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.
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weeminger:
Judges swear
Lawyers swear
movie stars swear
pop stars swear
priests swear
kids swear
adults swear
women swear
taxi drivers swear
Italians’ swear
Irishmen swear
prisidents swear
PM’s swear
footballers swear
barmen swear
drinkers swear
gamblers swear
mums swear…
Celtic Supporters swear… hang the bastards.
James Forrest – You reminded me of this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxm-cVCdziI
;) (thumbsup)
Aye let’s cleanse the support of these so called fans that travel all the way to Italy to support the team and express their discontent at their team getting fined by UEFA for singing a non sectarian/ non racist song.
Let’s instead populate our fan base with moaning bassas who cast judgement from the comfort of their seats and whose contribution to Celtic falls below the square root of hee haw.
Joe Filippis Haircut says:
16 December, 2011 at 13:09
agreed on all points. will be difficult to find the culprit(s) as many will seek to keep it under wraps, but it was a silly act not worthy of our reputation as a support.
Off to Xmas party now……la,la,la la,la,la
Hail! Hail!
!!Bada Bing!! Kano 1000 says:
16 December, 2011 at 12:43
Nice one.
Have to dress down,mummy says don’t give the poor folk a showing up.
BTW that’s only since you have been frequenting the place :O)
Goodbye CQN, Have a Merry Christmas Everyone. HH
Good article, Paul.
We probably saw Sami’s value swell but another .5m last night. A few suitors will have noted his productivity with more time and space.
At 2.5m that wld be a good bit of business for the club for a player who will always struggle in the congested SPL.
Agree on Forster, emerging as a good shot stopper and is young enough to learn how to command his box at crosses.
UEFA attack – naïve, off-target and just not Celtic.
Hail Hail to all.
The Honest Mistake
Letting off flares? Good or bad? Lets the support down yes or no?
Happy 51st (or is it 52nd?) Birthday to CQN leg-end SOAL!
So is it Stella tonight or as it’s a special occasion, Special Brew?
;-)
Enjoy your day big fella.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Idiots within our fanbase who threw the flares and flew the ‘F’ banner are just giving ammunition to those who are targeting us.
The same press who justified thems rioting in Manchester will be calling for sanctions against us.
5.550 represents a slight recovery after last season’s haul of 2.22 co-efficient points.
One of my fundamental beliefs about Celtic supporters is under attack.
That belief, which I have mentioned a few times, is that we are, as a support in general terms, smarter and cleverer than the many who bear ill will to the club.
However that banner last night was the kind of stupid and ill conceived act I would expect from our rivals.
Had those responsible gone out and painted a large target around the centre circle to be aimed at to damage Celtic, they could not have done better.
This action raises/lowers the issues from sectarianism, politics or even freedom of speech to that of crass stupidity.
Somebody must have thought it was a good idea and must have justified it to themselves.
An explanation is required from whoever was responsible. Remember the one idiot who ran on the park at CP and “touched” the opposition keeper?
That is all it takes but the fact that it was one nutter helped avoid serious consequences. Some facts need to be obtained in this case to help Celtic’s case.
Kojo’s appearance must be imminent.
Riots in Manchester. Fans stabbed. Attempted murder on a police officer as opposed a banner which had a wee sweary word which can be translated into every language on earth and has been voiced by just about every person on earth and is not a crime to voice it… are you for real.
Paul 67 This site is and has been a marvel so thanks again as we approach the end of another year. I love the fact that young and old can read the posts on here. With reference to last night, who is the foul language supposed to impress – it just says NO CLASS IMHO and is not what Celtic is about. We’re now being reported with the car wreckers at Sundeland! What does that achieve?
HH
James Forrest….a nascent Ronald Reagan in the making ?
More power to your elbow,Young Gipper..
Paul67
8 weeks ago I dreaded every game coming up, now I can’t wait for them!
Mon The Hoops!!
HH
kitalba says:
16 December, 2011 at 13:11
As do I but I also accept that some people still find it offensive, and if I was trying to get a serious message across to them, I’d do in a non-expletive using way. What’s more if they were expecting that I might use them, that fact that I did not would lend my message more weight.
People are still more shocked by written expletives than spoken ones too.
I have absolutely no problem with fans expressing their dismay at the UEFA decision, I just think there might have been a better way to do it.
Being told you can’t swear is not removing your right to freedom of speech.
Spirited, vehement, passionate, anti-establishment, pro freedom, faithful, rebellious, humorous, ironic, joyful, inventive.
That’s what I think of the vast majority of the GB.
Alas I think their youthful naivety let them down a bit last night.
If it was their members who put the banner up.
It’s the usual font though.
I’m not condemning them, just wished they had used a tad more nuance.
The Singing Detective – James Forrest….a nascent Ronald Reagan in the making ?
I see James as more like a young William Hague.
They’re both bright guys who wear their hearts on their sleeves. (thumbsup)
Paul you have email
Anybody who has ever been to a football game knows there is always a moronic element present and we are no different. Just ask the CQN’er who was headbutted at the turnstile last week. I doubt very much people like that ever read sites like this, that’s assuming they can even read. How do you get through to them?
ohits 13.1O Ive never seen the new guy who is joining us in January but he will have to be really good to displace young Mathews from his place in the team.H.H.
Ernie Lynch/Kitalba
do you believe that the banner last night was in the best interests of the Club, the Team or Support as a whole?
Did it do the Club, Team or Support as a whole any favours?
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Hi lads but I find this very strange, whenever we have negatives about rangers the media etc try to bring us into it.
The 1 things that puzzles me the most is the UEFA licence granted to them and then they focus on the green brigade and all is forgotten.
Why are we not getting this out in the open more.
How long are the SFA going to wait to hear from mr whyte.
Cmon lads they are trying cover it up with granting them a licence and all we want to do is focus on a banner and flares, how many flares are started at foreign games.
Laptop Loyal now dropping the nonsence we will get done for a banner with a swear word.
Now Pursuing the hope we will get fined for flares.
One Nation…
Pmsl at James Forrest as William Hague, with no disrespect to jf at all
neveralone 16 December, 2011 at 13:13
Letting off flares? Good or bad? Lets the support down yes or no?
It adds a nice ambience to the stadium.
Throwing them on the other hand is not on.
Would I say that those who set of flares are not Celtic supporters or should be banned from the stadium? Not a chance.
James Forrest
I can never remember if we’re seeing eye to eye or falling out… however I enjoyed your post and like you I’m a little gutted this morning to find that a handful of people unfurled a banner, let off a flare or whatever and that’s the main topic of conversation. It seems like we’ve forgotten what we’re all doing as Celtic fans.
Good to see Paul focusing on footie, and hopefully we all can.
Ernie
I think the notion of enemies should be put aside. It’s the kind of attitude and language more apt for the other mob. We’ve spent more than a century making friends, not enemies… just because we’ve a few new fans in recent years doesn’t mean we should bend to their angry whim.
Up Over Goal
I usually rate your ratings, but, don’t agree that Forrest was poor. He was good, without quite completing the job. Also when Hooper and Sammi waned in the second half… in fact as I watched I was beginning to worry that the energy was missing up top, it was Forrest who won a succession of free-kicks and drove us forward. It turned a difficult phase of the game around and put us on the front foot for the final 10mins. Of course he could have been better, and I’m certain he’d be the first to agree with your rating…. so…
Hoping you start to see the light re Forster. I truly think we have potential superstar on our hands… I’ve been saying it for a while, so its no bandwagon jumping.
weeminger
So do we go out and burn every publication with the F word in it.
It is just a word… that is all it is, a word that most of us, even the pious, have been known to use. I remember the night in the Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam when the late great Jock Stein told me to f off, after we got humped by Ajax, and me just a boy looking for an autograph. It is just a word that assualts or assails you every day of your life. Live with it or get big, big ear muffs.
Last night was a massive break through for Neil Lennon’s Celtic.
For the very first time we saw evidence of a young coach learning at the sharp end. We all have a personal view on individual player ratings, all a matter of opinion. One thing that cannot be argued is the progress of Lennon, given he had not one of his first choice back four in place and no natural left sided midfielders, he produced a team which came very close to a marvellous result. Three points on Sunday and players returning will give Lennon some breathing space, remember is all about three points, nothing else.
Well done Neil and well done Celtic.
The Token Tim – HAIL! HAIL! To Kano 1000 16 December, 2011 at 13:21
do you believe that the banner last night was in the best interests of the Club, the Team or Support as a whole?
Did it do the Club, Team or Support as a whole any favours?
Is booing Sammi or shouting abuse at Forster in the best interests of the Club, the Team or Support as a whole?
Is everything we do as individuals got to be in the best interests of the Club, the Team or Support as a whole?
It’s not the swearing that’s thje problem, it’s who it was aimed at.
God knows there are enough people who want to do Celtic down without offending an organisation that over the recent years has been generally ‘Celtic minded’.
Good job we didn’t go ahead with the appeal against the fine; last night’s contribution would hardly have helped our case.
James Forrest,
see how far you’ve slipped
monkeys on your side hmmm
What l can not get my head around is why would fans of Celtic go out and willfully damage the reputation of the Celtic football club?
Can someone please explain how this makes sense?
Mtt
Very poor decision by those who chose to display the banner but let’s calm down a little bit. In the lexicon of offensive banners / display surely this most come under the heading mildly irritating. I think a “wise up stupid”is all that’s called for . Let’s just wait and see what happens before we sharpen the pitch forks and get the flaming torches out before marching out to drive the wrong doers from our door.
Can we not just blame the local police, a Romanian Steward with a Union Jack or a big telly the way another club does…
The Honest Mistake
“It adds a nice ambience to the stadium.” – made me smile.
So no sanction or warning then? And if it happened again?