If Celtic overcome FK Sarajevo in the Champions League first qualification round they will face either Macedonians, FK Shkendija or Nomme Kalju, from Estonia. Shkendija are first round seeds.
Last season Shkendija eliminated Welsh side The New Saints in a remarkable tie, winning the first leg 5-0 and losing the return 4-0. They then eliminated Moldovans, Sheriff Tiraspol 1-0 on aggregate before Salzburg knocked them out 4-0 on aggregate (no shame there). Our old pals Rosenborg then knocked them out at the Europa League play-off round, 5-1 on aggregate.
In 2018 Shkendija won cofomrtably against Moldovan opponents in the Europa first qualifying round, then beat HJK Helsinki in the second round and Luthianians Trakai in the third. This setup a trip to the San Siro for the team from Tetovo (population 52,000), where they lost 6-0.
Nomme Kalju exited last season’s Europa League at the first round to Stjarnan, our pals from Iceland.
It is almost certain Shkendija will progress to the second round. They are one of the better teams who float around the qualifiers without ever reaching a group stage, but Celtic should have enough in the tank to progress through both opening rounds. Happy to take this draw.
It is clear Celtic wanted David Turnbull, but not at any price. Wage structures have been broken for ‘the right player’ but everyone needs to have signed up to the view that the player in question is worthy of breaking the structure. The player and his agent are entitled to shop around for the highest wage.
Still, it is another one that got away. Stiffer challenges than Sarajevo, Shkendija and Kalju will arrive in August.
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“History will be more favourable to Brendan than the present and he well knows it.”…
… not in this house.
?⚽️
It’s important we have a wage structure but does it ever get reviewed ?
It seems that whilst we (supporters) continue to pay thru the nose the only person on EPL type wages is PL. I’d we’re getting priced out of Hibs and Motherwell players then we need to lol at what we offer, players from abroad can see that the championship is a more lucrative way into the EPL so our days as a platform may well be over
That Turnbull boy, a lot of his goals were right sclaffs from close range… not that being lucky is a bad trait, but we need to press ahead with everything else in the pipeline now and forget about a guy who wouldn’t have got in the team anyway.
HH
Turbull, Rodgers & McGinn had the same reasoning.
1. Cash
2. Opportunity
It’s not too complicated. The EPL is the biggest stage in the world and they want to be part of that. The best thing you can do for career progression is excel in that environment.
Reminds me of the David Ginola charade, Celtic used as a bargaining chip…
JEEZ_I_THOUGHT_BLINKER_WAS_PANTS on 19TH JUNE 2019 2:04 PM
Reminds me of the David Ginola charade, Celtic used as a bargaining chip…
====
He would have signed, Fergus talked him out of it!
HH
TIMALOY29 on 19TH JUNE 2019 1:58 PM
Turbull, Rodgers & McGinn had the same reasoning.
1. Cash
2. Opportunity
It’s not too complicated. The EPL is the biggest stage in the world and they want to be part of that. The best thing you can do for career progression is excel in that environment.
——
Yes on 1.
On 2. you need to be ready. It’s an unforgiving place where £3-4 million punts are not expected to succeed. We helped develop Wanyama and Van Dijk along the way and made them ready – McGinn and Turnball go at with little exposure.
My prediction – McGinn’s robust championship style of play is not suited to the premiership where he fast becomes the new Robbie Savage. Turnball becomes surplus in a team hoping to stay up in year 1. Will be looking for ‘gametime’ the following season.
Them’s the odds. They might buck the trend but we do develop people to have a better go at it when they land there. Dembele’s mob realised that.
Notthebus………………
There is no PR battle for Us to win in scoddland……….the huns have it sewn up. witness the ongoing wurld Record guff that pitches the usual guff at a whole new Level.
Motherwell took the initiative for their own ends and Celtic were damned if they did or didn’t……. say anything in response.
Social media has ensured that popular feeling for communication ( any communication) from the Club is demanded. I agree, I prefer when we just get on with our own business quietly but perhaps the Club just felt the need to clarify a position not of their own making? Who knows.
Regardless of the circumstances The Black Cloud Brigade will gather and are primed to howl at any or all perceived mis-steps the suits make.
No matter how much he’s paid (or how warm his much fabled driveway is) I’d never want to be in Big Peter’s shoes carrying our expectations for the Club in these circumstances.
HH.
BIG WAVY on 19TH JUNE 2019 2:05 PM
On 2. you need to be ready. It’s an unforgiving place where £3-4 million punts are not expected to succeed. We helped develop Wanyama and Van Dijk along the way and made them ready – McGinn and Turnball go at with little exposure.
My prediction – McGinn’s robust championship style of play is not suited to the premiership where he fast becomes the new Robbie Savage. Turnball becomes surplus in a team hoping to stay up in year 1. Will be looking for ‘gametime’ the following season.
Them’s the odds. They might buck the trend but we do develop people to have a better go at it when they land there. Dembele’s mob realised that.
_____
I’d point you towards Andy Robertson. Relegated twice with Hull City and their season in the Championship was hardly plain sailing.
He managed to show enough in that period to earn a move to Liverpool.
It might not happen for Turnbull right away but if he signs a long-term deal with Norwich he will have opportunity at the lower end of the EPL and top end of the Championship.
I think McGinn has what it takes to at least have a Snodgrass-level career in England. Get a few big moves despite relegation’s. Set for life.
Paul67 et al
“…..but Celtic should have enough in the tank to progress through…..”
Let me edit that for you Paul;
“…..but Celtic should have enough in the bank to progress through….”
andhopebigpeteisn’tlookingincsc
Timaloy29
Nope. That outlier is as unscientific as the old “Henrik Larsson proves, at £650k, that you don’t have to pay much for top-class players”.
I did say, against the odds of course. A few seasons of being a Scott Arfield or a James McArthur is more likely at best. Make your money and choose a different path, usually arriving back in Scotland at the latter end of your career.
I suspect our more glamour signings are waiting to see if they get the chance to play against Shkendija before committing.
Makes sense to me.
In very random transfer link of the day, Panathinaikos could be set to make a bid for Mikey Johnston.
HH
@ TIMALOY29 on 19TH JUNE 2019 1:58 PM
“Turbull, Rodgers & McGinn had the same reasoning.
1. Cash
2. Opportunity”
Do you not think with BR there was also a consideration as to whether he had achieved as much as he could achieve with Celtic? Certainly, the three windows before he left (arguably four) showed very little sign of forward progress.
Similar to the end of Neil’s tenure, we sold/lost some of our best players without replacing them. In the same vein, MON left when it was obvious that we were downsizing and that he could no longer progress the team.
There is a recurring theme of not pushing on from a position of strength: after Seville, after WGS’s two last 16 appearances; after Neil’s last 16 appearance; and after Brendan’s x2 CL appearance and double treble.
It must be disheartening for players (particularly those that are not brought up as Celtic fans) to watch the team get weaker. How do the players feel about the loss of Dembele, Roberts, Boyata and BR? I can’t imagine that they see the club as moving forward and if they are model professionals and ambitious they will want to see forward progress.
GO TELL THE SPARTIM on 19TH JUNE 2019 1:52 PM
It’s important we have a wage structure but does it ever get reviewed ?
Was thinking the same, if we don’t move with the times, we stand still…
BIG WAVY on 19TH JUNE 2019 2:37 PM
Timaloy29
Nope. That outlier is as unscientific as the old “Henrik Larsson proves, at £650k, that you don’t have to pay much for top-class players”.
I did say, against the odds of course. A few seasons of being a Scott Arfield or a James McArthur is more likely at best. Make your money and choose a different path, usually arriving back in Scotland at the latter end of your career.
___
I think he has already surpassed Scott Arfield.
James McArthur is a fair baseline. 8 seasons in the EPL and 1 season in the Championship (presumably on an EPL Contract) will leave him a very rich man.
He still has 2 years left on his Crystal Palace contract. I am pretty sure both Turnbull and McGinn would retire happy with that.
My point regarding Robertson is simple. So far, the only team willing to buy Celtic players for a fair rate is Southampton. That’s currently the ceiling at Celtic. That’s where the great Virgil Van Dijk ended up.
Playing well for a Hull City side that gets relegated twice can get you to Liverpool. One of the biggest sides in Europe.
Crazy.
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 19TH JUNE 2019 2:49 PM
Do you not think with BR there was also a consideration as to whether he had achieved as much as he could achieve with Celtic?
____
Of course.
Neil Lennon and Gordon Strachan managed to get Celtic to the last 16 in Europe and defeated top sides. Add to that domestic success and what does it get you?
Middlesborough & Bolton Wanderers (on the brink of collapse)
Even if Celtic got to the last 16 of the CL under Brendan Rodgers I could not foresee him getting a bigger job than upper mid-table Leicester City.
That’s exactly why he threw himself at it mid-season. He couldn’t risk somebody coming in as a caretaker and winning the job from under him.
Success at Celtic is undervalued. Think of all the sides who could have had Virgil Van Dijk at a snip? Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool & Chelsea would all have got him ahead of Southampton.
Signing Rekeem Harper would change the mood. Comes slightly cheaper and would show that we have a list of targets and not putting eggs into one basket.
Does anyone know if this is still a goer?
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 19TH JUNE 2019 2:49 PM
To clarify, I don’t think Brendan Rodgers left because board incompetence.
He left because of opportunity for career development and cash. Two things Celtic could not match.
I honestly believe the same would happen if Neil Lennon was presented with the same opportunity.
Traditionlist @2:48
Think they want him on loan HH
Big Wavy-thanks for reply on previous article, Hammond’s had more frogs than Princes at West Brom…
GEEBEE1978
Rakeem Harper would be a logical next move. Same age, roughly same level of experience.
Although having a season in the English Championship, probably edges a season operating with Motherwell.
The delay I believe is the appointment of Slaven Bilic, who may be in process of persuading the lad to stay.
https://twitter.com/90MinuteCynic/status/1141291175317581824?s=08
A lot of older guys brought in at WB…
@ TIMALOY29 on 19TH JUNE 2019 2:59 PM
Gordon already had 8 years of managing in England from 96-04, so he was already a known entity in England, notwithstanding his efforts with Celtic.
Neil’s time coincided with the demise of Rangers. This didn’t help his case as (as Kevin Bridges puts it) it was a two horse race and one of the horses died. People in England didn’t see winning the league as big an achievement which is fair to an extent. It would take a poor manager and mismanagement of the club to lose the league in those years. It may sound like I’m denigrating those titles, but the league was less competitive then.
On BR not getting a bigger job than Leicester. Well, is that a failure? In recent years the top 6 teams have had the following managers:
Guardiola, Klopp, Mourinho, Benitez, Wenger, Emery, Sarri, Conte, Pochettino, Van Gaal etc.
The above list is not exhaustive but shows that the top 6 in England are hiring the best in the game. No other league has the strength in depth of managers as the top 6 of the EPL. So the fact BR cannot get a top 6 team atm (he already had the Liverpool job, so that probably rules him out of a few of the top 6 jobs) is by no means a failure.
I think BR’s career development was stilted by the disconnect in his ambition versus those in the board room. Etims warned a month ago about the tightening of the belt this transfer window, thus far that prediction seems prescient.
“It may sound like I’m denigrating those titles, but the league was less competitive then.”
We hadn’t won a treble when Rangers* were not in the league, we’ve won 3 since they ‘arrived’
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 19TH JUNE 2019 3:21 PM
On BR not getting a bigger job than Leicester. Well, is that a failure?
___
No it’s not. It’s the most attractive job available and he jumped at the chance.
He’s very well paid and has an opportunity to showcase himself on the biggest stage on the planet.
The only thing he could have done at Celtic to catapult himself into the top clubs was to take Celtic on a run similar to Ajax.
He clearly didn’t have that in him.
What would you say was a realistic goal for Celtic? You say the club couldn’t match him ambition. What ambition is that?
We have dominated and conquered all before us domestically.
Jings, Sevco could meet Cork City !!
SFTB
says :
I wonder whose football judgement does NOT accord with the established and immovable facts (as opposed to the unproven speculations of doom)
So you solely judge the strength of the squad on trophies won and immovable facts, you don’t consider that having a weaker squad (and I see your still sitting on the fence on that one in true SFTB style) may affect future results. Therefore you would consider the team of 2003 to be weaker than the current one?
Ok we’ll use your immovable facts as a barometer for whether a squad is regressing or not.
2017-2018 Treble, qualification for Champions League
2018-2019 Treble, no qualification for Champions League
Result: Immovable fact = regression.
Luis Enrique has stepped down from his role as Spain head coach, the Spanish Football Federation has announced.
The 49-year-old has not coached La Roja since March due to a personal issue.
Jobo Baldie
7 more sleeps
June 26, 2019 – SC Pinkafeld v Celtic – Kick-off: 18:30
Venue: Sportplatz, Pinkafeld, Austria
June 29, 2019 – Wiener SC v Celtic– Kick-off: 18:00
Venue: Sportclub – Platz, Vienna, Austria
July 2, 2019 – FC St Gallen v Celtic – Kick-off: 19:30
Venue: Stadion Kybunpark, St Gallen Switzerland
Why did the Board not block the Leicester move for Rodgers? Surely it was in the best interests of the Club and its supporters to hold him for another 3 months. The Board seem to have taken the £9m and walked away scot free.
Of course the likely reason is this was a well constructed plan to drive Rodgers out and as such the £9m was taken with delight, weather it was in the best interests of the team and the fans was probably not considered.
!!BADA BING!! on 19TH JUNE 2019 3:15 PM
Big Wavy-thanks for reply on previous article, Hammond’s had more frogs than Princes at West Brom…
——-
Having upped my medication, I’m seeing everything in half-full technicolour…
Now tell me about these princes. :)
DAVID17 on 19TH JUNE 2019 3:54 PM
Of course the likely reason is this was a well constructed plan to drive Rodgers out and as such the £9m was taken with delight, weather it was in the best interests of the team and the fans was probably not considered.
___
Jesus wept. Do you really think the board drove him out for 9 million?
Celts travel away for opening leg against FK Sarajevo
By: Newsroom Staff on 19 Jun, 2019 15:48
CELTIC will play away for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round against FK Sarajevo of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Hoops will travel out for the first leg which is scheduled for Tuesday/Wednesday, July 9/10 while Sarajevo will visit the East End of Glasgow for the return leg a week later on Tuesday/Wednesday, July 16/17.
Confirmation of dates, kick-off times and ticket information will be published on http://www.celticfc.net
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 19TH JUNE 2019 3:21 PM
You’ve forgotten where sevco finished in their first two seasons in the Spfl
Lenny won his first title against a financially doped rangers who were a much better team than “Gerard’s Rangers.”
tontine tim
really never heard of turnbull untill we were in for him.
a young lad who has 31 spl games, we gave well what they asked for and offered him 10 to 12k p/w.
and yet we have people who still bash the board, this time its not warrented.
on another note, sandy mac still hanging on.
Celts travel away for opening leg against FK Sarajevo
By: Newsroom Staff on 19 Jun, 2019 15:48
CELTIC will play away for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round against FK Sarajevo of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Hoops will travel out for the first leg which is scheduled for Tuesday/Wednesday, July 9/10 while Sarajevo will visit the East End of Glasgow for the return leg a week later on Tuesday/Wednesday, July 16/17.
Confirmation of dates, kick-off times and ticket information will be published on http://www.celticfc.net
Mustafazade looks like a battler, decent tackler, and a good passer of the ball too.
Could be the usual journalistic shoite though, that we have tried to lure him.
HH