Trending
Celtic News Now
Celtic Quick News on News Now
Celtic Quick News
You are at:»»Media and Spartak take hit for underestimating Celtic

Media and Spartak take hit for underestimating Celtic

965
By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Celtic’s win in Moscow on Tuesday has caused an interesting introspection in Russia, with both Spartak and some in the Russian media coming under scrutiny.  The pre-match tone was set by comments we reported from former Spartak player and coach, Andrey Tikhonov, who, on the day of the draw, said:

“Barcelona are favourites from the group. We and Benfica will be fighting for second place.

“Celtic are outsiders. The Champions League competition is about very good technical football.  It has nothing to do with running after the ball that somebody kicked forward.”

Another former Spartak player and Soviet international, who now works as a technical analyst and all-round raconteur , Aleksandr Bubnov, had a completely different take on Celtic, Spartak and the Russian and Scottish media.

Bubnov told Russian television:

“Spartak players thought they could push Celtic defenders around like toys.  They played long crosses forward like the idiots.  Celtic defenders knocked back everything.  It was like training for Celtic, they were on holiday.

“When Celtic attacked for the first time, de Zeeuw thought that Insarualde would stop the Celtic player, Insarualde thought Pareja will stop him.  When Celtic scored de Zeew asked, ‘Where was Pareja ?’  Pesjakov answered de Zeeuw, “You forgot?  Pareja is still at the lunch, he will be back for the second half.”

Bubnov criticised TV analysts who before the game debated whether Celtic would survive in the bottom half of the Russian premier division or a lower division.  He added:

“We were told by the experts that Spartak will shut Celtic out, kill them and bury outside the stadium.  They are experts, they watch games, they take money for this kind of analysis.  They told us Celtic are one story heroes.

“They talked about Rangers relegated to the fourth Division for financial cheating.  You see how they do things there?  What fantastic salvation. You are cheaters Rangers?  OK, go and take long rest.  Those in charge are professionals, nobody would help Rangers. They don’t go to the president, or the prime minister.

“Cherdantsev (TV expert) never played football.  You heard him, Spartak players and all these experts. ‘No problem, champions of Scotland?  Who are Celtic, who are Scotland?

“Experts?  Did they watch Celtic against Benfica? Benfica are top in Portugal, Celtic drew with them.  Even the stupid Scottish experts came here and told us Spartak would win 2-0.”

When asked how Spartak should play in the return game against Celtic, Bubnov suggested:

“You need to close wings and play carefully at the back. Celtic will not perform like Spartak did against Barcelona. They played and let the other team play.

“Neil Lennon was very smart coach.  He closed Spartak options on the wings.  Emeri (Spartak manager) should close Celtic wings.  Emeri’s tactics was move wingers to the centre to leave more room for attacks from left and right defenders.  But, our defenders were poor and slow.

“Emeri was stupid, he moved Aiden McGeady and Dmitri Kombarov to the centre because Neil Lennon closed wings.  What happened? They both played out of position and Kombarov scored an own goal.”

“Spartak were open on the wings and there was a brothel at the back.  Neil Lennon did what he wanted to do with Spartak”

Conversational Russian is apparently rich with imagery.

[calameo code=000390171e0be5eb5e6ce lang=en page=4 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

965 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. ...
  11. 26

  3. yorkbhoy on

    My preference would be to see Neil Lennon lift the Europa… We can win the Champions League next year…

  4. TwoTunTimfromTeddington on

    Moonbeams WD. Kano 1000 \o/ Supporting Neil Lennon 100%. Champions. C’mon Wee Oscar.

     

     

    13:34 on 4 October, 2012

     

     

     

     

    Wembley again! Final was there just a couple of years ago, I think. Oh well Wembley it is then.

  5. philvisreturns on

    LordLuvRocket – Ha, we were discussing where our work’s Christmas night was going to be this year. Someone produced a flyer/menu from The Rangers and suggested going to Ibrox.

     

     

    Wee Free Kings

     

    Rudolph The Blue Nosed Reindeer

     

    Whyte Christmas

     

    Little Lambeg Boy

     

    Blue Christmas

     

     

    (thumbsup)

  9. miki67 on

    Looks like Turkey has ambitions to revive The Ottoman Empire.

     

    Should be interesting over the coming years as they start to throw their weight around.

     

    If they are continually denied entry to the EU (which is in deepest trouble anyway) they will start their own empire. They are financially strong, militarily powerful, and regard themselves as a regional superpower.

     

    I don’t know why I’m posting this. I just am.

     

    Maybe it’s because I’ve had a lifelong interest in Turkey, and Istanbul is the most fascinating and exotic city I’ve ever visited.

     

    If you’ve never been there : go. It’s amazing.

  10. jimmci on

    If we do get them in the draw – why no cameras?- I sincerely hope we insist on Div 3 prices, regardless of venue and play the Nextgen team.

     

    Treat them with utter contempt as they did to others for so long and further humiliate them.

  12. lionroars67 on

    Oscar Knox‏@Wee_Oscar

     

     

    Radiotherapy complete! That’s my treatment here officially finished. Now to go for Immunotherapy ASAP! #TeamOscar #USA pic.twitter.com/IppdXMlO

  13. TwoTunTimfromTeddington on

    it’s amazing what a good result in Europe can do to the mood on here.

     

     

    We can all believe a little more!

     

     

    COYBIG!

  14. Tontine Tim on

    Dublin Noelbhoy

     

     

     

    13:36 on 4 October, 2012

     

     

     

    Erin lynch

     

    .

     

    Yes it would , but we would come away with a title of ‘ European Champions ‘ at the end of it all , just like Porto did and we all know what they done the following year.

     

     

    *in 1996 we were cheated at Annfield in the semis of the old ECWC the final was at hampden and liverpool lost, look what happened to us the following year.

     

     

    I firmly believe that run in Europe set us up for the Big Cup.

  15. jockcfc on

    ally mccoist says he was miss quoted, he said. ‘we don’t do WINNING away’ not ‘walking’.

  18. miki67 on

    All that DD did was completely negate any aggro they could throw our way. If you don’t think he has our best interests at heart, take a look around as you go to Celtic Park. The ongoing transformation is a revelation. How do you think these things happen? Clout. Negotiations. Deal making. Of the honest kind.

     

    I’m proud of our club. And the day we screw up, I’ll eat my words.

     

    Please. Look where we are at. We come from a tiny country and yet we just beat Spartak Moskva in their ground. We regularly get 50k+ attendances, we have admirers worldwide.

     

    This is a product of hard work, integrity, honesty, and doing things the Celtic way; conducting ourselves honourably.

     

    I don’t see DD being anything other than clever and honourable.

     

    Just my opinion.

     

    HH.

  19. Teuchter ár lá on

    The slate……

     

    Aberdeen, Celtic, Hearts, Dundee United, St Johnstone, St Mirren and Inverness Caledonian Thistle …………..Did I miss anyone?

     

     

    Teuchter ár lá

  22. ernie lynch on

    miki67

     

     

    13:50 on 4 October, 2012

     

     

    ”All that DD did was completely negate any aggro they could throw our way. ”

     

     

     

    And why, and to whom, is that important?

  23. miki67 on

    From ‘prophetofregret’s link:

     

    “Following the wins in the qualifying rounds at Helsinki and Helsingborg, this, a couple of defensive lapses notwithstanding, was another accomplished performance in which Celtic showed sound balance, energy, canniness and moments of class to earn a fully deserved victory.”

     

    Luvvly.

  24. ProphetOfRegret on

    cavansam never saw that one! good to see neil and george (and FF) getting recognition for great displays

  29. ProphetOfRegret on

    p.s would be good to get the sackville bagginses and play 2nd team/reserves. no point pretending that they’re even something to be dealt with.

  30. FourGreenFields on

    lennybhoy…supporting neil lennon and cfc until i die

     

     

    I did use the word consider , didn’t say I would go .

     

    Loving not having them in the SPL anymore , feels cleaner somehow .

     

    :-)))

  32. miki67 on

    ernie lynch : your question answers itself in your previous post.

     

     

    ”I know some will be angry he didn’t jig on their grave but that is the price of dealing with the paranoid rant.”

  36. Celtic_First on

    Bit of a stooshy in the Basque Country because a recording of Marcelo Bielsa’s post-match team-talk after the domestic cup final in May has come to light.

     

     

    I saw a transcript and think Athletic Bilbao should offer him a contract for life for what he said: it was worthy of Jock Stein.

     

     

    More after the draw.

  38. Sandman on

    Aleksandr Bubnov when asked about Spartak’s defence : ‘A brothel at the back’.

     

     

    Aleksandr Bubnov when asked about Ibrox : ‘A brothel.’

  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. ...
  11. 26