Celtic planning now clear as season opens up

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There was an unusual reaction at full time last night.  Some attempted to boo, but the applause from the majority in the crowd soon drowned them out.  Not all defeats are the same, this one came after one of our best performances of the season, against an undoubtedly better team.

It was important to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League.  Bereft of domestic competition, Celtic need to test their abilities against top teams, they need to be stretched, forced to defend for long periods, parts of the game which simply never happen in Scotland.

It’s also important to see tangible signs of improvement.  Those four weeks of summer, which saw defeats twice to Legia, to Maribor and Inverness, were signs of a team in crisis.  They cost us Champions League football, and revenue, but finishing our Europa League group in second place behind Salzburg is the top end of where we expected to be three months ago.

I’m not happy with this morning’s line that we qualified thanks to the result in Romania; we qualified because we collected eight points from our opening four games, including a highly respectable draw in Salzburg.  Win, lose or draw last night, the qualification work had been done.  We can now start planning for the second half of the season.

Those three months since the summer crisis passed with only one defeat, an ultimately costless, if embarrassing, reversal at home to Hamilton.  We can afford a similar episode on the next three months, but not this Sunday.  The visit to Tynecastle is our most important game in the next two months, considerably more so than last night’s.

Commons and Forrest return to full fitness will be closer, while it would be good to see Denayer and Lustig available again.

It was kind of Rangers International to publish their accounts as a pick-me-up for us when we got home last night.  More tomorrow, if we have time.

Shocked and stunned at the news Roy Keane has chucked it at Aston Villa.  No way did I ever see his appointment as assistant to Paul Lambert looking like a pointless distraction so quickly.  Next time we appoint a manager, cut the lines to Barbados and keep Martin’s mobile engaged!

Pre-orders are being accepted for the 2015 CQN Annual, which will be posted week commencing 8 December. Get your orders in now

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  1. Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on

    Neganon2,

     

    I think most are happier we progressed than want to dwell on the bad result, it’s no the end of the world, you obviously disagree so enjoy yourself.

  2. Craigy released on bail?

     

     

    Where’s he staying?

     

     

    Has his passport been confiscated?

     

     

    HH!!

  3. Thanks feck we only lost one EL game, lots of dummies getting spat out tonight and we a suddenly seem to be the worst team in the world. Perspective required

  4. lennon's passion on

    My bhoy just told me Celtic threw 2 young bhoys out the main stand last night for singing. Anyone know what he’s on about. ?

  5. Hi Canamalar. It’s great to get through. We have often been much better and not done so.

     

     

    But you see the thing is we are in blindfolded ignorance of how very poor we actually are.

     

     

    Wouldn’t we all rather face reality.

     

     

    But hey perhaps we can pretend its all good until the next disaster.

     

     

    I thought we were better than that as a support.

     

     

    But I am learning I guess…..

  6. LP

     

     

    it was about two boys singing in the main stand. And they got flung out.

     

     

    Happy to help.

  7. BFSDJ talking about Scotsport presenters ffs the irony.Comedy gold if youtube have any clips of that clown on it.Like a constipated hippo,struggling to go 10 rounds with the English language with an autocue.

  8. Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on

    Neganon2,

     

    I’d also question your statement that there is any ignorance on how bad we are, simply read back, I think you’ll find most are in agreement with you. But like you no one knows what to do about it because it’s not something any supporter can change.

  9. I believe the under 17s played some new club in the Glasgow Cup last night.

     

     

    …and won!

     

     

    Cant find anything on the official site.

     

     

    HH!!

  10. 16 roads – Craig Whyte is innocent.

     

     

    It is said that Whitey Bolger did not rob Peter to pay Paul

     

     

    He killed Peter to pay Paul…….

     

     

    Painted a few houses that guy……..??

  11. Leftie

     

     

    Thought exact ill the same Fhriend!

     

     

    jamesgang

     

     

    17:36 on 28 November, 2014

     

    !!bada bing!!

     

     

    17:18 on 28 November, 2014

     

    syd negakev

     

     

    How about this one?

     

     

    http://s626.photobucket.com/user/RobertCarlyleOBE/media/ravenous/Rav_still017.jpg.html

     

     

    One is a story about, “You are who you eat. Captain John Boyd’s promotion stations him at an isolated fort in the Sierra Nevadas, where he joins a bizarre group of misfits.

     

    The situation takes a violent turn, however, with the arrival of the lone survivor of an ill-fated expedition that ended in murder and cannibalism.”

     

     

    The other is a filum starring bobby Carlyle!

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  12. HT,

     

     

    Enjoy Anfield tomorrow with the youngster…if you see a bloke with a Celtic/Liverpool scarf, it’ll be ryecatcher…

     

     

    Mind and give him a big hug :))

  13. It’s almost as bad as Shortbread on here at times rubbishing Celtic. They just said Celtic scraped through the group stage. As far as I can see we have twice the number of points the nearest side have, not exactly scraping but if want to take the pash out of Celtic who cares about accuracy.

  14. 16 roads - Craig Whyte is innocent. on

    weeman67

     

     

    18:52 on 28 November, 2014

     

     

    —————————————-

     

     

    Big time.

     

     

    A criminal mastermind and an extremely dangerous individual.

     

     

    SouthieCSC.

     

     

    HH.

  15. saltires en sevilla on

    Neganon2

     

     

    Man up and be specific, name names etc.

     

     

    Who on here is celebrating a 3-1 doing at CP?

  16. Wee Craigy is innocent ! Let him go !

     

     

    Wonder when/if the next shyster Charles will be charged.

     

     

    As Murray publicly stated they would only sell to someone who would properly look after the interests of the club.

     

     

    This is all hilarious stuff.

  17. Stairheedrammy

     

     

     

    18:53 on 28 November, 2014

     

     

     

    It’s almost as bad as Shortbread on here at times rubbishing Celtic. They just said Celtic scraped through the group stage. As far as I can see we have twice the number of points the nearest side have, not exactly scraping but if want to take the pash out of Celtic who cares about accuracy.

     

    ————————————–

     

     

    New media is much more efficient than old media at doing the old media’s job.

  18. west of ireland csc on

    does anyone know what % of glasgow celtic is owned by dermot desmond???????????

     

    thanking ye in advance

  19. Say it ain’t so…

     

     

    Sir Minty Moonbeams, Uber-fuhrer of the 90s Rangers Reich, Scottchland’s most celebrated, revered ‘businessman’ (for that, read ‘bank borrower’), appointed knight of Her Majesty’s realm, Souness-partnering wet-dream fantasy of every moustachioed Hun since the heady summer of ’86…

     

     

    Cruelly, mercilessly duped by a cock-eyed wideboy from Motherwell without a bean to his name?

     

     

    Say it ain’t so…

     

     

    Dear God, the humanity.

  20. bournesouprecipe on

    Stairheedrammy

     

     

    ‘scraped through’

     

     

    The entire BBC coverage was done in a mocking but hurting tone.

  21. Here’s hoping Our Hero produces in court the recordings of his rendezvous with Sir Minty and Wee Eck aboard a monaco yacht sometime prior to his takeover of the doom Dome…

  22. lennon's passion on

    bigmike

     

     

    18:46 on 28 November, 2014

     

     

    Cheers couldn’t find article. Never knew that site existed so cheers for that.

  23. Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on

    I heard Gary McAllister say he thought Celtic could progress further with a bit of luck in the draw, I was surprised, I also thought his commentary was more balanced than many might have suspected.

  24. The ones who can’t stand Celtic winning are all back with the CQN negativity train loaded with lurking Huns board haters, peter Lawwell haters, RD haters, they’ve had a month off and it’s the same auld sheet they have been pumping out since god knows how long, if Celtic went out and signed Messi they would be greeting it with a ” awe aye now that his better days are behind him” they are nutters, crackpots, never happy, nae mates, nae patter, nae burds, nothin, best to scroll by them, they hate that, they do that to me and I love it.

     

    Lurking Huns GIRFUYs

  25. tonydonnelly67

     

     

    19:04 on 28 November, 2014

     

     

    RD haters

     

     

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

     

     

    I’m not an RD hater. I’m simply very disappointed his methods are failing to live up to the promise five months ago.

     

     

    But scroll on…

  26. if Craigy is sitting there, whisky in hand, staring at the inevitable log fire what will he be thinking as he stares into the flames?

  27. Sipsini

     

     

    No fear of me meeting him, though I’d love to!!!!!

     

     

    He lives in Dalmarnock or Brigton or Airdrie or some such place :-)

     

     

    Tony D

     

     

    That’s a nonsense post.

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