KR Reykjavík recorded a 0-2 win in the Icelandic Cup on Sunday and have one more league game, against bottom club Thor on Thursday, before facing Celtic on Champions League duty a week today.
Celtic have a game this evening against LSK Linz before facing a famous name from our past, Dukla Prague, on Friday. While the world will be coming through a World Cup climb down Celtic will be facing a committed team in the mid-Atlantic. There is no room for complacency.
Next week’s qualifier has all the potential to cause a fright. Ronny Deila will by now know all about Gordon Strachan’s competitive start at Celtic, which cast a shadow he never completely shook off, so it is absolutely critical the manager gets us playing the way he wants us tonight.
Ross McCormack’s route from Murray Park reject at 19 eight years ago to a player Fulham have just bid £11m for is worthy of consideration. It’s easy for us to point to how Rangers ruined young talented footballers but the stark truth is that for well over a decade Celtic had vastly better youth talent that Rangers but failed to graduate anything like as many as we should have.
McCormack had to go to Motherwell, a club well experienced at nurturing talent, to build his career, but he would have fared no better at Celtic. Having no space for youth is one of the many unhealthy consequences of having two massive clubs engaged in a football arms race. Our game was destined to destroy talent.
Fortunately, the man who loaned his name to Murray Park ensured that arms race would end in spectacular fashion, when he sold his club’s assets and liabilities to a liquidation specialist for £1. In a perverse sort of way, Scottish football should thank him.
Thank you to everyone who supported CQN’s efforts for Glasgow the Caring City and The Cookie Jar Foundation, especially the reader who paid an incredible £530 for the signed European Cup canvas. You are all a credit to our club.
Best wishes to Argentina tomorrow, I hope the overcome Netherlands for the memory of the first worldwide football hero they gave the game, Alfredo Di Stefano.
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Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire
I sincerely hope you’re right, cos we look a bit short of options up front as it stands.
Maybe the new coaches will help him to impose himself.
We’ll know soon enough
;o)
!!Bada Bing!! @ 20:08
Red card was ridiculous .. Usually in friendlies the ref would say to the bench about subbing a guy who may be borderline,a 2nd yellow for moaning about a shy
Absolutely Bada ! In my 20 years as a ref I never sent a player off in a friendly … I did as you suggested.
I once refereed the Scottish University select v Hibs reserves when Billy McNeil was there and he was in charge on the touchline (few Hibs 1st team playing too).
A Uni player punched the ball off the line just before HT and after awarding the penalty, I ‘suggested’ to the offender he had injured his wrist and to go off not to return.
Caesar was not happy until I had a word and told him the ‘injured’ player would be replaced in the 2nd half. He didn’t fancy playing against 10 men in a friendly, and the Uni selectors were cool too.
Who wants to play 11 v 10 in a friendly match unless GBH has been perpetrated?
Do I hear calls of corruption in refereeing? Or just common sense – enough said.
Thanks for the updates bhoys.
Rwe
I think it all changed with Dunga!
You sure it’s not the tea lady Whois a hooker and carries a tray at Botafogo ;)
Martina Hingis?
bankiebhoy1
20:26 on
8 July, 2014
Martina Hingis?
I wish.
Right time for the game HH.
Green……..
;)
MH is Liam Henderson apologies for doing my MM impression:)
Have we found out who this mysterious MH is yet?
HH!!
MH??
Right on cue!
HH!!
Liam Henderson says he is not even the best player in his house.
Apparently has two wee brothers well rated.
LASK LINZ 2 CELTIC 5
THERE was agony and ecstasy for Celtic new boss Ronny Delia in Austria.
Fired-up Finn Teemu Pukki thumped in a superb hat-trick as LASK Linz were routed.
However, Liam Henderson, who looked the most accomplished performer on the park for over an hour, was remarkably sent off by an over-fussy referee.
The teenage midfielder was booked in the first-half for a nudge on an opponent.
But it got worse around the 70-minute mark when he disagreed with one of the match official’s many strange decisions and was immediately given a second yellow card.
It was an extremely harsh decision by the ref considering the game was played in a sporting manner in rain-lashed conditions at the Linzer Gugi Stadium.
Henderson was just one of seven youngsters chosen to start the third match of the pre-season Austrian trip by manager Delia. Eoghan O’Connell, Stuart Findlay, Calum Waters, Nir Biton, Callum McGregor and Bahrudin Atajic all lined up for the kick-off.
One surprise in the new boss’s formation was Leigh Griffiths playing in a withdrawn role wide on the right.
However, the former Hibs striker came the closest to opening the scoring in the 24th minute.
Atajic had a lobbed effort clawed away by the desperate keeper right on the edge of the penalty area.
The ball rebounded straight to the unmarked Griffiths who sent a low drive towards the right hand corner of the net, but was denied a goal when a defender appeared to boot the effort to safety.
Celtic were surprised when their opponents took the lead following some slack defending at a deadball effort.
The Hoops levelled in the 35th minute and it was that man Pukki who drove an unstoppable drive past the keeper.
He didn’t hesitate as he raced into the box onto a pass from McGregor to fire into the far corner.
Stuart Findlay almost presented the Austrians with a second goal shortly afterwards when he lost his balance on the greasy surface as he attempted to clear a right-wing cross.
However, Lukasz Zaluska was swiftly off his line to throw himself to block bravely the Linz attacker’s shot.
Pukki almost snatched a second bang on half-time after a wonderful move down the right with Griffiths releasing Adam Matthews.
The Welsh right-back sizzled over an inviting cross to the near post and the frontman blasted the ball wide from about three yards.
Linz got the second-half off to a sensational start when they went ahead inside 20 seconds after a mix-up in the penalty area.
Sub keeper Leo Fasan was left exposed as the central defence went awol and an Austrian forward was delighted to slip the ball into the inviting net.
Three minutes later Pukki struck again with the second leveller.
Matthews, who did well until he came off early in the second-half for John Herron, deserved great credit for a good ball into the box and Pukki made no mistake from close range.
And the Finn completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute with a neat effort after some good work by McGregor.
A couple of minutes later came the referee’s howler when he was quick to show a second card to the unfortunate Henderson.
The youngster looked distraught as he came off the pitch with Matthews waiting to console him on the touchline.
Aidan McIlduff, 17, got the nod to replace Pukki to give the Finn a well-earned rest shortly afterwards.
The fourth arrived in the 78th minute when sub Dylan McGeouch hit the afterburners as he raced at the retreating Austrian rearguard.
He got into the penalty area and the ball dropped perfectly for fellow-sub Amido Balde to belt first-time on the drop from an angle.
The hard-working Griffiths claimed his first goal of the pre-season campaign three minutes from the end.
He cut in from the wing before unleashing a typical effort into the net.
The Hoops now take on old European adversaries Dukla Prague on Friday.
Team: Zaluska (Fasan 46); Matthews (Herron 50), O’Connell, Findlay, Waters; Griffiths, Biton (McGeouch 46), Henderson, McGregor; Atajic (Balde 46), Pukki (McIlduff 71).
I’ve long asked the question on here….
Are Balde & Pukki bad players or, are they
just badly managed?
Re: Broony…he booted our CL hopes up onto
the slates with his ‘hunlike’ behavior v’s Barcelona
last season – he wont be nissed. imho
Only saying.
I never knew that the priests and monks that interfered with the children in our approved schools for years were SNP members
Bet thd hoops in play at 9/4, they went out to 4/1 just after half time but too slow..
winnings on Germany, cheat out and louis captain, no brainer…
Thoroughly enjoyed that game.
Mistakes? Sure, there were plenty, but the overall impression was a team of mainly young players, enjoying their work.
I think we are heading for an interesting season, with, perhaps one or two hiccups, possibly in Europe.
The question is, will the support tolerate, perhaps no European football beyond the qualifiers, even if it is due to inexperience?
When the disgruntled element during the Kelly Kids era voiced their dissatisfaction, Kelly invited them to stay away.
Imagine if he had given in to the demands for ” better” players, there would have been no Lisbon Lions and Big Jock would not have come back to the club.
For the time being, I’m glad that we appear to be adopting the modern approach to the game, based on skill, movement and fitness.
nissed = missed
sorry
Off oot.
One for the bookie bashers on here.
Saw a betting site advertise a special, offering both germany and brazil at 9-1.
Seems to good to be true, and when it does it usually is.
whats the catch????
billy boy
away and bile yer hied man..
jobo
Sorry to inform you that I too am on the 2-1 correct score double same as you…….my current run suggests the bookies can rest easy.
Off oot to think about MH. Good night, fellow Tims. And come on Germany.
Masty
Agree with your sentiments as it’s pathetic what I posted but so is a lot of the sectarian crap we get on this site.
Re Masons: I know a number of Tims that would lay there life down for Celtic and are Masons: my uncle John being one of them
Billy Bhoy 05
20:33 on
8 July, 2014
I never knew that the priests and monks that interfered with the children in our approved schools for years were SNP members
Dear oh dear Billy get a grip
Bb05
I don’t get involved in your independence but don’t start on my faith..
Glad we won a good workout. To protect the club, we should explain to the world who is arranging and paying for the officials at these Austrian friendly venues.
Channel 4 taught us last week about the lucrative in-play bets snapped up in odd spots e.g quick goals, red cards, high scores.
—————————————————————————————————————
Off-topic but germane to the general conversation. Good guys are entitled to be given respect;
” I’d like to kill Jimmy Saville……he’s a hypocrite……there’s a seediness around him and others….”
– John Lydon 1978.
Form is temporary, class is permanent.
beatbhoy & bankiebhoy
Dunga and his mate Kaka.
Plumbed the depths with those two.
HH
Ps I have a crap Wi Fi so I miss a lot
Billy Bhoy 05
you should get yer arse kicked awe the way doon London rd for posting that crap.
Billy Bhoy 05
20:41 on
8 July, 2014
Masty
Agree with your sentiments as it’s pathetic what I posted but so is a lot of the sectarian crap we get on this site.
I agree with the above, it is petty and pathetic to play the sectarian card in relation to one party, but why jump into the gutter with them
Ray Winstone’s Big Disembodied Heid
20:23 on
8 July, 2014
Now being described as a groin “knock”, whatever that is.
………………………….
kickinthenakas might know
btw sorry for the spelling kickinthenakas.
can someone delete that pash the hun posted please?
Billy Bhoy 05
A disgusting post, you should be ashamed.
Is alan hansen a hun?????
Side show bob (david luiz) was just being highlighted on STV and it showed luiz doing an izzy with his hands in the air praying, eyes closed at the start of the game.
Cue Hansen
‘Dont know whats that about tho’
Seemed a really odd remark to make…..
Billybhoy05
u have just shown yourself up as a bigot nat…
no lack of wi fi can excuse lack of brain, disgusted, and ill tell u I felt sorry for the vitriol you took on here from the better together bhoys..
you just can’t hide your bigotry especially at this time of year..
Clunks
is alan hanson Billybhoy05?