestimated Teams in Cup games under Lenny..Hopefully tonight they wont..
Happy 7th Birthday to My Beautiful Daughter..She asked for a Celtic top when l was in Scotland..Her Name on the Back..The Number..Of Course No7..
Summa
FourGreenFields on 1 August, 2012 at 12:38 said:
Just looking for a bit of clarity , Hun claiming only company will be liquidated not club .
Sure I read on here that once incorporated they became one , can anyone confirm .
This was posted yesterday. Hope it helps you.
http://twitter.com/Hunskelper1967/status/230341696066551808/photo/1
The club and company became the one entity when they were incorporated in 1899.
Therefore, when the company dies the club also dies.
Simples.
SPF
Eurochamps
First time I’ve seen the words ‘Looking forward to’ and ‘meeting CRC’ in the same sentence:)
goldstar
Dingwall. Ross County have greatly improved facilities etc since last season and a new stand has been put in place to accommodate away supporters.
Kingoh,
May be revised once I have met him.
Celtic Mac on 1 August, 2012 at 13:21
Why have elephants got big ears?
Coz Noddy wouldn’t pay the ransom….
Classic!!
Sheik Mahawn @timaloy2
Mark Dingwall exposed. http://theweeproclaimer.wordpress.com
hi sannabhoy
thanks for the info
very kind of you once again sir
hope the lad wins gold
yes indeed i plan to be there on Friday
should be great craic
you got any kids going along tonight ?
here’s hoping for a very good
performance from the team
TC
chrisiriberri on 1 August, 2012 at 12:34 said:
Celtic TV
Mac friendly since last season Mate…
Plenty of ways to back the Bhoys on Wednesday
By: Newsroom Staff on 01 Aug, 2012 12:15
SEASON Tickets are valid for Celtic’s UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie tonight against HJK Helsinki and tickets are on sale up until the 7.45pm kick-off from the Ticket Office. And there are other ways to support the team if you can’t make it along to Paradise.
Celtic TV subscribers outside of the UK and Ireland will get the match live as well as the return leg, while subscribers within will get live audio and as-live video later.
To subscribe to Celtic TV, click HERE
Premier Sports on Sky channel 428 will cover both legs of the tie against HJK Helsinki for those within the UK and Ireland. The decision was taken to televise the match to allow supporters who can’t make it to Paradise to be able to see the team in what is a hugely important match. Coverage from Celtic Park begins at 7:30pm on this evening featuring the thoughts of Tom Boyd and Tosh McKinlay.
On August 8, Celtic travel to the Sonera Stadium looking to progress to the play-off round. Live TV coverage of that match begins at 5.55pm, Celtic Park Time.
On top of this great live action, Premier Sports show every Celtic SPL weekend game including all home matches not shown on Sky or EPSN on a Monday as part of a three-hour Celtic TV block. The coverage also features all the weekly news and interviews from the club.
Fans can sign up for this coverage at http://www.premiersports.tv or by calling 0871 663 9000.
Jim Traynor 1st July 2012
CELTIC can do themselves and finally start to do Scottish football a massive favour tonight for the first time in a long while. Neil Lennon and his players can drag us and his club up and clear of the madness which has engulfed and tainted the entire Scottish game.
You could very easily argue telly programmes like Big Brother and The Voice shame our collective intelligence but nothing on our screens has been worse than Scottish football’s own reality show.
And, like all of those crass attempts to claim audiences, this one featuring Rangers also has its shameless wannabes and talentless egotists.
The sights and sounds of the men responsible for running our clubs, and therefore our game, floundering to deal with the problem and to find proper and just solutions has been embarrassing.
In trying to find a way of dealing with Rangers – forget oldco, newco, it’s still Rangers – and their descent into liquidation, Scottish football also plumbed new depths of stupidity and pettiness. It has been one long and tasteless fiasco.
Come to think of it, even if the main players had been sashaying up the Hampden steps dressed in ballgowns wearing false lashes and tiaras, their attempts to deal with the crisis couldn’t have been any more cringe-worthy. Or grotesque.
Okay, so now I’m stuck with a vision of some of the main players – Charles Green, Craig Whyte, Stewart Regan, Neil Doncaster, Rod Petrie and Turnbull Hutton – in this burlesque cutting about like a disgust (as good a collective noun as any given the circumstances) of Dame Ednas.
Are we doomed to be forever tuned in to this distortion of our game? Is there no end to our nightmare?When will this all be solved with Rangers getting direct unequivocal entry into the SPL ? You bet it will.
Hopefully, yes there is now that Rangers have their SFA membership, although Regan and Doncaster might be wondering if they could still scupper its final delivery on Friday.
Both have been rightly singled out for criticism by Green and Rangers manager Ally McCoist but unfortunately for the men at the head of the SFA and SPL, they just don’t have the power to do what they want. And that’s a great pity.
Regan and Doncaster, I believe, have been frustrated to the point of becoming demented by the behaviour and cracked logic of quite a few of the people who run this country’s clubs and their supporters.
They’ve been shocked by sectarian agendas and petty dislikes shown by most Scottish football fans and the blinkered outlook of others.
They wanted to get the game up and running as quickly as possible but they’ve had to wait while rules and punishments were made up on the hoof. In the end Rangers were cleared to play only two days before their first match. It was as though the people didn’t realise the absolute and unremitting need for urgency.
A typical dialogue on Hampden’s sixth floor might have been – ‘So, what have they had so far? A points deduction, a fine and a registration embargo. But is that enough?’
‘Well, the SPL have still to rule on EBTs and dual contracts, if they actually exist. They could insist Rangers be stripped of five titles and, of course, they’re withholding the £1.2m they should have collected for having finished second last year.’
‘But hold on, that was Rangers oldco. Newco can’t get that money anyway because they’re… well, they’re a new business aren’t they?’
‘Okaaaay, but if they are newco and can’t benefit from the oldco’s money explain to me again why we’re insisting they must accept sanctions for all the wrongs of the oldco.’
‘Shhhh, don’t say that out loud. We don’t want the laws and logic of the real world in here.’
‘Whether Rangers have paid their fines or won second place by avoiding taxes is neither here nor there’
‘Anyway, let’s get on with it because I have to get a move on. Yes, I know membership details have still to be finalised but let the lawyers wrap things up. I’ve got to get out of here. I have to be home early tonight or I’ll be facing a divorce.’
Come on, there must have been much more substance than that to the discussions which would determine Rangers’ fate and surely one of the key figures didn’t really have to rush away home at the critical stage last Friday evening to see the Olympic opening ceremony? Then again…
And why did Green, a couple of days later, say some of the decisions taken by SFA and SPL boards were made out of bigotry?
Maybe he was just trying to sell some more season tickets by appealing to those fans who tune in to that sort of thing and what is wrong with that?
But please, let’s stop the arguing and in-fighting and try to make the most of the season ahead, which brings us nicely back to tonight’s match at Parkhead.
And it’s a massive game for Lennon himself. His entire pre-season was designed to get his squad ready, or as fit, mentally and physically, as possible for tonight.
He didn’t drag his club across numerous time zones this year because he wanted short flights and plenty of time on the training pitches here and in Europe.
That’s what he got and now Lennon, in a sense, is about to set out on a mission. It’s been two years since he’s had the chance to claim a place on Europe’s stage for the elite – Braga is best forgotten – and he’s content this time his players are better prepared.
Good. They’ll need to be on their toes tonight and in the return leg against HJK Helsinki because more than the manager’s own ambitions are at stake.
We all need Celtic to succeed and bring Champions League football back to Scotland.
We need Celtic to help restore some credibility, especially after their behaviour last year, and we need them to bring some light to the darkness.
Somehow I think the SPL this year will be only concerned by domestic affairs.
Cumbernauld No 1 on 1 August, 2012 at 13:22
It could be something to do with the elephant jokes?
Try turning the filter trunk on and off.
hamiltontim on 1 August, 2012 at 12:21 said:
I’m sure it was Hamilton think he got booked after scoring for going into the crowd.
Worried about Izzy bombing forward tonight. He leaves big gaps at the back and this mob have pace on the wing. NL has mentioned the pace.
Celtic and the crowd get going tonight and we will blow them away. Love Euorpean nights.
hamiltontim- Cheers bud
EC67- You could put that on as a wallpaper to keep the grandweans away from your iPad.
btw
forgot to mention
we passed the 200,000 download for Hail Hail Media the other week
no too shabby for some fans just gettin together
great credit to David Harper and all the lads and lasses involved
lets see what this season brings
more of the same, i hope
Michael Jamieson @mj88live
Really humbled by the messages of support, thank you all. Signing out now, I’ll be emptying the tank at 7.30…make some noise!! :)
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on 1 August, 2012 at 13:27
Traynor’s a non entity. A rabble rouser.
Triple Pike with a logic-bothering double volte-face from James Traynor, GB, on the high diving board.
Degree of difficulty 6.7.
Agenda:
Today: Finish this week’s work.
Tonight: The Game
Thursday: Finish next week’s work
Friday: The Golf
Saturday: Fortnight in the sun
Monday 20th: Finish last week’s work.
We don’t get holiday’s anymore. We just reschedule our work. Modren economies is rubbish.
“They’ve been shocked by sectarian agendas and petty dislikes shown by most Scottish football fans and the blinkered outlook of others.”
Dear Mr Traynor,
My dislike of both versions of Rangers is neither sectarian or petty. And the only ones with blinkers seem to be media hacks like yourself who refuse to see the damage that the former club has done to Scottish football.
Oh, and your article was about a long established SPL club, the Scottish champions no less, playing in Europe’s elite competition. So why even mention a new third division SFL club at all?
TootingTim
willing to go into town if necessary -i know the pub at Euston – was at the Copehagen 0-3 game there.
Premier sport have the game as per normal – staying with a Galway lad at the moment and he has the channel for the GAA . He tells me that most of the ‘Irish’ pubs also have Permier so no probs catching the game.
A son of Dan I never wanted Neil lennon as the manager of Celtic.up at the kerrydale suite the evening that peter lawell was also there. I shook hands with Neil lennon and wished all the best. But I knew deep down he wasn’t my choice. And I still harbour that view.
ASonOfDan on 1 August, 2012 at 13:06 said:
Trips to Ross County and ICT now have 12:15 and 12:45 kick-offs.
Nothing like helping your teams who are playing in Europe…
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PL Was in London signing up for it a day or two ago. I don’t see what the shock is TBF.
A good friend of mine who works at BBC Sport tells me that Traynor is a decent bloke who readily admits that most of the controversial and deluded waffle he writes/broadcasts does not reflect his own opinion but is merely used to wind folk up, promote outrage and get people on his phone-in. I’ve always hated him but I guess he would see that as some sort of triumph…
Traynor: Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the succulent lamb,
And the wee shots on Sir David Murray’s private jet. (thumbsup)
Sir David Murray ditches the old private jet for a revenue-generating alternative:
http://www.slotstock.co.uk/slotStock/main/jayjay-jet-plane-kiddie-ride.png (thumbsup)
I have a spare ticket, section 107, north stand lower, for game tonight.
For sale at face value on ticket, £0.00, perhaps a donation to charity of choice.
Thanks to P67 for all his work and finally getting me on the blog.
IanBhoy929-It has proved to be a good deal for bhoys who can’t get to CP or Finland.Premier Sports is the pay per view wing of Setanta,remember them.
Foxy_1888 on 1 August, 2012 at 13:37
Pity he gets a better welcome at Celtic Park than any of us do
Hail Hail
TopCorner ,
cheers – looking foward to Friday – havent touched aclub since last year so should be ‘interesting’ .
Also , I’m on DD duty so soft drinks for me – probably just as well. I don’t thinnk the rest of them know that I’ve crashed my last 2 cars so badly the were both written off !!
Ach weel , all together now , “the wheels on the bus go round and round , all over the road”
Kingoh , you know the saying “give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day , teach him to fish and you’ll feed him for life”? Well , consider this a life lesson – you’ve got to learn to stand on your own feet at some point .
Everyone else – Hope your team wins tonight !
Hail Hail
Sanna
Must confess I’ve never been to The Cock Tavern…
Shame we’re going to miss each other, I am committed to The Yucatan and I appreciate your difficulty in travelling there from Kenton – guess it’d be by overground rattler from Willesden Junction? Not the speediest peregrination The Great Wen has to offer by any stretch.
sannabhoy on 1 August, 2012 at 13:40 said:
Don’t know what pub in Euston you are talking about, but if you are in the area and struggling, there is a pub called the Euston Flyer – just along from O’Neills. Big boozer with 2 satellite systems – I caught the league clincher at Rugby Park in there (they were showing english football too), so I suggest it could be an option if you can’t find anywhere else. About 100 metres past O’Neills on the same side, walking away from KX St pancras.
SUPPORTERS can buy tickets for tonight´s game against HJK Helsinki at a number of Celtic retail stores, and it´s an ideal way to beat the collection queue at the Ticket Office. Tickets are available at the Celtic stores in Argyle Street, Sauchiehall Street, Clydebank, Coatbridge and East Kilbride.
Tickets are available for the game, priced from £20 for adults, and from £10 concessions. They’re also available ONLINE, and why not take advantage of the ‘Print At Home’ option, print your ticket off there and then, and you’ll be all set for a great European night with no queue and no fuss