Optimism among the Celtic support is tangible right now. For much of last year the league title remained in the balance, but today, despite being promised a more taxing season, we’re miles ahead. You can get odds of over 40-1 on second favourites to win the title; the definition of No Contest.
As I noted yesterday, the transformation goes deeper than the heroics of Scott Sinclair and Moussa Dembele, neither of whom were material in the level of performance shown against Barcelona.
Achievements are often subject to reassessment at a later date and Celtic’s progress or otherwise over the last two years fall into this category.
A year ago, with a faltering Craig, Emilio, Efe, Dedryk, Stuart, Gary, James and others, we looked miles away from being a Champions League team. It turns out, we have a squad full of Champions League players.
Youth development hit the jackpot with Kieran Tierney, while John Park’s swansong signings, Erik Sviatchenko and Moussa Dembele, saw a return to form for our recently departed chief scout.
Money isn’t everything. Since 2004 it’s been clear on CQN that many Celtic fans have no interest in the game’s finances, all they are interested in is seeing an improving team on the park, but for the rest of us, the financial consequence of simply getting to the group stage this season is enormous. It makes accession to the same level next season so much more achievable.
None of that matters right now as we have the first cup final of the season coming up on Sunday. The litany of underachievement in this tournament stretches back to Jock Stein, who qualified for ever League Cup final during his 13 years in charge of Celtic, but after winning the first five, contrived to lose seven of the next eight.
I’ve seen a lot worse teams than Aberdeen knock us out of the League Cup, I hope nothing is taken for granted in the dressing room.
I’ve no idea what happened at the Newco AGM this morning but you’ll remember we discussed here the wisdom of launching a hostile takeover bid while a company is being driven into the sea by boycotts? More precisely, Newco was driven into the arms of the lender of last resort – Sports Direct. Sports Direct provided the cash that kept the lights on and picked up various rights and properties in compensation.
Offering a lender a shop at a rental of £1 per year for a decade seems harsh, but if the alternative is administration, there isn’t really an alternative. We didn’t know what the quid-pro-quo was for Ashley at the time, but we knew there had to be one.
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*** LAST MAN STANDING 8 ***
All of the picks for week 13 are now in and the details are shown below. This week’s ‘I’ll st ill get into Heaven’ award goes to Every Day’s A Scoolday who is now the only p 10erson from the remaining 10 competitors not to have chosen any of The Rangers* Group of Clubs.
Good luck everybody (but to get a winner this side of Christmas does depend on some of you falling soon!). And the good news is that as all the selected games are on Saturday we could have the results and next fixtures out before we lift the Cup!
The fixtures for Week 13 – all kick off’s 3.00pm except where stated.
Saturday 26 November
Partick v Rangers* (Mike In Toronto) (12.15pm)
Burnley v Manchester City (Deccyrollercoaster) (12.30pm)
Dundee v Inverness (Every Day’s A Scoolday)
Hearts v Motherwell
Ross County (Big Shuggy, Jippys Bhoys,Winealley Warriers, Roundstone Cowboys, Paddy McCourt CSC and HunderbirdsAreGone) v Hamilton
Liverpool v Sunderland
Chelsea v Tottenham (5.30pm) (DRAW – Celtic Soul Brother)
Sunday 27 November
Arsenal v Bournemouth (2.15pm)
Aberdeen v Celtic [based on the score after 90 minutes]
* – also known as :
We Could Have Been Club 12…..
The Auchenhowie Doppelgangers
Norman Bates’ Maw FC
The Walking Dead
Rangers 2012
The Zombies
The Tribute Act
Triggers Broom FC
The Deadie Bears
Sevco
…. and that’s without alcohol. Apols for the mistakes ;-)
Oh and good evening, friends.
After a near 11hr flight got to Vegas and hard rock hotel.my room is in the paradise towers section of the hotel:-))) lucky omen for Sunday
BT
Got tickets the Barras and Hamilton. Thanks for the heads up.
CHRISTMAS CANCELLED !
Sadly it appears that Christmas this year has been cancelled, as Santa’s little helpers were paid off, so theres no one to make the gifts for all the wee Bhoys and Ghirls ?
Apparently, they were paid off due to “ELF and safety reasons” ?
HH
HT
Good man
Burgas Hoops
Good man. Thank you.
So, he could make the game on Sunday? Not a problem, though, if he cannot. Jamesy on the left and Paddy on the right still represents formidable wing strength.
JJ
Talking of Elves, hope you all enjoyed this years ad…
https://youtu.be/AI6vO50uj1Y
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 8:42 AM
The guys who come to us from other backgrounds have to overcome bigger barriers in order to shine. Our most transforming force, Jock Stein was an ex-mason from a bigoted background.
*in the interview with Donny B. Macleod when Jock commented on signing the ken dodd before the ben Affleck as deidco at that time widnae sign the latter he also said that the catholic bhoys when they got tae Parkheid were bursting tae play for us but by the time they were finished with the prods they were worse. Any of us who saw Kenny and Danny among others can confirm this.
It’s time for this discussion to grow up.
*Absolutely, I can still recall my da when crossing Balloch Bridge one dreich March Monday morning on reading the headlines in the Express about Celtic appointing their first proddie manager, “I hate that son, I couldnae care less if he was a heathen Chinese as long as he makes us a winning team again”.
Goodness me
If I got a britcoin every Tim I heard
New Firm same as the Old Firm I would have 6 pesos by now
GORDON on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 3:23 PM
Big Jimmy at 3:10…
The 1968 League Cup final was re-scheduled to 1969 due to a fire in the main stand at Hampden. I seem to recall that there was also a fire in the main stand at Celtic Park around the same time.
*I missed the rescheduled final as I was out of the country at the time 4-0 SC as well but was back for the St J one.
Wee footnote tae the Hibs game, if it had been played on the scheduled date colin stein could have played for Hibs and Joe McBride for us, however, by the time the game was eventually played he was with the huns and Joe with Hibs.
Incidentally there were calls for “we don’t need yer colin stein” to be allowed tae turn out for Hibs as it wisnae their fault that a fire occurred at hunden. Joe unfortunately was cup tied with us.
HT- Hope you’re not double booked with Ant n Dec….
Evening champions…
There seems to be a tenseness in the blog….
Neymar no more….???
Davidoupolous can feel in it the water…etc…
Braw.
NEUSTADT-BRAW
I’ve decided…
It’s no in my water
It’s no in my bones
It’s no in my cartilage
It’s in my skin…
For it’s a grand old team to flay for….
(Cher might also have suggested that it’s in my kiss, but that’s enough of that)
Bada
I have A&D’s tour dates tattooed on my left buttock! :-)
It’s Friday it’s five to five its…………………..
HT
Just as a matter of interest what’s on your right buttock?
It’s great being a tim attacking the Baws for a few plod idiots
Bourne
You mean there should be two?!
Yogihughes
Yes , happy days, as I recall I was off to Milan that same week.
BSR…
rumor has it, this is the photo of the other cheek….
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/ronny-deila-superfan-gets-celtic-5954127
nice knickers, by the way.
I’d gladly give up my 3rd buttock to be normal ;-)
BT…..
A sensible white cotton winter thermal ???
Davidopoulous …..”it started with a kiss ”
Freddie’s last cover??
Smiley thing
Braw
Kitalba: just in from the Vigil for a friend who is being buried tomorrow.
I could not give an exact date but it was in the early 1950s. So I do go back a bit in time.
mit
where is celtic soul playing.
MIT
Never a chance of that Mike!
NEUSTADT-BRAW
That song is about Paolo Di Canio kissing the Celtic badge.
FACT.
Flying visit, hamiltontim, mind your the 6:45 pickup and remind Cowiebhoy to give me the five minute warning so I can finish my pint.
Blantyretim see you soon.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
TH
At the Ted Rogers on Bloor Street….opens tonight I believe.
But someone one here (cant remember who) said it was on TV this week… but I couldn’t find the post re: the details…..
HT … but if BR does the treble this year? :)
Great to hear that everything in the huns garden is rosy, the suits would have been panicking over the Old Firm, thankfully they will be back challenging us soon, they will have paid off their debt and have £8 mill in the bank, this is without even having their merchandising, when they sort that out we will be toast.
Amazingly simple according to Houston, the chief drowner bloke on SSB.
Lennybhoy
See you soon.
MIT
Now in that case it’s a possibility :-)
WEERON on 25TH NOVEMBER 2016 4:21 PM
It’s an area of FFP I’ve stayed clear of but what does amaze me is the games reluctance to stop something similar happening again and their rush to make it happen again..
I suspect the reason domestic FFP hasn’t happened yet is other clubs might fall foul of it rather than any desire to “save” TRFC but I cannot see the Hearts and Aberdeen Board letting any breaches go unchallenged.
Facsimile
More heil heil
As Hail Hail..
Smiley thing
Braw.
Bit of a blow that Scott Sinclair is out along with his goal scoring threat and hope that it doesn’t affect the dynamic of the Celtic attack too much.
Options might mean James Forrest on the left which IMHO is dead wrong because he’s only effective in his natural position.
MacGregor gets a gig on the right again maybe to the exclusion of Patrick Roberts who hasn’t yet hit top form, anyway it’ll be tight but if Celtic play too form, – we’ll win.
Hunderbirds Are Gone……………Agree with you’ Stuart Armstrong is a different player since Delia departed. He put in a tremendous shift on Wednesday night, not perfect but probably a seven out of ten. One thing Stuart could attend to is his footwear – he seems to slip quite regularly – get your boots seen to lad. Celtic have agood player here and Brendan can smooth off the rough edges.
One of the best bits of the huns ongoing fiasco is that stupid halfwit BFDJ, he is as gullible as they come, hope he enjoys the Magic Beans from Santa
I see another large organisation has been outed as harbingers of sexual abusers- and how we should celebrate the survivors, this time footballers. So large organisations have a major problem developing a safe environment and a culture promoting a lack of opportunity for harming children. Not long ago some/scum hun tried to promote a culture of secrecy and harm claiming this behaviour belonged to one organisation waving a banner to all watching tv. Shame on the scum. I hope those in charge of safeguarding in their organisation don’t share their evil bigotry. I pray for the kids in their care.