Two honourable defeats, away to Milan and at home to Barcelona, confirm that Celtic can compete at this level, but the two points which only just eluded us could prove crucial in determining qualification for the knock out stage. Barcelona and Milan are in the driving seat.
Two home wins, against Ajax and Milan, could change all this. If Celtic can achieve this, Ajax could still be on four points after playing (and beating) Celtic in Amsterdam, but will be odds against to reach six points with a visit to Milan and a home game against Barcelona to come. Milan bloodied Barcelona’s nose last season, but are not certain to take anything against the Catalans this time, although the outrageous decision which gifted them a draw last night suggests we cannot take anything for granted.
It’s possible that Milan could finish with seven points, which is not an unsurmountable target for Celtic. For now, we can ignore all the ‘what ifs’, the only thing that matters is facing Ajax at Celtic Park in three weeks. This is our cup final.
It has been said repeatedly since last night, but deserves repetition, Georgios Samaras’ performance was nothing short of incredible and stands comparison with any individual Celtic performance in Europe over the last 20 years.
Efe Ambrose and Virgil van Dijk looked more every bit as secure as Efe and Kelvin a year ago. Efe can be particularly pleased with the way he recovered his form after shading last season.
Some months ago I heard a numpty on Radio 5 Live describe Fraser Forster as a ‘Match of the Day goalkeeper’, the implication being that he was more show than substance. Yet again Fraser demonstrated that he is by far the best goalkeeper in Britain. I couldn’t care less who in England is aware of this fact. I hear he released Neymar from his pocket late last night.
Adam Matthews and Mikal Lustig are a terrific right-side partnership but from the opening seconds they were taxed to the limit last night. The more they play at this level the better they’ll get.
Despite deserving more from Milan last night Ajax are in a state of flux at the moment. They will not travel to Glasgow with anything approaching confidence but it will still require out best performance of the season to overcome them.
Bring it on.
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Weeminger. Pukki has scored 31 goals in his entire career over 7 years just under 4.5 goals a season. Jesus wept
I played up front for my team once a scored Gives me a great ratio per game
Means nothing
We need a goal scorer. pukki is another project trying to make someone a goal scorer when he is not
We need a goal scorer. Not someone who had scored an average of 4.5 goals over 7 seasons
Interesting when looking at current GKs in the EPL –
Boruc – Southampton
Marshall – Cardiff
Ruddy – Motherwell
McGegor – Hull
All 4 played in goal in the so-called ‘diddy’ league!
A recent report suggested that 90% of housebreaking so go unsolved
Great to know that the polis and the prosecutors are expending so much energy and employing such excessive resources in pursuing innocuous misbehaviour at football matches
All because the SNP govt are too arrogant to accept that their Act is nonsense
THE BOY JINKY
Wonderful tribute to MIKI67.
YNWA,indeed.
Great to know that TGLFW knew about it,and loved it as much as we did.
Take a bow,fella!!!!!
SydneyTim
22:34 on
2 October, 2013
Is 11 goals and 8 assists in 17 appearances a good stat or not?
Why does Balde get such negativity ? Remember stan petrov or big Vic when he arrived ? The big guy is just 22, doesn’t speak the language and on the evidence I’ve seen: Cliftonville, Liverpool and Killie has done ok. Sydney tim I don’t want to have a go at you but why are you do negative ? It’s pretty constant and tedious.
You are commenting on Balde based on what ? Some on line reports tv footage ?
On the signing debate
VVD looks superb value
Boerrigter looks a waste …sand dancer ..feart
Balde …a work in progress…as charitable as I can be
Moyokolo….injured…as expected
Pukki…must do quite a bit better
Not impressed with our forward line at all this year …
Praecepta
Speroni at Palace.
Who are you?
Magnificent. Finbogason club said we made a pathetic bid and did not come back when 5m was quoted
Too much for us. Sad
Not saying that he would be the new Henke. But shopping in bargain bucket is to the way to go
Ps. Weeminger. Why oh why did we buy a winger when we ended all our cash to buy a goalscorer
ST
That hyperbole streak is showing again:-
“31 goals in his entire career over 7 years just under 4.5 goals a season. ”
The boy is 23 years old. You are including his stats as a 16, 17 and 18 year old breaking into a team in the top Finnish division.
Is it not enough merely to say that his stats do not suggest he will be as prolific or reliable a scorer as Hooper?
If you keep perspective in your assertion, you would get more agreement. I, for one, do not think Pukki will score as many as Gary. I still hope he proves us wrong and, like Henrik, is a later developing striker.
BCW
At times Balde looks deficient in the very basics of a professional footballer…
Not the time for him to be judged ….he must be given a chance to settle
SydneyTim
22:34 on
2 October, 2013
How do you feel about 1 goal every 122minutes in your first season in the Bundesligue, or to put it another way 5 goals and 1 assists in 5 starts?
Or 2 goal and 2 assists in 4 CL qualification starts that season?
Second season in Bundesligue not so good. Only 1 start and a goal every 149 minutes.
praecepta
Add Krul at Newcastle (ex-falkirk) and Speroni at Palace (ex-Dundee)
Sidney tim : your words: Sad
Not saying that he would be the new Henke. But shopping in bargain bucket is not the way to go……
How much was Henke?
.
Right Admit it..
Who has Been Coaching Ole SydneyTim with His Adding (+) and Subtraction (-)..
Probably that Abbott Lubber MacJay..
That is All we Need..He will be Using Google Chrome spelling bee Next..;-)
One thing He is Superb at though..Division....(Long?)..
Summa
BCW
Less than Bangura,Murphy,Rasmussen etc ….but they were still rubbish
Larsson is a one off …unless your suggesting Pukki is the next Larsson ….in which case I’d be delighted
pfayr supports weeoscar
We are too quick to judge and condemn. A few weeks back several were writing him off too. It’s clear to me what Balde has: strength and knows the way to goal, shown some nice touches too and he isn’t the slowest big guy we have had either.
ST
“Magnificent. Finbogason club said we made a pathetic bid and did not come back when 5m was quoted
Too much for us. Sad”
And for every other team who needs a “guaranteed goalscorer”. You would have thought Ajax or one of the cash rich EPL teams would have snapped him up then.
That is if he was truly that good.
That is if he was truly available at that price
That is if you believe the paper talk.
Me?? I don’t really know
Get Balde on fae the start against Snoterwell
Yes 666
jobo baldie
20:57 on 2 October, 2013
TBJ – just brilliant!
probably in a minority of 1 here but what did Viv (Miki’s wife) mean at the end of her post by the initials TGLFW?
Jobo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JOBO,
Viv is The Good Lady From Wimborne.
Bada Bing
Ralstons a hoot btw!! hhhhee ttttalks aaaalll ttthe wwway thrrruuuu iiiitttt. Its not a stammer its just he’s tttthick!!
I think we are too early to be judging our new signings.
Key issue for me is that we knew, Hooper and Wanyama were offski at Xmas.
Leaving it until last minute of transfer deadline before bringing in Pukki will haunt us , as the guy simply isn’t ready yet.
Add in the fiasco with the guy at Peterborough, and the fact that we brought on a guy in Milan who had only met his team mates the day before, and it adds up to a serious failing in our transfer policy.
In retrospect, we should have kept Hooper, and even if we only got £0.5k this Xmas, his goals would have been worth much much more.
pfayr supports weeoscar
Who knows when we will get a player like henrik again. A one off but the point is we are rubbishing our own players. The other example I gave was petrov. Can you remember the nonsense delivered to him early doors ? That was Celtic fans too.
Balde did you watch his strength against Ict or his ability against Liverpool ? There’s a player in there. We used to say there’s a player in one of the current stars too. Think his name is Sam…..Sami……Samaras. I witnessed his torment at the hands of Celtic supporters. One time he slipped on the ice at Parkhead. It made me ashamed to hear the abuse. And what a performance last night. The same clowns who booed him on that coldest of nights sang his praises yesterday.
Night all!!
Night & God bless wee Oscar x
I’ve said it before and I’m happy to say it again. I think Pukki will be better than Hooper.
Delaneys Dunky/ SFTB
Speroni – now recall him being at Dundee.
Don’t remember Krul at Falkirk though.
Wonder how may other GKs are in the lower leagues? Kind of knocks the so-called ‘pundits’ theory about Scotland being a backwater.
Stfb. Strange indeed. But any reason why we should go and buy a non proven goal scorer. ,?
Weeminger. Spies from Germany. My mates. Pukki would come on as a sub against poorer opposition when game was over
They said he was shit
ST,
Spies in Germany. My mates…….
You’ve got mates?????!!!
SFTB,
You seem to take great delight in putting down Finnbogason,a guy that is rattling them in good style every week in the Dutch league,and scores at International level.Having 24/7 football here,I watch the Dutch league every week,maybe you dont.I dont go on”Paper talk”only on what I see.Finnbogason is a gem of a striker,another is the boyHosiner,from Austria.According to your thinking we should wait an untold number of years,because another “Bargain Henrik”will come along.Meanwhile we try to manufacture a striker out of projects and hopefuls,and spend money on a “Sick note”winger that we dont really need.
How many teams were in for Pukki?.
BCW
I thought Balde was poor against ICT …may have been strong but his finishing was woeful
Better agsinst Liverpool tho
Praecepta
We also have a fair few managers and coaches in the EPl and Championship.
DVD is the the business–he covers space so quickly and reads the game so well. Pukki will score 15/20 goals this season.He already has 2. The big Portugese lad will come on to his game sooner rather than later.Boerigcter(?) seems accident prone. As some others have said–look at the money thrown at Man City. The Celtic team from last night would give them all they wanted in a game. As for Forster, he should be English number one. Hart,this season and last season, is nowhere near him.
BCW
Re Sammi I was always a fan
Spent many a time abusing his detractors
Sadly I don’t think any of our new recruits , with the exception of VVD, are in his league
Time will tell tho
PFayr
See report PF. Whers that ???
PF
Suppose we’ll see, hope I’m right, but we have done well with transfers in the last wee while.
We are of course just debating points on a blog. At the match it confounds me why fans think negative comment is somehow justified. It can only be counter- productive.
Hail Hail
summa of Sammi….
22:44 on
2 October, 2013
Right Admit it..
Who has Been Coaching Ole SydneyTim with His Adding (+) and Subtraction (-)..
Probably that Abbott Lubber MacJay..
You`ll love him too when you take off the pink tinted specs.
Nae burroo fur Bondi bludgin` Kiwis.
Onya,Tony.
P.S.His wife`s a Kiwi.