I remember a situation several years ago when we had five full backs and converted-full backs out injured at the same time. The injured count for central defenders is not currently as high but the situation is just as critical.
Erik Sviatchenko joins Jozo Simunovic, Dedryck Boyata and Kristoffer Ajer on the injured list. Kolo Toure is certain to be added to the Uefa squad before tonight’s deadline but will be pushed to be match fit for next week.
Fortunately, the man who has spent more time injured over the last two seasons than anyone else, Mikael Lustig, is fit and able to move from full back into the middle, with Saidy Janko able to deputise on the right.
More words have been written about Efe Ambrose than any other Celtic player this month. It’s quite possible he’ll move on towards the end of the transfer window but he’s set to be given an opportunity to make good his error in Gibraltar by leading an unfamiliar defensive line-up in Astana tomorrow.
If I had a choice, I would prefer Celtic in adversity than Celtic over-confident. We know we will have to protect the defence tomorrow so the match plan should be straightforward.
Astana are not without their concerns either. Kazak media are concerned Astana are weaker than a year ago, due to the departure of Georgi Zhukov the likely absence of captain and top scorer, Tanant Nuserbayev, added to the turmoil at the club this week, caused by Lyon’s bid for midfielder, Nemanja Maksimovic. They will battle tomorrow, but their preparations are far from ideal.
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Efe is efe we will see. Big game. I’d have McConnell and Lustig myself. Lets see what Brendan does. We will score not sure they will.
Positivity.csc
KLV
There have been a few on here in recent weeks suggesting Efe for the front sweeper sold. And I am one of them.
Davidopoulos on 26th July 2016 2:21 pm
Looking forward to seeing the starting 11, lots of talking points guaranteed and will give a huge insight into the managers thinking…
HH
Northeast Ghirl
If you are going to post your opinions on a public blog then you have to be big enough to accept criticism from time to time. One thing for sure is that Paul67 is big enough and does. For that I respect him.
But he is not free from criticism because he runs the blog.
Just like JF is not free of criticism on his, neither is The Daily Ranger, The Celtic View, The Hun, John James, Phil Mac.
Paul67 is actually generally the only one of the above who accepts criticism with good grace.
JF himself does not accept it on occassion, which is his biggest failing, JJ hates it. The Daily Ranger, the Hun and The Celtic View do not allow it.
MWD
Don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but remember Ronny went to Spain to cast his eyes over a player, a decent CB called Pantic, well apparently we have turned down the chance to get him for £1 mill, according to this, could be made up pish I know.
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/07/25/report-celtic-snubbed-aleksandar-pantic-to-sign-toure-player-wan/
Please post quietly as I’m going to try for a power nap
changeatPrestonCSC
DAVIDOPOULOS on 26TH JULY 2016 1:01 PM
‘I was thinking that Orwell would have had a tough time in today’s world.’
##
He didn’t exactly have it easy in his own time.
Smallhill Tim
Artful Artist in the last at Galway
I like Winter Lion ( as I had a tip for it last year at Galway and think it has a great chance) but I wouldn’t put you off Artful Artist.
Trained by Tony Martin and 3/1 fav.Tonys horses are running well,2 placed at big prices last night and he has done really well at the Galway Festival for the last few years.
He is a master of getting his horses well handicapped and often gets into trouble with the stewards,
This week he was in the High Court in Dublin getting a ban overturned on his horse Pyromaniac so that it can run in the Galway Hurdle on Thursday
I am backing Winter Lion at 12/1 as I think its better value than Tonys at 3/1
THE EXILED TIM on 26TH JULY 2016 2:32 PM
I removed HITC from the list of publications appearing in my ‘Newsnow Celtic’ because of their consistently anti- Celtic bias.
Cheers WITS
Since Brendan had taken charge I have seen an improvement in many of the players we have in such a large squad. I know people will say just trying to impress the new manager etc., But I believe Brendan knows how to manage, he knows or is working towards knowing who fits in where and who doesn’t fit in, not such an easy thing to do with a squad this size and with champions league games on top of us. You can slag EA all you want but he has never backed down. How about supporting him and the team tomorrow
HH
gsu
Faithful through and through CSC
THE EXILED TIM
Maybe Brendan has more faith in the centre backs on our books than some on here and decided an experienced guy with a one year deal was the right option.
I still have faith that Boyata and Jozo will come good.
Plus the youngsters OcConnell. McCart and Kelleher all look to have great potential.
Should though have gone Toure in earlier.
3-5-2 for me,
Gordon
Ambrose Lustig O’Connel
Janko McGregor Brown Armstrong Tierney
Griffiths ( take your pick)
Janko and Tierney to cover the flanks counter when possible.
KTF Celtic 1 Astana 0
I’m strangely going to go for a Celtic win tomorrow.
2-1 to the bhoys.
I base this on stupidity and hope.
MWD
ernie lynch
That’s very true but at least he was afforded a platform, I am sceptical about whether he would be in today’s world.
So 24 hrs to kick off in Astana and it might be good to think on the following::
1 Temperature at ko will be around 18C with intermittent showers (so much like here)
2 Match is on the national stadium so surface meets UEFA / FIFA regulations
3 We have a squad full of Internationals and the best young talent in Scotland
4 They have a big doubt about captain and top scorer with knee injury
5 Their UEFA coefficient is 12.575 – ours is 40.460
6 This is their 4th season in Europe – we have played in Europe since 1963
6 Our manager has much experience of European football
.. so my point is – we should be cautiously optimistic about a result and we should let them worry about us
An away goal would be great and a 1 – 1 draw to take home to CP should be seen as a satisfactory result.
a thumb injury mean ajer can,t pla big sissy,just strap it up and get on with it ,and lawwell can bugger off any time
#
Glen
They do, that was taken from the mail.
HH
Fan
Agree on Kolo, Chris Davis said as they were leaving for the training camp a few weeks back that the suits knew who the targets were and it was up to them to get them signed.
I now wonder if the coaches are feeling a tad miffed.
HH
5-1-3-1 for me
Gordon
Janko Ambrose Lustig O’Connell Tierney
Bitton
McGregor Brown Armstrong
Griffiths
Keep it nice and tight.
Tony watt’s shirt number at hearts 32
Same as he had at celtic
Sky Italy saying
Higuain has signed for juventus from Napoli
Price quoted £75.3million 5yr contract
Biggest transfer in Italian history
Mike Conroy stepped up to the plate
1980 Scottish cup final
Not a bad outcome
Plus a riot
!!Bada Bing!! on 26th July 2016 2:19 pm
Sevco looking at Henrik’s Bhoy seemingly….
*a rumour stated on KDS tae wind sevco up
MWD –
You asked me if I thought Paul67 had caused Erik’s injury.
I ignored that question as . . .
a) I assumed it was rhetorical. Obviously you think not.
b) My comment to which you responded made no such allusion. Not even close.
Take your time.
antipodean red on 26th July 2016 7:39 am
MacJay, In these modern, enlightened times and given the current circumstances, it’s highly unlikely that the people who have the ‘right” to determine who is allowed to migrate, would have allowed the starving Irish to migrate to the United Kingdom or Australia for that matter.
*The initially weren’t made welcome in Canada, especially “Upper Canada” (Ontario), either as the original Irish emigrants here at the time had fled the country due to the Catholic Emancipation Act and didnae want them and suggested they go tae the States where they were more than welcome.
However, small numbers arrived in the Maritimes and “Lower Canada” (Quebec) and eventually made their way across the country and even down to the US.
History records that the Henry Ford’s father originally from Cork and Bing Crosby’s great grandparents who arrived in New Brunswick from Skibbereen, among others, both made the western journey to the US.
mwd, i feel for efe, always gave 100% many times was left on his own no cover from midfield.
look forward to him playing tomorrow, believe the manager will play him.
TONTINE TIM on 26TH JULY 2016 3:44 PM
!!Bada Bing!! on 26th July 2016 2:19 pm
JordanLarssonR18 @JordanLarsson17 56m56 minutes ago
@talkingbaws @RangersFC me? Signing for Them??? Are u having a laugh? #getouttahere
Auld Tam
Are you capable of answering or are you going with the Forrest Gump defense?
MWD
sean thornton on 26th July 2016 9:31 am
Wife’s just booked a holiday tae Aruba, rui palace.
Anybody been tae this hotel, and what’s Aruba like?, any good?.
*********
Hi Sean
Was off line since last night, so just saw your post now.
I was in Aruba in the fall, and stayed just down the road from the Riu (there are 2 of them but they are in the same area). Walked through them… nice.
Aruba is the most touristy/developed of the ABC islands (Aruba/Bonaire/Curacoa).. it is famed for is windsurfing, while Bonaire is less developed/known more for diving, and curacao even less developed.).
Aruba is known for its great weather… even in hurricane season (ABC is largely protected from the bad storms, which is one of the reasons it is popular this time of yearthrough the fall – when it is hurricane season in the rest of the region). I was there in October, and it was 35 degrees and sunny every day!
Lovely beaches where you are. The opposite side of the island is very rocky, and inaccessible in large measure, but spectacular and wild, if you dont mind the effort of taking a car (or boat) around.
Aruba is small, and there really isn’t a lot to do. Known for duty free shopping in the capital (but that takes about an hour to walk around … it is small).
Was a windsurfing mecca.. but all the hotels in the n/w (where you are) has apparently changed the windflow, so not as big as it once was apparently. But still very good if you are into that.
I did a few dives there with a small dive operator … happy dives aruba, I think they were called. Top notch! Would HIGHLY recommend them if your are into that sort of thing.
Apparently some nice golf courses, but I’m not a golfer, so cant really comment on that.
Overall, Aruba is very quiet, really warm (35 degrees is not uncommon) with nice beaches and lots of sunshine … so, a great place if you just want to relax. Where you are staying, it is a bit more developed, so shops, etc… but, if you are in Aruba, just stay on the beach!
Hope that helps. If I can be of any assistance, please post and I”ll reply, or get my email from P67 and drop me a line.
HH
NORTHEAST GHIRL on 26TH JULY 2016 12:57 PM
I struggle to believe that James Forrest is a Celtic supporter.
Paul cannot be held responsible for the unfortunate injury to ES but I suppose in your world you need to blame someone, is PL getting it in the neck as well.
Refuse to look at your blog because there’s enough going on in the world without reading about your despair every day .
=====
AULD TAM on 26TH JULY 2016 1:07 PM
Northeast Ghirl –
Well said.
The guy has his head so far up his own arse, that he doesn’t even know that it is very bad form for a blogger to go into another blogger’s blog and attack that blogger, especially for what he HASN’T written as opposed to what he HAS written.
The man’s on a giant ego trip.
======
Auld Tam
So I ask again?
MWD
There I was, standing at the traffic light when a car pulled up. I looked at the registration plate, it was…****EFE and I thought, “Oh my god! Dios mio! Mein gott! Sacre bleu! It’s an omen! ”
So there you are guys, you can relax now…
Time to be the hero big man…
Message for PL to remember….
We need a settled Central defence….
We need a serried central defence…..
( repeat 100 times)
Profit is not the motive
profit is not the motive
( repeat 100 times)
Fans are the club
Fans are the clot
( repeat 100 times)
I must earn my Bonus honestly
I must earn my bonus honestly
( repeat 100 times)
…. To be chanted daily
Fans are the club
how much did chinese super league pay
sky to get their games shown.
who the ;[‘# is interested in watching that.
is zheng zhi playin????
football has now become a complete joke and with
Champs league becoming closed shop in 2018 and Skys
distortion if european football with the amount of money
paid to EPL clubs (this flawed product cant bring in that
amount surely?)
what is the point watching football that
has become so corrupt and disjointed from the
common man.
RT REV DAVID HAY on 26TH JULY 2016 4:19 PM
Many nails hit on head.
if efe is selected to play tomorrow, play him in front of the defensive back row , preferably in the position SB has.
Some perspective folks.
Champions League qualification at a Celtic manager’s first attempt last happened with Martin O Neil when Celtic did spend big in relative terms the PREVIOUS season.
Mowbray failed.
Strachan failed
Lennon failed. (heck McCoist failed and he had an ebt boosted squad on a good size wage bill)
However both Strachan and Lennon went on to develop a side of sufficient quality to qualify and perform well in the CL using the EL as a development stage.
Deila failed twice and it was his second failure that became the rod for the media to beat him with and influence supporters, who had been fed a relatively successful CL diet by both his predecessors.
So I doubt BR will face anything like the pressure RD did, especially if he gets more consistency from the players he has and with a few poor performers going and signings under way he will be measured at end of season on the performances in Europe be that CL or EL, with more slack for not beating the big boys if its the CL.
The investment case for buying the way into the CL just does not stand up, not with players like Joe Allan (whom I though a dependable workhorse rather than a match winner) going to Stoke for £13m which plus his wages would require 2 years qualification guaranteed to get a payback. Pursuit of CL money is Fool’s Gold imo the economics just don’t stack up for Scottish clubs but don’t tell Dave King) and if there is criticism to be levelled its in the failure not to use every lawful means at our disposal to get out of the economic straight jacket that is Scottish football and change the season..
With qualifying being based on three cup ties where anything can happen (like the last regular CB being injured) and at a time of year when match fitness is still to come, the risks of buying a place are simply too great.
However based on the performance on Saturday v Leicester I think that Astana are beatable although artificial surfaces favour clubs playing on them every week, especially where the surface is as hard as the Rock of Gibraltar, whose representatives were comfortably taken apart on grass at CP.
Before we get too het up on Paul67’s lead, it may be worth looking at the title…
Sviatchenko out but turmoil also at Astana
Now grant you, part of the crisis in Astana is because on of the top European Leagues want one of their players, a crisis we’ve avoided so far this Season:)
No our Crisis for this Season’s UCL Qualifiers is CHs… Last Season it was of course Strikers.
Both Crisis and Celtic’s underachievement in the last few Seasons have been due to the abject failure of our transfer policy.
Still, I do believe we’ll have enuff to beat Astana over the too legs…
But yet again we are gambling on UCL Qualification due to parsimony.
Hail Hail