If it’s a choice between a trip to Macedonia or Azerbaijan, Celtic would doubtlessly prefer the former. Baku, where Azerbaijani club Qarabag reside, is not as far west as Astana, where Celtic played two years ago, but it’s east of Iraq and it’s not a city which appears in many tourist lists.
Rudar Pljevlja returned from Baku midweek with a 0-0 draw. In days gone by that was regarded as a great away European result, but the lack of away goal will much of the second leg is played on a knife-edge.
One large note of caution, Qarabag went out of Europe last season by a one goal aggregate margin to Red Bull Salzburg, who lost in Baku, but won in Glasgow a few months later. They have twice eliminated Polish opposition in the last five years.
My hunch is that Celtic are better than each potential opponent, but if we’re short of fitness or preparation, we’ll have more trouble than we want.
The good news is that neither club plays summer football, so they should be no better prepared that Celtic. Rudar finished competitively in May, Qarabag a week later, while both played their first competitive games of the season on Wednesday. From what I can tell, both also play on grass, so we’ll avoid the Scandinavian bounce.
Before concerning ourselves too much with the 3rd Champions League qualifying round we need to use today’s game against La Liga side Eibar to sharpen fitness, and take care of business in Iceland on Wednesday.
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macjay1 for neil lennon
08:21 on 19 July, 2015
16 roads – Celtic über alles…
08:06 on
19 July, 2015
The floodlights were switched on at Celtic Park to help guide the German bombing crews, this despite the fact that the floodlights were introduced in 1959.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
HH.
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Rubbish,of course.
However,it probably got legs from the fact that Dublin was the only European capital which did not have a blackout .It is claimed that this was used by the Luftwaffe to target Belfast.
You`ll probably be aware that the Luftwaffe bombed Dublin.
By mistake,apparently.
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Aye. It has also suggested that the Irish government lit up the railway from Dublin to Belfast, to assist the German bombing crews.
Think about it.
HH.
gerryfaethebrig
08:30 on 19 July, 2015
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Best timEs GFTB.
HH.
The air raid on Dublin was in reprisal for the aid the South had sent to Belfast following the raids there.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
I have no interest in your difference of opinion with SDB, none at all. What I don’t understand with you is why you tend to smear the Irish for making up the numbers, and fighting for the British in their empire building days and then smear the same Irish for being neutral during WW2. You are not consistent.
And again you glossed over the points I made in my earlier post. actually, you did not gloss over them, you ignored them.
Inconvenient truths, in inconvenient history, not made mainstream nor taught in schools, seems to be beyond your will to seek out and educate yourself, but yet you embrace the history of the victor as gospel and deem it fit, fair, and just, to preach your adopted myths in support of nefarious squabbles.
I’ve offered before to lend you books that would, if not exactly open your eyes, would maybe at least ignite just a spark of doubt in so much of the doctrine history you hold so dear.
Britain was a monster, a vicious resources, cultural, money, land grabbing, monster; and that was not the fault of the Irish, no matter how many of them were forced by poverty, a poverty proxy of Britain, to enlarge the wealth of the British crown and her Lords elite.
People on here so often go on about Blair and the illegal war, if they are interested they should look at the most callous war of all, WW1 and how Asquith, Grey and Churchill, and a King who like his Russian cousin more than his German one, brought slaughter and main to millions. But you don’t want to read about any of that, you want to believe that Britain was defending Belgium’s rights.
I don’t know why I bother.
macjay,
Why did Britain fight the Crimean war?
Morning all.
Yet another miserable day down here weather-wise. Coming on to CQN at the moment doesn’t look as if it will improve matters.
Saw the first 10 minutes live of last night’s match and then watched later the second half. Good work out, although I was worried that our captain seemed to be going out of his way to get into trouble. Maybe I missed something from the first half. We need him on the field, especially in Europe; so, I hope he doesn’t get himself sent off against the Icelandic team or any other team we might meet in the Qualifying Rounds.
ernie lynch
08:54 on
19 July, 2015
I was rude to you the other day.
Sorry.
PCS
Their no 15 had a couple of goes at Broonie then Charlie
He was booked eventually, think he was looking for trouble or just being over exuberant
ernie lynch:
Correct but that aid was not ordered, it was sanctioned volunteers.
parkheadcumsalford
09:09 on 19 July, 2015
I never saw the game yesterday but I am a massive Broony fan like you I realise we need him on the park, got a feeling if BT is right out got a feeling if Scott thinks he or a teammate has been wronged he won’t let it go, totally different from when he was younger and used to get wound up honestly think he is learning and just tries to see what the ref lets him away with
Kit
I don`t know why you bother either.
Books , by and large,are written by people who give you their opinions.
I form my opinions based on facts and experience.
I tend to believe those who provide “inconvenient” facts like broadcasts by R.T.E. which dispute “accepted” dogma. In the past you have considered these to be unreliable.
Britain was a monster,you say.
What word would you use to describe Fascist Germany or Stalin`s Soviet Union?
My stance is perfectly straight forward.
If you wish to insult my people ,I feel it`s perfectly reasonable to defend them and their record.And to compare our record with theirs.
Fascist Royal Family?
Ludicrous nonsense.
Edward was an utterly selfish sod who put his own interests before his duty.
Which is why he was forced to abdicate.
Last word to you.
Gerryfaethebrig. I read recently Broonie saying he liked to get in his opponents head when he is playing as this tends to put them off there game. H.H.
Electronic Tims @ETimsNet 56s56 seconds ago
Yesterday’s Celtic 4-1 win v Eibar has just started on Premier sports….channel 551 on Virginmedia.
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
The books I’ve offered you are factual, they are not one mans opinion. From reading those books I form my own opinion.
Tell me mate since you are ignoring just about everything I’ve bothered to write…
Why did Britain go to war with Germany in ww1?
Don’t understand all the attacks on the Windsors. Edward VIII was a great Celts fan and a season ticket holder with the lovely Wallis Simpson. He is accredited with writing the lyrics of the original Celtic song , Heil. Heil…………..
joe filippis haircut
09:32 on 19 July, 2015
Always remember him as a kid squaring up to Neil Lennon then smirking at Lenny, thought when we signed them there was going to be a bit of friction, how wrong was I, think they got on great, I think Lenny loved Broonys attitude probably reminded him of himself
Bigshuggy@9.38
How dare you? No levity allowed here!
Jimbo67
Just finished my first 10k road run in 10 years, decided to go early despite shitty weather. Time was poor 62 minutes but in my defence mt right hammy was sore from 5k onwards as I had not warmed up properly, should have known better. So am quite pleased, not delighted but should be able to get time to 60 minutes after a couple more hopefully. Not much chance of getting back to my 57 minutes time but there you go.
So 10 am Mass beckons, then a Galician fish stew to get ready for dinner, may have a few glasses of white Rioja to help with the warmdown.
Jmccormick @ 9:50
“Just finished my first 10k road run in 10 years. . . . So 10am Mass beckons”
Make sure ye get a pew tae yersel, mate.
Or at least stand near the incense.
Phew!!!
jimbo67
09:46 on
19 July, 2015
Bigshuggy@9.38
How dare you? No levity allowed here!
Jimbo67
Morning Jimbo67………..have you read some of the serious posts:-)
jmccormick
09:50 on 19 July, 2015
Enjoy your Galician fish stew, you deserve it after that run
jmccormick
09:50 on 19 July, 2015
Yea – I was going to do all that as well but decided to cut out the middle man and go straight to the rioja
jmccormick
Good Bhoy!
HH jamesgang
jmccormick: I was in Malaga a couple of Chritmas’ ago when the marathon was being run. At the end of the race there were several booths offering water, physiotherapy etc to the competitors. A couple of booths were fully stocked bars which many runners flocked to so enjoy your Rioja. If it’s good enough for Malagans….
The Warbler is one of them:
“We’re [FFin’] coming, be afraid Scottish football you tried and failed to kill us and our revenge will be trophies.”
——
” ‘People were talking as if we’d drawn Real Madrid,’ the Englishman said. ‘With no disrespect to Hibs, we’re [Sevco] Football Club and we will go into every game well prepared and ready to apply ourselves appropriately. This is a great game for us and good for the fans. It’s game four and a really tough test. In any pre-season programme, you start and move up gradually. The Hibs match is perfect for us.’
Don’t you just love our new boss!!!”
——
“He must be wondering, why the Scottish mhedia are so bad and negative towards us.”
——
“Struthesque words. You need the club to match the manager in the ethos. Our manager is no fool. He is matching the history of our club with a corporate professional structure. Marry the two and see what happens.”
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“I actually love that”
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“We are [Sevco] and the opposition should fear us. There is not a team in Scotland we should fear.”
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“He became our manager because he knows how big we are. There’s no way he’d come to Scotland to manage any other team.”
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“And he is a lot more smarter than any journalist this country has to offer.”
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“We’re the biggest team in the country, we’re here for the win, stop us if you can.”
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“sounds like a dave king comment – fantastic .”
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“Mark Warburton, our Mandela.”
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“I’d go further than Mandela, in many ways he’s Mark ‘Martin Luther King’ Warburton.”
J mc Cormack having a jog…:)
▶ 1:03
m.youtube.com › wa…
Monaghan1900
My favourite is:
“And he is a lot more smarter than any journalist this country has to offer”
Comparatively speaking.
Oh well, back to work.
Morning all.
MONAGHAN
Thanks for that, fair cheered me up. The deluded are becoming more so with each passing day.
HH!!
Thank goodness for Macjay and some others who gave a different opinion last night. This anti British crap is tiresome.
And the Mandela comment isn’t as daft as it may first appear.
He did spend many years on Robben Island, quite an apt name in the context of the deid club to which they act in tribute.
Monaghan1900
Martin Luther King, shakes head and takes another slurp of strong coffee:))
Did I really read that:))
HH
Monaghan
Yes a latter day Mandela would feel right at home at ipox with its penchant for kkk flegs and swastikas!
——-
And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
MLK-CSC
HH jamesgang
jmccormick
Well donesir
Be proud of yourself.
Happy Christmas and Achtung to my loyal Britisher pigdog subjects.
“We are [Sevco] and the opposition should fear us. There is not a team in Scotland we should fear.”
Hmmmmmm well maybe Motherwell :)))))))))) and stirling and alloa and abroath and raith rovers and hearts and aww the rest of they teams in the big league
The sevconians are obsessed by fear. It keeps coming up in their pronouncements,blogs, PR output …………………. Fear no Foe, fear us coming etc etc blah blah blah.
A very strange mindset indeed.
What are they trying to hide?
Struthesque words ??????
Monaghan much obliged for your persistence in making me laugh, anyway folks have a good Sunday I am away to give the bookies some cash betting on the golf
HT – film4 at 9pm tonight hope you don’t model yourself on that Cameron Diaz