After 14 games Udinese sit joint top of Serie A with Juventus. For a club who challenged, unsuccessfully, for the league only once before, and that was over half a century ago, this is unquestionably the best team in their history. Their home record in the league reads: played 7, won 7, scored 14, conceded 2; they also won Europa League home games against Atletico and Rennes.
They have taken 4 out of 6 points from the San Siro this season and have failed to win only one of their last eight league games. You would be hard pushed to justify nominating anyone else as the ‘form team’ in Europe right now.
This is the test Celtic need. Few positive lessons can be learned from home games against St Mirren, even if they deliver a deluge of goals, but a field in Udine tonight presents our aspiring winners with a stage to demonstrate their potential. Before this month is out we will have different challenges; St Johnstone, Kilmarnock and Rangers present different dangers, but any team that can win in Udine can beat anyone in Europe.
We’ll witness 90 minutes of difficult personal challenges for Celtic players all over the field tonight. It will take more than just concentration to deny goal scoring chances and any opportunities we get in front of goal will be hard earned.
There are reasons to be hopeful. A decade ago a team of equally illustrious Italians were rocked by Celtic, so much so they reverted to diving in the box. Gordon Strachan’s un-fancied Celtic team subsequently took AC Milan to extra time at the San Siro in Champions League, denied by a legitimate penalty claim of their own. There is also the nagging feeling that Celtic’s resources are actually more suited to the counter-attacking game they are seldom able to play. We’ll see.
Birthday wishes to Kano today (or yesterday as it now is in Perth, WA), a child of ‘67. Two years home and still itching for get hold of the keyboard for the songs debate.
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Palacio67 says:
15 December, 2011 at 14:02
That makes more sense, thought I’d lost several years of my life for a moment there.
Go raibh maith agat.
I posted earlier that I’d been off the drink for a while.
I was out on a bender with the lads about a month ago.
You know the drill, a couple of pints here, there, and everywhere.
Then on to the whisky.
Red wine to finish.
Totally wrecked.
I have no recollection of the evening at all, where I’d been, who I was with, what I had been up too.
I woke the next morning to find myself in bed with an ugly woman.
Thank God I got home safe.
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire says:
15 December, 2011 at 14:34
As you said previously, there’s plenty more opportunities in the New Year – hopefully still in the Europa League! Actually, given I live out East, in Wanstead, maybe I’ll stop in the Bow Bells then jump the DLR to Stratford. You going to be there for the second half?
Zbyszek says:
15 December, 2011 at 14:36
Thanks for the clip. Love it. Great passion. Guess it answers the question about “would you rather see your team win or another team lose…?” Depends!
Hope you and the family are well.
Jocky
googybhoy ♥ Kano 1000 says: 15 December, 2011 at 15:37
“Finding it very difficult to make a logical case for a win for us tonight.”
As you show yourself, none of those results are “logical”, but being a fan is not a logical thing!
Be careful young Goldstar
Residents of the Gazebo have a strict limit as to the amount of reasonable posts they may make in any one semester. You my dear fellow are in danger of transgressing said law.
More ribaldry and contentious comments required my lhad.
EC67
Eurochamps67 says: 15 December, 2011 at 15:52
Thank God for that Eurochamps67 – thought “I am Legend” for a bit there….
TC
Mean’t to add being not logical
Eurochamps67 @1230
Well said that man posted a couple of comments myself not as eloquently as your goodself but questioning why the events of the last few days would lead you to giving up attending Celtic Park to suport the team. Whilst I agree with some of the sentiment that was expressed, a lot of self righteous claptrap was also written. As I have said previously we can help ourselves through this because of who and what we are, they on the other hand are beyond redempetion.
Come on CELTIC, you’ve climbed higher mountains than this in the glorious past.
You CAN do it, just believe
Hail Hail
KINGLuBO
Re. The SNP railroading this ridiculous piece of legislation through – so not a single MSP in the SNP voted against “Salmond’s Law”, and not a single person from another party voted in favour. The SNP (and by extension, the sitting Scottish Government) is not a party, it’s a cult.
The ONLY reason the SNP gained power was the perfect protest vote storm of the LibDems getting into bed with the Tories at a time as Labour had blown their inherited goodwill by distancing themselves from their core voters. IMO this ludicrously parochial law, which matches their aspirations, will be their legacy.
jocky bhoy,
thats the plan, to try and make it for the second half, hope to catch you there.
thomthethim says:
15 December, 2011 at 13:46
WDH,
A salutary lesson for us all at this time of year.
at the scene.
I hope you used the bus lanes. :>)
The perfect crime but for the car left
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16136327
There’s some folk down at the ole Gazebo who don’t even give Rod a nod.
if it walks like
EC67- I had plenty of contentious posts in my head over the last few days but I cannot be ersed now, only want to see the fitba at 8.05.
Also, I’m jealous of other people too- no names- who are swanning off to sunny climes over the festive, while we huddle in the fuel deprived gazebo.
Just one wee point on songs-
In the Daily Record today (I know, I know- it was lying around) about so called banned songs- the Celtic song under that list was a song called “Glasgow Celtic IRA”. Emdy know this wan?
Udinese DON’T like being tackled hard nor harried!
4-5-1 counter attack formation is what we need without ki till possibly latterly
Our mid should look like this…
Sammi……. Brown……..Forrest
……….wanyama …..Kayal…………
McCoist on SSN saying they have informed DU that they are talking to Scott Allan and they want him in January. Davis must be first out the door then, Villa beckons.
Just read the Dundee Utd boy Allan ‘on brink of an ibroke move.’
The reason for this headline from The Daily Mail?
Aunt Sally confirmed rangers ‘registered an interest’
Laptop Loyal, you could not make it up. Oh! wait, they do…
HH
Zbyszek says:
15 December, 2011 at 14:36
I don’t like Wisla Krakow but the clip from yesterday is warth a watch.
Sad atmosphere after Wisla v. Twente… then the news from London
==========================================================
ZBYSZEK….GREETINGS FROM CENTRAL ASIA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR POSTING THIS LINK. BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE, AS I STARTED MY OVERSEAS CAREER “DOWN THE ROAD” IN KATOWICE IN 1992.
Need to play Ki tonight. Ball retention will be important. Mind you, it looks like a case of finding 11 fit players.
\o/ Coming at you!! says: 15 December, 2011 at 13:13
Any recommendations for pubs in central london to watch the game?
Marquis of Granby, Cambridge Circus (corssing of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charning Corss Road) – nearest tubes: TCR (Tott Court Road) or Leicester Square. Big Cork lhad by the name of Richard runs it….
http://fancyapint.mobi/pubs/pub75.html
STV and BBC Raaaaaannnnnngggggggeeeeerrrsssssss set to swoop for Allan shortly.
Who is this shortly?
Tonight’s history makers are
————–Forster——————-
Cha Wanyama Majstorovic Mulgrew
——–Brown Kayal Ki—————
Forrest————————Samaras
————–Stokes——————-
2-1 and a place in the last 32
Has the transfer balistraria already opened for Coisty?
Kayal33 says:
15 December, 2011 at 16:14
McCoist on SSN saying they have informed DU that they are talking to Scott Allan and they want him in January. Davis must be first out the door then, Villa beckons.
……………..
Allan to the huns, Davis to Villa, Petrov to Sunderland.
BTW Allan has never made much of an impression on me when we’ve played Utd, has he played against us or has he just done nothing to make him stand out?
Were Celtic not interested in Allan? por cierto
Well Jelavic, Davis, Whittaker & McGregor have all been told they’re ofski if a bid comes in I’d guess1
greenjedi
Yes I agree on Petrov to the “makems” por cierto
greenjedi says:
15 December, 2011 at 16:21
He’s only played a handful of games for DU, played in our 5-1 victory at CP in August. Not a bad player but we have our own youngsters who should be given a chance before we sign other teams. If he comes in and moves ahead of McGeoch, Twardzik, George then what’s the point in having a youth set up
Por Cierto says:
15 December, 2011 at 16:22
Were Celtic not interested in Allan? por cierto
……………
I hope not, let the U19s play, why buy a promising young player when we got loads of them waiting for the chance themselves?
Gazebo Gnome
Would he get a place in the first team or is he a prospect?
BTW, what height is he and what position does he play?
Yes totally agree, need to stop all this agreement breaking out, our under 19s are far and away the best in Scotland por cierto.
Kayal33 says:
cheers, agree 100%
Gnazebo Gnome surely…por cierto