Trending
Celtic News Now
Celtic Quick News on News Now
Celtic Quick News
You are at:»»Qualifiers come into focus

Qualifiers come into focus

179
By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Our record in qualification campaigns is sufficiently poor that, no matter who we draw next week, none of us will take the prospect lightly. Basel and Sturm Graz are two of five potential prospects and on paper offer the stiffest opposition.

Basel won the Swiss league for the first time in eight years after perennial champions Young Boys’ early season form crashed.  YB recovered, staged a late run for the title and only lost at Celtic Park in January to a late own-goal.  Memories of that match are sufficiently fresh that I would not like to face the Swiss champions.

Sturm Graz won only three Austrian titles before 2024 but have secured back-to-back wins since, sapping the carbonated fizz from RB Salzburg.  They will be difficult opponents for whoever they face.

Dynamo Kyiv beat Newco at Hampden in last season’s qualifiers but finished 34th of 36 teams who reached the Europa League, securing only four points from eight games.  Hampered by the war, Dynamo are a shadow of their former self.  Overcoming Cypriots Pafos should be the peak of their CL campaign.

Slovan Bratislava could be back, still under manager Vladimir Weiss, who presumably would be less bullish of his chances than before their Celtic Park capitulation last season.  They are likely to have enough to eliminate Kazak champions Kairat.

We played Qarabag a decade ago in what turned into a tense second leg.  A 0-0 draw in Azerbaijan was followed by a 1-0 win at Celtic Park, in the days when away goals still counted double.  It was a long second half.  The Azeris have done little to suggest they have progressed since, although a win should be expected against Macedonian champions, Shkëndija.

Bring it on.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

179 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5

  3. scullybhoy on

    GerryBhoy on 1st August 2025 10:39 am

     

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

     

    Thank you for your reply.

     

     

    Poor Johnny couldn’t believe it. One of my all-time favourite Bhoys.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fcd36a91998650173b217a7047d4e6e2f&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=13cff63dd039ef0aa9211dd8413ec079286b378c77cd27f0d28f81840536bdc5

     

     

    https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimages6.fanpop.com%2Fimage%2Fphotos%2F43200000%2FJohnny-Doyle-celtic-football-club-43285842-1080-1080.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=9c561233e81857c88e9626b1761a157d750cc2ef86b70d15ab612f9f654cb5e7

     

     

    https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F559%2F18269273398_0b61455d41_b.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=08cb306082ef229a2310dab9033123d481b037cc076cc9a4a6ca55c8aa0ee9cc

  4. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Green Brigade given 3 match suspended ban,for amongst other things,flying the Palestinian flag, a lot of others will boycott games if this is the case

  8. timmy7_noted on

    Great news about McStay. That will definitely get me out of the Drover on time.

     

     

    I overhead an interesting discussion between two huns in the gym this morning, both about my age so probably retired. Both are convinced that the squad is rubbish and they can’t believe the luck they carried against Pana. Their expectation is that someone will soon give them a doing and the shit will hit the fan for the manager.

     

     

    Let’s hope so.

  9. timmy7_noted on

    Hot Smoked @ 8:20

     

     

    Is their a hierarchy for Celtic supporters? And if so what are the criteria?

  10. EKBhoy on

    BORGO67 on 1ST AUGUST 2025 8:53 AM

     

    Remember when they brought in the rule for simulation, who was first to fall foul, us. Aiden Mcgeady at Easter road. He was fouled , no diving involved, the ref was scowling he was so happy to give it against Aiden who was obviously a target for choosing Ireland over Scotland.

     

     

    Can’t remember the ref.

     

    ……

     

     

    Seem to remember our previous midweek fixture was away to Arsenal where the Arsenal forward (Eduardo ? ) dived in the box , Big Arthur threw a tantrum and the club complained like mad

     

     

    Aiden had to take evasive action as he was about to be halved in 2 during a quick break , seems to me VAR every day of the week is far more balanced than what went before.

     

     

    HH

  11. scullybhoy on

    Johnny Doyle’s childhood was certainly not easy.

     

     

    His father William had a serious accident at work. He was a miner, like many in those parts. He was confined to a wheelchair. His hobby was to follow his son Johnny and dream that one day he could play for his beloved Celtic Football Club.

     

     

    He left before Johnny fulfilled his and his father’s dream.

     

     

    Doyle began his career at Ayr United where he soon made a name for himself.

     

     

    Curiously, it was during his time with the ‘Honest Men’ (the club’s nickname) that Doyle’s only appearance with the Scottish national team came. It happened on 17 December 1975 in a match against Romania for the 1976 European Championship qualifiers.

     

     

    The turning point in Doyle’s career came in that same year.

     

     

    In a game against Rangers in which Ayr United triumphed by three goals to nil and Johnny Doyle was a real torment for the defence of the ‘Gers’ who were so strong that season that they won the ‘treble’, Championship, Scottish Cup and League Cup.

     

     

    … apparently that was the first match in which Doyle began his ‘show’ by running with crucifix in hand for the Rangers players to kiss …

     

     

    But his performance didn’t go unnoticed and in March 1976 Celtic shelled out a whopping £90,000 for Doyle’s signing, beating off competition from Aberdeen and Londoners Arsenal, among others.

     

     

    … Doyle signed for Celtic after serving three weeks’ disqualification due to an expulsion he received with his Ayr United side against … Celtic Glasgow!

     

     

    About the fact that Doyle had a very peculiar ‘temper’ there is little doubt.

     

     

    Even before signing for Celtic he had already been sent off the field on four occasions serving long periods of disqualification.

     

     

    For those who thought that with maturity and the fact that he was playing for a big club Doyle could somehow calm down, there is not only the episode recounted at the beginning.

     

     

    In August 1977 Celtic faced Ayr United, Doyle’s old team.

     

     

    During a play Doyle committed a hand foul. The referee whistled for a free kick but Doyle continued to play. He tries to put a cross into the middle of the area but instead hits the referee of the match, Mr. Cuthill … who falls to the ground semi-conscious! When he recovers the first thing he does is eject Doyle who first protests his innocence and then storms off the pitch furious with the great Jock Stein who tries, unsuccessfully, to calm him down.

     

     

    Fortunately, this time the blatant involuntariness of the gesture is acknowledged and Doyle suffers no disqualification.

     

     

    Among the thirty-six total goals scored by Johnny Doyle for Celtic there is one that stands out in particular.

     

     

    It is the 5th of March 1980.

     

     

    Celtic have made it all the way to the quarter-finals of the European Cup.

     

     

    The draw pitted them against the Real Madrid of Juanito, Santillana, Del Bosque and Stielike. On the bench for the ‘merengues’ is a young Yugoslav coach: his name is Vujadin Boskov.

     

     

    At Celtic Park there is not a single free seat.

     

     

    In a few hours the 67,000 tickets were sold.

     

     

    The first half ended nil-nil, but in the second half it was striker McCluskey who put the hoops ahead. Buoyed by their wild fans Celtic poured forward.

     

     

    Fifteen minutes from the end there was yet another run down the right by full-back Sneddon. His cross at the second post flew past McCluskey and Lennox, the two forwards, but in that area was him, Johnny Doyle.

     

     

    At 173 centimetres he is certainly no giant, nor is he renowned for his aerial skills. But Johnny Doyle jumps higher than Sabido and Stielike and sends the ball into the back of the net.

     

     

    It ended two-nil to Celtic although a combination of ‘stage fright’, Real Madrid’s strength and some controversial decisions by Hungarian referee Palotai saw the ‘Hoops’ go down three goals to nil in the return match.

     

     

    Of Doyle’s character we have told you extensively.

     

     

    The last anecdote concerns his ‘black book’ where he would mark down all the opponents who gave him special treatment … and with whom he would settle scores at the next opportunity.

     

     

    Finally, the memory of Davie Provan, his teammate at Celtic.

     

     

    «I don’t know anyone who loved Celtic Football Club like Johnny Doyle. He would have done anything for this Club. It is often said of players who are so in love with their Club that they even play there for free … well, I am personally convinced that Johnny Doyle really would have done that.»

  12. timmy7_noted on

    Spikeys , those bastards do that everywhere they go but it very rarely gets coverage in the western press. Would be good if some opposition gave them a doing. Although it would probably be designated as an anti semitic hate crime.

     

     

    Why does UEFA not take action on it?

  14. KINGLUBO on

    By far, my main concern right now, is I’m sure the big clubs will make a bid for Daizen and Reo, then the shit would really hit the fan

     

    KINGLubO

  23. timmy7_noted on

    Kjnglubo, I often think surely even our board wouldn’t do that but then I remember they sold Kyogo whilst we were still in Europe.

     

     

    We’re already down four first eleven but I wouldn’t put it past them.

  24. Burnley78 on

    Bada Bing

     

     

    So you would prefer we had less prep time for our CL play off then ?

     

     

    Some folk just like to live in a miserable unhappy state.

  25. Burnley78 on

    Timmy 7

     

     

    Nasty woman that Sharon Brown.

     

     

    Same with Tom Alison and the others.

     

     

    Reckon they want to destroy the successful celtic they have built this past 20 years.

  29. ziggydoc1 on

    Are we really scouting a CB, a few days before our first match🤔. Surely we have an ongoing dossier for players in every position 🤔

  30. Prestonpans bhoys on

    This is from the DR………

     

     

    “Brendan Rodgers yet to be offered new Celtic contract as boss reveals exactly what it will take to keep him”

     

     

    Well not according to some folk on here, so someone is telling fibs, 🤔

  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5