I watched Real Madrid outplayed by Chelsea for most of last night. The visitors performed exceptionally well to take a three goal lead and could have put the game out of sight before Real got a foothold in the game.
Chelsea won twice in Spain in last season’s Champions League, scoring five without reply at Sevilla and Atletico, before taking a draw at Real in the semi-final, they know how to compete in this competition. No team, however, knows more about winning in the Champions League than Real Madrid.
Real win this tournament when they are well below par domestically, they find an assured calmness to their play, even when, as last night, they were 0-3 down and the obits were being written about coach Carlo Ancelotti. This is all down to corporate memory. More than any team in football, they know how to perform under intense pressure on the big stage.
You have witnessed this on a smaller scale in Scotland. Celtic’s 36 game unbeaten run in domestic cup competitions, from 2016 to 2020, defined credulity. Form varied during that run, the only consistent was outcome. Celtic won so many knockout games, they knew most of the pitfalls and prepared thoroughly.
If anything, form at semi-finals and finals is even more impressive. Celtic are on a run of 18 successive wins on these Hampden occasions, without once going to extra time. Others must reach the National Stadium and start work on blocking out so many bad memories. When you go up against Real Madrid in the Champions League, or Celtic in the Scottish or League Cup, you have a chance, but whatever you have in your locker, you cannot match the winning attributes of persistent champions.
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AN Dun,
There have been a lot of charges levelled agains the Russian’s but as yet zero evidence only hearsay and usually from te same source.
When Russia ask for independent investigation they are refused, why is that you think?
Unfortunately the “highly likely” that would not stand up in any investigation or court have become acceptable to plenty on here by the looks of things, innit.
One example of the reverse was Russia uncovering bioweapon labs in the Ukraine funded by the Pentagon with documentation to prove it, the US tells everyone to ignore it and they do, then suddenly as luck would have it theres a new atrocity that can be pinned on Russia as a distractiion and again without evidence or investigation and the biochemical weapons becomes invisible. And people seem to think there is no pattern to the atrocities and their timing, just that they are told its true so it must be true.
Oh and that source is a comedic actor who has managed to amass $1.5B and a $30M mansion in Florida over the last three years, that Ukrainian presidency pays well eh.
79 Caps,
Ah,so a former Swiss I.O.?
Another idiot.
Calling all Celts. Your team selection for Sunday please.
Hart
Ralston
Ccv
Starfelt
Juranovic
Rogic
Callum
O Reilly
Jota
Maeda
Abada
Cana … @ 3.22
Short and sweet hopefully.
You still don’t get the step change between the Donbass conflict and a full scale invasion.
The death and destruction from the Russian invasion are there for everyone to see.
To try and excuse the damage / the death and destruction is not a good look.
The Donbass was in the main an artillery war with casualties to match.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is real war with massive casualties.
As I noted Ukraine and its history / current make up are a complex situation.
I have tried to explain that I had pro Soviet tendencies and have pro Russian ones even now.
But VP is an erse of a guy who has been at the top for too long and he is losing it big time.
He leads a country that is a shadow of its economic / military / political past and is not very subtle regarding his attempts to cling on to power — in the past 6 years he has had more constructive influence regarding US politics than he has had on his own local politics.
As you note he had a good case to play regarding NATO chicanery / middle class “revolutions” / EU economic bribery / Azov Battalion rampant militarism / Burton’s Commando fascism but the big word here is “had”.
No one cares about that anymore — all the optics now are filled with Russian destruction / brave little Ukraine bloodying the bears nose — that is where the people who matter now are at.
The people who matter are the population of Europe and they have given up on Russia. Over the next few months and years it will become obvious that the people of Russia have given up on VP and will vote with their feet — it is already happening.
Russian losses are horrendous while the performance of the their military has been shambolic — the army fight and lost regarding Kiev while the air force don’t fight at all. It started with the shot up Jeep convoys and has expanded to include all the Russian armour left behind as scrap.
That is not chess that is a military catastrophe — Lions led by donkeys level of failure.
Coming a poor second to a small fleet of cheap Turkish knock-off drones is not a good look for a supposed World military superpower — the Warsaw Pact spec Red Army travelled mob handed with all kinds of kit while the current Russian forces look to be straight of the parade ground with no support units involved.
Not sure if you have skin in this particular game — some of your detailed comments suggest that either you do or you are a man of a certain vintage who cannot change his opinions as the facts build up against him.
.
I don’t have any real skin in the game but I have enough connections to real people to see how Russia has already lost the battle / the war / the moral high ground. And those connections and what they have went through do not make for capacity to listen to how VP is only doing what he had to do — the big bad West / US / EU did it and ran away.
VP had a choice and he has got it badly wrong..
We are not angels but he is the devil incarnate just now.
He is spending his own human capital to destroy those he cannot control.
He started it / he has blood on his hands / he swung the first punch.
If that isn’t enough for you then all we share is a football team.
Fourstonecoppi – Sorry to hear about your uncle Pat may he rest in peace and Never walk alone.
God bless.
D :)
Can … @ 3.22
Sorry — not very short and not very sweet.
When Russia ask for independent investigation they are refused, why is that you think?
—
Because they shoot people like journalists and refuse entry to war crime investigators ?
BIGRAILROADBLUES
Ronnie Simpson Goalkeeper
Jim Craig Left back
Tommy Gemmell Right back
Bobby Murdoch Right half
Billy McNeill (captain) Centre half
John Clark Left half
Jimmy Johnstone Outside right
Willie Wallace Inside right
Stevie Chalmers Centre forward
Bertie Auld Inside left
Bobby Lennox Outside left
John Fallon Substitute goalkeeper (not used)
Rock Tree Bhoy, aye we wish.
Dermo doesnt own Celtic PLC. Neither is he a Majority Shareholder.
Never ever understood why anyone quotes him as being the “defacto owner” he isnt.
What he is though is a Principal shareholder at 34%,
. Anyone or an Institution with 10% or more voting rights that gives then influence over the company is considered as a Principal shareholder. Influence being other investors might follow what a principle does, sells up because they know something so lets jump ship. Buys more or asks for more share capital to be created, lets pile in cos he knows something.
When he made a statement last week that he is not selling up, wont consider it, and indeed he will be handing his shares to his sons at some point, well maybe the other shareholders think thats good, stability, a profitable model and predictable financial performance, then woopty do, lets buy up any shares available, ergo up goes the share price.
Hurrah for Dermo.
With his statement about passing it on to the family, it only really took 10 years after Fergus for the new dynasties to become the power brokers for Celtic. Kellys and Whites for Desmonds and Trainers.
Only difference now, it is run as a professional business.
Dermot Desmond 34.7%
Christopher Trainer 10.4%
James Mark Keane 6.26%
Lindsell Train Ltd. 5.72%
Thomas Allison 3.55%
Banque Lombard 1.17%
Peter Lawwell 0.38%
Hargreaves 0.25%
Aviva Investors 0.15%
Investec Wealth 0.12%
so, beyond these named, ordinary fans also have circa 33% of the company, but wont ever vote in tandem if they vote at all.
cest le vie
Canamalar,
Every post you make now on the subject,the vitriol gets more and more.You are an absolute gullible fool.
Just who on here do you think you are convincing.
Every word you write is Kremlin propaganda.Nazis,drug addicts,no war,no civilians targeted,few casualties.
our only hope now is that the Moderator will be opening the laptop having returned from work and sitting down to his tea.
Good evening all from Sharkeys. Lovely night in the Gorbals.
AN DÚN on 13TH APRIL 2022 4:59 PM
When Russia ask for independent investigation they are refused, why is that you think?
Because they shoot people like journalists and refuse entry to war crime investigators ?
_____________
Bucha is in Ukraine hands. Shouldn’t be any issue then
Nice while it lasted.
It’s the same pro-Russian propaganda I hear from neo-Nazis here in Germany.
Bucha is in Ukraine hands. Shouldn’t be any issue then
—-
An international investigation and forensics team are currently in Bucha.
Saint Stivs Are you sure of your figures, Lindsell Train did have an 18,6% holding,
Haven’t checked lately maybe they have sold down their holding.
But you said
Because they shoot people like journalists and refuse entry to war crime investigators ?
Yeah I was referring to Russian controlled areas in the East.
Helander out for season as they “eye” the Euro-a semis.
The BBC/SMSM have to sugarcoat every bit of bad news for them.
Quite bizarre.
A pal just back from Q&A with Ange,said he was brilliant,
Nicolson was there ,said we have to give them tickets for CP,in SPFL rules,i would disagree…
79C @ 3.58
The article you highlighted — interesting stuff.
Very thin in places — the Donbass shelling is repeated time after time.
Comes across as a VP puff piece — trying too hard would be my view on it.
Highlights a lot of good stuff but does not engage with the step change to the situation that the Russian invasion is. Plus he keeps suggesting that the Russians have a masterplan which if it ever was the case is diminishing by the hour.
Scrap sitting at the side of the road tells a story that VP or Swiss ex intelligence blokes cannot hide..
Canman
I think your figures are wrong, his fortune is not $1.5b but $1.3b and his mansion in Florida is worth $35m and not $30m
pedantcsc
I still believe that my mad con theory is correct and I will wager that it will be proven to be so.
St Stivs – interesting share of shareholder data.
Thank you.
As for the 33% held by “ordinary” fans?
Personally, I’d prefer the focus to be on increasing opportunities to own …
… rather than increasing opportunities to influence. CST has tried (manfully and creditably) to drive that agenda but I don’t see any significant success?
For an idealist like me?
1. Every season ticket comes with 1 new share
2. Store card tracks your cumulative purchases. For every £500 spent – you get 1 new share
3. A share issue every 10 years.
Doesn’t have to be huge e.g. £2m-£5m
Nice wee injection of capital
Allows 20 years who were previously 10 year olds to buy shares
Ditto for 30 year olds who were previously skint 20 year olds
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 13TH APRIL 2022 5:27 PM
Helander out for season as they “eye” the Euro-a semis.
The BBC/SMSM have to sugarcoat every bit of bad news for them.
Quite bizarre.
____________________________________
Really bizarre. He is not even in their European squad.
MM,
Apologies, I read Russiaphobe not phile.
My opinion of Putin is based on his perfomance and what he has done for his country and people, also I have watched him on a number of occasions spending hours answering questions from all sections of Russian society.
while I believe there is a lot of propaganda there, I can’t help but be surprised that he sits on live television for up to six hours more (usually 4) answering questions on all subjects.
Even if those questions are preselected it still demonstrates a significant amount of concentration to respond to everyone and rarely does he falter, it is no surprise that he has an approval rating of 70% of the electroate which is why he keeps getting re-elected. Obviously there are plenty and maybe even you agree with them that elections are rigged but there were international observers monitoring all of those elections.
If you consider what Russia was like when he first became Russia’s prime minister in 1999 and the state of Russia today I believe he has served them well, up to the point where he is now threatening to topple the empire and the dollar hegemony, which IMO is the real reason the US and NATO are afraid of him. They guy got a law degree from one of Russia’s top universities, so you portrayal does not quite ring true for me.
Yep I believe he is a vicious man but I believe that can be said about most leaders, put it this way I’d rather have Putin as UK prime minister than bawjaws.
As for the casualties I expect and hope the numbers are exagerated as part of the propaganda war. I have no doubt that your opinion of how the Russian army are operating is again pure propaganda, it would be interesting to know where exactly you are getting the information that allows you to make such an assertion, especially when this has been one of the least covered live action wars in the last 30 years. I look at both russian and western sources and to be honest as previously said, I believe absolutely nothing that comes out of the western propaganda machine. That is the direct result of the lies they have tried to force down my throay over the last 30 years only to discover later that 90% of western claims were false and debunked, too late to save any lives and the war criminals still sit in positions of power and are lauded as great statesmen.
If its in the SPFL rules…………why no huns at Celtic Park last time??…..apart from the officials.
TET,
are you saying I’m wrong :oD)))
MM,
Scrap like this?
https://waynedupree.com/2022/03/ukraine-star-wars-footage/
Lets chill with the political Russia/Ukraine posts pls
They are overtaking the blog again
Canman
I am, for once admit it >:)
TET,
I expect I am wrong, I only checked it out recently in a very limited number of sources, today when I tried to double check I found most of the sources I previously looked at are no longer available, I’m left wondering what happened there, its a mystery eh :)
If only 70-75% of shareholders vote at AGM that 34% of Desmondos shareholding just about makes him the majority shareholder
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 13TH APRIL 2022 5:40 PM
… rather than increasing opportunities to influence. CST has tried (manfully and creditably) to drive that agenda but I don’t see any significant success?The ‘Drive for Five’ per cent shareholding initiative would give Celtic Trust the ability to call general meetings and submit resolutions to the PLC board.
This was the latest initiative from CST, but they are faced with apathy from shareholders what can they do ?
The Trust is actively exploring a number of proposals to boost the number of shareholders who wish to join the Trust or vote their shares in unison with it. Here is an outline of what it is and what we want to achieve.
The ‘Drive for Five’ initiative aims to increase the Trusts shareholding bloc of supporters to more than 5%.
Aims
To locate and unite the 27,897 small shareholders who already own approximately 25% of our club with a focus on eventually building a voting bloc of 5% of the Celtic shareholding.
To unite as a voting bloc of fans to hold the Celtic PLC board and those running our club to greater account.
Objectives
Reach fans who have shares or know those who have bought shares in the past. Launch a Shareholder Portal to allow us to build a voting bloc of shareholders and support shareholders who have become disconnected from their shares.
See an increase in the number of supporters voting with their shares in the 2022 and future AGMs.
Offer assistance to shareholders who want to work with us in increasing our combined power.
Services
Assistance in relation to lost share certificates
help to re-register shares which are incorrection registered due to the death of the original shareholder, or a change of address which has not been notified to the Celtic Registrar
assisting shareholders to reclaim dividends that may have gone unclaimed as a consequence of the above
Canman
Aye, funny that, same thing here, things are getting harder to find on a daily basis, but as ever the truth is out there when you look hard enough.