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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I posted about the size of the Celtic support in the early days when it peaked at 60,000 – then began to dip, even under WGS .
Livingston at CP 50,000 on Boxing day ( and a late Naka winner ) was a freakish thing, and it’s been downhill for league games since the halcyon MON days.
No amount of business acumen or investment can prevent the inevitable drop in interest, especially after all that the Celtic support have witnessed.
18,000 to 25,000 was the average for decades from the 50’s to the 90’s and we’ll likely go full cycle. The saddest part is we have a purpose built stadium which dwarfs the support that are willing to turn up, that doesn’t mean the powers should stop trying and a Scottish Cup tie at home to Aberdeen, should have been a watershed in how not to ‘sell’ tickets.
Spend some money Celtic, get the deals done, and be ruthless with those draining a wage.
monaghan1900,
Liked that, there’s delusional and just plain thick.
He gets asked a relevant question and spits the dummy, while raping the support of their money…keep it up Sally…loving it.
James Forrest
I’m off oot to watch my lad play football.
Real football played for fun.
I’m thinking it’s time I went back to that until Scottish professional football wakens up to the fact it has poisoned itself and will continue to do so until the poison is gone.
SFA have totally abandoned licensing principles.
Why Hearts and Hibs for example let the SFA away with it I do not know, unless they want Rangers back at all costs too.
Check my post on tsfm.
Hamiltontim
‘In what way?’
Sorry should have expanded my post a bit…
People defend Lawwell saying he has to balance the books, buy low sell high etc…
When a big offer comes in we need to accept it because that is the strategy and we look to replace like for like etc..
We had at least 2 players, Sammy and Joe, who didn’t fit that modus operandi when they left. So clearly there is more to the strategy….i.e. downsizing
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck etc……
Auldheid, where is the game?
Hamiltontim,
Couldn’t agree more with your assessment of both players and of the implied criticism of the support who seem to have overlooked the positive in Ambrose’ play.
17’s play the huns 17’s on Monday night at Barrowfield 6pm ko.
Sipsini,
Bada suggested £45 a package.
But I still think he’s in the know.
(tapsnosesmiley)
Ambrose’s debut was a league cup game, I think against St Johnstone, at Parkhead.
He was fantastic playing in a midfield role. I don’t think he gave the ball away once and drove forward with purpose and some vision.
Maybe a run in a holding position in the middle of the park would suit him.
Guys,
Thanks – I did a try googling, but couldn’t get anything to work?
Oh well may have to forget about getting a bet on for the next couple of weeks – probably save me a few quid :-)
Cheers,
BJM
Latchford
My Kirkintilloch sources tell me
1. Mulgrew disappointed to lose out on £100k bonus for CL qualification due to being surrounded by inferior players.
2. Mulgrew wants away as he is not happy with Ronnys methods despite being made captain.
All the players are not 100% behind the latest Project ….Ronny Delia-
======
1. I can appreciate his disappointment but not that he is surrounded by inferior players
That statement reminds of those parents who say of their wayward child that they got in with a bad crowd but never realising that their own child was one of the founding members of said bad crowd.
2. He only has to put in a transfer request.
As for not all players being happy with Manager’s methods …….. see Point 2 above.
watching Burnley v Man U – Celtic are no worse than either of these and sadly no better! Like Man U we are in transition – lets see where we are at the end of the season – I think thats fair and makes sense. Faithful thru & thru? Lets see!
Reported on radio Scotland this morning, Peter lawell states in interview yesterday that celtic are missing r*****s!.
NAW HE DIDNAE.
Reading today that despite admitting to taking Gail Sheridan’ s rosary beads and questioning her about the ira, two of police Scotland’s finest have been found not guilty of bigoted behaviour.
Only in Scotland. Or possibly norn iron as well.
The most bigoted wee country in the world right enough.
Hamiltontim
Efe debut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeRchb7wxQ8
Parkheadcumsalford
It’s just my opinion on what I’ve seen, I know many others will disagree. That’s fair enough.
bournesouprecipe
I think the Celtic are treading water, the board fully expect thousands to return when the Huns rise from the grave.
They are justified in that respect I believe. Lots of erstwhile supporters want the excitement of playing the animals. Hate is a strong emotion, exciting and passionate.
The decline in numbers started when Henrik left. Things got worse under WGS and many became disaffected then.
Need some help re the 4-2 game in 1979.
We needed to win to become Champions. Rangers had a game in hand v Partick Thistle which took place a few days later (Thursday I think) at Ibrox in front of their lowest ever crowd. Was it just one game in hand?
When they equalised to make it 2-2 what was the situation if that was the final score? ie Would they have won the league that night or would they have required to beat Thistle?
1916?
Aff oot
HH jamesgang
HT,
The game you are thinking of wasn’t his debut but it was his first start. League cup v raith.
He looked like he was a league above his team mates. Played in the middle and had a meagre 1 slack pass wi about 10 mins to go.
Bjm, try using torbrowser to browse
HH
monteblanco
Completely agree, I think both Ledley and Sammi should still be at Celtic.
Leftclicktic
Cheers mate but that’s not coming up on my phone.
Hamiltontim
That was the 4-1 LC game V Raith
hamiltontim
14:06 on 30 August, 2014
Ambrose’s debut was a league cup game, I think against St Johnstone, at Parkhead.
He was fantastic playing in a midfield role. I don’t think he gave the ball away once and drove forward with purpose and some vision.
Maybe a run in a holding position in the middle of the park would suit him.
—-
Agree 100%
Also think denayer would be super fast sweeper or cover just in front of defence.
Not with us tho. We need him at CB!
Laters dudes
Daddy stuff
HH jamesgang
Here’s that zoomer KevJ dreaming up his new conspiracy…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/5live/webcam/videocam/
Latchford
If that statement about him being surrounded by inferior players is true, he should take a look at some re-runs of his performances in recent games. If hadn’t been given the arm band, he would be dropped in my opinion.
If he is not committed to the cause, get him out the door. I will pay his bus fare.
Sorry, had to dash to work.
Mental 10p each way lucky 15 today is
Odeliz 3 15 at 6/1
Boris gregoriev 3 05 at 11/1
Where the boys are 3 40 at 13/2
Buck Mulligan 3 20 @ 7/1.
Maybe our incognito chairman, Ian Bankier, should appear in the undercover boss programme and go round our club’s staff and support to see where things are going wrong and could be improved.
On second thoughts, that’s a daft idea.
A poster the other night mentioned Efe & Izzy are our most noticeable players out of form at the moment and are the only two of our first team squad who were at the World Cup. In light of this, the poster said they should be given a rest and taken out of the firing line for a few weeks. I totally agree.
Efe seems to be our new whipping boy. Others have pointed out, he doesn’t get the cover from other players he has had before. This applies to Izzy also.
Efe & Izzy want to play for us unlike others in the past who were given very little criticism.
GM
You’re correct it was indeed Raith.
Is administration like a roundabout you just jump on and off when it suits??
HT,
Like I’m gonna get that wrong neebs;)
Leftclicktic
Cheers anyway mi amigo :-)
Dallas Dallas
Completely agree.
winning captains
If memory serves me right Celtic went in to the game 1 point ahead. Back then 2 points for a win. If Rangers drew they needed to beat Thistle in the last game to overtake Celtic. Winning the game meant we were 3 points ahead and champions.
Dan
GM
Are you from Raith?
Do you dance in the street at night? :-)
HT,
Nearly.
And when the occasion suits:)
Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas
Posted very similar the other night, Izzy plays his heart out for Celtic and always has done, give the Bhoy the support he deserves and Efe is just the new Sammi for the haters, it goes a long way back the scapegoat at CP, I remember being a wee Bhoy and Tommy Callaghan getting it in the neck and my Da’ losing his nut about it!
Thought for the day…
The incessant corruption of our CEO’s surname on Sevco sites is only to be expected. Most of those posting on them are not very bright.
All of those posting on them are HURTING.
Constantly finding the same insult on CQN is a lot more troubling & tells us a lot more about those who indulge in it than it does about Peter Lawwell.
I have an aversion to telling unnecessary lies & try to avoid them if at all possible.
I therefore always assume that anybody conversing with me is also telling the truth as they understand it. I naturally accord that same assessment to Peter Lawwell.
I am forced to the conclusion that those who are happy to use the ‘Liewell’ epithet to describe our hard working CEO, are themselves people who are not always guaranteed to be trying to stick to the truth.
winning captains
10 men won the League!
The only way Celtic could stop Oldco winning the League was to beat them.
They had been involved in 3 cup-ties v Hibs and that plus the old 3-day week meant fixtures were out of sinc – they had 2 games in hand. Any result for them meant we couldn’t match their points total.