I’ve been trying to interpret the Champions League group all evening. It’s an exciting draw. The world’s biggest box office team will come to Glasgow, a chance for us to marvel at, and test ourselves against, Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and the rest. We also have a sporting chance of finishing second or third, either of which would be acceptable.
For me most of this analysis is irrelevant for now. The two most important games are the first, Benfica, and the last Spartak Moscow, both at home, so for now, all that really matters is the 90 minutes at Celtic Park against Benfica on 19 September. Beat Benfica and you go to Moscow in the following game with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Can we beat Benfica at Celtic Park? Benfica have lost all three games they have played at Celtic Park, twice in recent Champions League history, but they are not a pot two team and we are not a pot four team for nothing. They have played only two league games this season and did not benefit from being tested by a Champions League qualifying competition.
In short, playing Benfica in the first game, when we will have played twice as many competitive games as they have, is ideal. We will be ready for them.
Tomorrow is a big day. Who was it said ‘perfect day to bury bad news’? While some of us are busy trying to keep a server online as transfer speculation reaches its annual crescendo, what chance last year’s accounts will be released?
If they are (and I have no information on this), you can count on some very bad news. Losses will be frightening, which sheds some light on some of the earthy tones from Neil Lennon today on just how big a result the win over Helsingborgs was.
We needed that win. We needed Messi and his pals to help us sell 60,000 ticket packages, and to prompt Celtic fans to go out and buy some of the many thousands of season tickets still available.
Let me leave you with a word that came out from the Spartak camp tonight. Andrey Tikhonov, Spartak player until he became a coach at the club last year, said, “Barcelona are favourites from the group. We and Benfica will be fighting for second place.
“Celtic are outsiders. The Champions League competition is about very good technical football. It has nothing to do with running after the ball that somebody kicked forward.”
Beat these clowns, Celtic.
700 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- »
Marc Degryse sponsored by WD-40 (thumbsup)
PHILVISRETURNS 1019
You were going great guns there,had us all nodding in agreement,but you ruined it wi the punchline.
Must try harder,I feel.
£7million for Clint Dempsey? When you see some of the prices paid in England that is a steal!
Tin Helmet time…
I think that the best CH in Scottish football just now is
Andy Webster of Hearts.
I say that after watching Charlie Muldini(lol) being presented with his erse on a plate @ ibrokes on – jelly & ice cream sunday.
Lennon’s Lion’s go to the hate-filled citadel to clinch the title and, TFPLG let loose Sone Aluko on CM. What was the outcome ?
SA ran at CM three times – two goals and a penalty to the orcs. THAT is the REAL CM. imo.
Sorry but – happy clapping gets you NOWHERE.
10.30 am transfer deadline day and still no mention of Robbie keane at Glasgow airport !
Thanks Iniquitous
philvisreturns – we’re not all bad. Surely itv need more of a pop today after their behaviour ;-)
KEV 1026
Like PHILVISRETURNS, you had been doing so well up to the last wee bit.
You had been on fine form today,and had to,just had to,slide in a snider.
I feel soiled reading your last post,seriously.
Very disappointing-and I’m certainly no happyclapper,as you know!
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
10:30 on 31 August, 2012
Very disappointing-and I’m certainly no happyclapper,as you know!
_________________________________________________________
Now, how would I know that ?
lisbon1967 – Each and every one of you tax-eating bolsheviks should be beaten with coathangers and forced to eat cat dander and raw Angel Delight.
Shame on you. (thumbsup)
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS – I pooh-pooh your anti-Rupert bias.
Poohsticks! (thumbsup)
Just having a wee read of this article on the BBC when I noticed something about the picture of the Celtic fans with scarves held aloft at the top… is that somebody holding up an IPAD!???
Honestly, some of you guys just can’t leave CQN alone!!!
Link : http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19425418
Morning bhoys, humid on the mountain after the thunderstorm, but hun free as ever.
With the total lack of real rumours, I am hoping that we are doing business that the msm don’t have a clue about.
Ten men…
Ah but we need more than 1 centre half …
SPL season will be a rigerous one …
Low wage .. Nominal fee … A winner
And ticks the boxes including the desire play for the club he loves box
Makes sense
Del Piero ?
The absurdity of the transfer rumor industry perfectly encapsulated by——–
An Italian media outlet stating that Del Piero is going to Celtic and the self same media outlet stating that he is going to Arsenal. .[ maybe there are 2 Del Pieros
Most recent thing I have seen suggests that the Sion thing is back on in consequence of Sion having upped their previous offer of a million euros for a season and the possible presence of Pippo Inzaghi in the Sion team.. It is claimed that Inzaghi will sign if his pal wee Alex signs.
Just received a txt from a usually reliable source…Darren Huckerby!
Estadio lmfho good to see you back to your best, it takes more than a good cl qualifying group to make people see the World as you do but it help heaps. Good luck with the lotto ticket plan Mrs Tauranga bought one here tonight so might see you in la rue.
Russell sound like a good bet. Me I am going to be daft and say I want Dimitri Berbatov and Angelina Jolie. She’d sell a right few shirts too.
The Battered Bunnet (or anyone else)
Have a look at the SFA rules on players registrations:
SFA Rules
Section 4 is particularly key to what I am going to talk about.
I and everyone else with a bit of wit know that “Rangers2012” is a new club, completely separate from the old one that is due to be liquidated but Rangers, the MSM and SFL seem to think the new club is just a continuation of the old club and the club was sold by “The Rangers FC Plc” to Sevco and that “The Rangers FC Plc” was simply a holding company, and it is the holding company that went into administration and not the football club.
If we are to accept this, then the SFA rules on players registrations needs to be looked at.
It calls the section “4. Agreement Between Club and Player”
Questions that should be asked:
1.) Who paid the players, was it the football club or the “holding company”?
2.) Where did prize money etc go to – club or “holding company”?
If the answers are that all money went to the club and players were paid by the club then fine, there is no breach of the rules. However, this then raises another question of to which entity was actually in financial difficulty. Was it the club or the “holding company”.
If the football club was financially stable and it was just the “holding company” that was insolvent, why then did the SPL deduct 10 points from the football club.
If, however, it transpires that the Plc (“holding company”) was receiving all money and paying the players, then this can only mean one of two things:
– Club and company same entity so therefore newco is brand new with no claim to any history of oldco; or
– A holding company was paying players wages in breach of the SFA rules, namely rule 4.1.6 which says “No other payments for his playing activities may be made to a Player via a third party or otherwise.” This would be the same if say for example, the ultimate holding company (MIH or Wavetower) was making the payments.
They can’t have it both ways. It’s either one or the other. Their choice.
Mort
pauloanthony
Mulgrew, Rogne, Wilson plus Wanyama + Lustig can cover at CH
No way we will bring in more than 1 centre half
KevJungle – Murdo..10 men Championees..1979
Talking like a stupid hun will get you ignored from now on…
Georgi Kinkladze, trust me
KEV 1032
Blinkin’ stupid thing to say.
If you pay the slightest bit of attention to other posts,you will know their views. Maybe it IS all about you,after all.
PHILVISRETURNS 1033
That’s more like it,old bean. Coming from anyone but your good self,the previous Murdoch comment might have been treated as satire,but after that wee belter,maybe it was,and I just missed it,haha!
Doubt it,mind.
How is Oxfordshire today?
NE Wilts is just peachy and grand,and awaiting it’s first sighting of the day of BMCUWP, at opening time.
Meanwhile,we await our first signing of the day,and it’s nearly shutting time!
Clint Dempsey is a steal at around half a Charlie Adam
Hope we sign Ryan Mc Gowan cos his great great Gran and my mammy are 2nd cussins twice removed. So he’s kinda kin!! Kinda! <:o))
HaiL HaiL
Busy busy…..
Kev
You highlighted Mulgrew’s errors at Ibrox, did you see his performance at Kilmarnock on the final day of the season?
Mick
No longer reliable. Retired bout 3 years ago!
ASonOfDan
10:40 on 31 August, 2012
___________________________________
Same old from you then eh ?
Reading Celtic spent £32.7Mn in wages last season, Benfica wage bill £33.6Mn. Not from a reliable source I might add.
David Ginola leaving the Blythswood Hotel in Glasgow with Raymond Sparks. 10 mins ago.
KevJungle – Murdo..10 men Championees..1979
Still laughing at your Andy Webster comment…
Jelly and Ice cream sunday at the bigot dome was never going to happen.
Had they not scored, they would have got the obligatory pen or two, no way on gods earth were we going to be allowed to get a result there.
hamiltontim
10:43 on 31 August, 2012
___________________________________
What – against a Killie TEAM WI NOUGHT TO PLAY FOR ?
Philvis
“the real world” you ought to try it sometime instead of reading Friedman textbooks and thatcher biographys
thumbsup
However, the bbc has gone way off track. Why the duplicated coverage across national and regional news teams or the same for sport, for example all regional BBC teams covering the olympics as well as national radio 5 and this practice is repeated across tennis football you name it, with associated producers, technicians, presenters. And dont even get started on why are they competing with commercial broadcasters with salaries for presenting talents such as Ross (as was), Clarkson etc. If they start there and get a an offer elsewhere, let them go and bring in fresh talent. Why get into the ratings war, it’s the wrong way to judge the success of a national broadcaster.
Allowing a biased agenda on their sports forum and employing hacks that are promoting their own publications, that’ll get you nucleur when you think about it
Kev Jungle is Sone Aluko’s gimp I can exclusively reveal, let it go Kevin yer missing the good bits out…
F1sh (0932).
Quite encouraged by reading that (Spartak’s 5 – 0 recent reverse to Zenit and scraping through against Fenerbahce). Feeling more confident by the minute. Wins at home against Spartak and Benfica plus draws (at least!) away to both clubs – then we could be heading for the promised land indeed!
Barca at home? Ya never know!!!!!
Greetings & HH from Sunny Sheffield – not far from Sunny Rotherham!
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
10:41 on 31 August, 2012
Clint Dempsey is a steal at around half a Charlie Adam
to be fair, he is half his size
Ross Berkley from Everton rumoured
MORT 1039
Didn’t they blatantly tell anyone who asked,when they signed Boumsong,that his £45k pw wages were being met by other parties,who would be in line for a proportionate art of any future transfer fee?
As I recall,the Sottish media hailed this as a great step forward,a way to bring great players-haha-to the club. It certainly wasn’t brushed under the carpet.
Naturally,of course,the hun hordes fell for it.
Naturally,of course,they were delighted by the £8.5m fee.
Naturally,of course,the club saw only the equivalent of a development fee.
As Peter Lawwell was part of the summit on Scottish football that the shame game induced. Shouldn´t some fan representation be made to him to ask why Ally Mc Coist and Charles Green can get away with their recent behaviour ?
Time to Kick Alex Salmonds ARSE in public Peter
YOU ARE FAILING IN YOUR JOB IF YOU DONT:
THINK VOTES PETER
Hail HAil