Going by the looks of the photographs coming out of Romania today Ronny Deila and his players will be going a culture shock; the Stadionul Marin Anastasovici isn’t the Camp Nou, our more familiar European haunt.
The industrial surroundings should set a tone for the players, though, and industrial performance is required tonight, where the attributes of effort, attention to detail and strength of character are required.
Astra surprised many of us at Celtic Park last month. After their capitulation to Dinamo Zagreb they were supposed to be the whipping boys of the group, but they can play and extended Celtic more than any domestic challenger would be able to.
A victory would be an enormous boost to our season, and to the development of Ronny’s first Celtic squad. Question is, are we ready yet?
Ignorance of causality
Sometime between when the link between tobacco and cancer was suggested, and when it was proven, cigarette manufacturers mocked the research by pointing to a study which linked dental hygiene with cancer.
A perfectly valid piece of research found that – in their sample – the group who brushed their teeth daily had less cancers. In any research you would expect random links, which is why the medical industry requires many studies before concluding on a linkage or treatment.
Yesterday Community Safety Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, told the Scottish Parliament that recent years has seen decreases in religious hatred crimes at football, which she attributes to the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act., which she informed us we spend £3m per year enforcing. That’s a lot of police overtime to pluck fans out of their beds at 4am.
I respectfully disagree. Ms Cunningham is blind to causality. Top flight football in Scotland these past few years is a completely different place than it was previously. The change had nothing to do with her government’s “horribly drafted” [Sherriff Richard Davidson] legislation.
She knows this, of course, but the landscape has changed over the last year. The Scottish Government received an independent report on the Act in December last year but refused to debate it in Parliament or at committee. This is unsurprising as the issue could have been toxic at a sensitive time.
Jim Murphy yesterday pledged to scrap the Act “right away”, adding “Sectarianism is a deep rooted and hate filled long-term problem in Scotland. It was allowed to fester and grow over many decades. Shamefully it was celebrated by a minority and silently tolerated by far too many”.
No other political party supported the Act, so it will not survive a change of government, but going by the polls that day could be a long way off. That £3m per year is lubricating a lot of wheels, but the real cost is the politically motivated criminalisation of the non-intolerant innocent in order to “equalise” them with the absolutely intolerant.
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“Just bought tickets at ground- less than £5 in Celtic area. Need ID though.”
Celtfish,
Bargain. They were 20 quid before it was called off ;)
If the game goes ahead, despite fog, will it be a case of “per nebula ad astra” for Celtic?
And on another note, I see another shift has started for whoever has logged in as Ernie Lynch, this time.
ernie lynch
16:17 on
6 November, 2014
Just my error really. I should really have starred the defecation reference.
However it seems like reports from Saltmarket CSC are proving a little fishy.
p;ilhtjtrq
On the subject on A Tonev, what sort of timeframe is there for the sfa appeals process? Tubby Boyd’s seemed to be done and dusted in short order. Also, should the sfa uphold their original decision and sanction or increase the sanction, what then? Do the club stand by him or is Tonev simply cast to the wolves?
This is an idiotic situation the sfa have got themselves into.
sfjtkttl,s
Twitter again Sun reporter I believe.
Fog descending. Conditions have definitely deteriorated in last half hour. Game in real doubt. Astra v Celtic
TBB. ha ha, brilliant. Madjid seems to have something going seriously wrong under his kilt.
“or is Tonev simply cast to the wolves?”
It’s Villa, not Wolves, and his loan spell is up in 7 games. I expect he’ll be cast back in short order. Whether he leaves with a 7 game ban to serve is a matter that I expect will be vexing Villa at the moment.
In that effigy of Alec Salmond is that a deid team scarf he’s wearing
JJ, have you been at the cooking sherry again:_)
Raman Bhardwaj @STVRaman 12m12 minutes ago
RT @Keegs1982: Fog getting worse here at Astra. << surely odds-on game will be off? #bookiebashing
ACGR I think it may be a poppy to cover his modesty
Up over goal
VG
Tbb,
I though tonev is here for the season. Berget was the short term loan?
celtfish
What’s the weather like? Is match in doubt?
Celtfish-weather update?
Ffs
wish they would make thier minds up,
am waiting to go to the brazen
if the fog went away it wudnae be mist ;-)
Zico-Charlie D asking for you
masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar
16:40 on 6 November, 2014
Ffs
wish they would make thier minds up,
am waiting to go to the brazen
——————————————-
Hey misty, I mean masty, you should go to the pub anyway – it’s good for the soul…
The Battered Bunnet
16:35 on
6 November, 2014
It’s Villa, not Wolves, and his loan spell is up in 7 games. I expect he’ll be cast back in short order. Whether he leaves with a 7 game ban to serve is a matter that I expect will be vexing Villa at the moment.
*no matter the result of the appeal I believe that he’ll head back down south not as a result of being a bad player but at being called a racist and a liar……hope the Bulgarian FA keep up their attack on the SFA.
We all know that ogilvie has designs on a job at FIFA…..God help us if he gets it….but mibbees this will be the straw that breaks the camels back and he’s knocked back….that and more info on the shenanigans at hampden from real football supporters in Scotland will make the authorities sit up and take note….then again mibbees not with that mob.
Geordie Munro
Right enough, apols.
TBB, thank goodness for that. I was afraid to expand the picture in case they’d performed some sort horrible mutilation on the poor chap.
Bada Bing
Cheers mate.
I will contact him.HH
BT Sport coverage starts at 5, we should have a clearer picture then…..
has the time come when we need to pay for Jobo to go to every game to give us reliable weather updates which he can use to give us the gameplayability factor of said conditions?
Dop
her that must be obeyed wont take me down unless the game s on
!!bada bing!!
16:42 on 6 November, 2014
BT Sport coverage starts at 5, we should have a clearer picture then…..
………
:-)))
everyones a comedian all of a sudden!!
I hear that UEFA expect the tie to go ahead.
That means it will probably be called off.
Foghorn,
you started a say started it,
Not looking too good.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1xcNnhIEAAiWyg.jpg:large
Turkeybhoy,
The SNP Government, imo, hasn’t even begun to admit Scotland’s anti-Irish/Catholic racism/sectarianism, far less address it. And if you think any other party would have formed a Government after Independence, apart from possibly the Labour Party you so obviously despise, you haven’t lived in Scotland for far too long.
By the way, their cherished Act was brought in because they couldn’t deal with Celtic supporters under the existing legislation. And they “lost” data, which they couldn’t lose, about anti-Catholic attacks, because it would have proved that we, as a Community, suffer out of all proportion from such anti-social behaviour. The only Party which has ever given us a fair shake in this country, imo, is the Labour Party.
masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar
If it’s off
You could always just hear the bad news AFTER she has dropped you off
That’s from CelticFCSLO (Jean-Paul??)
16:45 on 6 November, 2014
Foghorn,you started a say started it,
——–
bhoy, a say bhoy, naw a didnae!
Europa League theme changed for tonight’s tie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPOlakkBlj8
foghorn leghorn
16:44 on 6 November, 2014
!!bada bing!!
16:42 on 6 November, 2014
BT Sport coverage starts at 5, we should have a clearer picture then…..
………
:-)))
everyones a comedian all of a sudden!!
Including Misthorn Leghorn :))