Kairat arrive in Glasgow today after a disruptive trip across the globe. Unlike Celtic when they travel in the opposite direction next week, Kairat cannot keep to their usual body clock routine. It will be midnight in Almaty when tomorrow’s game kicks off – 2am by fulltime. For professional athletes, that’s a challenge.
There are seven Champions League playoff ties this week: five in the champions section, two non-champions. I watched Bodo/Glimt eliminate Lazio from the Europa League quarterfinal in April. Ange Postecoglou (eventually) got the better of them in the semifinal, but I expect them to make the cut against Sturm Graz.
Benfica are likely to progress against Fenerbahce, while I fancy Copenhagen against Basel. Red Star should have enough to overcome Cypriots Pafos. Ferencvaros are not the side they were five years ago, they could fall to Qarabag. As for Brugge? They have traded big this summer, spent €36m and sold €82m of talent. That’s a lot of change to pull together for their trip to Ibrox tonight. The Belgians should still edge it.
With what I am assuming is mischievous ‘paper talk going round, a friend suggested if we are looking for an older striker, it’s a pity Gerd Muller passed away a few years ago. Otherwise, he would have been ideal.
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I’d say Vardy is plan B, plan A striker will be waiting for CL qualification.
If Vardy and another striker are signed then I’d guess that Idah would be loaned out
CHAIRBHOY
The strikers we have brought in in the last five years…
2020 – Albian Ajeti
2021 – Kyogo Furuhashi
2021 – Giakoumakis
2024 – Adam Idah
Does Giakoumakis not merit a forename?
Even if our brinkmanship pays off and we sign some new players then its unlikely they would have a role to play in the coming games. I dont think Brendan will trust any new signings to play in the play off round.
Brendan believes in a low risk strategy where a player is allowed to bed in with the squad before risking naming him in a matchday squad. Even then he tends to introduce new players off the bench when the game isnt in the balance.
So if we sign any players then its unlikely they will appear for the next 3 or 4 weeks. In fact I reckon we wont see them until Partick Thistle at around 20th September.
Stuck a wee fiver on Club Brugge to win 3-1 tonight @ 16/1🤞
Burnley78 on 19th August 2025 1:17 pm
“Flop” isn’t a phrase I would use, I would prefer to say they don’t fit our style of play or fit in with what we are trying to develop.
On available evidence we lost two seasons worth of wages on Holm, Palma, Nawrocki, Tilio, Lagerbielke, Kwon, Yang contributed a bit but not enough for me. Lagerbielke has now moved at a loss, Nawrocki, Holm, and Palma are on loan so we may, or may not, have received a loan fee or may be paying a percentage of their wages. Regardless, they are still on our books and will be back at Lennoxtown next July.
We’ve apparently agreed a deal to move on Tilio but can’t proceed because we haven’t sourced a replacement. That in itself isn’t a good look: we can’t move on a player, who realistically isn’t in the picture for a first team squad, because we can’t sign a starter.
The point I’m trying to make is, would it be better to aim a little higher and sign three guys at £5M or £6M as opposed to seven at £2.5M to £3M. If it doesn’t work out we’re only trying to shift two or three players as opposed to seven or eight.
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 19TH AUGUST 2025 2:15 PM
Stuck a wee fiver on Club Brugge to win 3-1 tonight @ 16/1🤞
—-
I guess you won’t the only one. Some bookies had the Huns as favourites last night but the odds on Brugge have really shortened now.
BSR @ 1:46 pm,
Yes, having a manager that wants players that make the best footballers.
That want players around that understand Celtic’s ethos.
Wants to take the team to the next level, who want to make Celtic an elite football club is alien to some.
Why?
‘Cause he doesn’t buy into the flawed business plan of the retrenchment Executive!?
Doesn’t understand the nepo culture…
Hail Hail
It’s Giorgos Tom…
Hail Hail
Big night in Parkhead
Bigbhoy, karrect. Brendan very rarely throws new signings straight in. For this qualification round they would need to have been in last month.
Somewhere out there there is a blog populated with anxious football supporters belittling their club for not bidding enough to land Marco Tilio (24 years old this week).
KINGLUBO on 19th August 2025 1:50 pm
“I do not for the life of me understand why Brendan has not been offered a new contract, even a one year rolling one.
Maybe he has more ambition than the board, ahh, that’s it”
kingLUBO
%
The PLC know that Celtic are the the only job that Rodgers will get, certainly after his last visit to England, so they are in control, holding all of the cards.
And 60,000 Woke University Educated with lies from the Lobby, dunderheids who know no better will just go through the motions, rustling their sweety wife papers, and tut tutting at the evil Green Brigade.
KINGLUBO on 19th August 2025 1:50 pm
I do not for the life of me understand why Brendan has not been offered a new contract, even a one year rolling one. Maybe he has more ambition than the board, ahh, that’s it
*how do you know he husnae, after all we are more secretive than the past worshipful; masters over at G51 2XD, and after slippy fell doon it was all over for him with a big side as he got the sugar lump in the early day of the 2015 season.
Its incredible that some don’t realise the cost of players .If we sell Kuhn,for 17 million its good.If we can get a direct replacement for 6 million,too much.I am convinced there are undercover Board members on here.As good with figures,,as Trump..
We go with Jamesy tonight as we won’t pay for a replacement .
Burnley78 on 19th August 2025 1:13 pm
How are tickets selling for tomorrow night ? I notice expectations are for 45,000 at ibrox tonight despite Brugge bringing a healthy support.
Curious if we think we will get 55,000 or so as Almaty likely wont bring more than 2 bus loads.
——————–
acout 300 left in sections 118/119
these must have been unsold by kairet, they only became available yesterday.
so a crowd around 57000,
so much for boycotts
TURKEY
Who are Celtic playing tonight?
I feel confident that we will qualify
Winning tomorrow night helps
Going into the second leg with a good 3 or 4 or even 5 goal lead would be nice
To achieve this it would help if our centre forward could score one or two or even a hat trick
But most reading this would not wager a large sum on Adam scoring a Hat Trick
And there lies the problem
We scored against Falkirk – 3 of those were by 2 defenders and an own goal
We scored 2 against Aberdeen – 2 midfielders
And a late one against St Mirren another midfielder
Come on Adam tomorrow night is the night
67ECW
GlassTwoThirdsFull on 19th August 2025 1:04 pm
Hmmmm. A World Cup and three-time European Cup winner pitching up at a club that can’t see beyond its own city? Hard to see that one having came off…..
Can you explain i must have missed something.
Burnley78 on 19th August 2025 1:35 pm
How many goals did he score in that time.
It was a pleasure to welcome
@ClubBrugge
to Cappielow Park supported by Dalrada Technology this morning for some final preparation ahead of their Champions League play-off tie against Rangers tonight.
https://x.com/Morton_FC/status/1957782185202606329
Saint Stivs on 19th August 2025 3:45 pm
That’s Morton on the naughty list.
Turns out the Vardy story is pure fiction. There have been no discussions between the player and Celtic.
justshatered on 19th August 2025 3:47 pm
Saint Stivs on 19th August 2025 3:45 pm
That’s Morton on the naughty
——————————-
i got a text ealoer that the brugge coach was in port glasgow, i thought it was a wind up.
cappielow pitch though is superb nowadays, but i wonder what they will make of the dressing rooms. tiny.
16/1,for Bruges to win 3-1.
100/1 Celtic not to sign anyone for a fee. 🤔
Favourite Uncle
That is funny.
I would say he has certainly generated plenty of assists along the way. Not sure many could rigorously stick to and deliver a right sizing strategy whilst the biggest rival was doing the opposite.
Great to see the fruits of that over 23 years of incredible success which must have hurt Chairbhoy on a daily basis as he could have done so much better.
Funny now to see the level of jealousy and agenda led negativity. Funny also to see how gullible people are to fall for the old adage about Celtic bad news vs rangers good news selling papers. It now applies to the parasites creating their Celtic blogs and filling them with anti board anti club shite. Just for clicks. Folks who have no idea who most of the board even are never mind what they do. Still when the manager stokes it up then the fans dance to his tune.
It’s damage limitation with the current manager. Just hoping we win tomorrow night well and rangers don’t get their act together and he can ride off into the sunset on a high with another league title. Or to some foreign home for old managers.
An T
Re earlier
Agree with you
I think we will win tomorrow night.Its unthinkable to think anything else.What worries me,is,people saying,they are no better than,St Mirren,etc.This would be the team we on a few occasions,struggled to beat,like Motherwell,and a few more.In the league these results can be overlooked as just an off day.Not so tomorrow night.Our worst home match in the CL last year was against the worst team,YBs.One off night,one bad decision,all it takes.
TONTINE
Good point, maybe he has.
kingLUBO
Anybody struggling to get on CQN on an Iphone ?
Signal is strong be it Wifi or 5g – but I cannot get on
Any advice welcome
Thanks
67ECW
CHAIRBHOY on 19TH AUGUST 2025 2:22 PM
BSR @ 1:46 pm,
Yes, having a manager that wants players that make the best footballers.
That want players around that understand Celtic’s ethos.
Wants to take the team to the next level, who want to make Celtic an elite football club is alien to some.
Why?
‘Cause he doesn’t buy into the flawed business plan of the retrenchment Executive!?
Doesn’t understand the nepo culture…
Hail Hail
——————-
Sorry was on the school run
FWIW It’s elite management that’s under threat Martin or Brendan (twice?) got a belly full, and I think the lack of communication is always a factor. anecdotally the CSA fan meetings are apparently a hoot on any topic, let alone policy strategy transfer windows.
BR press conferences and no spend suggest there’s difference of opinion, the press conferences are all the supporters have, ironically if anything BR position with the supporters has strengthened greatly IMO
We might never know what went wrong in the Jamie Vardy window 😂 ( but the ordinary supporters ) will have a good idea 👍
Hail Hail
P.s
Maybe a walkout with 15 minutes to go has been a protest all along?
Burnley78 on 19th August 2025 4:05 pm
A quote from your pal PETE re BIG TAMS goal against BENFICA.”I was up the rangers end that night”.
Tell him next time you are sitting on his knee THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE RANGERS END AT CELTIC PARK.
You can also tell next CELTIC manager that when he was last in charge that the reason all the corners that RYAN CHRISTIE took ended up in the opposite stand was BECAUSE HE WAS NOT TRYING .I live 200 miles away and i knew what was going on .He was right on touchline and did not have a clue.
nopistolpete CSC
Watched some great sport over the summer but for me European football
when Celtic are involved will always be the highlight of my sporting calendar.
We are lucky the Hoops are guaranteed European football every season but
there should always be a craving for success and not just competing .
Tomorrow night the Hoops face an unknown quantity in this team from
the Chinese border and we know from past experience some of the pitfalls
to be aware in these games with teams well into their season who have already
played a few qualifiers.
Strikers have been big news recently especially at Celtic Park it was interesting
to note last Sunday Man Utd had 2million worth of newly acquired attackers
who couldn’t even manage a single score between the lot of them.
Celtic to get the job done tomorrow night move closer to the League stage.
To elaborate on what Celtic Mac said, flying west is like staying up late and getting an equally late lie in. Flying east is trying to fall asleep five hours early and waking up, having failed, three hours into your good night’s sleep. All things being equal, we have it worse.
Correction Man Utd had 200 million worth newly acquired attackers in action last Sunday
who couldn’t manage a single goal between the lot of them.
67ECW
Try DuckDuckGo as your browser.
Brendan
https://youtu.be/3Fq7b8-xQLY?si=4FhNdEHemeMa2jIB
garygillespieshamstring on 19th August 2025 5:14 pm
Thank you. will have a go
67ECW
67 European Cup Winners on 19th August 2025 4:22 pm
Anybody struggling to get on CQN on an Iphone ?
Signal is strong be it Wifi or 5g – but I cannot get on
Any advice welcome
That will be Brendan’s fault……