Adrenaline pumping as play-offs return

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We’ve been here several times before.  Our first venture into the Champions League play-off round was in 1998 against (then) Croatia Zagreb.  Zagreb were clearly the better team but while a 1-0 win in the home leg gave us hope we were outclassed in the return game.

The unforgettable tie against Ajax was next.  Celtic’s best away performance in this tournament saw us beat the Dutch champions 1-3 in Amsterdam.  Ajax were clearly caught cold and performed infinitely better at Celtic Park, winning 0-1, but Celtic shut up shop to deny them any real chance of progression.

Basel were unknown and un-fancied in 2002 but their movement in central midfield was too much for Celtic, although curiously they only managed to perform for 45 minutes in each game.  An away goal defeat blocked our route to the top competition.  MTK Budapest were professionally swept aside in 2003.

Who can forget Spartak Moscow?  Just as they had done against Ajax, Celtic did the hard work away in the first leg, returning with a 1-1 draw, but incredible dramas unfolded at Celtic Park.  Roman Pavluchenko levelled Scott McDonald’s opener but the Russian missed a first half penalty.  The game went to extra time and with minutes left a defender punched Scott Brown’s shot off the line.  Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink missed with the resulting spot kick setting up a memorable penalty competition.

Vennegoor of Hesselink and Pavluchenko both scored this time as brave efforts from Gary Caldwell, Derek Riordan and Maciej Zurawski, who almost certainly knew he would never kick another ball for Celtic, and a save by Artur Boruc, sent us through.  Naka proved that 12 yards is too close a dead ball distance for him.

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A favourite Celtic Park memory?  You bet.

The adrenaline is pumping already.  Bring it on.

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542 Comments

  1. Another point on our supposed level of Debt.

     

    It was reported to be circa £7million .

     

     

    Then Paul67 highlights that it increases to a peak debt of circa £35million as we spent our season ticket income throughout the season.

     

     

    Now in my book you have no debt when your peak debt is infact zero.

     

    A67

  2. Looks like a good line up for the Celts. I’m quietly confident of at least a 1-1 result tonight.

     

     

    Swedish scout report on STV website has the two Helsingborg central midfielders as a threat, have to keep an eye on them.

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  4. TerryONeill Neil ah love yae on

    Last week , ah wis officially barred by radio clyde.

     

     

    Wont bore you with the details suffice to say after 7 points taken without getting on since the start of the season an an exchange of emails between lorraine herbison n me as to why

     

     

    it boiled down to her saying that they could not take the chance that I might say something that could get cllyde in trouble.

     

     

    She also falsely accused me of being barred previously for swearing,totally untrue.

     

     

    Anyway I would like to ask for support in boycotting this show.

     

     

    Ah know some will say thats easy,your barred but its not justabout me

     

     

    Not only do they bar and vet Celtic supporters but they treat us generally with contempt.

     

     

    Ad like to see the Celtic support blank their show.

     

     

    Their show is a pretense of fairness.

     

     

    Ah made much the same points on Celtic Minded an one of the guys Blue Bhoy 1878 kindly pointed me in the direction of a phone in by the Homebhoys.

     

     

    Its a shoot the breeze type situation and callers are welcome ah wis on the one in the link below.

     

     

    They made me feel welcome and unlike clyde did not treat me with contempt.

     

     

    Until Saturday ah hadnt a clue how skype worked,you download it an call the show for free,takes 5 mins.

     

     

    The guys deserve an audience ah wish them every success,they made me feel welcome and they are looking for new contributers.

     

     

    Their podcast is a great way to pass the time on a long drive.

     

     

     

    A proper phone in

  5. Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on

    I can see Ki in an Arsenal shirt yet

     

     

    Excellent team selection.

     

     

    Commons over Forrest on goal threat alone never mind that he has delivered.

     

     

    Wee James has the pace for the counter attack stuff

     

     

    And Chaz brings much needed composure in the middle

     

     

    HH

  6. We’ll hear more and more about Celtic’s ‘debt’ whilst Rangers are dead, and Sevco try and garnish penny’s to survive in the fourth tier.

     

     

    Adam Smith CSC

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  8. Good team – a wee bit limited with options on the bench but understandable given our injuries – however Forrest, McCourt and Watt are all good for coming to change things if required

     

     

    C’mon Celtic !!!

  9. I hope this isn’t going to be one of those games when we don’t know any of the opposition players before the game, but we remember quite a few of them for a long time afterwards.

  10. Every time I hear ‘Bomber’ I think of drinking old spice with limeade and lager side of his face slavering about deedz and drool excoriated knuckles drink driving Sweeney levels of Chauvinism sideburns and dog turd coloured brogues fag doubts and the village people with leather strapped watches plastic patches on tanktops and psychedlic wallpaper babysham vomit on orange carpets pregnant women smoking Benson & Hedges orange and brown and sickly gerkhin pickled handlebar moustaches mauve flares knitted jumpers plastic furniture eating an English breakfast out of giant Swedish ashtrays Elton Johns glasses yellow disco stompers big German porn beards polystyrene cups platforms orange spacehoppers plywood y-fronts Bognor Regis and wicker ornaments…Brown by name brown by nature…

     

     

     

    Aff tae watch the game at me auld da’s…2-1 Hoops!

  11. I think I’d have preferred Sammi up front in the lone striker role but the problem with that is we would struggle to fill the midfield if we took him out of the wide left position.

     

     

    I think, given the fact that Vic is suspended, Lenny has picked the right team for the occasion.

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  13. Just like in Helsinki, keep it tight early doors with concentration high and no silly mistakes

     

     

    We’ll get at least 1 or 2 good chances to score. We must take them

     

     

    I’d be happy to leave Sweden having not been beaten

  14. TET

     

     

    Mine is £460 I think that’s the cheapest. Can’t help with the toffs seats I’m afraid :-)

  15. TerryO

     

     

    Sorry to hear that mate. I haven’t listened to SSB for a number of years now and had it not been for you I’d have packed it in long before I did.

     

     

    And of course that fud John Kennedy fae Coocaddens or wherever:o)

     

     

    Take care Terry.

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  17. It’s funny listening to Spiers – On one hand he is talking about Celtic signing players in order to sell them for a healthy profit and then on the other he says Celtic’s quality of player will decline over the next few years because there is no challenge from The Rangers.

     

     

    Well Spiersy if Celtic’s quality of player declines then how do they expect to make a healthy profit on the players if/when they sell them? Your logic doesn’t make any sense!

  18. The Swedes must be thinking we have some squad when a current Swedish international can only make our bench , dont think they have many international caps in their line up , psychological blow for the Bhoys.

  19. Paul67 et al

     

     

    If we get a goal it will be very difficult for Helzinbourg to go through. Team knows each other, some good substitutes, like to think we will pack out Paradise next week. Come on the Celts!

  20. STV will play a blinder with the “away record” (funny how they only mention the CL and forget the other European competitions when it suits them). Cue refs to away tie issues. I’m off to the pub as you don’t get to hear any of the pre-match rubbish, and you can get good beer, and to discuss the game with other Celtic fans, and I need the exercise, and I don’t get out enough, and the beer…. Ok, so I mentioned the beer twice but it is great.

     

     

    Trust everyone has a Happy Hoops night

     

     

    HH

  21. If Helsingborg are playing Sadiku, you can bet they will be going with a 3:3:3 formation :-)

     

     

     

    P.S. Terry O’Neill- great idea for a bhoycott of the Clyde phone in.

     

     

    I would like to see our own phone in operate in direct competition at exactly the time Clydde is on

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  23. Magnificentseven on

    THE EXILED TIM

     

     

     

    18:52 on 21 August, 2012

     

     

     

    Can anyone tell me what is the price of the cheapest and the dearest season books, and the spread of said books.

     

     

     

    cheapest are about £425.00 I think they may have restricted view though?? most are about the £500-£600 mark……..Dearest are £1500-1600 with lounge access before the game, half time and full time…but you get a pie and a programme :-)

  24. TerryONeill Neil ah love yae on

    blantyretim@16.56 ah suspected that.

     

     

    Happy wae the team,Brown right Sammy left ,Commons just behind Hooper.

     

     

    Could be an interesting game given their philosophy of attacking football,think the experience of Rennes,Udinese an Helsinki has shaped us into a dangerous counter attacking team.

     

     

    Mon the Hoops.

  25. Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on

    Terry O..,

     

    is the correspondance written, I’m sure telling lies about you is illegal

  26. Wow

     

     

    Inverness CT Fans ‏@ictfans

     

    Good luck to Celtic tonight. go out their and do Scotland proud.

     

    Retweeted by Antonio Togneri

     

    Expand

     

    Reply Retweet Favorite

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  28. Terry I stopped listening to that show years ago its pure hun propaganda despite yours and a few others efforts to debate and counter their bias.

  29. Terry O – i have now listened to my last radio clyde broadcast. One of the only reasons i listened in recent years was to hear you make your salient points and have shug and the rest squirm in their seats. Not once have a i heard you swear on the phone-in.

     

     

    The whole of the msm are in full scale denial visa viz sevco; and radio clyde cannot handle intelligent guys like you picking them apart. The scam continues and they have made their choice to continue the charade and pander to the bigots.

     

     

    Thanks amigo, you done well:)

     

    slainte

     

    tony

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  31. dessybhoy

     

     

    I listen to it in the morning to get my blood pumping listening to sports desk which is usually wrong and written badly probably be the head of news and sports…

     

     

    yesterday they had Brian Laudrap as Swansea manager…can’t hide their love of the orcs as where..