In the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Celtic will pair Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz in central defence in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid tonight. These two have only played together once before, at St Mirren Park, which saw our only domestic defeat of the season. The omens are not good.
If you are in the business of looking for more generous portents, there’s always that game in Barcelona 18 years ago, when a teenage David Marshall and 20-year-old John Kennedy were drafted into the Celtic side that denied Ronaldinho et al. Results like this do happen, as most of the CQN demographic are old enough to testify.
What does not happen, ever, is the likes of Celtic pitching up at the home of the European champions, playing open, expansive football, with an inexperienced and young central defence, and leaving with anything other than an absolute drubbing.
Ange, for the love of everything green and white, defend tonight. Regard forward runs with anything more than three players a ridiculous extravagance. Deny Real openings, like a two-on-one overload at the back post. Ask John Kennedy how exhilarating it was to be the extra man necessary to scoop the ball away from an opponent just before he shot.
We are five lessons into the Champions League this season in a group that held such promise when the draw was made. Nothing will be learned from discovering what will happen if both full backs simultaneously bomb forward to give Stephen and Moritz forward passing options. Even a win, unlikely as it is, will not affect our bottom of the group status.
Tonight is hopefully a dry run for what we will do away to tier one teams in next season’s Champions League. Let’s use it effectively.
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It’s only coincidence that we play DU this weekend
GARYGILLESPIESHAMSTRING on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 12:37 PM
Todays was the only MSM appearance I’ve heard from JPDykes. I thought he was level headed and rational. I didn’t think he was trying to get rid of the manager. He is a very strong advocate of Ange Postecoglou and his style, and of Celtic, Celtic history and our current style of play.
T
It might be the shortening of the day light or the entire sky being grey and its non stop pouring down, but this afternoon has me a bit melancholy after a simple chance encounter this morning.
My daughter has her first car, nothing fancy, but paid for after 18 years of saving up for it because of the child trust fund initiative all those years ago, something really good for once by whatever government back then.
It has service and mot today, she is nervous to handle it herself, and asks me to go with her, i dont know what to do dad can you help me, so I work from home this morning and we drive up, through the flooded roads, me some minutes behind her, those cycle paths at inchinnin, the water never goes away, it is going to cause real problems soon.
Anyways, car booked in we go across to M&S paisley.
There is a young guy sitting on the pavement, on cardboard, but drenched through, cup out and has an umbrella, he looks miserable, but alert and shivering. I recognise him from before i seen him there during the summer, and seen him walking out of Gallowhill one day, once you notice him you just wont forget him. He had a sandwich and a drink someone gave him.
We did our shop, everything really is more expensive, we are buying tonights dinner, so taking the reduced items, and having a discount card, it is not so hefty on us, but its stil noticeable how much things have gone up.
I buy some extra m and s cheap range things, 30p beans 50p soups and 50p rices, some biscuiits, a couple of pounds spent, but it equals a few days supplies.
I get two bags, and pack up in seperate ones, daughter asks me what are you buying that for we never get that stuff, i sent her to the car , i walked towards the boy.
BRTH once said on here,
in one of his great hearfelt life stories about a friend, and repeated it in real life, whenever you can speak to the homeless, do it , dont just give something and walk away, take a moment and ask how they are, dont make them feel invisible, be human, you might be the only person who speaks to them in a conversation that day. Dont be scared of the person, ask them their name. It resonates.
The guy looks in his late twenties, skinny,
I gave him the bag,
Here mate some stuff to eat, how you doing, and have you got somewhere to go ?
aye, i am ok mate, i just had to get here, electricity went off this morning, i am on emergency credit, i can barely put it on and it s off again, i need about another fiver to get it on, but no money till next week,
I said, thats the problem now with the tap and go, no people have spare coins,
he said , i did alright honest, the older wans have coins, they do help, an aul wummin made her man give me his umbrella so i am up already, he has a wee laugh,
i sadi, can you not get out the rain,
i cant sit under the trolley shelter, they move me on then, i hate doing this but i have no choice, if i cant get it on i cant cook anyways, and thats worse, I am meant to get help with a voucher thing but i cant get it cos it is too complicated, i dont know what to do really.
his name is Ryan, he was suprisingly cheery, resiliance built up i suppose, not despondent, ………
he told me “thanks for asking mate, hardly anybody does, everybody has their own problems, thats just the way it is”.
I went back to the car, my daughter is all filled up, whats wrong with you now ?
Her and pals were in Glasgow monday night, stayed at a uni pals flat, halloween party all that stuff.
For the first time ever she said to me,
it was ok, but i had a minute like that myself, there was a kid younger than me, at central station, a boy about 16 i think, he had a bag and a dog, and he looked terrified, and I felt helpless and upset, and I havnt sopped thinking about him since, i feel lucky and spoiled and its horrible to think about it.
My daughter never speaks of her feeling like that at all, maybe with her mum, but never with me,
so we stared the drive home, quiet, lost in though, it shook me some that she is hurt and thinking of others, but what can you do, how do you help, I told her about the refugee ship at KGV and she says I see it from my work, they come into the shop all the time, not buying but asking for jobs.
At this point the Emirates flight came over our heads , landing at Glasgow, ………..
what a mixed up world we live in.
MADMITCH – thanks for the update on the U19s game. I have a friend who was briefly involved with their training academy a few years back. The scale and sophistication of it is light years away from where we are. There is massive investment in La Fabrica, all the way from the 6-7 year olds to the 16-18 year olds. It is also a money making machine, with wealthier parents paying to send their boys to summer camps hoping they will get a place in the academy.
MADMITCH on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 2:39 PM
Our midfield against Bodo Glimt was Biton once and O’Riley and Rogic in both games. We weren’t athletic enough to close the spaces effectively. We’d be much better if we played then now, although if you watched them play Arsenal at the Emirates when they got their act together in the second half you’d have seen that they’re capable of doing it to much better teams than us, although they ultimately lacked the cutting edge they showed when we played them
Meant to say before,the Red Card fiasco with Tony Watt takes some beating.If you saw it,think you would agree.Never touched the opponent,Referee gives no foul,then gets sent to look at VAR.He looks,then goes from,no offence,to straight Red.In the studio later,they show no contact,he actually draws out.
Today,the Red Card was recinded.Which begs the question,WTF.The operator of VAR,with the different angles,saw something no one else did,and the Referee went along with him.Dear God.
Tony Watt is now free to play against Celtic at the weekend.
Tony Watt one wasn’t even a booking. Bizarre decisions all round
ERNIE LYNCH on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 1:48 PM
TURKEYBHOY on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 1:40 PM
You’re lying.
Ohhhhh,is this allowed on a blog normally reserved for gentlemen,and worthies of the Parish.
I demand satisfaction.Choose your weapons,sirrah.
I don’t mean Cravats at Dawn.
Coneybhoy,
Exactly.What did VAR see.Should be banned from ever operating it in the future.Has to be repercussions for such ineptitude.
Half man / half poultry @ 2.48
Education you say / fingers to the bone you say — did they send you to St Als by any chance?
Would seem to tie in with your entrepreneurial efforts and your devil take the hindmost sensibilities — you appear to be happy to live anywhere hot as long as the natives are cheap labour.
Not good.
.
Coneybhoy
Indeed, if there was no contact why even a yellow – red card should have been rescinded
Mad Mitch
You really are childish with your name calling – it’s Turkeybhoy or in your world TB would probably do.
Grow up
DENIABHOY on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 2:51 PM
Hola.
I work with a former Real Madrid graduate (generation before THE FACTORY set up) who never made it to the first team but did go on to play 300+ la liga games for other teams.
My brother in law from TFS also is an RM supporter, and knows several former players who retired to the island.
At the Barca V Real level discussions, one cares if the academy produces via La Masci and the other less so at the Factory.
The former player tells me he doesnt care really about producing first team players, because unless the kid is the best in their generation and so good that they can displace the world class players in the first team, then that is just the way it is.
I have an article bookmarked, it has remarcable parallels for us, and i feel for all acadamies, to take over a purchased first team players spot you need to be special and carry a huge opportunity knocks luck.
Let me find it.
St Stivs 2.50
A great post.👍
Ronnie Radford RIP
Immortalised in the mud of Hereford
Stx2 @ 2.50
Solution to the issues you have come across — very tough gig.
The older you get the more prescriptive you become — I think.
In the past I have taken the view that those on the streets are not the most pressing cases of this particular issue — the lost / the lonely / the bewildered — it is those slumped out in hovels well out of sight of the mainstream population that have the biggest struggle to survive.
My first thought would be to remove them from parading themselves on the street — not helping them in any way to be out in all weathers and conditions mooching around for charity / pity.
I think that the first issue is being constructive — getting then doing something / anything to help themselves.
Not some sort of street theatre that the exhibitionist section of the cohort can engage in.
As noted — huge issue that is getting worse as more people cannot keep up with modern life and the challenges it throws up. The cart moves faster along an ever-bumpy road and more people fall off.
Thatcher brought it all back and while things got better under TB / GB it has ballooned with the ConDemNation austerity holocaust of 2010 onwards.
Not good.
Stx2 @ 3.12
The world class players have to come from somewhere.
To not run an academy means that you are not offering opportunities to those around you.
Not good.
Ge @ 3.12
Oh no — surely you didn’t go to St Als as well?
I went to Holyrood – where did you go
Please nobody get involved in that comment from MM to me regarding the lost souls.
So much to dislike, so much to disgust.
So ignore it, give him nothing to debate on.
I’m sure you can answer that
Saint Stivs – cheers, look forward to reading it. It is difficult to comprehend the investment in sport that Madrid and Barcelona make – and not just football, in professional futbol sala, basketbal, volleyballl too (and probably others).
The cynic in me says they, and clubs like them, hoover up all the best talent knowing perhaps one in 100 will make it to the professional game but at least they have first pick. Kids will go there just to get the best possible coaching available knowing they will be released at some point along the journey and can then try to downsize their ambitions.
For sure we will do something similar in Scotland but my general point is that the scale and scope of everything there is lightyears from where we are at.
Why do Real Madrid struggle to trust their La Fabrica graduates?
On September 30, 2005, the greatest of the whites, Alfredo Di Stefano, and a young Dani Carvajal set the groundwork for what is now recognized as Real Madrid City, which later included the famed and illustrious La Fabrica, the club’s youth division and academy.
Over the years, the institution has produced tremendously well-known football stars, who have demonstrated their training from the heart of Madrid on some of the world’s most prominent stages. When it comes to creating talent every season continuously, the setup boasts of unmatchable excellence.
However, the academy’s drawback is found on the other side of the coin. La Fabrica, which literally translates to “The Factory,” has lived true to its name. Undoubtedly, it has produced future stars throughout the years, but very few of them have been able to get into Real Madrid’s first-team.
To begin, Achraf Hakimi, Theo Hernandez, Marcos Llorente, and Sergio Reguilón are a few names from a long list who, despite their talent, struggled at Real Madrid and have succeeded elsewhere. In much more recent moves, Miguel Gutiérrez of Castilla moved to Girona FC and Antonio Blanco was loaned to Cadiz, while Juanmi Latasa and Sergio Arribas are still linked to other teams who appear interested in them.
What are not Real Madrid trusting their La Fabrica graduates?
To consider this circumstance, what may be the reason that Real Madrid simply cannot place their confidence in homegrown players who have matured and showcased their potential over those they have brought in for huge sums of money with no guarantee of success?
There might be a variety of reasons why Real Madrid may not be able to stay up with La Fabrica talent for long, but in our opinion, the most likely reason above all is the commercial component of operating a club, which is, after all, a business model that requires a consistent intake of revenue.
READ: Fabrizio Romano reveals why Real Madrid failed to sign Gabriel Jesus
It is no surprise that La Fabrica is synonymous with the word ‘quality’, and this level has been upheld throughout. In exchange for this characteristic that few other football academies possess, the club is often offered a decent transfer price, which cannot be rejected given the severe competition in the first team, which is pretty much the case at all times.
Another incentive to trust known players and spending money on acquiring them rather than promoting homegrown talent is the business component that stars like Eden Hazard bring with them in terms of jersey sales and new fans, among other things, that would otherwise not be there if a player from the academy is picked.
Nonetheless, the aforementioned claims only touch on a tiny portion of Castilla’s problems, which largely stem from the high expectations and lack of patience that come with representing the best club in the world.
Simply put, many professionals’ ambition of playing for the largest club in the world is confronted with equal competition that is ever demanding and often brutal.
Even if they wanted to, little or nothing could be done in terms of bringing in players because you simply cannot be patient at a club of this calibre that seeks victory at every turn. The desire that this madridismo carries is, in the end, quite brutal for those who wish to establish a name for themselves in the royal white.
You may be one of the best in the world and yet struggle at Real Madrid because one bad day could lose you your place in the team. From the objectives this club has held from its foundation, there is just no pity or support. It requires rapid results, which you may be unable to provide instantaneously.
Another point of view is that luck plays a significant role in this situation. The harsh reality, which is often not perceived by many supporters, is that not every brilliant player is destined to play for Real Madrid; it is just not written, and it is a hard fact that must be faced sooner or later.
Overall, the issue with Real Madrid’s predicament with La Fabrica is legitimate, perhaps even worrying, but the facts of the matter are clear enough to support why every name cannot be a first-team star, since the supply of talent is not going away anytime soon and the pitch can only contain 11 people at a time.
There’s a guy from Fife in court for murder and then using deceased ID to obtain Viagra.
The judge has told him he faces a stiff sentence!!!
True story.
I agree Tony Watt should never have had the red card , but I still think it might have been upheld id DU had been playing Sevco at the weekend .
Jim Farry is only at the other end of a ouija board .
id = if
Mad Mitch
I’m sure you can remember your school – only fair
Stx2 @ 3.31
Your comment tells the world more about yourself and your inability to deal with issues / personalities in a grown-up constructive manner than it does about the people begging on the street and what can be done to solve / improve the issue.
You could even look to the efforts of LM for a potential solution — CQN in the round.
I was hoping for a better response / engagement.
Ge @ 3.49
St Pats followed by San Moritz.
tester
MADMITCH on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 3:52 PM
Ge @ 3.49
St Pats followed by San Moritz.
…………….
Were you the Schools Janny ?
ART OF WAR on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 3:37 PM
There’s a guy from Fife in court for murder and then using deceased ID to obtain Viagra.
The judge has told him he faces a stiff sentence!!!
True story.
…………………
It will never stand up in Court !
LOL
HH Mate.
MAO MORITZ ?
Defence lawyer said he had a hard upbringing.
SAINT STIVS at 2:50 PM
That was quite the post. Thanks for sharing the wee snippet of your day. What a world.
Stx2 @ 3.31
Very disappointed in your response.
You are more interested in personalities / your own personal “rivalries” than the “poor craters” you found on your trip to M&S.
There are no easy solutions to this issue.
Just a case that you just want to discuss it with the Claque.
And feel good about your situation — extra car in the family vs soup to the poor.
SAINT STIVS on 2ND NOVEMBER 2022 3:31 PM
Please nobody get involved in that comment from MM to me regarding the lost souls.
So much to dislike, so much to disgust.
So ignore it, give him nothing to debate on.
……………
Well-done mate for helping someone less fortunate than yourself.
According to a certain party on here….The Homeless etc….Bring it on themselves…dont you know ?
HH SS Mate.
Defence lawyer said the prosecution made a cock up of their case.