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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If Efe is playing tomorrow and Chris Sutton is co-commentator, I will be watching with the sound off.
MIKE IN TORONTO on 26TH JULY 2016 4:07 PM
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?
______________________________________
Been to quite a few Riu hotels and they’ve usually excellent.
Had a look at that one in the Thompson site and it looks great.
Auldheid,
For most it is a given about the cost of chasing Champions League gold is a non starter.
That however does not answer the question of £17.1 wasted on 9 players that have do date contributed very little and baffling loan deals.
A negligent waste of resources at best.
Astana don’t look great and with better medium/long term planning we shouldn’t be in this mess.
The CL failures you describe at the beginning of your post are all under Lawwel’s watch…
HH
Duty calls
Good Afternoon.
It’s a ‘two blog’ day in Clumpany Towers.
Here is the brand new one, taking the p*ss out of the over-excited coverage of Sevco’s win against Stranraer last night.
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/07/26/sevco-3-someone-else-0/
And here is the earlier blog about saying farewell to an acquaintance
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/07/26/in-memoriam/
52.000 season tickets sold
7.5 mil for ICC tournament
+ 10mil with Sevco in the league
Dafabet & Magners shirts sponsorship etc.etc.
And what have we spent? 500K?
All fans want is a little planning & some ambition. Surely it isn’t too much to ask?
A couple of years ago, we were told that we would prepare for the CL by getting players in at the Jan window to give them time to bed in.
Aye, how has that worked out Pedro ?
Barbi lit, time to do the many duties :-)
Auldheid
Did the managers fail or did the Board fail the managers?
Common cause of failures has been managers taking over poor teams. Most recently flaws that have been known for a long time like the central defensive deficit.
I didn’t rate RD but I don’t attribute his CL failures solely to his inadequacy. In fact his appointment was a major factor and was compounded by the number of similarly mediocre ‘prospects’ bought by the ever speculative but largely clueless PL….
Griffiths has been an absolute Godsend… But how many striker failures have the Board/ CEO bought?
A common error is the risk averse penny pinching. Rather than the managed risk which has ultimately cost £millions in lost income and squandered money on cheap I options.
If BR fails to gain entry this year it will not behind fault but yet again poor planning and purchasing to bridge known gaps in the squad.
It’s the diamond for me
——————–C.Gordon——————-
Jancko. Lustig. O’Connell. Tierney
——————–Brown————————
—-McGregor —————Armstrong—-
—————-P.Roberts——————–
——–Griffdo. M.Dembelle———-
Yir Da
ZBYSZEK on 26TH JULY 2016 1:26 PM
Dessybhoy
That player Zhukov is great-grandson of marshal Zhukov. I’m not kidding.
——————————————————-
I take it he’s got a good disciplinary record :-)
I believe Brendan will however possibly go with the 352 / 532
It just means a more cautious line up.
Ambrose partners Lustig and O’Connell…… And most likely our wide bhoy P.Roberts would be sacrificed.
Well we don’t half make it hard for ourselves or alternatively we are very unlucky, but, I must say as a happy clapper that leaving it so late to sign a CB, Toure or any other one was definitely a bad move,especially since we tried it twice before without success. That said I will be surprised if we can’t do the job over the two legs. Was looking forward to watching the game tomorrow even cancelling the golf,but, a pal is taking a couple of us(combined age 160!) sailing from Rothesay up to Collintraive then further up Thursday back Friday. Since he is selling the boat or yacht whichever I opted for the sail!! Don’t know if I would have done it next week… Home game live Wearesailingcsc.
——————–C Gordon——————
—–Ambrose. Lustig. O’Connell—–
Jancko. ——–Brown———- Tierney
———McGregor. Armstrong———
————Griffiths Doumbelle———-
ruggygman on 26th July 2016 5:01 pm
Paddy needs to play IMO.
Going forward we need to be direct tomorrow. Paddy cutting in from the right heading straight for goal will make things happen, drag players toward him and make space for others.
Astana will be delighted if hes left out the starting 11.
HH
With the 352….. Big emphasis on McGregor and Armstrong to get up and support.
If anything I can see McGregor being the one that hopefully snatches us an away goal.
Scotland!
My uncle is in his late 60s and a lifelong Celtic Supporter … He said something to me last night that really resonated…
When Celtic were at a very low point (pre Fergus taking over) Rangers were prepared to spend money they didn’t have to press their advantage….. When the Huns have been at their lowest point over the last few years we have taken the very opposite approach.
I’m not advocating spending money we don’t have but I do feel gutted we did not press the advantage and are in reality pretty much on a par now the tribute act have regained SPFL entry.
I guess that’s why so many of us were gutted when they grubbed us last season.
REVDAVIDHAY – I did not intend my reply to you, to be in any way condescending – if it came across that way, please accept my sincere apologies – no offence was intended.
COSY CORNER BHOY on 26TH JULY 2016 5:05 PM
Where on one of the 3 yachts that came into Rothesay Harbour about an hour ago por cierto
COSY CORNER BHOY on 26TH JULY 2016 5:05 PM
Where you on por cierto
TT-ta for reply
It’s only a matter of time before Indian and Chinese teams are in the Champions League…..
What is the stars
nice e/w bet on Rich and Famous
slainte mo chara
“If anything I can see McGregor being the one that hopefully snatches us an away goal.”
Ruggyman,
Quite possibly.
Hes certainly done more in the last couple of years than wee leigh in these games.
HH
POR CIERTO
I think he is still landbound-outward bound tomorrow.
NIR Biton can play centre half.
Just saying.
Aff for the nicht, leave the haun wringers ta it.
clogher celt on 26th July 2016 4:43 pm
Auldheid,
For most it is a given about the cost of chasing Champions League gold is a non starter.
That however does not answer the question of £17.1 wasted on 9 players that have do date contributed very little and baffling loan deals.
===================
Baffling is the word which suggests either absence of a strategy or CL qualification is not part of it..
Auldheid
A few years back we were told that Euro football was not part of the ongoing financial plan, we could well manage without it.
Then we were told that Europa League football was factored in to the financials.
I will wager now that CL football is part of the plan, I would be astounded of forehead if the suits are happy without it, this is where Pedro is failing us big time, he is gambling again with qualification just like he has done for the past few seasons.
The last time we got there we were blessed, Karagandy were seconds and a crossbar away from knocking us out.
And still we sold and never replaced the playesr we sold for squillions.
They can’t have it all ways, strike that, in Pedro’s case he can, he gets his no matter what.
HH
AULD TAM on 26TH JULY 2016 4:42 PM
who cares?
CULTSBHOY – SEES RIGHT THROUGH LAWWELL AND THE BOARD on
Laughable to suggest Sevco are in any shape or form on a par with us.
Mats Nilloc posted earlier that Peter Lawwell has presided over the second most successful era in Celtic’s history. Errant nonsense.
Domestic supremacy in a league where our rivals get beat off teams from Luxembourg and Malta while we lose to a team from Gibraltar does not equate to stellar success and certainly wouldn’t hold a candle to the exploits of Celtic teams from the early 20th century, the early 1980s etc
The Lawwell years include some of our worst European results ever. 0-5 v artmedia , 0-4 v Utrecht, red imps, 1-6 over 2 games v Legia. Our record European away defeat 1-6 to barca and our record home defeat to Milan, 0-3.
Earlier in the Lawwell era a season of mince in Europe would be followed by spectacular overachievement the following year eg artmedia was followed up by last 16 CL beating man utd on the way, Sion was followed up by last 16 in the CL beating barca on the way. I don’t know what such schizophrenic results and performances demonstrated, but it sure as hell wasn’t top drawer strategic long-term planning.
Now we have reached a state of stabilised mediocrity- a consistent and reliable failure to live with the likes of molde, Malmo and Salzburg. The annual failure to prepare for European qualifiers as we beg for the scraps off the EPL development squads in the last days of August.
Second most successful period ever? Only in the eyes of the one man who has probably taken the most money out of Celtic FC in our history.
CULTSBHOY – SEES RIGHT THROUGH LAWWELL AND THE BOARD
Would that be cos we’re no the huns:)))
AULDHEID @ 4:25 PM,
Well I posted on the tale end of your comments; Interesting and we’ll constructed as usual.
But here’s my problem with it.
We have both been on these pages long enuff to have seen Neganon often dismiss agruments like you just made and state often that these were excuses and that the Celtic PLC had no intention of investing in the team.
Of course Neganon was proved right.
The counter argument that us happy clappers, CQN and Celtic themselves made was…
We cannot invest in the squad unless we sell.
ALSO
We cannot risk investing in a team to improve our chances of qualification for the UCL, without the “windfall” of UCL money.
Of course that Myth was blown out of the water during the Lennon Era.
Let’s take an example… in the Season when we sold £22M+ of players, the following Season we were again Nett Sellers.
Also after two concurrent Seasons of UCL qualification and European Football after Christmas, the following Seasons we failed to invest the “UCL money” to improve our prospects of qualifying.
So it doesn’t wash does it…?
If in a Season that follows a very profitable transfer window and “UCL Windfall” money we are saying… we can’t risk investing in the squad to improve our chances of UCL qualification… Logic says we are saying we will NEVER invest to improve Celtic’s chances of UCL Qualification…
Ergo Neganon was correct and his predicted “downsizing” happened, didn’t it?
No longer a discussion for me I’m afraid the FACTS are there.
The only unknown is this season, was BR’s appointment and promise to back him a true change in policy or was it all window dressing?
Again, time will tell and the Truth will out…
But I don’t have to tell you that;)
Hail Hail
ELLBOY on 26TH JULY 2016 4:46 PM
7.5 mil for ICC tournament? Who told you that?
HH
I’m really disappointed that Eric is missing game but I have no worries re Efe. The big mhan has made more than a few high profile errors but he has also played many, many outstanding games for us. If selected he will not hide, he will give everything and I have this gut feeling that he will have a blinder.
Main thing is to keep the tie alive, any draw or a one goal defeat with an away goal or two will do me.
COYBIG.
AULD TAM on 26TH JULY 2016 4:42 PM
Hasnt a good thing to say about Efe regardless of his performance standard. Sutton’s a mouthpiece for punditry at it’s worse.
CultsBhoy – sees right through Lawwell and the Board on 26th July 2016 4:57 pm
The trick has to be manage the transition from a settled team under one manager to a settled team under another.
A settled team is usually recognised by the better performances it produces as a team, but is then susceptible to the best performers in that team being either lured away (Wanyama/Foster) or it just being time to move (Nakamura).
I don’t think any Board without the money to bring in players of the same value as the those departing for better wages we cannot pay, is going to be able to avoid the dip in the natural cycle produced by competing against clubs who can pay more than we can and with the number of those clubs increasing, it becomes even harder.
A solution might be to sell players in the winter window and replace them to be ready for the CL but what if we are neck and neck for a title? Would it make sense then to sell say a CB who will not be there the next season and unsettle a settled defence?
A way to reduce risks for me that addresses going into CL qualification with both a more settled formation and better match fitness is to change the Scottish Football Season. The old one ending at beginning of December and starting beginning of March does both.
Now that means persuading other clubs and that is where I ask questions of the Board because I think that is an achievable objective in the economic circumstances all Scottish clubs find ourselves.
Foxy
Ill take up that point for Ellboy
Its 3m euros per game we collect from hosting company. 3×3=9m euros which equates about £7.5m
FOXY on 26TH JULY 2016 5:54 PM
ELLBOY on 26TH JULY 2016 4:46 PM
7.5 mil for ICC tournament? Who told you that?
EMBRAMIKE SAYS “THE HUNS ARE DEID” on 25TH JULY 2016 10:13 PM
INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONS CUP
Big money windfall for all clubs particpating in the ICC
http://en.as.com/en/2016/07/25/football/1469477831_579008.html
According to this article …
… the biggest names in European football such as Real Madrid, Barça, Manchester United, Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Each club pockets four million euro per match with the assoctaied costs of travel and accomodation covered by the organisers
Other teams such as Chelsea, Liverpool, Atlético, Juventus, Inter, Milán, Borussia Dortmund and PSG earn “just” three million euro per match.
So if we are in the 2nd bracket, we will earn €9m from our 3 games (about £7.5m at current rate)