Feyenoord will forever be an iconic name in Celtic history. The Dutch club’s win in extra-time over Celtic in the 1970 European Cup Final was almost as much as shock as Celtic’s win over Inter Milan three years earlier. The game has moved on from Scottish and Dutch clubs since then, although PSV Eindhoven’s 1-4 win at Anfield last night is a reminder of what clubs from smaller nations can achieve (on occasion).
Away games in Europe are never going to install confidence in Celtic supporters, even in the best of times. That performance in Paisley on Saturday night suggests these are not the best of times, but we are not the only club toiling. Feyenoord have lost four of their last five games, at home to top of the table PSV and NEC (4th), and away at Stuttgart and Go Ahead Eagles (12th). Their only non-defeat during that run was a win against Volendam (13th). Manager Robin van Persie is more in need of a result than Martin O’Neill.
The Europa League table is grim reading for both clubs; Celtic are 27th, one point above 29th Feyenoord. You would be forgiven for concluding that domestic form was more important than a late rush for latter stages of the Europa League qualification. My ambition is that we remain in the contest for longer than we did against Midtjylland.
And remember, it’s a 5.45 kick-off!
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Hola?
Broadsword Calling Danny Boy
Hope the team give MoN a chance to run down the touchline one more time.
Au contraire Paulo, that win v St Mirren warms me cos we’re winning even when we’re toiling.
And that’s the mark of Champions (at least in Scotchland). Sure we’d love a free flowing display against the Feyenoordians, but I’d take a desperately gritty performance to sneak us a win if at all possible.
Oh, and one of my pet grammar hates there P67… install rather than instill.
NitPickers CSC
Our best hope of staying in the competition longer would have been with an 8 oclock Kick off ! –)))))
Paul67
Not asking for much to improve on
Midtjylland – 3 goals in 8 minutes
We have a chance if we:
don’t play Hatate and Engels together in midfield.
Don’t play Daizen on the right.
Daddy’s boy told us we have to be prepared to be pish in Europe. Let’s just accept that and get on with it. Mediocrity is the name of the game now.
Enjoyable interview with big Liam Scales; talking about us, Ireland and Scotland – very nice lhad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LDicMR9e_c
BeddyByes CSC
“PSV Eindhoven’s 1-4 win at Anfield last night is a reminder of what clubs from smaller nations can achieve ”
——————
When they don’t hold themselves back…..
Perhaps not as much of a shock in hindsight, given the rise of Dutch football from the late 1960s at both club and international level. That and the fact that Celtic had not played a competitive match for three weeks before facing Feyonoord in the San Siro. True we had, to our credit played a benefit match against Fraserburgh FC in aid of the Lifeboat Disaster Fund, and a friendly against Stenhousemuir, but had lost some of or footballing edge by the time the EC Final came long. That said had it went to replay, as it so nearly did, given the quality in that Celtic squad, you would have seen a far better, far sharper, Celtic performance a few days later in Milan or wherever.
Best we can hope is that we do not approach tody’s game in the same way we did against the Midtjys, three up front with two wide players. A draw keeps us in the EL, but so too would an encouraging performance with a home game to come before Christmas.
We’ve got an interesting run of games coming up that, *if* things go well, can see the new manager taking Celtic to the top of the league, winning the league cup and making positive progress in the Europa League ahead of the festive fixture card.
MON of course needs to sign off with a result tonight and a win at Easter Road before (I assume) Wilfried Nancy gets home league matches against Dundee and Hearts (2 wins to go top), a home tie v Roma and then the League Cup Final v St Mirren.
The possibility is that he gets off to an absolute flyer courtesy of the fingers MON has put into the myriad holes in the Celtic dyke this past month or so.
Of course we have an acute injury list, so many top players absent with significant injuries, and that’s in the context of a squad that was lacking quality up top in the first place.
I think against St Mirren on Saturday we had 5 central midfielders on the pitch at once, with two wingers, one of whom playing centre forward. The lack of creative spark, attacking threat and goal scoring instinct makes for football as cold porridge.
That’s an indication of how stretched we are; it’s make do and mend time for the manager(s).
We can only hope that MON manages to drag the team across the line this week, and that Wilfried Nancy is able to sprinkle some magic dust about the place as he faces nine matches in 30 days.
At least by the time the transfer window opens he’ll have a very good idea of what he needs to make it work, or at least, what the CEO will apologise for and learn from at the end of January.
Only chance to get a result tonight is to change formation, an extra midfielder, one winger less,otherwise we get exposed anytime the opposition gets the ball
Absolutely crucial game for Celtic, Feyenoord lost at the weekend, expect a more pragmatic MON in his second last ever game in charge. Maeda and Tounekti as a two , with a midfield four of Engels, CalMac, Nygren, Hatate.
Low scoring draw would be a result.
I’m taking a wild guess that PSV aren’t run by a bunch of small thinkers who can’t see beyond being a bit better than their domestic opponents?
Had a look at the Champs League table after this week’s fixtures – it makes grim reading for clubs outside of the Top 5 leagues.
PSV winning against a Liverpool side that spent £400 million and is falling apart isn’t really proving much wrt the underdogs.
All of the “poster boy” wee teams we seek to emulate are pretty much all struggling.
We can go unCeltic and play a strict 5 3 2 stopping crosses into the area, competing and shutting space in midfield, relying on 2 with pace upfront when they can be played in, if we sit off wingers and crossers of the ball we are in for a torrid night. Maloney used to set Hibs up to play this way I remember him celebrating a 0 0 at Easter Road when he set up that way against us.
Tony Ralston needs to get closer to the Dutch winger this evening,also I would like Bernado to start along with Engels
Tough game tonight.
I was in Rotterdam last time we met.
Lagerbielke and Holm sent off within 5 minutes of each other destroyed any chance we might have had.
Beaten 2 nil.
Team is fairly unsettled at the moment and a draw would be seen as a decent result.
It was awful to watch but I would do this tonight.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 27TH NOVEMBER 2025 11:09 AM
👍👏👏
Blogger
Thought you where going to stop at “ We have a chance if we don’t play Hatate and Engles “ !! 🤔🥴🤣
Cmonthehoops..
Can I ask that you keep in your thoughts and prayers Fr John Tata of Cameroon who has served as a supply priest in Motherwell Diocese over many years. He was kidnapped a couple of weeks ago in his home country and despite efforts and the release of others, he remains captive.
Fr John is a dear friend of my family and we are all praying that he is released soon 🙏 🙏
I’m treating tonight as a free hit and a chance to see Celtic play.
Hope we don’t lose of course.
Would love the team to play with a …
“Reduced pressure / they’re not great either / we might as well”
… type attitude.
GreenPinata on previous thread.
Cheers.
Not my motivation at all but fair point on layering.
“Educational attainment, eloquent prose and concise grammar should not be valued greater than your bog standard working class blue collar poster”
——–
Pray allow a complete stranger to attempt to give some reassurance on this.
Growing up I knew many people who were intelligent but not educated
Then
In my professional career, I’ve encountered scores of people who were educated but not intelligent.
I know which group I instinctively side with.
😉
Kelvinbhoy
Fr.John Tata will be in my prayers 🙏
HH
If we don’t play on the break in Europe then we will be made to look like a bunch of erses like Midgeyland made us look like.
Surely auld MON & Young Shaun know that?
What a time to be alive.
HH
oot
Timbhoy163 on 27th November 2025 1:04 pm
“Tony Ralston needs to get closer to the Dutch winger this evening,also I would like Bernardo to start along with Engels”
…..
Bernardo has been in the Rodgers doghouse since he and his doghouse comrade big Idah, disobeyed the managers [Rodgers] “lets play chess with the Huns” tactics and these 2 players both won the SCF for the Celtic fans 2 years ago, by disobeying the Rodgers chancer.
Idah has gone and Bernardo is still the drudge in the dressing room, the new Celtic way, cliques are for the weak.
Thing is, why would a manager show the cold shoulder to 2 players who had just won a SCF vs Rangers?
Do the dumb fans even know?
Of course they don’t.
I mean its almost as if the manager, maybe off of his own back, was trying to throw the SCF to make it look like we had a rivalry with the Huns again?
Or even worse, maybe Rodgers AND the board were wanting the Huns to win the SCF for the same reason, nurturing Old Firm-ism??
Surely not?
It would be great if we could go back to the days when fans had eyes that could see round corners again.
The psyop in 1989 at Hillsborough/Footballs/Bloody/Saturday/by Thatcher/Government has meant that we have new all seated fans who would grass up their grannies to keep their place in the clique.
A Celtic supporter base comprised of cliques are laughing stock material and the Irish Tory owner knows it.
What a time to be alive.
HH
oot.
AA couple of thanks from last blog
LEFTCLICKTIC on 27TH NOVEMBER 2025 10:50 AM
Your welcome P, a stalwart of CQN, an esteemed bucketeer
I remember You, myself and big Nan collecting in the executive lounges on behalf of
those Celtic fans wrongly arrested in Amsterdam, the brutality and unjust arrests left innocent supporters facing huge expenses, CQN was part of the exercise to assist those Celtic fans with legal representation and help financially, Celtic Trust was the main driver organising legal representation
More than a blog
AN TEARMANN on 27TH NOVEMBER 2025 11:26 AM
Lionsroar67
Thank you for the wee Oscar video clip.
What was once eh?
Now nothing.
So many cqn stalwarts now just valued memory
God bless them and may they rest in peace 🙏
Hail Hail
Minx&sftbCsx
Your welcome AT
I will always be in your debt, in 2017 in Lisbon celebrating the 50th anniversary of the clubs greatest triumph
I choose to have a heart attack, your support through the night and the following days and other CQNers I will never forget
More than a blog
Hamilton Tim and the minx CQNs glamour couple, romance blossomed through the wee Oscar campaign,
as you say RIP Minx
More than a blog
Timbhoy163 on 27th November 2025 1:04 pm
Tony Ralston needs to get closer to the Dutch winger this evening…
_____
Agreed. He has a tendency to stand off the winger, maybe because he thinks the guy is too quick.
The kev racist
Na they only stitch up non attending racist monikers like yourself.
Rebel to flegsookin unionist apologist.
Sooooook!
If Tony Ralston plays he will be targeted from the start. He was brutally exposed in the last EL game. His honest endeavour, big heart and true grit count for little when he comes up against a pacy and skillful winger.
He will need whoever plays in front of him to be willing to do a lot of tracking back.
All those with the opinion of a change tactically are for me on the money
Jota, Maeda and Kuhn away to Bayern had all the attributes to hurt the Germans on transition, quick counter attacks, this season BRs car analogy is unarguable, but he still wouldn’t alter from 4-3-3
Midtjylland was a tactical selection disaster, high press leaving failing leaving gaps in midfield and in the full back areas to be exploited by a young energetic skillful opposition
Tonight lets keep the game alive with a professional well organised tactical game plan 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 for 60 minutes or so if we think its winnable time still to gamble, if we want to hold keep a draw very respectable we substitute to hold
Less than 4 hours to Kick off nerves kicking in
Tony must get tight but this means his midfielder must cover the inside of him, Arne didnt do this effectively ever in Denmark with Tony playing narrow and the wide guy having as much time as he wanted.
For anybody who’s in Rotterdam, there’s a wonderful piece of sculpture ‘The Destroyed City’ marking the German bombing in WW2.
You don’t have to be an arty type (I’m not) to appreciate it.
The city has been rebuilt, obviously, and it reminded me of Croydon with canals.
Hello all, hope you’re doing well.
Saw this on Reddit and thought it might get a bit of chat going before the game.
You can only pick one player from each group – what three players are you picking for your team…
Jota, Maeda, Kyogo
Larsson, Hartson, Sutton
Cadette, Di Canio, Van Hoodjonk (spelling?)
I’’m going Jota (though tempted by Kyogo) a he’s a better creator, Larsson (of course) and Van Hoodjonk as I think he would link well with Larsson – similar to Sutton.
Jota
Larsson
Di Canio
MAJESTIC HARTSON on 27TH NOVEMBER 2025 2:23 PM
Jota Larson Di Canio
Goals, high technical skill level, game intelligence a dynamic threesome
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur
Thin gruel perhaps but, after after recent posts about fan expectations … check this garbage out.
“Raises serious doubts”
A guy in charge of a team for 4 months loses away from home to the European Champions.
Puts any criticism from Celtic fans about our team into perspective.