Within a few hours the first leg of our Summer Cup Final will be upon us. Make no mistake about it, these are the biggest games of our season.
The players and manager have learned plenty about European football over the last four weeks to know the scale of the task. Maribor will be given due respect but the importance of Saturday’s win over Dundee United cannot be overestimated. Players’ confidence will have received a welcome boost, while some will have realised the weight of responsibility lies with them.
Since the draw I have written enough about the strengths of Maribor, but they are weak at the back – and they are showing all the signs of over-confidence. Having watched us against Legia, this lot will be shocked if a different Celtic turn up tonight. Their fans, media and officials are emotionally spending their Champions League windfall already.
Most of all, we need a disciplined performance from Celtic. No conceding penalties, getting caught in possession deep in your own half, or second yellows. Stick to the basics, stay alert and we have an excellent chance of progressing; this is not a team with irresistible talent.
For a few players, they have the chance to claim a great reputation at the club. What an opportunity…..
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I obviously can’t spell…
HELP – Anybody recommend a pub Hammersmith/Shepherds bush for game tonight?
niallo83
12:00 on
20 August, 2014
Catman are you lurking?
Last week you said we were looking at three players (Tonev, Bo Kyung Kim and Steven Fletcher).
We have since signed Tonev and Welsh media saying we are in for Bo.
Any other updates?
________________________________________________________________
I seen this morning that Sunderland are looking at Wellbeck from Man U, this might open the door on Fletcher but have no firm info on this.
It would surprise me if there were not more ins and outs before the window closes.
As always if I get any other info I will post it here first
Kit
I have PJ’s mail
The Green & White Tiger
13:04 on 20 August, 2014
Long time lurker, first time poster….
Rather than playing it safe I thought I would don my tin hat and go for broke. Here are my thoughts on all things Celtic.
1. At the risk of upsetting most on here I actually think PL and the board are doing a good job in near impossible circumstances. Regardless of our proud tradition and history the reality of the situation is we come from a tiny backwater league where our nearest and only genuine rivals self imploded.
2. The strategy while not popular is understandable. We simply cannot compete with the inflated transfer market and wages paid by the big leagues. We need to rear our own talent and I’m sure that is the reason RD was appointed. I think that appointing a progressive coach and using every small advantage we can (fitness, sports psychology, diet etc.) is the correct way to go. Let’s give him the time and space to work as it may take months to reap the full benefit of these changes.
3. I believe it is within our purchasing power to spend each year in the transfer market. I would prefer this to be concentrated on 1 to 2 quality acquisitions rather than a larger number of projects.
3. Are Celtic hoarding cash? Yes they are. I suspect the reason for this is as a contingency against another insolvency event happening on the South side and the league becoming even more unsaleable than it is today to TV and supporters.
4. The board are custodians of the club. They have a responsibility first and foremost to ensure that Celtic are here for generations to come. Their second priority is to be successful and win trophies. I would be willing to bet that fans of a certain other team wish their directors and owners had adopted a similar approach and set of priorities.
5. To grow and develop as a club Celtic need to get out of Scotland. I suspect the price for this (if it ever happens – and I believe it eventually will) is that we will be accompanied by them. What a moral dilemma that will bring ….. our freedom could be their salvation. We can turn up our noses in indignation but if that is the only way for our club to move forward and thrive on a bigger stage then I believe it is a price worth paying. I don’t care about them and never have. The health and longevity of Celtic is all I care about. But we are kidding ourselves if we believe that Celtic on our own will be allowed to prosper in another league without them in some shape or form.
6. I fully support and commend Auldheid for his Stirling work on res12. Where I perhaps deviate from others is that I’m not looking for compensation or league titles. Just an acknowledgement that what happened was wrong, an apology and steps to be taken to ensure proper governance of football in this country going forward.
Finally I’d like to thank our host, Paul67, for a fantastic platform to debate all things Celtic. I can’t say I agree with every word he writes but he encourages debate and takes the flak that is directed at him with good grace and humour. I have lost count of the number of inspirational posts I have read on this site which constantly remind me that Celtic are indeed much more than a football club.
Sits back and awaits traditional CQN welcome.
The Green & White Tiger
————————————————————–
Only a hun could post something so positive. ;-)))
Welcome mate – great first post.
1 each would be ideal result…
I have a sneaky feeling 2-1 to Maribor….. in the overall context of things, i wouldnt be too disappointed if that result bare’s out.
Cos think we’ll beat them 2 or 3 nil at paradise.
I’m no football manager but is the tactics tonight not easy after the last round.
Treat opposition with the utmost respect.
Keep it tight at the back.
Try and nick an away goal on the break.
Simples
WK67
Thanks for the welcome everyone :-)
Kitalba – Don’t think their is an aversion as such. Players are just being recruited in the sequence in which they become available and terms can be agreed.
If Efe is to play RB make sure he plays there and not right wing back.
Just watched the highlights of Maccabi Tel Aviv v Maribor in the previous round. Finished 2-2. They don’t look up too much to be honest. Problem is if we turn up or not.
HH
Gordon
Lustig Ambrose VVD Izaguirre
Johansen Biton Mulgrew
Commons Berget
Stokes
For me.
Bring on some pace near the end.
Sorry Bhoys in my opinion Commons should not be payed tonight he loses the ball to often and he has no real pace he is fine in the SPL but in Europe he is not up to it in my opinion.H.H.
THEGREENANDWHITETIGER
Canny be a hun,too erudite.
So welcome aboard the carousel.
Tiger
Welcome to the jungle!
Good post.
Ok then I will say it.
Efe for the winning goal/goals tonight,
huns and their media pals then spend the next four weeks looking for loopholes and precidents. Dont find anything and call us out on it anyway.
Mon the hoops.
Just arrived in a very grey and windy Barcelona….nor what I expected. Never mind, ‘mon the Hoops!
WK67,
indeed, that he did. No arguments there.
Penny pinch he may have done, and to my annoyance on a few occasions (and cap doffed to Tommy Johnson incidentally), but he splashed out when we needed it most. For that, I (and Im sure you too?) are eternally grateful.
Your post just sounded to me like Uncle Tim Andy Walker and his tale of woe on Sky Sports about Fergus making him pay the £29.95 for his strip that he wore when he re-signed for us. Like that story, I just didnt see the point of yours, other than to have a wee snipe at Fergus.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Malone Bhoy
I agree with your selection in defence and midfield 3.
I feel Ronny will still want a degree of width in final third though… Therefore i see Berget playing wide. Unsure whether Commons will be asked to play a wide position, but you never know. For that reason, i’d reckon McGregor might get the other wide berth.
And think Stokes is a given up top… particularly after his improved work-rate, attitude and performances against Dundee utd and St.Johnstone
50 SHADESOFGREEN
They can say what they like. We are whiter than white,and they are green with envy.
Not an expression they’re too fond of,btw.
I recommend it.
ernie lynch
13:03 on
20 August, 2014
As with absolutely everything stated about the future post the 19th it’s a possibility, nothing more.
The hard facts are that:
1) NHS Scotland is funded as a direct % of what NHS England receives but the overall Scottish payment contains a portion that is calculated using that %.
2) Consequently if the NHS England budget falls (and as with all statistics I’ve seen graphs showing it down in real terms in the last 5 years). The overall payment to Scotland falls.
3) It’s then up to the Scottish Governement to cut the NHS budget by the shortfall, divert money from other services or use tax raising powers to make up the deficit.
What do you make of today’s stories saying that a majority of English residents want our budget brought into line with the average per head spend in England in the event of a ‘No’ vote?
Hooptastic. Maribor like to pump high balls in to opponents penalty box and use there height to score goals so our centre backs must be up for it. H.H.
Team for tonight
Gordon
Ambrose Denyer VVD
Lustig Izzy
Mcgregor Biton Johansen Berget
Commons/Griffiths
5-4-1 with Lustig and Izzy as wingbacks
The Green & White Tiger
13:04 on
20 August, 2014
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sounds far too sensible to be a Hun.
However, it always safer just to check in any case – are you a Hun?
HH
BGFC
BeltsAndBracesCSC
it = it’s
riddy
Being solid, compact and hard to play through is the number 1 priority tonight. What we do with the ball when we have it is just as important.
We should commit enough men forward to cause problems and make them think. We can do this while keeping it tight across the back and middle.
Fitness should be much better by now so being able to get back in to position when we lose the ball should in theory be easier.
Simple balls over the top and through channels have been a concern, even against DUFC. Close the channels, stop the forward pass and midfielders tracking runners is crucial.
Which Celtic will turn up tonight? The one we are all emotionally invested in is all I know!! And I can’t wait. We’ve been let off a pretty big hook, so – Carp(e) Diem (see what I did there…..)
The token Tim 13:20
Indeed
If Fergus McCann had approved the signing of Zinedine Zidane some people would have slaughtered him for signing a baldy.
A rather obvious question:
For a lease back arrangement of Ibrox to be financially viable, what is the basic requirement?
Answer: a top flight club, playing in front of regular full houses.
Who would ‘invest’ 12 million, with more to follow, knowing the answer will never become a reality.
When did Biton become Bitton?
Noticed at the weekend on the back of his shirt and thought it was a spelling mistake, but the Celtic website has an article also spelling with the double T. Did Celtic get it wrong in the first instance and are now correcting their mistake? I seem to recall when Petrov signed he was Stilian, which as soon as he went south was altered (corrected?) to Stiliyan. Does someone need some spelling lessons at our beloved club?
I demand to know the names of these people, I think we should be told.
TJ
The Green & White Tiger:
Must be the longest sequence in the history of the worl; we’ve been trying since wee Hoops spat the dummy cos Peter wouldn’t give him half the extra pocket money that Norwich did.
Father and Son are now comatose after banging their nuts against a brick wall for the past two years and there’s Sammi on the beach getting his buttocks tanned.
Eek!
Celtic ray, I’m saying the most likely result is a 3-1 defeat. That’s taking into account previous results against similar teams and where we are as a club. I wouldn’t be ecstatic with that but I would take it as we would have a fair chance of scoring 2 in the home leg.
I think I was picking Ambrose in the midfield as a wee wish, more in hope than expectation, that Ronny will tighten up but also play someone who can get through the opposition midfield. Johansen has something of the burst pipe about him… All over the place with passing and chasing. Kayal could be the one we saw v Dundee united or the Utrecht or was it Braga away. If he plays. If we try to play shorter passes through the middle we will struggle. On sat there were 4 or 5 plus 50 yard passes from Mulgrew and van Dyke. I’d look to play these tonight but we need the target to be available to hit. Let Johansen and Kayal be the dogs to get the ball back.
Really intrigued as to how we line up tonight. It goes without saying that this is the most important game of the year.
ruggygman
13:20
Possibility and a decent one. I just think Commons is the link up between midfield and attack and is our most creative player. I would play Berget wide with Commons more central or dropping into holes.
MacGregor would give a more balanced line-up though.
Bobby M.
Used that very phrase myself when one of them was having a go about our good fortune, your right mate not one they are fond of.
H.H.
WDH:
Could you send me it?
jmccormick
head here and grab some fried eggs and black pudding to brighten things up
http://www.leggs.es/en/menu
with of course un copa de cava
Joe Filippis Haircut
Yep looks that way. There second was a decent flighted ball in but should of been dealt with. Striker had all the time in the world to place header.
HH
If Efe starts the game tonight, my estimations of RD will plummet.
As a poster said earlier, this weeks training and some of last weeks set piece training will have been with Maribor in mind, who picks up who, what your opposite number is capable of, the way he tends to move at set pieces etc will all have been done with Efe out of the game. He wouldn’t have been involved with specifics.
So, Ronny, put Efe on the bench and go with pre-Tuesday line up.
If Efe starts and screws up, I don’t think it’s recoverable.
I’d bite the hand of anyone for a 2-1 loss right now.