It’s been six weeks since Celtic have had something to play for: 1 May, a five goal win over Dundee. Since then we wound down the remaining Premiership games before cranking up a fortnight ago at our new second home in Paisley, but it all comes into focus on Wednesday at Celtic Park, when we are expected to humble apparent Champions League whipping boys from Iceland.
People at Celtic have complained for years about having to play such important games in the middle of July, but I’ve never bought that argument. If we have to face Legia-type opposition later this month, we can’t have an early enough test. The challenge is known, it’s the responsibility of the club to be ready.
Stjarnan are likely to be the least resourced team we will face this summer, but if we get a comfortable win on Wednesday, these two games, as well as the friendlies against Eibar and Rennes, should provide ample opportunity to physically and tactically ready for the real test.
A few weeks back we discussed the game of brinksmanship involving Greece and it’s analogy in Scottish football, “Those sitting at the Syriza side of the table know they may be marching their citizens off the edge of a cliff”.
8 days ago Tsipras won his referendum mandate but quickly accepted that you can’t play poker if you don’t have any cards, never mind aces. I wondered if he hoped to ‘lose’ the referendum. I wonder if others hoped the SFA would find ‘against’ them a few months back. As we mentioned, it was “one of the classic failures of leadership – telling people what they want to hear in order to gain power, without any way of delivering on the promises made”.
If the Greeks had said ‘Yes’ Tsipras could have capitulated, blaming the will of the people. If the SFA said ‘not Fit and Proper’, others could have declined to invest, blaming Peter Lawwell and his ‘cronies’ at Hampden. I’m sure you could write the script yourself.
Populism’s easy, until you are given control, then it’s harder than granite. We’ll see the same lesson played out in Scottish football in the months to come. You need five aces in your hand to play poker with a billionaire, even then, don’t make assumptions.
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Good Morning CQN
Delaneys Dunky have a great time in Barcelona
Guys I know this would have been asked on here before but have no time to read back
Is it our season book we use for to gain entry into the game on Wednesday Night?
Or do they send us out a ticket for this match
Thanks for any help
Hail Hail
Mt
Mountblow tim 07:45 on 14 July, 2015:
Yuor new Season Ticket mate, you should have received it by now.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
I’m pretty sure that there are workers at parkhead who wouldn’t feel comfortable questioning their managers about a bonus.
Proudbhoy
Sorry I didn’t get back to you, yes I know you said ” in the world” but I was reminding you of what you said after it, I’m just defending the board.
Good morning CQNers,
Looking forward to the return of football tomorrow night.
Just one last political comment before the football takes over; If the country needs to save 12 billion due to austerity measures why isn’t it shaved off the 97 billion a year business gets in subsidies and tax breaks?
Lennybhoy
Thanks for that
I have got my season book so ready for the new season
Hail Hail
Mt
Murdochbhoy @7.56
Look what gave you the idea that was in anyway a football blog?
I blame the SNP. Before Thomson or Thompson does.
Jimbo67
Good morning Timland.. well mid-morning my time.
Effin hot in the desert and forecast to be 50+ for the next few days.
McD’s and Burger King must be recruiting again…
…”McCulloch, who said he turned down a couple of manager’s jobs and playing contracts to join Killie, revealed he has spoken to the pair about their Rangers plans and he likes what he heard”
One more sleep till the season begins in earnest.
COYBIG!!
…oh and Griff from the start for me.
Morning all.
Brighter than it has been. Cloudy but not overcast.
Brighter on CQN, I feel. Real football is almost upon us. Be great getting back to Celtic Park tomorrow.
Many happy returns to even ole’r Old Tim.
I know it’s a day late but at Davy’s age all the details gets a bit blurred.
LG is a must start tomorrow night.
8/1 with Betfair to score a hat trick.
HH.
https://twitter.com/thaitims/status/620838937699815424
Hilarious back page in the Daily Mail ……golfer, Jonathan Spieth rolling about laughing, BESIDE the story about sevco weighing up a move for 2 Wigan players …. hahahahahahahaha
Was talking about that evening at the weekend
I left pub after speaking to Reamonn and his friend David, I went right and the went left.
Very sad
Just saw late night news last night about young couple killed in car crash in Scotland..awful. Pic they should the fella Was wearing the hoops.
Few people died on the roads in Ireland over the weekend aswel.
Life can be very cruel
Enjoy your day everyone
Left CLickcelt Sure the stadium is looking a treat.but could you tell me why they didn’t give the outside pillars a maker over
like a good deal of paint is required. before they put up them photos.any idea why they didn’t.
timbhoy3
NO:))
TIMBHOY3
Ian Black wanted too much,mate.
Its amazing how the words “Eyeing,swoop,loanee,starlet,free agent,released”have suddenly crept into our intrepid hacks reporting lately.What is even stranger,the words”Transfer fee,war chest,multi millionaire”all seem to have disappeared at the exact same time.
Shoooooorley there must be some explanation?.You would think.
murdochauldandhay & wee oscar
00:47 on 14 July, 2015
Anyone hear about Harper Lee’s has new novel “Go set a watchman” Has the turned the character that was Atticus Finch into a racist bigot who attended KKK meeting & believed in segregation.!! Harper Lee how could you another hero demolished.
Can we blame this one on Truman Capote :)
——
No. You can’t. It was obviously a Board decision. Drive through with unfettered glee by Peter Lawell.
;-)
HH jamesgang
Delaneys Dunky was it your good self who went to the friendlies with your Eastern European colleagues?
Missionary work
“St Mirren are being probed by HM Revenue and Customs over their failure to pay minimum wage and other Scottish clubs could also be investigated”
I did ‘TKAM’ for the ole Higher English, and [from dim and distant memory] loved it.
On the other hand I am ambivalent about ‘ Go Set a Fractured Zygomatic Arch’, by Harper Lee Mcculloch.
Mibbe we should get a petition going demanding the board sign Messi.
10,000 signatures wid dae it.
Makes sense tae me.
desertbhoy,
Aye and that’s just the players! :-)
AR
Away tae get ma sun cream!
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will this mean the end of state aid funded programmes ? :)
http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13416957.Celtic_stops_funding_post_match_council_clean_ups/?ref=mr&lp=1#comments
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY
Interesting that the ET reports this but failed to mention till now that Tangers did the same years ago.
Tangers,Rangers,Fat Fingers…
Thanks to all for the holiday good wishes and advice.
Ginger
Yes, I introduced two Polish and a Slovakian work colleagues to Celtic. They are hooked. :))
MAH
Nothing in the papers about the council withdrawing supporting people element for older tenants requiring them to pay 40% to cover the costs
These costs have to be payed from their own pensions and housing benefit or dhp won’t cover it, plus charging old people £125 per month to attend their wee clubs
I’ve had a 92 year old with threatening letters to pay £400 from her pension.
Priorities or just a chance to give a bad news report about Celtic
Morning all. Does anyone know why we’re playing the first leg of our CL tie at home? As the seeded team we’d normally be away first?
HT
We were drawn out first.
DD
Are you sure that’s the reason mate, only because it’s normal for the seeded team to play away in the first leg?
Ps enjoy your trip to Barcelona and make sure R takes care of you!
HT
Thanks bud. Don’t think the seeded team gets preference of away tie. Think it’s the luck of the draw.
Hamiltontim ……………….probably finance. Think the Icemen ground is only a thousand odd capacity which they will fill regardless of the Celtic Park result. Celtic will get a big attendance as it’s the first outing in the Champs Leg. That may be the reason.
DD
Ah ok cheers for that. It shouldn’t matter I expect us to win comfortably over the two games anyway.
Enjoy and behave. :-)
hamiltontim
10:18 on 14 July, 2015
I am more than sure the seeded team gets home tie first now, team that tops CL group please next round at home first, not sure when this got brought in but for some reason uefa think it helps the seeded team try and get the home result in the bag
BT sad sad stuff with Raemon G, hope his parents and rest of the family can take a wee bit of comfort from the amount of hearts their bhoy touched and the great work in his name that still continues