It feels like rock bottom this morning and, as far as Europe is concerned, it probably is. The ties against Legia were our worst performances in Europe. Neuchâtel has a horrible 90 minutes, Artmedia was a 20 minute collapse, and we beat Utrecht comfortably at home, but this was abject over two games.
There are unfathomables, for example, it’s hard to know why a defence which was so solid last season is suddenly inert, but it will surprise no one we didn’t make Champions League football this season. The day Neil Lennon left I suggested it would be a huge ask and it’s proven to be.
We are less than two years since the high point of recent seasons, finishing ahead of Benfica and Spartak Moscow in the Champions League, but the decline can be traced slightly further back than that.
We had an 18 month purple patch of player recruitment, starting when Fraser Forster, Gary Hooper and Emilio Izaguirre arrived in summer 2010, continuing with the arrival of Wilson and Wanyama, and ending with Mikael Lustig’s signing in January 2012. We were bringing players in for a few million who were Champions League calibre.
Since Lustig, the strategy hasn’t changed, but despite signing a raft of players, for much the same money, only van Dijk has improved the team. Most are, at best, misfits or squad fillers. Things started to go wrong with the bizarre signings of Miku and Lassad in late August 2012 and ramped up last summer with the arrival of Boerrigter, Pukki, Balde and Biton. There are more, of course. Some, like Griffiths and Johansen are hitting the modest levels expected of them, but we’ve been missing the target at an alarming rate.
Ronny Deila has so far brought in a six month loaner. He’s working pretty much with the squad Neil Lennon scraped into the Champions League with last season. He’ll now know what you and I knew about the squad months ago. Most importantly, he needs backing from the club as well as the support.
He has to refresh the squad, try to clear out the deadwood, and perhaps accept that one or two of our reliable performers in recent seasons are beyond their peak. It’s critically important that whatever has been going wrong since Lustig’s arrival is put right. Stop haemorrhaging millions of players who cannot command a starting place and start finding value.
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Agent Green,
Bookies will NOT pay out on the amended result.
All bets have already been settled on the 90 minutes at Murrayfield.
Shit .I feel good.
Just relayed the info. to a euphoric son who is having a house warming tonight.
Drink taken,I shouldn`t wonder.
HAIL HAIL
6 1 down and into the 2160th minute of injury time and we still get through. What a comeback !
The UEFA official who flagged up Legia’s error said that the ruling was indeed harsh. However, Patrick O’Flaherty of Cork went on to say that he was only doing his job and would pray for the Polish team at Mass on Sunday.
Also remember folks no matter how bad we played against legai warsaw that qualifyers at this stage of the season is a really really cruel blow for us as a club….and very unfortunate …heck yes we have been lucky lucky bhoys…however even if we are not great we WILL improve and we will be at a better level by the end of august.
As much as I have mixed feelings about this decision we owe Legia nothing but sympathy,their fans should be angry with their own club officials not Celtic.
Plus the way their players behaved at the end of the away tie annoyed me.
My thoughts go out to Zybszek, who was good enough to look after me in Warsaw. He showed me around, got me a ticket and after the game was a complete gentleman and not once did he try to rub it in that we had been pumped by Legia.
Morning all.
Dull down here but I imagine spirits have lifted a bit. Well, at least we can enjoy European football until Christmas. Hopefully, we will be a better team by then.
BRING BACK SAMMI.
starry plough .
I was surprised by them .
Loony tune away support ————- topless , shaven heads and political tats.
Hope you have been gorging on the stream of repressed( from original stampers ) Studio One choons. Some absolute gems amongst them .
No long tae we find oot who will pump us in the next round! All proceeds of this extra game should go to the Palestine relief fund.
I am now praying Celtic get Slovan Bratislava with the first leg at Celtic park so I can go to the return.
PLEASE.
I have waited to watch my team in Slovakia for years.
Not mine I hasten to add.
We did it by having correct paperwork; pure, beautiful, concise paperwork
Could someone please explain.
If Celtic have been reinstated, why is there no statement on club website.
RobinBhoy
Still laughing at idea of PL appealing as he has already sold half of team!!
HH
Morning all.
Banner headlines here in Italia on SSN that CFC have been re-instated.
Just need to sign six players over the next few days!
Feel sorry for Mr Z, but rules are rules. Will never catch on in Scotland!
HH!!
South Of Tunis
I remember they had quite a bunch of loony tunes in Basel too, they took over the English pub here and generally terrified the locals, even scarier than Feynoord I thought although when they came to town the pub had to be closed!!
The Studio One tunes I saw on Sounds Of The Universe, haven’t bought any yet, did my gingies on some jazz treats last month though!
No summer as usual in the valley, mair rain than Saltcoats..
For those asking about bookie pay outs, I’m no expert (bookies never have to pay me!) but Raman whatshisname on STV said they would pay out on bets for Celtic to qualify for next round. 3-0 scores etc unlikely to get paid but if specifically just ‘Celtic to qualify’ you may have a case.
PL has now got a huge chance to back his gaffer and get some players in for the CL play off.
Get the manager what he needs and give the fans something else to moan about.
We have a great chance to make the group stage now. Not often you get a chance like this. We must take it and improve the squad accordingly.
LB
robinbhoy
10:32 on 8 August, 2014
Absolutely hilarious ….!!!!!!!!!!!
Within 30 minutes of this morning’s announcement from UEFA, the Dirty Rag had an article ‘penned’ by Chris Sutton entitled “Chris Sutton: European reprieve doesn’t make a bit of difference this Celtic team is still a bunch of no hopers”.
Question for Chris: Did you write this? if not, did you approve it??
An answer would be great.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
10:15 on 8 August, 2014
Can I just say that no matter what the outcome of this hearing, and no matter who Celtic now get in the third qualifying round, if our team play the way they did in either of the games against Legia ( and I don’t see how that will change ) then we will beat precisely no one!
What the decision has done is put us into the group stages of the Europa League- that’s all.
#####
That’s just defeatist nonsense.
There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t progress in the CL.
All we need is for the opposition to field an ineligible player.
Where’s the final this year?
Two entities got off the hook with this decision one was our club Celtic FC and the other was our CEO PL, but while he is still writhing about on the bottom of the boat we need to put our foot on top of him and make sure he knows that we are dissatisfied with his performance before we release him back into the water!!!
Well, Legia have only themselves to blame really I suppose, although I’m still in a bit of shock, I have to say. Its what that shyster Charlie Haughey called GUBU I believe!It still doesn’t take away from the fact that our team are playing sh1te. They really are been given every chance. Roill on the draw so we can see what’s gonna happen next in this mad saga.
I think we all realise that by any standards of how football is played,we do not deserve to be in this draw.
We were very poor indeed and Legia were worthy winners.
However every sport requires that the rule book be adhered to. In a lot of cases,there is room for manoeuvre with punishment,in order that it fit the scale of the crime.
In this case there is none.
If guilty,3-0 automatic forfeit. Case closed.
It’s like in tennis. Anyone who thinks a foot fault while serving an ace would have made a difference to the serve? No,of course not. But the sanction is applied as the rules have been broken.
My sympathy is with Legia. My gratitude is to UEFA-for doing what ALL governing bodies should.
But my only interest here is with Celtic.
Result!
Monaghan Monaghan where fore art thou?
Huns seething gnashing and spitting with anger
Oh i love bein a Tim
We’ve put up with enough shoit throughout the years
I for one will enjoy this
And who would you buy?
The Huns in the Scottish media are saying we should do the honourable thing and decline entry to nxt round lol !!
They are so so a Hurtin !
What about the Co efficent I say what about the good of Scottish Football ? What about the supporting of Scotland’s only representatives in Europe ! Sshhhuusshhh ! Can you hear the silence !!
As for the last 125 years
We Stand Alone !!!! So GIRUY ;)
https://twitter.com/BaldyWullie/status/497674412846743552/photo/1
They won’t like it one little bit.
Good Morning Timland.
The rules have been applied and we’re in the draw,is it
just and fair? probably not,I’m I embarrassed?just a little,
but only a little…….maybe RD is a lucky manager,not a
bad trait to have.
CELTIC have been reinstated into the UEFA Champions League and will take their place in the draw for the play-off round today (Friday).
It follows a hearing of the UEFA Disciplinary Committee in Nyon, who ruled that Legia Warsaw had fielded an ineligible player, Bartosz Bereszynski, in the third qualifying round second leg tie against Celtic at BT Murrayfield Stadium on Wednesday night.
The decision, which is open to an appeal by Legia Warsaw within five days, is that Legia forfeit the match and Celtic are awarded a 3-0 victory, meaning that the Hoops go through on the away goals rule after a 4-4 aggregate score in the tie.
The UEFA Champions League play-off draw takes place today (Friday), with Celtic one of the seeded teams.
Official site
our possible opponents if i’m reading the UEFA website correctly
Ludogorets(BUL)
Maribor(SVN)
Slovan Bratislava(SVK)
Malmö(SWE)
AaB(DEN)
Luck of the irish!
SFA considering appealing the EUFA decision as it does not fit their interpretation of ineligible players.
new article posted.
Never saw this coming!
Let’s make the most of our good fortune.
Guy in work had a tenner on hoops to go though, threw line out. Bins being emptied as I type.
Sevconians at work seriously gutted.
Anyone got Breathing Space’s number?.
Murdo said on the TV last night that – “There’s no need to change the ‘entire’ team, just add two quality players.”
I’d go for – GMS and big Stevie May.
Surerly, that would help?
Btw, the huns got – in through the back door of the ECWC – and went on to win it!
Only saying.
Hail Hail
johann murdoch
10:07 on 8 August, 2014
BBC shortbread will be in meltdown mode – cue solemn music for today
—————-
Solemn musak – superb!
Playlists hurriedly redrafted
The last 4 songs on shortbread have been in a minor key…. fact!
HH
We’re now main news story on news now !
BRTH, I think we could add a player(goal scoring striker) and that would improve the team.
So we disagree, hey ho, where we do agree is it shouldn’t be get anyone in, it has to be targeted. The right player.
The senior players really need to do some soul searching and ask, did I do everything asked of me and did I put everything I could into the performance, because I don’t think they all did.
They all looked resigned to their fate after 10-15 minutes.
That was the worst of it.
Mr Z, I feel for your team, an admin error has cost them so much, I am sorry it did.
I am delighted we have a shot at redemption if course I am, never the less…..