I hear the modest noises which Shakhter manager Viktor Kumykov made after their win over Celtic last week have been replaced by more robust predictions. Kumykov told the most senior local apparatchik, Baurzhan Abdishev, that Shakhter will score a few goals in Glasgow and progress into the Champions League group stage.
I always like to hear confidence like this from the opposition camp. Let Celtic do their talking on the park.
Shakhter are further away from home than any team participating in Champions League history, apart from Celtic who faced the opposite journey last week. The second half on Wednesday kicks off at 01:45 Kazak time; no matter what the score at the halfway point, the latter part of the game will be when the visitors are at their most vulnerable.
Meanwhile Kazak news report that Shakhter have shipped shirts to some Glasgow-based football fans, who will be attending Celtic Park on Wednesday as newly-recruited Shakhter fans.
Did we mention practicing penalties? The entire squad should spend time today and tomorrow doing so, but Kris Commons especially. He is the one penalty taker Shakhter will prepare to face.
Memory of the day:
We lost the first leg of our European Cup, first round, tie against Partizan Tirana in 1979 1-0. It was thought important for Celtic to score first in the return but Partizan doubled their lead and scored an away goal.
Celtic went on to hit four and progress, although none of the strikers got on the score-sheet, Davie Provan played arguably his best game for the club.
Bring it on……..
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Pod
Hail hail
3rd?
Bolshy bar stewards
Top ten
Paul, can you please pass my details to downforsam
Thanks
We’ll take 4 from this team if our attitude and tactics are right.
Sure they’ll not score since our defence, this time, will be very focused.
Late on parade again!
Nice one,TWISTS.
What is all the hoo-ha about Teemu Pukki?
Personally am quite underwhelmed by his scoring record… he certainly doesn’t look like a Hooper replacement to me!
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=56725&season_id=142
Do we really need another 5 games per goal forward?
For comparison:
Gary Hooper scored 31 in 51 appearances last season (0.61 goals per game).
Sammi scored 14 in 46 (0.30 per game).
Teemu Pukki scored 6 in 28 (0.21 per game).
Even Adam Matthews has scored 4 in his last 18 Celtic appearances (0.22 per game).
Billy McKay of ICT has scored 28 in his last 39 appearances, would cost probably less than a third of what we are reported to have offered for Pukki, and is absolutely guaranteed to settle into the SPL, as he is already there… and scoring for fun at a lesser team than Celtic.
Wondering here about the young lad that Wispy recommended, any updates on him or is he on his way back tae Oz.
PAUL 67,
Hi. If you have time, could you please send me Neganon’s address? He knows about my asking for it.
Well it’s been 125 days away from the company of all of you who help to make up this most fractious and ill-tempered blog. It has managed to remain that way even without my input for the past 4 months, so it couldn’t have been all down to me.
Hope to see philvis, The Exiled Tim, Maggie McGill and Gerald766 back on here soon. The blog can ill afford to lose these guys.
Tontine
Give him a year at Lennoxtown…. then we will ship him out on loan to st Johnstone
frazer must stay at all costs
Sftb
Welcome back
And
Who you looking at ;)
sftb
welcome back
PAUL67
IIRC,it was an OG for Tirana-possibly Alan Sneddon?
Davie Provan was,as you say,outstanding.
As usual when he came onto a game,he got injured shortly afterwards….
setting free the bears
Awe don’t you start, two minutes on the blog!!
Hail Welcome Back Hail
BT. PREVIOUS PAGE THANKS FOR THAT.AM I READING CORRECTLY HERE,YOUR DA CAN’T GET A FREE SORRY 2 FREE TICKETS FOR CELTIC PARK.??????
SETTING FREE THE BEARS
You mean,your sacrifice was in vain?
Shucks,you must be mightily peeved….
Good to have you back,fella.
Wonder who the newly recruited fans could be!!!! Maybe der hun know the bigots are to go bump again and are looking for a new team to support. Makes me smile.
KINGLuBO
TBJ
Thanks for the welcome.
You get good reviews on here when you say nothing. My reputation seemed to improve the longer I stayed off the blog.
Seriously though, I appreciated the good wishes of all who gave them, especially a couple of comments at the time from ulysses mcghee and marrakesh express, who recognised, at least, that I was not making threats against any real person.
setting free the bears
First I read who you would like to see back on the blog. My thought was, who is this drone who forgot about Setting Free The Bears?
I should guess earlier who he was :-)
BT
I might be going for a meal with A Ceilor. If not, I will contacy Nakas.
McCourt 7
Thanks. I am not a fan of Kayal but he looked good on Saturday until he was injured.
Back to the Vuelta.
JJ
SFTB
Are you a hun
HH
BMCUW
“You mean,your sacrifice was in vain?”
Naw, it was good for me to get away.
Just thought it didn’t do too much to change the tone of others :-)
Paul67
Sooo the half-time cuppa around 2am?
I suppose those pesky Kazakhs will be fighting for the few treatment beds for a quick 40 winks (sic)
– can we pipe in some lullaby musak to their dressing room?
TootarlooraloraCSC
traditionalist88
Now, that is a proper CQN welcome.
Thanks!
Ah the Partizan Tirana game, can remember it well, standing 3 ft higher than the rest of the crowd at the back of the old Celtic end on the metal angle iron, generating lots of noise kicking the metal plates. That’s what you done when you were a young 12 year old.
HH
Another wee memory, 1997:
2-1 down from the away first leg against Tirol Innsbruck, Celtic go 1 up through Simon Donnelly, and ahead on away goals. Tirol equalise, we’re heading out on aggregate. Thom strikes for the hoops and Celtic go ahead on the night, deadlock in the tie. Larsson sticks one in his own net and we’re in deep trouble, 2-2, we need at least 2 more. Half Time.
Donnelly and Burley oblige, we’re ahead again with 20 to play! Tirol score with 8 minutes left, disaster, behind on away goals. Weigorst scores with 87 on the clock, we’re ahead again! Tirol press and press and get caught on the counter on 94 minutes, Burley the scorer.
6-3 on the night, 7-5 on aggregate.
Easy peasy.
Not long now ……oooooooo….!!!!
sftb
Have you been away??
VP
Obviously I am as big a loss to this blog as Rami Gershon was to Celtic :-)
I don’t know of any club in Europe who would feel comfortable in coming to Celtic Park never mind predicting scoring a few. Zaluska in goals come Wednesday…
COYBIG!
Here’s a pair of stats:
149 minutes per goal in the Bundeslige for Pukki
140 minutes per goal in the SPHell for Hooper.
sftb
Good to see you back on mhate.
Who is this emancipator of furry animals who is back on CQN?
Must be deparation in the air….on the week of a big game a rumour circulates of a main player being tranferrred (oh wait now the buying team are offering one million less than previously!)….how unoriginal
Expect the time difference to work in our favour noting however that the Karagandy team arrive today so have two nights to adapt.
Our role on Wednesday is simple….get behind the team and be patient.
I asked the question yesterday of all the experts how many players have you bought and sold? I’m sure it’s really easy…..get behind the team and be patient.
Hail Hail
Vp
Are you going to the game on Wed?
SFTB
Welcome back you have indeed been missed.