Hungarian champions Ferencvaros are seed and have home advantage tonight over Sweden’s Djurgardens for the right to face Celtic in next week’s Champions League qualification second round. Notwithstanding that, the Swedes are likely to be far more difficult opponents.
Djurgardens are 16 games into their season, whereas Ferencvaros have played only one competitive game since June. Djurgardens also overcame stronger opposition to win their first Swedish title in 14 years than Ferencvaros faced in Hungary; there are no teams as good as Malmo in Hungary and I don’t think I have recovered from facing them five years ago tonight, so I hope home advantage favours the Hungarians.
Last night’s demolition of KR Reykjavik was far easier than I expected. Celtic looked sharp from the off, perhaps chastised by sitting on that draw at Kilmarnock for so long, and the wave of negative publicity that subsequently came the club’s way. KR were awful, worse than any Scottish lower-league team I can remember facing. Though like Hamilton, they still made chances….
Still, you can only beat the team in front of you and Neil Lennon’s men did the necessary. If Dundee United manager, Micky Mellon, was watching, he may have asked for a tractor to plough Tannadice ahead of our game there on Saturday.
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Gene,
In the DR, suppose best for him to get game time and loads of cash but got a signed photo of the following for prosperity:
‘His most iconic moment was his stylish solo goal to sink Aberdeen and secure an Invincible Treble in the Scottish Cup Final back in 2017.’
I’m always sad to see a football player leave Parkhead and Tom Rogic is certainly in that category. Imo, he’s worth a lot more than 4 million pounds.
Bada
Thanks – just seen Phil eluding to the same in his latest piece
BIG WAVY on 19TH AUGUST 2020 4:52 PM
Aren’t professional footballers exempt from quarantine ?
===≠===========
Who knows with this government. Ask Bolingoli.
Turnbull in – Rogic out, works for me. No sentiment on either side in big-money football.
Tom gave us a few memorable moments – long remembered, however he was always a cameo-part player. Watched Turnbull
closely recently – he’ll do!
I would never replace brown with ntcham – ntcham has different qualities but without brown we lack drive. We are pretty weak defensively and brown is the only player beyond the backline who can break up play and read danger. Ntcham I feel is lazy in that area and doesn’t anticipate like brown.
Rogic is in a similar category – he’s a luxury player who doesn’t have the legs/heart needed for modern football. I LOVE watching him in full flow, his goal at ibrox, cup final and reverse passes have been an absolute joy. He will leave as a Celtic legend imo.
I don’t know much about turnball – recent game highlights show good feet and vision but he looked slow/sluggish. Is this due to injury , has he always been slow or am I way off?
Hoped Rogic would get a run out last night…the fact that he didn’t suggests his time could be up…
He’ll be fondly remembered and welcome back anytime…
Olivier Ntcham should now be a fixture in the team….he’s a smashing talent…Hatem also. We are fortunate to have them…
Corkcelt….I agree with you regarding James…he has scored so many important goals for us in cup finals and Europe since his early days has also been very rarely injured. James over Paddy for me.In saying that if Paddy was available for a cut price deal I would be happy to have him on board but not for silly money.
If Tom Rogic is for the off, what memories he’s left us. Last minute treble winner.
Screamers at Kilmarnock and Ibrox. Sublime talent.
The poorer the form of Morelos, the more likely you’ll read about a big offer for another of their players.
Today it’s Kent (one assist last season), last week it was Barisic.
JHB…no sentiment? Surely that’s not the Celtic way…heroes are never driven to the airport by cqners…we love our heroes and are generally sorry to see them go…
…unless the name is Bolingoli 🙂
Big Tam from down under will always be a legend for his memorable and vital goals and touches.
But without falling into the Janet Jackson school of man-management (What Have You Done For Me Lately!?!) I’m afraid that Tom some time ago fell into the same category for me as Leigh G. Great when he’s on the park making a positive difference, but you couldn’t and shouldn’t take his presence or impact as a given. Especially given the long lay offs that seem to accompany every trip down under.
Is he ‘worth’ £4m? In a rather harsh sense, Tom’s not really worth anything unless he’s delivering for us on the park. Indeed, given the wages involved, he’s a financial liability in the accounting sense. I’d say thanks for the memories and reinvest the cash. Celtic and Tom have done very well from one another.
As for Broonie, I wrote pre season that he’d be my first name on the team sheet and the first player I’d sub once the game is won. I remember a season under Ronnie D where Aberdeen ran us close for while. Broonie was playing badly, with a persistent injury, but we played better as a team with a half fit Broonie on the pitch. Without him, we lacked cohesion and fight.
These are the qualities we’ll most struggle to replace. Not Broonie the midfielder, Broonie the leader.
And traditionally such qualities tend to come from a defender or a midfielder. And I don’t see it in anyone else in the squad right now.
HH jg
James Gang @ 1.35 pm
“The best thing that Paddy Roberts did in terms of cementing his magical status, was deciding NOT to stay with us. One of the reasons JF held off the challenge he posed was PR’s jaded form after a long injury. ”
You expected pelters but I completely agree. Paddy was not always injured when he dropped off with us. James Forrest was just better than him; it surprised me because Paddy showed signs in his first year that he was a genuine £13m player and would displace James but he didn’t- because James kicked on again , after he two had been hampered by injury and being played while injured for a few years.
He’s seen off competition from Paddy Roberts, from Mikey Johnston, from Charly Musonda and Shved. Karamoko can take him but is unlikely to stay long enough with us to prove it, unfortunately.
I also reckon James will see off Frimpong if he is played further forward. I like Frimpong’s stamina as a by-line to by-line modern full back but he does not have the close control and accurate passing that James currently has. Maybe he will develop it- we can but hope- but, at the moment, I will back James Forrest to see the challenge off.
And CQN can go back to attributing it all to a love in for James by Neil Lennon (and Brendan Rodgers, and Ronny Deila, and Chris Sutton and Craig Levein, Gordon Strachan, Alex McLeish and Stevie Clarke plus various opposition managers who manage to commit 2 or 3 markers to this invisible threat.)
Tom Rogic is his own man. Taking a payday in Qatar at 27, in the prime years of his career. Not for me or i suspect any top player worth his salt. Thanks and good luck.
AN DÚN on 19TH AUGUST 2020 5:19 PM
The poorer the form of Morelos, the more likely you’ll read about a big offer for another of their players.
Today it’s Kent (one assist last season), last week it was Barisic.
——-
Seriously are you Rangers quick news or what.
TR for the off: in times gone by I would have been gutted — now I will just be sad for the next few months.
Huge talent that needed more support and a better team around him.
I think that the 2018 WC was the beating of him — he was not fully fit during the run up and he worked too hard to make the Aus squad and team.
And all for two poor performances and one good one.
Never the player he was after that — confidence gone and the niggles didn’t seem to go away.
However he will always have the support of the Almighty / Single Being Deity figure.
The thunder and lightning when he scored against the sheep was biblical.
Poor show by the club that he was not given more game time — he was worth a bit of respect.
If the Rogic story is true- then he’s going to a footballer’s graveyard at 4 months short of his 28th birthday- his prime years.
And we are letting him go for only £4m when we would be lucky to get offered an English League One player at that price.
I would be suspicious tha Tom is taking a big pay packet for 1 year in Qatar and will then go to an English club as a free agent.
Seriously, we should play hardball on this and try and get the going price for Tom. He played 22 times for us in last year’s curtailed league- he is not a fringe palyer- he is a regular squad member. Any half decent sharp suited man should raise more than £4m for him.
Turnbull is more of a Stuart Armstrong replacement than a Tom Rogic replacement. He is a scoring midfielder but he does not have Tom’s flair and magic.
I’m liking the look of our squad shape now. Loved it when cmac was able to move back into Brownie’s position last night.
£4m is tonnes for a player who doesn’t play!
I surprised and confused myself with the depth of emotion I felt when I read that Tom, our No-Drama Valderrama, was likely away.
Saddened that, at only 27, those wonderful skills didn’t find a better stage than Qatar.
Happy for him, since I presume it’s a colossal payday for him, and he’s closer to Oz.
Happy for us, since £4 million and a big wage off the books is a good return for a player who doesn’t seem to be in the picture anymore.
Most of all grateful for the silky footwork, the sheer class and all the unforgettable goals.
My grandchildren – and hopefully their grandchildren – will in years to come watch and watch again the classic Tom Rogic goal that brought us the Scottish Cup, and the Treble.
Thanks, Tam, and come back for the party next year. Celtic hero.
The recent incarnation of Tom Rogic is only worth £4m I’m afraid. His contribution dwindled in both Europe and against Huns…
They are buying a guy who can do it against lower SPFL teams.
We need more creativity at No. 10.
Setting Free The Bears
I just read your Tom post after posting mine.
I agree, and I love the big man, but I think fitness issues play a part.
Tom Rogic is possibly my favourite Celtic player of the last 20 years (or since Henrik left)
I first watched him play in an under 21 game in Belfast a number of years ago and said at the time he had something special about him. I posted on here at the time that he would go on to be a great player for the club
I didn’t realise how great
The goal against Kilmarnock, the goal at Ibrox (where he broke a hun ankle at the same time) and of course, that iconic Invincible Cup final goal
The joy and memories he has given me, my family and my friends will never be forgotten
Ending his career in the sun, closer to home with a bumper payday fair play to the lad and, if it is indeed for the reported 4million, he has made us a few pound as well
All the best to Celtic’s Wizard of Oz
🇭🇲🍀
It does not matter to me that some of our fans think he is worth £4m or less.
I know that, in our current market, a player of his age and experience is worth a lot more than £4m. Brighton reserves go for twice that amount.
Tom going at that price is the biggest robbery we have been subject to in a transfer, since Boruc to Fiorentina.
And I include the platry sum paid for VvD in that- that was just the operation of the Scottish Sneer Tax by English clubs.
Now that we’ve shown the worth of VVD, Armstrong, Dembele and Tierney, we are past selling regular squad players in their prime for paltry amounts. Stuart Armstrong went for £9m when he too was a regular squad player and not a regular starter. Similar for Ki Sung Yeung who went for £6m when he left a lower standard Celtic squad.
I don’t care what wage Tom is on, we should easily generate double that amount in transfer fee. No more selling our assets on the cheap.
SFTB,
Since the halcyon days of 16/17 Tam has done sweet FA in Europe and against the Huns. Played in 0/3 games last season against them.
Scorer of great goals, this is not the guy to die in the ditch for on the altar of higher bids (which I do agree with).
would like to see us purchase Campbell from the well , a young broonie in the making.
Tom Rogic will always be fondly remembered, at his best he was a pure joy to watch.
However last year he only had 22 appearances compared say to McGregor’s 50.
He is a luxury player on big money, maybe the time is right to part.
Jamesgang @ 5.26
“ Is he ‘worth’ £4m? In a rather harsh sense, Tom’s not really worth anything unless he’s delivering for us on the park.”
How true, and getting eight times what we paid for his when fit marvellous contributions, seems prudent
to me.
His virtual SMSM valuation takes account of having reached the age of 28 without a fully fit season behind him man or bhoy, its clear he’s unlikely to do that, wherever he plays.
His knee condition quite simply won’t allow it.
If Tom goes I’m sure everyone would thank him for his great contribution and wish him well.£4M does seem a bit low for such a gifted player, wasnt there talk of a £9M move to Zenit a year or two ago.If we reinvest the money on David Turnbull and he is fully recovered after his operation I will be happy enough.unfortunately big Tom seems to have been unavailable for selection for one reason or another over the last 18 months or so and Turnbull is younger and more dynamic and scores with both feet.Still Tom “twinkle toes” Rogic gave us some great memories.
For anybody interested our opponents on here:
http://www.hesgoal.com/news/65967/Ferencvaros_vs_Djurgarden_IF.html
1-0 Ferencvaros 30yd screamer
Sad to see Tom R go – if, in fact, he is going. I thought he was a gifted player with the instinct to score outstanding goals. But, latterly, he was doing that less and less. The £4m, though, is very cheap for someone of his ability.
BTW some of the criticism of our players on this site is quite vicious and very ill-informed. Brown written off, Jullien the dud, accusations of physical cowardice etc. – the whole Club Deck gamut.
Noticed one of the “click bait “sites quoting $8M for Tom….not sure what that would equate to in sterling £6.5M maybe…sounds a bit more fitting for a player of his quality especially if going to Qatar.
Fritzsong…agree wholeheartedly with you some people seem to forget how many trophies we have won in recent years ..total domination.Everyone is of course entitled to their opinion but some of the comments regarding individual players are harsh to say the least.
Since 2015/16 when Tom broke into the team, he has managed 39, 36, 42, 35 and 22 (truncated). These do not indicate fleeting appearances and he plays in Europe more often than most (last year excepted).
David Turnbull has done nothing yet- is only entering his prime years and will cost near enough as much. It is a mug’s game of Bling mining if we just “get rid” cheaply and “just pay them what they want” for incomers.
BTW 1:0 to the Magyars
Ferencvaros have a nice kit.
SFTB – I’d like us to buy a No 10 and don’t see Turnball as a straight swop for Rogic. As Killie showed, we need more people with the ability to unlock stuffy defences. Tam was one of them.
Turnball would be a Christie alternative for me. And currently, showing my unsentimental tone again, Christie ain’t doing it enough. Needs competition maybe.
HT 1-0 to the boys in green.
Kieran Tierney interview coming up on Radio Clyde.
It should be Good.