I am always alert to the noises coming out of Celtic in the week before we go to Rugby Park, the same was the case when we were at Livingston. They are horrible pitches. Players don’t like them, bookies don’t like them and managers avoid playing injury-prone players on the surfaces.
However, before a game, there are no excuses. We know the surface and we plan accordingly. There is a golden rule when facing an adverse environment: Give someone a reason to fail and they will take it.
I could not believe my ears at the weekend, when Newco manager, Philippe Clement spoke to Sky after their win at Ross County. When asked about the forthcoming games against Tottenham and Celtic he said, “Maybe we need to say financially out of our league, the two games”.
There’s your excuse. Out. Of. Our. League. Four words you do not want to hear from your manager when you are about to face a team you pretend is a peer. Celtic are out of Newco’s league, but not financially. Accounts for the year to June show Newco’s Operating Expenses at £109.785m, whereas Celtic’s only £105.4m.
Celtic operate in a different league when it comes to recruitment, coaching, commercial acumen, sports science, medical care and just about every metric you can think of. Apart from financial.
As the words left his mouth, Clement will have known he made the mistake of letting the world know he has prepared his excuses for failure. There is no financial disparity, the gap is all down to talent.
With two games remaining only Paris St Germain and Stuttgart, who sit outside the top 24, have a realistic chance of making the knockout stage. Both are on 7 points and they meet in Stuttgart on matchday 8.
Before then, PSG are home to Manchester City on 22 January, when there is a reasonable chance City will be out of their slumber, while Stuttgart can be expected to win at Slovan Bratislava.
Dinamo Zagreb (8 points, away to Arsenal, home to Milan) look certain to drop out. Had they beaten Celtic on Tuesday, getting to 10 points would flip that prediction. While our point on Tueday still left us work to do, it eliminated one of our key rivals.
PSV Eindhoven (8 points, away to Red Star, home to Liverpool) also have work to do. A draw in Belgrade may not be enough for them.
Of the clubs already on 10 points, Brugge are home to Juventus and away to Manchester City, and already have a -2 goal difference. While Feyenoord are home to Bayern, away to Lille and on -1 goal difference. Unlike others on the same points (or City on 8), these two will be looking over their shoulders.
A point should be enough at home to Young Boys, who did well for the majority of the game before caving in at Stuttgart last night. It’s set for a memorable Celtic Park winter’s night.
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Boondock Saint; you are right. The huns were up for it tonight. And Spurs spurned it. Sunday is not a foregone conclusion. If we are up for it, we should win.
NotcountingchickensCSC
The hun are shite. They are up against a real football manager and team on Sunday.
Manager remark not referring to Ange. 🙄
Ange ball works when he has a hungry team who are committed and want to improve themselves.
I think it is harder to get overpaid millionaires to commit to his way of thinking and expectations in terms of training, effort and lifestyle.
As a result, a Spurs team who will get him sacked sooner rather than later.
Let’s just hope OUR team hammer the deid team on Sunday.
Rangers wanted to win tonight and were rightly disappointed not to v a weakened and out of form spurs team.
We didn’t show up to win on Tuesday and were pleased to draw with a weakened and out of form Zagreb team.
We have played one recent half of football since the RBL game and have chipped and changed since then. We have £26m of ‘talent’ on the bench signed by our manager.
As a poster earlier noted we have a far more expensively assembled team than we had at any time in past 20 years. We need to deliver like one.
Hopefully we can get it together on Sunday. It’s not easy just to switch it on.
I’d still accept a 1-0 win with 98th minute winner going in off Tav’s arse with the last touch of the ball on Sunday.
While I would love a good hunskelping of the 7-1 kind, any victory will do me.
The Belgian Beale said it was a full strength Spurs team….
Yeah right Phillipe.
And we played a full strength Zagreb team on Tuesday.
I’m not saying the team would have went into Sundays game with any complacency but that Hun result should be a warning to them if we don’t move the ball quickly , show urgency, handle their physicality then they are capable of doing the high press and test our bottle
For me Raskin , igmane , jefte and Cerny showed up well with diamanté thinking he was Zidane ….
That maybe shows how poor Spurs mids were .
Not as sure as many on here that we’ll win no bother …..
Any win will do as we’re not flying at the mo .
The Huns built their game on a Spurs back 4 consisting of no CHs and 2 FBs who have been woeful for weeks.No confidence ,cohesion, making mistakes which gave them belief.Add in the sloppy ,careless passing in midfield,its no wonder they looked good.
Cerny,must be watched.On form he is a fine player,but hot and cold.Needs watching.
On FF.
They have all changed their minds on Clement after tonight,with a caveat.If they don’t win on Sunday,he has to go.
Stoopid,stoopid,peepul.
I really hope they come out and attack us from the first whistle on Sunday like they did tonight ,we will easily pick them off
Uber Fan….
If you know your history…
Brendan Rodgers (significant) spend…
FW Nicolas Kühn £2,800,000
GK Viljami Sinisalo £1,000,000
GK Kasper Schmeichel Free
MF Paulo Bernardo £3,400,000
FW Adam Idah £8,500,000
DF Auston Trusty £6,000,000
MF Arne Engels £11,000,000
MF Luke McCowan£1,000,000
However, if we go back only five years, Peter Lawwell’s last hurray….
GK Vasilis Barkas £5,000,000
FW Albian Ajeti £5,000,000
MF David Turnbull £3,250,000
DF Christopher Jullien £7,000,000
DF Boli Bolingoli £3,000,000
FW Patryk Klimala £3,500,000
MF Ismaila Soro. £2,000,000
Same money spent on the team that lost us the ten in a row…
Hail Hail
CHAIRBHOY
You’ll be missing your old sparring partner , hopefully someone steps up to keep you on your toes 👍💚
MARSPAPA @ 12:00 AM,
Ain’t that the truth, wouldn’t be getting away with that one, would I;)
Liked the ’93 video earlier, old Celtic Park – memories eh!
Hail Hail
then
https://youtu.be/PD5gtM1A990?feature=shared
now
https://substack.com/@bettbeat?
CHAIRBHOY
93 , I thought that game was a banker …..ooft .
The good old days (for many a different reason) .
A lifetime ago now .
Looking forward to whomever gets in the ring with you next .
Anhoo pal it’s a goodnight from me 🤗
MARSPAPA @ 12:14 AM,
Yes, they were great days – the Celtic Coach that day, many years earlier, took me to my first game at Celtic Park…
May the good Celtic Men R.I.P.
Good night
Hail Hail
Turkeybhoy.
I am sitting here. Pretty content. And easy going.
Thinking.
If you are raging still.
What if Celtic had went for it. And not scored. And got beat with a counter attack. Like Belgrade at 5-3
Would you be less or more raging.
Back in the room.
To the comments on form going out the window (agree that it’s not so valid in recent times), you can argue our form is poorer recently but I don’t think that will play out.
I think we’ll be too strong for them because we are.
To Hot Smoked’s point yesterday, I also enjoy hun euro games because they are completely stress free for me. They win, good for Scotland, they lose….meh.
I’m confident for Sunday and think we will have enough to win it.
Was the 93 game the one where Tiger Tim got he tin tack after making the joke about a minute of silence for Rankers after their defeat ?
Aye.
Good morning all from a taps aff 1 degree, dry at the moment Garngad.
Eyes on the prize bhoys…..Sunday. This cup is ours and it goes back to paradise with us.
Do not be fooled by the SMSM about sevco being back, we play our own usual keep baw, passing and pressing and weather their first 15mins of long balls (kick and rush) football and settle into our own game and we will win.
3 – 1 to the Leather belts.
Works Christmas night out tonight.
I wonder who will be the 1st to get pished and ask me for a pay rise or tell me how things should be run…🤣
Anyhoo for anyone else on nights out or just because it’s Friday, have a good weekend.
I have 2 days of work left before I stop until 7 January.
Need a break.
Tallyho for now.
D. :)
David66 on 13th December 2024 5:35 am
…………
I hope that you will have a great time on your Works night oot.
Don’t get too drunk…Ach to hell with that…just get pure steaming boats
LOL.
HH Mate.
I have watched TIMO WERNER since his Leipzig days when he looked quite good.
However, since his move to Chelsea and then Spurs he has been rank rotten.
He had a great chance early on against the Huns last night when he cut in from the left wing and headed for the Goal….Sadly…yet again his inability to retain possession and/or get a Shot away was evident as he played the ball too far in front of himself and allowed the Hun player to defend the attack quite easily.
TIMO cant DRIBBLE…Thats for sure.
No wonder ANGE hooked him at half time !
It would be stupid not to admit that the Huns played well in spells last night, and it was a game full of mistakes from BOTH Teams.
The Huns were certainly ” UP for it” more than the Spurs players were.
Did the Hun crowd SPOOK the Spurs just a little….Maybe so ?
HH.
When TIMO WERNER TRIED and FAILED to control a long pass out to the wing with NO Hun players anywhere near him, he totally FAILED to control it and the ball harmlessly ran out for a Throw In to the Huns…..
I shouted at my TV…….” WERNER….You couldnt TRAP a MOOSE with a TON of CHEESE” !
Remember this particular ” MOOSE” wasn’t one of the BIG ELK like animals that I was referring to….When I said ” MOOSE”, I meant one of those wee RODENT animals that eat cheese.
Its Scottish thing I suppose….” Theres a Moose loose aboot this Hoose”.
LOL
HH.
I expect the Hun SOUTTAR to face us on Sunday, he will be desperate to play in a Cup Final v Celtic.
MAYBE he will NOT be 100% FIT ?
HH.
Whoever said the form book goes out the window for Glasgow derbies has been asleep for 5 years.
Good morning all.
Morning BRRB
BURNLEY78 on 12TH DECEMBER 2024 11:19 PM
That entire piece is just unnecessary and unfair.
If we lose on Sunday our expensively assembled squad will still have a double digit lead in the league and still be on our best European run since 1986.
Quite incredible how often Spurs gave the ball away, throughout the whole match. Huns have a few who are capable of peaking to a decent level but are often inconsistent and erratic, e.g. Jefte had some decent moments but almost cost them twice. Cercy has looked decent most times I’ve seen him. We are a far better passing team than them. Just approach it in our usual professional manner.
Big Jimmy:
“It would be stupid not to admit that the Huns played well in spells last night, ”
I agree. Sevco is, as always, our biggest challenge and I feel that posters who dismiss them are trying to convince themselves.Brendan will certainly not be taking lightly.
Tom McLaughlin on 13th December 2024 8:20 am
I have said that for years. Only those influenced by the MSSM use that ` fact`.
Golf beckons so
Cheerio for now.
Big Jimmy – Soutar’s hamstring went, they’d be crazy to risk him. Probably out for a few weeks. Not worried either way, neither he or Balogun can cope with Kyogo’s quick thinking.
I’m glad Tavernier got a game last night ahead of Sterling. Because that means he will probably be selected on Sunday which means Maeda gets another chance to terrorise him. Sterling is a bit quicker and most of their fans want him at RB.
Ifs, and big ifs at that, but if they show up with the same energy as last night and we show up playing like we have in a few recent games then we are going to be in a dog fight. They have not turned into world beaters overnight but they have improved and last night will have given them a big boost of confidence.
Maeda and Kuhn should keep their FBs pinned back but the key will be in midfield and whether Callum is able to dictate the play against them as usual. I’d love to see McGowan get a start but doubt it will happen.
3-2 us.
Deniabhoy
McCowan is cup tied he definitely won’t be playing.
Luke is cup tied