Benfica enjoyed a 0-2 away win on Friday evening to remain joint-top of the Portuguese league with Porto. They will have enjoyed a day off while Celtic played on Saturday and will two days training before tomorrow’s game. By contrast, Celtic player will have rested yesterday and will get no more than a run out inside Estadio da Luz tonight. With games coming thick and fast at the moment, hopefully rest is the most important requirement for the players.
Benfica shredded Spartak for most of the second half in Moscow but contrived to miss what chances they created, allowing the Russians their only win of the group so far. The return game in Lisbon was a comfortable win for the home team.
Neil Lennon has some major tactical decisions to make. He will surely acknowledge the danger Benfica pose but has to find a way of scoring an away goal or two. Match day one between Celtic and Benfica brought a 0-0 draw, ostensibly a good result for the visitors, but the group has matured since then. Both teams played that game as though it was an away game; Benfica were happy to defend and Celtic, in their first Champions League game since 2008, were keen to feel their way back into the tournament.
This time Benfica will attack with speed and hope that Celtic open up a little more than they did against Barcelona. It’s important also to acknowledge that while Benfica are no Barcelona, they will also be less predictable than the Catalans, we will not have it all our own way in the air.
It’s going to be a game tiring 90 minutes where the use of fresh legs could be crucial but an early Celtic goal would allow Neil Lennon to set his stall out clearly.
Orders are now open for the very first CQN Annual, get it here!
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burnley78
20:57 on 19 November, 2012
YOU’RE GUTTED ……? It’s my son’s birthday, so I can’t even watch it on the telly. (birthday meal) …… LOL
Canamalar- that could be read wrongly. I meant to say I don’t include you in that mate.
Right, offski.
cheap fireworks everywhere all of a sudden………..rockets…….
……….. AND bangers…….
………………….what date is it?
( Do we have a big game the morra?)
Obviously some people here cannot find it in their heart to express regret that many people from “both sides” are facing terror.
I won’t provoke the entrenched posters anymore. It was not my intention. The purpose was to challenge why extreme political propaganda is being posted on a Celtic site: Marxist, fascist etc
Too much space has been taken up already. There is no purpose in replying to each response as it keeps this subject on the site. A Celtic site. However I thank people who took the time to read and respond.
Let us hope none of us ever encounter such suffering.
The GB have been letting Celtic know of each of the cases as they happened- Celtics response was to ban each fan until they could prove they were innocent. My reading of the statement is positive in that it doesn’t deny harassment is taking place while saying they are not involved. There are however too many unanswered questions and vague statements contained within it and there is no recognition of the fact that they already know about the GB’s complaints
I wish to make a short statement:
I’m going to bed so goodnight all!
…and remember – behave!
GBTGB!
HH!!
philbhoy.
i bet im older than you .
What i wrote was for a statement to be be made in a funny and unusual way.
what age are you?.
I’m heading off to Spain tomorrow anyone know if the game is on Spanish telly. Thanks in advance.
It looks like the perfect crime it fuels paranoia it stinks up the police the Celtic support and the SNP, och Nothing to see here move along.
Cui Bono
Meanwhile… while we combust chasing our own tales… the FTT result is still unknown and we still don’t know why Souness had an EBT long after he left Over valued/ under valued stadium to ruin Liverpool (for a few decades)
3 weeks and counting.
Evening all
How would the police react if they were being filmed while filming? if you know what I mean! serious question though – would it lead to further arrests?
This is not just an issue concerning the GB (who I have had issues with in the past) but one that effects football fans all over Scotland.
HH
Geordie…,
“CELTIC Football Club is very disappointed to learn of internet accusations suggesting that the Club in some way is involved in the targeting or victimisation of fans – Celtic has played absolutely no part in this and suggestions to the contrary are quite irresponsible.”
That is as close as they come to mentioning harassment, are you interpreting that as they know its happening
If they are why are they not condemning it
Unlike what appears most on here, I find the harassment and illegal targeting of Celtic supporters far more important than a game, I think it might be a priority thing.
The Scottish Premier League’s plan for reconstruction is nothing new. An identical format was tried over 20 years ago in Austria, and was scrapped after eight seasons.
On Monday, Scotland’s top 12 clubs gave their approval towards working on plans to introduce a further 12 sides into their gang, as part of wider talks on league reconstruction.
Under the proposal, the two tiers would merge and then split into three divisions after 22 games. The top eight clubs in SPL1 would contest the league title, and vie for European spots.
The middle tier would consist of the bottom four SPL1 clubs and the top four SPL2 sides, with points gathered in the first part of the season being reset to zero. The clubs finishing in the top four of eight after 14 further matches would play in SPL1 in the following season, while the bottom four would participate in SPL2.
Still with us? The bottom group would seemingly fight it out to avoid relegation out of the SPL structure over their remaining 14 matches. That said, no firm plans have been forthcoming yet on whether the SPL would relegate any club and, if it did, to what structure, be it a redefined SFL or a regional, pyramid setup.
Revolutionary? Certainly in Scotland, but the same idea was given experimented with in Austria in the 1985/86 season, as the nation’s clubs tried to find a long-term solution to a top flight which had fluctuated between comprising 10 and 16 clubs since its inception in 1974.
The verdict? “It was really boring,” Kurier’s Stephan Blumenschein recalls. “Especially in the bottom league.
“For those in the top eight, there was very little competition to win the title, and no chance of relegation.”
Looking through the records, Blumenschein’s recollection seems a touch unfair in certain campaigns. The 1991/92 campaign, for instance, went down to a three-way fight for the title on the final day in the top group.
The so-called “play-off league”, which would see SPL1’s bottom four and SPL2’s top four start again on zero points and fight it out over 14 matches, has been the most intriguing part of the proposal.
“In Austria, it didn’t work. The reality was, everyone wanted four games against our two big clubs – Austria Vienna and Rapid Vienna.
“When you created three leagues, only six clubs had games against those two. It created a financial disparity. Attendances were not as high when those teams weren’t coming to town to play.”
Indeed in six of those seasons, either Austria Vienna or Rapid won the title. Only Swarovski Tirol bucked the trend, winning twice in succession. Yet it was the previous two who brought the crowds.
“All of the clubs knew they had 18 games to find out whether they would play the good teams, the teams who would make them money, or the not so good teams.”
Since 1993, Austria’s top flight has been made up of just 10 clubs. Closing off the top league and abolishing promotion and relegation has even been considered since.
Many sides who once participated in the split league are now no longer there, the result of similar financial problems which continue to dog Scottish teams. Some have ceased to exist, or have returned as reincarnations. Austria’s top league, however, appears to be thriving.
Blumenschein continues: “Now we have our highest attendance figures since the 1970s. It is a closer league, although not many clubs can now afford to play in the top league.
“The reality here is like it is like Scotland was until lately. Everybody wants to play the two biggest clubs, in our case Rapid and Austria Vienna. Clubs have four games against them, two home games. That’s the reason for the 10 club league.”
The game in Austria has adopted a mantra that the leading clubs must retain a significant bulk of the wealth to have a thriving competition.
The result of the 10 team model in Austria has created a competitive top flight, but other clubs have been ruthlessly left to fall by the wayside.
Of the eight clubs who finished in the top group of the last ever season of the three-tier, 24 team Austrian league, four formed phoenix clubs and one, Admira Wacker, lost their license in 2007/08 and were plunged down the divisions, although have since returned.
Of the eight who contested the play-off group, four went out of business, while three others had serious financial trouble which threatened their existence. The majority of the bottom eight survived, today having found their level in regional leagues.
Well…………
We now have three independent statements, not all of which fit together. I still have a very uncomfortable feeling that something untoward is happening at Celtic Park and something, which if true (as opposed to proven) is not right.
I will now be writing to ‘We’ posing a number of questions which I hope can be answered and which would offer more clarity. I will be responding to this specifically:
‘Categorically, we will investigate any matter which is raised by any supporter and give these cases our full attention’
and will as a supporter and shareholder ask for an investigation receiving ‘full attention’.
This may take a while but I will keep posting on progress.
HH
So re the club statement, we’ve three options:
a – the club statement contains lies
b – the police lied to the supporter
c – the supporter lied to his CSC and by extension us
Place you bet now (in a Banzai stylee).
Getting excited! This time tomorrow we could be on our way to the last 16!
Having thought about it, I want a Barca win, I’d have gladly taken third spot before the group started and it would give us a fighting chance of second place going into the last game. I’ll be honest, I think we will lose tomorrow night but it’ll be tight. Hope I’m wrong though!
We need to be careful tomorrow, keep it tight at the start and hit them on the break as they will come flying out the traps. I think we all know that the Bhoys won’t need any more motivation but thanks to the Benfica goalie they might just have given us that!
And training at the stadium where we won in 67 is a really nice touch!
” are you interpreting that as they know its happening”
NC, not specifically with that comment. But I’m pretty sure the club is aware of perceived harassment.
Imo a club statement on the victimisation is for another day.
Dear Santa,
I’ve been awfully good……honest.
Could you please get me a bike , an Action Man with Beard (aka Danny McGrain) and a big gun so that I can shoot my other foot off while the MSM spinners mischievously applaud from the sidelines……
Yours awfully…..
Dirtymac
A
HH
dirtymac, I’d go for all 3 options.
why oh why does scottish football have an obsession with “splits”. whatever happened to playing a normal league set up like most leagues in the world?
I have only been physically to one Celtic game this season. I have watched most of the rest on TV. I have not heard anything coming from the GB that is ‘offensive’.
Why are they being targetted?
Young? Active? Free spirited? Improving the experience of being at Celtic Park? Sympathetic to Palestine? The Basque country?
What actual crimes have they supposedly committed?
Canamalar
I am very clear the Celtic board should have been more pro active in seeking an alternative playing environment in 2005.
I also do not think they have been innovative enough in their attempts to build global revenue. The guy they employed was a dud.
I think they should have dealt with GS better in his final year. We would have won had they not ‘hung him out’ to our salivating media manipulated consumers in order to deflect.
I have been critical of the board over time.
I also recognise it is so easy for those not in full possession of the facts or without the responsibility of running a successful business and club, to be critical.
Neither I or yourself walk in their shoes. By comparison to almost every other club in the world we have been a very well run club in the last 10 years. Despite many malcontents who seek to undermine the clubs leadership.
By the way – I for one do not hold any truck with the notion that the club has been involved. that is real internet bampotry.
obonfanti1888
————————————————–
Easier to manipulate?
Burnley78
Here we go again with your ‘ Celtic fans who love to play the victim’ jibes
reminds me of the ‘Yous are all paranoid’ jibes that were levelled at us for years. Make them think they are somehow not as clever as yourself in the hope they shut up.
Sad to see you attack Celtic supporters in this way on such a regular basis.
Is this a plot of divide & conquer or do you really believe our own board would try to break up a popular fans group?
Far too many on here just looking for an excuse to have a pop at the board – my opinion might not be popular but thats how it looks reading back.
If you attend the games and behave you’ll be fine. I honestly believe that.
This is a great time to follow our beloved club, let’s not make a big issue of this.
HH
obonfanti1888
21:23 on 19 November, 2012
why oh why does scottish football have an obsession with “splits”.
=======================================
Because its bananas!!!!
Oh dear
dixiedeans
I will be on Canal+, Spanish Sky, that would be all I know, it won’t be on cooncil tele.
The Celtic Statement on Facebook has 336 likes. Generally any Official Posts draw thousands of likes. There are 118 comments to date the overwhelming majority are in support of The Green Brigade to some degree or another. Its not just us on this site, the fans in general are supporting The Green Brigade. I am sure the Club will monitor the response to its Facebook Statement, hopefully they will get the message & seek some common ground.
mncelt 19:47
Thank you for your response.
Appreciated.
Re Celtic’s statement
I thought the statement was about Celtic employees or an employee being harassed and falsely accused.
“CELTIC Football Club is very disappointed to learn of internet accusations suggesting that the Club in some way is involved in the targeting or victimisation of fans – Celtic has played absolutely no part in this and suggestions to the contrary are quite irresponsible.
In particular, making false accusations against a Celtic staff member – someone who is part of the Celtic family and just doing their job – is quite disgraceful and will not be tolerated.”
Surely there haven’t been false accusations being made? Surely not!
Just on the point of accountability, does anyone know what the Green Brigade’s constitution sets out about accountability. I don’t like some of Celtic’s rules and regulations as a plc. At least I know what they are
What’s the GB’s lines of accountability? Anyone?
I think we should be told!
The club like any organisation communicating with its ‘customers’ will have to be economical with the truth. However, I would place more faith in their massaged statement than any chap who carries a big stick for a living or someone who had received a football banning order for 2 years.
DixieDeans – Spanish TV’s equialvent to Sky is called Canal+ (or Digital+) and this season is broadcasting all CL games. I’ve watched the 3 Celtic games here in my house. Spanish national TV will only show games involving Barca, Madrid, Malaga and Valencia. One will be shown on Tues and one on Wed.
The other option is a British bar with Sky but most of them will show Man Utd. Chelsea, Arsenal etc. before a Celtic game.
It will be…..
……and the morras papers will be full of………..?
(Nichty-nicht a’body!)
Celtic categorically deny being complicit in targeting our own fans.
That is how I read what the Celtic statement says.
Being a Celtic supporter, I accept this.
Filming the polis.
During the Miners’ strike my workplace was commandeered by the polis, none of who were Scottish.
Hunterston terminal was quite a hot spot back then.
I tried to take a few pictures of the massed ranks of police v miners confrontation but was assailed by two Special Branch and had my Nikon confiscated.
I don’t think the police have moved on much on the topic of them being under surveillance since then.
EC67
obonfanti1888
21:23 on 19 November, 2012
Because we don’t have enough teams of sufficient quality to have a reasonably interesting league. 16 teams means not enough games and too many meaningless games, 18 or 20 teams means a massive drop in quality. We only have about half a dozen match ups that are of interest to TV companies (and this is what league reconstruction is all about, TV deals) and as such we need 4 x these games. Hibs v Hearts is the only game that Sky are interested in outwith our games and the zombies games.