After Tuesday night, you might feel a slight sting. That’s pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps. Continue to bank Premiership points, mature as a squad and grow the club, because a year from now when we’re kicking it in the Champions League, you’re gonna’ say ‘We’re progressing’.
A week ago I suggested a case could be made that the game at Ross County was our most important before the international break. I know that game has already faded into memory, but argument stands. Champions League football is everything to Celtic – our biggest earner, best way to attract players, the sugar in fans’ tea, we need to be there and we need to improve results when we get there.
We are a significant way off the highs of Gordon Strachan’s Champions League campaigns (yes, some people were always unhappy), and we need to redouble efforts to return to that level, but until then, the importance of winning at the weekend can never be overstated.
Our coefficient monkeys did their best last night to make sure Celtic continue to reach the Champions League in future seasons. Still a lot of work to do before we can assume anything, but fair play to them – every club in the league must do their best for Scotland’s perennial champions.
While Celtic legs and minds will be weary after our humbling in Madrid, Aberdeen flew back from Greece overnight after a respectable draw with POAK, and will travel south tomorrow ahead of their game at Celtic Park on Sunday. Barry Robson is making progress but the international break surely cannot come soon enough for a squad which is far lighter than Celtic’s.
I expect a backlash from Celtic.
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Morning all from a cool and drizzly Texas
Hello
Yup!
better next year, not a chance.
mega riches though, 35m euros for qualification.
and another home tie.
a point here and there, chances of being in the play off slots not a lot.
Interesting chat with a Valencia fan. Equates the hun with both Madrid teams, asked me how I could share the same country with them. He used the word hun several times.
“Champions League football is everything to Celtic” – Not for our very old custodians & pretendy sugar daddy. All too risky for their aging tickers beyond the entrance fee’s contribution to the rainy day fund.
Back to the safety of the local squabble. Like AM welcoming Celtic, I expect the huge disparity in resources to predict a comfortable home win.
HH
I’ll be watching the Celtic in the Bodrhan bar on Sunday in Benidorm. Please join me if you can. And bring plenty cash, I’m skint.
The Neptune bar
https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1130904543846391809/pu/img/ZDkHCwWZ-jG-SZCk.jpg:large
BRRB
I’ll be watching from a bar in Mogan Gran Canaria , estimated temperature 29° , so expecting it will end up in the 30’s 🍺🍻🍸
Paul67
Very difficult game against Aberdeen, hope Brendan had talked the players out of Tuesday as best he can.
Expecting rotation in midfield barring injuries, David Turnbull starting in place of Paulo Bernardo.
Maeda, Kyogo and Palma as a starting three, the gap between us and Aberdeen is bigger than Athleti to Celtic.
We won’t see any progress in the CL (assuming we win the league of course) next season or thereafter unless we change our recruitment policy . The quality and experience , the pace and the power , are not there . There doesn’t seem to be the will within the club to reach the next level . It’s not part of the strategy .
Talk of the CL being everything to our club when we went into this campaign with Hart as our keeper rings quite hollow.
Aberdeen next up. While I’m not buying into the idea of the huns being reborn under a brilliant manager, they are having a post Beale bounce so we need to maintain the gap until the inevitable come down happens south of the Clyde.
Given the choice I would’ve taken 6 points against Ross Co and Aberdeen. Yes our record in Europe is mortifying, but horsings by the very top clubs pale against inexcusable results against the likes of Molde and Bodo Glimt. Those were the real embarrassments. I hold the duffers on the Board responsible for those grotesque failures, not the ECL where modern football economics render us also rans and there’s very little we can do about it. Until Tuesday I was delighted with our competitiveness in this season’s competition. I hope the players don’t lose confidence for the remaining 2 group games, let alone the league. I do believe we’re on an improvement path in Europe – so long as the plc doesn’t asset stripping the team every summer.
Just looked through the Champions League tables and the lower pot teams , including ourselves, are having a mare. The financial imbalances are getting crazier each year , we could easily spend all our cash plus say another £30M and run up a debt like Athletico Madrid, for what, an extra 2 to 3 points in the group stage.
Coupled to the financial inequalities, we have the Scottish football environment to put up with. The last time we played Lazio in the EL , their scout described our opponent that day (ICT) as semi-professional, Lazios over confidence came back to bite them , but their scout had a point.
The standard of the opposition in Scotland has dropped dramatically in the last 30 years , which must impact our ability to attract better players.
Our opposition this week will be full of English lower league rejects or EPL third team youngsters, a terrible state of affairs. We will have Greg and Callum with The Bull , Jamsie , big Tone on the fringes.
I’m not sure what getting better looks like anymore
HH
“Our coefficient monkeys did their best last night to make sure Celtic continue to reach the Champions League in future seasons. Still a lot of work to do before we can assume anything, but fair play to them – every club in the league must do their best for Scotland’s perennial champions.”
Totally agree, we need the Scottish teams to be much better in Europe, not only co-efficient points but also more money and quality players into Scottish football.
Most importantly we perennially rest on our laurels, so we are only going to be as good as Sevco Rangers.
A big improvement with them, and we are possibly seeing that already, will knock our Board out of it’s slumber.
The great thing is we have so many things going for us, the UCL this season was another missed opportunity but we are not that far off.
Sevco pushing us to strive for better is the only way we improve.
Hail Hail
The Old Brigade,Celts for Change ,Matt McGlone etc would have hunted this present board ,doesn’t seem to be a willingness from the present the Celtic Fans.
Seriously — its easy to attract the projects ML wasted 15mil on.
Can you review the stellar career of our recruitment guri that negated the need to appoint a guy who spent more time with Aviva than City
Thats the achilles heel of our biz model P67, and not worthy of comment.
Roll on the January transfer window — it will be hilarious if it wasn’t so damaging. Who took the decision to appoint a rookie to perhaps the 2nd most important job at the club outwith the Team.
Rodgers has made it clear to our out of touch board what he needs. Our illustrious chairman will already be looking to make the manager the scapegoat as his son is totally out of his depth. He has previous in this regard.
Summer window was 0 out of 10 as the Team was weakened. It shouldn’t be hard to improve on that — let’s see. That will be the acid test for the Lawwell’s. Damaging Celtic more should see their removal.
Since Seville 20 years ago,since Lawwell entered the building, our European record is an embarrassment, the Board have always had the mantra of spending as little as possible to stay ahead of the huns,rinse and repeat
I hope we don’t spend big money in January. Mark Lawwell’s previous transfer windows provide no basis to have confidence in him.
It would make more sense to reorganise our recruiting team and go again in the summer. If BR identifies a player he wants then by all means bring them in this January but we’ve got to avoid adding more Lawwell blubber to this large squad.
Paul, why are we expecting/ waiting for other Scottish teams to help improve the Scottish co-efficient ?
When are we actually gonnae do something seismic in that regard wurselves ?
And when we complain about the quality and resources gulf between us and Atletico (their 280m quid turnover to our 119m quid) we’re told to lick our lips at the prospect of beating Robson’s Rovers with an annual turnover of 14mill sovs) while occasionally wetting the bed at the prospect of facing Ross County in a midweek tussle.
Trapped in a spiral of bossing it domestically and falling short in power, strategy and game-smarts in Europe.
Sorry to be such a Meldrew, but it’s becoming repetitively bonkers to me.
GROUNDHOGDAY CSC
Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment
Celtic Football Club
Jul 2022 – Present 1 year 5 months
Ssh Ssh Ssh
If you asked me what position I would sign a player for it would be Centre forward, and, play 2 up in Scotland Kyogo with Oh and the other rotating when needed for form and injury, get the ball into the box and carry a threat stop passing the ball to death.
Not seeing where the big improvement is coming from, unless partner club makes a sudden improvement and we have to match them.
Like all Celtic supporters I was hurting on Tuesday night, so much so that I couldn’t face the football media — radio, TV and social media, including CQN.
Only now has the pain receded sufficiently to allow me to raise my head above the parapet. Time, as they say, is a great healer. That and a looming home game against the Dandy Dons.
On Sunday I will head to Paradise accompanied by my son and 8 year-old grandson to cheer on the Bhoys in pursuit of yet another Premiership title.
When I was a boy growing up as a Celt I got used to the support welcoming the team onto the Parkhead turf with an extra loud and prolonged cheer after a bad result in Europe or in the Cup. It was a way of letting our heroes know that no matter what, we will always be there to support them, win lose or draw.
Those days have sadly gone.
Hail Hail
And so it continues.whingers,moaners,greetin faced gets.Most of the usual suspects with their,” Spend mullions,sack the Board” idiot logic.In some world of their own,in which they think they have the remedy to heal our teams wounds.Could not run a Menage,but sites like this let’s them sound off their views,and let them decry and ridicule,in their minds,the majority who turn up every week,to watch,The Football !!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Roll on Sunday.
DESSYBHOY
“stop passing the ball to death.”
Good point
Lets play a wee game of players what if.
What if we kept our record transfer players out together from the last say 5 years.
Did any of them move on to greater performances for their new teams ?
If we had kept Eddie, Kieran, Jota, JJ, GG, , Frimpers, would we be competing in the champions league ?
We would not have 72m in the bank, and we would be paying fortunes in wages and bonuses, but just imagine, we kept them all happy, and they kept performing, we could maybe get a 3rd spot and be in europe after christmas for one round in europa.
that is the dream.
stop kidding ourselves on, just get used to it,
EKBHOY @ 1:01 PM,
Just looked through the Champions League tables and the lower pot teams , including ourselves, are having a mare. The financial imbalances are getting crazier each year , we could easily spend all our cash plus say another £30M and run up a debt like Athletico Madrid, for what, an extra 2 to 3 points in the group stage
That’s a very interesting paragraph.
I’m no Chartered Accountant but how does spending less than half the money you have in the Bank translate to building up debt!?
Further, how does spendong £30mn relate to running up €1BN of debt!!??
Has the exchange rate gone bananas!!!???
Of course we want to spend £30mn and get two or three more points, we are a Football Club, that’s what’s the monies for.
Think listening to the clique makes fholk stark staring mad on here…
Or is that just me overreacting:)))
Hail Hail
Paul, I disagree with your statement about Pride.
Why would you be expecting a backlash unless pride had been dented and we wanted to restore it.
Pride in Performance is what got these players to this level. If they lose it, they will be of no use to us.
Now, Complacency and Hubris, they should be avoided. I trust, therefore, you were using perennial to mean “recurrent and regular” rather than an annual occurrence.
SAINT STIVS @ 1:25 PM,
May 2022…
Three transfer windows
Or does a head of recruitment need time to bed in, two or three seasons maybe!?
Hail Hail
I actually didnt catch up on the european results until now.
I note Liverpool got beat 3-2 by Toulouse, even though Ben Doak played the first half for them.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL @ 1:40 PM,
Truth…
We just have to hope and pray they can do it and this is not another false dawn.
Hail Hail
Passing your way out of a high press in Scotland is successful 90% of the time for Celtic. That’s why we never send a ball “over the top”
In Europe, against the top level sides, that success rate (probably) falls to around 50%, breaking down most of the time in our midfield and less often in the final 3rd. I’ve watched a few of the “top sides” in Europe this season,and when needs mustard not adverse to a ball over the top.
We on the other hand……….
mustard……must are
Let’s just keep our head in the sand…….what was that about the definition of madness again?
On another note, I played golf yesterday and wore shorts as I always do. It was 8 degrees at most.
I still find shorts more comfortable, and, if it rains your legs get wet rather than trousers, which end up clinging to your legs as you go round. Be also got tremendous legs which are worth showing off. I’ve often wondered why the pros don’t wear them in tournaments. I guessed they weren’t allowed to. Watching a tournament from South Africa at the moment and most are wearing shorts
Tam McLaughlin
Aye indeed. I’ll be roaring the Bhoys on from Benidorm. Hope your son and grandson have a great day oot.
Gerrintaethum Celtic !!!!