AEK Athens have played only four friendly fixtures since losing the Greek Cup Final on 12 May. They failed to score in three of those games, beating Galatasaray 3-2 at home in the more recent game. The fixtures have been spread out: with 6 days, 8 days and 10 days between them. There will be a gap of 8 days between the Galatasaray game and their visit to Celtic Park tomorrow, so there has been no intensity to their efforts.
AEK needed to prepare an entire squad, not just a starting 11, during these games. This is not appropriate preparation for one of the most important ties of the season. It feels like an inexplicable oversight, I would be livid if this was Celtic’s preparation for this tie. Such complacency deserves to be punished.
By contrast, Celtic have played five competitive games and five friendlies since our 12 May Cup Final. The fitness strategy contrast between our squad and AEK’s is stark. As a consequence, we have to make tomorrow’s game a multi-ball, unrelenting, occasion.
Even if the game is tight at 80 minutes, how we finish the match could have a significant bearing on who progresses. This is when you would expect AEK’s lack of fitness to be most telling. Players lose concentration and coordination when tired. This is when we should look to push the tie over the edge.
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Very well done to our own Super kids on your school results ???
Again, just glad your Bhoys and Ghirls ???????
Stars
Good, I don’t cos the evidence is there for all to see, he lied.
That’s not to say I am unhappy with him for many other things, I am not, he is doing a grand job, but on those two things he lied.
HH
NEGANON2 on 7TH AUGUST 2018 10:20 PM
Well done to Miss Neganon!!! A tremendous result. Bet you are proud?
Caityrollercoaster was sitting on 5 A’s banked from 5th year highers, but the Uni’s wanted another 3 B’s from her 1 Higher ( Biology) and 3 Advanced highers ( Maths, Chemistry, Art) in 6th year to get into Medicine. She got 3 A’s and a B and was disappointed with the “B”.
Deccyrollercoaster got 4 As and a B in his Highers and was again disappointed in the B.
Too much pressure on the kids nowadays
HH
CRC
Peter has confused planning permission and planning.
Neganon, resting=respecting, but you knew that:-)
DELANEYS DUNKY
Yip that’s me alright :))…hope we get through , as I’ve told you before , my main concern is the league , anything else is a bonus…..a fantastic bonus mind you :))
Hope wee Mary is keeping well .
CRC~NA2
Good stuff re your weans.
HH
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Starry
Aye it’s a bother so it is.
I still believe Pedro told us porkies re preparing for the CL in the Jan window, I believe he genuinely want’s to exit a window stronger than we enter it, but they have been few and far between…..I’m sure that will be shot down :-)
HH
THE EXILED TIM on 7TH AUGUST 2018 10:24 PM
We signed four players in January, Musonda, Compper, Bain and Hendry. Musonda came with a big rep and flopped as has Compper. Peter Lawwell cannot be blamed for that, Brendan needs to take responsibility for those failures. Similarly we spent £3m on Kouassi and pay him £13k a week to do hee haw yet people scream for John McGinn. £4m with one year left is excessive even if you leave the politics aside.
IMO we have exited all transfer windows since summer 2015 in a stronger position than we entered (we lost VVD in that window).
However, there is no doubt that there is a dysfunctionality about the way we do business at times. When you look at the Croat the Huns signed today, ffs he played against them 5 days ago and now he is on board whilst we flaff about with our biggest game of the season imminent and our Manager using the pre match presser to highlight said issues.
Maybe the PLC have said to Brendan that, if he couldn’t manage and develop the last midfielder that he brought to the club E. Kouassi, why should be given more of the PLC kitty, to buy John McGinn ?
WITS
Onto more important things. I am at Ayr Races on Saturday. I understand by coincidence that it is also Ladies day as well. So if by any chance you stumble across some might fine tips, I would be delighted to receive them by text.
Thanking you in advance for the winners ( Twists-if you are looking in, then happy also to take your advice as well!)
HH
CRC
THE EXILED TIM
That’s exactly it he said we want to which is not the same as saying we will:)))
Celtic like life is rarely perfect, ye hiv tae work at it:))
Hope yous are not to warm up there, been exceptionally roasting here for weeks 30-35 everyday which is cool for you guys:))
Bring on The Greeks!
Well done all the kids and parents, education is the key.
BP1,,I’m holding fire until window shuts and will take stock. Some good posts though today. Hail Hail
And in the real world sixty thousand will head to Celtic Park full of hope and anticipation ready to back their side to the end except for that one guy who sits behind you or in front or just along the row who is never happy unless his dismal predictions come true.
Having said that Brendan has got me a little bit nervous, describing AEK as a CL team . Looks like a 50-50 tie , we will need a lead to take to Athens, if it’s by two I’ll be ecstatic.
CRC,
Nice to hear your weans are doing well, take care M and no doubt see you sometime within the season.
Anyone know what is happenin with the Arzani deal? Seemed done and dusted.
Thought it would have been anounced by now
Neg
Magic result for your lass. The Drumchapel brain runs in the family.
Bravo
Wee BGFC, excellent results, well done. Onwards and upwards. HH
@ DAVID17 on 7TH AUGUST 2018 10:39 PM
Agree that the manager has to take some blame for signings, but you mention Musonda, Compper, Bain and Hendry- of the 4, two were loans and the other 2 cost a combined £2m.
While Compper has proved himself a sick note, managing 80 minutes in 8 months, its difficult to expect a huge amount from a player that cost £800k. Certainly, there will be exceptions, but Compper was cheaper than Jack Hendry, that surely must be indicative of either his quality or the fact that the German team realised he was crocked.
Ntcham fit and ready for the game tomorrow ‘#goodnews
HH
CRC
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/emilio-izaguirre-set-shock-celtic-13046548
Good and frank question and answer session in the Herald by Neil Cameron with BR,
Well done to the kids who achieved good results! And to the ones that didn’t, today is just another day in the journey.
@ JUNGLE on 7TH AUGUST 2018 10:40 PM
I’m sure Brendan can point to the double treble, the fact we got £7m for Armstrong when he was ready to leave two years ago for buttons, the two European campaigns, the unbeaten record and the various other signings who have turned out to be fantastic as a valid retort. Also, our team must now be worth over £100m which is significantly higher than when he first arrived.
Also, Kouassi has shown promise and is only 20.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/16404195.big-interview-brendan-rodgers-believes-his-players-and-supporters-deserve-better-than-this-summers-lack-of-investment/
If the comments in this article are accurate then they are clearly premeditated by BR and an open challenge to the board- back me or I walk.
Again, if they are accurate, then fair play to our manager and the board should hang their heads in shame.
What is the billionaire Desmond bringing to the party? Why are we days from the end of the window without basic replacements in the squad?
D17
It’s the faffing about that bothers most folk imo, we have no idea if BR is happy with what he has going into the qualifiers, going by what he is said publicly today I’m not so sure he is, will it be enough for him to chuck it, I very much doubt it, but it must frustrate him, seeing as it is basicly down to him that we have so much cash in the bank and he is seeing very little of it.
HH
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Starry
It’s hot, a sustained hot, been in the mid 40s for a month now, hit 49 yesterday, no hit the magical 50 for a few years tho, have a feeling it may well do soon tho, we had a mega thunderstorm today and it will clear the air for more of the same, it’s too hot really.
HH
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 7TH AUGUST 2018 10:48 PM
I dont think the transfer value is particularly relevant at the lower end of the scale. If Brendan signs them with a view to adding them to the first team squad they need to be good enough more often than not. It is not reasonable to spend cash on Compper plus wages and then say its hard to expect too much. Need i remind you that Celtic jerseys don’t shrink to fit inferior players.
CRC … great news!
Celticrollercoaster supporting @WalkWithShay & Neganon.
a fantastic well done to your kids,be proud sirs.
The ball is in John McGinns court,we will see soon where he wants to be.
CRC – reasons to be cheerful 123:) congratulations to the brains of the family, they obviously take after their mumsie.
I’ll be at the game tomorrow so maybe catch up with ya;)
Slainte
Tony
The Exiled Tim
Unless your’e talking about ‘a different January’ and since you are accusing Peter Lawwell of lieing
BR doesn’t seem to have any issues?
By: Mark Henderson on 01 Feb, 2018 16:07 Celtic Newsroom
BRENDAN Rodgers has declared his delight with Celtic’s business in the transfer window and thanked the board and his recruitment team for securing the targets he wanted.
The Hoops brought their number of signings in January to five after they completed a deadline-day double swoop from Dundee, with the acquisitions of Scott Bain and Jack Hendry.
German internationalist, Mavin Compper, Belgium Under-21 internatioanlist, Charly Musonda, and St Mirren playmaker, Lewis Morgan were the other players to arrive in Paradise.
No fewer than 10 players headed in the other direction during a busy month for the Bhoys as the manager shaped his squad for the rest of the season and beyond.
And speaking to the media, the Hoops boss paid particular tribute to Dermot Desmond, Peter Lawwell and the rest of the Celtic board
He said: “It’s a day (deadline day) that’s clearly very busy. When you have that level of activity going on it’s of course quite complex.
“Today I have to say a big thank you to Dermot, Peter and the board at Celtic. January was going to be an important month for us and everything I asked for I was able to get.
“In terms of experience, quality and players we think we can develop, they delivered everything I wanted so it’s a great credit to them and our recruitment team.”
The Irishman was thrilled to have won the race for Hendry’s signature following the defender’s impressive performances for the Dens Park outfit since his move there in the summer. And he insisted that the 22-year-old had the attributes to be a future Scotland internationalist.
The Hoops boss said: “I’ve got no question about that. We brought him here because I think he can play Champions League football, and if you can play Champions League football then that’s a big step to move into international football.
“He comes into an environment here where there is a real winning mentality and a real emphasis on becoming better. You have to come here with no ego and be able to improve, develop and take on the responsibilities of being a Celtic player.”
He continued: “I think he’s got huge potential. He’s someone I wasn’t aware of at all until he played against us. I also give credit to Dundee. How Neil (McCann) has got them playing is also a great sign for him and for other players that need to go and develop if they’re not playing.
“If he’s not playing football he might be seen as another centre-half. At 22 years of age, he’s 6’ 3’’, super-quick and a good one-v-one defender. While there are lots of areas in the game we think he can improve in, I think his potential is huge. That’s what I said to the board when I first saw him play – this is a player I think can be a big player.
“When you come to Celtic you have to deal with expectation and pressure, and if he can deal with all those things then you’ve got a Scottish centre-half who has all the attributes and profile of a top-class footballer.
“He’s young both in terms of the number of games and his age. But he’s had enough games to show he’s got that huge potential. Hopefully if he finds that mentality and can develop that here, I think he can be a fantastic player.”
With Craig Gordon sidelined for 14 weeks following his injury against Hibernian last weekend, it left only one experienced goalkeeper in the squad in the form of Dorus de Vries.
That prompted the club to move for Bain, who had only joined Hibs on loan from Dundee weeks earlier, to provide competition between the sticks.
The 26-year-old has already been named in two Scotland squads and, like Hendry, the manager believes he can push his way into the international fold at Celtic.
“It was clear that we needed to bring in another keeper,” he said. “We had a number of options that we could bring in and could be an understudy to Dorus. Dorus has been a really exceptional loyal number two and it’s his chance to come in and settle in.
“There’s competition right through the squad. It would have been negligent of us not to bring in a young goalkeeper. For Dorus and Scott to come in, they’ll work off each other. Dorus has the shirt but Scott will provide good competition for him.”
“It’s good to have someone with the type of profile who understands how we play. I didn’t know Scott before coming up here but watching him at Dundee, he’s a very capable goalkeeper, and I suspect with Craig out in terms of international status, it could be something that Scotland look to him also.
“He understands the line of pass. He contributes in the build up phase of the game, he’s comfortable with that and make saves. I spoke to both boys they are absolutely delighted to be here.”
I would love Izzy back but it would bring the question why have scouts.
Spurs have made a bid of £25millon for Jack Grealish HH
Love hearing how well the kids have done in their exams and spare a thought for those who didn’t achieve what they hoped for, years later I still remember my own disappointment when that big brown envelope came through the letter box.
Selling Izzy for a mill and bringing him back a year later for free would be peak Lawwell.
BORGO67 on 7TH AUGUST 2018 11:00 PM
I think we must have got the same big brown envelope :-)
The results are now received by text, email and then shortly followed by that big brown envelope
HH
CRC
BSR
You have highlighted one window, what about all the other windows ?
In saying that, there is very little quality that I can see in that window, squad players at best, a couple didny even make the squad.
HH
@ DAVID17 on 7TH AUGUST 2018 10:54 PM
The problem with that approach is that the signing is evidently determined by the funds made available to the manager. If Rodgers had millions at his disposal for a CB, I doubt we would have ended up with Compper for £800k. I would assume that he had a limited budget and within that budget he represented best value.
When given more money, Brendan has been pretty on the money.
Maybe, the PLC will now pull the rug from under Brendan, as he really was recruited to perform fudge / squirrel duties for the PLC, to enable the PLC to avoid dealing with the £49 Sevco / £49 Rangers same club lie, a fete that the masonic PLC board have now mastered, with the help of the easily gulled £49 old firm supporter’s from Celtic Park, so, maybe they’ll bin £45 k a week Brendan, and bring someone like Stevie Clarke for less than half what they’re paying Brendan ????
Brendan’s Achilles heel, is that he doesn’t have the gravitas of a, Stein or, ÒNeill, two manager’s who’s talents were coveted by England’s top teams, Brendan isn’t in that class, which leaves the PLC board holding all the aces.
Put it this way,….show me a Celtic manager who’s career didn’t end in tears.
It would be far easier to find a snowman on the PLC board.
HH