AEK Athens are a far sterner test than Celtic or Rosenborg would want in the Champions League third qualification round. Last year they despatched Brugge 3-0 on aggregate from the Europa League qualifiers before drawing home and away against AC Milan. They left the tournament in the first knock out round on the away goals rule to Dynamo Kiev.
On the positive side, they are preseason and the third round will be their first competitive games since May. Although they are a famous European name, last season was their first domestic title in 24 years, when the interrupted Olympiacos’ domination of football in Greece.
Should we overcome Rosenborg, this would be a big task for Celtic. AEK will be favourites, no matter who they face.
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Madmitch
The most difficult aspect of football coaching is to develop a promising youth into a good or great professional. The success rate is less than 5%. So less than 1 in 20 of any crop of youth players is going to make it as a footballer.
Someone mentioned earlier that one needs exceptional mental strength to become a top player and, unfortunately, nobody has yet found a formula to mould promising youths into superstars. Of course it’s all down to Celtic’s lack of ambition that we haven’t cracked the formula.
Celtic have an excellent youth development set up which has produced several current squad members and, with the tie up with St Ninian’s school, they try to ensure that the lads get a good education to help them get a career outside of football if they are not one of the 5%.
How many of us would have the mental strength to ward off all the temptations facing a young man with wads of cash in his pocket? Lads like KT come along once in a generation; so, instead of sniping that we aren’t producing a KT every season, why not enjoy the few that we have nurtured?
Mursheen……………..there are many clubs in the EPL and the English Championship despite the money who will never win a trophy or play in Europe this must be depressing for their fans. Celtic prepare for yet another big European night in capacity filled stadium.
It seems to me that the inability to enjoy what we have at Celtic in the present moment is what makes some of us supporters unhappy, we’re either in what if land, or if Celtic don’t do this I’ll do that or rehashing past mistakes which seem to be for some unforgivable.
To be honest I’ve been close to wrapping it here recently as the veritable torrent of misery and transfer window hysteria threatens to wash away any enjoyment I have of being on here and supporting my team, then of course some of our great posters post great stuff and I rethink my decision.
But it does always come back to my original idea from years ago on here :
For some it doesn’t matter what Celtic do they will never be happy.
Ours is not a perfect club, never has been and there is room for improvement every season, but to be the judge jury and executioner of our club as some seem to revel in on here, not for me, not for me..
Bring On The RosenborgIt seems to me that the inability to enjoy what we have at Celtic in the present moment is what makes some of us supporters unhappy, we’re either in what if land, or if Celtic don’t do this I’ll do that or rehashing past mistakes which seem to be for some unforgivable.
To be honest I’ve been close to wrapping it here recently as the veritable torrent of misery and transfer window hysteria threatens to wash away any enjoyment I have of being on here and supporting my team, then of course some of our great posters post great stuff and I rethink my decision.
But it does always come back to my original idea from years ago on here :
For some it doesn’t matter what Celtic do they will never be happy.
Ours is not a perfect club, never has been and there is room for improvement every season, but to be the judge jury and executioner of our club as some seem to revel in on here, not for me, not for me..
Bring On The Rosenborg
Dembele out for at least 2 weeks
I see many posters refer to our youth development programme as a failure. How many players in the first team from the youth ranks is regarded as a success? By my reckoning our strongest team last year featured four Academy graduates – Forrest, McGregor, Ajer and Tierney. How many Academy players currently feature in the first teams of Manchester City, Barcelona, or Sevco?
Genuine question – How many players in the first team squad would be regarded as a success?
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G57 @ 12.44
Our youth set up — who decides that it is excellent?
By what criteria are you using to justify your statement?
The new there is the age group dimension — are we talking about 14 / 16 / 18 year olds?
You talk about money in pockets causing off field isśues.
Is that a global phenomenon or is it a local attitude based on a live for today attitude?
At every turn people are happy to put forward and accept excuses — that is what is holding us back as both a society and as a football team.
My thoughts are that we need to mix it up a bit.
By all means have an academy starting at 13 or 14 but also have a strand staring at 16 and another at 18 and compare and contrast the results to see what is the most successful.
With Hibs winning the development league last season we need no more excuses.
https://twitter.com/CelticFC/status/1021730935279153152
Starry,
There have always been anti-Celtic Celtic supporters.
They even existed during the reign of the Lions.
I suspect they have the same outlook to life in general and they just carry it into their Celtic lives.
It goes with the Job, if that is any comfort!
!!Bada Bing!! on 24th July 2018 1:13 pm
Dembele out for at least 2 weeks
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Why did you have to go and ruin my day?
MURSHEEN on 24TH JULY 2018 11:07 AM
i love the way this blog offers a myriad of viewpoints that create debate which can only be good, but i cannot fathom how somebody who works in any industry which is not professional football can think they know better than the people in the profession. Would they tell a postman, welder, road worker or graphic designer how to do their jobs? and expect to be taken seriously? we r in the best position for a number of years, going to celtic park is a joy, so please lighten up tims This is a fantastic time be a supporter. Hail Hail
*
Disagree,mate. None of us pay a fortune to watch welders at work. Patronising pish to suggest that a lifetime of watching football means we know sod all about it and are unqualified to comment.
1.23pm and no new P67 leader?
Whit’s Paul 67 doin’ Tom? Whit’s he doin?
?
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Brendan Rodgers on Moussa Dembele’s injury: “He’ll probably be out for 2-3 weeks maximum. It’s unfortunate for him. Sometimes you get that with explosive players. He couldn’t have done any more, though. He came back lean and fit.”
DAVIDOPOULOS on 24TH JULY 2018 1:23 PM
!!Bada Bing!! on 24th July 2018 1:13 pm
Dembele out for at least 2 weeks
———————————————————
Why did you have to go and ruin my day?
He should have been subbed at HT, not hindsight, was texting that to guys last week, 6-0 up, MD was injured pre-season, no need to risk him IMO
I think Celtic players should be fined for picking up injuries in early season. Harsh, I know, but they’d soon learn their lesson and the money we’d collect in fines could pay for that new centre-back….
HAG @ 1.16
My thoughts are that two of the youths should graduate to the senior squad — capped at 28 players approx — every season to justify the current spend on the youth set up.
2017/18 = KA on his lonesome.
2018/19 = MJ would appear to be the only candidate.
Looking like we are running at 50% capacity.
Consequently a few erses need to be booted ASAP.
As mentioned previously we have no youth challengers in a number of problem positions at the moment. If we had then the next 5 weeks would be a lot less of a challenge.
Plus we have a lot of deadwood to loan out.
Think about it…after Brexit we will all get penalised for picking up injuries in Europe. It’s only fair the players do too…
!!Bada Bing!!
I agree, but I also see the rationale in building up game time in the relatively untested formation.
It’s a pity…
but he must be fined for it ;)
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 24TH JULY 2018 1:24 PM
MURSHEEN on 24TH JULY 2018 11:07 AM
*****
We may consider that we know a bit about football, based on our years of watching.
What we don’t know about is the nuts and bolts of running a club and that is really what the discussion has been about.
We can say,”go out and by a couple of X, but what is involved in that is beyond knowledge, as in the availability, costing, willingness of X to join and, of course, would he be better than what we have.
A common trait among some of us is, e.g., we have two of our centre halfs out injured, the call to buy another one goes out.
We may have 4 of them on our books at the time, glut what happens when the injuries clear. We have a glut, that’s what.
In your job, the end line may be relatively simple, but it takes knowledge and experience to reach that goal.
* a glut of gluts in my last post!
Rosenborg’s flight to Glasgow has been delayed 3 hours.
If they drop out of the CL at least they have the financial safety net of the delay compensation under EU Regulation 261/2004…
THOMTHETHIM FOR OSCAR OK
Aye I remember being shocked at the abuse dished out to TC when just a junior Starry:))
I think your right about life view as well:))
HH
STARRY PLOUGH.
I’ve been on the blog since the first year it started and I feel just like you, I’ve considered giving CQN up as it was getting a bit depressing to read the blog, It’s been a good red for the last few days but it will fall back into a depressive read for many, I still lurk but I have to think twice about posting nowadays, the blog was once my only entertainment apart from watching Celtic, but now I’d rather go into the garden than come on the site.
But you managed to get me posting because I thought like you at times,it was a miserable blog for years,
I have lost track of the many times i’ve thought about calling it a day.
red means read.
STARRY PLOUGH on 24TH JULY 2018 12:56 PM
Well said.
starry plough on 24th July 2018 12:56 pm
Or, alternatively you can go to Celtic matches, really enjoy it and come on to a blog and discuss what direction we’re taking. As far as I’ve seen today on the blog there are Tims debating Celtic. What’s the point if we can’t mention where we think we might be going wrong as well as the good things that are happening. I’ll be there on Wednesday roaring them on, doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to be watching a centre back with a bit more experience and guile than Jack Hendry. Doesn’t mean I won’t give him all the encouragement I can though.
GER57
Sad to see your well made points just ignored, I would also add if an academy’s success is measured in how many going on to have a career in football then Celtics has provided player for many teams in Scotland.
Also I think the point is that Scotland is not producing the same talent it used to rather than us at Celtic missing out on the talent.
As you say KT once in a generation these days, if you think of the quality street gang and the carers a lot of them had!
There is a bigger picture here than just the cry was no defenders:))
GORBALSTAM
That’s not what I was talking about Tam, of course that’s what we do on here.
I was talking about posters who have never had a good word to say about Celtic in all the time I’ve posted here.
I’m not trying to edit anybody out here but there is the same hysteria every summer on here.
And unfortunately I have little or no possibility to get to games these days so I can’t take you up on your suggestion.
So do you think our youth set up and academy are useless, our team is poorly run and Brendan is clueless in Europe??
Madmitch
So you reckon 2 youth players per season should graduate to the 1st team squad? You are living in dreamland. Name one team in Europe who achieves that.
@ STARRY PLOUGH on 24TH JULY 2018 2:09 PM
I don’t think people are claiming that our academy, team or Brendan are useless. They are noting that our defence was an issue last year, that it has not been improved and that we have funds in place to put toward improvements.
The youth system has worked well for Celtic. We have CalMac, Tierney, Forrest who have come up through the ranks and then players such as Rogic and Ajer who I would also classify as players we have nurtured and developed. However, we cannot rely solely on youth and we should look to buttress the team with further signings in the mould of Ntcham, Sinclair and Edouard who have all added a degree of quality to our team.
MURSHEEN on 24TH JULY 2018 11:07 AM
i love the way this blog offers a myriad of viewpoints that create debate which can only be good, but i cannot fathom how somebody who works in any industry which is not professional football can think they know better than the people in the profession. Would they tell a postman, welder, road worker or graphic designer how to do their jobs? and expect to be taken seriously? we r in the best position for a number of years, going to celtic park is a joy, so please lighten up tims This is a fantastic time be a supporter. Hail Hail
****
Mursheen
If you were in a taxi, and the driver went the wrong way (not VP, of course), would you not say to him ‘hey, you are going the wrong way?’
Or if, after a surgery, you developed an infection, would you not go back to the doctor, and say ‘hey, I think there may be problem’?
Or, when Margaret Thatcher was in power (and assuming that you were never the Prime Minister of a country), did you say ‘well, she’s the PM, so she must be right about everything’?
or, unless the Res. 12 guys have run a football team, they should just know their place and stay quiet?.
and, since we are at it, I presume none of us on here have ever run the SFA or the SPFL… but, they have the experience, so none of us should question them?
PL is an accountant … I am a lawyer. Legally, Celtic have screwed up the last 7 years as badly as anyone could have (that assumes that they wanted a different outcome). Since PL has no legal experience, does that mean that I am right, and he is wrong, and he must listen to me?
If you read Celtic’s website … it says that Celtic was founded to “alleviate poverty in Glasgow’s East End parishes”. Sure, the method by which that is done has changed (Celtic was incorporated for example)….
Fr. Walfrid didn’t say ‘hhmm…. there are lots of poor people … sod them… as long as I can have fun on a saturday afternoon … or ‘sod them… as long as Celtic win trophies …’ or ‘sod them, as long as we beat Rangers’…
sure, times have changed …. and how Celtic operates has changed …..but, for me, that spirit, of wanting to make a positive change…and of addressing a wrong … is why I support Celtic over my local team (St. Mirren ) or better footballing teams (sadly, I could name quite a few!)…. and for me, should always be at the heart of everything Celtic does.
Here’s hoping it’s just tactical mindgames declaring moussa unfit
No-deal Brexit will make it ‘illegal’ to pay pensions to retired British expats living in EU,
smiley the westminster labrotory is working for us thing
Braw
Saor Alba
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE
Naw they are mate if you’ve read Mad Mitch’s contributions there’s nothing right at Celtic.
We all want quality players at Celtic but for me and I only speak for me I prefer to listen to our manager and what he says about signings than any speculation on here.
I don’t think anyone on here has disagreed with the point you are making about our defence but I posted earlier what Brendan said about transfers this window from an article entitled Rodgers willing to be patient in trader window!!
So some people don’t do patience well and they have a right to say that as I have a right to say the negativity on the blog depresses me, sensitive wee soul that I am:))
HH
G57 @ 2.15
Work the numbers …
Just where do all the players come from?
What is the average size of a first team squad?
What is the average length of a football career?
If the answer to the first question is 28 and the answer to the second is 14 years then in football two players every season graduate from the youth set up to the first team squad every season.
The average for us should be two players a season at least moving up.
That does not guarantee them a long career with us but they should be in the mix and given a chance.
We are currently performing below par with our youth set up.
Things need to change but we do not appear to be very demanding.
Starry Plough
Bang on the money as usual.
Im reminded of a guy I had the misfortune of enduring at the game. Lenny was the boss and we were drawing. The guy was beyond vocal and just ignored anyone who told him to shut up.
Celtic scored and he actually slumped in his seat silent.
He still goes to the game and see him often enough to realise he is a ST holder.
We’ve a few of his type on CQN. It’s them though their characteristics.
Happily I dont sit anywhere near that dude.
YouGov poll on EU #Brexit.
Scotland:
Remain 73%
Leave 27%
UK wide:
Remain 53%
Leave 47%
smiley what can possibly go wrong thing
Braw
starry plough on 24th July 2018 2:09 pm
“So do you think our youth set up and academy are useless, our team is poorly run and Brendan is clueless in Europe??”
Aye, that’s exactly what I said. Jeez
Paul67 et al
If. Things had worked out, our centre-back pairing tomorrow night could have been Marvin (Morton) Kompferr and Rivaldo (hasny kicked a baw since his Celtic medical) Coetzee. Thank God for Kris and Jack!