When watching Real Mardrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich it is easy to be discouraged at the gap between where we are and the quarter finals of the Champions League, but despite the many hundreds of millions spent on both Paris St Germain and Chelsea, the standard of passing and decision making throughout their game last night was abysmal. Despite their win, PSG were the worst offenders last night, even the Great One was poor.
There is now a real prospect that no English side will make it to the semi-final stage of either European tournament for the first time since 2003, when Liverpool were last to drop out, at the quarter finals stage of the Uefa Cup…….. You’re welcome.
What struck me most watching last night’s game was Sky TV’s Gary Neville pondering how long PSG’s star players would languish in such a poor league. This is the French league we’re talking about here, not the Scottish Premiership, it’s Paris, not the ‘New East End’!
It’s easy to mock Neville but he asks an interesting question, will players always migrate to a higher-profile league? If so, there are more clubs than just Celtic in need of structural change.
Seville – The Celtic Story:
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expat_celt
Do you think football in becoming a branded is dirty money or is it laundered?
Just asking.
expat_celt
09:02 on
4 April, 2014
hoopy-do
No, I’m not Peter nor would I want Celtic to take that path and I doubt it would be possible in Scotland.
I was in Munich recently and seeing the Bayern brand all over the place and in the airport – it struck me how much BM has gone from a very rich club to a ‘brand’
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I’ve no doubt they are, I was in their old stadium when we somehow contrived to throw away a lead and lose after one of our best European away performances for years, and it was a brillaint old ground
Now with their new stadium and the profile of German football they probably have to become a brand, no doubt they have shareholders to attend to
But their seasons tickets are still relatively cheap from what i understand, so they still connect with the ordinary Munchener, whatever one of those is!
“Chic’n’Murdo……?”
Aye!
It seems the English msm are up in arms at Joey Barton’s comments on English players not being world class. Apart from Barton’s view that Rooney had more natural ability than Ronaldo, which I disagree with, he’s right on his other points. Nothing ever changes in England. The best players of the Premiership era have been the Henry’s, Cantona’s and Suarez’s. Going further back it was other non-Englishmen like Dalglish and Best.
For me footballers can be categorised into levels. The top level, the absolute cream, would consist of Pele, Maradona, Messi and perhaps 4 or 5 others. The level below would include the likes of Platini, Brazilan Ronaldo and Baresi. In my opinion there are no English players past or present at that level.
Since 1966, England have not appeared in any major final, while the Germans have been in 9 or 10 (need to check). I think that statistic goes a long way to backing up Barton’s viewpoint. The ‘home of football’ lived off that 66 triumph (they were not even the best side then)for another three decades. In the meantime the world passed England by, and when they began to wonder why they were’nt getting to semis and finals any more it was too late. They share the same arrogant trait as a certain non-English club whose fans wear the England top (well maybe not at £90).
murdochbhoy
I am no expert – it was just an opinion but it is always interesting when you travel through airports and you see which clubs are marketed the most
But… I do think with football clubs trying to create brands in their name – it is not done cleanly.
There is talk that Celtic could make a move for 35 year old Damien Duff in the summer, as the Fulham veteran is out of contract, and will miss the rest of the season through injury, which makes you wonder why anybody, let alone Celtic, would gamble on him.
Jack Beresford, writing on the Ladbrokes site, thinks differently;
” Duff would most likely operate as cover for Neil Lennon’s squad and given his history of reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League with Chelsea, his experience could prove useful, with the Bhoys eager to improve their performances in Europe.
LB
Hoopy-do
I was also at that game in the old Olympiastadion and spent couple of days in Munich, along with deepingceltic formerly of these parts
What struck us about the place was that everyone we encountered was pleasant and the complete absence of litter – the streets and underground in particular were spotless
Still have nightmares about the Varga headed clearance straight to Makaay….
I believe there are a limited number of season tickets for behind the goal at the Allianz costing around €140.
Hoppy-do
I was at that game too
We were in the Bayern end sitting beside a father and his two boys who were in their late teens …..chatting thro the game …nice folk ….they apologised to us about the result
Some spectacularly bad goalkeeping …MON wasn’t good with keepers
Marrakesh Express
I think you are being a tad harsh on Bobby Charlton who was a genuine world class player for a very long time.
Generally though I think Barton is spot on English players in general live off their hype. Once they have got to a certain stage they stop trying to get better.
I quite like Joey Barton. He is not as daft as people think he is he speaks very well and comes across as intelligent and speaks his own mind. The French accent thing was amusing when he played for Marseille. Did he put it on for a laugh? Maybe? He doesn’t take himself too seriously. He has made plenty mistakes in life and openly admits he did but he is not afraid to go against the grain in England and I think he will have a very good career outside the game.
LB
I have to say I don’t particularly like Barton – he seems to be just a healdine grabber who the press run to for a headline and some quotes, but he is entitled to hold that opinion of Rooney and he can back it up with facts about what he has done for England in big tourneys etc
But I don’t agree with him, i think Rooney is a fabulous player, gives 110% every game, skill levels are superb, ball control is brilliant and he’s a great finisher
You can’t say what he would have done at Barca or Real for example so you can’t use that against him
Nor can you blame him for Englands failure to win big tourneys in the last 40 odd years, I dont think they are a particulary great team, though they do have some excellent players, and he’s the best of them as far as im concerned, especially because he can play in a number of positions
He’s England Mikey Galloway
Auldheid
21:43 on 3 April, 2014
Just read your reply. If you manage to read this Mr Haughey did indeed sponsor the Communities Cup (Scottish Cup ?).
Livibhoy
Re Barton
I think he takes himself very seriously ….
PF AYR
MON had the good sense to sign Broto. But not the good sense to keep him,sadly.
Also,Hedman had been outstanding prior to signing for us.
But in general,he had a dreadful track record with that position. And it was much the same at Leicester beforehand.
Damien Duff?
I would normally describe such a signing as a pension plan but his Wikipedia page says that in the February 2009 FourFourTwo rich list he had an estimated fortune of £14million…..
Doncha jes’ LOV-VE the EPL…..
Aye, Varga and Hedmann (it was him in goals that night wasnt it??) managed to throw away the 2 goals in the last 15 minutes, i was sick as a dug, we had been brilliant for 75 minutes as well
Theres quite a few relatives of Mr Kuntnz Working in the Scottish media and at the SFA I hear ;)
THEZOMBIESLAYER
Haha,aye-a buncha them…
BMCUWP
We couldn’t keep Broto because we were paying out so much on the other two
Friend of mine’s niece was working for CFC at the time …she was a commercial manager …as a result we used to get some good info
Apparently if we kept Broto , that would have taken the GK budget to £50k per week ….finance boys wouldn’t allow it …MON definately wanted to keep him
Hoopy do
Was Hedman
He make the same cock up at Lyon
Never forget the 40 yard shot from Juninho …..bouncing it’s way passed him …
PF AYR
Hmmm.
And because we had shelled out the big bucks for the other two,he had to go.
Typical. Heyho….
The former ‘Scottish Messi’, John Fleck, has scored a career total of 5 (five) goals in 120 club appearances. A ratio of 1 in 24. This boy is going to be a star.
UselessStatsCSC
hoopy-do
You can’t give more than 100%
Rooney is a superb player but is he better than he was when he broke through at Everton? I don’t think so.
LB
JOHNNYCLASH
Tell SYDNEYTIM he’s our next striking project.
That’ll keep the blog going for a few days…..
https://www.facebook.com/michael.mcgill.587606/posts/1574976579393178:4
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
09:44 on
4 April, 2014
hoopy-do
You can’t give more than 100%
Rooney is a superb player but is he better than he was when he broke through at Everton? I don’t think so.
LB
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Yes I can,
if you give me £100, and I give you £110, I have given you 110% of what you gave me!
and i will be a tenner light!
Oops, Doesent work, was a good one too, ah well.
BMCUWP
Probably fair financial management
They would have had every right to think Broto would have been another moderate , yet expensive signing
hoopy-do
If I give 100% of what I have then I have no more to give.
Annoys me when sportsman talk about 110% and over. It can’t happen.
When it is said on TV my wife bristles because she knows a rant is coming.
Not having a go at you it’s just something that annoys me on a weekly basis. Thankfully Neil Lennon is bright enough never to have said it. Not that I have read or heard anyway.
LB
adi_dasler
20:16 on
3 April, 2014
Quonno
Was there hospitality then ?.
If you catch up with this.
I did say that the story took place many years after the great event.
Also my mention of the North Stand would indicate that it was in the hospitality era.
PF AYR
I think Hedman and Douglas were our most expensive goalkeepers ever,so difficult to argue.
Got to be honest,I was far from impressed when we signed Douglas,but I was delighted when we signed Hedman.
So.
It’s not just MON who gets it wrong wi keepers….
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
It’s called hyperbole!
I didnt invent it, no doubt been part of our language for, err, a million years!!
LiviBhoy
I am with you 100% on the 110% thing. Does my head in almost as much as mangers who refer to themselves in the third person. Danny Lennon is particularly guilty on both counts.
Livi Bhoy
I agree that Charlton and Moore are probably the best English outfield players ever, but I cant say Charlton’s in the same class as a midfielder like Platini, or a deep lying centre forward like Dalglish.
JohnnyClash, he’s about as close to being Messi as his uncle ever was. I.e. he’s a total hun hand job.
Great scoring record all the same.
Squire Danaher
Damien Duff will have a personal wealth far in excess of £14M in my opinion.
Tommy Graveson is apparently alive and well, living with his superbabe porn star girlfriend in Las Vegas and is now estimated to be worth circa £80M plus.
He retired at 32!
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/gravesen-makes-fortune-retirement-moves-vegas-stunning-model-113143405.html
I knew a guy who used to refer to Robert Fleck as ‘halloween cake face’.
Do you still get halloween cakes?
I would fear for Celtic if we played Real with Ronaldo these days.
He hasn’t lost any pace at all even at 29. I would rather have him than Messi – the latter might not do so much if he was in a team that didn’t have people like Xavi and Iniesta.
Rooney, to me, is nothing special these days.
As for Barton – a very complicated individual. I think he got 10 GCSE’s though which is like a PHD for somebody of that background, especially one who had his eye on a career in football.
morrissey the 23rd viva resolution 12!
03:05 on 4 April, 2014
I’m Throwing My Arms Around PARIS and This Charming man performed on The Jonathan Ross Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbGXSdyKuOo
Occasionally Morrissey is required to lighten up the blog.
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Great band, but as I’ve always said, that guy couldn’t hold a note in a bucket, he’s got a voice that would shatter a paper cup, only my opinion mind yi.