Don’t look at the stats, Celtic need a win tonight

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I don’t buy into the “Anything better than a 0-3 defeat” talk; we need a win tonight. If you want to be taken seriously as a Champions League team, you have to win occasionally on the road (check), and rack up victories against vulnerable opposition, as Anderlecht are right now.

The victory in Brussels in September was a huge achievement. We needed to start winning games away from home in this competition after so many years of failure. Our single away victory, by Neil Lennon’s team, in Moscow, is most remarkable for its rarity. In truth, we should have beaten 10-man Anderlecht in 2003, and don’t get me started on Aalborg, or several others.

So this Celtic team has already recorded a memorable achievement in this competition, but more needs to be done, not just for Celtic, but for the manager.

Brendan has 17 Champions League group stage games under his belt, but only two wins, that game in Brussels and a victory for Liverpool at home to Bulgarians, Ludogorets Razgrad. It is a record he will be desperate to improve, starting tonight.

Anderlecht are not the team we faced in September. They now have an excellent manager, Hein Vanhaezebrouck, who in a single season as manager of Gent, recorded Champions League group stage wins against Zent St Petersburg, Lyon and Valencia, eliminating the latter two in the process.

I’ve been tracking Vanhaezebrouck since his Gent days and have become a bit of a fan boy. Yesterday’s comments from the Celtic Park media room lived up to expectations:

“I can already predict what’s going to happen tomorrow. There will be noise as soon as we come on the pitch. The crowd will be behind them and they will fly like hell!

“The start will be devastating. If we can survive and stay level, then maybe we stand a chance to do something.”

You heard the man, there will be noise and we will fly like hell! Let’s do it.

Jim Craig live on CQN Wednesday evening

Lisbon Lion, Jim Craig, will be live on CQN from 6.30 until around 8.30 tomorrow evening for a Q&A session and to spend time with us. His new book, Right Back to 67, published by CQN, recalls his memories from inside the dressing room during that iconic year.

Let’s hope Jim is reflecting on a great win over Anderlecht.

*JIM CRAIG – RIGHT BACK TO 67, THE LISBON LION DIARY is published this week by CQN Books. You still have time to get a SIGNED copy by ordering at www.cqnbookstore.co.uk and if you would like a personal dedication added to your book by Jim then simply email your massage to david@cqnpublishing.co.uk after ordering and we’ll do the rest!

And if you haven’t done so already, listen to Jim Craig on the CQN Podcast below. You will love it!

RightBackTo67ADVERT4

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  1. North Cyprus (Baku no more) Bhoy on

    Looking forward to watching all of tonight’s game in my Baku apartment. Last day at work tomorrow, thanks to BP’s latest round of budget cuts, so I think that I may well be fashionably late. :-)

  2. Levein & McPhee get a warning & no touchline ban.

     

     

    Is that because that would mean the whole management team sitting in the stands next game?

     

     

    If the kerfuffle involved the HIbs manager would he just get a warning?

     

     

    Will the compliance officer remember to be fair & transparent with other managers who cross the line?

     

     

    http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42239317

  3. Alasdair MacLean on

    McInnes and McLean……

     

    Got a ring to it.

     

    Treachery on a Dick Dastardly scale.

     

    What they have to Aberdeen is even worse than match fixing……if it turns out they have been in cahoots with the Huns all along.

     

    Allegedly.

  4. 50 shades of green on

    Just seen the Yoofs have a 2bells kick off today and its 10 past, means I’m missing it, is it on the box????.

  5. …………………………Gordon………………………..

     

    ………………………………………………………………

     

    Lustig………Simunovic……..Boyata……..Tierney

     

    ……………………………………………………………….

     

    …………Brown……….Ntcham………MacGregor

     

    ………………………………………………………………….

     

    ……….Forrest……………………………..Sinclair…….

     

    ………………………….Dembele………………………….

  6. If Ryan Jack’s red card is rescinded this time around for as obvious an assault as you’re likely to see in a game of football, the game is well and truly up.

     

     

    They wouldn’t be wasting money appealing it if they weren’t confident it would be rescinded.

     

     

    Really wish Celtic could get out of this corrupt league and country, but don’t see that happening in my lifetime. I’m older than 39 & younger than 41 btw.

     

     

    :-)

  7. Melvin….

     

     

    I couldn’t agree more, if he gets away with that, it’s time to turn off the lights.

  8. THE Paradise Windfall Superdraw is back for this week’s UEFA Champions League clash with Belgian giants Anderlecht.

     

    It’s a 7:45pm kick-off tonight (Tuesday, December 5) and promises to be a memorable occasion, particularly for the lucky supporter who’ll leave Celtic Park tonight £15,000 better off.

     

    Tonight marks the third Paradise Windfall Superdraw of the Hoops’ European campaign, with an incredible £45,000 jackpot split across the three home UEFA Champions League matches.

     

    Don’t miss out on a great chance to join our last lucky winner, Patrick McMullan, and walk away with a bumper Paradise Windfall Superdraw cheque at half-time tonight.

     

    To be in with the chance to win, all you need to do is buy your ticket – priced at only £2 each – before kick-off. Look out for the Paradise Windfall team in their famous yellow jerseys at every turnstile ahead of the match.

     

    The winning ticket will be drawn at half-time with the lucky winner invited out on to the Paradise pitch to collect their £15000 cheque!

     

    Players must be aged over 16 years. All net proceeds from the Paradise Windfall Superdraw will go towards the Celtic Youth Development Programme.

     

     

    ============================================================

     

     

    Now would that be a great night. Good luck to all.

  9. glendalystonsils on

    MELVIN UDALL on 5TH DECEMBER 2017 2:52 PM

     

     

    We should show that to Motherwell fans. Get them throwing cuddly toys instead of bottles and coins!-))

     

     

    That is a great clip.

  10. A pal had a run in with a Celtic player yesterday, very poor behaviour, BR wouldn’t be happy with him

  11. More

     

    56’ – GOAL! Superb by Johnston! The young winger passes two defenders out on the right and gets the break of the ball on the edge of the box before slipping it past the keeper [3-0] #UYL

  12. !!BADA BING!! on 5TH DECEMBER 2017 3:27 PM

     

    A pal had a run in with a Celtic player yesterday, very poor behaviour, BR wouldn’t be happy with him

     

     

    ——

     

    FFS give us a hint :))

  13. Celtic FC Academy‏

     

    Verified account

     

     

    @CelticFCAcademy

     

    13m

     

    13 minutes ago

     

     

     

    More

     

    56’ – GOAL! Superb by Johnston! The young winger passes two defenders out on the right and gets the break of the ball on the edge of the box before slipping it past the keeper [3-0] #UYL

  14. VFR800 is now a Monster 821 on

    Word of The Day (Dos Glibby have £800K……….. or just a pot?)

     

     

    gasconade /ˌɡæskəˈneɪd/

     

     

    noun

     

    boastful talk, bragging, or bluster

     

    verb

     

    (intransitive) to boast, brag, or bluster

     

     

    Derived Forms

     

    gasconader, noun

     

    Word Origin and History for gasconade

     

    1709 (n.); 1727 (v.), from French gasconade (see Gascon + -ade ); from gasconner (16c.) “to boast, brag,” literally “to talk like a Gascon.”

     

     

     

    SFTB, take it away ………

     

     

    KTF

  15. PHILBHOY on 5TH DECEMBER 2017 2:30 PM

     

    BSR

     

     

    Great news about EUROCHAMPS67!

     

     

    *Yip same from me, I’ve withheld comments pre-op as this was the illness that took my da and I know how serious it s so God be with him.

  16. VFR800 is now a Monster 821 on

    BARNEY67 on 5TH DECEMBER 2017 2:08 PM

     

    Seven dwarfs an snow white (DUP) on the beeb talking bollox right now, must be panto season.

     

     

    Oh, no it isn’t!

     

     

    KTF

  17. Celticrollercoaster supporting @WalkWithShay on

    BSR

     

     

    That’s excellent news re Eurochamps. Does this mean he wants his ticket back for tonight’s game? :-) Give him my best.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  18. VFR800 is now a Monster 821 on

    To all you lucky people going to the game tonight, enjoy it!

     

     

    I’m down in leafy Lincolnshire and am booked to go out for a meal at 7 this evening so I won’t get a chance to see the game live – I will watch a re-run on Celtic TV or catch-up on BT Sport.

     

     

    I expect a reasonable test (they will be a tougher test than any domestic team) but also expect a 2 goal victory!

     

     

     

    KTF

  19. More

     

    FULL TIME. Celtic are comfortable winners in the end thanks to goals from Aitchison, McInroy and Johnston [3-1]. The Hoops close out their UEFA Youth League campaign third in the group with six points.

  20. !!BADA BING!! on 5TH DECEMBER 2017 3:27 PM

     

     

    A pal had a run in with a Celtic player yesterday, very poor behaviour, BR wouldn’t be happy with him

     

     

    ——————————————————————————

     

     

    Have you dobbed your pal in to BR???

     

     

    ;)

  21. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    !BADABING!

     

     

    I reckon Brendan will congratulate his player on his bravery-your pals tend to run to a bit of height!

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