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Expectations but remember Gretna (liquidated)

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

The players would have had a light training session at Lennoxtown today as muscles continue to refill after Wednesday night’s exertions. Expectations of Celtic in the Champions League are not high, and were exceptionally low when this group was drawn, but even so, these games have a huge financial, physical and even emotional impact on every area of the club.

One argument suggests the last thing we need is a cup semi-final four days after a Champions League outing. An alternative thought is that this is the perfect game for Celtic right now. Memories linger of sitting stressfully at Fir Park days after Celtic beat the reigning European Champions, Milan, as (subsequently liquidated) Grenta held onto a lead until the 87th minute.

While playing (subsequently liquidated) Rangers away 64 hours after winning a Uefa Cup semi-final 1200 miles from home in 2003 proved to be the perfect game to instil steel into the legs.

With what passes as a fully fit squad, Brendan has choices to make for Sunday. Did Patrick Roberts do enough off the bench against Borussia to justify a start? Perhaps. He’s a player who owes us one at Hamden too.

Callum McGregor will also fancy his chances ahead of Nir Bitton, who didn’t have a great Scottish Cup semi-final against the same opponents in April.

It would be a huge surprise if Moussa Dembele didn’t start as the lone forward, despite Leigh Griffiths itching to get on alongside him. Brendan will not change formation for this game, while Moussa will fancy his chances against a defence he punished to ruthlessly last month.

For me, our two most important players on Sunday will be Scott Sinclair and Tom Rogic. They are the epitome of the modern footballer, strong, skilful, intelligent and difficult to defend against. If we can get them on the ball often enough we’ll score a lot of goals.

Pretty much every Celtic fan I know expects Mark Warburton to have learned a lesson from his Celtic Park whipping and for him to deploy a more defensively-minded team this time. My Newco pals don’t expect this to happen. Warburton hasn’t varied his game-plan since arriving at the club and is apparently reluctant to start experimenting now.

He took his team to Hampden to face Celtic against similarly long odds last season. Within minutes we knew we were in a game, and despite the clear chasm between the teams, it was Newco who faced Hibs in the Scottish Cup final.

A repeat of the 5-1 win at Celtic Park is possible, but you’ve seen enough football to know that nothing can be taken for granted on Sunday. Remember that Newco came close to levelling that 5-1 game at 2-2 early in the second half, and the latter part of their collapse came after going down to 10 men.walk-for-jonathan

I’m off later to meet those from the Tyneside No. 1 and friends, who have walked (yes, WALKED), from Merthyr Tydfil and will reach Doherty’s Bar in Hamilton this afternoon. They’ve pretty much walked a marathon a day for 13 days and will make the final journey to Celtic Park tomorrow.

This herculean effort has been made to mark the memory of Jonathan Thomas, who aged 30 lost his biggest fight one year ago tomorrow.

We’re lucky as Celtic fans that we get to meet and read about people who do these things in our name. It’ll take you 2 minutes to let them know how inspiring they are here.

It’s also worth marking the events in Aberfan, the village a few miles from Merthyr Tydfil which was visited by unimaginable tragedy 50 years ago today.

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  2. Delaneys Dunky on

    Saint Stivs

     

     

    The good health 95 year old Florence keeps, we could see a 6 generation fotie of lassies. :))

  3. Margaret McGill on

    BABASONICOS71 on 22nd October 2016 12:34 am

     

    For some inexplicable reason That Love affair video is forbidden in the USA ???

     

    who knows?

  7. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    i have a ticket for sunday, but once again find my self in the horns of a dilemma

     

     

    3 times previous i could not attend the sevco 2nd rangers matches.

     

     

    i gave all the tickets away to younger family members , who never seen the worst of it.

     

     

    they all loved beating the “huns”, except last seasons draw.

     

     

    i hate the thought of even seeing them. they bring out the worst in me, as a human.

     

     

    i hate the though of legitimizing them,

     

     

    i am a 50 year old man. but allways a tim first. i also despise quite honestly, the martin o neill on boarders, the born again celts, who are old firmers first.

     

     

    keep it lit

  9. Delaneys Dunky on

    Saint Stivs

     

     

    I hated the 5-1 game that I attended. Think that will be the last game v the tribute act I will go to.

  12. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 22ND OCTOBER 2016 12:38 AM

     

    SAINT STIVS SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 22ND OCTOBER 2016 12:14 AM

     

     

     

    I was there CSC

     

     

     

    Preben Arentoft was a class act

     

     

    ————–

     

     

    brilliant that you brought that up.

     

     

    preben married the girl across the back green from my grannies , she was a meek, half maltese , catholic,. quite beautiful, he was a blonde super fit viking.

     

     

    auchendores avenue port glasgow.

     

     

    when i was 13 or so, preben would be there for the summer holidays. i got friendly with his boy. also preben. great boy, i took him to saint stivs gravel park, and he played football with the young port onions,

     

     

    we thought he would be shot, reality , he was a brian laudrup, quite brilliant,

     

     

    his sister , even better,

     

     

    they were the future.

     

     

    by the way, another cqn er from the distant past was also married into the family.

     

     

    Preben is one of the best men i ever met in my life,

     

     

    keep it lit

  14. thomthethim for Oscar OK on

    CQN was a joy today.

     

     

    Not one word spoken in anger or disrespect and much information exchanged.

     

     

    See, we can do it.

     

     

    G’night all.

  16. bournesouprecipe on

    saint stivs

     

     

    Fascinating stuff, there was a massive Scandanvian trend at the time

     

     

    Jock Stein couldn’t get near the biscuit tin?

     

     

    Preben Arentoft (born November 1, 1942) is a Danish former football player who played in the midfielder position. He played professionally for a number of clubs, most notably Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. He played nine games for the Denmark national football team.

     

     

    Born in Copenhagen, Arentoft started playing football with Copenhagen club Brønshøj Boldklub.[2] He made his Danish national team debut in June 1965, and played four national team games while at Brønshøj. He moved abroad to play professionally for Scottish club Greenock Morton. Due to the Danish rules of amateurism, he was no longer eligible for the Danish national team.

     

     

    In 1969, Arentoft moved to England to play for Newcastle United.[3] He played for Newcastle until 1971, earning the nickname Benny. He made a total of 63 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals. He helped Newcastle win the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969, scoring in the second leg of the final. This made him the first Danish football player to win a European cup title. He is also remembered for having to play in goal during a 5-1 win over Manchester United in 1970, coming on for an injured Willie McFaul.

     

     

    The rules of amateurism on the Danish national team was abandoned in 1971 before a game against Portugal. Preben Arentoft (representing Newcastle United) was picked, along with a handful of other players, to be the first professionals ever to participate on the national team. Denmark lost the game 5-0.[4] He had another 4 caps that year to round up his career in the national team.

     

     

    In 1971, he moved on to English club Blackburn Rovers,[5] before ending his career with Helsingør IF.

  18. Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma on

    Gordon64 on 22nd October 2016 12:31 am

     

     

    BRTH ‘What is a sane man to do in an insane society ?’ Joseph Heller. Hh

     

     

    The answer is to get drunk!

     

     

    Drink and then find a warm woman (or a man if you are that way inclined for it is a free world) – and then get drunk with wine, with women or with virtue as you choose.

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhFJw9boMM8

  21. bournesouprecipe on

    Rodgers said: “Kolo is a wonderful player. The mark of the man is that after the game and the couple of moments he had, he came straight out and held his hands up.

     

     

    “This is a guy who, at 35 years of age, could have travelled anywhere in the world to play, make a load of money, eat nice food and just relax and enjoyed his life.

     

     

    “Instead, he wanted to play at a top European club in the best possible competition he could, so he joined Celtic.

     

     

    “And he’s been absolutely brilliant since he came here. It’s just unfortunate about the mistakes the other night.

     

     

    “No one feels it more than him, but we are very much together.

     

     

    Kolo Toure CSC

  24. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    i need to give up on CQN tonight, forever to reload, posts dont ever appear.

     

     

    back to rangers media for me,

     

     

     

    hahahahahhaahahah

  25. petec on

    bournesouprecipe,

     

     

    EVERYONE WANTS to be @ Celtic on Champions League nights.

     

     

    It is the Only place to be.

     

     

    IMO, the Sevco Supporters didn’t want Celtic getting beat on Wednesday. Brendan is Ruthless and he made the 2 and 1 subs quickly. He was very annoyed at Our performance. I know Everything happens for a reason, who knows what will happen on Sunday?

     

     

    Big CS and BT Sport covering it.

     

     

    Andy Halliday will likely show his World Class potential. LOL

  34. petec on

    Hey Mr C,

     

     

    Team for Tomorrow?

     

     

    A really interesting aspect was the way Paddy Bhoy was really up for it when he came on.

     

     

    HH

  38. moravcik on

    GORDON64

     

    St.Stivs

     

    Delaney’s Dunky

     

     

    Like all of you, I have no interest in attending Sunday’s Glasgow Derby.

     

    I have not attended any of the previous matches against Sevco.

     

    I wish more of our fans would do likewise, and also boycott Hampden.

     

     

    Do not give your money to the SFA

  40. petec on

    Matthew 19 is so Wonderful.

     

     

    Anyone who thinks the Word isnae God Talking…. WTF are they Smoking?

     

     

    Seriously.

     

     

    Hardened Hearts? I know it is written about the Hardening of Hearts.

  41. Hamiltontim on

    Stan Hilton died today. The name, not surprisingly won’t resonate. Stan was the last surviving British member of the International Brigades who went to fight Franco’s facists in 1936.

     

     

    RIP Stan Hilton

     

     

    No Pasaran.

  42. petec on

    moravcik on 22nd October 2016 2:06 am,

     

     

    I said No to Aidan about trying to get Hampden tickets – like any wee mad man who got to the front at the Stone Roses gig without me….

     

     

    I’ll be disappointed if ANY Celt disnae go and watch the Bhoys @ the Holy ground, irrespective of who we play.

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