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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SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD JULY 2018 10:53 PM
I accept that Sydney Tim sounded warnings on Pukki, gained from his German mates, as I recall, which proved accurate as far as Pukki in a Celtic shirt was concerned.
*I’ll think you’ll find that ST’s tirades were directed more at PL who he seemingly despised than any player there. He would often quote mates at various places he lived before, I took him to be an OAP at the amount of years he alluded tae spend elsewhere.
OLDTIM67
Always good to see you posting mate, I remember when you used to post quite a lot always worth a read!
If ye see that Nakas fella say hello fae me.
Now there’s a Bhoy that knows his fitbaw!
I posted on my FB
That not only do we need to sign a CH we also needed to sign a CF .
The reason for the CF was that Dembele and Griffiths are injury prone .
Indeed we may also have to keep an eye on Edouard as he has had a hamstring problem also.
TT
GORBALSTAM
Just filling you in on the high points of the debate as I read them T:))
NB
the yougov poll on 22nd June 2016
51% remain
49% leave
how did that turn out
smiley brexit thingy
why were we not informed that today is National Tequila Day ?
smiley this site is going doon hill fast thing
Braw
popping oot for salt
on important issues – bad news on moussa – looks like Sinky will be on the starting line up
NB
Think a few posters on here regularly suck on a lime – me included
Many of the critics on here seem to believe that it is all down to what we do which determines the level of success we have. eg If we buy 1 or 2 defenders, we will guarantee CL football, or at least minimise the risk of not qualifying. Sorry, guys, NO. It’s a game; we have to beat the other teams on the park. These other teams may be well run, they could have unearthed a couple of gems that nobody has heard of, they could have signed an aging super skillful player that many thought were “past it.” Or is it only Celtic who are allowed to do things like that? The same type of thinking leads some to believe that AEK Athens are a “pub team.”
Agree with others that Moussa should have been subbed at half time but honestly, I think two weeks out is the very best of news under the circumstances. I had feared we were looking at another lengthy layoff. Some quotes from Brendan courtesy of an article on the beeb would inidicate to me he should be good to go for the second leg of the AEK tie shoud we get there, anything sooner than that would be a bouns and perhaps even a risk.
Celtic striker Moussa Dembele will miss the Champions League qualifier against Rosenborg with a hamstring problem.
The 22-year-old picked up the injury in last week’s second leg of the opening 6-0 aggregate victory over Alashkert.
The Frenchman is expected to be out for up to two weeks more.
“It was just a minor strain,” said manager Brendan Rodgers. “Sometimes the hamstring can be six to eight weeks but this one, from the time it happened, we were told two to three weeks maximum.”
Dembele scored twice in Celtic’s 3-0 victory in Glasgow before limping off in the second half.
Celtic host Norwegian side Rosenborg on Wednesday (19:45 BST kick-off) before travelling to Trondheim for the return on 1 August.
“He’ll certainly miss both legs of this round,” added Rodgers. “It’s unfortunate because he’s looked very good over pre-season, but he’ll be back fit and strong in the next few weeks.”
Fellow striker Leigh Griffiths is a doubt for the first leg at Celtic Park, as is winger Jonny Hayes, both of whom have thigh injuries.
Should Celtic progress, they will face AEK Athens of Greece in the third qualifying round, while the loser will drop into the Europa League qualifiers and take on Cork City.
@GER57 on 24TH JULY 2018 2:55 PM
Strange post. On one hand, you seem to suggest that our opponents will improve by purchasing players, but on the other you dismiss the idea that Celtic purchasing players will “at least minimise the risk of not qualifying”.
Question, do you think the purchase of Edouard increase or decreases the probability of Celtic progressing to the group stages?
OLDTIM67 on 24TH JULY 2018 1:54 PM
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.
———
I too now do much more lurking. Often in Oldtim’s garden, like the young Tim gent himself. Can’t believe he’s never spotted me – the big pansy that I am!
?
Seriously though, anyone who thinks we’re underperforming in terms of producing talent via the Academy has often never played Football Manager.
‘It’s in the game’
HH ??
I’m worried about this Rosenborg tie.
With a makeshift backline I was hoping we would simply overwhelm them, put them on the back foot, and score plenty more than them.
But with Dembele and Griffifths out that is an awful lot to put on Edouard alone. We really need McGregor and Forrest to continue their goal scoring touch and attacking threat now.
AwenawenoMoussaootanawnoo.
What are this Board doing.Why have they not signed another £10 million player,to take his place,just in case.They should be looking ahead.
Well they better sign one for the AEK game,or does PLwant a new “Heated driveway”.
Right,so now we need,2 strikers,cause Griff is injured ,
2 CHs,cause we only have a couple of numpties there,
£30 million should cover that,and while you are at it,FFS,pay the £4 million for Mc Ginn.
HAV’NTACLUEABOUTFOOTBALL,CSC.
ALIAS,ANGRYFROMGARSCADDEN.
Team for the bedwetters for tomorrow.
Gordon,
Lustig Ajer KT,
Forrest Broony Ntcham Calmac Sinky
Rogic
Edouarde
Problem solved.OK,Brendan.
Can we please ‘talk up’ the fact that Tommy Rogic is back in the squad tomorrow…
Calmac moves left and KT sits left hand side of a back three….
Not worried csc
I know it’s cool to tell stories of how you started supporting Celtic from in the jungle and all that goes with it. I on the other hand cut my Celtic teeth in the back of the main stand. Having brothers that are priests it was the place to go late seventies and into the eighties although they would pay in unless told otherwise by the turnstile operator.
At half time we would mill about talking to other fans as it was pretty much the same people every other week.
And here’s the point of this post , by and large even though they were diehards the doom and gloom from them as we discussed the first half reminds of so many of the great Celtic fans that post on here , I just couldn’t understand what pleasure they were getting from the torture they were putting themselves through. We never expected Celtic to win all the time , the biggest pleasure was going and then being there , the brotherly love we shared because of our passion for Celtic. Even though I don’t go to the games with them anymore that’s something we will always cherish
MAHE THE MADMAN on 24TH JULY 2018 6:13 AM
You say that what Celtic need is, ‘A big slice of luck,,some cajones.’
Afraid ‘some cajones’ won’t cut it, Monsieur Mahe. If you want people to take you seriously, mon ami, you’ll have to stipulate the precise number of ‘cajones’ required.
BR has apparently said it’s a back 4 tomorrow night and Lustig not available. That would suggest Gamboa or Ralston at RB and either Sinclair or Rogic coming into starting eleven
Turkeybhoy – That team but Hendry replacing Lustig who BR said won’t play.
Big Hendry will do just fine.
TURKEYBHOY on 24TH JULY 2018 3:50 PM
Team for the bedwetters for tomorrow.
Gordon,
Lustig Ajer KT,
Forrest Broony Ntcham Calmac Sinky
Rogic
Edouarde
Problem solved.OK,Brendan.
—————————–
Only question mark there would be does he play Lustig. His last game was against Switzerland on July 3rd. It’s not really like he’s missed a preseason, after playing four games in the world cup. It might be considered a slight risk playing Lustig, but I think it would be worth it especially considering we’re playing another Scandinavian team. I’m not really sure why I think it’s benifical (for Lustig) the be playing another Scandinavian team mind you :)
Why are AEK only starting their qualification in the next round ?.
the be = to be
there are no pub teams in cl or el.
The hand cant hit
It’s clear that Oddsonne will improve the squad and, ceteris paribus, improve our chances of progressing to the CL group stage. It doesn’t guarantee anything, however.
BR knew exactly what he was buying in OE. Can you nominate a centre half that we could buy for £9m, whose salary we can afford, and who would be better than we already have in the squad?
In my strange post, I said that other teams could discover a couple of gems, like we did with Victor, Virgil and Fraser, or reinvigorate a “has been” like Lubo. None of those cost big money. The point is that our £9m CH could be eclipsed on the night by someone from the 4 mentioned just like Barcelona’s galacticos in 2012. The game is played on the park and the diddy teams can have their days in the sun. We are a diddy team when compared to the elite. We need to realise where we are and not make out we are “Billy big baws” with an entitlement to be on the big stage. It’s an achievement to reach the group stage. “Pub teams” like AEK Athens are major obstacles to our ambitions and a £9m CH does not guarantee that we will overcome them.
Sftb,,
“ I know, of no business or household, which works on the principle that, if you are in surplus, spend it! “
Fine by me saving some but it would be nice to know thats what is happening rather than knowing we have money and areas that need attention.
“ In my view the Scottish market , as it stands now, cannot justify the extra investment in machinery (players) as it does not have the trading prospects and neither does any other peripheral market., not even the Swiss or the Portuguese (but, perhaps, the Russian one does- we are not a comparator with Russia). “
But we do have the trading prospects. We literally sit right on top of the biggest shoppers in the world and our goods are seen as a hit.
We really need to exploit this unique position. Its a great position to be in right now.
The more our sales are a hit the better we look .
So the model is/should be wait until the squads are named all over Europe.
Go for the best 18-23 year olds available (in positions that needs attention ) on loan
Access and “ swoop “ if deemed a future home run. Play for 2 or 3 seasons and sell on for 4 to 5 times ( ideally ) the cost plus insert sell on clause.
This is why I would be telling people who wish us to buy now to hold fire,,the better players are about to come on the market.
Like I said we have dabbled but now are getting serious with going above the 5 million mark which should see us bring in at least 20 you would imagine. A few of those and with a nice reserve in the bank you could make the step up to the 10 million rung on the ladder and mover for 50 or so.
If smart we literally could trade our way to the next level.
How many times can we go to this well? Its endless at the moment. Keep hitting the well while its there as clubs could potentially be told stop the stockpiling which would poison our well.
Why not in the next few weeks another one or two talented youngsters with a price attached coming in on loan for a year? Start the cycle again.
Or even would buying Paddy Roberts not be a type of homerun as the bhoy will appreciate in value one would imagine plus he is a bums on seats player?
“ For me, it smacks of spending the children’s inheritance and not keeping sanything by for a rainy day. There are gonna be plenty of them in Scotland. “
If youve got a squad of quality players then you have something for a rainy day right there. Right now KT and Moussa would probably raise 50 mill easy.
If you want some cash in the bank fine but I would say we have many rainy day cures.
“ As for 2) there are always 3 outcomes to consider – win lose or draw. In this case- that means improve, stand stilll or worsen. “
About reinvesting the cash brought in. Should we not ? I certainly think we should do you not ?
Lets say we need to raise the wages bar to lift the quality of the squad.
Like I said we hoover up the best talent domestically and have a base first team wage for homegrown players similar to now but telling them anyone may break into the next wage tier if they make themselves a star.
The majority of the squad are on “ normal “ wages then. Our “ hotshots “ could be offered bigger more competitive wages and maybe only the captain and one or two domestic players would need to be around that mark.
To cover this increase in wages bank the sale of the first hotshot if needed plus as we have seen when we do have genuine stars their merchandise sales are fantastic plus the support really get energized which also then helps cover those wages.
As far as my statement all our buys should be next level that means our next level. The 5 to 10 mill high water line but always looking at any level for value.
Yes Ajax and everyone buys duds but they arent doing it like us,, we have a year or sometimes 2 to get first hand knowledge of what we might be buying.
They must buy their stars . We can borrow and choose to buy,,a much much better position.
“ In summary, my position can be summarised as over-cautious, penny-pinching and unambitious. Yours can be characterised as bold, ambitious and planning for improvement. “
I would phrase it “ I would unite the clan, grow a pair , and take on the world,,,youre over the hill and look forward to retirement “.
“ I am being realistic and planning for expected market conditions, keeping our club vaguely relevant until market conditions change and allow us to be in a position to be bolder, and yours can be characterised as one-eyed, Polly-anna-ish, and gambling with the inheritance money that will keep the club going. “
Embarking on an exciting transfer strategy would keep us far more relevant than treading water which we are seemingly doing.
“ Which realistic competitor club is doing things better than Celtic in terms of financial planning? ( as opposed to looking after the fan base where there are many legitimate criticisms to be made). Where is this alternative model being used by a club like us? “
Eff that,,we do things ourselves and we are in a unique situation. Lets trailblaze and not look for someones path. We are self sustaining now and dont need to look anywhere else at all.
“ Aff oot now. “
On the run more like. ;)
Refreshing to see the respectful debates raging on here once more.
Opinions are open to all, as is factual information.
Opinions may differ but facts remain.
However not all opinion carries the same degree of gravitas, e.g.
The opinion of an unemployed fat gardener, (unable to spend his way to a Petrofac Cup triumph), is, to me, unlikely to be considered at all, when set against the opinion of a World Cup winner, like say Klinsman.
Therefore when on Cqn, I tend to value the considered, factually backed opinions, of the likes of Auldhied, SFTB and TBB rather than some of the more irrational, ego driven posters who opine personal prejudices rather than factual evidence.
The latter type of poster can become irritating but this is a blog and as long as blog rules are observed then no harm done.
Other posters like to post emotionally about our club which I also enjoy. I love the excitement and fulfilment some people get from supporting Celtic. For me, I can’t wait for the game tomorrow and to meet my friends at the Gazebo then watch my team play, whatever the line up Brendan chooses.
I do wonder about those who cannot enjoy the moment, this time when we are supporters of the double treble winning, 7 in a row, Champion side in Scotland. But again to each his own.
What should, IMO, always be avoided is when a poster has taken the time to prepare a well thought, evidence based post, that it is met by a boorish, negative, egocentric, prejudiced response from someone who believes in their own entitlement over that of everyone else.
That is what destroys the blog, IMO, and a good many posters have stated they considered leaving this blog due to this type of behaviour. Others have simply gone.
Sorry for the rant but
Eurochamps67
LovingbeingacelticsupporterattendingcelticgamesCSC
9 players missing tomorrow night (Lustig, Boyata, Compper, Simunovic, Hayes, Bitton, Morgan, Dembele, Griffiths). Still can field a strong enough team to win comfortably, bench a bit threadbare though
Gordon
Ralston/Gamboa Hendry Ajer Tierney
McGregor Brown Ntcham
Forrest Edouard Sinclair
Subs Bain, Ralston/Gamboa, Miller, Kouassi, Allan, Rogic, Christie
TTT, Starry Plough, Oldtim67 and orher positive posters. Here, here.
I always equate the constant moaners wirh the so called Celtic fans that booed Fergus MCCann.
KTF
Cathach
cajones & carajillos
whatever defence plays it will have been well drilled against some of the best attacking talent in the UK
at training
my English is a disgrace
Interesting read:
https://thecelticblog.com/2018/07/blogs/some-clubs-learn-the-lessons-of-failing-to-strengthen-our-club-never-seems-to-get-it/
Fact
BR wants better quality players to improve the current first team, he said so
Fact
He hasnt been given any yet
So whilst its always enjoyable to see reasoned comments it doesnt change that fact.
Have to say that CQN has been a hard read this last couple of days.
I have been watching Celtic for well over 60 years. We have NEVER been as well run. As CATACH says, some even booed our modern saviour, Fergus McCann. That is the one time I have felt it necessary to write personally to Celtic Park to thank him for what he had done for us.
We live in great Celtic times. Enjoy.
May I make 1suggestion for tomorrow night: play Kouassi.
hahahahahahhahaha
British PM Theresa May confirms that she will take over the lead role in the Brexit talks with the EU
smiley National Tequila Day ,very well timed thing
Braw.
thomthethim ( @ ages ago )
Who would win in a fight between anti Celtic supporters and ant Celtic, Celtic supporters?
——–Gordon——–
Hendry Ajer Tierney
Forrest McGregor Brown Rogic Ntcham
Edouard Sinclair
3……5…….2 CSC
all aboard the SkyLark…..
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Di4erHaXsAUNSqV.jpg
smiley HMS Pinafore thing
Braw