Celtic will face Zenit St Petersburg on the last 32 of the Europa League in February next year. The first leg will be at Celtic Park on 15 February, three weeks before Zenit’s season resumes after a three-month winter shutdown, with the return leg a week later. They take to the field for the final time before the break tonight.
After going through the nerves of tackling mid-season Scandinavian opponents in the Champions League qualifiers, this draw is encouraging. While Brendan and the players have plenty of work today before our own three week break, they will be encouraged at the prospect of extending our run in Europe into the spring.
We’re happy.
Nice delivery this morning from the guys at @CQNMagazine @CQN Many thanks to @Cairney2 for the personal message. pic.twitter.com/83OUplyGDx
— The Celtic Room (@thecelticroom) December 11, 2017
281 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
What pitch were the Hibs players playing on ?
What happened to the Celtic teams who would face anybody, any time, anywhere ?
Laters.
I see Barry Scott has been appointed to the Sevco Board.
They must be looking for more Cilit Bang for their buck, or should that be illicit bang?
Mind you. They could not have found a more apt name to reference:
back from the dead
Aff oot
Hampden Park: An open letter by former Celtic owner Fergus McCann
FOR most Scottish football supporters Hampden Park holds memories, of big games won or lost, of events that brought success or failure, with joy or disappointment.
Mine include the Scottish Cup final of 1959, St Mirren 3 Aberdeen 1. I was 18, and enjoyed the event – although cleaning my shoes afterwards was a chore.
In 1960 I attended the landmark European Cup final, when Real Madrid defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3. At 5’ 7”, standing facing the sun, 100 yards from the pitch, I think I saw two of the 10 goals.
Read more: New poll shows fans are overwhelmingly in favour of moving away from Hampden
And, in 1970, on a visit home from Canada, I was among the 136,000 who saw John Hughes and Bobby Murdoch propel Celtic to 2-1 win over Leeds United and a second European Cup final.
My Hampden memories of events later in life were rather more negative.
In charge of Celtic, and having to rent the stadium for the 94/95 season, I had to tolerate the mean-spirited behaviour of Queens Park officials throughout that period. This began with a clause in the lease – a “deal breaker” as their attorney made clear – that forbade “the display of any foreign flag.”
Shades of SFA 1952.
Celtic supporters did not enjoy the experience either, although their season ticket price was reduced from £180 (for standing at Celtic Park) to £170 for a seat on the Hampden terracing, a long way from the field.
Celtic Park soon became the largest and finest stadium in the UK, adding greatly to the prestige of the club and the enjoyment of fans from everywhere.
But the financing of its rebuilding was affected by the efforts of Queens Park and its SFA cousins. Celtic’s application for a £5m Football Trust grant was turned down, while the Hampden renovation project received a total of £10m. Sunderland FC received £5m for their stadium – a project 30% smaller than that at Celtic Park.
Queens Park FC’s balance sheet shows the stadium as an asset costing circa £73m – mainly the new south stand and roof erected in the 90s. None of this was paid for by its owner. But about £64m of taxpayers’ money went into the project.
So, now we have had Glasgow’s number three stadium used a few times a year for SFA events and Queens Park matches attended by a few people in the ‘elite’ south stand. A ‘boondoggle’ as the Americans would call it.
With two other, far superior, stadiums in Glasgow available for big matches over the last 20 years, why did this bad ‘investment’ occur? Whatever way you do the arithmetic, Hampden Park is a liability, not an asset.
Any financial comparison showing the net result of ad hoc renting of the best suited venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere for Internationals, ‘neutral’ club finals and semi-finals, would show how big a mistake the £73m of the 90s was and the present use of Hampden is.
So, put aside my “Celtic-Minded” feelings in this debate.
There is no valid case for continued use of Hampden Park, indeed no case for a Football Association to operate a stadium. Many countries, including Netherlands, Italy and Spain have no national stadium or need for one.
A possible use of the property might be to retain the 17,000-seat ‘elite’ South Stand and demolish the rest. Play under 21 and other events there, possibly athletics; Queen’s Park to remain there and sell the rest of the land for £1 to the SFA for it to create a Training Centre combined with Toryglen. The SFA has the money to do this and benefit its clubs, and the football public, daily.
Scottish football, with its limited resources and competitive disadvantages, has to be managed efficiently, and the stadiums in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen – all getting better – can stage games profitably for the benefit of all the clubs – and their supporters.
Yes, we can feel some nostalgia for the Hampden Park events of the past. But the mistakes of the 1990s must not continue.
The future should belong to the supporters who buy the tickets, and the clubs they own and support.
It’s impossible to criticize a Celtic team that has won 4 Trophies in a row, qualified for 2 Group Stage Champions League in a row, Qualified for Europa Cup this year and are on an absolutely amazing unbeaten run of 68 domestic games in a row.
However our bread & butter Competition is the League & despite losing none of our key players & bringing in 5 new ones we have to date dropped more points in first 16 games than we did in all 38 games last season.
Tiredness both mental & physical at the unrelenting schedule, the unnecessary extra pressure of ‘keeping the unbeaten run’ going, all opposition teams being highly motivated to be the ones to end the run are all valid reasons why we are finding the going tougher in the League.
However their has been a drop in form from some of last year’s heroes. The most noticeable has been Stuart Armstrong, ever since he tried the pass that led to England’s equalizer, he has not been the same player. Tom Rogic seems to have disappeared from the radar, even the brilliant Kieran Tierney is not quite as prominent & worse of all, the goals & game time for The Griff have dried up.
For me The Griff is an outstanding player, he is an intelligent makes great runs and finds great space and is a great finisher.
I sincerely hope there is not a bust up with Brendan & Griff.
If we can get Griff back playing & scoring it’s problem solved as far as I’m concerned.
Word of The Day
adjuvant /ˈædʒəvənt/
adjective
1. aiding or assisting
2. serving to help or assist; auxiliary.
noun
3. a person or thing that aids or helps; auxiliary
4. anything that aids in removing or preventing a disease, especially a substance added to a prescription to aid the effect of the main ingredient.
5. Immunology. a substance admixed with an immunogen in order to elicit a more marked immune response.
Word Origin
C17: from Latin adjuvāns, present participle of adjuvāre, from juvāre tohelp
KTF
Some Celtic supporters regularly achieve the impossible then ..
Tim Horton
I never heard SSB last night, that’s not encouraging, as I said I hope it’s garbage and people are reading too much into things.
HH
BIG-CUP-WINNERS on 12TH DECEMBER 2017 11:17 AM
Quite.
I can’t help think that Celtic’s current success is a bit lop sided.
Domestic dominance, (which if we are honest is more an indicator of how low the standard is in Scottish football) on the one hand, but on the other, not yet as good on the European platform as in the days of MoN, GS and NFL, with the idea of Fortress Celtic Park on European nights fading from memory.
The January window will be interesting.
Funny how we never heard about Scottish Football’s low state in the days of the ole casinos and floatin pitches and Ronaldo bids?
Different story now that were are all ligit and thriving apart from the new club.
Hmmmmm CSC
BSR
What we see is not only the death of a club but the demise of the ole way of things.
If I was a crocodile, I still wouldn’t shed a tear for them.
GIRUT
new article posted.
CorkCelt @ 10.42
Very good post.
I would go further when discussing players’ form compared to one year ago and say that only Broony and James Forrest- for all that terrible miss on Sunday- are playing as well as then. Dedryk B was not in the team one year ago so no direct comparision for him though as with Callum Mac I think his form has dipped a fair bit since being capped.
How will it pan out? Well it would not surprise me much if the unbeaten run goes before the break and that come the resumption we won’t be as far ahead as we are now ( if we are in front at all). There may even be talk of a ‘crisis’ if and when we get knocked out in Europe and we are in the same place in the league that we were in say late February 2016. I think we will a la 67/8 go on a long irestistible winning run demolishing most teans and looking as good as one year before if not better. But I think the next couple of months or so will be tricky
Jimbo67
TAL @12.12
Fergus McCann should be credited with their demise, he started it in 1994 when he re-built Celtic Park
for 60,000 souls, the tax man merely twisted the dagger some time later.
We now compete with David Murray’s concomitant tribute act, and we’ve all to play nicely and talk about the ‘Old Firm’.
It can only get worse ‘ Rory Bremner’ @ Peter Lawwell
HH