So much about modern football is skewed away from those who strategically plan and develop teams. It wasn’t always this way. It isn’t this way everywhere. Tonight upwards of 50,000 people will pack into Celtic Park to live every kick of the ball. They will be there to see the champions of Scotland face the champions of Sweden, two clubs who bookended the 1970s by losing the first and last European Cup final of that decade respectively.
For the Celtic and Malmo, this is the modern equivalent of the European Cup final. The meritocracy, which European football enjoyed in the 70s, has been replaced by Rule of the Rich, but these two clubs go head-to-head in what is an all-encompassing battle. For each club, winning will be their biggest trophy of the season.
Both teams fancy their chances. Malmo manager, Age Hareide, is enjoying a welcome midseason form hiatus. When asked about Celtic before leaving Sweden, he dammed with difficult to find praise.
The challenge for visitors to Celtic Park, it appears, lies in standing firm to the distractions of a boisterous stadium. Celtic’s players don’t worry Hareide so much, “At Celtic, the pressure will not come from the opponents but from the stands”, apparently. Take that.
Hareide’s Helsingborgs lost to Celtic at this stage of Champions League qualifying three years ago, but after losing the first leg 0-2 in Sweden, he dismissed Celtic’s achievement by saying “we were better than Celtic at everything; in possession, we ran more than the Celtic players, and we actually played really well”. Celtic won both ties by two goals to nil. Hareide, no doubt mystified at just how his superior team were denied.
On-loan striker, Nikola Durdic, was also at Helsingborgs when they lost to Celtic. Former Aberdeen defender, Kari Arnason, lost on his only visit to Celtic Park. Jo Inge Berget made two starting appearances at Celtic Park, scoring twice in a 6-1 win over Dundee United, before losing to Maribor and slipping out of contention. All three will start tonight for Malmo if fit.
These people think we’re a one-dimensional shouty football club, who can be undone by sophisticated Scandinavian guile. Which has annoyed me, who do these people think they are? Abba, were artistically unremarkable. Take that, yourself.
Didn’t think I’d that anger in me. Hareide is in for a surprise tonight.
You can win a Celtic European shirt (the bumblebee one), courtesy of club sponsor, Magners, who have kindly donated the shirt to help with our Mary’s Meals appeal. The competition closes as kick off takes place TONIGHT, so you don’t have much time to enter. To win the shirt, email me at celticquicknews@gmail.com with the answer to the following question IN THE SUBJECT line:
How many goals have Celtic conceded to Swedish opposition in history?
When you are entering, if you can give a £1 or so to help build what would be our fifth school kitchen in Malawi for Mary’s Meals, you can do so here, it will only take a minute. I’ll give you a clue, the answer is not as hard as you may think.
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Sammi Scores..
Hail Hail
.
Sammi to Take the Penalty..
OMG First podium :-))))
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Sammi Misses..Penalty..;-(
Top Ten again?
Hail Hail
So looking forward to returning to Paradise tonight.
Roll on The Music…
HUNDERBIRDSAREGONE
Have you started early on MALORBHOY’s Magners and Miller?
I so hope you are right,of course.
MONTHEHOOOOOOOOPS!!!!!
The stadium really does have a reputation now…..cool.
We could blow them away if we start at the same tempo we ended the home Quarbag tie with.
Just hope we don’t leave it too late to change things if it isnt working.
HH
Maybe Paul67 knows? Will the Kerrydale lounge be open to ordinary season ticket holders tonight?
It’s just that I’m travelling from afar and would have gone there for something to eat.
Bobby M
Just tipsy with excitement and intoxicated on optimism
Later wil be a different story ;-)
Won’t be won or lost tonight. Fancy us to win, but not sure about the clean sheet, although I don’t think it will be crucial in the end. 2-1 tonight, 1-1 away.
PAUL67
Abba may well have been artistically unremarkable,but they were remarkable aesthetically pleasing.
Agnetha even managed to look rather fetching-down,boy!-in a bliddy raincoat. And I’ve got the negatives video clip to prove it.
Rubicon on 18th August 2015 11:04 pm
From Your post last night
Yes Yes and Yes
67ECW
Bobby Murdoch
A Tim’s got to do what a Tim’s got to do
antearman
How you doing big mhan
anyone been up near the park today ?
“Knowing me, Paul Brennan, knowing you, Age Hareide, Aha!”
Hmmmm…
Obviously my attempt to score out negatives failed miserably!
Anyway,all who are going,I hope you all have a night to remember. And I hope SNEDDONI catches his train. And that ITSABOUTTIM gets an answer to his bliddy question!
Oh,aye-and TIMALLY29,I believe they are Siamese Twins who share the same brain.
Paul67 added to the Abba Abba banned list.
Strange arrogance from them. Celtic to win.
1. Gordon
2.Mikel
3. Izzi
4. VVD
5. Dedryck
6.Stefan
7.Nir
8.Scotti
9.Griff
10.Stuart Armstrong
11.jamesie
bench Cifti,Scott Allen,GMS,Bailley,
i hope for a good performance tonight,respectful of Malmo
a hard nights graft is ahead of us,we have never been afraid of hard work
go to work Celts
HH
St Stiv. Why may I ask.and does anybody know what the weather will.be later on.we’re I stay Livingston. Blue Skies warm and Sunny.
67 European Cup Winners on 19th August 2015 12:12 pm Rubicon on 18th August 2015 11:04 pm
From Your post last night
Yes Yes and Yes
67ECW
==============
What were the questions?!
HH
Itsabouttim
I think someone posted yesterday that the Kerrydale will be given over to UEFA requirements, so don’t believe it is open to the punters.
I recommend the Battlefield Rest (Italian) where I will be having my usual pre- match meal with my ghirl, no problem with parking.
H H
Can you hear the crowd, Fernando?
Tonight will be Hareide’s Waterloo.
Few wee things on the site to point out.
If you look at the League Table – to the right on desktop and tablet and nearer the bottom on smart phones. Just above the league table you will see LATEST COMMENT – click on Paul’s heading here and this will gives you a short cut to the most recent post on the blog i.e. the last page.
Just below the league table we’ve added an ARCHIVE option where you can find articles & comments going back to October 2011, when the previous design was introduced.
At the bottom there is a CALENDAR option. Click on the date and this will give you all the posts on here on the selected date.
BMCUW
Sneddoni will catch his train even if he walks – assuming he has no health impairments – I’ve done it in under an hour many times?
I, on the other hand, are still waiting. :(
Some Swedish.
Agnetha, Hareide?
Nej!!
Plea from Jamesy
Take a chance on me.
Friesdorfer
Many thanks. I’ll have my ghirl with me too.
Do I think we will win tonight?
I do, I do, I do I do, I do.
“Super Hooper”
Super Hooper beams are gonna blind me
But I won’t feel blue
Like I always do
‘Cause somewhere in the crowd there’s you
I was sick and tired of everything
When I called you last night from Glasgow
All I do is eat and sleep and sing
Wishing every show was the last show
(Wishing every show was the last show)
So imagine I was glad to hear you’re coming
(Glad to hear you’re coming)
Suddenly I feel all right
(And suddenly it’s gonna be)
And it’s gonna be so different
When I’m on the stage tonight
“Super Hooper”
beams are gonna blind me
WC
Winning touches making the site slick.
A lot of pressure v the Swedes tonight and next week.
As we know, the winner takes it all.
Bus loads of Malmo supporters just arrived in Merchant City , drums / flags etc . Looks like they are here to party .
Peter has it on his mind
Money money money, it’s a rich mans world