I was pleased when the league fixtures were announced, and we learned Newco would start their season on Kilmarnock’s plastic pitch. Already four competitive fixtures into their season, Killie present a randomness of a challenge at home. For Newco’s sake the pitch is unlikely to be dry on Saturday.
Killie will have completed six competitive games when we face them at Rugby Park in the League Cup next month, while Celtic will have faced only Ross County and Aberdeen. That is a material gap in preparedness and surely the rain will have stopped by then, so the pitch could be bone dry and bumpy.
For seven years now Celtic have been imperious at Hampden, only once (after extra time) leaving without the win in 24 visits. They have what it takes to get the job done on the big stage. Cup competitions, therefore, are about the draws we get in the earlier rounds – five games a season across two competitions. It was a tough draw.
Preseason so far has been far from ideal, with players missing across central defence and at right back. Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Nawrocki, Johnston and Ralston is a concentration of missing talent that will soon start to bite.
Tomorrow’s game against Athletic Bilbao, our first at Celtic Park of the new season, takes on greater importance than it should. We are not as ready for the new season as I would like to be.
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AN TEARMANN on 31ST JULY 2023 3:46 PM
From Celtic supporters called the Green Brigade
22-23
https://youtu.be/vyP_Tjg4nfc
—————
What a bunch of clowns!
Clearly proud of vandalising a train and then stupid enough to brag about it by publishing it on their YouTube video.
Idiots like this give the club a very bad name.
That’s as far as I got on that video.
GREENPINATA on 31ST JULY 2023 4:37 PM
I know you didn`t ask me but here is my opinion anyway :-))
I believe that the Green Brigade are sometimes brilliant and sometimes crass . Overall, though, I think they add greatly to the atmosphere at Celtic Park.
Chairbhoy @ 3.38
OpTIMistic, with two games of 45mins to go – that’s how it looks to me.
No idea why we’d consider selling Carl Starfelt who has been an unflappable dovetail, with CCV. If every player has his price and there is alleged interest his transfer fee, might involve another windfall 100% profit for us, ( or the bank )
Five weeks to go CSC
HH
https://youtu.be/ezYNx_7k07I
Slightly different ST access at the turnstiles
Burnley 78 My message earlier on was if Brendan Rodgers is saying that there will be no £15 or 20 Million spent on new players fine ,so what bracket is Celtic intentions on spending,on another issue I was hoping the club would have opened a Sports Bar in the Lisbon Lions end ,and decent outlets getting built in the front of the main stand ,
!!BADA BING!! on 31ST JULY 2023 4:51 PM
Thanks for that…..you are more helpful than Celtic :-)))
DamnedwithfaintpraiseCSC
Burnley78 – good question pal. I’m happy we signed a center back (we were awful without ccv last season). I’ve been consistent on the left back position. Taylor is much improved and surprised many in the inverted position – but its a weakness every opposition targets with pace and physicality – I’d like that addressed.
I think we need another striker and a midfielder who can produce some magic (Jota and rogic not yet replaced).
I trust Rodgers to find those players but also happy if he thinks we have them in the building – just my early instincts on the team.
Loan deals may be an option is the board doesn’t want to spend
TIMBHOY163 @ 4:58 PM,
Brendan came over well in what was for me an open and transparent interview
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.skysports.com/amp/football/news/11787/12931070/celtic-brendan-rodgers-explains-transfer-process-and-assesses-rangers-challenge
BR is real value in these time of prearranged interviews – each word clear and measured.
He said we will not be going after any 15-20 mn pound player.
Well, we haven’t been linked to any player that I’ve seen over €13 mn, so he’s just stating the obvious.
BR has just managed to break (think it was cracked by Ange), the Celtic salary cap, which now means quality, star players can be equitably rewarded by staying at Celtic Park.
In theory we can buy a £20 mn player, but his salary is going to crash our new salary structure and we can be paying that salary on a five year contract.
A huge amount of money on one player.
The thing is we can recruit players in that are relatively high value (above Odsonne our current record signing) with commensurate salaries, signing on payments as well as significant transfer fees.
And we are looking…
BR…“there is talented players out there that we want, there is still quite a way to go in the window we will look to improve the squad again and continue with that…”
As P67 states, preseason has been far from ideal, all the staff and players are at Lennoxtown and Celtic Park now and we push on.
We’ll have some talent joining us – no doubts.
Haul Hail
HS- 😁
BOURNESOUPRECIPE @ 4:50 PM,
Yes, some are saying Starfelt missed Dublin through injury and that Welsh had come off with an injury.
So just checking!!
Hope you enjoyed your weekend in Dublin, thought we equipped ourselves well, the front six tormenting the EPL was a sight to behold:))
Hail Hail
CHAIRBHOY on 31ST JULY 2023 5:10 PM
I’m not sure Brendan shares your thinking. I read this as a bit of expectation management:
“Yes, there’s money there, but it doesn’t always mean if you spend £9m or £10m you are going to get a top player.”
The Superbru competition I ran last year is returning again this year and has just been set up today. There is a name change to reflect the name change of one of our 3 blog contributors, so we are now Quick News Quinta Sentinels and the password for the pool is honenoun
I am not looking for any financial commitment as yet but I am likely to be seeking contributions of somewhere between £10 and £20 (undecided as yet) as I wan’t to leave room for people to support other fundraising initiatives this season such as Last Man Standing and the Horse Racing and Golf competitions that others have set up.
Details of how to pay the entry fee can wait for a week or two. For the moment, I am just looking for people to sign up and commit to the predictions and the friendly competition. All existing members should receive a Superbru Brumail inviting them to join but anyone wanting to come aboard for the first time is very welcome too. Even if you just want to play for fun and not for the prizes as the entry fee is not compulsory.
Just go to Superbru.com
Choose Scottih Premiership Predictor
Join a Pool (type Quick News Quinta Sentinels)
add password honenoun
Fill in first set of SPFL predictions by August 5th by 12.30 pm
I will re-post this from time to time in the run up to the 5th
If you have any questions or problems I will try to answer them. Thank you for your support.
SFTB
We have lost jota and mooy and we have brought in five young players.
Will any of them be automatic starters? Will any of them improve the team?
Are we stronger than last season?
“Holders Celtic and last season’s runners-up Rangers have been selected for live TV action after the Viaplay Cup last 16 live fixtures were revealed.”
You would have thought Hertz v Partick would be more interesting than a visit to the bigotdome, more cash I suppose. We are on the Sunday btw
19 August 2023
12:30 Rangers v G Morton
15:00 Airdrie v Ross County
15:00 Livingston v Ayr
15:00 St Mirren v Motherwell
Sunday 20 August 2023
14:00 Hearts v Partick Th
14:00 Hibernian v Raith
15:00 Kilmarnock v Celtic
Maik trained today, and looks likely to make his debut tomorrow.
Some of the oven ready first team buys Celtic have made over the years have included:-
Martin Hayes
Rafael Scheidt
Gary Gillespie
Stuart Slater
Magnus Hedman
Freddie Lljungberg
Thomas Gravesen
Derk Boerrigter
Efrain Juarez
Dmitri Kharine
Roy Keane
Rafael Scheidt
Teemu Pukki
Shane Duffy
Albian Ajeti
Vasili’s Barkas
Except they weren’t.
SFTB
Jings whit a list, at least Teemu Pukki got better with Norwich??!
Surprised to read over 50,000 expected tomorrow. I read here that few were interested in this game?
Prestonpans – Pukki is continuing to improve now at Minnesota United in the MLS :)
!!BADA BING!! on 31ST JULY 2023 4:51 PM
https://youtu.be/ezYNx_7k07I
Slightly different ST access at the turnstiles
———–
Many thanks for that. That answers some questions.
HH.
SFTB
Did you have to type Scheidt twice? 😥
Just another plastic Sunday
Wo oh…..
After seeing his name I need more drink. 😳
CELTIC40ME @ 5:28 PM,
Ah right, didn’t hear him say that nor read it but it’s a good point.
If you look at the players we have around 10 mn+/-
CCV, AJ, Calmac, Kyogo, Reo, O’Riley, Abada etc etc etc
We didn’t pay 10 mn for any of them
In the recent past KT, Dembele, Frimpong, Ajer etc etc etc
We didn’t pay 10 mn for any of them
Whose to say Holm, Summers, Tilio, Kwon, McPherson, Oh, Vata, Kelly etc etc etc
Won’t be our 10 mn+ players of yhe future.
And as player inflation continues and we start regular appearances in the new format UCL, we will see our fees for signings increase, it’s inevitable.
Yet there are many ways to have quality players in the first team without paying through the nose for them.
Hail Hail
BRRB
Pay attention to this 👍for Saturday
BADA BING!! on 31ST JULY 2023 4:51 PM
https://youtu.be/ezYNx_7k07I
We tend not to buy players in the £15 mill plus category for 1 reason
Wages
It would bust our wages structure and kill us
As has been pointed out above
We don’t buy players in the category
We create them……
Prestonpans
Aye, seen it on Celtic tv J. And big Rocki training at Lennoxtown. Happy days. 👍
Not sure why the Aussie captain didn’t shut up shop when at the crease and go for the draw.
Surely they will only realistically have another 15 overs due to light and time.
Great if we do get anywhere near 50,000 tomorrow night. I really hope so. The wee guy deserves it.
GREENPINATA on 31ST JULY 2023 4:37 PM
AN TEARMANN on 31ST JULY 2023 3:46 PM
From Celtic supporters called the Green Brigade
22-23
https://youtu.be/vyP_Tjg4nfc
HH
—————-
AT, I realise that this is the GB,s own ostentation.
May I ask, do you think it reflects well on Celtic Football club and the greater support ?
HH.
Gp
Of course you can ask:-))they are Celtic fans such as you or I.not greater or lesser.the same.
i think your use of English(‘ostentation’) is incorrect,it is neither pretentious or any showy display of wealth.
it is a show of our history,our people(Celtic men and woman) and the culture they came from.let the people sing,let the people wear their colours,let them show and display their heroes,Maley,Jock and standing on the shoulders of giants etc.i think it reflects well on the club and why you can buy framed pictures of them as part of club merchandise,I hope that answers your question.
Being part of the greater support,like them they enjoy the colour and song brought,I think it is a good thing,every decade we have had a section of the Celtic
support hummedNhawedNtutted at since in the 50s the polis would be in about our fans for brandishing the tricolour,60s when Jock went in about drunk fans,70s/80s the troubles to some meant our culture,colour and song went a bit extreme as ordinary folk were pigeonholed as terrorists,low life and vermin,ironically the same unwashed shoit our folk got coming here from the genocide inflicted as An Gorta Mor.The 90s and 00s only highlighted the inbuilt bias the Irish and the Gaels from the Highlands met when famine or clearance made Glasgow their home.
They are proud we accept refugees and are open to all
They are proud of our working class origins with expressions of support to ordinary people like underpaid woman and rmt.
So in essence it does reflect well on Celtic,I know if it didn’t the return key would be hit and they would not be there,
Why are you uncomfortable with these displays? You have been for years,I don’t back everything they do,you and I disagree on most things,long may that continue,we’d be supporting the 2klubtams if you want nodders,we are different,we argue it out and act and get in about it,recently in our history 94 comes to mind.
Hope your well, in saying that I am not a part of Celtic fans called the green brigade,I post it as the thinking of a group of fans,same way I would post of bhoys from Donegal,Derry,Dublin,Belfast,and the many from all over Scotland.
To Saturday or Jamesies b4 that
HH
BRRB
I would have thought Celtic would have sent a email to explain that before Saturday, there will be many standing at the turnstiles wondering wtf !!
Jota was a punt
And they have just sent a text at 18:26!
Bada,
Celtic must be listening to you.
I’ve just received a text message outlining same.
HH.
MODERATOR1888 @ 6:07 PM,
Agreed, lovin’ the way BR is always emphasising player development.
That’s the best way to add value, we now have a great player recruitment model and top of the tree at player development.
Hail Hail
Prestonpans
Ole Johnny Snakehips would have got through the gap in the turnstiles anyways. 👌
With a crowbar and major surgery. 😳
Evening all.
Arrived home to find a family member watching STV News.
After reporting various tales of war, pestilence, famine, disorder and injustice ..
… the standard editorial approach in all news programmes is to present a “bridging” story to lead viewers into the sports segment.
You know the drill.
Bit gentler, bit fluffy, bit less serious, lighten the mood.
STV ran a fairly lengthy canned piece about rat infestations in Glasgow …
… then launched straight into Sport with whatshisname.
Guess which club were first up for a change?
You’ve guessed it.
Pathetic negative connotation and association.
As transparent as a new sheet of glass.