Brendan Rodgers would have opened his hotel curtains this morning and welcomed the sight of a cool, wet, day in Astana. Far from the 30° he feared, it’s to be 17° by kick-off, having rained most of the day. That rainwater will help hold the ball up on the plastic surface at the Astana Arena where Celtic play their Champions League qualifier this afternoon.
Astana must be wondering if the clouds are conspiring against them. This is the coolest day of the month there, well below the 31° heat in the city two weeks ago. As any runner unaccustomed to such conditions will tell you, temperature differences like this have a huge impact on performance.
We can be pretty sure Kieran Tierney, Mikael Lustig and Saidy Janko will play, but in what formation and who will join them at the back is open to conjecture. What we can be more certain of is that we’ll pull defenders tight together, with Scott Brown playing the kind of defensive-mid role he produced a year ago in Qarabag.
A great deal of responsibility will lie with Leigh Griffiths. He’ll have space to receive the ball from Roberts and (probably) Forrest. At 25, he’s entering his peak years and is more than capable of winning this tie on his own.
Take a deep breath………..
Directors’ Box auction prize
Courtesy of Celtic sponsor and all round good guys, Intelligent Car Leasing, we have an outstanding auction prize, as the centrepiece of our summer good causes. For the Kilmarnock game at Celtic Park, on 24 September 2016, you can win:
2 seats in the directors’ box
Champagne reception
5 course meal in the Walfrid Suite
Fully expenses bar (pre and post-match)
Half time snacks and refreshments
Car Parking
And a match programme.
There are experiences in life which money can’t buy. This one is now available for you to bid for here on ebay until Friday lunchtime. Two of you, directors’ box, Champagne reception, 5 course meal, free bar, get in there – and tell your pals about it.
Monies raised will go towards our fifth (yes fifth) school kitchen for Mary’s Meals, and our other good causes in connection with Friday’s CQN Golf Day.
And thanks to Intelligent Car Finance. We’re fortunate to have people like this around us.
143 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- »
Broonie to score in 90mins for me today
optimistCSC
Let the People Sing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&feature=related&v=zhkdy0AOpaM
Nye Bevans’ rebel soldier on 27th July 2016 12:39 pm
J are you in the standing area or just outside it?
WINNING CAPTAINS on 27TH JULY 2016 1:01 PM
A whole realignment in Europe must happen.
All bets and certainties are off.
Freedom for some is licence for others.
Vive la France.
All the talk on tactics and formations…
Why don’t we just surprise them and play our own game with our strongest available line-up, playing in the formation most suited to that line-up. Let the minnows worry about containing us.
And PLEASE just wear The Hoops!
Let’sPretendWe’rePlayingAtHomeCSC
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL
Only place Bitton should be sitting is in the stands.
Play him in in role behind midfield three?
So he can be wrongside of opponent constantly and give fouls in dangerous area?
Also he could show for the ball out of defense and immediately return it to put our weakest area under pressure.
He can’t press or pass in a forward motion so there are nothing but negatives in his inclusion.
PRESTONPANS BHOYS
Next to it,they made stairs where your seat was.
Are you feeling confident about today?
FAN-A-TIC on 27TH JULY 2016 1:10 PM
I think that the creativity of a number of our players was stifled by Ronny and his ” system. ”
A new page.
Will it be pretty in pink tonight?
I think so.
Paul, can’t believe you still think that Forrest can be a match winner in these circumstances. If Rodgers selects him, I will have lost confidence in him as well.
Re France
I met a retired couple that live near me yesterday. They had both been teachers at my school.
They had just finished dinner on the Nice Promenade on the night of the attack. They saw an Irish pub up a side street and went in for a drink when the mayhem started with people running past them.
They were safe but, had they not seen this pub, they had intended to walk from the east end of the Promenade to the west – i.e. straight into the path of the killer.
God help France.
Ah well. The weather is not, as extremely hot as expected. Small mercies. The preparation for today started last August.
Underwhelmed.Previous experience makes moi pessimistic, nervous and fearful. Hopefully Brendan has instilled a backbone with some inspired motivation. Previously lacking on many occasions. The lack of experience with O’Connor should not have been the case. Lack of game time to win the league by 15 points or not to risk failure against lower league clubs in the cup.
I hope the rumours regarding Henderson to Hibs are wrong.
BSR. 10.34. Previous blog. Top post .
Hope I’m wrong with my negativity this afternoon. I only ask for the tie to still be alive next week.
ThursdaynightfitbaonthecardsatbestCSC
Total nonsense about the rain holding the ball up on artificial surfaces.
These pitches are designed to take a hell of a lot of water so rain will make it faster and slick.
I think that may suit us more than them, let’s hope so.
Cmon the hoops.
Am I the only one unhappy about CFC decision to sell the game coverage to some unused channel??
The rain don’t matter.
They’ve got a roof.
LMCBHOY on 27TH JULY 2016 1:16 PM
Am I the only one unhappy about CFC decision to sell the game coverage to some unused channel??
———————————————————————————————————————————————
I would imagine it was Astana who decided to sell coverage of the game to whoever they chose.
They are the home team after all.
HH!!
Bhoylo (And anyone else going to the Barca game on Saturday)
The place to be pre-game is The irishtown Tavern in Ringsend – about 5 minutes walk to stadium.
It has 2 Celtic bands playing there at 12.30pm and 3pm.
There’s a busload of us going up from galway CSC for the day – Will be a great afternoon of craic before the match.
MACJAY1
While you may have a point.
Bitton clearly did not get the memo in Malta or any other preseason games he appeared in.
Watching Owen smith – do the PLP really think he is more appealing to voters than Corbyn? I don’t trust the man as far as I could explain away his overt careerism.
Good luck to the hoops tonight – long distance butterflies kicking in from scorchio sorrento!
Will keep in touch by the miracle of t’internet.
One hour ahead here so I’ll let yous know what’s happening in advance!
Wee dip in the pool to cool off then a Wee moretti or two.
Roastin’- way down south!
Hulk Smash Big Chips. Facts Facts Facts Sir!
Getting in the Mood.
KLV
Tallybhoy on 27th July 2016 1:22 pm
Our game last week at CP was only on Premier too!
HH
Nye Bevans’ rebel soldier on 27th July 2016 1:11 pm
PRESTONPANS BHOYS
Next to it,they made stairs where your seat was.
Are you feeling confident about today?
Why should I …… :0(
Heat wont be a problem it’s the humidity that could affect our game plan (huv we got one)
The plastic pitch is the only reservation i have about the game, as for their players our players can match them right throughout their team.
Worried about a mob from Kazakhstan with a Bulgarski manager…………………………………Not me.
Get right intae them Celtic.
Fan-a-tic – bitton is exactly as you describe. Capable and talented in some ways (hits a great shot on occasion, better than average control) but has an almost entirely negative effect on Celtic performances. I would be more worried to see his name on the team sheet than I would be about ambrose.
Arguably ambrose made one mistake in Gibraltar (yes, I know about all the others down the years) but the team should have been able to overcome that. Bittons absence from midfield and two much improved performances since are not a coincidence.
Horses
Was given Linjano in the first at Redcar
Also told Shantou flyer has a great chance in the galway plate but it’s a tough race
Also our kylie each way in the 2nd race at galway
Best of luck. .
Heathrow Express (return journey) ;-)
ROBERTTRESSELL
The PLP are in for a huge shock. Time they did what they were selected to do,which is represent their constituents.
If they don’t,they might find themselves in a rather difficult job market,scrambling round for a column in The Telegraph or The Mail.
IMO,Smith has different views from me. And from most who still think that Labour matters.
With him in charge,the two major parties would be indistinguishable. I hope it won’t happen.
And I’m confident it won’t.
All you negative, level 5 helpers, and lurking Huns, may as well chip in your tuppence worth now because after this game is over, you will not be seen for a couple of days (as usual ) because we are getting a result tonight, so GIRFUYs I’m off to The Brazen to sit with good Tims, any negativity in there, they’r arse necked out the door HH.
TD67
well at least we now understand where you violent streak comes from.
MWD
FAN-A-TIC on 27TH JULY 2016 1:23 PM
All good , mate.
My theory ?
Brendan can motivate players whom Ronny couldn`t.
Early days.
Celtic (v Astana) Team Announcement:
Craig Gordon
Efe Ambrose
Roy Aitken
Oliver Tebily
Tom Boyd
Paul McStay
Davie Provan
Regi Blinker
Harald Brattbakk
Wayne Biggins
Marc Antoine Fortune
Angelgabriel
I to will be sorry if Henderson rumours are true.
He has the talent to be an excellent footballer.
If Brendan deems him surplus the we have to accept .
Fatwa Sam, Fatwa Sam …
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36900310
TONYDONNELLY67 on 27TH JULY 2016 1:36 PM
Wish I could be with you guys in the Brazen .
Midnight Sydney is gonna have to do .
Hail Hail to you all.
Today’s starting line up v Astana ko 3pm
CELTIC team v @fca_kz: Gordon; Lustig, Ambrose, O’Connell; Roberts, Armstrong, Brown, McGregor, Tierney; Dembele, Griffiths.
LMCBHOY –
The game is in Astana. It’s not for Celtic to sell.
As for the home game v Red Imps also being on Premier Sports, that’s because they were the only channel that asked. Do you want Celtic to refuse any TV coverage just because you don subscribe to the only channel that is interested?
Another addition to the list of bizarre excuses for criticising the club.
Gordon; Lustig, Ambrose, O’Connell; Roberts, Armstrong, Brown, McGregor, Tierney; Dembele, Griffiths.
I’ll be ASTANA’d of forehead if we win today but delighted none the less.
Pink top, hooped top or taps aff, who cares.
MWD PL GTF