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.
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.
John Humphrys: What we owe the people of Aberfan 50 years after tragedy struck the village, and why it shows authority must be challenged. pic.twitter.com/OdjyaAGTsQ
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) October 21, 2016
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Jimmynotpaul, Hamburg now 3 nil down at home to Frankfurt.
Hamburg haven’t scored in the Bundesliga since 10/9 this year
papajoe55 on 21st October 2016 9:07 pm
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Know yer enemy ? :-)
I can recall seeing that in an old French Church
many moons ago.
Strange. Cant remember the reason.
Dallas.
Who are The Lok playing?
My boy is,on his way down! He had professional contracts with Gretna and then Airdrie. Money with Airdrie was 90 quid a week plus 50 quid win bonus.
He walked out and coached in USA under that scheme thing, he then came back, mucked about went to uni and worked part time 4 to 8 then he has been on a rubbish 12 to 8 shift. So couldn’t train with any proper team. United owner met him and asked him along, persuaded him to sign a contract, even though he couldn’t train and he’s played for them the past 3 weeks, he can train properly with them from next week, so who knows what will happen next, he’s still only 24.
Philsbhoy and Joes11
Yep McGettrick was maths, also deputy head, and McConville took French, he took us to
Paris ?. We all brought back flick knifes ????
McConville also bought us our first beer if I remember
Ernie,
There were churches and cathedrals after the Ref, but they stole them.
It doesn’t matter really what name they are given, I suppose, but if we are being accurate, then a chapel is a specific building attached to a castle,convent or similar artifice. Not a stand alone parish building.
Anyway, I’m even boring myself now!!
The Doors – Wintertime Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoS9FOu1hmg
Hottest ticket in town is Gladbach away.
Are any of you lucky enough to be going and have a ticket?
Germany is always a great country to visit.
Fans, generally, very knowledgeable, friendly and speak better English than most of us.
If you ever want to see (probably) the biggest number of chapels within one small location – then go visit the Great Mosque at Cordoba:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosque%E2%80%93Cathedral_of_C%C3%B3rdoba
Pictures don’t do it justice – see images:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=great+mosque+of+cordoba&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=512&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiV-fGW2uzPAhWeHsAKHS-qB2gQsAQIMw&dpr=1.25
Spent a half day inside and still couldn’t take in the magnificence of the Cathedral and the inside of what was the Great Mosque (Heritage Site).
Well worth a visit – especially if you’re going to Seville.
Corky- no mate, just reposting a text i got re JD for Sunday, get yersel back on, can be brutal at times , but more good than bad HH
Praecepta.
My daughter is visiting Seville at Christmas, I will try and remember to pass that on. Thank you.
She’s in Berlin just now, so I have to try and remember until she returns on Tuesday. :-))
Great to see our former player Jackson Irvine playing so well in the EFL. Have always rated him for us, Ross County and now Burton Albion. Could still do a job for us, and would return in a minute.
Golden Brown – The Stranglers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWAsI3U2EaE
A neutrino walks through a church pops up in a chapel and says where’s the Higgs Boson we cant have mass without him?
A club open to all! Parkheid and the Mosque
Celtic Park and the Synagogue :) por cierto
Margaret McGill on 21st October 2016 9:28 pm
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Did Higgs Boson see the Light ? eventually.
I think the Holy Ground name may have come from the songs played before home games in the late 50s onwards. “To see again the girls we love and the holy ground once more, fine girl ye are!” por cierto
MARGARET MCGILL & JAMES1955 OOT! por cierto
I always wonder that perhaps we may have mistranslated the original Hebrew…or whatever they spoke in the Garden of Eden ….now called Sharkeys.
Hail hail
Matt
JIMMYNOTPAUL
Excellent train service from Seville to Cordoba – circa 40 minutes. Return ticket was less than 20 Euros a few years ago.
Heritage Site includes; the Mezquita, the Great Fort (think of the El Cid movie), the Roman Bridge and Gardens and the old Jewish Quarter.
james1955 on 21st October 2016 9:32 pm
Nah.
Too weak.
Richard Thompson – Waltzing for Dreamers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9-lAOdQrGo
ACGR, trying the samples tonight.
Very, very nice! The Linkwood is fantastic!
FAC the Act
KTF
A neutrino will never walk alone.
Hail hail
Matt
Philboy & Pmarsh22
Ronnie Glavin had an older brother called Eddie (same name as his dad) and was referred to as “Junior” at home.
I didn’t know the family well but my dad did and kept in touch with old Eddie after Ronnie went to Barnsley.
The youngers brother, Tony, has made a name for himself in St Louis with the Tony Glavin Soccer School and as a manager.
Tony played with Partick Thistle for a while but went out to the states and played in the soccer sixes.
He has a fairly active website for the soccer school and his other football activities.
You will notice that the prominent colours are green and white and that there is a substantial link to Celtic in the partners section.
Celtic have an exchange programme relationship with the St Louis Lions.
http://www.tonyglavin.com/
The Doors – The Crystal Ship
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU1sLx1tjPY
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma on 21st October 2016 9:41 pm
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Francie Glavin (other brother) just stays up the road from me.
Go to same ………Chapel.
BRTH
Yep, I got Francie and Tony mixed up.
He’s just been promoted at St Louis, doing well
That was supposed to be……
A neutrino will never quark alone.
Feckin spell thingy…
Hail hail
Matt
Por C
My grandad Delaney, born in the first year of the 20th century, always referred to the Hallowed Ground in Parkheid.
PapaJoe
If you are still in St Helier try out any of the excellent Portuguese restaurants in town. There is a big Portuguese community in Jersey and many of them were only too happy to talk about Sporting, Benfica and Celtic.
There is a regular troop who come from Jersey & Guernsey to games at Celtic Park — about 30 regulars who fly up with Easyjet on a regular basis.
CELTIC MAC on 21ST OCTOBER 2016 9:05 PM
theoriginalsadiesbhoy
Would be surprised if any of our bings were on top of a natural spring, as Aberfan was.
……………..,…..,,,,,,,,,,,,
In 1966 nobody knew if their local bing was built on a spring or not. This information was only revealed after the fact. I lived about 200 yards from the Kirkwood bing, fortunately up a very steep hill, higher than the bing but the fact remains that hundreds of kids used it as a playground. The Nationsl Coal Board gambled with the lives of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the country in those days.
Leonard Cohen – Anthem
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wRYjtvIYK0
BRTH
Met a lovely Jersey female on holiday in Valencia in July. She was attracted to my hoops shirt, she said. The most worn fitba shirt on Jersey, she also said. :)
DD
Now you are only being modest. She was attracted to your wit, charm, personality and dashing good looks. The hooped shirt was just a bonus.
Yes, lots of Celtic fans in Jersey.
I had many a good night there in the 80’s and 90’s mostly ending in huge amounts to drink.
From my fading memory of supporting Celtic since mid 1950s, according to supporters Celtic played at/in Parkheid. Maybe the match programmes stated Celtic Park. Is there any old CQNer out there with proof in print?
Praecepta.
Thanks for all the information, genuinely appreciated, she will be in Seville for a week so plenty of time for her to visit some of the attractions.
D.D.
Come on now, a smooth rascal like yourself and you’re trying to tell us it was the Jersey she was attracted to. :-))
BRTH
Thats a few pots of Genius I am due you.
Will need to catch up with her and visit Jersey for the first time soon. She sold it to me and you have confirmed. Thanks amigo. :)
BRTH
Back home since Tuesday,but had a lovely meal in a Portuguese resteraunt on Sunday night, DD we added 33 hoops fans to the Jersey population for the last week from the Perth area . At my nephews wedding HH