Back in the 80s I had a soft spot for Porto. Their 2-1 1987 European Cup final win over Bayern Munich, coming from behind in the last 15 minutes and scoring with a back-heel, against a vastly better resourced opponent, was something Celtic fans could relate to.
A decade later I followed Porto’s tribulations as they tried to recapture those heights in the Champions League with a new team. They remained an engaging team but when it came to the big clubs there was always one who would wipe the floor with them. Manchester United scored four without reply in the 1997 quarter finals. The following season Real Madrid hit six over two games without conceding as Porto exited at the group stage.
It was a group stage exit the next season, before Bayern Munich took them in the 2000 quarter final. Then what looked like a significant reversal as they failed to qualify for Europe’s top tournament, settling for Uefa Cup football instead in season 2000-01. They eliminated Celtic from the group stage in 2001-02 but were taken home and away by Real Madrid in the last sixteen.
All this time they were fine-tuning player development and recruitment strategy; buying marginally better players and selling for ever-increasing money. Real Madrid may have wiped the floor with them but Porto’s business model was fine-tuned by 2002. Real won their last European trophy that season but the gap with Porto was closed in an instant.
Celtic are less than two years into their current strategy and we’re miles ahead of where we should be. It will be extremely difficult to match this season’s on-field achievements next season, but the stage you exit the Champions League is only one yardstick available. It took Porto years of slow and meandering progress to learn what it took to reach the highest level. This is our task.
On Friday 1 March the Lisbon Lions will be at the Kerrydale Suite providing commentary and answering questions on their magnificent European Cup final win in 1967. This has never happened in 46 years since that game, to say it is a unique opportunity fails to tell the whole story.
The event is part of our 125 4 125 campaign – central to reinvigorating the charitable spirit which is part of the club we love. It will be a family occasions, tickets are available at £10 for adults and £5 for children. The night has been organised by several fans working in conjunction with the people at Celtic Charity, so please do your best to support this great occasion. Individual tickets or tables are available, details here.
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rebelbhoy72
I was in Cork for work last March. Lovely wee place. Got the train from Cork to Dublin and had a Guinness in the bar accross from the station (the name escapes me). The barmaid was from Edinburgh and was brought up near where I live now! Small world, welcome.
LB
I was like most on a downer at the result and unlike rebelbhoy 72 I couldn’t come on here as I knew there would be a bit of blood letting, which is understandable. I thought we were beaten by a better side who were just a wee bit more street wise than us but on a more positive note I do strongly feel that Celtic are going places.
I think Gershon and Rodic will be very good additions to the cause and a new striker wont go amiss.
We played very well for long periods of the game but didn’t really penetrate but Celtic are going in the right direction.
The future is bright the future is green& white. HH
south of tunis
10:52 on
14 February, 2013
estorilbhoy .
I have no ambiguity — I think it is foul play and should be treated as such .
I watched all of both of last night’s CL ties . My eyes saw 7 examples of a defender using his arms and hands to impede the movement of an attacker.[ in the penalty area ] The Referee did nothing
—
Apologies just back on line.
If you believe the extent of manhandling in last nights game was the same as our players experienced then, sorry, cannot agree and to suggest so is in my opinion folly.
Shieldmuir Celtic
UEFA and Platini should be forced for the sake of football to make a statement on what is and not allowable in defending corners and ORDER referees to punish persistent offending.
It is not a Celtic issue, we just happen to be on the receiving end this time, it is a football issue.
rebelbhoy72 Welcome as a poster from a fellow Corkonian. Yep we all have to put up with the EPL crap, and the second team syndrome. Over the years we have brought quite a few “EPL” lads over on trips and have converted quite a few of them. I was over for the Juventus game and t’would do your heart good to see lads with accents from all over the Country chatting in departure Lounge. One fan in particular caught my eye, I would have loved to talk to her but she seemed somewhat reserved and whilst we all love to mingle & chat you have to respect that some people may not welcome an invasion of their privacy. The fan that took my eye was a very well groomed Lady in her sixties, who had a walking stick, she appeared to be on her own and was resplendent in a long Green & White Celtic scarf. I just gave her a smile & a thumbs up and left it at that.
Roses are red
Bluebells are blue
We’ve got 500 million fans
And a £30 million pound war chest
And we’re gonna have a floating pitch
And a casino
And a retractable roof
And our manager is the bestest
And we would have won everything if we wanted to
So there…..
rebelbhoy72
Hail Hail
South Of Tunis
12:52 on
14 February, 2013
Paul ——
Bayern 1 —–Porto 2 .
A great game . A fabulous performance from the wonderful Paulo Futre . One of the great Number 10s.
=======================================
Not Forgetting ‘The Golden boy of African football’… Madjer. Who can forget his performance for Algeria against West Germany in the 1982 World Cup. Great Player.
HH
Paul, don’t think any comparsion between us and Porto stands up.
Porto bring players in from all over the world, three years later they have European passports and then can be sold on at a tremendous profit.
We on the hand require work permits and International caps ratio to enable us to bring in players.
This is why a lot of players choose Portugal over Britian, the European passport is of great value.
As a nation we then also lose out on international players, unlike Portugal, who have had Deco and numerous others playing for them.
Playing fast and loose with work permits, passports and South Americans has helped Porto show an average annual transfer market profit of c.£20m for the last 10 yrs.
Crafty devils.
http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/fc-porto/transferbilanz/verein_720.html
Why are the laptop loyal and Sevco treating today as the anniversary of some massive achievement?
Are they really that stupid?
Good article Paul,
and links to something I posted earlier on where Celtic are now and the difficulties both club and players face.
http://wp.me/p1G95H-lk
Jim
ASonOfDan
Maybe they will declare 14th February as EBT Pride Day – and organize another march?
Great post rebelbhoy.
The hilarious thing about the EPL worshippers is that their holy grail is….CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFICATION!
Going by most of their attitudes you would think we don’t play professional football on a weekly basis. Most of these fans are happy to bask in the reflected glory of the likes of Man Utd etc.
The SPL is not the best league in Europe but there are a lot worse leagues. If it was as bad as many make out then the step up to the Champions League would have been been laid bare.
However, in our Champions League escapades we have been far from the whipping boys.
HH
Auldheid,
I haven’t read back before your latest contribution but may I say that I have expectation that UEFA will make it a football. It is a television issue. The biggest countries have the biggest audiences and, I imagine, contribute most to the coffers. They will want to see their teams playing in the latter stages of the tournament. After all, wasn’t the Champions League itself set up to accomodate Granada tv who had paid so much to have the rights to Man U, who were promptly eliminated in the 1st round of the old European Cup by Galatasary?
It’s shameful but I doubt if Platini and co will be complaining about the treatment dished out to us, especially if Dallas has influence in Nyon.
estorilbhoy .
I do not think that the manhandling in both of last night’s games was anything like what we witnessed from Rubentus…It was still manhandling , it was still obstruction , it was still foul play
Do UEFA have a scale for measuring the degree of manhandling ? [ thats ok .thats not ok ]
The issue is that some Referees allow it . Heard the issue raised during last night’s game in Madrid.. Pundit opined that maybe UEFA didn’t want their big money showpieces ruined by bookings/ sending offs and too many penalties.
UEFA could solve the problem —–why don’t they ?
Auldheid,
that shouid have read “NO expectation….”
Roses are flowers
chocolates and burds
Peepil who sing
about bluebells are turds
Sashes to ashes Dust to dust A year ago today The huns went bust
HH
Millwall manager has just said,
“We want to improve racism in society”
tradionalist88,
I don’t know what league you watch regularly but the SPL is dire. Celtic have made immense strides to raise their game against teams in the Champions League, I often wonder just how good the likes of Hooper and Commons could be if they were having to pit their abilities against good opposition on a weekly basis.
The first part of our strategy paying off came with the interim results.
The second part, is going to be how much money we can get for ooper and Wanyama.
The third part is who we replace them with (although i would buy a replacement before we sell them).
googybhoy ♥ Celtic
Yeah less cursing in your racist insults please there are children present.
Brogan
Good read – interesting you should compare Barry Bannan and Scott Brown in terms of earnings and career achievements, especially considering that Mr Bannan has been on at least one European trip with the Celtic support this season lapping it up!
It does beat the trip to Wigan:)
HH
Thanks to all for the welcome. Its not so scary here after all :)
starry plough.
Guy I know[ in NYC] told me he shifted 300 Conquering Lions over the weekend [ all he had ]
rebelbhoy72
BOO!
rebelbhoy72
Married a RebGhirl, and her parents wont take her back ! -)))))
ASonOfDan
14:10 on
14 February, 2013
Why are the laptop loyal and Sevco treating today as the anniversary of some massive achievement?
Are they really that stupid?
_________________________________________________________________
No, they see it as the day they dumped a gazillion pounds worth of debt and passed through the sphincter that runs Scottish Football to emerge squeaky clean on the other side.
We, and the rest of Scottish football, know that is total fantasy and they actually passed-away in what was the rectum that runs Scottish football.
Once again Happy Administration Day, I can’t wait until Liquidation Day is here so we can remind them again that they are dead!
Parkheadcumsalford
I said there are worse leagues, I don’t think that is an absurd suggestion, do you?
And we havent been the whipping boys in Europe. Look at the doing Sevco took when they stepped up a few levels to face Dundee Utd. You can’t just turn your Champions league form on and off like a tap because you’re playing better teams.
Yes there is a step up from SPL to CL but at the same time don’t believe ALL the bad hype about the SPL.
HH
Just thought of a belter……
Aahem……
Roses are red
The grass is green
This is the worst rangers tribute act
I’ve ever seen
Thank you and good night
rebelbhoy72
12:51 i never brought either of my bhoy up in the celtic way.purely because to me celtic is a way of life,and when i reflect on my ethos i think that football should never be that important. purely because i have caught the bug,why should i inflict it on my offspring? . however both are bhoys though only one is smitten like me.i suppose it is in their genes
Lurking a lot more now: CQN has been a godsend the last few months.
The medical profession is actually getting to grips with what’s happening for me and I’m feeling hopeful now.
Still want to gie the sevcovians laldy, though!
HH!
googybhoy ♥ Celtic
14:20 on
14 February, 2013
Millwall manager has just said,
“We want to improve racism in society”
______________________________________________________
I almost felt disgusted by them, until I heard who they were abusing! I know, I know.
hangs head in shame and leaves.
roses are red ,and the grass is green,are rangers the best laughing stock,that you’ve ever seen……………………………………….answers on a postcard to cqn,freepost,so that her potrait is no’oan it!
WeeOscar4Life
12:49 on
14 February, 2013
Who is this Fin72 usurper you speak of?
Is this the old Whyte/White switcharoonay?
Back to lurking….
charliebhoy, I think most kids just look up to their Parents and particularly boys tend to copy their father. Its not always the case of course but exceptions make the rule. I wouldn’t see raising your kid as a Celt as inflicting anything on them but I do agree there are more important things in life then Football, however I tend to forget what they are anytime Celtic are playing. I came back from Glasgow sick as a parrot yesterday, and Mrs Corkcelt asks me if I’m going to come with her over to my daughters house about a mile away. I’m knackered but haven’t seen the grandkids for a couple of days so I say yes. Leave the daughters house an hour later with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye. There is another little Celt on the way, he or she is still early in the making, but I can already see the little green & white baby gro. Great timing darling daughter, gave the ol’ fella a lift just when he needed it.
Roses are red
My dug’s in heaven
Please can we have
A new number seven