Celtic were not the only seeds to get a bloody nose in this week’s Champions League play-off round first leg games. Lyon and Real Sociedad looked well matched before the game but Lyon’s 0-2 home defeat suggests the seeds were outclassed.
Austria Vienna were the team I wanted this round but despite indifferent domestic form they upset the odds and beat Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 in Croatia. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Schalke’s 1-1 home draw with Poak Salonika.
Our defeat was, apparently, an historic sporting occasion for a country who are only a decade or so into their relationship with the game. Kazak prime minister, Serik Akhmetov, went into the home dressing room after the game on Tuesday to congratulate Shakhter and bask in the fruits of his sports development policies, but I hear there is trepidation ahead of their trip to Glasgow.
Top Russian TV analyst, Vasily Utkin, predicted, “Celtic will solve all the problems before second game, they will learn what mistakes they did in Astana and they will show their real power. If this happens I’m pretty sure Celtic will go through.
“In the previous round Shakhter beat Albanian champions Skenderbeu 3-0 but in Albania they were down 3-0. They are the team whose emotions are very important. If Celtic start the game well at Celtic Park, with all their songs from the stands and support given by their fans, the players from Karaganda may start the game on their knees.
“Their only chance will be on the counter attack. Whether this will be productive is the question for Celtic. A goal for Shakhter would complicate Celtic’s situation.
“I see Celtic reaching the Champions League group games. They are Champions League quality. Whatever Shakhter will do they are not Champions League quality, at least not yet.”
“This… is a question for Celtic” is the key phrase. Champions League qualification is in our own hands. Beat Shakhter Karagandy by more than 2-0 at home is as good an offer as anyone will get to qualify for the Champions League.
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I am not a great one for worrying too much about life and death.
There isn’t apart from having a healthy diet and getting exercise too much I can do about the silent assassins who have inhabited my imagination perching unseen on every tall building in town, training their telescopic rifle sights on my unsuspecting temple, and then gently squeezing the trigger until in an irretrievable sequence of events, the hammer springs forward, crashes against the bullet case and propels the shell on its now inevitable journey culminating in lead, bone blood and brains shattering and spreading in a supernova all over Sauchiehall street, ultimately to be washed from the pavement and wiped from the memory by the twin purgative effects of the Glasgow rain and the amnesiac tendencies of a world who care nothing for the genius that has disappeared from their midst and even less for the why all those hooded killers were out to get me.
All that will be left is a faint stain on the pavement slab, a corpse on the mortuary slab, and a vacant seat beside the puggy in Sharkeys.
So you see paranoia isn’t for me, after all I know it is only in my imagination, and my joyful outlook and optimism about life in general is as strong as it ever was albeit that I have slightly redefined the words ‘joyful’ and optimistic’!
What has this to do with Tuesday gone, or Wednesday next? Well may you ask.
I’m not too sure but according to my latest MRI scan, there is a substantial explosion of unpredictable neural activity and inexplicable firing of synapses inside my head at the moment. This results in time and events being concertina-ed inside my mind in such a way that almost every day I relive life to date.
Imagine that!
Every single day I re-experience albeit fleetingly every emotion, mistake, success, failure, tear, laughter, goal, save, miss, encounter………………..every bleeding thing that has gone to piece my life together …………………..and randomly almost I have to live out my day at whatever age I was when a particular memory or experience resurrects itself.
Of course I tend not to write a lot if at all anymore. I tend not to do very much at all in fact.
It’s hard to garner thoughts, perspective, and rational analysis when by 10 a.m. each day I find myself re- living the embarrassments of puberty, the first fumble with Helen R, and the cold sweats of dreams of my primary teacher’s loose topped halterneck jumper pressing every so softly against my ear as she leaned over me to check my spelling or arithmetic only to mesmerise me with her beguiling scent and force me through her witchcraft-wiles and sensual tones into a cross legged tongue tied star crossed imbecile.
Every now and again I get a good day and my mental clock seems to be in synch with the current state of the world and I feel a sense of reality absent for most of the past two years since the brain virus robbed me of a lot of who I thought I was.
Those days are getting more and more frequent and last week seemed to a major turnround when I had a surprise and welcome call from Sharkey’s bar to tell me that Blantyretim, WDH, Oldtim and Richie were in.
Laughter and great conversation is a magic pill that we ignore too often and this strange rambling post is just to say thanks to all of them for the day out and the bubble of controlled insanity that we inhabited for the few hours that we chewed our rags to tatters. have imagined for the last to years Thankfully that bubble hasn’t yet burst and allowed my to experience the disappointment of Tuesday. Believe me ‘real’ disappointment is preferable to conjuring tricks of the mind!
I don’t know what will happen next Wednesday, but I will be content if it IS Wednesday when I awake and I can enjoy another 90+ minutes of magic …….although I suppose I am also lucky in that I at least can re-imerse my mind and believe for a while that I am really in another time window, in the jungle, and that really is another team of pretenders being put the Celtic Sword by the hoops as we put on another extravaganza of ‘playing the Celtic way’.
Anyway sorry for interrupting the thread, I just wanted to say thanks to some special Chinas while I could.
Hail Hail
Estadio
minx1888 praying for wee oscar
14:05 on 22 August, 2013I mentioned the other day I was embarrassed by our performance or lack of it on Tuesday night and I stand by that. We lacked creativity and yes we lacked a striker.However part and parcel of being a Celtic fan is win lose or draw, support the team! I will take my seat on Wednesday and believe we can turn this around!I just wish I could get the Partizan Belgrade game out my head!
Cheers for putting it back in mine, get it oot the park Whyte, ya f#/&*@ whit ye dain, Grant… naw, awe for F#$@….
HH
Tommysbhoy
I hate to think what you are facing tonight but if Penny’s in pain and is suffering you’ll know you’re doing the right thing.
Our Blindhound was sitting at my knee as I read your post. She was seven yesterday and is still mad as a badger. Mad but not daft though, and when I , overcome with emotion at your post, showed her some unexpected affection she was alert to the possibilities immediately. I have no roll and sausage now as the devil dug slinks off licking her chops. What gifts they bring, though.
Be thinking about you and your family.
Celtic Mac
thats the only one that i can remember too
a great night indeed and while it sounds like a walkover it was nothing of the sort
i seem to recall winning 4-3 a few seasons later but still going out (against austrians or east europeans)
my point is that the task we face is not an easy one and its a task that we have not suceeded at too often
heres hoping though and if NL has one thing going for him , he has removed a few monkeys from our backs in europe!
Son to father…
“Da, Da, Kris Commons is on the phone”
Father to son…
“What’s he want”
Son to father…
“Not sure da, it sounds like …—… …—… …—…“
Estadio
May your stay on CQN be long, long, long.
You are greatly missed.
A big crowd with plenty of noise is whats needed on Wednesday, just like the old days. I remember being at the National stadium for the semi final v Leeds Utd back in 1970 when Leeds were under Don Revie and the cream of England at the time. Over 130,000 for the game what a night 2-1 win and into the final. I do beleive that remains the largest crowd for a European game to this day. Please correct me if im wrong. Happy days.
Beautiful writing from Bernie Slaven
Estadio
The pleasure was ours..
Take care ..
Hail Hail
estadio
14:06 on 22 August, 2013
This time
Hail Hail…
Fathers
I read the very moving comments by Bernie Slaven about his father and the influence he had on him. Today is the 100th anniversary of my father’s birth so it is a day when I remember more than most.
Born Joseph Ignatius (and with a brother called Ignatius Joseph), he, like may good people came from the tenements of Springburn. He won a scholarship to St. Aloysius and received a better education than most were fortunate to get. But, leaving school in a poor family and with the Great Depression and then WW2 to follow, opportunities were very limited and he had to take low paid clerical work. During the War he contracted Malaria and it affected him all his life – an indirect victim of Hitler.
My early introduction to football was via Ashfield and Perthshire Juniors and a few of visits to Firhill. On Saturday 7th December 1968, he came home from a morning shift and listened to me rabbiting on about Celtic and made an instant decision to take me to Celtic Park for the first time – a 5-0 win against St Mirren lit up the dark afternoon.
By this time he was in his fifties and had seen very little success for 30 years – for many reason, some due to Celtic and others due to other factors. He told me that he could not eat for 4 days when we lost John Thompson and he told me the stories about the great players of the past – descriptions even better than Youtube could ever match.
He was never happier than 25 May 1967.
He died in 1989 and so missed our next low period until Fergus came in. I often wondered what my dad would have thought about our new stadium and now how he would have looked on with incredulity at the decline of the Rangers club which had been so dominant.
Most of us learn our principles from our parents and my Dad gave me the precepts for my life. So this evening I will remember him with a visit to St Aloysius Church to give thanks for having had such a wonderful person in my like and a vow to carry on his legacy to me.
Son to father…
“Da, Da, Kris Commons is on the phone again”
Father to son…
“What’s he want now”
Son to father…
“He says, apologies for the typo but really … – – – … … – – – … … – – – … and something about going down on mayday”.
aye …..defeat is sometimes the best of allies,……….its half-time and Celtic will go through….simples….and for all that are having a dig at our host ….start your own wee blog …also simples ….go go the Celtic ……Braw!
Estadio
Welcome back.
You’ve been absent too long
Star… Commons too young for morse code!
Estadio:
I warned you Eldorado can do that to you. You wouldn’t listen.
Recongratulations. Ah just when you think those craaazy huns cannot be any thicker they always pull one out of the bag. just realised a while ago I dont need my ff logon as it is only required to post. Sorely tempted to get banned. What to say?
Imagine that
Celtic_First
13.57
How many have got their tops in the freezer right now though? haha
lilys
a few posts today put things bang into perspective
anyway for me it reminds me that we should never give up the fight
god bless
regarding the worker ants, as an old shipyard journeyman once told me ” we need to better than them to be equal”
THM
My last post on the subject, that should cheer a few up.
You had a go at me in the first place, fine I don’t have a problem with that, I responded.
I have a right to post what I feel, you had a go at me for that, cos it didn’t fit in with your reasoning, had it, you wouldn’t have responded.
I am no victim, not your victim, nor anyone else’s, an exception for Mrs TET could be made mind you.
I still stand by what I wrote, could have been written much better, but as I am a bit thick, don’t have the way with words like many do, I just have to do the best I can.
I live in a cave ffs, what do you expect, Wordsworth I ain’t.
Have a nice day.
HH
twists n turns.
You have mail.
lilys grandpa-Me and Lily backing Oscar
14:21
What’s the ‘care instructions’ symbol for that?
STV News quoting Ally McCoist saying that he knows of lots of football players who bet on games every week. (I’m sure he really said that there were “pure hunners”)
Name names, Ally. Name names.
Celtic_ first
Haha, 20 minutes @ Regulo -18
Edwardburns5 14:19
Tell them you tried Recongratulating once and it turned your shirt green and white.
EdwardBurns5
Tell them you have proof that Sally is Opus Dei member :-)
They’re in secret cahoots with NIKE… Specially made to dethreadilize so the twats buy a new one, then another, an annura ad nauseum……
‘Nuff said
Perhaps an old joke
whats the difference between an apple and an orange?
.
.
who’s ever heard of an apple ba****d
pogmathonyahun aka laird of the smiles
14:06 on 22 August, 2013Sir Ciff Richards to front UK’s entry in next years Eurovision Song Contest singing “Recongratulations”Q. Is a war cabinet smaller or bigger than a war chest
500 million in a cabinet
10 million in a war chest
Still to see either..
HH
Re. Bernie Slaven
I read the post on Tuesday before the game.
eddieinkirkmichael
It must be big loss for you. Deepest condolences to you, Sir.
Son to father…
“Da, the KGB want to speak to you”
Father to son…
“What do they want”
Son to father…
“Did you lose a striker in Kazakhstan?”
tommysbhoy
Sometimes we have to be the ones that need to do what has to be done but that does not make it any easier.
I argued agaist getting our latest dog as I knew the day you are facing today would eventually come, my wife and daughters argued that they would have years of joy and would at some point get over what you have to face today,
They were right same as yous have had 14 years of unconditional love from your “dug”
i hope you a granted the strenghth you need tonight but when the good lady tells you it is time you know she would not say that if it were not so.
I for one will be thinking of you later.
HJ
Great thoughts on your father also..
Tet.
Alright then last one.
You had a go at posters while declaring that it is forbidden to have a go at posters.
If you lambast posters then expect a backlash. Crossing your fingers while saying keys doesn’t work in the real world.
You have a nicer day.
Hh
MickTT,
Cill D’Fhinnein – Church of St Finian. Why not use it I’m sure the locals are very proud of it:)
In the same way the loyal residents of Sean Chill (Shankill) are proud of their Gaelic heritage:)
Árd Macha