As news of the goal deluge from the Bernabeu arrived last night it must have caused some reflection at Celtic. Real Madrid thumped Malmo, our eliminators, 8-0. Malmo are not, after all, this season’s surprise packages.
European football is an unforgiving environment, not just for the minnows. Roma, who are currently second in their Champions League group, lost 6-1 in Barcelona two weeks ago. That result came on the back of Bayern Munich taking a 0-5 lead inside 36 minutes in front of 70,000 fans in Rome in last season’s tournament. Bayern went on to win 1-7 in what was supposed to be a game which changed Roma’s ways.
Roma are a good team, currently fourth in Serie A, but their expansive tendencies have earned them humiliating results against teams capable of exploiting them.
Rule No. 1 in Europe is to be defensively disciplined. If you don’t have that aspect of the game figures out, you are as well not competing.
While John Collins was no doubt sincere in saying he could see tonight’s game far enough, he should be relishing the opportunity to test his defence against a European team. This is our last chance before next season’s qualifiers. It is a precious occasion to test tactics.
Thanks to everyone who has bought Winds of Change, and for the fantastic feedback on what was an incredible era to be a Celtic supporter.
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Herbo is fine and well and back to work
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSiNPx78O00c3bjPF6nb3DvjYiMfeNwCHjbxWnjh7mUT720XqYmhA
HH
Tomorrows KO 6 PM Celtic Park time right?
MIKE IN TORONTO on 9TH DECEMBER 2015 3:06 PM
Hello lads
Has anyone heard from Herbo recently?
###
Is he the guy who referred to Ajax as ‘hook nosed’?
If he is, next time he’s on you could maybe ask him what he meant by that.
Tony,
Affirmative
HH
Wee Herbo will be grand he’ll be touched by poster’s concern :-)
We dont need to worry about the likes of Real Madrid for at least 20 years at this rate of improvement ..maybe 30.
Ernie,
no problems here …looks like you will have to get busy :-)
HH
soukous on 9th December 2015 3:27 pm
Sounds grim but I have to say your time being measured in 15min chunks and being docked for being late by a minute or so is (or at least was) pretty common among temp agencies. Was certainly the case back in my call centre days.
GEORDIE MUNRO on 9TH DECEMBER 2015 3:37 PM
Thang Q
Yup I remember that, you where allowed three mins. After start time to punch in, after that you where quarterd.
Ernie
How ya doing? Dont know about that comment …. if that was said, it is obviously something to which I would take strong exception (anywhere, but certainly here on CQN) …. but I wasn’t privy to that conversation, so it wouldn’t be fair of me to say more than that.
https://www.facebook.com/michael.mcgill.587606/posts/1937267993164033
Ach didn’t work, it said Celtic game on free view tomorrow on CH 59 free to air.
Dundee Utd away intended for Sat 16th Jan has been moved to Fri 15th 7:45pm KO.
John Collins has told STV that Celtic are looking to strengthen every area of their squad in the January transfer window.
The Bhoys are comfortably clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, but they are determined not to rest on their laurels and want to make their squad even stronger.
Collins is keen for Celtic to add quality to every department at the next opportunity, but the assistant manager has suggested that Aston Villa’s Libor Kozak is not on their radar.
“Ronny went down and had a look at the game and of course he [Kozak] scored a couple of goals but there’s nothing imminent,” Collins said.
“We’re looking to strengthen all over to be honest.”
View image | gettyimages.com
Celtic look certainties to take home the Scottish Premiership title again this term, but they did good business in January last term and will want to be similarly successful this time around.
Ronny Deila’s side snapped up Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong in January 2015, and both of those players have become prominent members of the side’s first team.
SEE ALSO: Download the brand new HITC Sport Live App: An essential live scores and news companion
One potential problem for Celtic in the upcoming transfer could be their inability to offer any player they do want to sign European football.
The Bhoys have exited the Europa League at the group stage, and that could make it harder to persuade potential signings to move to Parkhead.
I am absolutely not making this incident up; in fact I have it all on videotape. The tape is from a local TV news show in Oregon, which sent a reporter out to cover the removal of a 45-foot, eight-ton dead whale that washed up on the beach. The responsibility for getting rid of the carcass was placed upon the Oregon State Highway Division, apparently on the theory that highways and whales are very similar in the sense of being large objects.
So anyway, the highway engineers hit upon the plan — remember, I am not making this up — of blowing up the whale with dynamite. The thinking here was that the whale would be blown into small pieces, which would be eaten by sea gulls, and that would be that. A textbook whale removal.
So they moved the spectators back up the beach, put a half-ton of dynamite next to the whale and set it off. I am probably not guilty of understatement when I say that what follows, on the videotape, is the most wonderful event in the history of the universe. First you see the whale carcass disappear in a huge blast of smoke and flame. Then you hear the happy spectators shouting “Yayy!” and “Whee!” Then, suddenly, the crowd’s tone changes. You hear a new sound like “splud.” You hear a woman’s voice shouting “Here come pieces of… MY GOD!” Something smears the camera lens.
Later, the reporter explains: “The humor of the entire situation suddenly gave way to a run for survival as huge chunks of whale blubber fell everywhere.” One piece caved in the roof of a car parked more than a quarter of a mile away. Remaining on the beach were several rotting whale sectors the size of condominium units. There was no sign of the sea gulls, who had no doubt permanently relocated in Brazil. This is a very sobering videotape. Here at the institute we watch it often, especially at parties. But this is no time for gaiety. This is a time to get hold of the folks at the Oregon State Highway division and ask them, when they get done cleaning up the beaches, to give us an estimate on the US Capitol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBgThvB_IDQ
The 5 teams who qualified for the CL group stages through the “diddy countries champions route”- Malmo, maccabi tel aviv, bate, Astana and Dinamo Zagreb;
Between them they’ve played 27 games in the group stages;
4 wins between them, 2 draws and 21 defeats;
A combined goal difference of for 15, against 71; in other words minus 56 goals from 27 matches!
The CL group stages are becoming a complete mismatch for teams from the smaller countries.
I think Zagreb for example have a record of 1 win and 16 defeats in their last 17 CL group matches.
Malmo and tel aviv in particular have been nothing short of cannon fodder who would have been as well not turning up.
The last diddy country champion to qualify out of their group was Celtic in 12/13. That feat looks more and more like an exceptional outlier year.
I can see UEFA coming under pressure to scrap the Champions qualifying route at this rate. This is not sport any more.
Of course the best way to level the playing field would be to spread the TV cash to the smaller nations, make it a champions only competition but Uefa will never wear that.
The gulf is frightening and even more so when you consider we aren’t even at the level of a Malmo, BATE etc at the moment.
Thanks to TheTimReaper yesterday I was able to get to Strawberry Fields in Central Park.
Here’s our wee tribute to John ..and my.. how he would have been a thorn in the side of so many of today’s politicians.
http://wp.me/p6DYht-qC
No One Walks Alone
Ah irony. Its everywhere.
Tonydonnelly lecturing the blog on being about opinions and allowing those opinions having tried to witch hunt people from this site on more than one occassion.
And then the irony of John Collins claiming we will strengthen the squad in every area this transfer window.
I mean have IQ’s just dropped suddenly – perhaps he is hoping you will forget previous promises.
Guardian have started an expose into Sports Direct. 5 or so articles on their front page
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/09/how-sports-direct-effectively-pays-below-minimum-wage-pay
The discovery of the low pay being received by Sports Direct workers comes on top of a string of criticisms of the working conditions within the retailer’s warehouse in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, where more than 80% of staff are on zero hours contracts. Workers are also:
Harangued by tannoy for not working fast enough.
Warned they will be sacked if they receive six black marks – or “strikes” (see document below) – over a six-month period for offences including a “period of reported sickness”; “errors”; “excessive/long toilet breaks”; “time wasting”; “excessive chatting”; “horseplay”; and “using a mobile phone in the warehouse”.
Banned from wearing 802 separate clothing brands at work.
Have to go through rigorous searches – down to the last layer of clothing, asked to roll up trouser legs and show top of underwear – which typically takes 15 minutes, because management is so concerned about potential theft.
———————
The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. He’s a monster.
Gary Monk has parted company with Swansea,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34762862?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_wales_sport&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=wales
wow even more disrespec,disrespect and disrespectfulness coming warbiolas way maybe :-)
HH
Awe naw
Now that is very funny.
Your description of it had me creased up too.
The shouts of yeehah changing mid sentence onto Oh FFS..Fab
Only in Amurka.
NOWA
Awe Naw
You suit that 70’s look! :-)
TGBS
I’d agree with your more general point about the gap between the ‘better’ leagues and the rest growing at an increasingly alarming rate. However, I wouldn’t agree mate that we’re not at the level of Malmö. Yes they put us out but I didn’t and don’t think they’re any better than us as a team.
Fixture changes for TV :
Friday January 15, 2016 Dundee United v Celtic Live BT Sport, kick-off 7.45pm
Wednesday February 3, 2016 Aberdeen v Celtic Live Sky Sports, kick-off 7.45pm
Friday February 26, 2016 Hamilton Accies v Celtic Live BT Sport, kick-off 7.45pm
HT
eternally youthful and modest yes that´s me
HH
“And then the irony of John Collins claiming we will strengthen the squad in every area this transfer window.”
Neg,
Where did he claim we WILL strengthen and where did he say we will buy to do it?
Cheers in advance
HH
Every time I see the name Sandy Chugg, I can’t help thinking about how the guy’s surname is just perfect for him.
HAMILTONTIM on 9TH DECEMBER 2015 4:17 PM
Awe Naw
You suit that 70’s look! :-)
TGBS
I’d agree with your more general point about the gap between the ‘better’ leagues and the rest growing at an increasingly alarming rate. However, I wouldn’t agree mate that we’re not at the level of Malmö. Yes they put us out but I didn’t and don’t think they’re any better than us as a team.
Supposedly neither were Maribor or Molde and by popular acclaim Ajax were no great shakes either.
What kind of a team gets regularly humped in Europe by allegedly poorer opposition?
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/defending-in-europe/comment-page-3/#comment-2733903
Hamiltontim
Not often that I disagree with you, but this time, I do. I would say that our players match up to the players Malmo have (in fact, in some cases, are much better) …. but I thought Malmo were a much better TEAM. They had a plan (which we seem to lack), knew it, and stuck with it.
Embramike
Dear Lord, Aberdeen away on a Wednesday night?!
Another beating tomorrow night,it will be the dug out we will need strengthening ……
Had Johansen made it 3-0 against malmo, they were a gonner imo, we were by far the better team, then calamity
neganon2 4.03pm
John Collins is in the first phase of the Kubler Ross model of player recruitment for Celtic’s executive management staff. This phase is known as bombastic optimism where anything seems possible. This phase hasn’t been seen often at Celtic in recent times, having been last observed when Peter Lawwell was quoted as saying Celtic were in the market for £6 million pound players “if the value is there.”
Typically, those exhibiting traits of this phase will not have been in contact with a sober Dermot Desmond anytime in the recent past.
Stage 2 will quickly follow where talk of more modest incoming signings being bankrolled by the sale of key players will gain traction. This is known as the “our aim is to come out of each window stronger than when we went into it” phase.
This is then followed by the “holy willie” phase where periods of fallow incoming transfer activity are rationalised on the grounds that “crystal palace just signed a diddy from the vauxhall conference for £10 million, that’s what we are up against”, “look at the state rangers/ Leeds etc got themselves into”, “we need to develop our own” “Kieran Tierney/ insert any other young player of choice looks like a £5 million player so we’ve decided to go with what we have”
The final stage is generally reached In the latter stages of the transfer window. This is known as the “Dudu knows best phase” where Celtic employees are hypnotically drawn towards the training grounds of clubs in the greater Manchester area to source new players before resorting to deadline day signings of players who have some form of connection to the Israeli league.
This is a self-repeating biannual cycle.
On a serious note – both Ronny and John Collins have been very clear on the need to strengthen in this window. It will be very interesting to see whether they are supported in this or whether they move to tone down their comments in due course with the usual standard platitudes – harder to attract players without European football, clubs don’t want to lose their best players in January etc
Geordie – see tontdonnelly’s post above.
The exact quote is “We’re looking to strengthen all over to be honest.”
Now if you are trying to be pedantic around the exact wording between WILL and LOOKING to I would question your motives for wanting to be pedantic.
Quonno/MIT
I don’t think those other teams were/are any better than us. Mike I take your point but that’s part of mine, our players are on a par but our tactics gave away any advantage we had.
After tonight’s football, there is a distinct possibility that England will have 5 teams in the Europa League. What with Saturday lunch-time and Monday night football, they’ll be lucky to have 3 games kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays.
Neg,
It’s not pedantry. You’re making stuff up to fit your agenda
HH
HAMILTONTIM on 9TH DECEMBER 2015 4:28 PM
Quonno/MIT
I don’t think those other teams were/are any better than us. Mike I take your point but that’s part of mine, our players are on a par but our tactics gave away any advantage we had.
The question I posed was what kind of team regularly loses out to supposedly poorer sides?
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/defending-in-europe/comment-page-3/#comment-2733913
Quonno and all his fellow Bonnos – lies? Had the majority not ‘gubbed’ the separatists in the Neverendum – we would be heading towards bankrupcy in March 2016 based on the pack of lies in the SNP ‘thick’ White Paper.
Lies about the NHS, Police, Further Education, GM Crops, Fracking and now the Forth Bridge.
How do you know the SNP people are lying? – their lips move.