Chill your jets. Far better to win and score five goals in a preseason friendly than to lose, but these games are all about improving fitness, the score is the least important aspect. Notwithstanding that, I’m pleased Teemu Pukki showed some form in front of goal. I don’t think Celtic would stand in his way if he found a potential new employer, but if he remains with us this season, his pace is likely to sit comfortably with the Ronny Deila model.
After missing the bulk of the last two Champions League campaigns through injury and Brazilian diving, news that Scott Brown will miss an extended period as a consequence of his hamstring injury is a blow to club and player.
It could have been worse. Celtic lost Scott for the bulk of last season’s Champions League on 1 October, when they were unable to compensate by tweeking the squad. Expectations are we will be without the player until October and we are only nine days into the transfer window. Lots of time to ensure we are at full strength when the meaty part of the season starts.
Brazil players and Phil Scolari turned up for yesterday’s semifinal wearing Naymar caps in the absence of their star striker. Their Excuse To Fail – emblazoned across their foreheads. Literally!
Add to the mix what can only be described as inappropriately enthusiastic anthem singing, while holding up the no. 10 shirt of, let’s remember, another player, not a fallen war hero, and you have all the ingredients for cloudy and unstructured thinking, instead of focus and awareness.
I don’t doubt this was all well-meaning but it was amateurish naivety. Players should turn up to a stadium with their game plan dominating their minds, not lamenting the loss of their best hope, having been consumed by national pride, one of mankind’s enduring fallacies. The Brazilian FA should immediately sack Roy Hodgson Big Phil.
Has all this Tour de Yorkshire business put you in the mood to get the bike out? If you why don’t you sign up for the Cardenden Cycle, which this year takes place on 6 September. You cycle from Celtic Park to the grave of John Thomson in Cardenden, Fife, a 64 mile journey. Full details are here.
If your cycling days are over, they are looking for drivers and stewards… if you’re available.
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Last night’s defeat of Brazil didn’t shock me….the score line however did…..the fact that they got as far as the semis in a way did but on the other hand it was always going to be that way….FIFA would make sure of that.
As some of you may be aware I recently read Pele’s book “Why Soccer Matters”. In it he discusses the shame of 1950 in the Maracana and why they would never play in that strip again. The strip they now wear was designed after it to incorporate all the colours of the national flag.
He also mentions that when times are good, politically and financially, is when Brazil play best, there’s a feel good sense in the country.
After reading that my thoughts on the games were a Germany/Argentina final.
No European team has ever won the trophy in the Americas, the fatherland might be the first…..hopefully not the arrogant dikepluggers.
Should have held back. Just found out I agreed with T4!! Damn!
Brazil were abysmal last night. Decent players in full headless chicken mode led by chief headless one David Luiz, a guy with ability but lacking in discipline and tactical awareness. I wondered what the market value was of the Brazil team prior to last nights game. Germany were very good but should not have been able to destroy them in such a manner.
KevJ
Who signed Pukki then? I thought he was a Lawwell signing?
If Ronny wants rid then he will do that if he keeps him then clearly he wants him.
LB
LuxCelt – Cha Du Ri – Fortuna Dusseldorf
Marrekesh Express – Mark McGhee – Hamburg
_______________________________________
Thanks lhads – Hail Hail
Off oot.
Morning CQNers. Up early west coast US to catch a flight, promising to be another scorcher and the Colorado River is running dry so we are told.
Pukki I’d keep for another season, couple of others not so much.
LiviBhoy
12:44 on 9 July, 2014
_________________
Who signed the cheque to buy Pukki?
My guess – PL
Who’ll clinch the deal to sell Pukki?
My guess – PL
And what?
I missed the national anthems last night. Did the Brazil players really hold up number 10 jerseys?
As Paul says, references to Neymar by the players shows a lack of professionalism and focus. Neymar could not help Brazil last night. The focus should have been on the 11 players on the pitch who could.
Looking through the pictures on the Daily Mail article is quite astonishing. It’s easy to forget you are looking at the reaction to a football scoreline, especially given events in Gaza.
It was an astonishing game of football, however. Will be talked about for generations.
Said on twitter last night that it was like there were 4 or 5 David luiz’s on the pitch last night.
But none of them were in the right place!
HH jamesgang
You would have thought that seeing as we haven’t bought anyone yet, have just lost our Captain for the next 3 months minimum, and we are about to play the most important games of our season, that we would be in the transfer market for a box to box midfielder, maybe someone like Stuart Armstrong from Dundee United. Surely we are not just going to take it on the chin, shrug it off and move one. That didn’t work last time and chances are it won’t work this time. C’mon big Peter, let’s not go in to the CL qualifiers on the back foot.
Heidless Chickens sprung to mind, last night watching Brasil. I bought a Brasil T shirt for beachwear on my forthcoming two weeks in Lanzarote. It will just have to do for sleepwear,
travellerbhoy
Have you read Tom Minogue’s blog about queen Victoria school in dunblane and Thomas Hamilton who carried out the shooting at dunblane PS.
There’s something rotten here pal. And who’s to say it wasn’t linked the 6 short miles to Stirling.
Keep talking to us pal. YNWA.
HH jamesgang
KevJungle – Murdo Macleod is my favorit CELTIC player ever
Is that not the same at every club?
The old PL switcheroo is in action to suit your agenda I feel.
No matter what happens blame Peter Lawwell.
LB
Anyone who has watched the Bundesliga in the last couple of years wouldn’t be particularly surprised by the outcome of last night’s game. Their football is played at an exceptionally high level in terms of skill, tactical awareness, discipline, fitness and finesse, in front of amazing (usually capacity) crowds who create an incredible atmosphere, and by teams that actually have a few German players in them.
It is a model that La Liga and the EPL would do well to follow!
Travellerbhoy you’re not taking over the blog pal keep posting you’re with your own on here
travellerbhoy
Your posts worry me
Please take it forword
HH
BigChipsUK – There are only two SPL teams in Glasgow… Celtic and Partick Thistle
The Dutch league is not that great and they may win the world cup. I don’t think the league matters all that much. It is about the players and the set up. Germany are reaping the benefits of a change to set ups and facilities at the 2006 world cup.
Last nights game was a freak. The Germans have been solid so far but I wouldn;t say they played silky football. They were well drilled and knew their positions. Brazil looked like a Sunday league team after a heavy night on the drink.
I think the Germans can win the World Cup. They are still a good side but they are not miles ahead of the other two semi finalists.
LB
Livibhoy
Have you bought tickets yet for the first Murrayfield game?
LiviBhoy
_______
Nah, no agenda.
But, given the dough that PL is on
surely he has to be resposible for
something?
Anyway, lifes too short to get involved
in a PL – debate cos, we’d never agree.
No offence – Hail Hail
I’ll have Neymer of it. It was a Dive! Dive! Dive! :) Ok it wisny but I do like a bit of Lazy Journalism and all that jazz.
A waxing for her and a (what do you do when you put air in a tyre) for him is all I’m going to says.
MWD says AYE
7-1. Must be something about huns and 7-1 scorelines?
MWD says AYE
.
“There once was a Player named Pukki who read a Conundrum that weighed Heavier than the thickest of Lead..
Dashinng to the rescue
Establishment, parlimentarians, royalty and child abuse has been known and ignored for years. Just read up on Kincorra!
No one will swing for these crimes though.
MWD says AYE
Anyway, going oot now to get my
bowler hat n white gloves sorted
and get my cloven-hooves sharpened
for my birthday on saturday :)
And ye wonder why I’m strange – CSC
OK, Neymar writhed around after Brown’s kick. But the writhing wasn’t what got Brown sent off, it was the kick. AKA stupidity.
Sad to say, but we all know many if not most players exaggerate fouls, or dive, including at least one currently playing for us. Not excusable, but not the reason for the sending off (Paul, remember your recent “ad hominem” article).
Let’s give Pukki a few weeks to see how he pans out under the new system. He has ability, but he has never struck me as a natural goalscorer (he doesn’t take punts on runs into space, he likes to control the ball rather than react). But we will see. I’d sell FF for anything above £7m. He will go anyway, and his stock is reasonably high just now (the worse Joe Hart plays, the better FF is perceived). I don’t think that he will make the breakthrough to the England no 1. But if we get say £8m, I’d like to see at least £3m of that spent on a replacement (aye, right). That would still leave us with a couple of million profit from our fee to Newcastle.
Ooop..
Daqshing to thhe rescue Celtic took the Lead as they Presented a soolution for Pukki to Read”
;-)
Summa
Travellerbhoy, it might be best to talk to a professional about your trauma via the NHS. It may do you the world of good.
You have the power to decide to take your complaint to the police also. maybe talking to a health professional first about how you feel will help you to decide the best way forward. Best of luck and HH
Hamiltontim
Not yet. I am going to get tickets this week.
Can you get them in the Celtic stores?
LB
The scoreline was a shock last night but not the result.
I would imagine that European teams won’t be in such a hurry to purchase overpriced Brazilian players anymore.
Their greatness is a myth based on a storied past.
Brazilian football has declined for years.
Germany were professional and technically superior both qualities Brazil lacked.
Has anybody recieved their tickets (in lue of season tickets) for next Tuesdays game.
jamesgang,
I read the the blog about the Victoria school a couple months ago when one of my brothers sent a link to me. It is frightening.
The ability by the so called Powers-That-Be to cover up is incredible.
We should all be worried.
Big Brother is alive and well – cameras watching our every move, emails, texts, phone calls all monitored, street-lights with cameras and ability to record conversations of pedestrians. Google, in conjunction with the NSA, tracking every single page and website that you look at, etc etc etc.
If you actually sit down and consider how we are monitored now, it would scare anyone.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Livibhoy
I won’t make it because I’ll be on holiday since they changed the dates.
You’re welcome to mine, how many are you looking for?
Brazil had not lost a competitive match at home since 1975, records like that tend to go in spectacular style.
I couldn’t warm to the present Brazil team, too many Chelsea players and Neymar ect, ect …
But even though I wanted Germany to win, it couldn’t take any pleasure from seeing Brazil humiliated.
Hopefully, Argentina will beat the arrogant Dutch, and my prediction for the finalists will be right … for once.
I think losing brown for 3 months is a massive blow to our hopes of getting through these qualifiers to be honest. I know we have ample cover in the centre of the park with johansen, biton, henderson, kayal, mulgrew all capable of playing there but its the influence, experience and drive brown brings to the team as well as motivating the players around him by setting the tempo that will be sorely missed.
Towards the end of last season i cant remember the exact game but brown was on bench 1st half the team were brutal. He came on the 2nd half and there was a complete turnaround.
I would give the armband to big Fraser but chances are hes for the off at some point if we get a decent bid for him.
Hopefully im proved completely wrong!
Rock Tree Bhoy
“C’mon big Peter, let’s not go in to the CL qualifiers on the back foot.”
If the manager has identified someone who he wants then the CoE goes into contract negotiations in order to make it happen, as we know, this can be an extremely long drawn out affair and may already be in the making por cierto
Brazil players were diving around last night trying to win penalties. It was great to see cheats getting hammered.
Apricale
Absolutley correct Broony was sent off for a stupid, inexcusable kick at Neymar not because of Neymar’s writhing. It was a sending off every day of the week.
I had believed that Scott had controlled that side to him but he let his team and the fans down that night.
Brazil were woeful last night. School boy defending. No shape or discipline in their play.
Quite frankly they have been shocking this world cup…should have lost to Chile and Colombia.