Three seasons of direct access to the Champions League Group or League stage has isolated us from the anxieties of the qualification rounds. Risks come in categories. There are sides who are far stronger and always progress (such as Arsenal). Scandinavians who are midseason, with a vital fitness advantage, and tiny clubs who get everything right for a season or two in the sun (Malmo), some of whom are also midseason.
In seasons 2012, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 we entered Champions League qualification in the second round. That was bad enough. In 2018, 19 and 20 we entered in the first qualification round. This distorted preseason, denied us money-spinning trips overseas, and brought an unhelpful urgency to squad development.
Getting appropriate preseason games was difficult. Every strong club in Europe was either at a lesser fitness than Celtic, or were midseason and not interested in playing friendlies. There was learning throughout this process, but outcomes were disappointing.
This season starts with a league game against St Mirren on 3 August. By then, we will have played six preseason games, three against strong opposition (Sporting, Newcastle, Ajax). We will have two league games under out belt before the first Champions League playoff round game. There can never be too many, but eight games will move the fitness dial to some degree.
By then, Celtic will hope to have further strengthened the squad. The learning mentioned above will be beneficial. Never underestimate the importance of stability. I mention that to give some context to Newco, who have only one preseason game before they play Panathinaikos in Champions League qualification next week (the Greeks have four games).
There is so much change at Newco right now, ownership of planning and decision-making will still be bedding in. Clearly, the last guys did not leave them much in the way of a structure for the new season.
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jackiemac on 16th July 2025 6:24 pm
what possessed bertie to start singing in the tunnel?
he said it was to spook the supersta movie good looking italians.
it worked.
being in the stadium i dont know this but did we sing in the tunnel there ?
did we sing in milan , anyone know ?
qq for 10.
who was cecil buckland better known as ?
seville i mean
Interesting how some smart arses have never come across game theory.
Celtic: Schmiechel, Ralston, Murray, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Nygren, Hatate, Forrest, Maeda, Idah.
v Sporting Lisbon.
MON the HOOPS.
JUST DAE IT CELTIC.
HH.
ERATIC @ 4:18 PM
Agent: We’ve had a call from Celtic they want to know if your interested in going to Scotland
Player : (Insert a hundred different names). Have you had any other offers
Agent: Not as yet , but think there will be other clubs interested
Player: Erm …no sure about Scotland
Agent : Let’s wait and see what else comes in.
Player : Good idea , might get a better offer….
Unfortunately we’ve got to be realistic, if a player is half decent he is going to leave it till the last minute to see if he gets a better option unless he gets a mega deal offer , which we obviously won’t be offering…….
——————————————————————
Karrrrecteeemundo!
Though I fear your logically thought out opinion will not go down well here. In fact, such posts rarely receive acknowledgement from those who disagree.
Such common sense posting is all too rarely seen on the blog these days…unfortunately.
Instead, we are subjected to reading the same, agenda driven drivel, repeated daily. The experts on here think that decent players are simply sitting by the phone, waiting for a Scottish club to come calling. And that their current club will just roll over and allow their, fully contracted, decent part to leave for less than they think they can get in this transfer window. It’s really that simple apparently!
HH
Anyone have pictures on Celtic TV?
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM @ 6:29 pm,
Do you when Brendan left in February 2019 and most Celtic supporters were fooled into thinking he did a midnight flit.
And I wasn’t fooled.
The reason was I understand the concept of a contract.
Brendan Rodgers can’t walk away from a contract.
Leicester City can’t employ someone under contract to another club.
Turns out Celtic PLC had negotiated a record compensation package with Leicester City that the Celtic Executive tried to keep under wraps.
“My personal sense is if we don’t qualify for CL and don’t win at ibrox he will go sooner not later. The fans and he will blame the board and he will be exonerated.”
Same scaremongering bull$ right!!
Only no one is falling for it this time.
Fool me once….
Hail Hail
brilliant SS – he was on the wind-up
Chairbhoy on 16th July 2025 3:51 pm
Respectfully? …
I said I think B78 makes a fair, reasonable observation when he said recruitment is difficult.
I didn’t make any comment at all about his response to JS that recruitment should be challenged.
Happy to clarify.
J
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full @ 6:41 pm,
With all due respect you haven’t clarified
Did you mean this.!?
Burnley78 @ 1:06 pm,
“Bada Bing 12.44
Yup his [Brendan Rodgers] requests are falling on the deaf ears of HIS [Brendan Rodgers] own recruitment team. They are finding out how hard the challenge is. As he is now he [Brendan Rodgers] has no one to blame.”
Please clarify.
Hail Hail
Chairbhoy – I only asked if anyone had pictures from Celtic TV.
As an aside, I think there’s a reasonable probability it could be shame on you.
Interesting… Nygren in midfield?
Maybe a No10 &/or channel roll…
Hail Hail
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM @ 6:47 pm,
No, I dont have pictures either…
Hail Hail
Media- huns looking for £15m for midfield superstar
CQN Stupid huns believing that…
Media – Celtic risk missing out on rising star
CQN Sack the board
The Battered Bunnet on 16th July 2025 2:55 pm
My concern re the team is that we seem to have lost the knack of winning an important match.
——
Good stuff as always TBB.
I personally wish you’d post here more often.
I think i take a slightly different view on what constitutes an important match.
I also have a (quite narrow) view on the root cause of lost or underperformed games you listed.
For me the 3 games against R2ngers (2 defeats and a draw) had no impact on the league given our lead … so were unimportant
(When it was tight the previous season, and circumstances were very difficult, Brendan and the team got the job done).
IMHO The only important game we lost last year that we should not have?
Scottish Cup Final.
Champions League drained us.
The “finishing strong” BR often quotes did not happen. Tank was empty.
Had we more depth, and played our best players for fewer minutes we might have got results in the Cup Final and two other key games both in the CL.
Zagreb away, Bruges at home.
We just might have given Villa a fright too plus we died after 80 minutes in Munich.
Can’t be too greedy though.
As you say we crawled over the line in the LCF and could easily have lost at home to Young Boys.
For me the fix is
1. A robust squad of 22 each playing between 2,000 and 4,000 minutes of competitive football in a season (that would cover us for 60 games)
2. Greater trust in the “B list” to take care of domestic games PARTICULARLY across October to December … when the ridiculous schedule meets heavier pitches.
7.30 kick off pictures wont be up yet.
Last two games the Celtic TV just came on 10 mins or less before k.o
Pictures on now!!
Hail Hail
BTB – 4 games in 90 minutes against a bang average hun team and yet some will shoot you down for questioning the manager.
Go figure.
If they had our number the risk was all they had to do was to figure out how to be more consistent against the cannon fodder.
It now seems they’re trying to build a team to go toe-to-toe with us so we’ll never know how it would have turned out.
Pictures are up😁
Nice build up to the game on Celtic TV.
Players getting a walking history of the game and stadium.
Cheers Chairbhoy …
I was drawn to “how hard the challenge is”
(There were words either side – acknowledged)
In my post I paraphrased this as “Recruitment is very difficult”.
(Was actually going to write ‘bloody hard’)
I think both quoted observations (B78s / mine) are accurate and reasonable.
Recruitment is a tough gig.
IMHO, as a means to an end (trophies, sustainability, net revenue) our recruitment over the last decade has been successful.
(Although Paul’s ‘kissing frogs’ analogy will live long in the memory)
Looking around it is easy to spot others making a complete a*se of it over decades.
E.g. Man Utd, Everton, R2ngers.
https://www.vipbox.lc/football/sporting-cp-vs-celtic-1-live
Nygren starts as a No 8
Bright start from both teams.
But playing as a 10
tell you what, £50 for CTV is a feckin rip off. if no free games on the season card, at the very least ctv should, rampant corprate greed in practice again.
Great move from Celtic, Idah misses a sitter, then incorrectly offside decision given.
Good work in the build ip ftom Nygren
Good move sclaffed finish Idah
Brilliant break. Nygren perfect weight of pass to Maeda. Cross lays on plate for idah. Sitter missed but off hook due to offside ( and it was on).
clunks on 16th July 2025 7:31 pm
https://www.vipbox.lc/football/sporting-cp-vs-celtic-1-live
just goes to ads
Nygren looks bright!
Nygren is very very clever
embdy got a working sausage?
fourstonecoppi
Need to use an adblocker on pc – https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin-lite/ddkjiahejlhfcafbddmgiahcphecmpfh?hl=en-GB
Or use brave on both mobile and desktop – https://brave.com/
virtual windfall draw, they never miss an opportunity to skim pff the top do they
Celtic are pinning Sporting back. Some nice play from midfield.