For some of us, memories of the win over VFB Stuttgart, exactly 23 years ago tomorrow, remain vivid. Goals from Paul Lambert, Shaun Maloney and Stiliyan Petrov cancelled out an early Kevan Kuranyi strike ahead of the second leg. The return leg was as memorable. Goals from Alan Thompson and Chris Sutton after 11 minutes put Celtic 5-1 up aggregate. A late show from Stuttgart to win the game 3-2 put a respectable face on the tie, but with away goal advantage, Celtic always in control.
The home game was our first in Europe after Christmas since 1980 – incredibly another 23-year period. The Celtic Wilderness Years were longer than just the 90s.
Today, Stuttgart occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot in the Bundesliga, two points clear of Leipzig. Unfortunately for Celtic, they face bottom side Heidenheim, who are certain for relegation, on Sunday. They can afford to deploy all forces tonight and, if necessary, rest some players on Sunday, before next week’s return leg.
Their run to a Champions League spot has occurred over the last two months. In 14 games since a heavy defeat to Bayern, they have lost only at Roma and a shock defeat at St Pauli earlier this month. St Pauli sit one place above Heidenheim, so whatever the Hamburgers pulled off would be handy.
This is a different challenge from domestic football and I expect Martin O’Neill to select Daizen Maeda and Yang on the wings, if the latter is fit. We need players who can tackle effectively and get up and down the field.
The middle of the park will be a concern you and I share. Celtic have seemed out-resourced in that area against far weaker opponents. Options are narrowed without the injured Arne Engels, or ineligible Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Martin seems destined to rely on Callum McGregor, Benjamin Nygren and Reo Hatate. We have to assume a Paulo Bernardo start is off the table.
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Let the people sing………
Broadsword calling Danny boy
Big Ange –
“I remember the first year I was there we won the double but Rangers were in the Europa League final. I got more text messages the night they lost the Europa League final than the night we won the league.“
Celtic Mac
O Celtic Mac o Celtic Mac! wherefore art thou Celtic Mac
Can MON work his magic on Reo. We need him and Daizen back to their best over this period
MON on Hatate………
He said: “I think he’s searching for form. I think that’s what it is. And in fairness to the lad, seriously, he wants to stay for extra. He’s not the first one to leave the pitch at the end (of training). He wants to do things. I think he’s frustrated with it because of the player that he was. And then he has to find the reasons for it. He wants the full commitment now, between now and the end of the season.”
O’Neill wants Hatate to step up against Stuttgart tonight with Arne Engels injured and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain signed after the squad deadline.
He said: “If he puts his mind to it. We’ll see. I haven’t picked a side yet. But I think he knows if he was sat here now with you and had an interpreter, he’d be saying the same thing. He has to search for this form himself. And eventually, you can talk to your blue in the face, but players have to try and sort it out.”
A certain prince, once gilded by the sun,
Now blinks beneath the flash of harsher light;
He claims he cannot sweat — “I’ve never done,”
While courtiers mop his brow in pure contrite.
Thus crowns discover gravity can bite.
How long will it be before TRUMP camp say the EPSTEIN FILES are as fake as HITLER DIARIES.
Not a happy birthday for andy windsor.
Majestic Hartson
Says it all really…..
just read on twitter that we are only getting the broomloan for the cup game and not getting the corner because of segregation issues.
if that is true then that sounds like a scam. we already get the corner, and it gets segregated. if we were to get the corner plus the broomloan then surely it would need less segregation than a league game where we get only the corner?
this sounds like a stitch up between the clubs with us fully involved in it.
i suspect there has been a conversation around if a cup games happens at celtic park how would we reciprocate with more than the usual old allocation of about 7500. it is much more difficult at CP so i reckon the clubs have agreed that.
there seems no reason we cant get the corner as well other than a grubby agreement
Stuggart had a fairly easy league stage draw, they laboured to a 3-2 home win over young boys and lost away to Basel and Fenerabache, so they’re not by any means an elite side.
We can give tonight a real go. I’m looking forward to a game without the anxiety of the league race hanging over the match.
Hatate & Yang were found wanting in terms of desire against Killie. Any repeats tonight would be unforgivable.
The cynic in me says these lads will be up for it tonight because of the shop window effect. I don’t care so long as we win.
A defeat or even a draw and Martin will be faced with the same question Ange had for the Bodo second leg.
“The home game was our first in Europe after Christmas since 1980 – incredibly another 23-year period. The Celtic Wilderness Years were longer than just the 90s.”
———————–
So sad that we are now the same distance from our last knockout win as “the wilderness years”. Incredible given what a mess we were then.
Just think what we could have achieved with a level of ambition that extended beyond the city. But hey, we’ve got another lovely old firm title race to make up for it!
Aipple on 19th February 2026 12:20 pm
Stealing that!
That is exactly what I said would happen when we drew them, no chance were Celtic getting over 10k tickets, numerically yes but they would be entitled to 12k at CP, that isn’t going to happen.
I wonder what ANDY is doing for LENT. Nae sugar in his tea.
FAVOURITE UNCLE
Only eating porridge?
7500 full Broomloan, but not the corner that they currently get.
so as others say, total stitch up.
there was no requirement to have a “compromise agreement”.
kop out by our board, i really feel that is what has happened, weak as piss.
the broomloan and the corner would have given us over 9,000 , and there would be segregation netting for the corner,
bloody rubbish outcome.
Just reading that the board confirmed at the meeting with the collective that the bans will continue.
So much for unity. So much about getting behind the team and focusing all our efforts on winning this league.
A continuation of bans only helps our opponents.
I can’t help but despise the current board of Celtic. They are not fans. They do not have the best interests of the club at heart.
sack the board
Glasstwothirds
Just think what we could have achieved with a level of ambition that extended beyond the city. But hey, we’ve got another lovely old firm title race to make up for it!
————-
Ah yes, wee Ross, son of boss
who says we can’t compete
Alas , in Euros each gallant feat
according to the despots will in a defeat.
Sack the Bard CSC
An Dun
I’d be interested to know how the meeting went. Did the board confirm at the start that any ban would continue? Seems a pretty pointless meeting if so. Unlike any I’ve ever attended
Or, were assurances saught re future condut? If so, what were they? What was the response?
I’m in favour of as galvanised a club as possible, though I’d like to know a little more about how this one unfolded.
No reason why we can’t get the corner at the bigotdome too. The seat segregation and netting are still in place, utter piss taking.
Similarly to the bans…..
good luck getting a ticket folks if you wanting one.
my guess is there will be another scam in how they are dished out.
i predict maybe around 2000 max to ‘normal’ season tickets, with the rest going to the usual fat cats, playing staff, other staff, sponsors etc
Happy St. Conrad Day! Ave Ave
Petition:
One Celtic. Back our Board, Manager, Players and Charity.
https://c.org/kC24nkswRn
BSR
Yeah – we can’t compete. But Bruges and Bodo/Glimt can……..
not that the club will ever tell us that info.
its all smoke and mirrors secrecy.
as with other aspects of life, when people in power dont give you info on something that there is no real reason for you not knowing, then it means they have something to hide, usually in terms of face-saving for themself.
AT from earlier. Ta, went and found it. My Better Hauf liked your “Happy Birthday freak”” addendum.!!
Ave Ave
On current form, Stuttgart are in every sense an elite side. That being said, you never know you’re luck if we play well enough.
Post Scriptum- A wee birthday song for arrested Andy tonight? “Lord Mountbatten had a boat E-I-E-I-O…..”
Ave Ave
Let’s all do the huddle
Personally I really hope all the tickets go to those who want to support Celtic and not to clowns who just want to shout about sacking the board as seems to be the case most games.
I would also rather get formal proper coms about these meetings before jumping to conclusions.
Ange rules out return! Wow – who would have predicted that! He was already scraping his head against the ceiling when he left and the ceiling is a lot lower now…..
It is hard to comprehend how out of touch Celtic’s board are with social media and its power.
I’ve searched and I can find no trace of a communiqué with details of yesterday’s scheduled meeting with the grouping known as the Celtic Collective.
It seems the Celtic Board haven’t realised the importance of communicating through a quick media release on the new Celtic app to prevent misinformation and disinformation that so easily festers in mischievious social media accounts.
Their lack of awareness is astounding.
The Battered Bunnet
Post away!
HH!
Hunger Striker Óglach Frank Stagg – 50th Commemoration, Ballina, Co Mayo.
https://youtu.be/rZY_V8C_Kj8?si=Wp3qKFO064svphxb
murdochbhoy on 19th February 2026 2:06 pm
It is hard to comprehend how out of touch Celtic’s board are with social media and its power.
I’ve seen the Collective’s minutes of the meeting. In attendance was one Kevin McQuillan, Head of Marketing & club media.
Perhaps he lost his pen…….
What Murdochbhoy said @ 2:06pm
Lack of comms – even if the motivation is to get your point of view out there – does not make sense to me.
Not a difficult thing to do.
Europe, where genuine reps are made.
Hopefully MON can work some magic & get us a result despite the ineptitude of the Enron guys in the boardroom mediocritising the squad.
We’re struggling against SPFL standard & a German team will be several levels loftier so any non-defeat will be welcome. A win would be phenomenal in our current scenario.
If we get horsed it’ll be Brendan & life-loser fans fault. 😉
All hope’s on MON.
Monet Selleck 🍀
It’s a tricky one.
There are always 3 sides ti every story, but anything the club say will be twisted, butchered and taken out of context by rage- baiters, so why bother?