It was all so promising. 35 minutes in, eight Celtic attempts on goal, zero for Valencia. Even when Jeremy Toljan left the field for a second yellow card, there were still positives. We both know that last night’s game was never really about qualification for the next round, so too did Valencia, but it was a useful yardstick for where we are now and where we can hope to be in the summer.
Scott Bain was already established as first choice ‘keeper, but, without seeing much of him before joining Celtic, I think we can say this was the best performance of his career to date. He can play at this level and has been an excellent acquisition to the team.
Brendan Rodgers felt sore about Jeremy Toljan’s second yellow. The full back was pushed before falling into Guedes. It was harsh and the referee probably failed to spot the push, but Toljan was caught in the wrong position and his fall was unnecessary. Jeremy is undoubtedly an upgrade on Mikael Lustig, but small lapses like this is why he’s not at Dortmund right now.
The three central defenders were stand-out successes. Kristoffer Ajer will replay in his head, the header from the free kick and volley from the corner. They were chances to open the scoring but his all round play came close to Man of the Match levels.
I had written off Jozo Simunovic’s usefulness, largely, but not exclusively, on the basis of his fitful availability. However, he showed again last night that he can contribute to the team and deserves a place in the squad. Like Scott Bain, Jonny Hayes had the game of his life. He looked intent to make his mark at the Mestalla and did so.
Callum McGregor was my pick of the midfield players. He was forever tidy under pressure, operating with calm in very tight spaces. Scott Brown was at his best, although a rash tackle brougth an early booking that looked ominous. We got little from the more creative mids, James Forrest and Ryan Christie.
The entire Oliver Burke story was there to see. Great pace and strength, clumsy touch. There is an inverse relationship between speed and control.
Odsonne Eduard made a quick impact when he came on but was eventually subdued. The occasion looked too high a step for Mikey Johnston.
In his post-match interview, Brendan addressed suggestions that he should change his style of play for these matches, citing Leipzig and this game as certification that it can work. Last night had the concession of a third central defender, at the cost of an attack-minded player. We should also caveat that Valencia were two goals up from the game in Glasgow, with little to prove.
The manager is not for changing his high press game, so devastatingly successful domestically, but so open to debate in Europe.
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Couple of decent debates on Sectarianism in Scotland on BBC Scotland radio over the last couple. Quite surprises Stuart Cosgrove was critical of the SMSM fall back stance of whataboutry when discussing the abuse Steve Clarke received at Ibrox, can’t mention it without dragging another team into the debate. Another presenter ( can’t remember name) mentioned the inherent Anti Irish Catholic bigotry in Scottish society.
Sorry for grammatical errors. CQN is an absolute pain when trying to type a message. That’s my excuse.
The clip on the BBC Scotland news, showing a good sizeable number of Celtic supporters standing/sitting behind Kris Boyd, chanting to him, and a coin is thrown at him, the was like a page from Not The View’s – “They embarrassed the hoops!”
BSR –
Guff at a whole urra Level.
They are sniggering at us and Scotland.
GMc on 22nd February 2019 8:17 pm.
I utterly condemn the eejit who threw the coin at Fat boy Boyd. But will not criticize fellow tims for calling an obnoxious fat DOB a fat DOB. Facts are Facts
Any news on Candeias by the compliance officer?
SID on 22ND FEBRUARY 2019 8:33 PM
Any news on Candeias by the compliance officer?
———-
Nah – she didn’t see it…
Interesting comments from Chris Sutton saying Brendans team has not impressed in Europe.
Three seasons, two qualifications for Champions League and last 32 of Europa last 2 seasons.
Anyone know over 3 seasons when we were last more successful?
I,m usually quite hard to please but im happy with that given the amount of qualifiers, circumstances and the league we play in.
Dundee V Hibs on BR Sport for anyone in the USA.
Great picture on twitter just now showing Boyd knuckle shaking with an SFA mason. Would it be sectarian to call him a fat masonic bstrd?
BGFC
The huns have been greeting about trial by Sportscence.
So given our entire media, print and TV deliberately ignored this incident do we now have Non trial by level 5 influence?
OGLACH on 22ND FEBRUARY 2019 8:21 PM
GMc on 22nd February 2019 8:17 pm.
I utterly condemn the eejit who threw the coin at Fat boy Boyd. But will not criticize fellow tims for calling an obnoxious fat DOB a fat DOB. Facts are Facts
########
Fair enough. ?
Stairheedrammy on 22nd February 2019 8:48 pm
Great picture on twitter just now showing Boyd knuckle shaking with an SFA mason. Would it be sectarian to call him a fat masonic bstrd?
===
If the Celtic support sing it often enough it will be deemed Sectarian. Only in Scotland mind you!!!
De-colonize the curriculum, or the darkness will win!
No masonic blindfold CSC
On the subject of Clare the Compliance Officer..(maybe comments above were in jest but..)
The inference for me from that part of the SFA statement…
“When an incident has been identified, the compliance officer asks one fundamental question: was the incident seen, in its entirety, by the match officials?”
..is that she doesn’t have to have seen the incident herself.
“has been identified” suggests that she can learn of it from a number of sources, including other folk I presume.
She can’t possibly be able to see all relevant incidents herself.
I hope she knows how it works.
Thankless Task CSC
SID – total radio silence on that lunge – hmmmm….
BIG GEORGES FAN CLUB – HAIL, HAIL, WEE OSCAR on 22ND FEBRUARY 2019 8:11 PM
A thought provoking article on how others see us. One statement caught my attention at the beginning :- The requirement to mention the type of school the author went to. Where else in the civilised football world would deem this statement a pre requisite for commencing a football narrative.
I no longer go to away games, I rely on those of us who do to give meaningful feedback.
I took my eldest daughter to Parkhead from four years old ( some 19 years ago ), approximately the same age my passion for Celtic originated.
If the behaviour of some of our fans dissuades parents from taking their children to games, then that is a sad reflection and shouldn’t be ignored.
Beaton reffing the Dundee v Hibs game & performing to his usual standard.
Chris Sutton & pals are already talking about one incident being for the compliance officer.
So Muir has aided Sevco’s passage into the next round of the SC by giving a red card which is now not a red card . Lanarkshire refereeing…….the only job in the world outside of politics where dishonesty and incompetence actually enhances your career prospects.
The same Lying King, who went on to the pitch last year before the game v the Luxembourg ‘cracks’,and basically told the hun hordes to be careful what they were singing, in case they got reported for it,but as for domestic stuff,carry on….
BGFG.
A good read and he has some valid points.
I agree with you, whitaboutery is not on.
We shouldn’t associate ourselves with them in any shape or form, especially not to justify poor behaviour.
I stopped attending away games 4 years ago, I was up at Dingwall and some of our fans behaviour was disappointing to say the least.
Don’t get me wrong my poor health and the fact that I had to sit beside Hamilton Tim, the whole bus journey didn’t help either. :-)
We need to accept that not all of our supporters merit being the best fans in the world.
Hail Hail
ThisBhoyWonders from earlier….
Had a similar problem last time we went to Celtic Park.
I suggest you contact the Disabled Supports Association. I did this via Facebook & the day before the game a really helpful man called Peter called me back to say he’d booked us a parking space in the Disabled car park right beside the stadium.
There was no other way we’d have been able to make it with the impossibility of parking in the vicinity of the stadium.
Only down side was that it took forever to get out again after the match, but I didnt mind. Well done to the DSA.
BGFC
My boy (24) has just returned from Valencia. He commented that he’s never seen so many arseholes among Celtic fans. I guess this may have partially explained the behaviour of the fascist scum (cops) that invaded the Irish bar he was drinking in and indiscriminately attacked them with batons.
I’ve been reading reportsThere was broken
Let the People Sing
Court ruling re singing songs that show support of the IRA – IE Could vocal approval of the IRA in a public place be considered not simply a potential breach of the peace but one aggravated by religious prejudice?”
The sheriff listened to the evidence, including my own statement, (my own being Tom Devine, University Professor) and the various submissions on this question both by defence lawyers and the Crown. He concluded that doubtless some members of the public might take offence at songs being sung in support of an organisation which the UK Government considered to be a terrorist movement. Nonetheless, he ruled that the IRA was a republican military organisation, was not sectarian in intent and that those who showed support for it, real or rhetorical, were not showing “malice or ill will towards members of a religious group’’. The charge could not therefore be sustained under the 2003 legislation and the accusation of a religiously aggravated breach was dismissed.”
Listen, everything will sort itself out in time.
Because mind… all their grandchildren will be Celtic fans
Do the sfa still have match observers at each game?
Oops CQN at its worst tonight….I’m typing blind here due to adverts
Broken bottles everywhere, drunken neds pissing in the streets.
Sound like Manchester 2008 to anyone?
If some of our fans behave like animals maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that the armed thugs responsible for law and order behave like animals.
FFS that took so looooooooooong to type up!
Folks
This excellent article by Fanswithoutscraves is well worth drawing attention to in terms of SFA Reform
https://fanswithoutscarves.org/2019/02/22/stigma-in-scottish-football-intro-and-part-1-too-big-to-fail/
My general comment is that the system of regulation in place was a tick box one that depended on trusting clubs would act honestly and in good faith.That trust was broken in 1999 by Sir David Murray and there is a cost to replacing the system with a more rigorous one which arguably, if it is ever done and a figure put on the cost, would make Scottish football another creditor of Rangers FC.
Oglach,
?Oh ah up the ra?
OGLACH on 22ND FEBRUARY 2019 9:11 PM
Let the People Sing
————————-
OGLACH – that’s vital to me – can you give me more info – where is the quote from – what is the case, etc.?
Asking for a currently very concerned friend.
HH
BGFC
There is a good article on E Tims about our supporter behaviour from a Killie fan As Others See us
http://etims.net/?p=13935
I responded a wee reminder that its nothing new, as follows:
It is good to see oorsels as ithers see us from an Ayrshire man (if only some power granted us the giftie )
This issue of supporter behaviour is one that surfaces regularly.
One major occasion was in 2008 when the Famine Song prompted this response at the 2008 Celtic AGM from Chairman John Reid.
John Reid’s Statement at Celtic AGM 2008 based on an internal interview.
Why did you decide to speak out about ‘The Famine Song’ and is it important that the club make sure that our supporters protect the integrity of Celtic’s name?
I spoke out about it because this is a pretty vile song and I don’t think that any reasonable person who has read the words of this song can see it as anything other than a pretty vicious, racist song.
It combines racism and sectarianism and goes beyond a lot of other things that we have seen in the past. That’s one of the reasons why I spoke out and I also come from Irish and Scottish descent myself, so that’s the main reason.
BUT THERE IS A BIGGER AND WIDER REASON AS WELL AND THAT IS THE NATURE OF THIS CLUB
We are proud of the fact that we have Scottish origins and Irish heritage and we are never going to deny that. We will defend that and that is not a cause for shame, it’s a cause for recognition and celebration.
Indeed our very name ‘Celtic’ is about the unity of the Scottish and Irish people. It stands against those who would divide, discriminate and oppose those two entities. And because we start from that basis of the unity of peoples then we have always been open and inclusive as a club.
That’s why traditionally we have never discriminated. That’s why our board, our shareholders, our footballers and our footballing heroes come from all sorts of different backgrounds, religions, ethnic groups and do so internationally.
That’s why I said last year that whatever differences we have when we come into this club we leave them at the door because we believe truly, in a Scotland that is one bit of many cultures and is way beyond now being Scots and Irish.
That is our stance, therefore we have to speak out when we see racism or sectarianism being practised and of course, if we are going to do that WE HAVE TO PRACTISE WHAT WE PREACH.
We have to be careful, from our own point of view and that’s why I am absolutely delighted that our fans in recent years have had accolades from the world football authorities, from the European football authorities and let me say when I point out that there may be a minority who are transgressing our own rules, that they are our own rules.
I don’t know any Celtic fans who have been chanting racist slogans or anything of that nature, so I am not comparing like with like here.
BUT I AM SAYING THAT WE HAVE GOT TO BE WHITER THAN WHITE AND THAT WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN AND TO EDUCATE EVERYBODY AT THIS CLUB, INCLUDING THAT TINY MINORITY WHICH AT AWAY GAMES SOMETIMES LEAVES US EXPOSED TO THOSE WHO WOULD ATTEMPT TO SAY THAT WE ARE ALL THE SAME
WE AREN’T ALL THE SAME, but we have to make sure that that is evident to everybody.
THATS THE NATURE OF CELTIC FOOTBALL CLUB.
The most important parts are highlighted in Capitals with the following two comments.
1. It is almost impossible for human beings to be whiter than white and pulling on a green and white jersey does not confer sainthood. Nevertheless it is correct to aspire to a level of civil behavior that is an example to all. Certainly whilst NOT pishing in the street isn’t a sign of sainthood, it is evidence of a maturity beyond the nappy stage and the capacity to learn.
2. That statement was made in 2008, over 10 years ago. A lot has happened in that time with a younger generation now attending who have yet to learn life’s lessons through the experience they do not yet have, perhaps they need a reminder of what Celtic signify to the broad church of their support?
GREENPINATA on 22ND FEBRUARY 2019 2
I could also add : Why would any sane person want to stay in a political union with such fascists, however that is a debate for another day.
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Couldn`t agree more re. political union .
And they`re not the only ones.
Celtic played well last night and gave Everything they had.
I enjoyed us going to a fearsome Stadium and giving it a right go.
Being a small fitba Nation vs a big Fitba Nation probably influenced the Referee to give 2 yellows when 1 would have sufficed – either way.
Most annoying when a deliberate tug on Brownie did not get the booking it deserved.
Anyway – Bring on the Motherwell.
I expect to see young Timo oot there and Hungry to get the points for the Fantastic Celtic Support that he must have been amazed about in the Mestalla – being able to sit and Witness. Jeremy, he will definitely be a Brammer as we try to get this Incredible Triple Treble.
can someone post the 1872 statement please.
Big Georges Fan Club – Hail, Hail, Wee Oscar on 22nd February 2019 9:18 pm
Actually a well known case that in inevitably lead to the insidious SNP offensive behaviour act being passed as regular legal routes for claiming songs in support of the IRA were sectarian were ended.
I’d try and contact Prof Devin at the Uni of Edinburgh as It was he who wrote the original article.
I’m not sure which is more naïve, expecting anything other than violence from the Spanish police, or thinking that Catalan nationalism is in any way progressive.
Norrie
Collum is the 4th official at the Hundome on Wednesday.
Hi OGLACH – thanks for getting back.
I’ll get my friend to get in contact with Professor Devine – any help will, I’m sure, be welcome.
HH
BGFC