I thought it would be worth looking at our next Champions League qualification opponents from the Cluj-Maccabi Tel-Aviv tie. The Romanians won their home leg 1-0, leaving the outcome wide open.
With 3.5 coefficient points, Cluj look like a dangerous non-seed. They eliminated Astana, who have 27.5 points (Celtic have 31), in the first round and hold that slim advantage over Maccabi Tel-Aviv, who have 16 points, but there are signs in the detail that these results flatter.
Celtic twice faced strong Kazak opposition in recent years but not only did this Astana team lose to Cluj, they managed only a 0-0 draw in the Europa League qualifiers in Andorra this week. On the face of it, this result looks a bit like Celtic’s afternoon in Gibraltar three years ago, but unlike Celtic then, Astana 19 games into their season. It looks like the fizz has flowed out of Kazak football, to the benefit of Cluj.
Both Cluj and Maccabi Tel-Aviv were in close season over the summer, but their preparations could not have been more different. Before their game this mid-week, Cluj played five friendlies, a Super Cup game, two qualifiers against Astana and two domestic league games. Maccabi Tel-Aviv arrived in Romania having played only three friendlies and a Super Cup game since May.
After 10 games, the Cluj squad would have been near full fitness. After four, not many of the Maccabi squad will have played a complete 90 minute game. Cluj are ready, Maccabi are not.
Celtic will have played nine games, including our opening league encounter, by the third round. Not as many as Cluj, but we will be well up to speed. I remember taking a look at AEK Athens this time last year and getting an ominous feeling. The draw has been significantly kinder this time.
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GFTNGFTB
….and this season I see Calmac as even better and Christie on a par. I also expect Ajer, Johnston and Morgan to really shine.
JJ
GFTB
….and this season I see Calmac as even better and Christie on a par. I also expect Ajer, Johnston and Morgan to really shine.
JJ
Hot Smoked
Flaky
Hot Smoked 12.47pm
Will Callum be here after 9/8/2019, got a sneaky feeling Leicester might try and tempt Callum away ….
Funnily enough both Callum & Ryan after Notts County & Aberdeen loan spells I didn’t think either would have made an impact with us ….
Just goes to show exactly what I know :-) … delighted to be so wrong !
Hello again all you young rebels.
The battle of the brewery.
Sad to say our green brigade took a pounding yesterday at the Jetty Road Brewery.
We lost a lot of good men after wave upon wave of assaults on their bar..icades.
Bravely driven on by PADDYMACOZ fighting a magnificent rearguard action our
troops were no match for the 6.5 and 7.8 calibre beers the brewery were firing at
us.
Our wounded and severely pissed troops sought shelter back at McDaids in Rosebud
and after some rousing renditions of the BOTOB our bhoys and ghirls were ready to
do battle again, but discretion being the better part of valour we headed back to our
Mornington base to lick our wounds or empty glasses.
We may have lost a battle but the fight continues, and as that big tim Arnie said many
times
WE’LL BE BACK 8-))
H.H Mick
Peter Houston back at CP Scouting Dept…
Sir Kenny Dalglish taking jibberish again I see.
🙄
Betfred Cup draw after Dundee v ICT match (ko 3pm BT)
Seeded (8)
Celtic, Aberdeen, Huns, Kilmarnock (byes)
Hibs, Ross Cty, Motherwell, Livingston (best 4 group winners)
Unseeded (8)
Dunfermline, Partick, Hearts, Hamilton (next 4 group winners)
Forfar, Morton, plus 2 from Dundee, ICT, East Fife (depending on Dundee v ICT result) (4 best runners up)
First domestic cup tie of the season on weekend of August 17/18
Anyone else being getting 503 errors in Czech?
Váš požadavek v tuto chvíli není možné zpracovat. To může mít několik příčin:
Terje
Ano
Broke into Fort Knox earlier. Well, it was easier than logging into CQN…
Missed my morning dose of lurking today….
terje vigen
Wasn’t sure what language it was, but it has appeared over the last couple of days or so.
TV- Same
While CQN is still accessible. Do not always listen to it but would recommend catching up with the latest Desert Island Discs with the mighty John Cooper Clerke on the spin.
Bada Bing
Peter Houston is also an ex St Gregorys punter
CF- Yes,i think he went to old Greg,before it was rebuilt mate…
GFTB / Hot Smokie……………
Ajer poty…………..
Christie would be my second guess.
HH.
he went to the one in Cranhill
Lived in the old maisonettes in cranhill so he did
Good tim
The old St Gregg was called ST Andrews.
I was there from the start . Brother John ( a Marist ) priest was the headmaster.
Bada
I replied earlier re Peter Houston he was on radio Scotland a few weeks back really complementary about us, Neil getting people in he knows .. or maybe another one of Peters bhoys :-)
Bankiebhoy 3.42pm
Kris is a good shout but not too many defenders get the praise and votes… how he never got young player of the year last year amazes me… probably 50+ games, 3 trophies and numerous man of the match awards … yet Kent 6 goals and a few assists took the prize
Strange
PH knows about the Club, think his brief is to watch opposition teams and report to Neil
The Ramsdens Cup
that piece of sh…t daglish wipe him of Celtics history oh how I wish he never played for us
danso-1888
Let me edit that for you Danso…
“I really wish he had played for us”
That looks better!
From what ive heard,Dalglish and Slippy G not friends….
Celtic Mac 5.02pm
Kenny Dee was my first Celtic hero, left too soon ? Only for us Celtic fans :-)
1977 was the first time I was a disappointed Celtic fan, at the age of 7 it stood me in good stead for the 90s
League cup draw looming … the Sevs at home ??? Even though it should be 5/6 odds I would put it at around 1/10
They need the cash 💰
Trading Insolvent (again)
That’s the business not the Klub
Also … am pretty sure Neil will want to get a trophy in the bag as soon as possible so for some who would write of the league cup (I used too as well :-) I think if Neil wins the league cup he will be the first ever captain & manager to win all the Scottish domestic trophies ….
This might be rubbish but some twitter punter mentioned this to me the other day
Betfred Cup 2nd round draw :
Celtic v Dunfermline
Match to be played weekend of August 17/18
We play Dunfermline in the Bet fred Cup.
Ah well … yet again I was incorrect .. BUT drawn away to the lowest seed is probably the next best thing for the Sevs … TV cash, no expense covering the fixture and the 16th rated team out of 16….
We were never (still aren’t) paranoid enough :-)
Now
Tamnavulin has been successfully smuggled down from the loft
Glass of said radiator cleaner is now snuggled under the sofa
It’s time for a glorious reminisence
What is CQN’s favourite treble treble goal
Tam’s last minute against Aberdeen?
Sinky’s backfoot?
Sweet Jesus, broonie just score
My fave is that weird shot/side foot place/ roll into the net calmac did againts Ashley’s select eleven!
We fuggin did a 3×3!
For all those who want to remain part of the ‘Union’
https://youtu.be/GjVJI0hJQ8o
She should be sacked for racism as well as those who laughed. Lord knows what she thinks of the Irish.
Dont think it’s fair to characterise Peter Houston as an ‘old Bhoy’.
‘Craig Levein’s right hand man’ would seen a far better and accurate soundbite for Mr. Houstons career.
gftb
I was lucky to see Kenny right from the getgo, ie his first game, in 1969 in fact, think he might have played in Bobby Murdoch’s absence. Tough for all of us when he left, would have been even worse for you at the time. By then of course, it wasn’t just the Lions that had moved on, but many of their replacements, Lou Macari, Davie Hay, George Connelly et al. If you read one of Kenny’s many biographies, he would have left in 1975, had it not been for Big Jock’s near tragic accident, and his own debt to the original Iron Man, Sean Fallon. The biscuit tin may well have had something to with it, and the fact that our players were bone fido International players and met up regularly with their Anglo counterparts. Plus, heated driveways didn’t come cheap, even in those days.
I’ve had to change 5.34pm
Fav treble treble goal
Jamesy F’s four at St Johnstone
Just for Sidney Tim :-)
All kidding aside
Dembelle at Sports Direct Stadium when Broony won the tackle while playing a McStay defence splitting pass which Moussa lofted over whatever the goalie was doing :-)
Celtic Mac 5.48pm
Funny enough you mention three people my parents spoke about, my father thought George Connolly was the best player he ever saw, he spoke more about him than any other player .. my mother kidded on she didn’t like Celtic … “they don’t put food on our table” was one of many of her favourite lines but she liked both Jock Stein & Sean Fallon … the “Iron Man” programme on BT sports is pretty special
NEWRADBHOY on 28TH JULY 2019 3:56 PM
That was after my time (left in 67) . The original Greg in behind the Dalriada pub was replaced by what became St. Andrews on the Cranhill side of the Edinburgh road.
Love it gftb
what’s ta goalie daein tam?
fugg all, that’s what’s he daein!