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Dominate domestic and regular Champions League

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Atletico Madrid arrive at Celtic Park tomorrow on the back of six consecutive wins, a series which started by beating Real in the Madrid derby, and ended with a 0-3 win at Celta Vigo on Saturday.  If they win their game in hand over the teams above them, they will go top of La Liga.  Even by their impressive standards, that is formidable form.

Looking ahead to the game, Brendan Rodgers spoke about the challenge of playing one of the best teams in the world and the need to devise a plan.  The wounds of PSG’s visit to Glasgow the last time Brendan was in charge are still there.  Celtic battled but the visitors left with a 0-5 win, it was a lesson on what can happen when you don’t sufficiently change the plan you had for the previous weekend’s Scottish Premiership game.

“Dominate domestic football and to compete regularly in the Champions League”, objectives Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson noted in our annual report, published yesterday.  I see comments alleging one is regarded as more important than the other to the club, when it should be patently obvious that gaining either makes achieving the other significantly easier.  Do both or do neither.

There is a world of ways you can go about achieving those objectives, from the David Murray route (spend everything you have, and more, and take tax advice from a porn producer), to just spending everything you have and hoping to always achieve both, to trying to manage though the slings and arrows of football.

We all have a preference but there is no perfect plan for this, although there are clearly some disastrous ones.  Under the current strategy, I think Celtic will continue to dominate domestically for years to come.  We will win the league and gain entry into the new-format Champions League next season.  Thereafter, we can expect the qualification lottery for some seasons, inevitably including some Europa League seasons.  Still, remember when we all wanted to be like Ajax?  Football strategy is easy, just ask anyone who has never had to execute.

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  11. David66 on

    Good morning all from a european matchday Garngad. Whoopee

     

     

    So as Bada Bing says the polis can film anyone they like but when they get filmed they go crying to everyone and anyone who will listen. Corrupt to the core. Do not start me on our club yet again not sticking up for its supporters. Onesasbadastheotherfc

     

     

    Tonight will be a big ask but lets hope we get a we win.

     

     

    COYBIG

     

     

    D :)

  12. Chairbhoy on

    CELTIC40ME @ 3:56 PM,

     

     

    “Funny to be talking about this sitting 7 points clear in the league at the end of October after the best start for years and finding real form

     

     

    It’s always interesting how this debate gets turned on it’s head.

     

     

    It is funny we are talking about this and the reason is these sort of comments…

     

     

    BOGNORBHOY @ 23RD OCTOBER 2023 9:37 AM

     

     

    BOURNESOUPRECIPE @ 23RD OCTOBER 2023 12:54 PM

     

     

    Also our best start doesn’t include being dumped out of the League Cup at the first hurdle do to lack of preparation.

     

     

    Funny how the subject can be raised by the happy clappers having a pop at those who believe we should have brought less development players in and strengthened with more quality and experienced players in the summer window.

     

     

    Then those who defend their position are hoisted as the bad ghuys who restarted the debate, we didn’t.

     

     

    The Manager has said our squad is too big, he is of course correct.

     

     

    We go into a crucial UCL match with a 39 man first team squad.

     

     

    Many of those dont feature in our first team plans currently.

     

     

    We have14 development players, 7 out on loan and 7 “available”.

     

     

    None of them are starters and a few of them are on the bench.

     

     

    Are they really contributing to a great start and us being seven points clear?

     

     

    POR CIERTO @ 24TH OCTOBER 2023 10:50 AM,

     

     

    Also makes an interesting point. Yet it begs the question yet again, is our transfer policy fit for purpose? If it is, it being implemented properly?

     

     

    For me the standout from our summer crop is Luis Palma, who was recommended to us by Emilio Izaguirre, an ex-player.

     

     

    It really is quite simple, if you don’t want the subject debated don’t bring it up, I for one will let sleeping dogs lie.

     

     

    We will go toe to toe with one of the world’s top teams this evening, as prepared as we can be, thanks to the players attitude and the staffs professionalism.

     

     

    I just hope the team give a good account of themselves and I’d love a result, for Cesar, Jinky and the rest…

     

     

    COYBIG

     

     

    Hail Hail

  16. FrankTerry on

    SCANIEL on 25TH OCTOBER 2023 9:01 AM

     

     

    Not read the comments but had a number of posts on here deleted as I wasn’t in the same establishment bubble as the mod/Paul so this is hardly a bastion of free speech… To be honest I don’t know why I’m posting this as it will get deleted presently:-)

  20. Burnley78 on

    Personally I would love to know how you prepare for a game (the toughest draw possible) on a shit plastic pitch when we have had only 2 competitive games under a new manager and a host of injuries in key positions. Maybe some folk on here have wands but given we saw Wim and Brendan and many other struggle early in their tenure I think we have done ok this season. We are stuck in a crap league and we get no game time v opposition like we have in the CL. How will we ever know if our players are good enough. It’s like asking a team romping division 2 with really good players to step straight up to playing 6 games v Premier league teams.

  21. Tom McLaughlin on

    If the Green Brigade, or any Celtic supporter, is photographing police officers outside the stadium, then it has absolutely nothing at all to do with the board of Celtic FC as they have no jurisdiction over such actions.

     

     

    Even taking pictures inside the stadium is not illegal, regardless of the subject matter.

  22. Burnley78 on

    Re tonight

     

     

    This season is the 50th anniversary of the year this mob beat us in the semi final.

     

     

    I can still remember listening to the 2nd leg as a 12 year old (weirdly under our dining room table) as we took it deep into the 2nd half in Madrid at 0-0. Still with hope that the good guys would win. I think it was Alan Parry commentating on the radio. We lost 2 in the last 15 mins and it was over for another year. To be honest it was over for ever. It was the last time we really had a chance of winning the big cup. We did have a chance going there after the thuggery at Celtic park. Our away record in the big cup had recently been decent. We had won after a nil nil first leg at home v Danes in round 2. We had drawn v Inter away and beaten Ujpest away in the 2 pervious seasons. It was not impossible as their team was weakened. The hideous skullduggery continued though. Threats to wee Jimmy and all that.

     

     

    Ir was our last chance really. The German Bundesliga was now established and producing good champions unlike previous. Holland had turned pro and was fully reaping the benefit and southern Europeans like Italy Spain and Portugal were awakening to this.

     

     

    The big cup stayed as it was for another 18 years structurally but it was never attainable for us. Indeed little did we know back then Celtic would only have 2 more experiences of European football after Xmas in the next 28 years.

     

     

    We owe them one. We owe my dad and his like one for that disgraceful performance by them 49 and a half years ago. If we get something tonight I will have more than a tear in my eye as I look skyward.

  23. FrankTerry on

    MODERATOR1888 on 25TH OCTOBER 2023 9:31 AM

     

     

    I wouldn’t know as you never explained why the other posts were even though I asked?

     

     

    As you didn’t reply I can only assume that anything that challenges the establishment pro Israel stance, questions the origins of covid (incidentally, you’re out of date with the whole wet market business, no one believes that now) or the origins of the Ukraine war is verboten on here.

     

     

    Which is – as I said in one of my deleted posts – utterly depressing…

  24. bournesouprecipe on

    Celtic are still more Atleti than Real.

     

     

    Horrific night for Madrid and Spain in 1974, seem to remember Argentinian’s in the side were to the fore of the disgrace. If ever there was such a thing as natural justice in football, older Celtic supporters especially, would get their wishes tonight.

     

     

    Still too painful for grainy black and white archives, I doubt Brendan Rodgers sees any relevance, he has other more important things in mind. Tonight back to the future, walking the London Rd was quicker, to beat the traffic that queued up for miles. ‘Watch yer motor mister?’ for miles around, dark streets with a stillness and a strange white glow in the distance. If you had a ticket, you were already in The Celtic Supporters Association, or the ticket convener was a friend of the family…ahem.

     

     

    On rare nights sometimes we escaped the clutches of ‘yer da’, and made it with the bhoys to the Jungle, for a Celtic atmosphere that you can never forget in any lifetime. Some say, there is a little bit of Celtic in everyone there’s definitely too much Real in Real, to be like Celtic.

     

     

    Mon the disco lights CSC

  26. Hot Smoked on

    I am hoping the form I feel we are coming on to is sufficient to get something from tonight`s game.

  30. Tom McLaughlin on

    HOT SMOKED

     

     

    BBC Radio Scotland has a sports bulletin every half hour between 6am and 8am every morning. This morning in each bulletin the presenter mentioned that it was 10 years since Celtic had won a Champions League group game at home.

     

     

    Yes, it may be factual. It’s just the gloating way they do it. Accentuate the negative as opposed to encouraging the Scottish club when that club happens to be Celtic.

  31. Tom McLaughlin on

    Bada Bing

     

    A draw would be a great result

     

     

    Agreed. A Lazio victory tonight would also help as Feyenoord would still be in our reach for 3rd place.

  32. Hot Smoked on

    TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 25TH OCTOBER 2023 10:44 AM

     

     

    I didn`t think they could get worse but I was wrong !

     

     

    My only `positive` is that maybe it reflects their fear of us just going further and further ahead of their team.

     

     

    Cheerio for now.

  33. EmeraldBee \o/ A Double Niner!! on

    SAINT STIVS on 24TH OCTOBER 2023 8:05 PM

     

    a different and emotive subject, and something i think on often.

     

     

    The Ibrox Disaster, and there but for the grace of god.

     

     

    SAINT STIVS, I was reading back this morning and came across your post from last night. Very emotional, written from the heart. Thanks.

     

     

    The author Joe Gurney ended up at Jordanhill and in fact I was there at the time of the match. Unusually for me I had gone to the game that early January, not normally one for Ibrox visits, and it was the only time I had a posse of young beauties surrounding me when I went back to Jordanhill after the Christmas hols. It was well known I was a Tim and they were all worried, bless them, about whether or not I got caught up in the tragedy. The fact that I would have been among the Celtic fans did not occur to them and who was I to disabuse them?

     

     

    However my best mate, who I had travelled with to the game and was a Rangers supporter (and NEVER a Hun) caused me about half an hour of worry as I waited for him to appear at the car, as word started to spread that something had happened up at the Rangers end.

     

     

    Ave Ave

  34. glendalystonsils on

    TOM

     

     

    BBC also has a headline on Newsnow Celtic;

     

     

    “red-hot Atletico fuelled by champions league regret”

     

     

    Could have been written by the Atletico club newspaper .

  35. Tom McLaughlin on

    EMERALDBEE

     

     

    I had a Gers supporting neighbour/friend who was caught up in the Ibrox disaster. He was pulled out of the crush by a big polis reaching over the wooden fence. Next day he was telling us how lucky he was and pulled up his trouser legs to reveal bright red scratch marks from supporters who were on the ground beneath him as he struggled to escape the horror.

     

     

    Made me shudder and still does.

  36. Scaniel on

    FRANKTERRY on 25TH OCTOBER 2023 9:09 AM

     

    SCANIEL on 25TH OCTOBER 2023 9:01 AM

     

     

    Not read the comments but had a number of posts on here deleted as I wasn’t in the same establishment bubble as the mod/Paul so this is hardly a bastion of free speech… To be honest I don’t know why I’m posting this as it will get deleted presently:-)

     

    ***^^^^**^^^

     

    I know, and if memory serves me well, I was the first to defend your position and express astonishment that your post was deleted.

     

    Hope you continue posting and all power to you.

  38. scullybhoy on

    EmeraldBee \o/ A Double Niner!! on 25th October 2023 10:57 am

     

     

    SAINT STIVS on 24TH OCTOBER 2023 8:05 PM

     

     

     

     

    a different and emotive subject, and something i think on often.

     

     

    The Ibrox Disaster, and there but for the grace of god.

     

     

    SAINT STIVS, I was reading back this morning and came across your post from last night. Very emotional, written from the heart. Thanks.

     

     

    The author Joe Gurney ended up at Jordanhill and in fact I was there at the time of the match. Unusually for me I had gone to the game that early January, not normally one for Ibrox visits, and it was the only time I had a posse of young beauties surrounding me when I went back to Jordanhill after the Christmas hols. It was well known I was a Tim and they were all worried, bless them, about whether or not I got caught up in the tragedy. The fact that I would have been among the Celtic fans did not occur to them and who was I to disabuse them?

     

     

    However my best mate, who I had travelled with to the game and was a Rangers supporter (and NEVER a Hun) caused me about half an hour of worry as I waited for him to appear at the car, as word started to spread that something had happened up at the Rangers end.

     

     

    Ave Ave

     

     

    ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

     

     

    Am I right in saying that a very young Johnny Doyle (in the company of a friend who supported Rangers) was in the Rangers end that sad day?

     

     

    HH

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