There were some tasty, some would say succulent, draws in the Champions League yesterday. Milan-Barcelona have both won the tournament within the last decade, and although Milan are at the bottom of the trough at the moment, this tie will be a huge attraction for those of us who like our football tinged with history.
Real Madrid will travel to Manchester for the second time this season as both teams look to reclaim former European eminence. Porto-Malaga is not one that sets pulses racing but it is a token of an often-discussed concept at this level. Malaga are a fine side but are new to the competition, Porto come from a less-illustrious league but are steeped in Champions League heritage. Do you need to learn how to play in this tournament or were UK TV commentators making excuses for the failure of the English champions? Not sure but I fancy Porto to progress.
Arsenal have the daunting prospect of Bayern Munich. The German champions are clear at the top of the league which produced three group stage winners. They are also still self-flagellating after dropping the ball against English opposition in May. Beating Arsenal will not mend those wounds but it will be an absolute must for Bayern.
I watched a bit of Shakhtar Donetsk during the group stage; they are a very skilful team. Borussia Dortmund will not enjoy their trip to Ukraine, I expect Shakhtar to progress.
Valencia are not enjoying the best of seasons but although Paris Saint Germain are now top of Ligue 1 I think they are set for a fall in the Champions League. PSG may have enough to get past Valencia but if we make it to the quarters I would be happy to face them.
Galatasaray sit alongside Celtic as rank outsiders at the bookmakers, never a bad place to lurk at this stage of the competition. Schalke are tighter odds than Milan (7th in Serie A) and Valencia (11th in La Liga) perhaps because of the ‘kind’ draw. There will be at least one team in the quarter finals we would fancy our chances with.
The immediate challenge for Neil Lennon is to keep his players’ focus on tomorrow’s game against Ross County. It took an injury time equaliser to earn a point for Celtic against County earlier in the season, so nothing can be taken for granted.
Have you ordered your CQN Annual yet? Get it here!
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Ally Mccoist has demanded to know the names of all the Mayans who said the world was going to end.
Anyone any clue how many tickets we’ll get for Juve?…. I’m cat C on away Euro ticket scheme……booked yesterday, staying in Milan and getting buses over before and after game.
Heard that there is no alcohol available in Turin on day of game …poor show do they think we’re huns?
The ole Turkey is for life not just for Christmas – Oh wait that’s not right is it?
Ntassoolla…the hun postie also has yer post opened for you before he delivers it!!! say no more………….
Interesting wee read. Don’t ya just love NFL
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/21/neil-lennon-interview-alex-ferguson
HH
Ole Juve midfielder Andrea Pirlo feels Celtic were the toughest possible draw to get.
TooRight CSC
Can’t see past Dotmund myself, very fast team with some very skilful players. I watched last season’s German cup final and I don’t think I have seen a game played at such pace. They also topped their group and had two very good results v Real Madrid.
The Schalke v Galatasary game will be very interesting as there is a very large Turkish population (1.1million) in Nord-Rhein-Westfalen, 32% of the Turkish population of Germany (3.5 million).
If you’re reading this it’s because your imagination has survived the implosion of Planet Earth.
How I explain this to Ladbrokes when I try to claim my winnings will take a bit more time, but it was generous odds they gave me, and worth the effort.
2,000,000 to 1 – heh heh, stupid bookies.
Winning Cap’n…..
Any chance you can track where my CQN Annual is?
My receipt from 11th Dec is 0630-7395-5349-9113.
Concerned that Philbhoy may have claimed it……..
FYI EH51. Post Code
Paddy T
Tallybhoy @ 13 14 .
I missed the draw due to being en route from Roma to New York .
I have now read the Italian / Sicilian media .
Official Juve sources have been polite and full of ” respect “. Any team that can beat Barca etc . Nedved urging the players and the support not to underestimate Celtic and forcefully pointing out that a very good Juve team shipped 4 goals at Celtic Park.
Most of the media have taken the best draw possible line [ but they did beat Barca ] Scottish . Play in a very poor league . Technically poor . Stadium is a cauldron . . Nowhere near as good as Chelsea and a different planet from Shakhtar .[ who gave Juve the run a round in Torino ] Concentrate / don’t make mistakes and superior class should win . Much mention of how badly Juve played in the away tie against the Danish team and should they play like that in Glasgow then Celtic will beat them .
We’ll see !
Auguri . Buon viaggio .
My favourite CQN advert is the one featurin’ ole Smokey Bear, in which Smokey gives advice on how to prevent wildfires.
Gazin’ out on an ole saturated and sodden Shangri La I think ole Smokey can hibernate peacefully.
This photo keeps popping up on my FB page. I don’t know who she is but I know she is German and may possibly be a member of the Zeppelin family:
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/8655/1356098822610.jpg
mic1888 the no alcohol will be the official line.
Italians have scant regard for such edicts.
Much has been said about Italy and corruption. Italians understand it differently from us with our morality based approach.
When an Italian comes across a particularly impressive sleight of hand, they react like we would upon hitting an unacceptably big pothole in the road
We mutter “the cooncil should blood well fix that.”
They mutter “someone should bloody well fix the cooncil.”
Bending the rules isn’t always a bad thing. When I lived in Italy my girlfriend was a non-EU national. No can work legally. A post came up in another school requiring a native born English speaker, which she was. The headmaster in my school asked if she were interested. Instead of answering the question I started to explain about the legalities. “I know this Signor Ntassoolla. But you haven’t answered my question.”
Next day under instruction from him I was sat speaking to a friend of his in the Italian equivalent of the broo, who arranged a national insurance number (codice fiscale) for her like it was exactly the right thing to do. Ditto the local bank manager.
Somebody’s world did end today:
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/2422/1356099086778.jpg
The sheer chutzpah of the workings of Italian bureaucracy sometimes just has to be applauded.
Celtic First ——–
Pastore to AC Milan ?
I’m surprised .[ the gruesome Berlusconi regularly trotting out a there’s a crisis we need to be responsible line ]
It has been rumored that he might be going to Inter [ in exchange for Sneijder and 20 million euros .]
I watch PSG just to see him . I remember the first reports from his early days at Palermo and knowledgeable pundits lining up to compare him with Rivera . The comparisons are beginning to appear to be justified . A truly fabulous player.
See that Stephen McGowan ( yes, it’s the ‘ph’ version) in today’s Daily Mail describes Victor and Hoops as “contract rebels”
Yes, the same Victor who has 2.5 years and Hoops whose contract runs to June 2014.
They just hate to see us beginning to prosper.
garygillespieshamstring
12:40 on
21 December, 2012
Excellent.
Work just finishing, time for the first Xmas pint. Still trying to plan flights/tickets for Juve game, but that can wait.
If at 1st you don’t succeed. After 45 years of trying to play Golf and just 2 weeks short of my 65th birthday, I got my first Hole in One today. Probably up there with Katie Taylor winning Gold and Celtic beating Barca as the sporting moment of the year. Ha Ha.
Winningcaptains going away tomorrow and still not recieved my annual
Can you check if mines been sent Please
zbyszek.
Received your mail and will endeavour to mail you tonight.
corkcelt
14:18 on
21 December, 2012
Comhghairdeas !
What distance / club ?
jimmci 14:17 on 21 December, 2012
“See that Stephen McGowan ( yes, it’s the ‘ph’ version) in today’s Daily Mail describes Victor and Hoops as “contract rebels”
If it was the Hate Mail no doubt they referred to high-earning migrants driving up the wages at Scottish football clubs…
corkcelt Congratulations on a fine achievement and many happy returns on your upcoming birthday. Although I can honestly say that as much as I am happy for you your achievement does not thrill me like the Bhoys doing Barca. Sorry :)
HH
Corkcelt – congratulations mate. Mine’s a lager.
Go raibh maith agat MadraRua, Twas a short one about 80 yards, I used a Pitching Wedge.
Bada
surely the Armitage Shanks Bowl
Paul, For the record I really hate the new video blurb that loads on the pages now. Nothing worse when trying to have a sneaky peak at the site in the office and you get that belting out on the speakers :o(
Can you start it in pause mode and allow folks to play it at their discretion.
Big Swee put your speakers on mute?
Sometimes you just can’t win:
Man hospitalised after eating too many Brussels sprouts
A man has been hospitalised after eating too many Brussels sprouts.
The controversial vegetables contain vitamin K, a chemical the body uses to promote blood clotting.
While it does this, it also counteracts anticoagulants (used in blood-thinning medication).
The man from Ayrshire was prescribed anticoagulants after suffering heart failure in 2011, and his dose was monitored weekly to prevent blood clotting.
However, his blood started to clot close to Christmas last year and he was admitted to the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.
The doctors could not understand why his medication was not keeping his blood thin until he told them he’d been eating lots of sprouts.
Consultant cardiologist Dr Roy Gardner said: “Patients who are taking anticoagulants are generally advised not to eat too many green leafy vegetables, as they are full of vitamin K, which antagonise the action of this vital medication.”
The chief executive of the Golden Jubilee Hospital Jill Young said: “Whilst we think this is possibly the first-ever festive admission to hospital caused by the consumption of Brussels sprouts, we were delighted that we were able to stabilise his
Paddy Turner
There may be a problem with posties delivering anything in West Lothian after one of their colleagues was incorrectly branded a “sevconian” by Burghbhoy.
Teuchter ár lá
corkcelt
that crazy golf can be a very frustrating – was it the windmill hole
Thats OK MightyTim, I’m with you on that one, I watch Tony Watts goal and the last 3 minutes after Messi’s goal, almost every day and it still brings a tear to my eye.
Big Swee walks on with Neil Lennon
14:26 on
21 December, 2012
Not a fan either, takes ages to load the page.
crabitgit.csc
Ha Ha Gene, LOL
Ntassoolla
I can’t as part of my job role requires them to be active for monitoring alarms and VoIP.
Revenue is needed for the site so ads are a necessary evil.
£100 a month may allow our reporters to travel by taxi for a few journeys, thus freeing up time for journalistic endeavour.
The moderators cannot be seen to be cancelling out the effectiveness of the adverts. At its simplest it’s a breach of contract.
Even removing my last post would be in keeping with advertisers’ terms and conditions.
Having said that it’s only on this fine site that I can now provide direct medical evidence as to why I should not have to eat the sprouts that spoil many a roast dinner :o)