Celtic face either Aberdeen or Newco in the Scottish Cup semi-final on 13 or 14 April. Both potential opponents must have developed a nervous disposition at facing Celtic at Hampden recently, such as been the imperious form of the champions. This draw is perfect for Celtic.
In the event they overcome Aberdeen in the quarter-final, Steven Gerrard’s men have a punishing schedule before the semi: Hibs (a), Aberdeen (h), Kilmarnock (h), Celtic (a), Hearts (h), Motherwell (a). That’s each of the other top six teams in succession, followed by a trip to Fir Park, where they dropped points earlier this season. If Gerrard has hopes of winning the Cup, he would have wanted Celtic at the end of the season, when he would be able to rest some legs.
On Sunday Derek McInnes all but accepted Aberdeen were out of the title race. They are now 16 points off the pace, although they have an easier run immediately before the semi-final date, facing Celtic (a), Newco (a), Livingston (h), Hearts (a), Motherwell (h) and Dundee (a). Their form has dropped off a cliff and were it not for their ability to repeatedly mug Newco in Glasgow this season, they would have little hope of reaching the semi.
Celtic have one game fewer than Aberdeen and Newco (who have a replay), and face Aberdeen (h), Dundee (a), Newco (h), St Mirren (a) and Livingston (h). By the semi-final we should have McGregor, Christie, Rogic, Ntcham and Benkovic back. We will be as ready as we can be.
I’m still working on my nervous disposition when facing Inverness in the Scottish Cup, but that’s for another day.
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Gareth Bale per year = 28 mill
Ajax 1st, 2nd and Youth Team per year = 28 mill
source: Marc Overmars
Lewis Morgan is on his way to Wembley, scored and all in tonight’s semi. Seems to be back to his best.
Watching a very disciplined Spurs performance in Germany. Granted their goalkeeper has been immense, but the bank of five and four has been rigid.
FT 4-0 aggregate against Dortmund.
How much richer are Real Madrid in comparison to Ajax. ? Too much emphasis on money used as a simplistic excuse. Imo of course.
NFL will , given a chance bring the thunder back to our European exploits.
HH.
Green,
Watched that game too, smashing team, shame about their fans. Wonder if the riot police where there like Valencia
why are the tv companies allowed to interview players on the pitch seconds after the final whistle, when all they want to do is celebrate with their fans
they do it on the english championship coverage as well
if i was kane or loris there, i wuld have dingyed the interview and wuld b jumping about kieran tierney style in front of the fans
and just pay the fine from uefa out my 100 grand a week wages
Hibs to install new CCTV, current one doesn’t work ?
So Polis, Stewards and CCTV canny see who through a bottle ??
Through = threw, when I wrote it first time
Time Celtic played that, it was a big Bhoy who ran away thingmy
JAMESGANG on 5TH MARCH 2019 8:40 PM
—————
I think I know the Professor to whom you refer – in fact, I believe we may have participated in her research – certainly discussed it about three years ago.
HH
BGFC
PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 5TH MARCH 2019 9:36 PM
I’m in the old stand. It’s very old style. And thank goodness I’m not a woman! Stuff like paper towels running out is inexcusable.
BSR
He needed them well booted mhate.
HH jg
Hello again all you young rebels.
G’day everyone from a hopefully rainy morning on the Peninsula.
And it’s badly needed to put out some of the bush fires round our area.
Reading back seen a bit of debate about whether Lenny should get the
Celtic gig full time.
As it’s quiet what about a poll?
I’m for Lenny.
Anybody else?
H.H Mick
I bet BR is sorry now that he didn’t wait another week …. he could have had the Real Madrid job.
(Too soon?)
:)
paper towels are old school
need to murder many trees to supply a football stadium for a full game
virtually every other gaff you go into these days have hand driers
but they would get wrecked inside football stadiums
who’s fault is that?
BGFC
DD is an amazing medic
Good night big ghuy.
HH jg
Morning Mick.
Sorry pal, not for me.
I like the sound of this Irish lad, tho, Mark O’Rose ;)
Lets All Do the Huddle
I am blaming marauding bands of doctors …
https://www.sciencealert.com/bathroom-hand-dryers-spread-bacteria
I bet BR is sorry now that he didn’t wait another week …. he could have had the Real Madrid job.
(Too soon?)
—–
definitely not too soon
its the main point about the whole farce
had he stayed until the summer he would very likely have got a bigger job than leicester
something just doesnt add up about it all
Lets All Do the Huddle
I am blaming marauding bands of doctors …
https://www.sciencealert.com/bathroom-hand-dryers-spread-bacteria
——-
that brilliant
so when i flush the toilet the poop can go 15 foot up the way?
i would be as well pooping while doing a handstand
Brendan was happy to peddle the narrative that we could not compete in Europe. He did not have the tactical nous to set the team up to defeat teams of similar ilk or to avoid hammerings by the heavyweights. Losing 7-1 in Paris after losing 5-0 at home was a disgrace. He hid behind the narrative and protected his reputation accordingly. The Board must now reset and in the words of Peter Lawwell we must remain relevant in European competition. Salzburg and Ajax have shown the way and in some style.
MIKE IN TORONTO on 5TH MARCH 2019 10:17 PM
A mere bagatelle.
The handles on the exit doors of public toilets present , I would wager , a far greater problem.
Not everybody washes their hands post toilet activity .
BYO tissues ?
LETS ALL DO THE HUDDLE ? on 5TH MARCH 2019 @ 10:20 PM
I think what adds up is BR doesn’t really want tested in Europe anymore. His tactics were absolutely appalling. We were well beaten by teams that were on a level with us.
At Leicester he won’t need to worry about that. He will be a success in the top 10. He will be gone within 18 months.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 5TH MARCH 2019 10:32 PM
Thats why paper towels are better, because you use the towel to open the door.
TERJE VIGEN on 5TH MARCH 2019 10:37 PM
I honestly think he’ll be gone in 12 months, as Leceister dangle precariously about the drop zone.
His sheer inability to set up a team to defend will be his undoing, as it was with us in Europe.
And I say that with no malice or revenge. Just dispassionate indifference.
HH jg
i think BRs problem in europe was that he tried to play the same game as some of those bigger clubs
a lot of our amazing european successes over the years have been because we played a different style to whoever we were playing
so it was a battle of styles
we will never beat the likes of barcelona by beating them at their own game
but MON and NFL could do horses for courses teams and tactics
not sure BR ever allowed himself to do that
DAVID17 on 5TH MARCH 2019 10:40 PM
Good. Great idea.
And then a wee problem of disposing the towel without touching the contaminated part.
An external bin ?
However , don`t take the first paper towel which may itself be already contaminated .
Ajax won 1-4. What number did the legendary Johan wear? 14. Some legends never die.
https://twitter.com/johancruyff/status/1103059306700783620?s=21
JAMESGANG on 5TH MARCH 2019 10:41 PM
No malice or revenge on my part (O.K. I admit to some schadenfreude when Watford scored in injury time). I’m sure that if BR was still the boss we’d now win the league and cup.
I’d now be happy with the league. There is a lot of pressure on Neil. Last week was fantastic. We just need to get through the next few games. The Scottish Cup is not the most important competition.
Huddle, there are hand-driers in the North Stand, and Sanitiser, but often no paper towels. Not sure if the former are fully functional, and if the second is filled regularly. I use my elbows or foot going in and out as they are push doors both ways! HH
Noticed a few people saying the cup isn’t important.
That’s right a treble treble is a common occurrence!
C’mon Celtic this is huge.
i thought ajax were brilliant tonight
Haven’t seen any comment on Irving Walsh’s comments, or Celtic and Sevco’s response
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/celtic-and-rangers-slam-edinburgh-author-irvine-welsh-over-comments-1-4883724
TERJE VIGEN
I stated on here often that our playing system was not properly implemented.In Europe therefor we were always going to struggle against teams with similar budget and stature.
We never looked a complete unit due to our erratic spacing.
With the change of coach i hope that will be resolved and as we have the best squad of players in Scotland i will be disappointed if we don’t win the league and cup.
Ajax were brave tonight, they played their football (& got the breaks). We need a radically different philosophy and structure if we want to emulate their style of football. It may lead to fewer trebles but more success on the international stage. I prefer that to the obsession with trebles.
The Ajax result is a sensational one.
To beat Real Madrid is a formidable achievment
To beat them away from home is exponentially harder.
To beat them 4:1 away from home is causing shock waves.
It is a wonderful and rare achievement but let’s be real.
It does not undermine the very strong and simple relationship between big money and big success any more than Leicester winning the league meant that.
No one is advancing any truly deterministic relationship between money and a result. Wee teams can beat bigger teams : it is not that rare and we have done it often and had it done to us far too often also.
What is rare is for a wee team to consistently beat a string of bigger teams. Just look what odds Ajax will be when they meet their quarter final opponents if it is of a Man City, Liverpool, PSG, Barca or Bayern standard. Even if they get a team like Spurs or Lyon or Porto, they are likely to be rated 2nd favourites again. They still might win again but they will be nobody’s tipyo lift this year’s CL trophy.
And as for using them as a comparator club??
Celtic have won one European Cup and lost two Euro finals. Seville season apart, getting to 3 CL last 16 stage is our high water mark i.e. it is hterefore not our average achievement.
Ajax have 4 European and CL wins- 3 more than us. Their success did not end in the 70s as ours did as they won again in 1995, when we were struggling to win a SC against Airdrie, our first trophy in 6 seasons.
Ajax can also boast a Cup Winners Cup win in 1987 and a UEFA Cup in 1992, as well as 2 European Super Cups and 2 Inter-Continental Trophy.
They have also lost an EC final (1969) a CWC final (1988), a CL final (1996) and a Europa final (2017).
Ajax fans and all other neutrals will see a trace of arrogance in us choosing to place ourselves in a similar Euro elite category as them. It is just not justifiable.
Even comparing recent times and our improved European performance since MON came- Ajax can boast a lot less hit and miss record but it is still hit and miss.
2001- 2nd round UEFA
2002- 3rd round CL Qualifying (knocked out by us)
2003- CL q-finalist ( a higher level than our losing UEFA finalist standing)
2004- bottom of their CL group
2005- 3rd in CL group, then knocked out of UEFA in first tie
2006- CL last 16
2007- knocked out by Danes at 3rd CL qualifying round- KO from last 32 UEFA
2008- KO 3rd qualifying CL by Czechs- KO UEFA 1st round
2009- UEFA Cup last 16
2010- Qualified from Europa Group- KO at last 32
2011- Europa League last 16
2012- 3rd place CL group- last 32 Europa
2013- 3rd CL grp- last 32 Europa
2014- 3rd CL grp- last 32 Europa
2015- 3rd CL grp-last 16 Europa
2016- KO 3rd qualifying rnd- 3rd place in our Europa grp- KO with us (4th)
2017- CL 4th qualifying rnd- Europa League final losers
2018- CL KO – 3rd qualifying round, Europa KO- qualifiers to Rosenborg
2019- CL – q-finalist, at least.
Ajax have a home population of over 17 million compared to our 5 and a half. In the 2016 KPMG survey of the most valuable clubs in Europe, Ajax were ranked 20th (we did not make the top 30 that I saw). By 2017 they did not make the Deloitte’s list Top 20 so, in common with us they are slipping down the financial rankings.
In 2017 our TV deal in Scotland was worth £18.75m while the Dutch had £70m. Our deal was less than Austria (19m), Sweden (21m), Switzerland (25m), Poland (28m), Greece (50m), Belgium (60m), Portugal (110m), Turkey (385m), before you get to the big 5
France- 638m
Spain – 753m
Italy- 805m
Germany -900m
England- 1.7 b
We need to get a more realistic appreciation of where Celtic are at. It does not mean we can’t have nights like Ajax have just had- we definately can- but, if things keep going in the direction they ave been- our gaps will widen and widen and these nights will become rarer.
Money counts for a lot- The specific Ajax result does not undermine that reliable general trend.
Anymore than a 90 year old with a 60 a day smoking habit, disproves the link between smoking and cancer.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX – agree ref money & success over time. Ajax play a more attractive style of football, blood more youngsters & develop more players that go on to play at the very top level than we do. If we were as successful with developing talent we would consistently have similar (or better) turnover to Ajax. We are more dominant domestically but we are way behind internationally. The pressure to win everything domestically (especially the 10 in a row) damages our ability to progress.
Melbourne Mick
1. Martin O’Neil
2. Marcus rose
3. Neil Lennon
if its no 3 make appointment soon a transfer window opens in 11 weeks and there is nothing peter lawell wants more is to than an excuse not to spend our cash in the bank remember when this happened before and Pl came up with excuse for not investing for qualifiers when Neil was not given job permanently till after window was nearly closing
peter lied to us when he said that were an exhaustive search for new manger.
brian quinn caught peter out to be liar 6 month later when he said Neil was only candidate . announcement was deliberately delayed to avid damaging the balance sheet. ps we got pumped out as we did not even have a goalie
SFTB
I got the impression that people were comparing us to Ajax based on recent seasons turnover.
Did not see comparisons of our history to theirs which is clearly miles ahead of us in European terms.
Good morning from the middle of the working week and wet and damp Garngad.
I hope Lenny and his Lions have a good week on the training pitch, getting to know thier new boss, and Lenny getting them to work the way he wants.
Let’s get a good victory on Saturday to keep up the momentum, looking at the fixture list and we have a relatively easier set up to the break than Sevco. One game at a time though and keep the eye on the prize.?
D. :)
Baltic in Corcaigh………..Howling winds an’ lashin’ rain…………..
In ither news…….
How’s the roof at Asbestox?
HH.