Absolutely delighted for St Johnstone, who recorded one of the finest aggregate results by a Scottish club in European football in the last 30 years. My brother was speaking to a Saints player this week, who told him the successful strategy and drive came from chairman, Steve Brown, a fact which Hibernian would do well to ponder today.
Malmo’s 0-7 victory at Easter Road yesterday was chastening ahead of our game against fellow Swedes, Elfsborg on Wednesday. Celtic are in a remarkably strong position now, having produced excellent on and off-field results for the first time in the modern era, but those seven goals last night (not to mention the multitudes we shipped preseason) are a cautionary tale. It’s also worth remembering that Rangers decline into liquidation was precipitated by Champions League elimination at the hands of Swedish opposition two years ago (“Larsson has scored”). Wednesday presents a huge challenge.
As soon as I heard the stadium announcement on Tuesday I knew there was trouble in store from Uefa. The second pyro punishment will lead to a heavier fine. Celtic’s statement yesterday advised of matters of concern to Glasgow City Council Safety Advisory Group, who issue stadium safety licence, regarding a whole range of issues (overcrowding, lateral movement, moshing, body surfing). What to say about 131 broken seats? Ouch.
The club and Green Brigade (whose members occupy only a part of section 111) have met and we carry on as normal for now. Question is, can either control everyone in the section? I hope so but it’s a big ask. All it takes is one off-message person keen to ‘stick it to the man’, and there’s a long season ahead. Place your bets, folks.
Our thoughts are with Paul Lennon and the Thai Tims after the news that one of the boys who sang on the Celtic videos died in a road accident while another is critically ill.
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Football supporters will soon be sanitised out of the game. Stadiums must be painted white! Announcements made for singing!
Except the toilets and grub will still be stinking!!!
MWD That’s all folks!
marrakesh express
10:08 on 27 July, 2013
Tells a very familiar they truly hate everything Celtic and that will NEVER change……. If we won the CL, they would stress it was because oldco kept us focussed……oh no, wait , sorry…..hahahahahahaha
Burnley78- The perfect antidote to the malcontents.
Bradford, Rotterham, oldham etc..
Do they fixtures fill us with excitement?
Thats what we would be up against in div 1of efl…
When would we next get into Europe ?
Would we earn as much in that league as we do in europe?
More questions than answers..
Btw groupon Edinburgh offering a masonic tour of Edinburgh. If anyone interested. .o ))
clashcitybhoy
10:13 on 27 July, 2013
I like the look of Balde…
A Stor Mo Chroi
08:51 on
27 July, 2013
Ernie:
May I refer you back to my post at 05:13 I do not condone the abuse of anybody by anybody. When was the last time you read anything on here about the abuse of children by Jews, by Muslims, by Protestants? Do you think it is only Catholic priests that commit these heinous acts? Where is the balance or is it only crimes by Catholics that are allowed air time on here?
Spot bloody on.
overseasbhoy
07:45 on
27 July, 2013
Anyone want to bet Hooper wont hit 10 EPL goals?
Happily – £50 to a charity of each other’s choice.
Macjay.
We aren’t going to agree on something are we?…8-)
Syd
Of course it’s a subjective topic, but I reckon van Dijk has been signed to start. First 11. No question.
Balde, toss of a coin isn’t it. Like Hooper was. And Bangura of course. Difference being Hooper had cut it, Bangura didn’t, and Balde has yet to be given the mustard blade.
Wanyama was a once only signing in my view. Players with that level of ability are at the nonpareil end of the spectrum of elite young players. I’m sure a lot of clubs were scratching their heads trying to figure out how they missed him, esp following last season’s Champions League performances.
So…
2 first 11 starters out.
One in.
Hooper to be replaced.
Wanyama irreplaceable.
Looking at Tom Rogic lately and getting increasingly interested in what this chap has to offer.
Big season ahead for James Forrest and Adam Matthews, imo our most talented young players.
Other than that, Celtic will show a surplus for the year to end June in the region +£15M, and have banked a further £17M in the past fortnight from Hoops and Vic.
It is a spectacular outcome from the club’s strategy.
It is a remarkable amount of dough for a Scottish club to have to hand, and near impossible any time soon to get rid of. Zero debt? Behave. The club will not dip into the red for a wee while yet…
How to spend it though? If we had a firm plan that involved Europe or England, I’d rebuild the main stand. That’s the sum of money we are talking about. Vast. As it is, we are under-occupied most home games lately, so a new 20,000 seater cantilever above London Rd would be a white elephant in the absence of a change of scenery.
Fair bit being spent on the area around the ground, and some bits and bobs inside. The season ticket discount is essentially a £3.3M cost y/o/y.
The rest? Some salted I would guess, but I am looking for a couple of ambitious signings from the club. We are in a position where we can afford it. I don’t think Wanyama can be replaced like for like, but we can certainly buy in better than Hoops.
TBB
From the Follow Follower who gave us 144 pennies in the pound. He is to literature what Eddie the Eagle was to sport:
“A Dinosaur rears his head
I’ve often been referred to a “dinosaur” – mostly by the new breed of Rangers fans……
Rangers were not founded for overtly religious reasons, nor were they a bastion of Unionism, Presbyterianism or anything else for that matter, it was simply 4 boys with dream to form a football club for football reasons. But it would be foolhardy and erroneous to suggest that the characteristics and identity alluded to in the opening paragraph did not evolve over time and I would contend, if one was to examine our song repertoire,symbolism and flags, is still very prevalent today.”
——
“once again mate your way with words is fantastic”
——
“amazing read, and couldn’t have put it better myself.”
——
“You always express so much more eloquently what I’d love to write myself”
“
Burnley78
You’re spot on. And because you are spot on none of the whiners will address your points… because they can’t.
They will simply pretend not to have noticed and keep whining.
Burnley78:
The leagues you mention tend to focus on the finished article rather than talented prospects. They also ‘generally’ tend to shy away from mature professionals with a limited shelf life. There are gems to be found in both those areas and for my money one or two experienced grey foxes would not go amiss on the pitch at Parkhead or at Lennoxtown either.
I have but one question, if we don’t spend the money before April next year… what will become of it. (meaning what method of spending maximises the benefits – short and long term – for the club, is it in the football department, is it in ground improvements, is it in overseas academies, is it in vocational training for our staff in addition to their job description, is it in charity, is it in dividends, is it in TAX?)
blantyretim
Glad to hear your night in KSC went well last night :))
till later all
Is a Lucky 31 a 5 horse line?
Markesh
I will write in the evening. Be ready for +36 C in Cracow. Hot in here.
macjay1 for neil lennon
10:17 on 27 July, 2013
When your whole life is governed by your religion, these revelations are like ‘a (fatal in my case) shot to the heart’ ……. our leaders have let us all down by concealing those who would abuse innocents, and they have also destroyed the Faith of many…….. We all know there are animals who will enter establishments to gain access to vulnerable innocents…… but to conceal them when discovered….????????…… I had better say no more
A Stor and Ernie- seems to me that your argument stems from you looking at different aspects of this- no one is saying Paedophiles of any (or no) religion should be allowed to continue without punishment- A Stor seems to be emphasising the zeal with which the Scottish press see the church as a valid target for investigative journalism while largely ignoring the institutional abuse carried out within other religion led institutions (Quarriers being one) and avoiding major scandals such as the corrupt way Scottish society has dealt with the Rangers scandal. Seems the reporting follows a traditional paradigm in which Catholic and Irish= bad and Protestant and Scottish= good, and thats how they will report the news
67heaven … i am neil lennon..!!.. ibrox belongs to the creditors
I like the look of Balde
::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I only saw him for 20 minutes the other night, but , I also liked what I saw.
His work rate and presence suggests he will be hard to play against, and won’t let defenders settle.
I suspect NL sees him as someone who will grow into the starting 11, over the next year, which is where my concern lies – we need a guy to do the business this week and next.
malarkey
10:21 on 27 July, 2013
That’s what they do, don’t you know ……hahaha…..good that there aren’t many at all on CQN ….. debate is healthy, but the persistent grumblers (who disapear when we win) piss me off…….
Kevjungle 04.31
Brilliant post and couldn’t agree more.
SydneyTim
09:30 on
27 July, 2013
We should have been scouring the world in the last 12 months for a player to replace Hooper. He wasn’t staying
But here we are again scouring the bargain bucket at last minute
Neil did say at his press conference that they have been after a striker for the last 4 months.and
“We have to be mindful of that when we go into negotiations with players. Some of the prices are too much, some of the wages are too much and sometimes players are happy where they are.
That nothing happens doesn’t mean that there’s been no effort.
blantyretim
10:19 on
27 July, 2013
Macjay.
We aren’t going to agree on something are we?…8-)
Our love of Celtic.
Goes without saying,my fellow Tim.
stairheedrammy
10:30 on 27 July, 2013
Fully appreciate what you are saying …… But the only way to wipe it out is to maximise the publicity and shame them into not concealing ANYTHING ……. We need to protect the innocents, and we need to ‘weed the barstewards out’ from all establishments they manage to infiltrate…..
I would like to see some of the money to go to the staff at Celtic, some who work extremely long hours for a very low wage, por cierto
( I believe the minimum wage and just above it to be totally inadequate.)
67- thats correct- as long as the light is shone in all the corners- not just those chosen by the media as being acceptable to them- look at how STV news has been consumed by the Sevco brand and how they select what to report- the same is happening with the paedophilia stories- selective focus
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Lennon hopeful of adding new striker in time for Elfsborg tie
Michael Grant
Chief football writer
Saturday 27 July 2013
NEIL Lennon last night moved to reassure Celtic supporters that his key players are at Parkhead for the long haul as Gary Hooper became the second high-profile departure of the summer.
Hooper completed his £5m move to Norwich City where he will face former team-mate Victor Wanyama in the Barclays Premier League after the latter’s £12.5m transfer to Southampton.
The loss of two key players, and the huge income Celtic have generated from sales and their Champions League run last season, has led to pressure and expectation from fans that there will be significant investment in the team ahead of the new campaign. Lennon still hopes to sign one or possibly even two strikers, including one who could face Elfsborg in the Champions League third qualifying round first leg on Wednesday. The registration deadline passed on Thursday but an exception can be made for one addition up to 24 hours before the first leg.
“We’re definitely going to try and bring one or two strikers in and we’re working away at that at the minute, though it’s easier said than done,” said Lennon. “We’re allowed to bring in one before Wednesday and I think we will. I’m hoping so, anyway.
“Whether I put him straight in against Elfsborg will depend on the condition of the player. If we can get him in in time, and see how he is in training, then I’d imagine he’d be in the squad anyway. Hopefully it’ll be over the weekend.
“It’s a challenge and it’s an exciting one that confronts me. It took us a wee while to get to the position we were in [last season] and you don’t want to stop the progression. But it’s not as if everybody wants to come here, play for a couple of years and bog off and earn a load of money. There’s a core we’d like to stay – Georgios Samaras, Joe Ledley, Scott Brown, Kris Commons – and they’ve all intimated how happy they are.
“Hooper brought real quality, he was averaging 30 goals a season and that is very, very difficult to replace. But we are actively looking for a genuine goalscorer.”
Lennon admitted the prospect of luring his primary target, Artjoms Rudnevs, from Hamburg was looking “more and more distant now”, while Seber Khelifa at Evian and Kevin Doyle at Wolves were merely on a list of options. The striker he was now working to bring in had not yet been linked publicly with the club, he said.
16’s beat 1 nil this morning. Need to beat Spurs to reach 2 morros semi’s. HaiL HaiL
Off for a wee swim, then off to the game…..yeeha
NFL said celtic will sign a striker so lets wait and see who that is. are we scrabbling about at the last minute? I don’t think any of the 4 players we have signed since 2013 (rogic, vigil, balde and steve) have been rushed in and we’ll know as such as we can about any player coming in. we lost 11 players this summer; only two of them can be described as key in victor and hooper. ultimately the core of the first team remains the same. celtic have already invested 5 million in transfer fees this summer and that will increase when the new striker arrives. that figure could very well exceed £8 million by next Wednesday.
celtic have dropped £100 pounds of every adult season ticket, I would be surprised if there was much change from £1.5 million from improving the stadium, family section, kerrydale bar, upgrading business suites, improving disabled viewing areas and providing new and additional facilities. I suspect we’ll see further improvements as the season goes on the 1st phase of the celtic triangle complete.
after all that celtic we will remain debt free and we will have a first team squad equal to, if not better than anything we have had in the last 5 years. so why are people all about the negative, if anything we have progress considerably from the days when TM was manager and we did not seem to think beyond a month.
HH
Does anybody know if the SFA or SPFL have a definition of a Trialist?
It is believed that Sevco intend to field Triaists in some games where the rules of competition allow then but the players that they intend fielding cannot be trialists if they are already contracted to the club.
If competition rules allow trialists they should also have a definition of the term.
MJM
aromananonly1
10:34 on
27 July, 2013
Kevjungle 04.31
Brilliant post and couldn’t agree more.
——————————————————-
Shoorly some mistake? Kev and brilliant post ? need to scroll back?hh
Now that the fireworks issue is out of the way….lets get focussed in getting in this new striker that Neil speaks of…..he is saying its never “easy” to sign a new player….been hearing that for years….maybe we are not as glamourous a club as people make us out to be……or else wir too fussy
A Stor Mo Chroi
Good on you ,mate.
Stphbhoy – right as per last night I’m not having any of this guff. Celtic have taken in 48m in the last 6 months extra from normal income. How do your sums in terms of stadium cost etc equal that?
99% of CQNers type loose for lose.
Loose = bmcuwp troosers waistline (skinny bass)
Lose = Anything to with the huns.
Some high profile friendly matches being played today throughout Europe.
E.g. –
– Sunderland v Man City;
– Hamburg v Inter;
– PSG v Real Madrid;
– Valencia v Milan.
…
All are being televised – except ours it would appear.
Could NOT believe my eyes when I came across a match being shown live here in Italy on a channel which broadcasts both on SKY and Freeview:
Leicester v Monaco !!
We might be a club with a global fanbase, but no one seems to have told certain people in Italy.
HH!!
A STOR MO CHROI
Stunning tales of bravery,and of humanity at its best.
Cheers,bud-my usual cynicism has been diluted somewhat after reading them.
MICKTT
That’s some amount of Hail Marys to be saying in one night.
FredoCSC
Someone lasr night described themselves as weekly mass and holy days goer and i myself would be the same. I feel i am lucky though as i always believed in god rather than man and so have no issue with the church tearing itself apart as long as the result is the evil rooted out and the guilty punished. I personally think those who protected the perpatrators of any form of abuse are just as guilty. The new pope is certaintly a step in the right direction.