Football is overwhelmingly a results business and results in football drive emotions to a level seldom seen in other areas of sport or business. All that emotion makes perspective elusively difficult. For example, how do you muster anything other than an emotional response to the 1-3 home defeat to Bodo/Glimt, coming, as it did, on the same day Newco won 2-4 in Dortmund.
The result was humiliating, another comfortable defeat in the return leg offered no consolation. Perspective was difficult to find. We laughed earlier in the season when Bodo battered Jose Mourinho’s Roma 6-1. After a poor qualifying campaign that saw them lose home and away to Legia Warsaw, before edging Kosovan and Lithuanian opponents by a single goal to reach the Conference League, Bodo found form. But still, they were preseason when they faced Celtic.
They reached the quarter finals and again got the better of Roma at home, before a collapse at the Olympic Stadium. Roma disposed of Leicester City and are favourites to win the trophy in Tirana tonight, although Feyenoord have form overturning favourites in European finals.
The trauma of our European exit seems a distant memory; a league title win and the sun is shining on Celtic Park. Just as defeat makes perspective difficult, try telling an elated fan that they had better not get too carried away….. Don’t get too carried away, we face existential risks next season.
Considering how Bodo/Glimt pushed Roma so hard, a win for Mourinho’s side would make me feel better about our season. Maybe I’m still trying to find some perspective for that awful 5-1 aggregate defeat in February. Not sure any result tonight will help. Some end of season perspective has me shaken.
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BIG WAVY on 25TH MAY 2022 12:57 PM
Or maybe bag the money and use it to upgrade the stadium.
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Another sensible suggestion, however that may be a viable consequence of sustained and prestigious European football.
Cheers and HH.
JimTim,
It’s not really about brawn but more a system that sucks the life out of opposition and stifles them, wins the turnover and tries to break quickly (or releases it quickly to a Kent or Morelos). They rode their luck, suffered equally a lot of defeats in the process and had a few ‘giants’ frankly underestimate them and the crowd at Ibrox….
As per the Europa Cup Final, it’s awful to watch but highly effective for keeping in the game and winning by the small margins it needs.
I think next season we’re likely to both delight and deflate with our approach, blowing teams away as much as being schooled by better teams.
Should be fun. Probably won’t be enough to get us a fighting chance of progressing far in Europe sadly.
HH
A tall order but one that must be met. Recruit in this window for tactical flexibility and, specifically, capacity to defend in European competition where we are often not the best team in the game. Domestically we are the best team in the game far more often than not and that’s how we win. Different story in Europe….
SFTB – electing George W Bush twice was bad enough, but electing Donald Trump was simply unforgivable. Ever since I have questioned the willingness of Europe to accept hegemonic status of that country and the influence it wields in most things political, economic, social and cultural.
For me it’s not merely about restricting the “Americanisation trend” towards the availability of firearms, it’s about reversing the trend of Americanisation.
55 years; all Lions born within 30 miles of Parkhead.
We will never emulate that feat, but we now have more opportunities to cast our net worldwide.
Consider where we were prior to 1965 when Jock arrived and what we achieved in two short years.
We have the potential and Ange will give us the will.
HH.
Barca simply shift up a wee gear to beat the A-League collect 3-2 in a keenly contested show-match.
Wonder how Barca would go against a SPFL select ?
Re our Euro prospects, I’d observe that Western United have done so well this year cos they did a Steevie Gee at ‘The Rangers’. They signed more seasoned ‘older heads’ to get the team spine right – a goalie 2x centre halfs 1x centre mid and striker. And they managed out games, usually only winning by the odd goal or so.
Western and The Teds are usually horrible to watch. But as Big Wavy said about the currants, very effective.
But Ange wont sign old dudes or complete weans. Signing mid-20s types he has one eye for some experience and the other on tradable assets.
I read once that the concept of an “existential threat” didn’t enter common understanding until around the 1920s. Prior to the Victorian era the world was a very small place, everything was no further away than the next village along. Most people therefore couldn’t really perceive of anything “existential”, the only thing in their lives which might be considered a risk to existence was god/religion which was a single concept and therefore did not require a category. Use and understanding of the phrase really took off during the cold war, with the very real “existential threat” of nuclear war.
You’re welcome.
Existential risk ?
Sorry Paul, but a threat to mankind is way way off the radar.
Perhaps you know something the West doesn’t know ?
Maybe you should revisit your leader.
Hail Hail
Stay Safe
……………………. we face existential risks next season.
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On the 55th anniversary of the game that changed Celtic forever, P67 decides to drop in a bit of click bait. And then leaves the room somewhat shaken.
Mmmmm I wonder if the “existential threat” is something that smells across the river , a threat to the “not the old firm “
Existential Threat,i will be about money and the need to preserve it, plc dividends and bonuses first.
As we took the field against Bodø/Glimt I had one of those senior shivers/moments as a dated but iconic chant echoed in my psyche…..BODO’s Gonnae Get Ye!
Hail Hail
Matt
SFTB
Very good post about this tragic and tragically foreseeable event.
Byden’s plea to the US people to change course was, again, heartfelt but the headlines will recede in a few days and we will await the next one.
Brief sojourn from my summer sabbatical.
Looked at twitter. Former celt puts £25 million tag on Bassey and compares him to KT. Click link. I should have known. Chic Nick strikes again!
Deary me.
KT had 4 league titles, a hatfull of cups and 100 plus senior appearances for Celtic when he left aged 21.
Bassey, 22, has played senior football less than 40 times. 37 of those games were this season.
But aye, same level as KT. JEEZO
I read it to mean the Huns face an existential risk. !!! 67ECW
OH HAPPY ANNIVERSARY. x
Is CQN all calm regarding gym bunny training regimes / super hero body suits?
Is CQN all calm regarding PEDs / drug testing regime in the SPL?
Is CQN all calm regarding GK’s swimming in caffeine?
Is CQN all calm about recovery times / back to back games going to ET / fresh as daisies?
Asking for a friend — been away.
We need to get rid of players who Ange does not wish to play. Barkus, Ajeti, Jullien, Soro, Dembele, Boli He appears to be lukewarm about McCarthy, Scales, Johnston and Kenny. We need to bring in Replacements. I hope Mark Lawwell has a copy of the City group player database. He will need it
There will also be interest in players who we want to keep who may well leave to improve their finances. Ange will not want to keep players who wat away
We have also 13 players out on loan.
The total is 31 plus 13 on loan To me 44 is too many. Most of the loanees have to go. I reckon 28 to 30 is a fair number for the first team pool. If we get rid of the 6 surplus plus say 2 of the lukewarms. Then we
… Then we may need up to 6 new players, maybe more
PHILCOOL on 25TH MAY 2022 10:28 AM
Big Jimmy
What was Billy doing in your uncles house in Denistoun?
Jesting pal.
And I was 11years and 6 months,lol
………………
I fully expected someone on here to ” Question” the wording of my original Post.
LOL
On reflection, I could and SHOULD have ” WORDED” it better !
HH Mate.
BIG WAVY
Keeping our good young players is a big problem i think we lost about six in the past year or so.
Don’t see us going far in Europe playing Angie ball we need some grit in the midfield.
Should be fine for Scotland as last season some of the football was a joy to watch.
LISBON…Stay at home Bhoy.
My DA and a few of his Taxi Cab mates drove all the way to Lisbon for the Final in two cars. My DA had taken me to all the European HOME Fixtures leading up to Lisbon.
A few days BEFORE setting off for Lisbon, my DA tried to explain to me the reason why I could NOT go with him.
” He claimed…” Wee Jimmy son, IF we were Flying to Lisbon, I would take you, but we are driving to Lisbon and back, and it is TOO LONG a journey for a Wee Bhoy” ?
On his return from Lisbon, he brought me back a large Cardboard Box with, Ball, Pennant, and a very large ( But splendid), Lisbon NEWSPAPER from the day of the game. I was amazed at this newspaper as on the FRONT PAGE, were….GLOSSY FULL COLOURED PICTURES of both Celtic and Inter Milan Squads.
I had NEVER seen a Newspaper with Glossy coloured Photos before.
I kept that Newspaper for around 20 years, but due to moving around and broken relationships with wummin….I finally lost it !
Funnily enough, my DA also liked ” The Wummin”, and on the day that he returned from Lisbon he visited with the Box of Goodies, he arrived at my Grandads Hoose ( who I lived with)…and after presenting me with the Box of Goodies, my DA then proceeded to tell my Grandad ( HIS DAD), about ALL the STRIP CLUBS that he and his Taxi mates had visited on the road to Lisbon…
He hardly mentioned the game at all !
LOL.
Back in the 1990’s one of my mates who was older than me, explained that there were NO WEANS who had travelled to Lisbon. My mate said that HE was 18 years old when HE went to Lisbon, and that HE ( being EIGHTEEN), was probably one of the youngest Celtic fans there ?
My mate also added…” As for your DA and his mates going to Strip Clubs etc….THAT was the real reason that your DA never took you….it was a ” JOLLY BHOYS OUTING”……simple as that.
Methinks my mate was 100 % correct.
LOL
” LOL”…Does that stand for THE LIONS of Lisbon” ?
HH.
I don´t think Paul is being naive here and he is asking for perspective after all. We simply lack (modern) experience of a good Euro campaign, ironically even under Brendan R when we swept the rest of Scotland aside we never achieved a good run of form or results. A necessary victory btw to record the historic 4×3 triumphs in Scotland. Maybe today is not the best date for Celtic to be apprehensive about playing European competitions but when you see how other Glasgow teams get the red carpet treatment from Switzerland and the Dutch official in Seville on the VAR machine, you can see where the existential threat is coming from.
Bigbhoy,
Once again,a very uplifting post.
The Rev,I.A.M.Jolly,lives on.
Good afternoon all from Shawlands. Enjoying the 55th anniversary and ripping the toilet water outta the huns. Cheers!
Those coming on,advocating,we need,4,5,6 players.Really?.At what level would these players need to be at?.CL level?Really?.How much do you think they will cost?.Also,they would want huge wages,and plenty of starts.Ain’t gonna be sitting on any bench.
All pie in the sky,airy fairy thinking.If you are going to discuss,start from an achievable outcome.
EG,both LBs we have been looking at,are affordable,and look very good but would they help in Europe.
The super clubs rarely buy cheap.
SFTB
I found Steve Kerrs press conference more influential in that he mentions Mitch McConnell and that 50 senators are sitting doing nothing because of their own vested interest, alarming that two reps of the state of Texas are meeting the lobbying arm of the NRA next week.
I wonder if their pig ignorance would change id a random shooter inflicted carnage at an NRA meeting.
I did appreciate your post
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Happy 55th everyone! (The real 55)
Let’s be positive and embrace European football.
If a team only 10 years old can make a European final why can’t we ?
It is widely acknowledged that we have better players than them in just about every position.
Yes luck plays it’s part in European football, but to be lucky 7 times in a row is 128 to 1.
So realistically there is no reason why we cannot become a big European name again.
All we need is faith, belief and Ange.
A club like Celtic and her supporters should never be at the back of a European bus.
Finally, under the Ange journey we will have the required focus.
And don’t listen to doomsayers who would tell us otherwise.
HH.. To positive vibes on the Ange journey.
MadMitch – Asking for a friend — been away.
You have a friend? ;)
https://twitter.com/indeeddeutsch/status/1529145210407616513?s=24&t=TpiLtLjKfJJXt84GmDltZw
Eintracht Frankfurt Lego action replay, brilliant
European competitive team….Good defence ..goalkeeper AND quality defensive mids…..in the lambert lennon and wanyama moulds
SoE @ 3.17
I have a xxxxxx in Jesus — thank you very much.
Sevco’s Euro record. Luck but progressive & increasingly Euro-savvy.
2017/18 – First Qualifying Round – Pedro in a Luxembourg hedge
2018/19 – Group stage – 3rd – Gerrard’s first foray
2019/20 – Round of 16 after 9 points in group – Leverkeusen gubbed them
2020/21 – Round of 16 again after topping group with 14 pts above Benfica – Slavia Prague
2021/22 – Runners-Up. Group total of 8 points behind Lyon – Aaron Ramsey
Now come to the end of a 3/4 year cycle and will rebuild.
How can we compare against that in next few years ?
HH
TURKEYBHOY
We need players of the level of Juranuvic.
Who cost £2.5m
There was a bit of chat here about James Forrest’s new contract & whether it was the same terms an increase in pay or a reduction in pay,
Reading Nir Bitton’s interview it was clear that Celtic had an option of a further year on existing Terms but didn’t take it up, they did however offer Nir a new contract for 2 years (I think) but obviously on reduced pay, Nir said it wasn’t about the money, he just felt the time was right to go, Either way he refused the Contract.
BB
That was fair braw.
Existential threat Paul.
Last person to mention that Paul was your invited unionists/troll team and prolific complainer and his context was Celtic child abuse.
What’s your context?
HH