Historic Kazak win, view from Russia

1082

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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  1. Estadio if you,re lurking could be something in the fridge for you in Sharkey,s this weekend. Check with Isa. Hail Hail Hebcelt

  2. Mathare United are the latest Kenyan club to

     

    petition Fifa so as to receive part of the

     

    transfer fees from Victor Wanyama’s move to

     

    Southampton.

     

    Through its chairman Bob Munro, the club has

     

    alleged that the Southampton player turned

     

    out for the youth side MYSA in what the

     

    player has denied.

     

    “I don’t get where that came from. I don’t

     

    know when I played for Mathare United in my

     

    career. It’s just absurd that someone claims

     

    that I ever donned their colours when I didn’t.

     

    All I can say is that I don’t understand it,” he

     

    told supersport.com.

     

    The defensive midfielder was linked with top

     

    flight clubs like Arsenal and Manchester

     

    United before moving to Southampton in a

     

    record £12.5million pound transfer after

     

    putting pen to paper a four year deal.

  3. Oscar Knox is my Hero - RWE on

    Estadio

     

     

    Thank you for posting.

     

     

    Don’t know you but wish I did.

     

     

    Hvratski

     

     

    Wonderful tribute to Joseph Ignatius.

     

     

    The Bernie Slaven piece on his Dad was so eloquent too.

     

     

    Thanks for reposting it.

     

     

    Hail hail to Miki67, Jackie Mac, Tom McLaughlin, Oscar, Mackenzie, and all others who have real challenges in life.

  4. Oscar Knox is my Hero - RWE on

    The money for Gareth Bale is so high to compensate him for not being able to continue in his role as Thomas the Footman in Downton Abbey.

     

     

    Grantham CSC

  5. Well another “Alleged”target bites the dust.No more comments from me on this subject.Its minutes out of my life I will never get back.Peter Lawell,you owe me about 24 hours.

  6. Celtic Football Club ‏@celticfc 43s

     

    Good luck to former Celt Paddy McCourt on having signed for Championship side, Barnsley. Best wishes for the season ahead @bfc_official (PC)

  7. Delaneys Dunky on

    Just saw Sally on SSN. When asked if he knew it was illegal for players to bet on football, he replied naw whilst nodding his head. 100 names in 10 minutes lol

  8. Ally on SSN telling the world he and others did not know it was illegal for players to bet on football!!!!!!!.”There should be guidelines laid down”.The stupidest fans in the world led by the stupidest manager.Obviously assuming the buffoon mantle left by “Ol big hands”.

     

    Astonishing.

  9. Tae be fair.. Celtic, nevah made a Bid fur

     

     

    Emeghara..

     

     

    Paper Talk?

     

     

    Seems Tae hiv Bin.

     

     

    Dang~

     

     

    Kojo

     

    Still Laughin’

  10. I take it no-one had to provide guidelines on how to breath in and out, or to blink, or to scoff down loads of steak bakes.

  11. Another away tie for the huns,against QOS.Sometimes you just cant seem to earn a crust.Another blow to their “Robust” finances.

  12. Estadio

     

     

    Good to see you posting. I am re-reading the magnificent “Swing Hammer Swing” after nearly a 20-year gap. Every time I read one of your stories, I am reminded of Jeff Torrington. Is it a Gorbals thing?

     

     

    hail hail

  13. Marrakesh Express on

    I know its a bit old hat now but Uncle Tom Keevins has been banging on again about Internet Bampottery. He rages that he’ll never ever be part of any social media, twitter facebook or the like. Faceless people stirring up trouble with impunity, he preaches.

     

    Its partly because of this dinosaur’s inability to do his job properly (and he’s one of many) that sites like this have flourished and outgrown the msm.

     

    For most of their working lives Jabba Jackson Keevins and co have had carte blanch to print publish and brainwash pretty much where and when it suits the agenda. The McCann booing was a classic case in point.

     

    Their day has come at last and lazy journalism can now be spotted a mile away.

     

    Mark Guidi slipped up last week by mentioning something he had read somewhere. That ‘somewhere’ was this forum. Lazy to the end.

  14. Ah bur swally now has inside info… Did he not sign one of them during the signing ban which doesn’t expire till sep1

  15. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Spurs 4/9 with sky bet.

     

    Don’t think I’ll bother.

     

    Itv4 @ 5om ko.

  16. I think the Fat Paul Le Guen was misqouted. He really meant to say that he has a list of 100 footballers, who if the SFA allowed them to play at the same time, would be capabale of winning the 3rd tier league in Scotland.

     

     

    He added that it was still ridiculous to think this would mean winning a cup was also a possibility.

     

     

    Árd Macha

  17. My Dear Friend….Kojo..

     

     

    How’s The Auld Balance Sheet Looking Today..?

     

     

    Pistol Pete Will Be Hugging His Teddy Bear A Wee Bit Tighter…

     

     

    Over The Next Few Nights….

     

     

    More Trouble On The Horizon….?

     

     

    Our Friend….Deadly Joe Ledley….

     

     

    Has Failed To Put Pen To Paper….

     

     

    On A New Contract Extension…..

     

     

    We Have Heard The All-Too Familiar Mutterings From Him…..

     

     

    Over The Last Couple Of Weeks…..

     

     

    “I’ve Been Trying To Get My Agent Up Here For A While….

     

     

    To Sort Out My Contract……”

     

     

    Shades Of The Treacherous Liam Miller ?

     

     

    I Can See Him Leaving On A Bosman Next Summer…..

     

     

    Still…..We’ve Got Our CannonBall Kid…

     

     

    And Jackson Irvine….

     

     

    Ready To Terrorize Europe….

     

     

    Wait….!?

  18. FAVOURITE UNCLE on

    Anyway sorry for interrupting the thread, I just wanted to say thanks to some special Chinas while I could.

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Estadio

     

    you kiddin pal your the main reason people come on here.well you and the EAST K.weather report early morning.

  19. McCoist was embarrassing in that press conference.

     

     

    His “defence” (of Ian Black) was that lots of players like putting a line on their team. That is obviously not the issue.

     

     

    A player hoping to win a bet and with a responsibility to try his all to win the game in question where the two things are not incompatible is not a problem.

     

     

    The point with Black is that he was betting that the team he was playing for would not win. Match fixing risk, Ally? What is difficult to grasp about that?

     

     

    I note that I now have spell check when posting on CQN. When I put in McCoist, the suggestion was McCourt. Probably Frank rather than Paddy though

  20. What’s worrying about Ledley is he’s always said he wants to sign and given every indication that he will… now he still hasn’t (is this PL’s fault or is he looking for huge money or has it just now happened yet?) signed.

     

     

    We’re left where if he doesn’t sign in the next few days we really should look at selling him or lose him for nothing in January.

     

     

    Is he another waiting for CL qualification?

  21. Headtheball says sign and promote the petition for wee Oscar and others on

    To clear up this betting issue all Sevco need to do is to commission their own in-house totally independent investigation to show that Ian Black did not break any rules.

     

     

    On another issue, I do not agree with all this antidisenthreadalisation business.

  22. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    Cadizzy

     

    Spellchecker..

     

    I laff in the fase off spellcheeker

  23. Marti

     

     

    he’s back on right now. He still wants everyone to sit around a table including the betting companies but not the SPFL because he couldn’t remember what they were called even though the SPFL has been around for nearly as long as his club.

     

     

    He didn’t know the rules but surely even he would assume that you can’t bet against your own team.

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