Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain will bring some autumn glamour to Glasgow in the Champions League group stage. Bayern are second favourites for the trophy, PSG, fifth. The challenge to reach the knock out stage could scarcely be greater.
Anderlecht, by comparison, offer substantially less-ominous opposition, but a quick glance at their European form will dissuade anyone from underestimating the Belgian champions.
The group bears a remarkable resemblance to Celtic’s 2003 Champions League group, the last time we faced Bayern and Anderlecht, with another French side, Lyon, ending up as group winners. All four teams finished within three points, with Bayern and Lyon both winning the final games by a single goal – dropped points would have seen them eliminated. Celtic qualified for the Uefa Cup, courtesy of a superior head-to-head record against Anderlecht.
Anderlecht started last season slowly (as they have this season), failing to reach the Champions League group stage, but that only spurred them on for a memorable Europa League campaign. In Europe’s second-tier tournament, they won away in Azerbaijan before recording draws in France (St Etienne) and Germany (Mainz, whom they beat 6-1 in Brussels). Fortunate form for trips to those two territories this term.
They knocked-out Zenit and APOEL Nicosia in the first two Europa League rounds before being eliminated 3-2 on aggregate in the quarter-final by Manchester United. Those are very decent European results, but it you want some comfort, Ajax went all the way to the final 14 weeks ago, and they were beaten home and away by Rosenborg this month. It’s not about what you did yesterday that counts.
At Celtic Park, we have a punchers’ chance against Bayern and PSG, but our measure of progress this season will be determined by results against Anderlecht. The night we beat them 3-1 in 2003 counts as one of our great Champions League performances, the stadium rose to a man and blew the Belgian champions away. Watch the highlights if you are in any doubt about this.
The 2003 1-0 defeat by 10 men in Brussels still rankles as an underachievement. Losing to an 86th minute goal in Munich, after being ahead with 17 minutes to go, and losing to an 86th minute penalty in Lyon, leaves me feeling we have some scores to settle.
Let’s take them this time, Brendan. You know you can…
NEW CQN PODCAST – PAUL DYKES PRESENTS WITH FORMER CELTIC CAPTAIN ANDY LYNCH AND SPECIAL GUEST PAT STANTON
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Jamesgang
Everything Pedro says is esoteric in that it is only understood by a very small number of people ( Does `one ` count as ` very small` ? )
All this talk of Gin and Celtic`s Top of the Table clash tomorrow has made me fancy a Singleton which will soon be chased by a couple of pints of Deuchars in The Commercial Inn…..a full eighty yards away.
Cheerio for now.
JJ
PS Question 1: What happened to the Friday Quiz?
Bada
You think we could get Paddy for about £ 600,000
The job is yours !
Definitely off now.
JJ
GlenDalystonsils
I take it you never got served by a Portuguese man!
ObrigadO!
There will be some complaints about the CL ticket prices. They are more than i expected and i can see why people will be annoyed especially with the concession and under 13 prices at £90 and £81 respectively. From the Clubs perspective it’s a case of supply and demand, the tickets will sell out and they know that. Whether that makes it ok is another question.
There can be no moving on until the corruption that has taken place has been dealt with .
If it is allowed to pass without justice being done then the game here will die a slow lingering death .
This scam with eat our game from the core ,some time from now the supporters will realize that corruption and cheating was covered up by the SFA /SPL and the clubs themselves and when that happens it will be no great loss to walk away from the clubs we love as they ALL will have played their part in the CHEATING AND THE BIG LIE .
believe me if the clubs let this slide ,in the long run they will reap what they sow
£38 a ticket for champions league. if you grumble at that i suggest you’re a bit out of touch!
MMPD …
I guess I see it differently … for a few reasons…
If enough fans had said ‘we wont renew until Celtic do something’, something would have been done … of that, I have no doubt …
but beyond that, I dont see winning titles by cheating as winning …so, for me, there is no scenario under which ‘they’ win by cheating, and I wouldn’t want us to win by cheating, or even looking the other way …
…. just from knowing you as a poster, you dont strike me as someone who would celebrate winning trophies they way they have (very few on here would …which is what makes us different from them) … but, by ‘going along to get along’ (which seems to be the current Celtic modus operandi) we are slidiing into an ethically murky area …
I get our Board are in a difficult situation … they are a branch of the tree of scottish football, but they know the tree is rotten at its roots …do they cut off the branch they are sitting on? It is a difficult question, and am not saying that I know for sure what the answer is, … but …
Our Board gets paid, and gets paid handsomely, to come up with an answer (the best that they can), and to keep fans/shareholders informed, and to provide leadership to the Club … and, in my opinion, for five years, they have not done their job ….
anyways, just my thoughts on the matter …
is it time for Friday night music yet?
:)
£114 for the Champions League package. That is a fiver a game dearer than last year.
There’s a fair bit of moaning about the increase in Celtic’s twitter feed at the moment.
One solution available to around 7000 supporters is to avoid the forthcoming game at Ibrox and instead spend the £49 you will save on the Champions League.
If enough of us bought into that idea it would hurt Sevco badly and reduce your Champions League tickets to just over £21 per match.
And we could announce it as an boycott to protest against a decade or more of cheating.
Even if no-one else joins in that saves me £98 today!
Was the extra security for 3pm today at CP not required?
TTR- I don’t think guys will complain if we can see the team being improved, the kids tickets are a bit higher than i expected too mate.
M I t
Mike I agree with what you say
I want the titles stripped
I hope to god that mr lawell is of the same mind
And I hope I never have to choose between my team and walking away
Enjoy your Friday and hail hail
QF
I’m not happy and won’t be until they release some of the money they have made under Brendan’s tenure
I’ve never been happy at our lack of investment
Happy to pay the price as long as my hard earned is spent on
the squad.
the extract below is from the CSC meeting with dumb and dumber
Some of those still active in Scottish football, who were directly involved in the administration of Rangers FC during the EBT years, were discussed, with a view to ascertaining the view on how suitable it was for them to be still intrinsically involved in the running of the game, including on SFA committees.
They both seemed surprised that a Rangers official was on the Club Licensing Committee of the SFA in the year that Rangers were cleared to play in Europe despite their admitted tax liability in the Wee Tax Case. They were also unaware of the official’s current role at the SFA or even the workings of the SFA Committee he now serves on. RM was of the opinion that some officials were less important in the administration than others and made the point that it is the only the SFA who can rule on who is Fit and Proper. RM was also of the view that it is only Directors of a club/company (???) who can be charged with disrepute. They accepted that there were a number of directors of Newco this could potentially apply to.
STINKS LIKE LAST WEEKS FISH
They both seemed surprised that a Rangers official was on the Club Licensing Committee of the SFA in the year that Rangers were cleared to play in Europe despite their admitted tax liability in the Wee Tax Case. They were also unaware of the official’s current role at the SFA or even the workings of the SFA Committee he now serves on.
does anyone believe the above ……………..
CLEAR OUT THE STABLES
QF on 25TH AUGUST 2017 5:35 PM
£38 a ticket for champions league. if you grumble at that i suggest you’re a bit out of touch!
——-
For one parent and two year old kids under 13 the cost would be £276, if not on the HCTS that balance is due within 8 days. There are also folks out there going to 50 games a season. It’s not a question of being out of touch, it’s about seeing things from others peoples perspectives.
Be good if we could actually sign a few players off the back of the mega CL millions and top dollar ticket prices.
and another
A discussion also took place about the SFL. Both ND and RM asserted that the SFL’s record keeping was poor and would not provide much for an inquiry. When the issue of potential title stripping was discussed, it was revealed that the decision to recognise Newco’s claim to RFC’s titles, was taken by the SFL board including David Longmuir and Jim Ballantyne, when they decided to invite Newco into the SFL 3rd Division.
So suddenly the SFL have the authority to award a new club entering the Scottish league system the HONOURS WON BY ANOTHER CLUB .
Really ,how stupid do they really think we are .
Will they be bestowing the next new club with Gretnas honours or Third Lanarks
Charles Green openly stated that he bought the history ,if so how much did he pay for it and who got the money .
i don’t think three CL nights is appropriate for under 13s. especially on school nights. 3 o clock games are fine at that age. if you want to take them out at an adult time then expect to pay a steep price to compensate for the adult who will miss out on the seat. that’s my opinion.
mmpd …
I also hope that something is done soon so that you and others dont have to make the choice … trust me, not watching the bhoys (even if just on Celtic TV) absolutely f’in*kills me … sometimes I follow along on CQN, but sometimes, I cant bear to do that, so I go for a walk instead ….
and that is just me at home watching Celtic TV …. so, nothing like what it would be for most of you guys who attend every week, which would be a million times harder to give up …. I get that ….
We all have different thresholds … some stopped attending before I did, so I can’t criticize anyone who still believes and chooses to attend (even if I might disagree)…
* could that be the long anticipated first yellow for MIT? stay tuned…
:)
QF on 25TH AUGUST 2017 5:35 PM
£38 a ticket for champions league. if you grumble at that i suggest you’re a bit out of touch
===
Or maybe struggling to afford it.Didn’t realise my shortage of cash made me ‘out of touch’.
twc @3.56
now that is a great idea, what about it mit.
On an entirely different subject
SFA and clubs dispute £1m league reorganisation costs
By Clive Lindsay
BBC Scotland Sport
From the section Football.The Scottish FA will hope to resolve a potentially damaging dispute with clubs over the cost of league reorganisation when its board meets in December.
Some former Scottish Football League clubs say that the SFA promised to meet the full £1m bill for the June merger with the Scottish Premier League.
However, the SFA is unhappy that a six-figure pay-off for departing SFL chief executive David Longmuir is included within the cost of reconstruction as well as the accountancy costs of the SFL’s due diligence examination of the new league’s viability.
timmyhorton
had to go back and check … but I dont see a post at 3:56…. not nice to mess with my brain on a friday afternoon after a .long week! :)
seriously, what time is the post, and I’ll go back and take a look.
Thanks, Paul. UP and running! HH
Blantyretim.
I keep forgetting to thank bognorbhoy for his present of gin thanks bognorbhoy I just opened it and had a glass, tastes lovely, thanks again.
BT
Just had a look and there ain’t any Gordons left, so next time you can have a good gin.
Where do you think I should go for my Euro trip, I’ve been to the three countries involved, and liked all three, Germany like to stand on the table and drink their beer and do a bit of singing, I did enjoy it at the time but then I was only twenty one at that time, I’d need a crane to put me on the table if I go there, France plenty of the red stuff, mind you I like a wee glass of the red stuff, Belgium, I forget what I supped there,probably the local brew,let me know what you think Pal.
QF
Can I ask how young you where when you attended European matches for the first time?
the kids are our future but only when it doesn’t prevent money being made
THETIMREAPER on 25TH AUGUST 2017 5:45 PM:
I do empathise with those that have to fork our. Our own ST is circa £600. However,
£114, £38 a ticket and if your on the HCRS you pay by instalments is a great deal.
Those of us that choose to go to ibrokes are charged £49, for what to watch our Team play dross, a reincarnation of a deid club.
To be charged £38 to go and see Munich, 5 times Champions, PSG and Anderlecht, I’ll take that every day of the week thank you.
Fair play to those that can afford to go to 50 games a Season. Personally, I would rather not go to Hamilton, Ibrokes, Firpark and Firhill and spend my money on the UCL.
As you say, supply and demand.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Oldtim
Speak later as I’m off to a golf night tonight
, a few CQN bhoys took part today including keepthehughbaws low , kickinthenakas and the Tiken Tim
Few ex players there also including Tommy Boyd , Joe Miller and George McCluskey as well as old happy himself
All in aid of charity of course
Hail Hail and KTF
Jist,……just empty the park….
…..or,…..
whit happens in four years time when,…..
Brendan leave as and,…..
the justice ship wil have, long sailed and…..
Brendan will be remembered as…..
…The Squirrel who made yeez forget !!!
And,…..more still….
When the coast appears to be clear….
…a, dark moneyed consortium will move into ibrokes…
…and do it all again !!!
BTW, does LNS work at Aberdeen crematorium ?
STV news now…..
….oot.
for a number of years after my divorce i had to give up my season ticket. i missed the 4-3 juve game and the seville run because i was skint. so what!! you have to deal with your personal circumstances. £38 for a ticket to a top event is not expensive in 2017. however if you are poor you will find it difficult to pay for items which are competitively priced. fact of life. i love amarone but can’t remember the last time i bought a bottle. if i did i might not be able to take my family to paradise.
“Celtic : Never Knowingly Under-Supported.”
:))))))))
HHH.
Heb Celt
Daughter’s partner mentioned about the pink grapefruit, but unfortunately I can’t eat that nowadays. I’ll still enjoy the gin though.
HH
Aye,if your poor deal with it.
Fact of life.
Enjoy the Parkhead Emirates of the future.
Adios.
Thetimreaper.5.45.
Very valid points you make. It does make it difficult when you are buying for 3. I recall it well. My oldest buy there own now thankfully but it is an expensive time. You can hardly say to your children, naw you’re missing the biggest games of the season. Well unless you’re QF.
B.T.6.00
Very valid points too.
I attended first Euro game v Basle 4.2 aet. 1974
Just magic. Pouring of rain soaked, but we won I was 10.
QF.
Let the children live a bit.
Hail Hail
For MIT before he gets his yellow card ;))
From the BBC transatlantic sessions
Stunning cover of a wonderful song
Alison Krauss
The Dimming of the day
https://youtu.be/f9-nEdqWm6o
Apologies for errors trying to post whilst Mrs BT and mini nip my ear
£38 per game for CL game is reasonable IMO, especially when you compare to EPL prices, and even Championship down south. However I do think £30 per game for over 13s and pensioners is a bit much. £25 per game would have been a fairer price.
Weet
I love Allison Krauss, but hadn’t heard that version … love it! thanks for posting that.