Be careful for who we wish for

123

Dinamo Zagreb
Ludogorets Razgrad
Kobenhavn
Hapoel Beer-Sheva

Dundalk

The story of the third round wasn’t Dundalk’s magnificent win over BATE Borisov (Uefa coefficient points: 34), it was Hapoel Be’er-Sheva’s incredible defeat of Olympiakos (Uefa coefficient points: 70).

Only Manchester City, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk were higher seeded in the qualifying competition than Olympiakos.  The lesson here is that pretty much anything can happen in the qualifiers.  From the above list, I’d bite your hand off for Dundalk or Hapoel, but all five of them are on the verge of Champions League qualification on merit.  We should be careful for who we wish for.

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  1. Ray Winstone's Big Disembodied Heid on

    If the journey means everything and arriving means nothing then you’re not really on a journey, you’re just wandering about, since the whole point of a journey is to arrive somewhere.

  2. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    FOGHORNLEGHORN

     

     

    It was the sound of a numptie,mate.

     

     

    Good spot,sorry I didn’t namecheck your humourous perspicacity.

  3. Celtic are the Best.

     

     

    Dundalk would be the toughest test, IMO.

     

     

    Confident with Brendan at the helm – I really can’t wait to see more of our own in the first team, I think this is gonnae happen under Brendan’s tutelage, probably a big reason he took the Job, it is well known we have exceptional youngsters coming through.

  4. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    Not having that negativity.

     

    Mon the wee Karamoko….future Hunskelper:)

     

     

     

    HH

  5. 50 shades of green on 5th August 2016 10:21 am

     

     

    London huns have been after him for the last 2 seasons. Offered his dad a job in London as part of the deal, last I heard though the family are happy up here, and the bhoy himself wants to stay put. But you never know I suppose.

     

    __

     

     

     

    Yeah, not a criticism against Celtic, the lad or his family. It’s just the way modern football is.

     

     

    English academies are very aggressive when it comes to recruitment and as the lad improves so will the offers (especially Manchester City and Chelsea)

     

     

    The two academies I mentioned aren’t really interested in bringing young players into the team. Those clubs just buy established internationals.

     

     

    The academy is a business. You pretend these lads or on the fast track to the first team but in fact they are just assets they are hoarding. Buy all the best youngsters, start to loan them out and then you might get some fee’s back.

     

     

    We’ve accepted it. We either sign the cast-offs (Boyata, Janko) or we try and get our hands on an exceptional talent for a year or two (Denayer)

  6. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    Timaloy29

     

     

    Get wee Karamoko in the team now….before Chelski kidnap him :)

     

     

    HH

  7. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    50 SHADES OF GREEN

     

     

    I pointed out last night that Dembele was only 13. It was a remark I overheard at the tournament in Dublin,didn’t think anything of it at the time.

     

     

    I googled him and came up wi the info that he played for our U-13 as well as the U-16 in that Player of the Tournament display.

     

     

    I was astonished!

     

     

    I hope Chelsea have burned their boats as far as nicking our kids is concerned. Islam Feruz certainly made a mistake joining them,and kids and parents now have a precedent for comparison.

  8. The logical choice would be to use the Europa League as a platform to develop a CL level team. BR looks like he could do that.

     

     

    The emotional choice is the CL because of the atmosphere a CL night at CP can generate.

     

     

    Our team from Wednesday night is not physically strong enough to compete at CL level although a couple of signings might improve us.

     

     

    So for me it’s que sera, sera.

  9. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    BMCUWP

     

     

    Ive never seen a kid at that age, play football like that.

     

    I was amazed how good Karamoko is.

     

    Like you say astonishing.

     

    Truly.

     

    That bhoy has it all…at 13.

     

    Id urge everyone to check the bhoy out.

     

    Just wow.

     

     

    HH

  10. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on 5th August 2016 10:31 am

     

     

    Get wee Karamoko in the team now….before Chelski kidnap him :)

     

    ___

     

     

    I said that about Feruz at the time. Give them a taste of actually playing professional football rather than banish them to youth teams for another 4/5 years.

  11. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on 5th August 2016 10:07 am

     

     

    Dont matter who we draw…we still need to improve.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    ……………………………………………………………………………………….

     

     

     

    The wee man said that Kolo would be Captain by the end of the Season. Quite a statement by a 15 yo.

     

     

    A Wonderful presence at the back.

     

     

    Powerful guy, with pace as well when needed.

  12. 50 shades of green on

    TIMALOY29 on 5TH AUGUST 2016 10:28 AM

     

     

     

    Agree with you on that mate, most of the academy teams in the Epl cost more to put together than the whole of Scotlands league bar one team of course.

     

     

    I see lots of critics on here about Lennoxtown (When are they gonna rename that Tommy Burns town), but the fact is most teams in the lower leagues have players in their teams that came through Lennoxtown. And the money spent on the training and education of the youngsters is next to nothing compared to the Epl.

  13. Auldheid on 5th August 2016 10:38 am

     

    The logical choice would be to use the Europa League as a platform to develop a CL level team. BR looks like he could do that.

     

     

    The emotional choice is the CL because of the atmosphere a CL night at CP can generate.

     

     

    Our team from Wednesday night is not physically strong enough to compete at CL level although a couple of signings might improve us.

     

    ___

     

     

    My hope is that we qualify for the CL, pocket the cash and prestige before nipping into the Europa League via 3rd spot!

     

     

    I think it’s as ambitious as we can dare to be.

  14. Call_of_Juarez on

    I would be surprised if wee Dembele ever gets near the first team. If he stays healthy, he and his family will be under huge pressure to accept the big bucks that will be coming his way from other clubs.

  15. 50 shades of green on 5th August 2016 10:40 am

     

     

    You are right. The EPL academies have budgets (And in Man City’s case a stadium) that would see them compete in the English lower leagues.

     

     

    Which is why they are trying to shoehorn them into the cups

  16. Auldheid on 5th August 2016 10:38 am

     

     

    The logical choice would be to use the Europa League as a platform to develop a CL level team. BR looks like he could do that.

     

     

    The emotional choice is the CL because of the atmosphere a CL night at CP can generate.

     

     

    Our team from Wednesday night is not physically strong enough to compete at CL level although a couple of signings might improve us.

     

     

    So for me it’s que sera, sera.

     

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

     

    I Despise New Agers.

     

     

    I kind of know we are likely to gain access to the CL.

     

     

    Me and the boy will miss so many games if we drop down into the EL.

     

     

    Not a Worry.

     

     

    Rolling with the Stepper

  17. 50 shades of green on

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 5TH AUGUST 2016 10:35 AM.

     

     

     

    Yea Bobby your right Kaddy has been “played up ” with the academy teams for a couple of seasons, Hope we get to see him Grace the hoops for the first team, but a few Bhoys in the development squad should appear before Kaddy I think.

     

     

    Anyway time for the draw, then the worry:-).

     

     

    H.H

  18. The Green Man says SACK THE Board on

    Booooo

     

     

    Ruin my fun why dont you.

     

    Watch the footage…13 year old genius Celtic kid…..and you all have him sold already.

     

    That kid is brilliant…a special talent.

     

    Forget Feyruz….he couldnt lace this kids boots.

     

    Watch the footage.

     

     

    HH

  19. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    Right…

     

     

    Here’s my masterplan to keep our budding superstar. Formulated over a smoke outside the pub-and not a DD doobie either!

     

     

    We promise him half first-team rate on signing,first-team rate when playing at that level. Wages to rise commensurately,and 25% of any transfer fee.

     

     

    And we promise his Da that the family can live in Willie Haughey’s house as long as he’s playing for us!

  20. traditionalist88 on

    Regarding Chelsea, Man City poaching and hoarding youth players – they won;t get everyone they want as there is no obvious path to the first team. We have great leverage in that we can offer a clear path to players dedicated enough to progress.

     

     

    The bigger problem may be clubs like Middlesborough etc with great facilities, more money than us and a path to the first team.

     

     

    However, next time we qualify for the CL will be the ninth time we have reached the group stage. What a carrot to dangle which most English clubs can;t offer and its vital that we maintain the right to at least qualify for it.

     

     

    HH

  21. Call_of_Juarez on 5th August 2016 10:46 am

     

     

    I would be surprised if wee Dembele ever gets near the first team. If he stays healthy, he and his family will be under huge pressure to accept the big bucks that will be coming his way from other clubs.

     

    _________________________________________________________

     

     

    Newcastle were sniffing about and the wee mhan said he would stop playing football if he was taken away from Celtic!

  22. 50 shades of green on

    PETER

     

     

     

    Me and the boy will miss so many games if we drop down into the EL.

     

     

    Me 2 mate

     

     

    Thursday night fitba plays havoc with the wee mhans training, and of course playing on a Sunday for Celtic and the wee mhans team is a nightmare.

  23. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    VFR

     

     

    That warms the cockles of my heart!

     

     

    Genuinely.

     

     

    Thanks.

  24. coolmore mafia on

    That wee Dembele boy reminds me a bit of myself as a 13 year old, before lager and girls put an end to yet another promising scottish football career

  25. foghorn leghorn on

    nearly time for the pointless “who did we get in the draw” podium attempts

     

     

    the only podiums (surely podia – ed) that count are the first poster on a thread and the last poster before Pauls ‘New Article Posted’ post

     

     

    so save your keystrokes

  26. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    TRADITIONALIST88 on 5TH AUGUST 2016 10:51 AM

     

     

    However, next time we qualify for the CL will be the ninth time we have reached the group stage. What a carrot to dangle which most English clubs can;t offer and its vital that we maintain the right to at least qualify for it.

     

     

     

    HH

     

    =======================================

     

     

    Exactly the way I see it.

     

     

    That and the additional finance which we have been denied for the last two years.

  27. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    COOLMOREMAFIA

     

     

    Lager and girls at 13?!

     

     

    Who you trying to kid,ffs. The lager I can believe,but the only damage girls coulda done ye at that age is if you f….d a cruciate chasing them!

  28. Neil Lennon & McCartney on

    VFR800A8 on 5TH AUGUST 2016 10:54 AM

     

     

    Newcastle were sniffing about and the wee mhan said he would stop playing football if he was taken away from Celtic!

     

    ~~~~~~~~~

     

    That’s brilliant ~ the kid is dynamite!

     

     

    HH

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