90 minutes of European drama ahead

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!