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Champions League pitfalls

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Having the first leg of our Champions League qualifier against KR in Iceland instead of Scotland, as initially drawn, ticks boxes for both clubs.  Without being disrespectful (well, maybe a bit), if the first leg was in Scotland KR could find themselves trying to sell a dead rubber second leg to TV companies.  With their home tie starting level, this could be their biggest windfall of the season.

Despite KR’s lowly coefficient, Celtic are stepping into the unknown and would infinitely prefer the second leg at home, a week after competitive cobwebs are blown away.  If we encounter a Karagandy-goat-sacrifice-type experience in Reykjavik, we would still have the chance to resolve things at Celtic Park Murrayfield.  The only surprise is that it took the clubs this long to confirm the change.

Now all we need to worry about is the goat-sacrificing habits of Scotland’s rugby types.

News from Nyon that Celtic’s share of last season’s Champions League bounty was £14.1m, plus £1.8m for participating in the qualifying rounds, on top of ticket sales, reiterates how important the competition is to the club.

We’re now trying to qualify for the third consecutive season, a feat we’ve never achieved before.  After the chastening experiences of last August, and the changing of the guard, I’m taking nothing for granted this season.  By my reckoning we cope without reaching the group stage two years in five without significantly downsizing.

I got a bit of banter for saying I was still raw from Georgios Samaras penalty miss four seasons ago.  Why shouldn’t we be raw, it was the last time Celtic failed to win a Scottish championship.  Ever!  Those who celebrate that miss will be clinging onto it as a highlight for the rest of their days.

Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.

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  1. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    Wee Jay just loves Sammi and as has been said it is great to see this side of football and not the usual bad press.H.H.

  3. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Gary Gillespie, Marcello Lippi when he was Rubentus boss would puff away on a cigar during games. Vialli when he was a sub on their bench at one match was puffing away on a ciggie.

     

     

    Alan Thompson, when he played for us, was spotted in the town puffing away as was. allegedly, our second greatest number seven.

     

     

    Finally, the great Brazil 1982 team captain, Socrates, was reputed to smoke sixty a day and drinking ten bottles of swallay.

     

     

    Delaney’s, good news about mammy Delaney. I hope she makes a full recovery.

  5. NatKnow on

    jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/

     

    22:02 on

     

    26 June, 2014

     

    Frank Mullholland pulled a mean pint in the Barnyard years ago. None of that smooth guff btw!!!

     

    ——————————————–

     

    Barnyard used to be regular hangout pre and post-match for many of my relatives. I was more of a Whifflet Arms chap. Back in the day. Avoided Carsons….

  9. Tontine Tim on

    Apricale

     

     

     

     

    20:40 on

     

     

    26 June, 2014

     

     

     

     

    Interesting mention of Willie Johnston earlier. My grandfather was close to members of the Celtic management, and I remember that he told me that Jock Stein was looking at signing WJ from West Brom. Seems he rated him as a player (which was correct) and thought that he could keep him under control (which probably wasn’t correct). Anyway, it never came to anything. I guess this would have been around 1975-6.

     

     

    *I believe we pursued him as a boy but he chose the deid team instead. definitely dodged a bullet there as he was a loose canon. when he was sold tae west brom who paid a club record transfer fee my da was convinced they had to sell before he got sine died.

     

     

    Going back to willie woodbine’s sine die he was 34 at the time and given the deid teams closeness with those at Park Gardens it might have been convenient for them to have him removed by the club. It also help extend big geordie young’s career as his days as a full back were coming to an end.

     

     

    He was given a job with the news of the screws, quite fitting really.

  10. winning captains on

    Greeninbingley

     

     

    Lovely story. If we can exchange telephone numbers maybe I can arrange for Tommy to make a call that would make your dad’s day?

     

     

    I sat with Tommy the day he was signing all the books for CQN. He took a genuine interest in each one and asked about the people who were buying the book. Tommy didn’t do very much for a wee while and with this book it has given him a renewed sense of belonging. He will ask me about CQN – if I am still getting hassle from certain folk because he spoke to the Daily Record (he didn’t).

     

     

    Someone said to me this week that Tommy’s house must be spectacular, him being a Lisbon Lion and all. Couldn’t be further from the truth. What a lovely, wonderful gentleman he is.

     

     

    If anyone wants a signed copy of Tommy’s book with a personal message added please let me know. Email david@CQNMagazine.com

     

     

    On Willie Johnston – had a wee chat about him last night with Alex Gordon re him getting sent home from the World Cup. I was a bit young to know the ins and outs but apparently Don Mason gave him a few of his own hay fever pills and that’s what done him – Mason wasn’t tested so continued and Willie was sent home in disgrace. I recall him getting absolute pelters from The Jungle with the Junkie Junkie chant.

     

     

    Just in from graduation day at Glasgow University. Mrs Winning Captains got the biggest cheer after whispering to the boys – Green Brigade! They knew what I meant and made some noise! The wee guy had a suit on – and a Lisbon Lions tie, courtesy of Mr Wallace.

  13. borgo67 on

    Great crowd scenes as Algeria score. Also a green light being shone at Russia keeper as the cross came in.

  14. martybhoy59 on

    DD

     

     

    Fully booked when I tried it, booked a room in the beveridge park, considering the start time I might end up sleeping in the car park of Styx

  15. Alasdair MacLean on

    Jim – thought I’d heard all Jim Coce’s songs – never heard him doing that one till now – cheers!

  19. jamesgang on

    Belgium coach is a wee touch like David Walliams

     

     

    UnlikelyFitbaCoachesCSC

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  26. Saint Stivs on

    Willie Johnstone.

     

     

    As a wee bhoy on the Greenock shammy bus, 1978, Aged 12, I was wearing a bright yellow cagoule with a Scotland badge my maw sewed on for me.

     

     

    In Celtics worst season in thirteen years I had no concept of how bad things were.

     

     

    Being a passionate Scotland fan at the time, and who wasn’t, and being an outside left with the boglestone thistle I had a couple of favorite number elevens.

     

     

    Lennox being first,

     

     

    But someone on the bus teasing me said, so wee man who’s your favorite Scotland player, is it king Kenny, danny, or wan oh them English players ?……

     

     

     

    Loch says I very assertive, its Willie Johnstone.

     

     

     

     

    Wee Frankie Gallagher used to bring it up on every feck in game we went to.

  29. Tontine Tim on

    While reading about the Ballymurphy Massacre and comments about it this wee ditty came to mind:

     

     

    These soldiers come from Scotland a place you all know well

     

    From the hardest part of Glasgow the teddy boys do dwell

     

    They’re given a British uniform they’re given a British gun

     

    They joined a British regiment to have themselves some fun

  31. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    SKO player trapped the ball that came over his head with the sole of his boot!! Brill!!!

  32. borgo67 on

    saint stivs

     

     

    Ha ha. Something similar with me, I was eleven and said to my twenty something older brother that I thought Johnstone was brilliant, thought he was going to kill me.

  34. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    TET

     

     

    Have we signed emdae yet? Yes my grandson Josh!!! HaiL HaiL

  38. cliftonville celt from belfast on

    bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers

     

     

    19:53 on 26 June, 2014

     

    Interesting wee article for you all from The Guardian.

     

     

    http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/26/-sp-ballymurphy-shootings-36-hours-west-belfast-northern-ireland-10-dead

     

    ————————————————–

     

    And they wonder why we find their poppy offensive !!!!

     

     

    Good article thanks for posting

     

     

    Gearoid1988

     

    I’d say JON/captn knows his way round the murph although only in armoured vehicles !!!

     

    Ignore him he’s a clown

  41. martybhoy59 on

    On Facebook Greek fa paying for Jay and his family to go to Brazil for their next game fantastic if true

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