AIK came through a tense final few moments in a 1-1 draw with Moldovans Sheriff in Stockholm last night to face Celtic in the Europa League playoff round, the first leg is in Glasgow on Thursday.
AIK were bottom seed in the Champions League first qualifying round, where they overcame Ararat-Armenia 4-3 on aggregate, but were bottom of the unseeded pack for the second round, which they lost 4-3 to Maribor. Maribor were beaten home and away by Rosenborg in the last round.
Last season AIK eliminated Shamrock Rovers from the Europa League qualifiers before losing home and away to Danes, Nordsjaelland.
Neil Lennon twice faced Swedish opposition in Champions League qualifiers in his first term at Celtic. Two comfortable 2-0 wins over Helsingborg in 2012 were followed by a more testing examination by Mo Bangura-inspired Elfsborg a year later, which resulted in a 1-0 aggregate win for Celtic.
Ronny Deila needed to overcome Malmo to reach the Champions League group stage in 2015 but despite racing into an early 2-0 lead, the first leg at Celtic Park was turned on its head when Malmo scored an added-time goal to make it 3-2. Jo Inge Berget, who Ronny had on loan months earlier, scored both Malmo goals. The Swedes won 2-0 a week later to knock Celtic out.
Although AIK are 19 games into their domestic league campaign, there should be a negligible gap in fitness by the time we face them on Thursday. There can be no excuses.
You and I were there in the dark summer of 2010, when Utrecht and Braga were the last teams to deny Celtic group stage football, and a year later, when Sion came within a CAS ruling of doing the same. It took Neil time to get it right, but a year later he earned 10 points in a tough Champions League group.
Before AIK, we have the small matter of a League Cup to defend against Dunfermline at Celtic Park tomorrow. Celtic have won a record 27 consecutive domestic cup games. Avoid defeat tomorrow and we set an unbeaten record. Let’s hope Dunfermline feel a backlash.
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doh
Lawwell Out !
Morning all, trying to refocus on positives, not finding that too easy yet.
Let’s hope they do…..see Celtic social media has miraculously reappeared….No chance of the AIK game being on the season ticket as some had hoped.
AIK next week is a very quick opportunity to right a few wrongs from the other night and secure European football until Christmas, which for several reasons should not be taken lightly.
And possibly even more importantly an immediate chance to lift some of the gloom encompassing supporters and the club following Tuesday night.
We can still have an interesting European campaign, frankly we are lucky to have the chance and we should grab it with both hands.
Of course, even if achieved it in no way exonerates the systematic failings at higher levels within the club and serious questions do not need to be asked … they have been asked (repeatedly), they now need to be answered.
HH
Seems the Celtic board are only benevolent to each other.
#lawwellout
Panty wetters out
Mon the hoops.
#lawwellout
Bada from previous
Yip, Lenny blew it.
One of the only truly predictable things in football is that Sydney Tim and the supporting cast of eager ‘I told you Lawwell was a con man / board are corrupt’ types plus usual sad hunterlopers all emerge from their pathetic little layers to vent their bitter spleens.
Go on and fill your boots but do try to book the appointment with the psychologist along the way. Your utterances would provide an ‘entire conference of material’ to quote from Fawlty Towers.
Fortunately my Celtic was pulled from financial chaos in 2004 and has won 12 of 16 titles since then including the last 8. It has won more than 50% of all trophies competed for and appeared in post xmas europe 7 times vs none in previous 25 years. It is also financially solvent in tough trading times for non top tier leagues.
The saving grace for me is that Celtic wins a lot more than it loses but the bitterness that our amazing success brings must eat people up and does worry me a lot.
Keep focus on real enemy
https://celticunderground.net/the-cost-of-the-common-denominator/
At the end of Orwell`s `Animal Farm`, it is difficult to tell the difference between animals and humans.
I am currently having the same problem with Celtic and Sevco supporters.
Cheerio for a while.
JJ
DAVID17 on 16TH AUGUST 2019 11:58 AM
Our supportd doesn’t half have some spoiled brats. £20 for a European game under the lights and they are moaning like feck demanding to be let in for FREE. Utterly embarrassing.
Quite happy to call out the Club as and when,prices for last 2 games too high IMO,£15 & £5 next week ample, even give it to the Foundation, have you read the advert? ‘ Show your support…..”? How about the Club showing support to get to the CL?
Hunterlopers? Pathetic…
Well, that was worth waiting for wasn’t it?
Paul67 has “moved on.” He’s circling the wagons anyway.
GO TELL THE SPARTIM on 16TH AUGUST 2019 12:16 PM
David 17
You win the award for being the best Celtic supporter EVER
It’s not about the money it’s about being fleeced continually £20 can be better spent on my children for a start instead of propping up salary thieves
Pompous&Patronising CSC
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Quite a bit if nonsense in there. If you choose to buy tickets or not that’s up to you. My point was that asking to be let in for free is absurd. We lost to the Champions of Romania for crying out loud. They are not a pub team. We can and must do better undoubtedly but the idea that we shouldn’t turn up to support guys like Ryan Christie and Kris Ajer who put it all on the line, and particularly at this point in our history, is ridiculous.
Paul67
Ironic or what?
“Knows the City”
“Knows how we operate”
“Great eye for a player”
Fell at the first hurdle, of the new season and it came right back, and bit them on the bum.
When the get back on their feet after Tuesday they’re right where they started the summer, under the spotlight.
The return of the sieve is the end of invincibility offence wins games, defence wins titles.
Get the chequebook out csc
Celtic should have brought Adam Matthews up on trial the minute the window opened.
No promises to sign but it’s worth having a look at a Barcelona hero.
James Forrest, I have moved on, many others will have too. I will wait until you do too, which you will, inevitably. This is not the first Celtic defeat in my lifetime. Far from it. Drama queens everywhere, doing my head in. Celtic have work to do to match the nine. If you want to put a stake in the ground this early in the season go ahead. Be prepared to eat it at the end of the season if we get the 9.
Hot Smoked
With you 100% on the Animal Farm analogy…
Plenty of ‘follow followers’ fanning the flames of perma malcontents…..
Sad jealous little people love the chance to rage…. even better with a sharp keyboard to hide behind…
Heaven forbid these armchair geniuses ever actually have to do anything or assume the mantle of authority or leadership….. then the circus really would be in town….
We need a left back, we need another centre forward. We have players competing for every other jersey. Stand up for the champions.
I think a lot of people who express concern about ticket pricing might not be in a position to see £20 or £25 or more as a small amount. A lot of people are struggling financially. Some are paying for families to go to games – it adds up.
If I was a single guy without financial dependents I’d have a season book and I’d be at every European home game. Because I could probably afford it. As it stands when I go to games I currently pay for at least two and sometimes four tickets. It’s not cheap. It won’t be that way much longer – my kids are nearing the age where they are still on the payroll so to speak. But I totally understand why people, in various circumstances financially, sometimes find pricing at the football too high.
Things the board have to answer for:
1. Giving the keys for the football department to Brendan Rodgers to make in his own image.
2. Not seeking out a new director of football to replace Lee Congerton
3. The appointment of Neil Lennon
These all have effects on what happened against Cluj. It was Neil Lennon who didn’t trust enough in the new signings and put out a team not fit for purpose.
The football department was left in a mess by BR but its the Boards duty to fix that.
I do believe that Tuesday night has annoyed many good Celtic fans who are not board haters or Huns or even spoiled brats…they are simply fed up with the same old nonsense year in year out never being prepared for these qualifiers against teams with limited resources compared to Celtic.Brendan got us there twice but dont forget the struggles against both Hapoel Be’er Sheeva and Astana we carried a lot of luck against both.We were even being told we have to move a few out before going back into the transfer market…why ? We have already moved a few high earners out and had just sold KT as well as supposedly being cash rich.Peter has said previously that our budget is not dependent on champions league qualification and that we aim to come out of every window stronger I guess he must have meant financially stronger.
TAURANGABHOY- do you get the impression Sevco are trying harder to stop 9IAR,more than we are trying to achieve it? The manager’s performance on Tuesday, allied to the MIBs ,has given the huns a lot of hope,and it’s of our own making. If we had a decent plan of attack regarding the CLQs,this league would have taken care of itself.
My personal view is that Lawwell will go after 10 in a row. He’s in his 60’s and will look for a quieter life.
TIMALOY29 on 16TH AUGUST 2019 12:37 PM
Celtic should have brought Adam Matthews up on trial the minute the window opened.
No promises to sign but it’s worth having a look at a Barcelona hero.
————————/———————
There are worse ideas. Sometimes a team and manager needs a solid, reliable guy who does the simple things well and does it without fuss. I might take pelters for this but MON had his Steve guppy, WGS has his Telfer.
If we get no one useful between now and next week then I think pressure on PL will become unbearable. If that happens and we skip in the league then it becomes completely untenable for him. Something would have to be done by the support.
David17
If your post meant to say that then say it, personally I found it patronising but since you’ve clarified your intention let’s move on.
As someone posted elsewhere
Celtic Balance sheet
Cash at bank £50m
Goodwill Zilch
As a one off £10 or even £15 would’ve been a decent gesture considering your average season ticket holder (a guess on my part and based on experience ) pays about £2000 a season at games.
Why can’t they ?
As Celtic Supporters ,mostly of us accept that as the season goes on,at some point teams are going to take points of us,be it League games ,Cup games,etc,but at times it’s the manner in which we get beat,back to Tuesdays debacle,Lennon and his staff,didn’t have a clue as how to hold on to win the game,and that to me means Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawell need to hold there hands up and admit to Celtic Supporters all over the world ,that it was a big mistake ,on there part for Appointing Neill Lennon ,and John Kennedy,after Tuesdays result wait to you see the crowd that turn up on Saturdays match against Dunfermline,and that will tell the board to act quickly,and sack Neil Lennon,because if they don’t it’s going to get worse,starting next Thursday,and Dermot Desmond needs to look at bringing in a director of football,and let Peter Lawell do what he should be doing,that’s keeping the club in good financial.shape,not being involved in transfers ,stick to what you are good at .
BURNLEY78 on 16TH AUGUST 2019 12:43 PM
Heaven forbid these armchair geniuses ever actually have to do anything or assume the mantle of authority or leadership….. then the circus really would be in town….
===========
Yeah, they’d not bother holding a recruitment competition for the role of manager and make job offers to the caretaker in the shower area in the spur of the moment and stuff like that!
HH
Bada bing no. Only in the minds of the deluded or daily record reading Celtic supporters could you believe that sevco s ten loan signings are better than ours. The real test will come in a few weeks. Until then the deid clubs smoke and mirrors don’t bother me.
We are so lucky on CQN to have proven business gurus to help Celtic a profitable football club on and off the park. Lawwell out,is the cry of financial experts. If only we had business men like David Murray & Dave King, ach we can only dream eh? There is a plethora of Celtic bloggers, it seems to me they want to be recognised as the voice of the fans; they aren’t. They need clicks on their sites; and some have to sell books. How many books & films do Celtic fans need to ascertain that Rangers cheated, or referees are biased against Celtic; his latest book a memoir, good God ;I’m sure Celtic supporters realised this from an early age. It may sound obvious but why will the bloggers not request a meeting with Peter Lawwell so they (various bloggers) can advise him where he is going wrong, and backed up with paper copies to let us the unwashed be educated? Their names for DOF, Scouts and their salaries along with the various players that are available and they ( the bloggers ) can secure etc will no doubt surprise Peter Lawwell and the scouts already at Celtic. And may I finish with this question regarding the Res 12 fiasco, if Celtic played these supporters can these Shareholders not sue Celtic PLC for being wilfully blind to shareholders of the Company,( depriving shareholders and the Company of perceived earnings CL monies when Rangers owed social taxes) that way everything would come out in court, and it would be established who on the Celtic PLC board knew ‘what & when’?
@ BURNLEY78 on 16TH AUGUST 2019 12:26 PM
How arrogant. “My Celtic”, as if you have the monopoly on being a good fan. People questioning how we are run does not constitute being a hun, bed wetter or faux fan.
Donald Trump said he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Avenue and his base would still support him.
I think PL could come out and call the Celtic fans sheep to be fleeced and burn a stack of £100s for the hell of it and you would still sit there telling us how well run we are and what a great chap Pedro is/.
Anything but 10IAR is a major failure in the way our clubs is run, given our vast financial advantage and the fact that Sevco are a basket of assets who have only been in the top division for 4 seasons. Still, I’m sure if we blow it you won’t say a peep, just remind us of how bad it was during their 9IAR maybe and the fact we should be thankful?
TAURANGABHOY on 16TH AUGUST 2019 1:01 PM
Bada bing no. Only in the minds of the deluded or daily record reading Celtic supporters could you believe that sevco s ten loan signings are better than ours. The real test will come in a few weeks. Until then the deid clubs smoke and mirrors don’t bother me.
I never said they were better than us,and i dont read the DR,what i am saying is,we are showing them encouragement, and they are giving it a go,this situation has been festering for a few years now, patchwork defence for our most financially lucrative games of the season, Tuesday’s incompetence has been in the post for a while IMO
I think Neil made a few mistakes. However, the January window was Rodgers and he obviously had his mind elsewhere. The new players haven’t had time to bed in. They might never make it.
Boli and Julien might have cost £10m but there is no guarantee that they will be first choices. We still need defenders. I reckon we need a RB and LB. We also need quality here. I hope Neil has the Budget and if not it is a scandal.
I don’t expect the club to say they have £20m to spend but I do expect them to make that available to the manager
ROBERTTRESSELL on 16TH AUGUST 2019 12:50 PM
There are worse ideas. Sometimes a team and manager needs a solid, reliable guy who does the simple things well and does it without fuss. I might take pelters for this but MON had his Steve guppy, WGS has his Telfer.
If we get no one useful between now and next week then I think pressure on PL will become unbearable. If that happens and we skip in the league then it becomes completely untenable for him. Something would have to be done by the support.
___
I agree. Unfortunately that ship has sailed and he will be so far from match fitness.