I hear the modest noises which Shakhter manager Viktor Kumykov made after their win over Celtic last week have been replaced by more robust predictions.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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I was away when Scotland played England but according to Brian Glanville in World Soccer, James Forrest was excellent before being substituted.
Was this, indeed, the case?
croybhoy
never mind yer couch, get yer hin-end over to celtic park and shout yersel hoarse like the rest of us…
Bocus may have lost his way a little when he played with use, but he was world class for two season, he was foster class for the other two seasons, a great shot stopper, organiser, communicator and commanding figure with huge presence on the field.
easily the best goalie I’ve seen in the green of Celtic
BTW boruc’s is preforming very well for southhampton fc
PeteTheBeat
17:09 on 26 August, 2013
I was away when Scotland played England but according to Brian Glanville in World Soccer, James Forrest was excellent before being substituted.
Was this, indeed, the case?
—————————————————————————-
I did not think so, wee jamsie seen plenty of the ball and had a go. but Leighton baines played him well….
For everyone wanting rid of FF if this goes to pens on Wed he will save at least two, his kicking isn’t great but he is the best I’ve seen at Celtic matched only by one season of Boruc.
stephbhoy
in over 50 years I have only seen 2 great keepers at celtic park big artur and faither, the rest have been much of a muchness..
Mr. Z
Neat one, pal.. very Clever.
No question YOUR Legion,are doing jist Greeeeaaaat!
More Power to them,sir.
Ah am Very Glad that Your Team is Making You ..well.. Glad.
Noo Ma Team is No Making Me… well.. Very Glad.
But.. Ah hiv Hopes that they wull somehow.. manage tae
dae the … Improbable..oan Wednesday Night.
Yes,indeed..
Let’s Hope ,Hope that they somehow kin dae that Improbable .
Nice chatting
Kojo
Still, Laughin
sorry BT I meant 3 great keepers LOL.
BlantyreKEv,
You posted earlier about rumours of EPL / Sky not wanting to see Bale leave.
I was in the States recently, and there was a lot of media (billboards etc) advertising EPL, with Bale very much the focal point of the activity.
If he disappears, you have the expense of all the artwork etc, plus the more basic stuff of choosing a face as the creative hook for the campaign etc.
Mike
If a keeper controls his box defenders will be well aware of it before a match. I can’t agree with that excuse. Imo he doesn’t have the confidence to use his bulk to his advantage.
Similarly the coach may tell him to stay on his line and leave the defending of cross balls to the defenders a la guff etc with the flying pig at ipox..
still no signings, maybe NFL got his days wrong AGAIN (LOL)
masty – thanks for the reply.
Mr Glanville is getting a bit ancient these days though always seems well-disposed towards the Hoops.
He chastised MON about the away strip when we played Fulham a few years ago –
‘When one goes to see Celtic, one expects to see the hoops’.
MON for once, didn’t have much of a comeback.
Stephboy
Boruc let himself and us down when he lost his focus over off-field issues. He also noticeably gained weight towards the end and looked a shadow of the keeper he had been. At his peak, he was absolutely brilliant and was by far the best keeper I’ve ever seen at Celtic.
He also hated the huns :-)
Perhaps FF stays on his line because that’s what he’s told to do.
Just a thought.
We wull Hiv Two New Players.
This Week?
Ah wid Say so.
Neil, wull get his Men.
Kojo
Still,Laughin
having spent most of my youth in Stirlingshire when I was confronted (and I use that word kindly) by a ‘bear’ only to find out it meant hun,when I first joined cqn around about the time the bears went boom I saw posts from a poster (sftb) now forgive me I was only a lurker then,but to myself I thought set them free that dirty shower of cheating tax dodging shower of scum(just imagine in your minds eye a ‘shower of scum’) and someone uses that as their monica, on a celtic blog?……well like some others on here I paid lip service to his posts till one night he made a very long emotional and valid point about what it means to be a member of the celtic family’ I have always thought this and from then on interpreted his monica as:- just put them out of their misery I wish I knew you were returning today we could have got the flags and bunting oot …..welcome back we all missed you hh ktf charlie
Reminds me of the wife and me, lol
Ipaddy,
Agree on Boruc.
I also think we made a mega mistake when we signed Mark Brown.
Brown is the worst keeper I have seen at CP , and i think Artur knew that even if he turned up 2 stone overweight, and half drunk, he would still had no competition for a start
Latterly, he improved when Lukasz arrived, but it wasn’t a full recovery.
Very easy to single-our Forster for his performances so far this season – tactics aside it should be noted that;
The back 4 has comprised 8-9 different players in 8 competitive games and that doesn’t include change of position by the personnel deployed due to substitutions.
e.g. Lustig replaced by Mathews – Mathews by Lustig – Efe to midfield – Chico from midfield to CB – Wilson gone and 2 new CBs deployed .v. SK.
I’ve lost count of the changes – big FF should be given set of photo I.Ds to pin to his goal posts before KO as a guide!
masty is neil lennon and both of us are supporting wee oscar
50 years watching the hoops means you’ll have seem many a goalie. AB was class and although I think FF is decent he is not AB and to be honest I don’t think he ever will be.
he loved the hoops to boot, hope to ghod I get to see his likes again
HH
FF has not been the same since his neck injury at the turn of the year,he is 25 years old not a youngster.He has went back to the bag of nerves he was during his first loan spell.There is a great GK in there ,as he showed in the CL last season.He needs to get his confidence back from somewhere.Maybe a few sessions with Jim McGuinness might get him back to his best.
If the only criteria for PL being sacked is that we fail on Wednesday then presumably Neil and his entire backroom staff should walk and again logically , PL should have walked about 4 years ago !!
The problem we are now facing on replacing players is going to be recycled every 2 years or so ; rebuilding teams in all key positions and getting consistent performances will be very very difficult.
Options are move for our targets earlier in Christmas window , however many clubs are unwilling to sell due to the normal injuries and relegation / euro worries ; develop our own – poor track record ; keep a core group of senior pros.
Neil did mention that some of the VW money will be put into improved pay packets for the squad – the core group should be Fraser ; Mikail; Izzy ; effe; Chas; Scott; Joseph; Jamsie; Adam; Kris; George; Tony ; jury out on all the other new signings.
We need to keep a core group as chopping and changing too frequently becomes crazy – still at least we play a patient possession game which should allow most signings to fit into the style of play quicker.
HH
Ah am a Great Believer in
Mens Sana in Corporo Santo..
In an Athlete.
Boruc, didnae Measure up tae that Criterion.
He. Failed..
He indulged in Women, Wine, and Rand Dans..
Lost his Moral Compass..
And..
Paid the Penalty.
Hey..It Happens.. used tae be.. Boxers, who made these Mistakes in life. mebbe, they still dae.
But. Big Money and Athletes.. mak Uneasy Bedmates.
As Ma Sainted Mama once said tae Me..
“Keep the Heid son, and Ah’ Buy ye a Bunnet.”
when Ah first Smelled the Sweet Smell o’ Success..
And Ah did.. and She Did.
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
A goalie who sails out to the edge of his box A la Packie Bonner is a rare sight in modern football.
Rare in the sense of infrequent and unusual rather than in the Glasgow colloquialism of appreciation.
At the weekend, I saw the Aberdeen keeper concede a cheap goal to Hearts and I saw Joe Hart discomfited twice by Cardiff in attempting to read two balls into the 6 yard area.
I don’t see Buffon, Cassilas, Reina etc; clutching the ball at the penalty spot. They may be better than FF at dominating the 6 yard area but, then, they are better keepers than him at present.
Modern forwards are very clever at blocking off the goalie’s approach to the ball and much of it is legitimate. If the goalie has left his lines and does not reach the ball, the consequences are often dire. There is no one else in a position to use their hands to defend the ball arching towards the goal line. That is too valuable a 2nd line of defence, a safety net, to give up in an imprecise pursuit of a ball in a crowded box.
Moyokoulo, Van Dijk, Mulgrew, Lustig, Sammi and Ambrose are all big enough to restrict opposition forwards. Even Izzy and Adam can make better use of the Paul Telfer bump in challenging taller players.
I believe FF serves us better by remaining in the 6 yard box. His first task is to be more dominant there. He should leave aerial challenges to his tall defenders outside that area unless he has a clear path to intercept the ball.
Fraser is the 2nd best keeper we have had in recent times. Replacing him with the likes of Gordon, Westwood or Randolph would see us back to having no clear number 1 again.
Ekbhoy
We have lost more players than we have brought in. Surley the wages freed up should cover thr increases due to players signing new improved deals?
Praecepta… Garbage, doesn’t matter who’s in front of him… GK commands the box.. FF never has.
iPaddy McCourt Supports Wee Oscar
agree, he clearly lost his way but he seemed to regain focus in Florence and is preforming very well in the EPL.
AB was pure class, I doubt we’ll see a better keeper for many a year p.s. he also got it
p.s. did he no split from his girlfriend + child at about the time of his loss of form, lifestyle change etc…
FF should be out standing on guys toes,giving guys a wee nudge and shouting at the ref that he is being impeded on a team’s first corner/free kick,that way he is marking his territory and guys should think twice about going near him,basic stuff IMO.
Much As I Would Hate To See FF Go…
I Reckon That There’s A Real Possibility That This Might Happen….
Before The EPL Transfer Window Closes On September 2nd….
I’m Sure If He Signed For One Of The Mid-Table Clubs….
He Could Force His Way Into The Top Two England Goalies…
Before The Brazil World Cup….
And Oust Hart From The Top Position….
Within The Next 12 Months….
His Shot Stopping/Positional Awareness Are Superior To Hart’s….
I’m Sure That He Can Quickly Be Coached To Come Out For Crosses…..
And Impose Himself On The Defenders..
If He Was In The Appropriate Club Environment….
He Has A Better Concentration And Attitude….
Than Shampoo Model Hart….
And Is Probably One Of The Most Educated Of Players In British Football…
Did You Know That He Shares A Long Standing Passion For Hornby Model Railways With Rod Stewart…..
And Was A Frequent Guest At The Rock Star’s North London Pile..During The Summer ?
Yep….I Understand That A Key Reason For FF Never Truly Feeling Settled In West Scotland…..
Was The Paucity Of Model Railway Enthusiast Clubs….
In The Immediate Vicinity….
BMCUW
Hail Hail
desertbhoy
So that excuses missed; throw-ins, failed tackles, poorly conceded corners by defenders and CBs being outjumped/ outpaced?
My, my – didn’t realise that a GK is solely responsible for the entire 18 yard box!
My point (in case you missed it): FF is not entirely to blame for goals conceded so far this season.
TSD
He only need nip round to The Cawdor in Springburn to meet plenty of enthusiasts.
He might gain an appreciation of how lucky he is to play for a club like ours while he’s there.
And btw,best goalie in my time was Ally Hunter.
Till he got injured.
Stephboy
If I remember correctly Boruc got involved in an affair with a model and split up from his partner over it. These things happen but it was the boozing, fags and general lack of discipline that annoyed me.
My Dear Kojo….
You Are Repeating Your Calumny On Oor Hoalie Goalie’s Reputation…
He DID NOT Run Around After Woman…
As You Have Previously Asserted….
And Repeated Once More Today….
True….One Journalist At A Scottish Rag Did Write Such Stories….
But Artur Won Substantial Damages From This Individual……
For Making These Groundless Accusations…..
When The Case Came To Court….
At A Time When Artur Had Already Left Celtic….
And Was Playing For Fiorentina….
Please KEEP UP !
My dear,dear,dear,friend…The Singing Detective
Ah wull hiv ye know. that
Ah hiv a Collection of Lionel Trains.
Ah luv ’em..and Often.. Lou, collie..and Mabel.. but , nevah.. wi’ Nutsy..
enjoy, a wee session wi’ the Puff Puff..
No. No that Kind.. that goes withoot Sayin’..so Ah wullnae say.
Nice Chatting,pally.
Kojo
Still,Laughin
Precepts.. Never made any mention of responsibility for goals..if you read that in my post, please point it out to me. #1 rule..GK commands the box… Re confidence, if it’s lost then his days are numbered.
As I said 6’7″ b4 he raises his arms above head height!!
P.S. if Artur is now back to his best then that’s great and I wish him all the best. I’ll never forget his heroics against Man United and in the shoot-out against Spartak
SFTB
I’m a rare (infrequent rather than the Scottish colloquialism meaning of appreciation:-) lurker these days, but cheered me up coming on and seeing you posting.
hh
bjmac