Celtic growing into their skin, more on Maribor

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You could see Celtic mature during last night’s game.  They were defensively solid during the first half, and Craig Gordon was assured throughout, but for the best part of an hour we scarcely tested St Johnstone.

That changed after the goal, which arrived just as St Johnstone were enjoying their best period of the game.  Kris Commons didn’t have his most productive night but it was his pressing which led to the break through.

During the second half Ronny Deila replaced Commons, Stokes and the tiring Forrest with Boerrigter, Inge Berget and Kayal.  Even before the home team were reduced to 10 men moments after the final substitution, Celtic were clearly in a more comfortable shape.  Players were finding space which didn’t exist earlier.

Maribor made seven changes for last night’s Slovenian Super Cup Final, which they won comfortably against opponents who are pointless in the league after four games.  Celtic’s scouts are unlikely to have learned too much useful information ahead of next weeks’ game.

What is clear about Maribor is their aerial threat.  Five of their 12 goals this season have been headers, which may influence Ronny’s team selection.  They also break quickly down the flanks, so maybe a 4-5-1, offering protection to our full backs, is the way to go.  Hopefully we’ve learned we’re not quite ready for 4-3-3 away from home in Europe.

The Slovenian media are dismissive of Celtic’s chances, encouraged, it seems, but continuing celebrations from Maribor that they pulled an “easy” draw.  I suspect they’ve yet to see the Celtic who will take the field on Wednesday.

Fancy winning a pair of tickets in the padded seats of the Jock Stein Stand for flag day on Saturday – and helping Mary’s Meals?  Magners have kindly offered a pair of tickets, which you can win, if you donate £1 to Mary’s Meals.  You can, of course, give as much you like, but £1 is the minimum donation.
You also need to answer the question: Which team will Celtic play this Saturday, shortly after the League Flag flies?  To enter, forward your MyDonate confirmation email to celticquicknews@gmail.com, with your answer.  Competition closes at noon tomorrow (Friday), winner will be notified by email, so check you inbox.

It’ll cost you £1, you could win premium seats to the premium event, enter here.  Cheers to Magners.

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  1. masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar

     

     

    14:31 on 14 August, 2014

     

    Tony,

     

    annie has just found out after 60 odd years, she picked up the wrang wean?

     

    __________ hahahahahahahh

  2. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon ....The angels are with Wee Oscar in Heaven.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    jude2005 is neil lennon \o/

     

     

    14:24 on 14 August, 2014

     

     

    We certainly do, and Celtic will have a list … not TOO sure about Cifti, though..?

  3. joe filippis haircut

     

     

    14:32 on 14 August, 2014

     

    tonydonnelly67. You are bragging about about being in the daily Ranger are you a hun ?H.H.:-)

     

    _____________

     

     

    The jigs up, I’ve been outed ;)

  4. masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar on

    In sayin that big mick has always said that

  5. UEFA ignore CAS, you can take it we will be playing Maribor next Wed.

     

    Last nights performance will not do. If we have a “big money” (By our standards) signing in the pipeline, he should be fast tracked into the Dundee Utd. game. Otherwise it is pack midfield and defend for our lives against Maribor and try & keep the tie alive for return leg.

  6. football clubs having to deal with the consequences of their screw ups – weird place this UEFA !

  7. Just Another Tim on

    I hope we beat Maribor in the playoff. What are the chances we end up in the same group as Legia in the EL if we don’t.

  8. Thursday 14 August 2014 15.30CETUEFA

     

     

    UEFA Appeals Body: Legia Warszawa case

     

     

    The UEFA Appeals Body met yesterday following an appeal by Legia Warszawa against the decision taken by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on 8 August.

     

     

    The appeal lodged by the Polish club was rejected and, therefore, the original decision of the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body is confirmed.

     

     

    The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body had sanctioned Legia for fielding a suspended player (Article 18 of the Regulations of the UEFA Champions League, 2014/15 competition, and Article 21 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, 2014 edition) in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round return leg against Celtic FC in Edinburgh on 6 August. That match has been declared as a forfeit, meaning Legia lost 3-0.

  9. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    67H

     

     

    Big Hoy Donk wants us to sign him he also told the player to go to Celtic!! Good enuff for me!!

  10. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon ....The angels are with Wee Oscar in Heaven.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    jude2005 is neil lennon \o/

     

     

    14:28 on 14 August, 2014

     

     

    So do I ….. Luv the big Mhan

  11. Daily Record…………..Exclusive

     

    TD67.My Wee Maw reveals long lost Brother.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Kev J …. I Love you Bro………………

  12. Spiers the corduroy clad cowgirl wrings his hands in faux outrage that Celtic haven’t done the morally correct thing and warns us of our dangerous future disasters in Europe which is his right of course having clinically dissected his own clubs Euro disasters and their fans behaviour over the years, not to mention his world acclaimed exposeé of their financial abuse of the Scottish nation to the tune of almost one million pounds leading to the deknighting of the Murray, would that we had ten more Grahams then our national game would not be in such a state.

     

     

    Scotland’s Brave face of Journalism.

     

     

    Take a bow ya big girls blouse..

     

     

    Irony it’s in the dictionary clown.

  13. Tom McLaughlin

     

     

    14:14 on 14 August, 2014

     

     

    Think of the thousands of emails sent to UEFA by disgruntled huns, all to no avail.

     

     

     

    Tom, the Penny Arcadians continue to be an amusement for us all.

  14. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    masty

     

     

    Should listen to his bloody agent then. Grrrrrrrrrr

     

     

    JFH

     

     

    Ciftri

  15. masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar on

    Calton tongue

     

    his mammy had a fire guard across the front of his pram

  16. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    jude2005 Cifti I havnt seen a lot of the how many goals has he scored for United ? H.H.

  17. ‘TD replaces McCann as pundit after spectacular Sky Sport meltdown melee’

     

     

    ShocheroonieCSC

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  18. Saw this on Twitter. Apologies if already posted.

     

     

    New lyrics for The Willie Maley song!

     

     

    @Donaldinnes1: @stephend_1 @CQN @HarryBradyCU And they gave us James McGrory and Paul McStay, They gave us UEFA Rule Paragraph 12 Subsection A. Frm the HB.

     

     

    HH

  19. green badger

     

     

    Hypothetical hogwash from Speirs

     

     

    The chances of what happened to Legia happening to Celtic are remote as Speirs picking this weeks lotto numbers and he knows it.

     

     

    Still this piece of drivel will endear him to the Sevconians who of late are taken to moral crusading on the behalf of Polish teams.

  20. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon ....The angels are with Wee Oscar in Heaven.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    I’m just starting to realise how major this is to our Club …. Euro football until Xmas, at least ……wow …..

  21. Awe , I just read that Spiers article, feck me those boys are hurting, and I mean big time, it is in your face hatred full blown AMA pissed aff Hun, and I’m letting you know it, thing is it’s very quiet over at the south west of the city right now, so he may have another story sooner than he thinks, to him and all the lurking Huns in here GIRFUYs

  22. Just over a week ago I had a feeling of dread that Fergus McCann would be walking onto the Celtic Park pitch with a huge dark cloud hanging over the stadium.

     

     

    Now after last nights 3 – 0 win and confirmation that the Legia appeal has been declined I really hope that Fergus gets the welcome he deserves and that there is a much more opptomitic feel about the place.

     

     

    COYBIG

  23. green badger

     

     

    14:33 on 14 August, 2014

     

     

    Spiers is nae happy. Reckons ” When that day comes, I hope the Parkhead club will have the decency to rein in their protests, and take their medicine.”

     

    I’ve thought Celtic FC have been very quiet regarding being cheated out of League titles again and again and again to be fair.

     

     

    http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/opinion/spiers-on-sport-imagine-if-celtic-had-done-a-legia.1408021541?

     

    ……………………………………………………………..

     

     

    Imagine if Speirs hid a ph*nny he’d be a wummin.

     

     

    Mind you he bloody well might have.

     

     

    Imagine big Peter robbed a bank…

     

     

    and

     

     

    imagine the huns had not been liquidated

     

     

    and

     

     

    imagine, och ah canny be bothered.

     

     

    Does Spiers have an editor who condones this pish?

     

     

    No wonder their sales are falling.

     

     

    Imagine I’ll have a drink when I get home.

     

     

    Wait a minute…..

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