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
In respect of FC Basel, I doubt they are as cash rich as us, 32,000 stadium etc and no longer having a sugar Mama like before. Where they are really strong though is in their youth policy when I researched it last time we had this discussion they had a ridiculously high number of first team players from their youth set up, add in to this an ability to turn up players from the Balkans and Swiss born secondos and you have a set up that seems to work pretty well for them.
As I’ve posted several times too the Swiss invested a lot at grass roots level years back and it’s worked well for them, great facilities and a nurturing aspect to their youth policies.
But I think you can’t remove the secondos from their success story, their National team is fill of them and left to their own “Swiss” kids they certainly wouldn’t be ranked sixth in the world( I know I know)
But FC Basel Euro record has some big scalps in it and they are regulars in the CL they must be doing something right, lessons to be learned for us, probably, I would even suggest i Europe their fans are getting more bang for their bucks than us.
All that being said I am reticent to judge Brendans Bhoys before we see how they play against Rosenborg and AEK if we come through. I see a sharpness and a desire in the team which comes from relative stability in the squad and another year with Brendan at the helm.
Tomorrow can’t come quick enough for this Tim.
HH
Things you never thought you would read on CQN…
Wullie Gardner in the same sentence as Kolo @ John Terry…
Brought a wee smile to my face this morning,, cheers..
H.H ..
I honestly believe that are going beat this Rosenborg mob,convincingly – even with a makeshift defense and even if Moussa isn’t fit to play.
Scott Sinclair should start the game, expect himself and wee James Forrest to run their rickety defense ragged.
Wee buns as they say in Beal Feirste.
HH. ?
SB @ 8.23
Regarding your point about the £10mill RB heading for the EPL.
That would be a 25 year old RB heading for the EPL.
In this scenario our opportunity with players like this comes when they are 21 or 23.
All down to good scouting and player development — which would be in our own hands.
Even the England team at the WC offered hope.
How many were looking to develop their career 2 or 3 years ago?
They were so unknown at that time that they were affordable to us.
We have positives to play with regarding attracting young players to the club.
Just a case of making the most of them and doing what we say.
Case in point here — who will Leganes play at RB this season?
Good morning Bankiebhoy.
It is indeed an attempt to create ‘worry, doubt and fear’…………..amongst our support. It also serves a twin purpose of giving hope to the Huns.
The narrative will be of no relevance whatsoever to the team, management and staff who will quietly and professionally go about their business.
Part of the pleasure will come from seeing them proved wrong………….again.
FC Basel — great club to act as a template going forward.
Anything they can do we should be aiming for the same plus 25%.
They have built a good model in very stony ground.
We have our own advantages to work to the max.
Less local competition.
Good recruiting ground in Ireland.
Good links and connections with the EPL.
Better global engagement — bigger brand and history.
Consequently game on.
GM
Good morning……….
Yes, I agree.
Hope To The Huns could be the their strapline, it’s certainly their mission.
It galls me how obvious their intentions are.
I’d never want thum to be fawning over us in the way they do with the huns tho’……….
We’re better than that.
HH
SFTB @ last night.
BM is a good yardstick.
2003 — they danced on the park at the final whistle because they managed a draw at CP which was a huge deal at the time.
MON worked his magic at home but away he was up against it.
However at CP we had belief and that belief extended to the support.
History would suggest that the dodgy penalty at the very start of his CL group stage away journey seemed to have long term affects.
2017 — BM put in a shift for 10 minutes after we had equalised.
They walked off the pitch — job done and little celebration.
We were happy that we had not been shown up on our own midden.
That was both the team and support.
BR has improved us against the lower half of our CL opponents.
However he has a huge job to do against better quality teams.
We need to lose the Gallus streak that has developed over the past few years.
Helps us against the TFOD tribute act but hurts us against quality CL teams.
All a bit too salt ‘n sauce for my liking — we need to move on.
I see the reserve league is being ressurected……….
If memory serves correct, weren’t the stiffs dumped at the behest of the huns who had probably realised they could no longer put “world class” bread on the Auchenhowie Folly table………?
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 23RD JULY 2018 9:55 PM
Superb post. The truth sometimes makes uncomfortable reading, but it’s still the truth, not la-la land.
Speaking of which, did somebody really describe AEK Athens as ‘a pub team’?
Really?
MadMitch
BR has improved us against the lower half of our CL opponents.
However he has a huge job to do against better quality teams.
————————————————————————————————
It is indeed a huge job. Taking the Celtic – Bayern Munich example, over period of 2003 to 2017 (the years in which the cited matches took place) one club’s revenue increased ~263% and the other’s increased ~41%.
The landscape has changed to extent that Martin O’Neill’s exploits in Europe are no longer a valid comparator. The truly elite clubs have moved on to another plane.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe Celtic should be doing much better with the resources we have available in terms of qualifying without the annual panic (buy some bloody defenders!), and being able to keep scores respectable against the elite clubs. We should be steadily building up to a mid-tier level in the Champions League like, say, an FC Basel as you rightly point out, however I feel that until there is extensive structural change in European football and in UEFA competitions, that will be as far as we get.
Who would win a fight between a Pub team and The Seville Money.
It is often difficult to appreciate the things in your life that are going well. Toothache is unpleasant when you suffer it, but few amongst us, give thanks, or even notice its absence on the many days that we don’t have it.
A few things that have been said here and elsewhere on the Celtic Web in recent years…
“We cannot compete in the current marketplace for players. Why don’t we focus on, and spend money on, a decent manager, and coaching staff, who can get more out of the players that we already have” (Rodgers & Davies)
“I am not wanting to go the way of the old Rangers club, but a spend of £3m to £5m per season, on one player who would actually improve the team. All of our purchases should not be projects” (NtCham & Edouard)
“The playing surface is embarrassing for a club of our stature, the best players in the World would struggle to perform on our pitch” (Hybrid Pitch)
“We should stop playing money spinning pre season friendlies halfway around the World, and instead concentrate on a proper pre-season to prepare us for the very important CL Qualifiers that define our season” (Two good pre-season camps in Austria)
Etcetera… etcetera… etcetera..
Yulbrynner CSC
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@ Auldheid – 1.26am
There are numerous points which I would like to pick up on from your last post, but time only permits one for the moment:
“The other point about not spending all income in the next season after its earned is that if you build up a reserve but fail to qualify for the CL you can keep players who in days of no reserve you had to sell to balance the books. (McGeady).”
Firstly, I don’t think anyone advocates that we spend all of our income, just a greater amount than we currently are. Again, it is hyperbole to state that our strategy is either to maintain the current course or spend all our reserves; it’s not binary.
As for the general premise of holding a reserve back for a rainy day to keep the squad intact, I don’t think that holds water. Celtic’s transfer strategy is to find value in the market; to buy young players with lots of potential, to bear the fruit of that potential through performances for the team and then to realise that asset at a later date. And about everyone on CQN would agree (amazingly!) that that is a good strategy and we appear to be implementing it well, to an extent, with certain players (Edouard, Ntcham, Dembele etc).
However, if the general strategy is to sell out assets and make a handsome profit, it is incongruous to suggest in a situation where our income almost halves that we won’t realise some of our assets.
In addition, the strategy proposed is short sighted. If we don’t qualify and even in the unlikely event that we do not lose any players, then surely the chances of our qualifying the next season is reduced without further investment? And our ability to invest deteriorates by our failure to qualify as our reserves have been utilised for other purposes. Does that not seem plausible or even foreseeable to you?
Hunderbrirds
You forgot to mention the Heated Driveway
Why was the Seville Money spent on a heated driveway
We deserve better
Pub teams R US
In Crete with the most wonderful young ladies looking after me!
Will post again when I get home!
C`MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!
from a quiet man…
“money money money I am sick of the talk of it ! ”
smiley give me heart and soul every time thing
Braw
WITS
Funnily, I had thought on including something like the following, in my post, but decided against it.
“I heard last week that Peter Lawwell could not get into the office for three days due to the severe winter weather, and as a result some very unimportant bureaucracy remained unfiled.” (Peter’s heated driveway)
???
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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
PHILBHOY
How is the Retsina testing going?
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Mursheen
Couldnt agree more
We are enjoying the best of times in many ways and we get moan moan moan
half the world is starving FFS!!!!
Moaning that your favourite football could be more successful ….
Try supporting Halifax town
or more seriously try living in the Gaza Strip
Then you could weep and wail and gnash your teeth.
Life is sweet ,enjoy
Mursheen, WITS,
Exactly. Some egos on here are Trumpian in their delusion.
Would make you want to join the Screamers!
HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE
Having a great time S. Plus game on in hotel on Wednesday. Enjoying the bevy too. 36 degrees here today and on the wee yins phone.
Will post again later. Thanks again.
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
Great post Sir…………………………………………..
However………………………………………
Standby to take a broadside from those that see things different
Incominggggggggggggggggggggggggg
Hands..
I’m not advocating spending last year’s profit t that would be foolish but I’m pointing out the benefit of having a cushion.
I mentioned McGeady as an example of having to sell if we didn’t qualify for CL in days when qualification depended on winning the title. That is a downward spiral and in keeping Rogic and Edouard and who knows else in the future we create the stability and stability is worth investing in.
Things have moved on since we looked for a big name signing but I get impression ,perhaps mistakenly that is what is being looked for by some, hence cost benefit input and high cost estimates.
One of the changes that help us with current policy is the demise of Rangers. Starry Plough mentioned the number of Basle youngsters that are first teamers. They can get bloodied because any dropped points did not hand an advantage to their rivals for a title.
Celtic did not have that luxury up to 2012 but they do now. In spite of dropping lots of points we didn’t in the invincible season we won the league comfortably and did so with younger players who could not have been tested in days of yore. Ajer is a great example.
It seems to me we are in the same page but I’m still unsure what you think we can do better within the policy of develop rather than buy .
The biggest risk faced is not developing youngsters to full potential but in BR and his coaching staff that risk is minimised.
So that goes down the chain to the scouting and based on recent U19 result v Man Utd we seem to be scouting and coaching well.
So where do Celtic invest to be odds on for CL and in what way and are they not doing well within the financial constraints that apply which might mean EL rather than CL this season?
That was where I came in and if you answered I apologise for missing it.
” Exactly. Some egos on here are Trumpian in their delusion.”
So true.
Some trumpets on here are deluded in their egos :-)
JJ
Will the reserve league matches be played at celtic park ?
and free to season book holders.
them were the days.
SS- Barrowfield being re- furbed, could put a couple of small stands and play reserve games there?
Big Joe
Fair comment which is why most of my input is on management of the way Celtic in my opinion can improve the management of the business and not the team. I have years of experience managing large numbers of staff or smaller numbers with high technical expertise.
But most of us have played football and some like myself may have managed a successful works team which means we aren’t qualified to pontificate on football matters but it sure livens up the blog. :)
When I posted my views yesterday on enjoying what is, I expected the kind of responses it generated because my main point wasn’t about football at all, but it did provoke football based responses and why not?
It is a football blog.
A bit like a pub with no beer. :)
Enjoy.
It is what is. :)
Mur… @ 11.07
Loving the vibe — the big boys know best!
That’s it — know your place.
Speak when spoken to — it is the natural way.
Please remember to doff that cap.
Sign that cheque — it Is not a pig in a poke it is a project.
A bonus is for life not for performance.
Strategy and planning is not for the likes of us.
For the record — PL is a second rate property bean counter who wouldn’t know a growth strategy if it bit him on the erse.
He has had 15 years of experience to get where we are today — including one chat with the bank manager, one emergency rights issue, 2 complete managerial failures, numerous lost opportunities and a period of silence in the face of bare faced cheating.
Yes he really is the guy to take us forward in a complex and challenging world.
At times like this you wonder if democracy is on the way out.
SAINT STIVS on 24TH JULY 2018 11:55 AM
Will the reserve league matches be played at celtic park ?
and free to season book holders.
them were the days.
Agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I and every team had a stalwart who couldn’t quite get into the first team but was great in the reserves
Bringitonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Big Joe. I see it was Mursheen who made the point originally which I obviously agree with.
Auldheid
I’m thinking it’s unusual for you to be found in these parts at this hour.
You’re not hovering with one eye on the podium are you?
Now that would be something to behold: Auldheid on the podium …
;-)
AH @ 11.48
You are easily pleased.
How many times has one result been help up as job done?
One good pre season result and the youths are sorted.
Hibs won the development league last season — we have a huge way to go.
Our main output at the moment is halfway sorted talent for the rest of the SPL.
Last season KA made his breakthrough into the first team.
This season MJ looks to be the best bet for real progress.
But where are the other 9 / 10 / 11 players from the youth team on the TV of 2 years ago?
Something seems to be missing in our set up.
We are either picking prospects based on size at 14 or 16 and that is a road to nowhere.
Or we are very poor at spotting talent and players with potential.
Worst case scenario would be that they came in good and left poor.
100% with Mursheen.
I am 53 years of age and the past two seasons have been among the best ever and look forward to every game.
In today’s world of social media including CQN everything is over analysed in my view.
My advice is to live the moment, it’s not going to be this good forever.
I trust Brendan 100%.
“Two complete managerial failures”
Yep,as said earlier”More trumpets on here than in the London Philharmonic”
Been reading their nonsense for a few days now.Time for a break
Auldheid and a few others,every time I read your replies,I have this picture of The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.Only difference is,you are actually hitting your heads off the Wall.Thanks for your efforts at sanity.
@ AULDHEID on 24TH JULY 2018 11:48 AM
Thanks for your reply.
The issue for many (it appears, and not only on this Celtic blog and including myself) can be distilled down to “we have invested some money and improved the team, but we are sitting on sufficient funds and should be investing a greater amount of those funds, in conjunction with our policy of promotion of youth, to improve our team and, in turn, increase the probability of qualifying for the champions league.”
The greatest threat to Celtic at present is income falling off the cliff through failure to qualify. We are not in danger of over extending ourselves financially. We are not in danger of doing an Oldco and being liquidated. We are in danger of failing on the football pitch which has (to pay homage to Jim “Jabba” Traynor) ‘concomitant’ effects on the balance sheet, in turn having resultant effects on the team.
Many posters make various excuses as to why we have not strengthened the defence (most of which applies reasoning which doesn’t follow through when compared to factual evidence), i.e. players will not sign until we reach the CL- then why did each of Dembele, Edouard and Ntcham sign prior to CL qualification?; or that we have to spend £10m on a defender to make a difference to the team- again, each of Dembele, Edouard, Ntcham and Sinclair did not cost that much and each of them have had a significant impact on the team; so much so that we now have a clear imbalance in the quality of our midfield and forwards in comparison to our back line (excluding Tierney).
It therefore provides a great deal of frustration that we do not pepper our team with a little bit more quality (utilising funds available) to improve the quality of the defence. As Brendan has said on numerous occasions, he wants quality, first team players. When given money (i.e. £2m or over), Brendan has delivered in spades.
As stated before, our starting back 5 (GK) included cost a combined total of circa £1.5m. If we want to address the greatest risk to the balance sheet (failure to qualify for CL), then we should increase the funds available to Brendan to remedy outstanding issues.
Brendan Rodgers
“We have young players developing very well and they will continue to, but we have to be in the market to bring the best possible players to Celtic but there are two conditions: availability and affordability. We are always on the lookout.”