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
542 Comments- Pages:
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The cry was bring oan a defender
Did both teams arrive in a DeLorean?
Pena deserves a Bud or two after that. Hope he plays on Saturday
Thistle are pathetically passiv ethis half.
But if we can’t pump that Hun collective easily on Saturday then we’d be as well withdrawing from competitive sports. They’re gash.
Ally ” not playing two up front on Saturday ”
” Running scared ” the new Roy Orbison hun hymn.
Looking at this the only thing to worry on Saturday is MIB
The Huns get their goalie from Deliverance country?
My Kingdom for a late Flukey Firhill Fistle equlaiser………………………………………
Cardozo celebrates winning a tackle.
Guess it’s his first in Scotland
Big Bruno works the chicken ticket to avoid a mauling on Saturday… A ‘calf niggle’…
Oh dear – their CB celebrating winning a routine tackle against Connor sammon.
And the fat gardener celebrating an aimless ball in to a corner as a ‘good ball’.
A real celebration of mediocrity this evening.
New DVD in the pipeline
Are limping huns feart of Saturday and trying to find a way out?
Young Declan off now too, ‘injured’. Good lad ;))
Mike….the natural male Glaswegian response is I’ll be fine ;-))….but to be honest….living with…and contemplating a future in pain….sometimes debilitating…..fills me with horror…..as a fairly active guy ;-))
Like humanity throughout the ages….I’ll adapt….even if it means I need to develop a medicine cabinet….which is anathema to me ;-))
We’ll catch up in person….of that I have no doubt…..;-))
H.H.
The huns will swallow all the bullshit up, they will reckon they are on to a winner on saturday, keep it up BT, keep telling them they are the biz, the higher they are the harder they fall.
Ex Thistle player Craigen really rooting for his old team…
Looking forward to seeing Cardoso’s tremendous ‘rabbit in the headlights’ facial expression on saturday.
HTF????????????
Goalie man of the match says it all for the Sevvies..
Doolan misses a sitter. Keep humping it in there Thistle.
SANDMAN
Yer a baaaad mahn
Would you believe it……….Thistle miss another sitter
………couldn’t score in a barrel of the proverbial………………..
If the Hun defence gets any deeper it’ll be in Charing Cross.
Injury time announced as… -1
Awe FFS..
Pass the baw ya diddy
Canny believe how bad they are.
FFS Doolan with two awful misses. Think he has Sevco 1-0 at the bookies.
Boom
HAHHHAAAAAHAHAHAHA!
Doolan lights the doobies!
Woo-hoo!
………..tellt ye……………………………..
:0
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Oh ya feckin’ dancer
Dearie Me :-)))))))))))
Eibar wearing green and white hooped top versus Barcelona.
Plenty of empty seats in the Camp Nou for ths game.
Would you Adam and Eve it.
:-)