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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Tim Malone I don’t think that downsizing is inevitable. I think that’s just a comfort blanket we use to salve the pain. To make it feel better and that it isn’t being done to us.
And please don’t think that this legendary hard core will stop at 30k. Half that and you may well be right.
What will Pl say then about income……..
Quonno
Did you read back last night?
To what post do you refer?
Mullet and co 2 Mjalby was employed by Celtic im sure we can agree on that and his employers decided to trim back expenditure which they are entitled to do.So Mjalby decides to walk so I stick with my origial post hes no real Celtic man in my books.However,if you believe other wise that is up to you. H.H.
Jungle Jim- I missed the draw because I was out gettin’ an ole haircut.
Tony. Can I ask you a question? Am I a Hun? Or do you believe I am influenced by Huns?
JFH,
He’s burying his head in green and white sand and revelling in the attention.
You are as much of a wind up as him if you think things are going swimmingly but if we spent a few of those coins we would somehow end up in the Swanee with Rangers.
There’s not some force field around Glasgow that leads football clubs to insolvency you know.
tonydonnelly67
13:49 on 29 August, 2014
‘I’m an open book’
#####
OK. I’ll start.
The Idiot Dostoyevsky
U2 Bio on Sky 192 now
Tim Malone
“Letting guys like Johnny Russell slip through our ever decreasing net is a worry – particularly when we then proceed to spend more money on the Balde’s and Pukki’s of this world.”
We’re not spending more money when you allow for wages. That’s what kills us , not the transfer fees per se.
I wonder if any of these teams have any players as good as Berget? Lawwell interview predictably slick. Speaks volumes that he felt the need to do it. I’d pay to hear Lenny being given the same opportunity. Thought he spent most of the interview making it all about poor Patsy, sorry Ronny. Well if the strategy is to replace outgoing quality with better value incoming quality I, like Pedro, reserve the right to be selective in my comparisons… Ledley vs Berget anyone? Wanyama vs Johansen? Samaras vs Pukki? Hooper vs Balde? Lennon vs Deila? Van Dijk vs who? Maybe they’ll bring back Willie Garner back on the minimum wage plus a complimentary tracksuit? His argument is entirely circular. Give us (ie Ronnie) time because we’re rebuilding. BTW our strategy is to keep good players for a year, two at most and sell them at maximum value to a mid table EPL club before they get dragged down to SPFL level (like Ambrose). Ergo we are constantly rebuilding and can’t reasonably be expected to beat the likes of Maribor, who as Paul says, have benefitted from having a settled team for a few years. Clearly being a small club in Slovenia rather than a global club in Scotland confers a significant competitive advantage. It’s hard to dislike PL when he deigns to speak to us, or to believe he’s anything other than a good tim. It’s just getting harder to keep faith with a strategy that delivers us Deila (bless) and Berget.
Craig Revell Horwood has said that not progressin’ in the ole Coupe du Euro-Ramsdens would be ‘a bit of a dis-ASTRA darling’.
Fridjonsson (remember him?) heading to Brondby on season long loan
Will the circular argument be unbroken?
DBBIA/NittyGrittyDirtBandCSC
I hear that Astra are a satellite club. I shouldn’t dish out jokes like this.
Gary67
Makes sense. Balde and Pukki may as well go as well.
HH
Paddy Turner
SatNav ;)
I know I know….
Could you all just put the brakes on these “Astra” puns please?
They really are becoming tyresome…
These Astra jokes are driving me up the wall
Hooptastic
14:04 on
29 August, 2014
Gary67
Makes sense. Balde and Pukki may as well go as well.
Hope so. Balde rumoured to be heading back to Vitoria Guimares on loan.
Tim Malone
No, absolutely not. And for one very good reason: The value of cash is no more and no less than what’s printed on it. There is no multiplier. No goodwill. No future earnings beyond bank interest +/- inflation.
For example: How much will you give me for the £10.55 in my pocket just now? How much will it be worth to you tomorrow?
You buy/sell the business based on its ability to generate cash in the future, not for the cash at hand at the time.
TBB
neganon2
13:59 on 29 August, 2014
Tony. Can I ask you a question? Am I a Hun? Or do you believe I am influenced by Huns?
_______________________
You are what you are, I couldent care less, your just a guy posting on a blog on my screen, only you know.
That is good news Gary67 if it is true. I’d like to see any prospective young lads who have no chance of getting a game at Celtic put out on loan.
mullet and co 2. I am not on a wind up I am a Celtic supporter who is happy with our ceo and I believe he is doing a fine job.Now with a new manager we are in a transitional period which is to be expected.I would not call anyone anywhere a hun but some on CQN are acting like fans of the deed team we are not winning every game so heads must roll and any one who disagrees gets dogs abuse well fella for me that not the way to support Celtic where is the faithful through and through or is that meant just for some of us ?H.H.
30,000 fans turning up at Celtic Park. a lot of big clubs worldwide, would welcome that amount of fans at there grounds, as for Peter Lawell bit on Celtic Tv.same old answers, one thing i will say in his favour, some players that we sign are ok ,some just dont make it,thats what happens, and as somebody pointed out ,who would you replace to take over from Peter Lawell.i m sure it would be more of the same. i say just stick with the current CEO.and we all know that a lot of the players we have at the moment,are just not up to it,
NegAnon2
Dont get me wrong – I dont want the Huns back in the league – but Celtic are in uncharted territory.
I dont think that there’s another league on the planet where one club is so dominant. I think that it is inevitable that lack of real sporting competition will breed familiarity and ultimately apathy where supporters will pick and choose their games.
There may be no solution to this except regressing towards the mean.
Time to shut down the blog, its ridiculous the amount of abuse that is dished out on here on a daily basis and language violations that used to be the exception are the daily norm now.
Celtic Quick News used to be a site where debate was encouraged, fun to read even, now its a depressing waste of time to read it and the same old, same old, arguments rage daily.
I pay £20 a year recurring on PayPal for this, which was at the time a pleasure to give as a support to the blog for the CQN magazine, now its more like a business than a blog and regardless of the personal effort it requires from the proprietor to keep it going and the good work it has done for charities over the years, now would be a good time to call it a day.
Everything has a lifespan, our CEO we are told daily is past his sell by date, so is the blog.
Like MK Dons certain league games, what’s the chance of “kids for a quid” for the Europa League games?
corkcelt
14:06 on
29 August, 2014
I think the success of Callum McGregor may encourage a few more youngsters to go and get first team experience elsewhere in the knowledge that they will get a chance when they return.
Liam Henderson, if he’s not going to be a regular, would benefit from a season away on loan.
Some of the incivility and personal insults on this blog is getting beyond a joke. We are all Celtic supporters entitled to our own opinions without being subjected to some of the nonsense on here. I live for supporting Celtic through good times and bad. Let’s all move on and get behind the team. Hail hail !!!!
Is it a sign of gettin’ old to be shocked by the amount of sex on the ole Archers?
Robin Bhoy. There is an easy answer if your not happy with CQN dont post it is no big deal. H.H.
Ambridge.
Twinned with Gomorrah.
NegAnon2
13:29 on
29 August, 2014
Traditionalist88. My reasons for not buying EL tickets are nothing to do with the opposition but we need to force change. Peter is clearly not for changing or learning from what he sees.
I would normally buy the tickets even if I can’t make it due to work.
But not a single penny more.
=============
I know mate – my point wasn’t aimed at you.
My concern is that with people like yourself not going for those reasons, the empty seat just looks like its someone who couldn’t be bothered – I would be more comfortable if those like yourself had a strategy to get the message across rather than just cease all financial support of the club at a time when we need it badly.
HH
Tony you have a theory about Huns being here etc. I am just trying to figure out who you think they are.mod you count me in that group?
The Battered Bunnet
13:42
The invest every penny quote:
PL mentioned long term today. It seems the verb tense has changed over the years from ‘has been invested’, through ‘is invested’ to ‘will be invested’. Our questions should be how, when and why is it invested in said way.
Joe Filippis Haircut
Doesn’t solve the problem either way, subscription might make some think about posting abuse, but I doubt it.
What I post is largely irrelevant, the abuse on here is beyond ridiculous.
Astra FC
They’re no very good, probably on a par with PSFC Chernomorets Burgas.
Nice road-trip CSC.
Hey Peter Perfect. No buying your gash!
MWD says AYE