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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blantyretim.
Are you okay to receive a call from me this morning..
BMCUW
I arrived in turkey light pink.
I left a slightly brown pink.
I also followed the advice you give above. To the letter!!!!
PintInTheShadeCSC
HH jamesgang
JAMESGANG
Ah,the juxtaposition of asking what you did for a living as I was heading out to indulge in one of my many vices!
Still makes me smile,that one.
Jamesgang
I have met Corkcelt and can confirm that, like myself, he is a young daftie . Unlike yourself, of course, who would qualify as being very sensible and probably a good footballer were it not for the fact that your brain is too far away from your feet.
JJ
6 million for Forster.
Roughly half what Ross McCormack is worth.
Aye. Right.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jul/09/brazil-mutiny-mourning-germany-world-cup-2014?CMP=twt_gu
Brazil a mix of mutiny and mourning after ‘biggest shame in history’
Reading back
There is no tabloid shit like transfer speculation, pointless waste of time
Brazil never looked like champions all through this tournament. They looked nervous, shaky at the back, and utterly reliant on Neymar for inspiration.
They needed the ref to get them past Croatia, and seldom convinced in any of their other games.
Against Colombia, they were reduced to hoofing the ball out of play from the 75th minute to time waste. The type of thing I’d expect to see Scotland do in the unlikely event of us leading in a WC quarter final.
And when I saw David Luiz and others holding up Neymar t-shirts before last night’s game, well, it just smacked of a team getting their excuses in early. You’d think they were the first team to lose an important player before a big game. A really confident team would have just got on with it.
Finally, Brazil has always been known for the brilliance of individual players. In this team, only Neymar comes close to that spirit. Players like Fred and Hulk are diabolically average, and David Luiz is a complete joke of a defender (£50 million!!!!???).
I don’t like seeing any team humiliated (well, maybe one…) but last night’s result, although immediately shocking, was, in the cold light of day, perhaps not a huge surprise after all.
ITALIABHOY
Joooost the latest example of the record undervaluing our players but overvaluing those from a club from days gone by.
They canny help it.
FWIW,I doubt we can hold on to Fraser. His ambitions are probably greater than he feels can be achieved with us.
But if,say he is on £20k a week,is it really out of the question for us to treble it?
If he is happy enough personally at Celtic,he might find that offer difficult to refuse. And I doubt the rest of the team would be daft enough to demand parity.
He is world-class. They are not. His wages should reflect that.
For me,worth a try.
Go on,Peter. Pay someone more than you get,make some friends by supporting your manager.
Trying hard not to moan,but what have we really taken from the Austrian games.We have had a total mish mash of players all over the park,the majority we will hardly ever see again in the 1st team,unless we sell all our 1st team squad.
We have lost our captain and inspiration.We are having fans again telling us that Balde is a player.That Kayal is back to his best.That Pukki,really is a striker.Too many easily impressed.Even proclaiming that Dylan be our new midfield schemer,after a decent 90 mins against poor opposition.
I hope what we have taken from the games is that the manager can see we are desperate for a good striker,a midfield general,cover for Izzy.All things that should have been told to the guy 1st day on the job.
JJ ;-)
BMCUW ;-)
HH jamesgang
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
09:37 on 9 July, 2014
FF is not world class.
He MIGHT become world class, but he’s certainly not at the moment.
And I say that as someone who has praised him consistently At A Time When It Was Neither Profitable Nor Popular.
Theres a ‘grand ole’ Celtic German-connection…
Rambo – Bayern Munich
Murdo – Borussia Dortmund
Lambo – Borussia Dortmund
Brian O’Neil – Wolfsburg
Andreas Thom – Bayer Leverkusen
Lubo – MSV Duisburg
anymore ?………..
But I still want the Argentina fans to be dancing on the streets of Rio – CSC
ItaliaBhoy,
Fred is average? That’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say about him.
I can’t remember ever seeing a worse Brazilian striker. It’s very hand to believe they don’t have anyone better
Kev J – Andreas Hinkel.
Football is a funny old game.
Who’d have thought you’d ever live to see the day when the huns have a better idea than us of what it must be like to be a Brasilian football fan.
16 roads – Celtic über alles…
09:50 on 9 July, 2014
__________________
Guid yin – thanks fella.
Hail Hail
Nike end Man Utd contract.
Who’ll be next?
German – Argentina would be ideal.
The final of the righteous.
You know it was a sad day on here when so-called Celtic supporters were following that Dutch tripe.
Sometimes you despair.
A million miles away.
HH.
Major management reshuffle at the
Vatican bank.
Craigy bhoy to be honorary president :)
Thats all fholks – bye.
Mark McGhee-Hamburg
ERNIE LYNCH
Opinions etc.
IMO,he is and your opinion is as valid as mine.
What does he have to do to prove that he is world-class?
And I say that as someone who saw us play for the first time 46 years ago and always bemoaned the lack of quality at left back and goalkeeper once those heady early days were over.
Dingus.
Good call Marrakesh.
HH.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS – I don’t think Celtic could pay that amount to anyone, not in the environment we play in. I think FF is a good keeper but not a great one yet. His kicking and coming for cross balls needs to improve.
Turkeybhoy – It’s pre-season, these games have to be played somewhere, it used to be the case that the team went away and tried new things without anyone really bothering about them as it was about getting fitness levels up, I think we read too much into these games now because of social media etc…
Just as there will now be a huge inquest in Brazil, I think England will be looking at one too.
Internationally, Germany have streaked ahead of England since 66. Twelve semis and eight finals, compared to two and one. Make no mistake, these stats are killing the ‘home of football’. Yes they might have the best league product, albeit a financially doped one, but it is clearly to the detriment of the national side. BT pundit Carlton Palmer called it last night. He said it was time
…to bring the three foreigner rule, which will never happen,
..learn to be patient like the Germans and give any plans/talent time to come to fruition
..get back to scouting the streets of Glasgow and look for kids kicking the ball against the wall (Danny Kelly added this).
They both added that none of these is a goer so where to now? (scratching heads)
The fallout from one game not involving England will be very interesting.
Cha Du-ri
born in Frankfurt player for Bayer Leverkusen and others.
Vidar riseth
HH
WEST END OF EAST END
Having a quality keeper can be the difference between qualifying for the CL.
Or not.
It can be the difference between making the last 16.
Or not.
It can also be the difference in winning or losing games in that tournament.
Each of those are worth more to the club in financial terms than £3m a year to Fraser Forster. And that doesn’t include bonuses from sponsors and Nike,shirt sales,etc.
Trebling his wages to £3m will cost us £2m a year.
So effin what,we either speculate to accumulate,indulge our top players-or continue or spiral of racing to the bottom.
We can afford the former.
We CANNOT afford the latter.
I know, Glasgow was used as the example but I think he meant Liverpool or Manchester.
ernie lynch @ 9:51
Very funny. I am still smiling.
Turkeybhoy
09:45 on
9 July, 2014
Trying hard not to moan
Wouldn`t like to meet you on a day when you were letting it all out 0:-)
Cheerio for now. Beautiful day for cycling. Tea-break on the platform of the Caledonian Railway; steam trains and nostalgia inducing carriages.
JJ
KevJungle – Murdo Macleod is my favorit CELTIC player ever.
09:48 on 9 July, 2014
Cha Du Ri – Fortuna Dusseldorf
Who Alan Hansen and Gary Lineker gonna hate if Argentina make the final?
:D
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=48qxMGUqJvc
Thomas Hitzlsperger-Bayern Munich
hail hail
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS – Totally agree a keeper can make a huge difference and FF is a decent keeper, but, I don’t think offering him more money will make him stay. After the World Cup I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been told to get himself back down the road. I agree with your argument, I don’t agree that FF should be the one to push the boat out on…
Will this ever catch on here
http://www.theguardian.com/football/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2012/dec/01/german-fan-owned-clubs-bundesliga?CMP=twt_gu
German model bangs the drum for club, country and the people’s game
Fan-owned clubs are thriving
Republic of Football @the_eriugena · 1m
In case you were watching something else last night here’s the highlights of Celtic’s 5-2 win
http://jawoi.tv/game/2853
WEST END OF EAST END
Fair enough,mate. Canny argue with that.
My point is simply that we have a quality player who can make a difference. Giving him the going rate rather than a ‘Congratulations on your new job’ card would work both on and off the pitch.
Improved results in Europe,heightened profile-think of the friendlies,Peter-better ticket sales,the whole kit,bag and caboodle.
But naw,yer right. The lady is not for turning. Might as well get used to it.
Off to the card shop.