When we drew Maribor I wrote about their performance in last season’s Europa League, when they were eliminated by eventual winners, Sevilla. Our man, Blaz, in Slovenia, also warned me that this was a settled team who had improved since ending Rangers’ interest in European football three years ago.
I watched Red Bull Salzburg destroy Ajax in Amsterdam last season with some sublime football, and my pal in Austria tells me not to put too much store in their 3-0 humbling by Malmo, who, apparently, rode their luck to an incredible degree. Having said that, on the balance of probabilities, they are by far the top seed we would have chosen.
As Croatia Zagreb, Dinamo Zagreb bossed Celtic out of the Champions League play-off round in 1998, our first attempt at the tournament. Zagreb’s stock has fallen since, so while you could make a good case to suggest we are far from ready to tackle any European team right now, this is a good draw. They are also not Legia Warsaw, which would have been an unwelcome confrontation at this time.
So far, so good. Then we draw a complete unknown from pot 4, who happened to eliminate Lyon in the last round.
Between now and the middle of next month Celtic have to be ready for these challenges. We have an opportunity to progress in the Europa League, earn some badly needed coefficient points, and revenue in the second half of the season.
Bring it on.
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goldstar10
scott brown eh
We paid 4 million for him and his wages may be approaching the 30 k mark too
If competition is so bad in Scotland why do we not win the treble every year?
When we were battering sides 5/6/7 nil in MON’s time folk were not turning up due to ‘lack of competition’
Canny win, have a great side folk don’t turn up, have a crap side, folk don’t turn up.
Peter Lawwell and the board walk the plank trying to get the income higher than the outgoings whilst having a decent side to watch, pretty thankless task.
They’ve got things wrong recently and it would be better if they fessed up to this but I would not be for changing PL any time soon, he deserves the chance to re-balance the club.
Sandman:
You bad man you. Your post on a fire at Ibrox made me spit coffee all over the keyboard.
Brilliant :)
Our wee take on things over yonder.
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/wolves-at-the-door/
Cry havoc and let slip the wolves of war !
“Loan deals are a possibility but loans are not ideal,” he said. “You don’t want to develop other clubs’ talent and not get money for it.”
Auldheid,
This is Ronnys actual quote. Made with words from his own mouth.
You know that. I know that………
;)
KevJungle – Murdo Macleod is my favorit CELTIC player ever.
11:27 on
30 August, 2014
Nye Bevans’ rebel soldier
11:22 on 30 August, 2014
Away to the park with the dog,I’ll check in later
to see if the mood has lifted.
______________________________________
Nye, what kind of dog and, whats its name?
Btw, hope it isny yon wan that used tae run
onto the CP pitch fae the Jungle :)))
Hail Hail
_______________________________________________
Kev, she’s a black Labrador and goes by the name of
Keera,not a bad bone in her body,……chores all done,
now for some me time,beer and betting,take care ya
daftie smiley face thing.
kevjungle – murdo macleod is my favorit celtic player ever.
12:00 on 30 August, 2014
I may well be a Sheep to use your word. However, I do it for the love of my Club. What’s the alternative, starve the Club I love of my financial support and allow it to go the way of Walter’s old Club, no thank you.
I am not pledging my support for the Board but whilst I have it in my power I will support the Club I love until I am unable to so.
You may well come back and say it would not get to the stage where we would end up in the place where Walter’s Club ended. I would say why take that risk, why not support your Club if you are able to do so.
You are a fair weather Supporter, if indeed you were one.
If everybody was like you we would have no Support, no thank you.
If every Supporter like me continues to not only pledge their support but executes it we will have a healthy Club that will be there for generations to come.
Get off your rear-end and support your Club, if you are financially able to do so. If you are not interested in doing so get off oot and leave it to us that care for our Club.
Supporter of the Board, no I am not. Supporter of the Club, I am guilty as charged and one proud Sheep. My Coat has been growing for 52 years, you nor anybody else will never ever shear it.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
anyway
as the saying goes – aff oot!
just remember clappers and mineshafters together we are all celtic men
we all want the best (probably even big pedro too)
squire danaher
12:41 on 30 August, 2014
Ipaddy
We can’t attract £6m players wanting £40-50k pw
We have a collection of £1m-£2m duds draining the club of what must be near a total £100k p/w.
—————
Exactly my point. We need to be finding more Wanyamas, Hoopers and Van Dijks, and fewer Baldes, Pukkis and Boerrigters. I accept it’s much easier said than done
Voguepunter…cheers mate.
geordie munro
12:08 on 30 August, 2014
“big Peter reckons that celtic are the best run club in the world”
How can someone’s opinion be a lie? In my opinion, I should be playing for Celtic up front scoring a hat-trick every week..
In my opinion.
I might not be good enough, and it will never happen, but in my opinion I should. Doesn’t make it a lie.
The announcement of the share offering and the tied statements about the repercussions of failure to take up the shares is a deliberate attempt at emotional blackmail of the Sevconian ‘faithful’.
In a normal share offering, you never put in anything negative. Your IPO is filled with good news, promises of a bright future etc….
In this case, Sevco have stated, give us your money or your club will die. Blackmail, plain and simple.
They are now down to their last throw of the dice. Having spent months trying to coax financial investors to part with their money and utterly failing, they are now left with throwing themselves upon the ultimate fears of the fans, pay up or you will have no club to support.
The big problem though is the fact that even if the mug punters do part with their readies, the club is still almost certain to die anyway.
The financial investors are unlikely to be looking for a return from the football team. Even at it heights, RFC lost megabucks. That same structure, if not an even more loss making one, is now in place at Sevco.
I would think that financial investors are looking for a non-football source for the return on their investment.
Neganon…..
RD said that he didn’t like loans. He said that in relation to improving other teams players, and us not getting the benefit.
Most of our loans this summer include an option to buy.
Clearly, if we like the player, the benefits will be reaped by us.
VERY different from traditional loans.
I am surprised you missed that.
Bawsman
Did Peter Lawell get it wrong? Do we all believe that he chose Balde, Pukki and Boerrigter?
I think our problem is that we have no room for error … every signing needs to work as we need to be in the CL to keep supporters content. And we are just on the edge of being just about competitive to be there.
In the past few years we had a string of good signings.. then now a string of bad (VVD and maybe Johansen excepted). I’m not sure if there has been any change in our skill at scouting/buying or just a regression to the mean.
Lennybhoy
Well said and a post I can empathise with completely.
Well apart from the 52 years but :-)
Regarding Izzy and Ambrose does football without a break ie…….African Nations, Confederations Cup and World Cup.etc affect a playersharpness and hunger for the game?
hamiltontim
12:38 on 30 August, 2014
I have a similar dilemma as to your recent one.
Last Year I bought two tickets for Still Game, good idea but the dilemma I have now, the night I got them for, 2nd October!
Perhaps kevjungle would buy them, he’s not interested in what happens on the Park, just what the Board are doing or not…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
.. last thought … We may despair at the likes of Ambrose sometimes.. but I tell you what, I’d pick him before McManus and Caldwell our erstwhile CL centre back partnership.
If we are downsizing then we are downsizing from Lennon’s peak years not Strachan or before.
hamiltontim
13:02 on 30 August, 2014
You had to add that last bit and your not that far behind me…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Malc @1300
I was meaning it is a lie to say Pl said “I think we are the best run club in the world”
He didn’t say that.
Lennybhoy…Supporting the DAM 5 and CFC until I die:
Your love is commendable brother and without question. The sheep analogy, by the way, is not just a reference to mindlessly following the herd. It is, quite literally, about being sheared.
The people with the shears count on your love. They bank on it. Literally. They’ve been getting away with this failed project of theirs for the last five or six years because of that love. That’s their only bankable asset and Lawwell sitting there yesterday talking about he’s hurting as much as the rest of us is makes me smile in the same way I did watching Charlie Chuckles claim Rangersitus.
I am not comparing the two men, by the way. Lawwell might even believe what he’s saying, but I can tell you that if I was getting his bonus – dependent on money in the bank, not on trophies, not on the team on the park – that would temper my own disappointment ever so slightly.
The difference between a guy like you and him is simple enough, I guess.
You put your money INTO Celtic … he takes your money OUT.
You are, of course, entitled to spend your money as you wish. And you will, and because you love Celtic I know where you’ll choose to do it. I commend every single one of you who took that decision and I honour every one of you who continues to because I know you have to swallow your own distaste and doubts … and you do it anyone.
Out of love.
I am sick of people taking advantage of that, and using it against us.
“We don’t want to end up like Rangers …” is their favourite cry, and it resonates in all our souls when we look across this city at the shambling ruined Frankenstein’s Football Club which inhabits Ibrox.
It is no less a lie for being grounded in that reality.
You’re smarter than that. You know where you’ve heard lies like that before, in the wider world. Yes, “Scotland can’t support good footballers” is not a kick out the park away from “too wee, too poor, too stupid.” Only the comparison is with Sevco and not Albania or Greece.
It insults our intelligence on so many levels.
Has the el package been annoinced yet?
Soal
cheers…
NegAnon2
12:46 on
30 August, 2014
“Auldheid I think your tone of disrespect for your fellow supporters isn’t helpful.”
—————————————————
I will NEVER read a more ironic statement.
Your lack of self-awreness is genuinely breathtaking.
Lennybhoy
Great post.
Lennybhoy
At least I had the weans as an excuse!!!!
Not far behind????
You could have baby sat me :-)
HT your comments at 12.42, was also correct, but he seems to have lost his way this season.
Anyone who waited to very of the game on Tues, will have seen VVD, trying to say his goodbyes, yes I would like him to stay, and we could enforce his contract ( like Many, I would keep him to see through this Euro League campaign), he does appear to want away though.
Many highlighting a major problem area for us, our scouting, and reliance on John Park, my view he is hopelessly out of his depth with us, and has been for 6 or 7 years.
Get areal football man in there, with Celtic in his heart to do a better job for Celtic.
Peter sort that area please
Ps- come in from walking the dog, to a nice we cheque from Celtic :-)
Hail Hail
The dichotomy for all Celtic supporters who at best are disheartened at our current strategy is supporting the club means propping up the plc. When it comes to all things Celtic the heart rules the head
Natnow. I am perfectly self aware. I can be disrespectful to other supporters on this site whom I believe are propping up a regime which is alienating the support in general.
I will try not to be disrespectful in future but throat doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone.
BT – 3 match package is £60.00
Weeron. Read my earlier post. My wider point was one of cognitive dissonance at CP. Evidenced by us saying one thing and doing another. On the loan thing I repeat that I think with balance it’s sensible but Ronny wasn’t so sure. All our signings so far bar Gordon are loans. That’s not balance.
Our squad size is ridiculously high, and I’d say it’s not the best way to use our resources. It can’t be good for player moral either.
My ideal setup: a senior squad of 24 players – a back up for each position with youngsters filling in wherever we’re short. That would allow a small increase in our wage budget.
It’s like to know what Maribor and Legia spend on wages.
ht
I share your opinion regarding Efe’s pace unhooking Virgil on occasions. I should add that Efe still gives me heart failure and when Virgil gets the ball my heart often skips a beat in anticipation of good things to come. However they are part of a unit and the performance of that unit, last season, was often greater than the sum of its parts.
I remember someone on the blog (cant remember who) predicted at the end of last season that Sevco would make it as far as the first three weeks into the season…
Then it would be end game
Im sure its been asked before. But why didnt they accept the fact they were done for, take the hit there and then, streamline and come out this season a little healthier without the threat of a points deduction looming?
Was this just another example of their ‘We Are the People’ mindset
Were their heads in the sand
Or was this the plan?
Dont get me wrong i love it… i just dont understand it
Cheers jobo.
England 182 for 7 having been 80 for 0
My friends in Celtic,
IMO, PL was damned by many before he uttered a single word. No matter what he said it would not please everybody.
That is life, but personally although I do think certain things could have been done better, including the crucial issue of communications the alternative can be visualised across the city.
I posted a tongue in cheek piece yesterday morning of what PL would have had to say to satisfy some. If it upset anybody I apologise, that was not the idea, the idea was to highlight the impossibility of pleasing everybody.
I still ask ” How do we keep players who want to go to the “Holy Grail” of the EPL. Do we force them to stay and risk unsettlement throughout the squad. ?
Is there any other competitive league where there is only a one horse race before a ball is even kicked. I do not know of any, but that does not mean I am advocating the return of any form of Sevco. On the contrary.
To me one of the most worrying aspects of the PL interview was an acknowledgement that we have lost Ireland as a Celtic stronghold to the glamour of the EPL.
I do think we can do things differently and more productively within the constraints of Scottish football and with patience and guidance continue to punch above our weight, but until the money bubble bursts in the EPL ( If it ever does ) it will be an uphill fight. But the fight must continue.
What PL did not answer for me was, if we are or have made any moves to move league. IMO this was the most crucial question applicable to our future.
HH.
Bhoylo83:
I’ve examined this from every angle, and there is no other question that baffles me half as much as that one does.
I will never understand it. I consider it the craziest decision anyone connected with the whole shambles has made thus far.
It was a no-brainer for me. A no brainer. It will bamboozle everyone who studies this in years to come. I am going to assume they were hoping for some kind of summer miracle. I don’t know what that could possibly have been though.
james forrest is praying for the unconquerable oscar knox
13:08 on 30 August, 2014
Thank you for your measured response and as I stressed I am no Supporter of the Board.
If anybody has an objective and constructive way of getting the Board to change their ways, I’m in. I am not an imaginative person but will support any cause that I believe in.
The one cause I can influence as an individual is the support of my Team.
Thanks again.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
The SFA/SPFL have allowed them a license to play football without a business plan going forward.