Like you, I was delighted at Ajax performance and 1-4 win in the Bernabeu last night. It was a victory for clubs in small nations everywhere, who have been disenfranchised by leagues with more valuable television contracts. This was not a backs against the wall performance, like our win over Barcelona in 2012, Ajax attacked relentlessly, they could have scored more.
When Dutch fans left the Johan Cruyff Arena last month, having watched Real Madrid secure a 1-2 victory, they must have assumed their European adventure was over for this season, but they would have consoled themselves with the knowledge that at least they did better than last season. Then, they were beaten home and away in the Europa League qualifiers by Rosenborg, just two weeks after Celtic dumped Rosenborg out of the Champions League qualifiers.
A glass ceiling exists for clubs from the smaller leagues, and when Brendan Rodgers left the building last week, the point was made to me that perhaps group stage fodder in the Champions League is the new limit for a club with Celtic’s resources.
What Ajax have established is that it is very difficult for clubs like them and Celtic to perform consistently well in Europe. Good players will leave quickly, replacing with players of a similar standard is haphazard, but while an occasional defeat to the likes of Rosenborg (or AEK) will happen, the ceiling is significantly higher than one win and five defeats in the Champions League group stage. We should not be cannon fodder.
All efforts at Celtic right now are focussed on winning the league and Scottish Cup, but by the summer, the club will have set their ambitions for the medium-term. By any reasonable measure, Brendan was a roaring success, but for the money (football budget, not just his wage), we could do much better in the Champions League. Ajax will force us to ask some harder questions. Winning 10-in-a-row will be an historic high, but it is not the only yardstick in town.
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After reading about the terrifying ordeal of Brendan Rodgers family after the burglary of his home I immediately assumed this was the reason for his sudden departure from Glasgow. But not so, as this unfortunate incident happened after his move to Leicester.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 6TH MARCH 2019 4:48 PM
The Height children grow to as adults is far more influenced by nutrition and healthcare and the prenatal health of the mother, than it is by genetics.
Is it? Scientists suggest adult height is determined 60-80% by genetic factors.
I googled Dutch and height and found a study published in 2014
The study did not involve genetic testing, but concluded from the observations that natural selection must have played a part: with time, more and more Dutch started sporting tall genes.
celtic40me on 6th March 2019 5:48 pm
Why did tall genes survive but short ones didn’t?
Did the short folk all drown in a flood or something?
SID@4-03
T think your dad should tell you to focus on your homework.
Fascinating – and horrific – evidence of the role of (esprvially early) nutrition was provided by the Netherlands’ experience at the end of WW2,when large areas were suffering malnutrition under the last days of Nazi occupation.
The subsequent impact on height for those most badly affected told a story of public health like rings within a tree.
HH jg
Robinbhoy,
Agree, as I said earlier, nice football team but as for their fans, rats
As my wife says I don’t know what’s goes through your head(I say heid) I have been reading the blog and watching the games on CElticTV(Canada) i am worried about the consequences to Celtic from mainly the support in away games
We all know we are treated differently and because of diplomacy etc the Board cannot come out with statements as such. I believe the Board should refuse to handle the distribution of away game tickets . If a home team club want to welcome supporters from others clubs they can sell them the tickets they would then become responsible for the actions of their customers. At Celtic park if Celtic want to sell tickets to away fans Celtic would now be responsible for the behavior of thiose fans. If tickets where only sold by credit card you now have a good record of who was sitting in the area of any abuse to seats,patrons or illegal use of flares,smoke bins it offensive acts. It maybe painful in the short term but will protect the club and our reputation in the tlong term
Can’t see what I am writing on phone but you get the jist of what I am saying
Cheers
STV insuating it was Celtic fans who ransacked Brendan’s house ? Hi I’m John McKay says it was a backlash after he left a week ago !
ROBINBHOY on 6TH MARCH 2019 5:38 PM
Anybody else wonder why Celtic supporters except for our host would be “delighted” by Ajax’s performance last night?
****
Nope.
It wasn’t the fans or the Amsterdam police who beat Real.
Park road,
Why are we not surprised
THOMTHETHIM FOR OSCAR OK on 6TH MARCH 2019 6:21 PM
I’m afraid I can’t separate my loathing of their supporters from their team. One and the same for me.
FRIDAY 6TH
There was no priest in last night or tonight. They stopped me from seeing my solicitor tonight, as another part of the isolation process, which, as time goes by, they will ruthlessly implement. I expect they may move me sooner than expected to an empty wing. I will be sorry to leave the boys, but I know the road is a hard one and everything must be conquered.
I have felt the loss of energy twice today, and I am feeling slightly weak.
They (the Screws) are unembarrassed by the enormous amount of food they are putting into the cell and I know they have every bean and chip counted or weighed. The damned fools don’t realise that the doctor does tests for traces of any food eaten. Regardless, I have no intention of sampling their tempting morsels.
I am sleeping well at night so far, as I avoid sleeping during the day. I am even having pleasant dreams and so far no headaches. Is that a tribute to my psychological frame of mind or will I pay for that tomorrow or later! I wonder how long I will be able to keep these scribbles going?
My friend Jennifer got twenty years. I am greatly distressed. (Twenty-one-year-old Jennifer McCann, from Belfast’s Twinbrook estate, was sentenced to twenty years’ imprisonment for shooting at an RUC man).
I have no doubts or regrets about what I am doing for I know what I have faced for eight years, and in particular for the last four and-a-half years, others will face, young lads and girls still at school, or young Gerard or Kevin (Bobby’s son and nephew, respectively) and thousands of others.
They will not criminalise us, rob us of our true identity, steal our individualism, depoliticise us, churn us out as systemised, institutionalised, decent law-abiding robots. Never will they label our liberation struggle as criminal.
I am (even after all the torture) amazed at British logic. Never in eight centuries have they succeeded in breaking the spirit of one man who refused to be broken. They have not dispirited, conquered, nor demoralised my people, nor will they ever.
I may be a sinner, but I stand — and if it so be, will die — happy knowing that I do not have to answer for what these people have done to our ancient nation.
Thomas Clarke is in my thoughts, and MacSwiney, Stagg, Gaughan, Thomas Ashe, McCaughey. Dear God, we have so many that another one to those knaves means nothing, or so they say, for some day they’ll pay.
When I am thinking of Clarke, I thought of the time I spent in ‘B’ wing in Crumlin Road jail in September and October ’77. I realised just what was facing me then. I’ve no need to record it all, some of my comrades experienced it too, so they know I have been thinking that some people (maybe many people) blame me for this hunger-strike, but I have tried everything possible to avert it short of surrender.
I pity those who say that, because they do not know the British and I feel more the pity for them because they don’t even know their poor selves. But didn’t we have people like that who sought to accuse Tone, Emmet, Pearse, Connolly, Mellowes: that unfortunate attitude is perennial also…
I can hear the curlew passing overhead. Such a lonely cell, such a lonely struggle. But, my friend, this road is well trod and he, whoever he was, who first passed this way, deserves the salute of the nation. I am but a mere follower and I must say Oíche Mhaith.
PARK ROAD 67 on 6TH MARCH 2019 6:15 PM
STV insuating it was Celtic fans who ransacked Brendan’s house ? Hi I’m John McKay says it was a backlash after he left a week ago !
AND WHO DID THEY SAY IT WAS WHO ATTACKED MC GREGOR A FEW YEARS AGO.
THEY CAN SAY AND DO AS THEY LIKE BECAUSE NO PISTOLS PETE WONT SAY A WORD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No3Ni8xB0Ew
Probably posted already. FAC video about the crushing incident. A rep for police Scotland tweeted that FAC were apologists for criminality.
PRESTONPANS BHOY
Not surprised at all mhate same old same old ! FAVOURITEUNCLE
Your right i wish the board would come out and condemn all this SMSM crap !
Sure I read previously that Dutch added a growth hormone to their milk products after the war
Was supposed to be temporary but they got used to it so stayed longer or permanently
Thought that might explain why Dutch are one of tallest nations on planet followed by Croatians and figured might have been same root cause
If you normalise the Dutch to Sea Level conditions , they are shorter than a Glasgow grannie
Paul67
Ajax FC are our rivals not friends, I remember Derk Boerrigter.
I doubt very much that the AJAX result will make Celtic board etc ask any hard questions.
JC2
Their is plenty of natural and legal ways to increase growth hormone.
The right blend of amino acids found ready available in certain foods encourages the pituitary gland to release more growth hormones.
A clear example of the BBC manipulating or hiding the news – in the tory governments favour.
Earlier today, in parliament , Secretary-of-State Karen Bradley made an outrageous statement saying that the soldiers who shot dead civil rights marchers in Derry had “not committed a crime!”
A shocking statement that has caused much distress to the victims families and many more.
The news at 6 has NO mention of this . It is the top story on the NI local news though.
Shortbread tonight discussing strict liability and manage to drag up the Rapid Vienna game ffs !
THE BATTERED BUNNET on6TH MARCH 2019 4:48 PM
Thanks for ur response re Largs.
Re above ti.ed post. Disagree, two adults who are 5ft is each would develop a 5ft 10 player thro nutrition….IMO of course
I5ft is….5ft ish
BOURNESOUPRECIPE. but what an actor. https://youtu.be/t7jHVrlJWx0
Help us all
Man City been told they will need to pay > £75 million that Liverpool paid
for VVD if they want to sign Leicester’s Ben Chilwell.
Boys a very good left back but > £75 million
Suppose they tried that before with Harry heid.
jc2 on 6th March 2019 6:52 pm
Sure I read previously that Dutch added a growth hormone to their milk products after the war
*****
Cattle were given growth hormones which might have left residues in the milk and dairy products.
I don’t think the humans were deliberately medicated.
I can’t see the cause being genetic, given the short time span over which the increase happened.
SID
I know just posted what i read other links
saying Dutch are tallest nation because they drink a lot of Milk.
Eat a lot of dairy and meat products.
Corrections
Re above ti.ed post. Disagree, two adults who are 5ft is each would develop a 5ft 10 player thro nutrition….IMO of course
Re above timed post……nutrition..not happen….IMO
HH
ROBINBHOY on 6TH MARCH 2019 6:30 PM
THOMTHETHIM FOR OSCAR OK on 6TH MARCH 2019 6:21 PM
I’m afraid I can’t separate my loathing of their supporters from their team.
*********
Good luck with that outlook, my friend.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/08/scientists-try-to-answer-why-dutch-people-are-so-tall
It’s only one study
…of course
Gorbalstam
I too was shocked by the venom in that statement.
It read :-
“Following the review’s publication, SPF vice chairman David Hamilton stressed that he agreed Scottish football has a “hooliganism problem as well as a sectarian problem”.
He said: “They are both manifestations of the same peculiarity – that some supporter groups believe that criminal behaviour is acceptable at football matches.
“‘Fans Against Criminalisation”s refusal to even engage with the review has shown themselves to simply be apologists for this criminality.
“They have refused the opportunity to engage with the review, maintain their entrenched opinions and clearly have no interest in acknowledging yet alone fixing the problems of the Scottish game.”
Who is htis diddy David Hamilton? Talking of entrenched opinions and not acknowledging problems- Wee Davie has a black pot/ black kettle scenario going on there.
P.S. For a so-called independent report into policing it was still some police spokesperson who provided the Bullet points for the Press reease.
Among the many questionable statements that he led with, the worst was – “a lot of these problems stemmed from the time that Rangers were relegated from the league.
As well as being institutionally racist, we are now seeing institutional stupidity.
The Dutch grew much taller in the last 70 years because they had to get on the end of wayward crosses from the likes of Edson Braafheid, Regi Blinker and wee Bobby Petta.
Some of them like Glenn Loovens grew so tall so fast that they outgre their brains and could not rememner that letting a ball bounce, instead of heading it clear, caused dangers.
A nation of tall numpties- they are.
And every one of their bike-riding women in Amsterdam was on a personal mission to knock me down.
I blame tulip sniffing and getting repeatedly bumped on the heid by a windmill arm as they leave the house every day.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 6TH MARCH 2019 8:24 PM
The Dutch grew much taller in the last 70 years because they had to get on the end of wayward crosses from the likes of Edson Braafheid, Regi Blinker and wee Bobby Petta.
I am a little dubious about your above assertion.
Surely if that was the case then Hondurans would be easily the worlds tallest due to the well nigh impossible task of trying to get on the end of an Izaguire cross
The pigeons who often had to take evasive action at the back of the main stand are testament to such.
Had a spare few minutes at son’s football training so just did a quick check of Ajax team and if transfermarket website is to be believed, they have spent a sizeable amount of dosh as well as rearing some great home grown talent – see below for a few examples
N. Tagliafico – signed – €4m
D. Blind – signed – €15m
M. de Ligt – said to be worth €50m
Frankie de Jong – Barca bound for €70m
Ziyech – signed – €11m
Tadic – signed – €12m
Neres – signed – €12m
Evening Bhoys and Ghirls
Anybody coming across from overby or even this fine country, looking for a spare for Saturday against the Sheepies drop us an email at cqnpredictor@gmail.com and we will put you in touch with the kind CQNer making an offer
HH
CRC
CRC
A spare what?