When I researched yesterday’s article (yes, research does happen sometimes) I was far from encouraged. Udinese had an impeccable home record and Snr Di Natale is one of Europe’s irresistible strikers at the moment.
We didn’t manage to resist Di Natale but he will remember Fraser Forster for a few years. We have been fortunate to see a few great goalkeeping performances in Europe in the last decade but last night Fraser was second perhaps only to David Marshall that night in Barcelona. That last minute penalty save against Hearts on Saturday has moved the player onto a new platform.
Udinese had a good 20 minute spell when they looked every inch the team joint top of the Italian league but they were on the rack in the closing stages of the game. Cha DuRi has had an eventful Europa League on the road this season. He was a bit unfortunate at the Udinese goal but completely out of luck when he twisted his body mid-air to volley off the post.
Watching Georgios Samaras last night was a lesson in how complex a game football can be. This is a player who could not hold down a place in the SPL last season, yet playing in a different position he had top-flight defenders throwing themselves at him in order to inhibit progress.
There is still work to be done, but the return of three first choice defenders will enhance the team considerably. The most pleasing thing about last night came after the game; Fraser Forster’s focus was immediately on St Johnstone. It’s all about Perth now.
Issue 5 of CQN Magazine will be out soon. Hard copies will be available direct, at a considerably reduced cost from our current Magcloud arrangement and with a fast delivery turnaround. Details soon.
1,353 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- »
blantyretim says:
17 December, 2011 at 10:37
BT
you are renowned for your impartiality Id propose you as Chair and Chief banner carrier.
Chief executive Lawwell joined Lennon’s condemnation of the supporters and fumed: “These people cannot love Celtic, given what they have inflicted on us.
We feel the same way about you and the board after 3 seasons without a title Mr Lawwell, but you are still here are you not?
I haven’t read the newspapers today but I’m sure they have the same tone as last night’s tv news. Celtic fans under attack from our own officials and about to be hit hard by UEFA for our behaviour, Hearts in financial trouble. Everything must be rosy over at Ibrox as they didn’t even merit a mention.
In the spirit of self policing and ensuring that the club has all of the information it needs to ]deal with trouble makers, I should get a few things off my chest. I’ve been known to swear at football matches. I’ve questioned the parentage of referees and abused opposition players on many occasions using language that might offend. I’ve even been known to question whether our manager has his tactics right on occasion.
Should I be banned for life?
Ciao —–
Back home after my wee trip up north —-
I haven’t seen / heard or read so much as a comment about the banner in the Italian media.
I haven’t seen /heard or read so much as a comment about the flare in the Italian media .
Seemingly of no news value here.
Italian media have been much more interested in talking about how good Celtic were in the first half.
The Italian media have been much more interested in talking about how good Forster, Samaras and Forrest were.
Guidolin , the Udinese Manager was fulsome in his praise of Celtic . He singled out Samaras , Forster and Forrest for special praise.
Guidolin said he had been forced to change his midfield in order to deal with Samaras.—- ” I didn’t want to play Pinzi and Isla but we had to shut Samaras down ”
Guidolin ranted about a useless Referee who had been bad for both teams.
Most media outlets gave the Man of The Match accolade to Forster .
Cold and wet -way down south.
Good Morning to the Celtic family from a cold and frosty Central Scotland.Well all the rumours about players being sold to Premier League sides anyone could be forgiven for thinking there was a Rangers game coming up.One thing though if Man.Utd are after Kayal I think the figure quoted of 6 Million for him is to cheap imo Celtic would be giving him away for that, last year if you had told me we could lose Kayal I would have been seriously worried the fact im not is down to the fact we have superb no 67 big Victor who in my eye is the better of the two players.H.H.
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
17 December, 2011 at 10:45
Agreed. Kayal bidding should only start at £10 Million if the Premiership are involved.
Ulryc
Re the banner
IMO we have been played like a fiddle on this one .
The trap was set and certain peepil may as well have had a bloody great big banner saying ……TRAP THIS WAY……. for us to walk right into .
IMO the bhoys that fought hard to cleanse a scourge from our society must be shaking their heads at certain people over the last few seasons .
I intended to not get into this debate but when I see the infighting from our fans it just infuriates me ,hell they are even allowing the LL to drive home their advantage by turning some against our manager .
IMO we can do nothing about falling into this trap but FFS lets try and find a way out and avoid the next one set (and there will be one )rather than shouting to everyone else to come in and join us .
GUTTEDCSC
We should all be discussing a great effort from our young team in midweek and keeping the pressure building on TFPLG instead of this crap .
Ask yourself this who does that benefit
hail hail
bankiebhoy1 says:
17 December, 2011 at 10:37
“Chaps………need some help please……
Tryin’ to put together a banner. The thing is, creative juices have dried……keep drawin’ a blank…….”
Down with That Sort of Thing !
I think it has been used before during the bloody campaign that besmirched the name of Craggy Island. No doubt your protest will be reported by Daily Recker as follows:
Plagiarism The Celtic Way
CQN moves in mysterious ways…
A thousand thankyou’s to the communal recommendation of Breaking Bad sometime last week.
Bought the first season and devoured it like a chicken meal from Pollos in one sitting.
Then Rodow1 mentioned he had received seasons 1-4 on disc from James Forrest and passed them on to me.
Life here has virtually ground to a halt, have watched 18 episodes in 2 days.
(Even missed the Jeremy Kyle Show).
Madness! Off down the shops in my Pontiac Aztek for some Funions…
Hail, hail, Viva JF y Rodow1 especiale!!
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Morning CQN
What are we falling out about today?
I hope the team hasn’t taken it’s eye off the ball like we have.
Divided we fall………or fail
bankiebhoy1 says:
17 December, 2011 at 10:37
Chaps………need some help please……
Tryin’ to put together a banner. The thing is, creative juices have dried……keep drawin’ a blank…….
I’m thinkin’ ” Down With The SNP” ??????
…………………………….
The one from KDS with the Orange elephant and the COPFS shredder behind Salmond was class.
Wouldn’t have been out of place in the Independent and was probably plagiarised from there in the first place.
Bankier looks like a banner banner to me though and I see the day coming when banners will have to be approved by the Match Commander first.
Fergus,
I agree. I also think the cub’s PR operation is a shambles. Neil should never have been put in a position to answer leading questions from the Huns with dictaphones as the team arrived back.
The club should have had a statement ready, signed by PL, and Neil should have said read the statement lads.
Instead we have a clearly tired and angry Neil having to talk once again about off field issues instead of focusing praise on his team, and we have our unbelievably inane chairman telling us to be more like the (boorish, anti-English, alcoholic) Tartan Army.
Who is in charge of our press operation? It’s amateurish and is doing as much to damage the club’s image as any idiot with a banner.
A quickie before I sod off to the pub.
I think we should be able to sing what we like,within reason,as most of you on here will know.
I also think that Neil is wrong to hammer the fans who displayed the banner.
However,he has EVERY right,IMO,to state his opinions,and I will not castigate him for so doing.
I will,though,slate the board for being so chuffed at the Uefa fine,etc,and for not appealing it.
TOOTING TIM
Ye canny say funions on this site,and yer spelling is atrocious!
Take care,bud.
Bankiebhoy1
What about
“We are seriously quite disconcerted by the policies and actions of the First Minister and his party Colleagues in the Scottish Nationalist Party regarding sectarianism and will soon be in a mood to do something but we are not just sure what yet!”
It might need some editing to fit onto a banner but thats tthe easy bit.
How the hell are ye by the way? Bantry treating you well? Seasons Greetings to you and your wife.
Who composes the governance of our club? If you don’t know the answer, don’t waste your time writing the club and asking for an explanation… you’ll be lucky to get a reply.
The huns do their utmost to shame us, which you’d expect, whilst amazingly our very own boardroom men conspire to dilute our soul. Maybe they do it for coin and nothing else.
.
PETER LAWWELL: IT’S NOT THE GREEN BRIGADE
Peter Lawwell has distanced the Green Brigade from the rogue element that he wishes to drive out of the club.
While the Celtic supporters received praise for their behaviour throughout the day in Udine the club is likely to be hit with a fine after an offensive banner was unfurled at Thursday night’s Europa League tie.
The Green Brigade have been the whipping boys for almost all of problems associated with football supporters in recent months but as he addressed the issue from Thursday night Lawwell chose his words carefully.
He said: “It is a very small, rogue element. It is not the Green Brigade. It is a handful of people who for some reason think this is the right thing to do. It embarrasses the club. It embarrasses the vast, vast majority of our supporters, who would be sitting there last night.
“We are going to stop it. Even amid that hardcore of Celtic fans coming out here to Italy in December, it is a very small element. I don’t know what their motivation is, but we are going to stop it. These people cannot love Celtic, given what they have inflicted on us.
“This could well be the tipping point. People are sick of it. In 2003, our four supporters’ associations stood at Celtic Park and collected the UEFA Fair Play award. But now, eight years later we get this, and these banners. It’s just not right. It’s not Celtic.
“This is a rogue element that has infiltrated our support, with whatever objective, but it is a very small minority.
“The other thing is, last night was about Celtic from the SPL playing against Udinese, and it was fantastic. The unfortunate thing is that all this has overshadowed it.
“The eyes of UEFA were already on Celtic. There is no logic to this. If it was logical, it would be easy to sort out.”
Summa
ItaliaBhoy says:
17 December, 2011 at 10:54
“I also think the cub’s PR operation is a shambles.”
In the news clip I saw on Friday there were three condemnations of ‘fans’ by the club: the manager, the CEO and the Chairman. All in the space of less than 5 minutes of video.
I believe that this was the first time that our new Chairman has made a public utterance. What a start! He makes his debut in the arrivals hall of Glasgow Airport.
It reminds me of the way that BBC etc interview during strikes and other disputes.
The good guys are filmed in an office or studio and given time to elaborate but the strikers are ambushed in a hallway / against a wall / and have to fight hard to get their point explained. It is then followed by a comment from the studio that attempts to undermine what has just been said.
The club needs a spokesperson soon.
Another lesson that should be learned from Fergus McCann.
Philbhoy- How are you doing, bud?
I have a ticket for myself but I was looking for a concession for my nephew, I would need to be sitting with- or very near him.
My ticket is in the east wing of the main stand.
If you have any luck, let me know.
HH
South of Tunis
I’m glad you got to see the Bhoys. I’m glad they did us proud. I’m glad the Italian media and the Udinese people have given Celtic some much-deserved praise. I’m glad you got home safely.
Why football in Scotland can’t take this much television
Interesting article from today’s Herald
South of Tunis
Great post again.
Perspective.
League to win, forget the laptop loyal etc, 3 points in Perth, then two home games in Paradise.
Focus.
Time to move on.
EC67
Summa of Sammi….
Why do you think Celtic accepted the initial fine without contesting it? Some might say that some at Celtic were bouyed by the fine.
Goldstar10
Yorkston is a business acquaintance and has got me tickets before.
Be in touch.
Test of new monicker
.
Kitalba..
I Haven’t Commented on the Fine..I Have my Reasons..
But..l would say after taking Advice they Thought it was the Best Thing (For the Club) to do..In the Long Run..
Summa
PS..I Posted that Link because the GB..Have been getting pelters on here..Posters such as VHman Monteblanco and UTLR Give me all the Info on the GB and l believe them as l have met 2 of them..
The Honest Mistake says:
17 December, 2011 at 02:36
Auldheid.
You should look up the definition of benchmarking as nowhere in the definition is the word best.
There is no way to prevent or minimize arrests. The law will be disappear after it’s challenged. It’s a pity that someone’s life will be put on hold in the meantime.
share
———————-
I did. That definition came from here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benchmarking
where the word best is at the core of the meaning. It certainly reflects my experience of benchmarking.
However I’ve been thinking and I remember MoN saying when he took over that Rangers were the benchmark for Celtic.
At the time Rangers had finished well in front in the previous seasons race and when MoN actually used the term benchmark he meant they were the best.
However to win the title Celtic had to be better than the best, so although Bankier never used the term benchmark perhaps you are right that he should have in terms of being better than the Tartan Army. I have no idea how good a benchmark the TA are but agree we should aim to be better.
So thanks for persevering with the term, lets hope we have the same success over the TA benchmark that MoN had over the Rangers benchmark.
Philbhoy- Top man, cheers mate!
sixtaeseven
Your question is one we’ve faced for many, many years.
We are not the constituency of the Scottish media. At one level, it’s because it’s been hard to make it as a journalist in Scotland if you have a Timmy name, hence Peter Martin has to have a stage name, Kevin McCarra plies his trade in England, and many of those who remain play the game of sticking the boot into Celtic at every opportunity and have become what we know as Uncle Tims.
At the same time, commercial reality for some of the media is that there was more money to be made out of cheerleading for David Murray in the 1990s boom years, which created newly, and egregiously overtly, pro-Rangers coverage. The Daily Record became a parody of itself: you will remember the Only An Excuse ridicule of it (Mark Hately Eats Pasta, Mark Hately Invites His Dad to See The Bears, Mark Hately Buys a Loaf …). But the Rangers support lapped it up.
If they had been any way smart, someone high up would have said: “This is all very well, but we need to give Celtic supporters an equally strong reason to stay engaged with us.” Liverpool, Manchester and London papers all seem able to do this.
But in the spirit of ‘It was The Sun Wot Won It’, the Scottish media became part of the story at the time of Fergus McCann taking over Celtic, what with the hearse outside Celtic Park, inter alia. They could not pull themselves back from a stance in which pro-Rangers inevitably meant being anti-Celtic. Partly, see above, because this will have come naturally to a lot of the people putting the sports pages together, partly because of David Murray’s ongoing influence, partly because Celtic were under-skilled in knowing how best to fight back and possibly still are. Before you knew it, Thugs and Thieves had happened and we, the Celtic support, were cast adrift for ever. They will never get us back, and it turns out, to use the old phrase, that they needed us much more than we need them. We don’t need them at all, and the figures suggest they are dying a slow (soon to speed up) and very painful death.
As to why they keep it up even in December 2011, well my guess is that it’s partly the force of habit, but mostly because their only real alternative would be to notice that there is an elephant in the room and that it’s getting bigger.
Sorry to go on at such length.
Morning all.. I felt that we should ve ignored all questions and avoid giving ammunition to THEM.. We should know.. EVERY winter they rock the boat and we fall for it.. Last year they signed Diouf.. This yr Ibrox is shambolic so they need to micro focus on every single thread of anti Celtic spin they can find..
Those at the helm of our club need to let the players do the talking and stop feeling the need to apologise every time someone in paradise sneezes.. We run a great club , have great supporters.. Our intelligent leaders Chairmsn and Chief Exec should be savvy enough and articulate enough to deal with the media.. If not step aside and I know many people who will do a better job than these silly own goals … Talk about the football Celtic… Do not be distracted.. There s bampottery everywhere at all football clubs…
Hail hail.. Let the people sing..
Italiabhoy,
Totally agree, and have done for some time , that our PR machine is amateurish.
Regularly at press conferences we see players drop clangers , and IMHO it is a lack of preparation and media training.
Before they speak to the press , all players , staff should have a list of the likely questions and the proposed answers. If anything else comes up , then a swift no comment will suffice.
This might seem a bit dictatorial, but it is the way top PR advisors help their clients.
If there is a subject we wish to talk about extensively , we can use our own media.
I always find it ironic that journalists who worked for Maxwell , beaverbrook and Murdoch call the Celtic View Pravda.
Irony indeed.
DeniaBhoy says:
17 December, 2011 at 10:30
That was a very good, insightful article – whey did he have to ruin it with his ‘church of Rome’ reference to the catholic church?
kitalba says:
17 December, 2011 at 11:09
Summa of Sammi….
Why do you think Celtic accepted the initial fine without contesting it? Some might say that some at Celtic were bouyed by the fine.
————————————-
If the charge was that the illicit behaviour was the use of the words “oo ra IRA” or whatever words contained IRA how would you have defended that in an appeal? I cannot see how the core matter could have been defended without Celtic indulging in the same kind of songs debate that is based on the IRA that is sung of not being a terrorist organisation.
In the public eye terrorism is seen through the suicidal and mass slaughter lens of Al Quaeda. The words IRA have been tarred with the same brush and I can not see UEFA opening THEMSELVES to ridicule by accepting any argument that attempts at makingthat distinction.
So an appeal on that basis would fail andcreate a reputation for Celtic as being terrorist supporting. You see how our media works, it is a certainty. So the damage from an appeal is likely to be much greater than not appealing.
The one area an appeal might have been made was for leniency of sentence based on numbers involved and past reputation. That would not have changed the verdict only the sentence and we would still have to live with that.
Maybe such a leniency appeal could have been made but perhaps taking our medicine as responsible adults is the right cure?
Owen….
Still in Cork matey…working in Dublin. ‘Life hectic’.
Hope you and the girls are well.
Like the banner.
Punchy…
;)
Clashcitybhoy says:
17 December, 2011 at 11:26
“If anything else comes up , then a swift no comment will suffice.”
Or perhaps,
” That would be an ecumenical matter.”
It is to the clubs credit that they are taking this zero tolerance approach.
A few fans with a banner, a flare, a few hundred with ooh ah up the ra. The message is clear but it will be interesting where the club draw the line and start protecting .
Rangers showed themesleves to be sectarian to the very core with their support of their fans we are taking the moral high ground.
A bit of persepective though please Peter Neil and the other chap (who doesnt seem to know much about football or recent Celtic history?) …
However, sign a few players and make sure we grind the sectarian football club into the ground.
Large Nan…
I hear ye, but its not right…..too obvious? A bit vulgar??
This needs to work on the cognoscentiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Lets boil it down a tad.
HHH.