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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Listening to the game last night cos I was at the 17s game. Packy said “thats 3 corners weve had and not one has been sent to the near post where they have no one on there and where Stokes scored on Saturday”
Packy shld have text Ronnie imo!!!
Hun S…
Sad to say I think Adam has been affected by his injuries and Super Joes return south.
I bore people rigid about my very high opinion of AM. A very modern, intelligent, athletic and versatile player. It seems though he’s run his course with us and needs fresh fields, which can be understood.
If he goes I will thank him for his service ( remember he came as a very young player) his attitude and his great temprement and engagement while cursing the vagaries of injury ( and that little runt Lasley).
HH
T T T
Won 2 nil. Got very nasty near the end. Canny blame them for that as the Buoys were taking the P*ss out of them.
Hee hee
MT, all the very best to your son and your family for today.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
Erm, every single Stokes corner hit the RBS defender standing at the near post…
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo, are you gonnay spontaneously combust or summat?. I’m getting a bit concerned about this countdown. Should I pack ma drams and head for the bunker?
Saint S…
OK I’ll give it a go…
CG is all round a bit better than the Great Wall.
JG is a much better centre than any tried last year
Almost impossibly SB is ever better than last year
And finally…
The eejit who sat behind me and who never saw a decent Celtic performance in his life gave up his ST..relief! :-)
HH
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
The CQN Annual 2015 is available to order now on http://www.cqnbookstore.com and will be posted out on 8th December…
Davidopoulas
Dont shoot the messenger !!
Awe Naw
if it wasn’t for the handsome good looks I’d pass you buy every time. :-)
MWD said AYE
w c
Ta.
I’ve just seen the twitter feed of the guy who left the game at halftime last night with his kids, and am appalled by what he has said and done on social media.
It’s actually virtual assault.
If that was my mother or wife, I’d be pressing for charges under the Threatening Communications laws.
No way to behave. No way at all.
Philbhoy
Bo’Ness orders have all been posted and should arrive very soon – ie today or tomorrow.
Gene’s
The changes he’s brought in are to formation and style of play, it would have been wiser to get the squad fitter but leave their formation and style till he could bring in his own signings, its all very well being quicker but if you can’t think quicker it’s kind of pointless .
Justafan,
I think Adam is a good player, who just needs a few more games and a wee bit of luck.
The fact that he is in and out the team, and has to adapt his style to having Forrest / McGregor / Wakaso and even Griffiths in front, doesn’t help.
I think we are good for him & he is good for us.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
sorry didn’t mean it to come across like that – was more dig at Stokes, which we will agree is more than acceptable :)
Moonbeams WD, can you drop me an email to acgr@hotmail.co.uk
I’ll forward the info re our chat last night when I get your addy.
Fanx
January transfer window will be hugely important in how the second half of the season goes, and just as importantly how prepared we’ll be for CL qualifiers in July.
Hopefully John Park and his chosen agent are sidelined and the manager brings in players he knows who can play the way he wants the team to play. Scandanavian leagues are nearing their conclusion so there are a lot of available players from there who will be available (eg. Diskerud the US international midfielder we were reportedly interested in during the summer). I would also hope we are looking closer to home at good young players on our own country (eg Armstrong of DU), although I don’t hold out much hope for that as our super scout doesn’t rate anyone in Scotland according to PL interview a couple of months ago.
We need a left back (a mirror image of Lustig), at least one midfielder (probably two) and a centre half.
the battered bunnet
13:04 on 28 November, 2014
–
What happened last night ?
Seen few refrences to an incident but havent a clue whats happened.
The drop in attendances in the last 3 years is catastrophic.
How are the club going to attract that missing 2.5%?
What realistic steps can be taken?
weeminger
2.5%? You gone all Charlie Green? 500 million fans worldwide ;)
btw i know 2.5% of 500m doesn’t equal 25% of CP capacity ;)
Davidopoulos
13:10 on
28 November, 2014
Seriously though – 843 more people attended our last ‘big’ Europa League game. What caused them to go? How do we get them back?
Yes but how many fans were at their game? They don’t have a 60,000 capacity. We had 30,000 Celtic fans last night creating a great atmosphere.
Unfortunately there are many more customers and glory hunters who dismiss the EL. Unlikely we’ll make it but you can bet your bottom dollar they’d be searching for tickets for final.
Agree 100% on Lustig. Future Captain!
weeminger
curry sauce for the chups…
Oops forgot to link your post to mine!
davidopoulos
11:12 on 28 November, 2014
Did anyone see the Feyenoord – Sevilla game last night? Look at the Feyenoord fans, look how at that crap they have had to endure over the last few years – financial troubles, haven’t won the title since 1999 – the stadium was packed and the atmosphere was brilliant. They seem to be enjoying the Europa League, Celtic fans dismiss it.
TBB –
can you expand on what happened? Haven’t heard or seen anything about that.
The Scottish Daily Mail could have saved themselves a left paragraphs by simply reporting “Bye, Bye, sevco” ……… TICK TOCK….!!!!…….off to read Paul’s article
Hope we meet Salzburg in the Final……we’ll show them….hahahahahahaha
Clash…
Agree 100%
proudbhoy
12:28
Reasons for stockpiling cash?
I think it’s the club mitigating various risks that make the auditors edgy such as;
– football debtors £17m, but what if those clubs don’t pay us?
– bank facility reduced by £12m, but what if the skint Co-op curtail it further?
– outstanding bank loan £10m due 2019, but what if it wasn’t renegotiated and the lump sum is to be handed back?
TBB
I, too, read the fella’s twitter feed. He seems to be a total lunatic, deserving no sympathy from us. God help his kids, if he is their role model. Celtic don’t need “fans” like him.
emusanorphan
Indeed, we have many “entertainment” supporters who are not real Celtic supporters.
Posted with tongue in cheek before anyone in a bad mood pounces on me…
” It would be absurd to feel pleased about topping a Europa League group when we. are 10th in Serie A “.
Vincenzo Montella –Fiorentina manager 27 11 14
SFTB @1224hrs
“I think we will have been shown to have let the team down these past 3 years as the critics “expectation-managed” our support by talk of deliberate downsizing, turgid football etc;”
Do you disagree that we have deliberately downsized and the football is often turgid?
It wasnt the critics who “expectation-managed” me, it was my own eyes and ears, with the help ofCeltic plc of course.
As auldheid rightly pointed out, the downsizing was a symptom of the cause, which is/wasthe economic realities Celtic have to live within.
I have accepted that (reluctantly) and that is why I am far from critical of players who imo simply do not have the ability to compete at a higher standard than they currently do.
I hate to say this – and had you had the affront to say this to my 22 year old self Id have been very tempted to punch you in the mouth for the cheek – but I am close to becoming apathetic about Celtic in our current state.
I agree with you re the extra 10k STs if and when the reincarnated huns appear. I could well be one of them (for a variety of reasons i wont bore you with today, I didnt not renew mine or my sons ST’s this season – first time since The Jungle’s Last Stand i have not been a ST holder) as to be honest whilst I do not want them back, i will welcome the compettion that they will no doubt eventaully bring back to us.
Will Celtic then begin to upsize or rather be forced to do so? I dont know, but I suspect we will somehow find that extra million or two for players of better ability than we currently buy.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
The Token Tim
Cue the turgid – torpid debate…
emusan…
Reminds me of our return to Paradise and when MON came on the scene…
When you haven’t won much or European adventures were a rarity any chance of glamour or glory was treasured.
Unfortunately our little bits of achievement at the CL highest level have indoctrinated us into the SKY/UEFA/EPL mentality that anything other is like something sticking to the sole of your shoe.
Pity many of our fans have this attitude, a way of regarding things I had previously associated with followers of the south side ascendency.
HH
People complaining about poor crosses and corners fro AS and EI. They are good crosses but celtic players are standing waiting for the ball.. They need to attack the ball, get in front of defenders. Even if you don’t get it you are dragging the defence about and creating space for players behind you. Simple
Jobo
A guy was “asked” by stewards to leave the South stand with his son last night for disturbing the fans, including an older lady, nearby. He then tweeted about how unfair it all was , moaning about the prawn sandwich brigade. His twitter feed showed that he was simply a hooligan wearing a Celtic scarf.