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Fixture gains and worries

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

We travel to Ibrox the day before the transfer window closes.  I’m not entirely happy about this.  My expectations are that several of our key players will be subject to offers, some of which will go to the wire, some of which may not be accepted.

Approaching deadlines are unsettling.  There can be a tacit acceptance that the player will move after a game, such as Odsonne Edouard moved to Crystal Palace two days after he ‘posted in’ a losing performance at Ibrox.  And there can be an outright refusal to contemplate a transfer, such as when Lyon were given a heard ‘No’ when attempting to sign Moussa Dembele, only for the player to throw a hissy fit in front of teammates, coaches and press photographers.

Even getting replacements in early does not fix all problems.  Kyogo was on the field when Odsonne performed so poorly at Ibrox, but the our new Japanese forward played on the wing until the last 20 minutes, when he started to terrorise the Newco defence.

Managers are understandably reluctant to bench a tried and tested player for an untested one in important games.  Ange Postecoglou should have started Odsonne on the bench and put Kyogo through the middle, but no one seriously considered that before the game.

The most positive reading from the fixtures is that we are away to Aberdeen, Newco, Hearts, and Dundee United in the first round of fixtures.  These are difficult games and will mean we have the same sides at home during the winter months, when away pitches are often poor, and for the deciding set of fixtures in April and May.

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Plastic pitches are a larger than normal feature for next season.  We have Livingston and Falkirk at home, and Kilmarnock away, in the first 11 games.  I don’t expect any of these sides to make the top six, which means we will have one less game on plastic than we would if we had two away games at these venues during the opening set.  It’s a small (potential) benefit, but still welcome.

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  2. bigrailroadblues on

    Good morning all from rainy Govanhill. Hope there is a real downpour for the crimplene criminals later on.

  3. Turkeybhoy on

    Unbelievable bit of business paying £1.7 million for our new Swedish boy.Thats him,KT,Osmond,Doohan,for around £2.2 million,in transfers.Nobody does it better.Hardly touched Brendan’s budget.Read last night,that the reports on Balikwisha deal stalling,are nonsense.Still looking to sign him.

     

    Meanwhile,reports that PAOK,I think,have said £ 3.5 million for Dessers,is too much,oh dear.

     

    Happy days so far.

  4. Turkeybhoy on

    BTB,

     

    In all honesty,had you heard a great deal about Liverpools £ 116 million signing,before?.

  5. Turkeybhoy on

    Talking about playing in the heat.In Saudi,some halfwit,re-scheduled a game to be played at 2.30 in the afternoon,when I was playing there.Against a Saudi team into the bargain.Game was abandoned after 25 minutes.All super fit ,almost collapsing.Our KOs all 9 PM.Even then stifling but we were acclimatized to that after years of playing.Whoever thinks this is a good idea has an enormous brown envelope stuffed in his inside pocket.Add in the no alcohol,dress codes,especially for women going,it’s shit for the fans.Not cheap either.

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  7. scullybhoy on

    EmeraldBee \o/ A Double Niner!! on 21st June 2025 11:24 pm

     

     

    SCULLYBHOY @ 3.14

     

     

    Yes I did ( everything he doesn’t know about Geography.)

     

     

    AVE ave

     

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

     

    Good mhan.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

     

    BTW just read about Benjamin Nygren signing. Really optimistic about this, and congratulations to Celtic for getting this done.

     

     

    HH

  10. Fassreifen on

    Morning all, 32C forecast here in Germany. Thank goodness our garden (north facing) is 10C cooler.

  11. scullybhoy on

    Congratulations and happy birthday, Lubo!

     

     

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  13. scullybhoy on

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  14. scullybhoy on

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  17. Fassreifen on

    If the Japanese forward Shin moves to Glasgow, he’ll need to find a new pad.

     

     

    (I’ll get my coat).

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  21. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Very excited by Nygren signing, he looks like one under the radar

     

     

     

    Benny and The Celts

     

     

    Elton CSC

  22. quadrophenian on

    I’m getting some Rogic vibes over the way the way the lad Nygren plays; bit of silk and eye for goal.

     

     

     

     

    Meanwhile, the ole WMD playbook gets a dust-down while media keep schtum about the illegality of it all.

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  28. KINGLUBO on

    Just heard the rectum Trump has backed Israel and bombed sites in Iran, just how fuc##ing stupid is that guy. Time for him to take a bullet methinks, and another for that Israeli Yahoo.

     

     

    Good job iran snubbed Russian aid awhile back and wee Vlad has the hump, else we’d be into WW3

     

     

    KINGLuBO

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  34. Saint Stivs on

    when is a season ticket waiting list not a real waiting list ?

     

     

    over 1400 2nd rangers season book holders did not renew.

     

     

    those seats are now being offered to the waiting list by “mygers” points ranking”

     

     

    they sarted off in the high 800+ range,

     

     

    by tomoorow its 300

  35. An Tearmann on

    Stivs hi,Drambowie Celt,not heard a tune from him you?

     

    Will try email

     

     

    HH

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  37. bigbhoy on

    Por Cierto and An Tearmann

     

     

    My Mother was a School Attendance Officer for Bellarmine and Craigbank

     

     

    Probably chasing you doggers(old time doggers)

  41. Up like a bird on

    It’s not possible to give an exact “number of points” Celtic would need to accumulate, as the qualification through ranking is relative to the performance of other European clubs in the UEFA Champions League over a four-year cycle.

     

    However, we can look at the points accumulated by the UEFA clubs that qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup via the ranking pathway to get a benchmark.

     

    For the 2025 tournament, the lowest-ranked European teams that qualified through the UEFA ranking system (excluding Champions League winners) generally had scores around:

     

    * Juventus (Italy): Qualified with approximately 47.000 points.

     

    * FC Salzburg (Austria): Qualified with approximately 40.000 points.

     

    These points are calculated using the specific UEFA methodology for the Club World Cup, which heavily prioritizes Champions League performance:

     

    * 2 points for a win

     

    * 1 point for a draw

     

    * 4 points for qualification for the group stage

     

    * 5 points for reaching the Round of 16

     

    * 1 point for progress to each stage thereafter (quarter-finals, semi-finals, final)

     

    For context, Celtic’s current UEFA 4-year Club Coefficient Ranking (as of the end of the 2023-24 season, which contributed to the 2025 CWC qualification) was 13.000 points. This placed them significantly lower than the qualification threshold.

     

    Therefore, for Celtic to qualify through the ranking system in a future edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, they would need to consistently:

     

    * Qualify for the UEFA Champions League group stage year after year.

     

    * Perform strongly in the Champions League group stage, securing wins and draws.

     

    * Crucially, progress to the knockout stages (Round of 16, quarter-finals, etc.) multiple times within the four-year period.

     

    Winning the UEFA Champions League remains the most straightforward path, as it guarantees a spot regardless of accumulated points.

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  43. Up like a bird on

    It’s only Champions league points that count towards playing in the fifa World club tournament. Over to you Celtic…..no more slip ups with the league . The moneys in the bank, no excuses lol 😆 🍀

  44. lets all do the huddle on

    i know im probably in a minority of 1 – but i cant think of any football tourny i have ever been less interested in than that Club World Cup.

     

     

    a totally pointless cash grabbing scam by fifa at the time players need a break.

  45. bigrailroadblues on

    J.C.Fogerty predicted the hun egm tomorrow.

     

     

    I hear hurricanes a-blowing

     

    I know the end is coming soon

     

    I fear the river’s over flowing

     

    I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

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