It’s not often we can tackle Champions League games away from home without the crushing weight of desperation to salvage a point or more. Already out of the competition, and facing a vastly better-resourced team, Celtic compete at the Etihad tonight with a bit of freedom. They will want to avoid a similar result they endured at the Camp Nou, but will plan to take the game to City in the manner they competed away to Borussia Monchengladbach.
For Brendan Rodgers and his technical team, tonight will the last time they face a better-resourced team, vastly or otherwise, until next season. There will be plenty for Celtic to do during the next six months, but certain types of learning will end tonight. It is hoped that the team will continue to improve, but we simply won’t know if it has or not.
One bright-spark on the horizon is the possible challenge from Hearts, who may well find their squad bolstered in January by the make-weights new manager Ian Cathro convinced Newcastle to release to him on loan.
Having won promotion at a canter and finished a respectable third in his first season in the top flight, Robbie Neilson ran out of momentum as Hearts manager this term. The Edinburgh club may do well out of his move to the lower reaches of the England and Wales league pyramid.
The cartel of English and Welsh club which operate a ‘national’ league will doubtlessly exercise our chief executive, Peter Lawwell, who this week put on record that Celtic would be the biggest club in Britain if it had access to the FA Premier League, bigger even than Bournemouth. He’ll enjoy the comforts of the Etihad tonight but the taste of ‘What could be?’ will linger.
If you are in Manchester, enjoy the occasion. It’s a great opportunity to show those who live in the vicinity of the stadium (and throughout the city) that some football fans from Glasgow know how to enjoy themselves.
Directors’ Box auction prize
Courtesy of Celtic sponsor and all round good guys, Intelligent Car Leasing, we have an outstanding auction prize to commence work on Celtic Quick News’ seventh school kitchen for Mary’s Meals. For the Celtic-Dundee game at Celtic Park, on 17 December 2016, you can win:
2 seats in the directors’ box
Champagne reception
5 course meal in the Walfrid Suite
Fully expenses bar (pre and post-match)
Half time snacks and refreshments
Car Parking
And a match programme.
There are experiences in life which money can’t buy. This one is now available for you to bid for here on ebay until Thursday lunchtime. Two of you, directors’ box, Champagne reception, 5 course meal, free bar, get in there – and tell your pals about it.
Many thanks to Intelligent Car Leasing for making this possible – and you for taking part.
94 Comments- Pages:
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Weeminger
Dembele will play for one reason, if he plays well it adds millions to his value.
HH
I would rather play Henderson than Biton, or even Christie.
Hell, I’d even play the tea lady instead of Biton.
This game will be played at a high pace by MC.
Nae room for slow coaches or tits.
C’MON THE CDELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pity, thanks ghuys. H H H3ebcelt
Agree Dembele looks as if he needs a rest.
His tame heeder against Barca in the last game should’ve rang a bell plus he looks a wee bit short of confidence.
This would be a good game to rehabilitate the Griff, in my opinion.
hebcelt
was a game of 2 halfs we should have put away a few other easy chances in the first
PHILBHOY
At least try and spell his name correct when yir having a go at him :-)
BURGAS HOOPS
Sorry about that.
It is a shame though that so many players are raising their games under Brendan’s tutelage (is that a word?),
however, Nir seems to be going backwards.
Mind you if he ran any slower he would be going backwards.
THE EXILED TIM on 6TH DECEMBER 2016 3:13 PM
And if he doesn’t, it perhaps reduces it.
I don’t think BR is the type to play a player in order to boost his value, if it’s not what’s best for the match.
PHILBHOY
Aye Nir is a bit of an enigma, sometimes i think he’s reading the game brilliantly, and he just cruises through. Other times i think just like you do :-)
Weeminger
No, but he obviously fancies Moussa more than he does the Griff, I honestly don’t think a bad game or two against world class players will diminish his value given what he has done against world class oppo, managers will obviously take his age into account.
He will play :-)
HH
BURGAS HOOPS
Still, we live in hope!
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/dec/06/scottish-football-hearts-ian-cathro-sfa-malky-mackay
From this article,
and Kris Boyd, a player as notable throughout his career for what he couldn’t do than what he could.
This willingness to lacerate a young, innovative coach before he has even been pictured with a scarf above his head is one thing. The same language wasn’t used when it emerged Rangers held talks with Cathro in 2015, just as when the Ibrox club’s former managers and current chairman speak of a need for over-investment, thereby ignoring the sins of the past, this is merely accepted at face value.
Careful Ewan, the loaf might be on your case,lack of respect(© Warbiola) surely.
I was looking forward to a small libation whilst watching tonight’s game.
The misses has just phoned to remind me she is meeting some former workmates for a drink and a bite to eat.
She’ll phone me when she’s on the train.
Old age comes not alone.
young team goals
https://twitter.com/CelticGoals
football and food
an no a dish washed
Dembele in shop window tonight, cert starter…
THE EXILED TIM on 6TH DECEMBER 2016 3:46 PM
No doubt. And score a peach. :)
http://mattleslie74.weebly.com/blog/progress-makes-dinosaurs-panic
Goid read
HH
Soukous see matt leslie
4.05
HH
RIP Grouty – Celtic Fan
Who broke the blog :-)
Weeminger
I dinny care what he scores, as long as he scores :-)
HH
think paul67 is right, it feels like there’s a lot to play for tonight even though we’re out
I think if the shoe was on the other foot, souness might just value 10iar especially considering some of his stunts in the game
I am finding it difficult to be more than interested in tonight`s game.I feel no excitement. No worry. No desperately hoping. Strange but the quiteness of the blog suggests many others feel the same……unless they are all in Manchester , of course.
Friday night`s game against Thistle holds more intrigue for me. Maybe my mood will change after KO.
JJ
Afternoon all
Hope all well.
I knackered my back earlier today and that may have dimmed my enthusiasm for tonight’s game. But it is the fifth time in 8 seasons we have a dead game at this stage- only one of which was because we’d qualified already. This is one to get over and done with- preferrably more a la Villarreal in 2008 than Barca 2013 though
I hope we have a good night obviously and that our fans get home safe and sound but it is disappointing that in many ways our big game of the week is Friday night’s.
We had two absolute stinkers in our European campaign- one of which was our heaviest defeat in my (61 trophies won) life. There were two great matches in Glasgow and a thriling finale to another whilst the draw in Moenchangladbach was probably the most compelling evidence that we have moved forward at this level. We’ll never know if we would have actually done better if we’d been drawn in a less daunting group.
Mon the Hoops
Jimbo67
Sad not to be in Manchester tonight, my planned appointment for today was pushed back till Thursday, I could not justify an extra night away in the new role so it’s telly for me tonight.
I am a bit perplexed as to how we should approach this, all this talk of points mean money don’t wash with me. Coefficient points mean more but I think 3 points on Friday night will mean more in the long term.
We have a real chance of making history this season and why not in the anniversary of our greatest triumph.
Good luck to all the Celtic family in Manchester tonight.
HH
Good evening, friends.
Remember, it was actually Some German Team getting a draw at home to Man City 2 weeks ago that rendered tonight’s game meaningless*. Before we played Barca we knew we had to secure 3 points at least to have a chance of 3rd spot. Had Man City won a fortnight ago I think there’d have been more than 60-odd postings on today’s blog.
However, I for one am really looking forward to tonight’s game and it’s good to be excited without any nervousness, if you know what I mean. Potentially another £1m in the coffers and 2 co-efficient points. But I’ll wait to see the team line ups before I decide whether to make yet another donation to my good friend Buick E.
Jobo
* – of course, us losing at home to SGT didn’t help either;-)
http://thevinylfactory.com/news/vinyl-sales-exceed-digital-downloads-uk/
above for SOT
Just received texts from my wife’s cousin, who is a Roma supporter.
Flew up from Rome a few days ago, being nearby and so has decided to join Tims without tickets in Manchester fur a swally.
Reporting from him goes along the lines of delight and astonishment at how well behaved and entertaining the Tims are.
Quotes from his report back:
“I will be drinking more beer than I’m used to today”.
“Every city must experience a population explosion nine month after a visit from Celtic.”
:-)
Brendan’s strategy in managing players time spent on the pitch seems to be paying dividends with good performances recently from the likes of Tom Rogic and Sevvy Sevchenko, maybe he should be using the same approach with Mousse given his age, recently he has looked just off the pace, a sure sign of needing a rest. We should rest him tonight and star with LG, maybe bring on Mousse for the last 10 minutes or so, IMO.
Whit? Did I actually just read someone call this game- a CL tie versus a chequebook assembled English wee team a dead rubber?
Away and have a word wi yersel.
Any update on Scott Sinclairs injury ?
I want our strongest team out and a good performance. Just that – although give us a win and I will be bloody ecstatic.
I understand of course the argument that says it’s a dead tie and that Friday is more important.
But we can’t have it both ways – wailing and gnashing when we don’t qualify for the CL (myself included), then saying we should put out the reserves tonight because it’s “only” a meaningless CL tie?
WTF do we aspire to if we can’t rise to a CL night against the best of the best?
We’re out, sure, but there is still something at stake. Gaining priceless experience at this level for one thing, but more important even than that – pride. In the club and in the jersey.
(this wasn’t aimed at people on here BTW – just been reading other blogs and talking to folk today and got a bit pissed off at the ‘play the reserves tonight’ stuff. All respect to Patrick Thistle, but I know which of these two games would get my blood racing the most as a player, and it isn’t the one at Firhill).
Mon the Bhoys!
Assuming that all players are free from injury other than Tierney then I’d be expecting the following team –
Gordon
Lustig, Sviatchenko, Simunovic, Izzy
Brown, Armstrong
Forrest, Rogic, Sinclair (or McGregor if Scott doesn’t make it)
Dembelle
But in the remaining 7 games this month I do hope that The Griff gets a fair amount of game time
BUZZING!
Up the Celtic!
I was REALLY disappointed with the doctor today ….. I phoned her to ask if she wanted to see / analyse my Kidney Stone…
She said ” No ” ….
I said ” Are you kiddin me ? “
MON THE HOOPS …. !!!!!!!!