Emenike, Ashley and only Montrose

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I suppose we should start by heading the warning from Sevconian under-performer, Ian Black, who suggested that the Third Division is harder than the SPL.  By this logic, Second Division Arbroath will terrify the life out of the Celtic defence ahead of their Scottish Cup tie tomorrow, they did, after all, put three goals past Inverurie Locos in the Third Round tie, and again in the replay.

Only Montrose

Having previously experienced the delights of Brechin, Forfar and the Dundee clubs, after tomorrow, the only Tayside club I will not have seen will be Montrose.  These opportunities don’t come around often enough!

In all seriousness, Second and Third Division football is not difficult, it is essentially Keep Fit on the cheap.  Celtic must deal with the sincere endeavour of their opponents while giving an opportunity for several fringe players to grace Celtic Park.

With our midfield already stretched by injury and suspension ahead of the Spartak game, Neil Lennon will want to guard this area of the team in particular.  Spartak play their last game before heading to Glasgow tonight, at home to Zenit, who sit five points about them after 17 games.  This is a huge game for Spartak and interim manager Valery Karpin, who will either succeed as interim, and be made permanent boss, or to fail and to also lose his general manager position.

Unusually for the Champions League, they have five days to recover before facing Celtic, a game Karpin is keen to win.  Celtic will technically only have four days rest but the bulk of players likely to play in midweek will surely be rested tomorrow.

Spartak will be without striker Welliton, who travelled to Germany for an operation this week.  Emmanuel Emenike, who scored twice against Celtic last month, is likely to lead the line.  Emenike is a penalty box striker who is more than capable of exploiting gaps in the Celtic box.  Karpin may instead opt to play target-man Artyom Dzuba as a sole striker.  Dzuba is not a prodigious goal-scorer but he is able to hold play up and bring others into the game.

I loved media suggestions today that Sports Direct have a fight on their hands from other firms if they want their brand used to rename Ibrox.  You have to admire the intellectual endeavour that goes into news coverage in this country.  Sports Direct area THE key business partner for The Rangers.  The only issue open to question is how much skin they are in the game for and what they get in return.  Remember this when you’re buying sports kit for Christmas!

Unlike the CQN Annual, the perfect Christmas present, available here and not found in any Sports Direct store.

Lower league clubs will all surely be quaking in their boots at the news The Rangers will not only bring in well over £20m in a share issue, but could also earn countless riches from stadium naming rights.  The leaked IPO PowerPoint presentation suggested the Offer for Subscription would commence on Monday. I am sure it is on-plan.

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1,178 Comments

  1. Doubting Thomas on

    Can anyone advise what is the extent of Anthony Stokes injury, and when he expects to be ready for first team action , ta in advance

  2. The Honest Mistake loves being first on

    Steinreignedsupreme.

     

    Remember the offensive behaviour at a football match legislation?

     

    The legislation that is being used against our fans?

     

    Well perhaps instead of ignoring this creature, he should be reported to the guys that are making Celtic supporters lives a misery.

  3. ian black is right we do not give the third division enough respect not to mention the lack of recognition ally gets for the recent triumphs The Rangers have had over the giants of that league

  4. Anyone got a worse job than Benetiz ……

     

     

    Team playing poorly, fans hate , most other EPL managers hate him…

     

     

    Why bother

  5. jungle jim

     

     

    16:30 on

     

    30 November, 2012

     

    ……….

     

    How was the Simpsons last night? Was it the episode I mentioned?

     

     

    V

  6. Jackie mac

     

     

    Craic like that from employees of any other side would have them traduced mercilessly by the media …

     

     

    Utter pish so it is

  7. Steinreignedsupreme on

    The Honest Mistake loves being first 17:03 on 30 November, 2012

     

     

    “Remember the offensive behaviour at a football match legislation?”

     

     

    Aye. And we all know what a load of keech that is.

     

     

    The guy is clearly an imbecile – why get offended by him?

  8. Pfayr

     

    he can stick his twa fingers up at them when he gets sacked in 6 months time, it’s a never ending story that is.

     

    V

  9. Lennon n Mc….Mjallby

     

     

    12:40 on 30 November, 2012

     

     

    So in what society is a press witchhunt justified for a person who mocks plane crashes in a football stadium but stays silent on somebody dressing up as a notorious paedophile in a football stadium thinking he’s mocking thousands of people?

     

     

    Answer- Scottish society.

     

     

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

     

     

    Are you refering to Fat Sally’s ongoing Cyril Smith impersonation? ….

  10. Jungle Jim

     

     

    15:28 on 30 November, 2012

     

     

    From a Scottish-Places site:

     

     

    “The Great Western Road extends from St. George’s Cross in the east to Anniesland Cross in the west, a distance of over 3 miles (5 km). It is Glasgow’s longest and straightest road”

     

    ____________________________

     

     

    As this blessed forum will know, I am not a man who likes to argue. :¬))))

     

     

    No matter.

     

     

    Dumbarton Road runs from just East of the Kelvin Hall to the boundary with Clydebank at Yoker.

     

    Having walked it at least 100 times, I can assure you that it is, by far, longer than the 3Miles ( 5 k) attributed to the Gt. Western Rd.

  11. Steinreignedsupreme

     

     

    Ask the GB. ….they tell a different story

     

     

    That reptile at the Hearts game should have lifted under the new legislation……no doubt some of the polis found it funny

  12. ….PFayr

     

     

    17:06 on 30 November, 2012

     

     

    Anyone got a worse job than Benetiz ……

     

     

    Team playing poorly, fans hate , most other EPL managers hate him…

     

     

    Why bother

     

     

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

     

     

    For a few million Russkie rubles in the offshore treasure chest, PF?

     

     

    I’ll take all their Laaaandon abuse going….