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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Hello all my CQNers
Greetings from a drizzly Birmingham Alabama. Looking forward to the game on Sunday. Watched thems yesterday and couldn’t believe how bad Sparta were first half, but then became a different team when they scored to make it 2-1. They have a good one in Butland in goal. Aberdeen will not come to park the bus so it should be a good game. I came into my class the other day and one of my students said what happened to the CELTICS last night? I quickly said shut it ya tadger we are not a basketball team :))) My son who is in my class and has been forced to watch Still game burst out laughing. His friend asked him what a tadger was and he told him it was the Scottish animal equivalent of a badger:)))))) That Bhoy will go far in life. No w realizing in my 24th year of teaching I can start to say anything!!!
Hail Hail.
Sean
General Randy Badger
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p07843sr.jpg
From Jota/Abada to Yang/Forrest……..
from wingers to wringers….
HH
don’t worry we are top of the class with all the lessons the players have learned following thrashings after thrashing playing in Europe.
CHAIRBHOY on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 1:46 PM
Thanks for the reply …. I’ll have another go, although I’m not a Chartered Accountant either , thank god
My previously poorly expressed point was that we could spend all our cash reserves £70M circa plus the current debt (of Atletico ) which I assumed was around £30M , I do appreciate that they had an astronomical debt a few years back.
So £100m on players fees and wages buys you what nowadays ?
I suspect a few extra points in the CL maybe 2nd place , maybe not. Alternatively, as noted by other posters , if we kept all our players ( so no big cash surplus) where would be in CL terms ,in my view , we would still not be a shoe in for CL advancement to the knockout stages.
There will be plenty of other clubs around Europe in a similar position to ourselves but unfortunately at UEFA and National Associations there are too many individuals with their noses in the trough to expect fundamental changes to the European football model, until there is it’s wasted energy getting on a massive downer when we suffer the occasional doing.
HH
EK,
that is a good reality check post.
we could spend all the money, and not acheive a single better football outcome.
my only hope, and i am clutching at straws here, the new cl format somehow delivers more games with less world class elite players to face, and we creep up the table,
Heard the Huns going 2 up last night as the bus driver had a tranny on.
Got home fearing the worst. Read the Celtic sites this morning and gleaned the impression that the hun had been outstanding and really are the real deal. Thought they must have scored four or five without reply.
Just found out quarter of an hour ago they had only won 2–1.
CHAIRBHOY on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 4:15 PM
PRESTONPANS BHOYS @ 3:30 PM
Tbh I didn’t tally up the honours stuff, the CL qualification bit was enough for me 🤔
Qualifying and coming 2nd bottom of the ECL group and qulifying for Europa, is not beyond our club, as an ambition. We sit in the mid-50s in co-efficient, falling to the level of ole adversaries like Cluj !
The use of money should be spread across all areas of the club that give us any advantages:
-Fixing our youth set-up
-Sourcing more O’Rileys and less Kwons, regularly.
-Coherent balance between experience and projects.
-Better facilities and more science
-Better coaching & pragmatic tactics (think BR is getting there after helter skelter Ange)
etc etc.
Anybody suggesting that those of us who want change just want ‘more kwality players’ are of course talking out of their arses. Sames goes for those who focus on the structural problem of european football to do nothing. Even I recognise that the big table is out of sight for now…
Raise your risk profile. Spend our bloody money wisely and obsess about the football operations, rather than rainy days or domestic arrogance.
When you’re being led by really old men in backgrounds of bean counting, asset stripping and legal, you get conservatism and risk aversion sadly.
HH
From the GB, got a feeling their ban may become permanent, can’t see the board putting up with that.
“Should our own situation not be satisfactorily resolved by Celtic vs Motherwell, 25/11/23, we will organise a day of action at this match. We will liaise with all interested Celtic fans, fan groups and CSCs in the lead up to this date.”
EKBHOY @ 4:46 PM,
Apologies, I misread your comment, it was clear enough – for those who can do basic comprehension:))
Yes, very different scenario, we could not afford to spend nett 100 mn, even if we did the players we brought in would ruin our wage structure so quite agree.
However think my point about spending the 30 mn is valid, we weren’t too far away from competing with these teams and that cash on experienced players could have made a huge difference to our season.
The team would be bedded in for an assault on the new format UCL as well.
BTW: Watch out for the ICA Fraternity:)
Apologies again…
Hail Hail
That’s not the best news on Maeda. A big loss.
Wonder if we’ll go 2 up top or put Kyogo out wide.
Either way Oh might get his chance.
It’s like going to a restaurant, but on the way in your dog has a poop on the lawn
Despite being told many times your won’t stop your dog doing it and refuse to pick it up
It costs the restaurant £250k to clean up the mess
And you can’t understand why they won’t let you in again??
!!BADA BING!! on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 1:19 PM
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
*The Chairman at the time of Seville was Brian Paul Quinn who had been appointed to the Board in March 1996 as a non-executive Director and vice-chairman of the plc board, his appointment was seen as quite a coup for Fergus McCann as he was at the time the deputy governor of the Bank of England, who on his appointment to the board said, “I am a lifelong Celtic supporter.”
No bad for a bhoy fae Govan who had graduated with an MA in Honours fae Glasgow Uni, another MA with Honours in Economics fae Manchester Uni plus a PhD in Economics fae Cornell Uni, then for 6 years he worked for the International Monetary Fund in West Africa before joining the Bank of England where he rose from economist to become acting deputy governor of the Bank of England in 1995.
The result of his attention to the balance sheet is that the Board under his leadership turned the financial basis of the club around from an extremely poor set of figures at the start to posting a slight profit followed by a £15million pre-tax profit and an almost debt-free club when he resigned
Speaking of that period he said, “We ran up cumulative deficits over the years of in excess of £40m and we were funding those deficits ultimately by shareholders’ contributions through rights issues, although we were achieving a certain success by then on the football field under Martin O’Neill, you can’t go on losing money at the rate of £5m-£7m a year indefinitely.”
We had almost been tae the wall, so it was a case of once bitten twice shy, so at that Peter Lawwell, who had originally been by us as the club’s Financial Controller under then Chief Executive Terry Cassidy, enough said there, was also hired tae help stem the flow and for a long spell he was seen as the sharp suited mhan, at Brian Quinn’s insistency we then embarked on life in the slow lane by bringing in WGS, at MON’s urging, who has always said the shelf life expectancy of a top manager is 3 years, MON had been there 5 when he left 2 years after Seville
Now it has always been mooted that MON left because of PL’s interference, although at the time he himself said it was mainly due to his wife’s poor health plus his kids and home were still down south, it should also be noted here that his successor WGS did exactly the same thing with the removal van was in his driveway while half his furniture was already back at his home down south when DD convinced him to stay after Tommy Burns Thursday, he had done his 3 years and knew his time was up contrary tae the rumour that the “Strachan Strachan GTF” chant was instrumental in his leaving.
As I said earlier once bitten twice shy which will always make us an ultra cautious club
MODERATOR1888 on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 6:02 PM
Or conversely, at the same restaurant, there’s a guy comes up and says, are you those celtic fans I see regularly on TV backing the Palestinians, despite all that external pressure?
Love you guys. Dinners on me and I’ll cover the cost of your dog sh*tting too.
Keep up the good work.
:)
HH
was it not a herd of elephants , 250k to clean it up, what size is the lawn
TexasTim on 10th November 2023 12:01 pm
Morning all from a cool and drizzly Texas
………………………………………………………………………
Ye Always associate Texas with Hot & Sunny weather. :)
VAR has been extremely grim for Celtic, Home & Away.
At times, I’m thinking what is the point.
Hearing Daizen is out until next year isn’t great either.
Aberdeen are doing very well under Barry but they cannae handle 3 games in a week, so it is the best possible game, to get that game in Spain out of the system. I’ll be going for a few whacky bets on Celtic goals.
MOD, the sooner you realise they’re the Green Brigade and entitled to do WTF they want the better.
There is no shame in parking the bus in Europe, to get a result, Celtic managers need to realise this and be able to coach the team in different formations
“SAINT STIVS on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 4:52 PM
EK,
“we could spend all the money, and not achieve a single better football outcome.”
Agreed.
|Seems to me that many feel spending money guarantees success. It most certainly does not.
There also seems to be an assumption that quality players would be willing to come to the SPFL because Celtic are a big Club. I don`t think there is much evidence to support that view.
TONTINE TIM on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 6:05 PM
We seem to be a support who moans about about how european football has changed since 2003 due to money, but happily ignore the enormous upside of UEFA funding to our bottom line.
We were buying £6m players when a win in a champions league match bagged you less than 300k.
We baulk at paying £6m now (20 years later) when we are earning upwards of £30m in a crap campaign.
We’ve turned prudence into a self-fulfilling prophecy of european mediocrity
HH
Who the feck are these peepul?
267 want to discuss things with the board.!!
It’s the tail wagging the bliddy elephant.
They can go and do one as far I’m concerned.
The myth of Barry Robson.
Win rate of 15 games out of 32. Less than every other game. Worse than McInnes at Aberdeen.
Currently sitting in the bottom half of the table, below the likes of Dundee.
Long ball merchant, with football that would mke your eyes bleed.
I think he’s an awful manager.
HH
The GB statement,
hmmm,
would any individual supporters club be granted an audience with the PLC and owners ?
I doubt it.
a day of action ?
to the car park troops.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F-lc7egXsAU6jPv?format=jpg&name=small
SAINT STIVS
no idea it was just story….
Threats if they don’t get their way.
Who are these peepul?
i am being daft, ignore me.
So the club sees the GB as a collective, as evidenced by their statements & rail standing Terms and conditions.
Club has imposed a collective punishment of all GB members by banning the lot of them.
There’s now a standoff.
The GB wants to speak to the club, representing that group.
And eijits here are trying to pick holes in that?
Nothing stopping anyone seeing their club custodians. It’s not the great wizard of Oz (sadly he’s gone)
HH
CHAIRBHOY on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 5:46 PM
EKBHOY @ 4:46 PM,
Don’t disagree with your transfer approach , for me the issue is straightforward.
Either all our managers , scouts , recruitment bods for the last 20 years are all wholly incompetent and can’t source the next level up of player E.g big strapping bloke , 2 footed midfielder, played at high EL level OR more likely (in my view) such players don’t want to play in Scotland.
Simplest answer usually most likely …. There is a reason we buy project players is because it is mutually beneficial, we shelled out £9m for Odsonne after a try and buy approach , we splashed out £6M for Jota on the same arrangement…. so £30m will get you maybe 3 players , unusual they all click straightaway and very often change of training regime will result in an injury.
Whilst , I still take your point re the £30m transfer pot it guarantees nothing ; it can be a circular discussion, as often supporters say it’s not my job to find the players it’s the club / recruitment etc …
Anyway watching professional football is still great fun , and the last few years Celtic have played some lovely football ; my take on it is that we have the right footballing approach ( we may get the occasional doing) but the alternative of a backs to the wall , hoof it , is not an option anymore, the way the game is played and reffed in Europe now.
Goodtochatcfc
remember that time when the green brigade hosted Palestinians at Celtic Park and Scott Brown welcomed them and their flags ?
hello is that you CEO of the Dallas Cowboys ?
well the thing is I want a meeting with you to discuss why i was banned from my seat jusat because i was smoking, i demand an audience.
Saint Stivs
That is the reason( a Catholic) Murdoch never got a promotion…..forget the episode.
listen CEO your just a custodian, my family have been going to cowboys games for donkeys years,
what do you mean you are the owner and i can do one.
I must admit I am not impressed with the use of the adverb “satisfactorily” before the past participle “resolved”. Am ah wrang?
Splish Splosh….
I was taking a jump…….
Where is Cork Celt??
TIMHORTON on 10TH NOVEMBER 2023 6:54 PM
Where is Cork Celt??
—
Is the answer, Cork ?
HH
There are plenty ways to express yer Politics.
Celtic Park, for me anyway, is about watching Celtic. The Green Brigade have done some amazing things. They, IMHO, are highly Political and they urnae on my wavelength.
Perhaps when I was 15 going to the Jungle and getting to the very middle, I’d be more receptive.
I’m 51 now.
If people are being used, and that is what I think @ the moment.
I’ve been totally sickened by that decision – Big population country and we have the “we don’t sit on Green seats” – utter hatred.
CELTIC
CELTIC