Celtic will face Maribor from Slovenia in the Champions League play-off round. Maribor, of course, played a critical part in the death of Rangers, when they eliminated Ally MsCoist’s team from Europe a few months after Craig Whyte took over from Sir David Murray. Having heard the 6-1 aggregate result against Legia, they are already celebrating the draw.
Maribor gave Wigan two hard games in last season’s Europa League, winning their home tie and causing the FA Cup holders more trouble than expected in England. They progressed to the knock out round before going out 4-3 on aggregate to Sevilla – a feat Celtic would not have been capable of. Right now, they should be slight favourites.
If you missed it, today’s earlier article on Lady Luck, HMRC and money is here.
Join the Celtic Graves Society, Fergus McCann and many more at Kilsyth Cemetery on Saturday, 18 August, to commemorate the final resting place of the great Jimmy Quinn. Full details below or at Celtic Graves.
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Off oot, alang the yellow brick road……..
KevJ,
Sack who? The senior players or yer new man that ye just backed?
IMHO . Not only celtic got the get out of jail card , so did peter Lawell , and our new manager . But we now have the chance to rectify our failings in the transfer market , this team badly needs investment . I’m hoping peter Lawell got the message on Wednesday night . As for our new boss , if there are some players who aren’t performing for him ,then like all other bosses he will have to tell them it’s his way or the highway , because if he doesn’t get rid of them ,they will get rid of him . And one final thing ronnie , for gods sake toughen up the team , that’s the softest team I’ve seen celtic with in all my 50 odd years following the celts .
Any horse men have any tips for Ayr tonight twisty , etc
H H
Paddy McCourt is a free agent.
That’s all. ;)
setting free the bears for res. 12 & oscar knox but saying no to cqn racists
08:46 on 9 August, 2014
………………
Sorry to hear that SFTB, thoughts and prayers for Martin, his family and friends.
YNWA
O.K., having stayed up to 2:30 reading the arguments that were taking place on here (and obsessively playing fourinarow and getting whipped by the computer), I have just got out of bed. Are we still in the Champions League or was it just a lovely dream?
big wavy
11:01 on 9 August, 2014
Paddy McCourt is a free agent.
That’s all. ;)
………………………….
We may have need of his Fenian Army to get past Maribor.
Helmski Bhoy
11:00 on 9 August, 2014
____________________
Sack the players but, don’t tell PL afore ye dae it cos, he’ll make ye keep them in the team tae try and get some money in for them – meanwhile the team on the pitch, the morale in the dressing room and, the mood of the fans will be on the wane, all because PL’s fingerprints would be all over the mess that would ensue but, PL won’t take the fall – you will.
Easy, int it?
HH
LiviBhoy
10:58 on 9 August, 2014
Helmski Bhoy
Any player not trying should be dropped and transfer listed. I don’t care if we play 11 under 16′s not trying can’t be tolerated!
LB
LiviBhoy,
Agreed but whit if there was that many players that ye might actually need tae play yer 16 year olds plus young McGregor as he is the only one that looks to be giving a flying f$$k. And that’s nae coincidence by the way. Ronny bhoy has given him his chance and he’s grabbed it nae matter whit the aulder wans say. Is it any wonder he wiz a stand oot in both legs compared to others. Naw? didnae think sae.
We sold Victor Wanyama on 11 July 2013 for £12.5 million. No complaints at his being sold – he fancied a crack at the English Premiership, fair enough.
But……we didn`t sign a replacement – Nir Biton – until after we had qualified for the CL on 30 August 2013.
We sold Gary Hooper on 26 July 2013 for £5.5 million. Again, no complaints at his being sold, he had indicated he wanted back down south.
But again…..we didn`t sign a replacement – Teemu Pukki – until after we had qualified for the CL on 31 August 2013.
Leaving aside the argument as to whether these were adequate replacements…..
The fact is despite taking in £18 million in transfer fees in selling Wanyama and Hooper before and during CL qualifiers we didn`t sign replacements until after the CL qualification had been assured. This “wait and see” approach nearly cost us CL qualification at the hands of the mighty Shakhter Karagandy.
The question is – would we have even bothered signing replacements for Hooper and Wanyama had we not got through to the CL?
And the board do not learn from last year`s near miss. Samaras is freed was May 2014. He hasn`t been replaced yet.
It is accepted that Pukki is not up to the task of replacing Hooper. Ronny Deila seems to be of this view too, choosing not to play Pukki in the 2nd leg v Legia Warsaw when we needed 3 goals.
And yet we do not have a goalscoring replacement in place.
Now Forster has been sold for £10 million during qualifiers. when Craig Gordon was signed we were told by Celtic that he was being signed as cover for Fraser Forster.
So we have a clear trend emerging.
In 2013 and 2014 Celtic released a total of 4 players (2 in each year) from the spine of their team either before or during CL qualification, taking in £28 million in transfer fees.
Celtic did not make any attempt to replace these players during CL qualification process.
It is not enough that we don`t try to strengthen the team for the CL qualifiers, it seems that we actively try to weaken it.
Talk about setting the new manager up for a fall!
“Who put the ball in the Maribor net??????”
No7HeroCSC
Right, off oot this time.
I can see the munchkins awe dancing with their i-pods in their ears listing to Pharrell’s Happy song.
That seems a far better place to be, bye.
Kev Jungle
John Park and Peter Lawwell are ‘stealing’ all yer money with a racket involving – foreign agents.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Racket (crime) legal definition of Racket (crime)
racketeer noun contrabandist, criminal, dealer in illicit goods, extorter, gangleader, gangster, illicit dealer, malefactor, member of organized crime, miscreant, offender, underworld character, underworld gangster
Racketeering legal definition of Racketeering
Racketeering. Traditionally, obtaining or extorting money illegally or carrying on illegal business activities, usually by Organized Crime. A pattern of illegal activity carried out as part of an enterprise that is owned or controlled by those who are engaged in the illegal activity.
Care to present any form of proof Kev? Have you any specific transfers in mind when Lawwell and Park stole from the club?
Kev, for your own good, you can’t accuse people of stealing from their employers and committing crimes which would deliver serious sanctions against CFC with no foundation whatsoever and not expect a possible legal comeback.
Hopefully if PL or JP are reading this blog they will dismiss you as a crank. It does however drag CQN down to the gutter.
helmski bhoy
10:50 on 9 August, 2014
Here’s wan fur ye…..Say ye were an up and coming manager, a student of the game, a very intelligent deep thinking logical man and very well thought of in the Fitba circles. Ye git a chance to manage one of the biggest clubs in Europe. Ye try to instill yer vision intae your new squad but some of the squad dinnae like change. Said some of the squad are awe buddies and senior members. Said buddies are very influential to the young pups and plant their evil seed. New manager watches his new squad crumble to lower opposition (Nae offence Mr Z), twice in their first competitive outing. A wan aff wid be accepted but no twice. It looks to you like some of the squad irnae trying a jot and unrest vibrates around the dressing room.
All hypothetical of course
Whit dae ye dae? Whit dae ye actually dae?
————-
If you are correct then you pick out the ringleader and sell him to say Millwall.
However, it takes 12 to 18 months to build a new team nowadays , and Ronnie is asking a bunch if ghuys settled in their ways to change , so as a team we are likely to be disjointed and with individuals uncertain whether to stick or bust on the pitch. From the sidelines , sometimes this comes over as lack of effort etc….. Still not managed to see fitba this season , so just putting forward an alternative view.
HH
THe glorious balance sheet
Good post sir. Our risk aversion to buys until we see the whites of champions league eyes is highly frustrating.
On the other side of the coin do these guys demand ECL qualification before they sign ?
It does cut both ways but perhaps the planning needs always to be 12 months in advance.
Sanna if your still about, (or any kano Fholks)
Re sponsoring the kids seats again this year I’ve not heard anything is it sorted?
Cheers
livibhoy
You asked about the link to the website that made allegations surrounding the Legia Warsaw 1st leg. Here it is:- http://footballisfixed.blogspot.co.uk/
The guy who runs this website claims to be employed as a consultant employed by football clubs and other agencies investigating corruption and suspicious betting in football.
He claims to have been engaged very briefly by Celtic during our CL qualification last year.
He flagged up Pol van Boeke`s appointment as referee for the 1st leg as being very suspicious even before a ball had been kicked.
He also alleges that people high up at Celtic were betting heavily on Legia to win the game.
Corkcelt, with you on the abbreviations, In my work abbreviations are used constantly then I read posts on here where posters use them.
I was at a meeting with other staff for who I work for but doing different work. I said I wouldn’t use abbreviations relating to work I done and asked them not use abbreviations also. They never listened and despite frequent requests for meaning of abbreviations, none were given. I had nom idea what they were talking about.
Just watching the Rod Stewart show from BBC 4 last night. Two of his sons give him a cup of tea and gets them to sing Glasgow’s green & white, magic.
The title of the song by Maze, Joy & Pain, sums up being a Celtic fan.
Big Cup Winners, that 3 1 game v the defunct club, I remember Mark Reid going in really hard on Cooper and Danny doing the same later to try and reduce his influence. Admittedly, he crossed for their Fatso the first, Sally is their Fatso the second, to score their goal.
Sydney, Gerry doing some of the promotion for the gigs at Kelvingrove Park Bandstand along with another great Tim, Dave Ross, who runs the Admiral in Waterloo Street.
Paul67. Can we please go back to the old ” spend what you earn “. Please :)
Some chatter about Simon Makienok (Striker) from Brondby. Any of you Bhoys in the know heard anything?
HH
I`m seeing it as a good sign that Ronny Deila is now mentioning the importance of defending well.
big wavy,
thanks for the heads up re:Bangalore, will send you an e-mail from my fleagle29 a/c.
Let me know if you receive it ?
Cheers, fleagle
Dallas Dallas. Just seen that on his face book account. Join so I can see if you have changed since 1982 :)
In an ideal world Ronny would get 1 or 2 years but we all know results will dictate how long he gets. The best way for Ronny to get time is by beating Maribor and getting off to a good start in league. He is showing worrying signs(schoolboy errors) and looks to be alienating players he needs, not good management. I think we will know by the end of this month if he is going to fail. Really hope he can do it, but if he fails then Pedro should go too.
jimtim
11:01 on 9 August, 2014
The team got a bit of luck, lawwell not so much the majority of supporters are sick of him selling the best we’ve got and replacing them with hopefulls,if he gave the manager decent money to spend on experienced players that would improve the team he would be great but he penny pinches on everything except his salary, the guys run his race at Celtic and hopefully he moves on HH
Roy Croppie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Makienok
Coolmore Mafia
11:10 on 9 August, 2014
____________________
Take care there, or ye’ll rip yer tights.
Yes – I say theres a racket going on.
Can I prove it – No
Can you disprove it – No
Can I smell it – Yes
Can you smell it?
Can you explain why supposed ‘savvy’ business men on the ‘bored’ – sanction the go ahead for the continued pursuit down a failed road of recruiting players?
Or, is this failed ruite, convenient to cover a racket?
I say, the money that goes into Celtic Park is being ‘stolen’ or, bunged to the huns under the table to make sure that they stay alive to get back into the same league as Celtic.
That, is my humble opinion or if ye like – my guess.
If, the money that goes into CP is not being channelled as I have guessed, above…were does it go?
If ye answer I’ll catch it later….the munchkins are getting impatient, bye.
Want to show Ronny Deila how it should be done? Think your better than Stein? Do you have the luck of Celtic or the administration talents of Legia? Then here is the invite code to the CQN Championship Fantasy Football League, we are now approaching 90 teams entered.
296638-123206
You have 7 days left to register your team & join the league.
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
As an added incentive I’ve decided to offer some prizes for the top 3 come the end of the season. The winners will each receive items of their choosing from the Official Celtic Webstore to the tune of
1st £100
2nd £75
3rd £50
Or alternatively, winners can choose to donate any winnings to a Celtic charity of their choice.
Also if by some miracle I end up in the top 3, the winnings will be passed onto the next placed team.
HH
The question is – would we have even bothered signing replacements for Hooper and Wanyama had we not got through to the CL?
The short answer is no.
Celtic has a strict policy of no money in, no money balanced books is the be all and end all.
sid 10:56 on 9 August, 2014
“So are you willing to give up 15M in revenue(huge amount for us) to MAYBE save a bit of face. We have just been beaten 6-1 in aggregate from LW a Europa League team. The lack of ambition and apathy amongst our support will do more damage than a couple of beatings.”
There is no ‘maybe’ about it, Celtic are simply not good enough to play at CL level just now.
My ‘ambition’ is to see Celtic compete in the CL, but I have no influence on this. I was sitting at Murrayfield the other night wanting to see things happen. They didn’t because at the moment we are a poor team devoid of ideas and cohesion.
And this £15m you refer to, what exactly happens to that?
“A large section of our support are brainwashed, when did it come to this.”
How exactly am I ‘brainwashed’?
MadMitch 10:43 on9 August, 2014
“Why are you so afraid of being humiliated in the CL when the club was humiliated in Finland by the walloppers of North London?”
A meaningless friendly. The result didn’t even make the London news. That’s how important it was.
67Heaven
Re the 3 failed amigos Derk , Amido and Pukki… I hear what you say . They were perhaps not bought as squad players and have yet to shine. Part of my point is – who in their right mind having watched them before we bought them could have thought they were anything but squad players at best?
I’ve seen absolutely nothing in any of them to suggest they were any better than the guys like May, Russell, McGinn etc and I’m only a youth level
Coach. What on earth could have suggested to our Scouts that any of these. 3 had what it takes. I particularly feel this regarding Amido Balde who has less technical ability than the boys I coach.
starry plough
cheers mate. You never know…
HH
quonno. Did I miss something. Did we sign a replacement for Hoopers 25 goals a year or big Vic dominant midfield holding position ?
Imagine just what it would be like to support rangers right now.
We could have bought May and Russell With the fee we bought Balde
But PL and JP thought that Balde could have become a player and be sold for good money
Sums it up
quonno
11:23 on 9 August, 2014
I thought our policy was plenty of money in, no money out no matter how bad we are ? HH
Big Wavy 11:12-
Thanks. I`ve no doubt that not being assured of CL qualification makes Celtic more of a “hard sell” to many players, of course it does.
But there is absolutely no way that Pukki and Biton in 2013 (or Ambrose, Miku and Lassad in 2012 for that matter) were guys who were in a position to play hard ball and say:- “No Celtic, thanks for your kind offer, but I shall wait and see if you sign for the CL before deciding whether to sign or not.”
They were not players who had any kind of pedigree that would have made them sought after by CL standard clubs. Biton and Ambrose were in the Israeli league, Pukki had failed at Sevilla and Schalke, Lassad was a free agent who had just finished the season before in the Spanish 2nd division and Miku played for a team in the bottom half of Primera Liga.
I absolutely agree – planning needs to be made 12 months in advance. The Legia chairman made a very telling comment yesterday along the lines of “We have been planning to get to this stage in Champions League qualification for 8 years.”
Whereas we just seem to breeze into the qualifiers with players going out the door, the odd loan or freebie coming in, as we fly by the seat of our pants.