Given a choice, you would rather a rival pitch up to play you with a lame duck manager who has clearly lost the dressing room, than sack him and allow players and coaches an opportunity to disavow some of his more glaring errors. Rene Weiler took Anderlecht to the Belgian title in May, his first season at the club. But, when he was sacked yesterday, they sat ninth in the Jupiler table with just two wins and eight goals in seven games.
They have a cup game away to lower league Westerlo tomorrow, the third consecutive away game in a series of four, before Celtic come to town in eight days. The Anderlecht board’s hope is that they can remain in the cup, then pick up a win against Waasland-Beverent (seventh, but on the same points as Anderlecht), in an attempt to stabilise the club before the crucial Champions League game with Celtic.
By any measure, Anderlecht have been rubbish this season, but they will employ the weapon all rubbish teams have, that of an embattled underdog who is capable of raising standards by exception. Their performance at the Allianz Arena last week, where 10-men gave Bayern Munich some nervous moments, is an indication of what we are likely to face next week.
The game in Brussels is not only our most important game of the next week, it’s the most important game between now and December, when Anderlecht visit Celtic Park. Despite their historical-comparative rubbish status, Anderlecht are better than any team we will face in Scotland. Notwithstanding that, our objective has to be a win in Brussels.
I was there at Hampden when Paul Wilson scored twice as we won the Scottish Cup against Old Airdrie in 1975. Paul was an exciting player during an era when our star was fading. We enjoyed the thrill of seeing a breakthrough, flamboyant, talent emerge. I still recall that header against Spain which seemed to affirm Paul as the genuine article.
The four years after nine-in-a-row finished was an era of decline. Kenny Dalglish carried the team to an extent we have never really acknowledged as a club, or a support. But Jock Stein’s period of pre-eminence was long gone before Paul Wilson and his contemporaries made their mark. Paul moved on in 1978 to little fanfare, as Celtic finished fifth and Stein was asked to leave the dugout.
On his death yesterday, he was noted as a trailblazing player of Asian descent in British football at a time when inclusivity was not a term society was familiar with. He was that, but for me, he was a young and powerful Celtic striker who put the ball in the net with ease.
Win tickets for Ibrox
Our raffle to win two tickets to the Celtic end at Ibrox for Saturday’s game ends at midnight TONIGHT!! If like me, you’re stuck without a ticket, this is your chance. Celtic sponsor and all-round good guys, Intelligent Car Leasing, provided the tickets to support our work with Mary’s Meals.
As you will know by now, over 3,000 children in Malawi and Liberia eat a school meal each day because of money raised by CQN’ers. This improves lives in a profound way.
To enter the raffle, answer this question:
Which Belgian team will Celtic face in this season’s Champions League?
Please donate a minimum of £5 to this MyDonate page. Then forward your confirmation email with your answer in the SUBJECT LINE to celticquicknews@gmail.com . Winner will be informed early tomorrow, so make sure you include adequate contact information.
Many thanks to you and Intelligent Car Leasing.
Good luck!
NEW CQN PODCAST OUT NOW, BEHIND THE SCENES AT HAMILTON v CELTIC WITH BT SPORT AND AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS SUTTON – LISTEN BELOW
Hardback, now only £10.00 plus p&p from cqnbookstore.com
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Pedro interview highlight.
“My players run, and run and run and run, like the rabbits with the batteries”
Duracell CSC.
I agree with those who are saying that we should take one game at a time, it’s what Brendan would say, but we are but mere supporters who have not an input whatsoever, we can but dream, whatever we say will make not a jot of difference to what happens on the park tomorrow or on saturday, so I will dream of spanking them on saturday.
Dallas
I am sure our Hoops wearing fans made an impression in Eibar, like they certainly did that night in Benicassim, surrounded by Villarreal, Valencia, Castellon and Barca supporters who all wanted to swap shirts with Tims wearing the hoops. Happy night. :)
I have just logged in – what is the story with 4 Subs – never heard of it before
!
DELANEYSDUNKY
I listened to this last night;first-class.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b094r2vw
Johnny Walker Classic Albums-Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
JINKYREDSTAR
Me neither. Throw them out of the tournament-they would if it was any other club!
WITS
In a Shadenfreude way, maybe? :)
Just Googled it – introduced at the start of last season for domestic cups in Scotland
Why not just make the goals bigger and have treapeze artists and jugglers running around in extra time!
Corkie,
I understand…..but yer wrong….
.after tomoz….we’ll still b on a double treble ;-))
H.H.
The four subs, apparently fifa ruled back in 2015 that if a game goes to extra time you could use four subs, well that is what fifa were going to rule on, the report I saw didn’t actually say they had made it a rule, but it’s the huns so it’s Ok.
So I don’t know if it really is a rule or not, I have never seen it happen before, nor have I heard of it happening before.
Jinky- new rule, you can use a 4th sub if it goes to ET, not sure about SC ties…
Pontentiality
Almore
Sounds good. See you there. WITS.. see you there?
Walked around the Sandymount area today. The more time I spend in Dublin, the more I love this city.
For once,a rule that I knew nothing about,4 subs if extra time,I think is a very good one.
Morelos is not a bad wee player.an eye for goal,and quick.Needs watched on Saturday.If the “Lunatic Dreyfuss”goes with Pena,we will run them ragged in the middle.They are a run of the mill SPFL team.
We will make mincemeat out of that Sevco team. They are rubbish. Expect a high scoring result. I promise you.
Jinky
You can use a 4th sub if a game goes into extra time. New rule change for every teams to use. No just the huns :))
From the Herald last September
TEAMS playing in the William Hill Scottish Cup this season will be allowed to field a fourth substitute if the tie goes into extra time. The latest move to revitalise domestic cup competitions in this country is part of a pilot scheme approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and will be implemented from the first round of the competition which takes place later this month.
And worse!
Such a change may have been utilised by Celtic in last season’s semi-final against Rangers at Hampden when Nir Bitton sustained a hamstring injury during extra-time with former manager Ronny Deila having already utilised all three changes. Bitton, however, limped through until the end and was able to score a penalty during the shoot-out.
Ronnie ffs!
Every daze an ejikaishun!!!
Can’t wait for Saturday Big Moussa and The Griff and co will terrorise that mob ! BTW that Jimmy Bellend is one ugly little hun !!!
The huns game showed with great clarity how difficult it is in Europe for Celtic adjusting to teams playing football in this century.
That was a hoof and punt game tonight that would have looked old fashioned in the fifties.
Zero creativity or movement on display with one team digging in and the other one bereft of skill or ideas.
Most of those players would struggle to get in to our development squad.
The refereeing was the same standard as the match predictable and mediocre.
Corkcelt, sevco should be treated the way we treat any other Scottish team .
Delaney’s, our hoops are special and stick out more than any red , white, blue or black top.
When my son and I were in the Camp Nou last year, doing the stadium tour, one of the guys at the photo booth place pointed at my Henrik superstar t shirt and said Glasgow Rangers with a big smile on his coupon. He then told me Henrik was still loved at the Camp Nou.
Good night all
You can see the benefits of thems spending more cash than us this season, just Ouse class
Worried. Csc
Not…….
MiT
You are turning into a Dub.
You need to get stout, rather than irn bru doon yer neck. Hope you enjoyed your adventurous fruit cider. :))
Pleasure to meet you Mike.
Wish you had taken up of my offer of ticket for the match though. Hopefully next time, we watch Celtic together.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4900334/Strong-7-4-quake-hits-Mexico-anniversary-deadly-1985-tremor.html
Another huge earthquake in Mexico.
Bobby, excuse my ignorance mate. What does EJkAISSHUN mean?
Thanks
I really like reading Monkey Media,
All Activity
Home Rangers The Bears’ Den
By DonaldMacleod, February 6, 2012
3,635 replies
253,302 views
LochendBilly
LochendBilly
7 hours ago
Yesterday at 18:56
We Can Beat Anyone At Ibrox
By BlueMexican, 5 minutes ago
Well,apart from Celtic,Aberdeen,Hibs,Hearts.
JIMTHETIM 53
ejikaishun
Phonetic spelling,ruined many an early erm education(!)
BMCUW
Thanks for Pink Floyd heads up pal. Bookmarked for a mellow herbal evening with like minded friends. ;)
Those hun CBs can fair punt a ball….
For those who like Jonathan Pie,his latest on the 1.7% increase for Nurses ,Police,Firemen,is a belter.
Bobby I admire your modesty. but you are not helping. Who is a Hun?
MID: See you there. 7.30ish
WITS: it would great to see you there.
Up de Dubs CSC
Rangers sweat as Bruno Alves picks up injury ahead of Celtic clash,
There is a chance he could recover !!!!!!!!.
Chris Davies was at the game tonight and I’m sure Brendan watched on TV as would most of our players. All will be privately delighted at what they saw. They are a poor outfit, no question about it.
I’m not one for getting overconfident and i will be worried on Saturday until the final whistle is blown. What i will say is i cannot see how they will live with us, we are multiple levels above them in every aspect of the game and we have huge firepower on the bench if needed. We will score a least a couple and its highly likely to be three or more.
DD
Pleasure was all mine.
Hopefully, by the next time I am back, this mess will have been cleared up, and we can enjoy watching a game together.
I do like my iron Bru!
Off to mo leaba. See yis in the morning.
Oíche mhaith.
BB
Didnae watch the game. My son did, and told me they are a long ball team, nothing creative in midfield, so they punt it long fae defence.
Hope Dedryck is beside Jozo on Saturday.
Food and drink! :)
On the fourth substitution rule,
I can only find it being related to the Scottish Cup, but not the Betfred Cup. I can’t seem to download the PDF file of Betfred Cup rules (from SPFL website).
Maybe someone else could have a look? I’ll check back later to see if anyone has a definitive confirmation.
How good woul it be if they broke the rule? Answer: VERY, VERY GOOD! :)
– Tambo