15 years ago we beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League. The team that night was:
Boruc
Caldwell, Kennedy, McManus, Naylor
McGeady, Brown, Hartley, Jarosik
McDonald, Vennegoor of Hesselink
Kennedy and Naylor went off injured in the first half, replaced by Pressley and Donati. Needing the winner, Gordon Strachan hooked Vennegoor of Hesselink and put on Chris Killen (!). It is also worth noting the quality of that group. Top seed Milan were reigning champions, Shakhtar would win the following season’s Uefa Cup and Benfica were no slouches.
Some sides flatter to deceive, Gordon Strachan’s Celtic did not deceive and did not flatter. They delivered without looking anything other than industrial. Those European nights were fabulous, domestically, however, it was often a hard watch.
I’m not going to ask you if you would swap what you had then for what we have now, we are enjoying today’s Celtic too much, also recency bias would intervene. All that would change if we were in second place in Scotland. Winning is all when you are behind in the race you really want to win.
Ange Postecoglou will also know sentiment is never fixed. He will have to improve European results with his current expansive style, change styles or eventually endure a drop in sentiment. Automatic qualification for the Champions League provides shelter.
As long as we win the league and the league winners get to the group stage, we will be able to indulge on the big stage. That would not be the case if we were to face a qualification round. Then, winning would be everything, just as it was with Gordon. If we take a harsh look in the mirror, results in what was an easier Champions League group have been disappointing and the manner in which we were exposed on the counter suggests no learning since Bodo/Glimt earlier this year. The slide from topping our Europa group in 2019 against Lazio, Rennes and Cluj is all tactical.
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Good afternoon all
Sorry for my language and engaging the troll last night.
Sincere apologies to the blog.
DRAMBOWIECELT
Love and prayers to you good sir.
Hiya.
SFTB, what. Yhe f&£k did the Buffler have to do last night , only posted the mod will be on overtime, can assure tyou
Nomark got absolutely brilliant life , oh and plenty of doe to boot
So Paul would you swap this open sweeping style for the pragmatism and boredom of Strachan
That late winner from Donati was one of my very few visits to CP for a CL tie. Elated as I was at the end I prefer the fare Ange is serving
The slide from topping our Europa group in 2019 against Lazio, Rennes and Cluj is all tactical.
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Let’s not forget that there have been monumental changes in personnel, manager and coaches too, with only McGregor remaining? It seems that the so called ‘Angeball’ is very similar to that style of play most top European teams adpt. The difference? Eye watering amounts of money available to secure and pay for the world’s top planet. We clearly don’t have that, but ongong, yea ron year access to the Champions League will not only allow us to pay for and attract better players but also be more experienced. There was a stat released, possibly on here, lately which showed that most of our team which have played in Europe this season have hardly played any games together, that takes time and continual improvement. No nostalgia at all ( or at the time) for Strachan type tactics.
@AIPPLE… and to you and all the Bhoys…
DrambowieCelt – best of luck with your health
That prednisolone can work wonders on reducing inflammation but hope you are not on it too long. Real Jeckyl and Hyde stuff. First week or two makes you feel brand new, sleep is for wimps kind of thing. I was up painting the house at all hours 😂
Lefty congrats on your podium sir.
A lot of this comes down whether you see style above substance. I’m fed up being beaten in Europe. I didn’t even watch the game on Tuesday, just saw their goal on breakfast TV , them pouring forward on a break and us trying to get back – surprise surpirise. It’s a results based business, sentiment has very little to do with it.
The Hun are grumbling and looking to replace Van Bronkhurst. With who exactly?. Again a bit of reality would do no harm there. Fans can say ” yeah we got beat but look at our expansive style ” and the echo will be heard as Ange is moved on by an owner who would keep the Hun alive to secure the balance sheet.
Usual bun fight at Stormont on now….
The Champions League is an unforgiving environment.
Opting for the old firm ahead of Europe kept us out of it for five years. You can’t be out of it for that long and except everything to be plain sailing straight away.
If standing still in football is going backwards I don’t know what going backwards is. Probably nobody ever came up with a description for that as they thought nobody would ever be as stupid as to try it.
Let’s just hope that the takeaway from this campaign isn’t “it’s too difficult” and we should just stick to the old firm.
No prizes for guessing how an ambitious manager would react to that.
DRAMBOWIECELT all the best for your treatment
I was diagnosed with Lymphoma last year and went through Chemo and Radiotherapy, I got the all clear in May and the relief was unbelievable however they had noticed something on my scans related to my liver.
Fast forward to now and I’ve got too much iron in my blood so starting the treatment to reduce this, I look on this as a good thing as having cancer meant that this was caught earlier than it might have been which should mean that it’s caused less damage to the rest of me.
The amazing thing is even in my short time of treatment since last year there have been improvements in the diagnosis and treatments available, like the new scanner so I tend to be very positive in my outlook
Take care and come on the blog often as there are a lot of good people on here who give great support
Automatic qualification for the group stage of the Champions League is strictly ephemeral when a nation’s 2 representatives can muster only 2 points from 10 matches.
Bit of an over-simplified analysis, Paul.
In Strachan’s time we were a Pot 2 team and were in the top 20 European Rich List (would we even be in the top 50 now?). Assuming there were at least four clubs ahead of us that were in the UEFA Cup then last 16 of CL is where we should have been, both budget-wise and by seeding.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL,
Agree that the only way we improve is to be there every year and the years were we failed has put us back from where we could have been
The positive is that Ange has said the exact same thing
Totally agree paul67, angeball will not succeed in Europe, may not even get us a win as we give our opponents two leg us – for 1/4 of the match the players aren’t up to playing the tactics- the space we give quality teams is criminal.
*two leg ups
CamusBhoy- best of luck HH
‘Ange…… will have to improve European results with his current expansive style, change styles or eventually endure a drop in sentiment.’
###
Jings, crivens and help ma Boab, you cannae be sayin the likes o’ that.
Even to suggest considering a change of style is heretical.
It’s not Anges style of football,that got us knocked out,it was the catalogue of missed chances that Angeball created that was our downfall.We all watched it.To say different is a nonsense.
Should have been 2 up against Madrid.Should have beaten Shakhtar away.Leipzig,we had chances,but we will never know how far we had come on because of the wastefulness of the players.To take 10% of those 68 attempts,would have seen us qualify,maybe,but we would have more than the 2 points we have now.
My only change,would be to see Ange play a Big Ollie type in Europe.Still leaves 5 attack minded players to go forward,but might stop the breakaways,the brilliant Mudryk exploited.
Whatever,as he says,we are still building,I believe him,so we will wait.
Have we improved domestically, whilst regressing in euro terms? Is that even possible?
Has European football evolved, beyond our means?
What is our comparison?
Sevco
Scandinavian teams
Greek / Turkish teams
It’s difficult to get an accurate look across
Pot four team finishes fourth shock.
Shouldn’t happen because it’s Celtic?, did happen because the other three teams are better. Only Shakhtar were pegged back a bit and they’ll sell their bestest player for £50,000,000 plus in the coming windows. If we’d beaten them twice instead of drawing, we’d have been contenders.
The answer is more players on the bench that cost more millions and earn more than 15K a week. The day job is beating Ross County and Kilmarnock for practice in the run up to the next Champions League.
Close but no cigar, we go again onwards to the Spaghettihad.
At the moment,apart from CCV,JOTA,Ange has been shopping in LIDL for players,and done wonders.With the CL money,one or two,Sainsburys buys could be all we need to improve us no end in Europe.
Excuse the ĹIDL analogy,you know what I mean.
Turkeybhoy
Correct,it was missed chances that cost us not Ange ‘s system.
This is the best football that Celtic are playing for years.
Imaging going back to Strachan methods,Celtic Park would be empty HH
TURKEYBHOY at 12:49PM
Agree with that. A few colleagues over here who are not Celtic fans watched a couple of our games in UCL. Madrid and Shaktar away to be precise. Their un-blinkered take away was how wasteful we were and the word unlucky came up.
I love wee Kyogo but he has not been firing recently. The big Greek offers something quite different.
Good afternoon all from Shawlands. I hope you are all well and ready for another weekend of fun and good times.
Livingston F.C. v Celtic F.C.
cinch Premiership
30/10/2022 12:00pm Tony Macaroni Arena
Referee:William Collum
AR1
Graeme Stewart
AR2
Daniel McFarlane
Fourth Official
Matthew MacDermid
VAR
Alan Muir
AVAR
Frank Connor
Were those who are most enamoured with Angelball similarly effusive in their praise of the style of football played under Brendan Rodgers?
Thems v Aberdeen F.C.
cinch Premiership
29/10/2022 3:00pm
Referee:Steven McLean
AR1
David McGeachie
AR2
Drew Kirkland
Fourth Official
Alan Newlands
VAR
Nick Walsh
AVAR
John McCrossan
@Camusbhoy….Some man my friend great news……I’m interested to hear from anyone???
Especially those that have dealt with the prostate issues .But of course i understand that it’s personal…
So no worries if no info available….As long there are survivors to carry on with their lifes business..then it’s all good.
H.H
And another question.
Could there be any connection between the physical and mental demands Angeball puts on players and their inability to score from apparently easy opportunities?
Or is it all just a matter of luck?
Mr.Mod i made a request on the previous article last page 11.35 am
If you get any spare time i would be grateful Sir…… Thank You.
Drambowiecelt and Camusbhoy.
The very best wishes to you both. 👍
Aff oot
As requested from Drambowiecelt
on 27TH OCTOBER 2022 11:31 AM
Morning all…Thanks for the thoughts …I’m sure our friend from last night will be suffering today…
I wish him no ill will lifes too short…I head for biopsies wed coming on the ole prostate..
I know some of the Bhoys on here been thru that and are good at this time.If anyone can clue me up on how they got your P.S.A levels down i would be grateful..This is a strange one for me…Back in May the Doc was concerned the Big C was back..Then in july He was less concerned…various blood tests etc later he’s back to concerned ….M.R.I confirmed “something” hence the upcoming bio’s…I don’t wish to pry into the private details of anyone .But has emdae had that kind of uncertainty???With the head and neck cancer it was Boom nae messing Straight intae the Beatson .Anyhoo.the good news lol the camera confirmed no cancer in the Colon ..Just ulceration being dealt with via the prednisolone…so in the words of Mr James Brown ….I.Feel. Good..
DRAMBOWIECELT on 27TH OCTOBER 2022 11:31 AM
Morning all…Thanks for the thoughts …I’m sure our friend from last night will be suffering today…
I wish him no ill will lifes too short…I head for biopsies wed coming on the ole prostate..
I know some of the Bhoys on here been thru that and are good at this time.If anyone can clue me up on how they got your P.S.A levels down i would be grateful..This is a strange one for me…Back in May the Doc was concerned the Big C was back..Then in july He was less concerned…various blood tests etc later he’s back to concerned ….M.R.I confirmed “something” hence the upcoming bio’s…I don’t wish to pry into the private details of anyone .But has emdae had that kind of uncertainty???With the head and neck cancer it was Boom nae messing Straight intae the Beatson .Anyhoo.the good news lol the camera confirmed no cancer in the Colon ..Just ulceration being dealt with via the prednisolone…so in the words of Mr James Brown ….I.Feel. Good..
SAINT STIVS on 27TH OCTOBER 2022 11:35 AM
Keep it Lit DB.
your some man after all you endured.
DRAMBOWIECELT on 27TH OCTOBER 2022 11:35 AM
P.S Mr Mod could you please delete my conversation posts with our guest last night….
I know you will be sick deleting today…. so my apologies for the request..Many Thanks
As requested from previous page.
DRAMBOWIECELT on 27TH OCTOBER 2022 11:35 AM
P.S Mr Mod could you please delete my conversation posts with our guest last night….
I know you will be sick deleting today…. so my apologies for the request..Many Thanks