It is a trip to Lavtia to play Riga on Thursday in the penultimate Europa League qualification round. Riga progressed after a home win over Tre Fiori of San Marino this morning. Last season they were eliminated from Champions League qualification in the first round by Dundalk on penalties, but they went on to beat Piast Gliwice (Poland) and HJK Helsinki, before losing 3-2 to our eventual eliminators, Copenhagen.
If Celtic cannot overcome Riga in a one-off game we have no right to proceed to the playoff round, never mind the group stage, but they will be far tougher than St Mirren. There is a lot of work to do.
After our fractious start to the season we get a chance to go top of the table tomorrow at home to Livingston. Livi are second bottom of the table, above Motherwell on goals scored. Last term they lost only twice at home, so far this season, they have lost the same number from four games, 1-4 to Hibs and 1-2 to Hamilton. The only ray of sunshine came when they held Newco to a 0-0. They are vulnerable and know neither of the teams around them: Motherwell and Kilmarnock are likely to be relegated.
Going top of the table on the same games played, would pass the pressure to Newco ahead of their visit to Easter Road on Sunday. Leagues are won by applying and coping with pressure, attributes these Celtic players have demonstrated they have in abundance.
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Podium?
podium
So this working from home mullarkey has some benefits. 👍🏻
First top for me.
Need to go and celebrate now. 🥂
Pingback: Applying and coping with pressure Paul67 - Celtic FC News Aggregation
They only beat a team from San Marino 1-0 at home, I have difficulty believing its going to be anything but a straightforward match for us… hopefully…
HH
Good morning fellow Tims.
I feel strongly that we are in vital need of a real creative maverick, a Lubo type really. I reckon we miss that type of player . Is Karamoko ready yet or could Master Frimpong maybe be that guy, who knows.
Think too we have to get rid of Kris Ajer, he’s too powder puff. Yeah he is good going forward but he couldn’t tackle a fish supper imo
KINGLuBO
I am sure even the team on current form will be able to handle Riga in a one-off game. Its the final play off game where danger lies. A trip to Serbia is one of the possibilities with Red Star looking like a team on the rise.
Dinamo Brest are also a possibility as are a number of other teams.
I hope we will be able to beat Livi on Saturday. We must start with 2 strikers
Today’s Dermot Desmond’s interview in the Athletic quotes him as saying he offered to double Fergie’s wages at Old Trafford to manage us in 1997 (says he personally was going to pay this).
Although Fergie says he was interested, said he couldn’t leave as he wanted to win CL with Utd.
Goes on to say Fergie helped him to get MoN to join us (after Wim and Dr Jo).
Says BR spoke to him about taking China offer at time of offer so there were no surprises when he left for Leicester. Knew he would go for big money.
Says Lenny made mistakes first time round but has matured and learnt how to do job better . . . was always on his radar.
– – – – – –
Anyone believe DD’s level of ambition to go for Fergie? Or that if we was willing to pay that kind of money for one of the world’s best managers, Plan B was Wim?
So the Huns are slaying all bore them with an impenetrable defehce ,Celtic by contracts are all over the pace with a manager who doesn’t know what he’s doing
ant yet, a victory tomorrow takes us to the top of the league.
Funny old game.
NOTTHEBUS on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2020 12:27 PM
So the Huns are slaying all bore them with an impenetrable defehce ,Celtic by contracts are all over the pace with a manager who doesn’t know what he’s doing ant yet, a victory tomorrow takes us to the top of the league.
Funny old game.
——
Probably more of an indication of how poor the other 10 teams in the league are this season.
I’d never heard of the Budgie before but Google tells me that Tim Burgess of the brilliant Charlatans played a DJ set there and it is one of those breeze block pubs you only get in Scotland (may not be true but i have never seen one anywhere else yet!)
Features in the following list of ‘infamous’ pubs. Is that fair? A few others on the list have been mentioned here before. I’ve not been in any of them but was going to reply to an ad for a barman in the Pollok Inn when a student in the late 80s. My maw who grew up in Pollok lent me cash to stop me working there
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/history/budgie-brothers-infamous-pubs-16910255
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Conebhoy – from previous thread, been in most of those boozers, in fact my uncle George used to manage The brothers bar in Possil.
D :)
sorry the above post and link was by Coneybhoy.
D :)
How long before a national lockdown and suspension of the league etc?
I’m betting within a fortnight.
Paul.
You’re right , we can handle domestic pressure really well . Quite the opposite in Europe unfortunately.
Conebhoy – from previous thread, been in most of those boozers, in fact my uncle George used to manage The brothers bar in Possil.
My uncle WYATT was a bouncer for a while.
Personally, and based on hee haw, I can’t imagine a wholescale national lockdown as happened in March. 6 months ago everyone had failed to really make any contingency pans and had no real idea about social distancing measures, etc etc. So, whilst I do think there are a lot more restrictions to come I think it much more likely they will be targeted. For example there might be 9pm curfews, there could be particular business sectors allowed to stay open or others told to close, based on the measures they now have in place (e.g churches appear to be coping very well and I’ve not heard of any related outbreaks). As for football, I think we will get another couple of months unless the infection numbers dramatically rise. But, related to that, I really cant see fans being admitted this side of the New Year.
David66,
Thanks for that, i obviously didn’t get around enough in Glasgow.
I mostly drank in the city centre or west end at weekends, southside for quiet drinks due to places i lived
When anyone asks me where is good now, i haven’t a clue – been away 27 years now and there seem to be less pubs than when i was running around in the 80s/90s
If wee Nicola shuts us down again, we will be out of Europe anyway…..
Looking at the trend in Covid-19 numbers and listening to the beat of the drums of government, I’d say the odds on a suspension of football are shortening.
Even if football is not mothballed, it’s inevitable that increasing infections in club squads will cause disruption, similar to the situation with the Czech Republic last week.
Governing bodies will need to start planning to scrap some competitions to make space for those already in progress. UEFA will resist it as far as possible, but the Nations League is hopeless, and their club tourneys next.
Locally, the League Cup will be first for the chop, then the Scottish Cup if SFA and SPFL can agree.
Of course, football is the least of it, and we all need to better understand the consequences of our actions on the risk of spreading infection.
Expect pubs to close again quite soon, prob restaurants too, and other measures to be introduced to avoid another full lockdown. Let’s hope it works. The alternative is dismal.
DENIABHOY on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2020 12:26 PM
We had Hiddink lined up before M’ON was given the job not long after so it wasn’t like we weren’t looking at world class managers at that time
!!BADA BING!! on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2020 1:10 PM
That’s going to lose her a lot of votes
Sarajevo (BIH) / Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) away
Sarajevo or Budnucost Podgorica
That’s a good draw isn’t it?
If we don’t qualify, it’s a disaster and massive under achieving. No way round it, we have to be beating these sides. We’ve got another good draw today albeit away from home. Certainly would’ve taken that this morning.
DD and the AF stratagem in 1997 — part of the plan to get us into the EPL.
Second attempt would appear to have been the KD / JB combo in 1999 — EPL friendly.
Third attempt would be MON — again EPL friendly personality.
DD = Seems to like paying money to people who manage us — interesting.
MON played the LU card in 2002’ish and got more money from us — didn’t end well.
BR played the China card in 2018’ish — not sure about the money and didn’t end well.
One thing about DD — in certain environments he struggles to keep his mouth shut.
The 2004/2005 anti support rants about money are the highlight but this is good.
FU @ 1.03
Your uncle Wyatt — was that Wyatt Earp by any chance?
What kind of bar was it — how lively on a Friday night?
Plenty of pool cues but no pool table?
Good draw for us.Avoided bigger teams.Gubbed Sarajevo last year.
I hope Morelos beats McCoist’s record just because Sally won’t be a happy chappie…
Huns at home,if they beat Willem.
Only 2 of the pubs on the list for me. The brothers was a scary place for a Milton Bhoy 😱
Every top business must have a contingency plan
This season is one of the most important since97/98
We are all Neil Lennon. One of us
But failure at Europa league qualifying must mean the contingency plan at our coaching staff must be put in place ASAP b4 it’s too late
Coneybhoy – some of them was back to wall stuff. :)
D ;)
Budućnost Podgorica beat Astana away in the last round – just saying, like.
HH
BGFC
Me and WeeBGFC venturing out to the toon for a pint if anyone’s about.
Socially distanced of course – we are VERY careful…
Home ties have been our downfall.Our results away from home,much better.
Turkeybhoy any ties with Neil and his coaching staff ( cone bhoys) have been our downfall
Is the next round, just one game? I thought it was home and away or is that just the champions league?