Pictures of Tom Rogic back at training are very welcome but he will surely be weeks away from competing at the top level, I don’t hold out any hope for him playing in the away game against Zenit, never mind the home game. You will remember Brendan Rodgers took a long time before allowing Tom to play an entire 90 minutes, suggesting latent concerns about the player’s natural fitness. I have him down for an appearance at the end of the month.
Zenit got the better of Maribor in Turkey on Saturday in their final warm-up game before facing Celtic, although the Slovenians, also on a midterm break, had more of the play and chances. There is little confidence ahead of Thursday’s Europa League tie, but that nervousness you feel in July, when we leave for Scandinavia to play a team 22 games into their season, will be felt in Russia right now.
Zenit may be stronger, but we have reasons to be hopeful.
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was in and out of the office, so only saw parts of the juve/spurs game… but looked like a fun half of football …
I think spurs are one of the more entertaining teams to watch …. and, I have to admit that I wasnt sure about Kane…. but he is a natural … moves so well and gets into good positions … a good player to watch.
HIGGIE disnae dae a jamsie.
Great first half.
This one could go so many ways.
Interesting to hear the Juve fans groans at misplaced passes and lost possession especially when playing out of defence.
Twists and turns
Street football as kids. We used to play 3 and in.
So several outfield players all playing against each other and shooting into the same goal.first to score 3 went in goal and the keeper came out to play with the outfield players and so on until everyone was knackered.
Our version of World Cup was similar. One goal with a keeper and everyone playing against each other. If you score youre into the next round so you step out and wait. So start with 10 outfield players ,first 9 to score get into next round and so on until just 2 are left for the final. It could get rough especially if the keeper had brothers outfield and he let them score soft goals.
GORDYBHOY64 on 13TH FEBRUARY 2018 8:27 PM
I can understand that rationale, but I believe we could have developed them into players with core values of hard work and 90 minutes effort, as opposed to the lack of grit we seem to have at present.
All about opinions I guess.
https://twitter.com/decent_patter/status/963458704086577156?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Eios%7Ctwgr%5Enet.whatsapp.WhatsApp.ShareExtension%7Ctwcon%5E7100%7Ctwterm%5E0
Messy…
Having followed CQN for a number of years, in my view, the consistent thread is the difference between the ambition of the Board and the aspirations of supporters. Although this is a healthy tension, it’s unlikely that the ambitions of both groups will ever be compatible.
The Board must deliver an ambitious but sustainable plan. The plan is built on the economic reality of what can be achieved within specific return on investment criteria. Success is determined over the medium to long-term. Some fans believe that the plan is more concerned about shareholder value rather than success. In reality, turnover and profit is directly linked to the performance on the park.
The aspirations of supporters tend to be built on emotion, passion, history and the need to be better than the nearest rivals. It can also come with significant personal financial investment through SBs, merchandise etc. Success can take a medium-term view but feelings are largely influenced by the current performance of the team.
In my view, the healthy tension between the Board and supporters is mainly driven by time. Supporters tend to want success now. A healthy balance sheet doesn’t protect us from Sevconians gloating about a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park or being angry at two defensive mistakes against Partick Thistle. The Board will accept short-term disappointments as long as the long term ambition is on track.
I try to balance my short-term and long-term expectations. Sometimes it’s not easy. I will watch each home game in block 102 in the North Stand, jumping up and down, shouting at the ref, groaning and cheering as the game unfolds. I will celebrate wins, get annoyed with avoidable draws and defeats but try to bring my frustrations into context over the next few days.
Why is this tension healthy? Ask yourself what happens when the aspirations of the Board are the same as those of the fans. The answer —– RFC.
KTF
Not a big fan of Harry Kane. Very good player, but has a fondness for initiating contact with defenders and then falling over, usually in the penalty box. A cheat, you could say.
Bateen
Or a modern forward ?
Juve have disappeared from this game after the second goal and been totally dominated in midfield. There is no money in Italian football according do Emo Dunphy and it shows.
Yeah, I prefer cheat.
You’re right though. Fast becoming the norm. VAR should put a stop to it, where available.
Hankray
‘No money in Italian football and it shows’
Where does that leave us?
trouble with zenit being on a break is that br won’t know as much about them as he could
Caulker scores for Dundee…
@ AULDHEID on 13TH FEBRUARY 2018 7:19 PM
“BY qualifying under the current policy I could see merit in continuing with the same policy for another year, especially if qualifying enables us to take less risk”.
Do you not see the inherit risk of not investing your earnings to strengthen the glaring deficiencies in the team? Our passage to the Champions League in both Rodgers’ years has not been smooth sailing: in Rodgers’ first year we got through on goal difference; last year Rosenborg missed great opportunities at Celtic park and the team looked out of place as we had failed to bring in striker cover at that stage; and then we almost witnessed a collapse of Artmedia Bratislava proportions away to Astana.
There is another round this year. The opposition will be better, the route to the group stages more onerous. It would stand to wager that a little bit of investment and quality could reap great rewards. Failure to qualify leaves us with a turnover less than double that of Sevco as opposed to over three times as large. Do you think the gap (which has closed this season) will expand with Celtic having a significantly smaller turnover?
As for a £10m player- no one is advocating that course of action. People want to see higher transfer fees than £1m for Hayes and Hendry.
As for Ralston, wikipedia tells me he has 4 first team appearances for Celtic. Are we to leave the fate of £40m worth of revenue in the hands of a 19 year old? Together with another 19 year old (Ajer) and 20 year old Tierney? If you add Gordon into the equation then 4 of the back 5 cost a combined outlay of £500,000.
Is that the best a club with circa £100m revenue can muster? That doesn’t appear good business acumen to me.
Gene………. We have to survive but the Milan’s and Juve all pale shadows of former times
I’VEHADTOCHANGEMYNAME 8:57 PM
You can say that about Roberto Mancini too :-)
MIT-my mum named our chocolate Labrador Duke,after her absolute hero:-))
Tottenham equalise through Eriksen free kick.
Buffon beaten at his near post with the free kick. Possibly wrong footed.
2-2. Game on.
What is that horrible Loyalist flag all about in the City area.
GENE-played fitba at primary school with a crushed can:-))
jeez , looking back at the setanta days is weird – what a crapski deal that turned out to be: mind you, we’re doing amazingly to be solvent now when all around are lsing their heads.
EXCATHEDRA44-I’m sure Robson only got in because broony was suspended,and there wasn’t many fans upset at that:-))
Worth a read
https://comeheretome.com/2018/02/05/wendy-woods-dublin-recollections/#more-39159
Into injury time with Victor Wanyama standing waiting to come on.
FT 2-2
Wanyama didn’t put a foot wrong.
:-)
Finishes Juventus 2 Tottnham 2
Juve “did a Celtic” after going 2-0 up and took their foot off the gas, allowing Tottenham back into the game. Sat back and allowed Tottnham to press the ball high up the park, and the inevitable goal for Tottenham was deserved. Thereafter, Juve found it difficult to, re-establish any control in the game, Missing a penalty with virtually the last kick of the first half didn’t help, but by then it would have been against the run of play and hardly deserved if they had gone in 3-1 up.
Entertaining game. Tottenham will feel unlucky not to have won, but Juve might wish they hadn’t settled for a 2-0 win after 10 minutes.
Tottenham winning the Champions League would be laughable. Spurs have not been Champions of England since 1961.
Harry Boe,
Really excellent post. Well thought out and expressed.
Well done, sir.
FAIRHILL BHOY on 13TH FEBRUARY 2018 9:13 PM
MIT-my mum named our chocolate Labrador Duke,after her absolute hero
*****
A true heroic figure is the Duke of Edinburgh!
Fairhill … John Wayne’s real name was Marion …. good thing your mum didn’t know that … poor Duke would have been teased by all the other dogs!
:)
oh yeah, Zyb, we’ve just had a break – hope we turn up thursday
Good Reading back today, many varying topics and opinions, all good healthy stuff…
Couple of things form this morning…
HEN1RIK @ 9:40 AM,
“February 28 – Rangers Lite ( who agreed to accept sanctions applicable to the former club in the five way agreement) are handed a fine of £250,000 for breaching rules over disclosing payments but the new club, which was conferred with titles won by the former club, avoids being stripped of titles after the commission finds they obtained no sporting advantage.”
It’s easy to get bamboozled by the Rangers Murky Dealings, putting a timeline and summarizing helps put things in focus. Though as with the above, it’s easy to venture abridge too far.
Sevco refused to take part in the SPL’s LNS Commission unless is was immune from having further sanctions against it.
As far as Charles Green was concerned, he’d accepted all the “punishment” he was taking during the (unlawful) horse-trading during the drafting of the 5 way agreement.
LNS agreed Sevco Rangers would be immune to any punishment, he needed them represented.
This is an important point, because it is a pointer to the farcical nature of this Commission, which ruled…
[108] Given the seriousness, extent and duration of the non-disclosure, we have concluded that nothing less than a substantial financial penalty on Oldco will suffice. Although we are well aware that, as Oldco is in liquidation with an apparently massive deficiency for creditors (even leaving aside a possible reversal of the Tax Tribunal decision on appeal), in practice any fine is likely to be substantially irrecoverable and to the extent that it is recovered the cost will be borne by the creditors of Oldco, we nevertheless think it essential to mark the seriousness of the contraventions with a large financial penalty. Since Issues 1 to 3 relate to a single course of conduct, a single overall fine is appropriate. Taking into account these considerations, we have decided to impose a fine of £250,000 on Oldco.
[109] It is the board of directors of Oldco as a company, as distinct from the football management or players of Rangers FC as a club, which appears to us to bear the responsibility for the breaches of the relevant rules. All the breaches which we have found were therefore clearly committed by Oldco. We see no room or need for separate findings of breaches by Rangers FC, which was not a separate legal entity and was then part (although clearly in football and financial terms the key part) of the undertaking of Oldco. Rangers FC is of course now owned and operated by Newco, which bears no responsibility for the matters with which we are concerned. For the reasons already given, we have decided against the imposition of a sporting sanction. In these circumstances the financial penalty lies only upon Oldco and does not affect Rangers FC as a football club under its new ownership.
That’s right, according to the LNS Commission it is not up to the football “Club” to disclose all the documentation to the Football Authorities.
So on that basis, if the Football Club is not responsible for registering players who is? The holding Company Vehicle?
Well interestingly enuff, the LNS Commission, Decision Document lists some relevant rules at the end, in Annex D…
Rule D1.13:
“A Club must as a condition of Registration and for a Player to be eligible to Play in Official Matches, deliver the executed originals of all Contracts of Service and Amendments and/or extensions to Contracts of Service and all other agreements providing for payment, other than for reimbursement of expenses actually incurred,between that Club and Player, to the Secretary, within fourteen days of such Contract of Service or other agreement being entered into, amended and/or, as the case may be, extended.” (In effect from and including 23 May 2005).”
What!? Not the Holding Company Vechicle!!!
It is of course A SHAM.
Mind you JJ is correct when he says Newco paid the £250,000 sanction, only because Neil Doncaster realised what blatant nonsense the LNS Commission decision was and changed it, forcing Sevco Rangers to (eventually) pay the fine.
AULDHEID @ 10:07 AM,
“Campbell Ogilvie gave testimony to LNS. He never mentioned the nature of the DOS ebts, by then unlawful, or corrected the report when LNS said he would treat the continous with tge BTCs which at that point were lawful.
You can see why they want to move on.
A shame McCann’s mob pumped 3-2 by 10 man Killie……hope he’s got his rule book with him….
The hand cant purchase what the eye cant see;
i get where you are coming from but tell me this how much would we have to spend to purchase KT or KA from another team right now?
And tell me how much would we get for boyata or ES?
Throwing money about is not always the answer so if we can get better grand, get the deal done, but if we are better development our own then thats fine by me too.
I still want a quality right back and centreback.
HH
I, for one, am really looking forward to Thursday night. It will be great to hear the sound of some more euros dropping into our bank account. Might just listen to the click click of the turnstiles and then turn off knowing it’s a job well done.