There is an unusually sombre tempo head of tomorrow’s Champions League last 16 tie, a consequences of the 0-3 reversal at home three weeks ago and the general sentiment around Scottish football this week, but this match is an excellent test for both manager and playing squad.
We are a Champions League team again with aspirations to achieve at this level next season. Having finally overcome the hoodoo of never having won away from home in the competition, we must use occasions like tomorrow to continue our growth in the competition.
We defended our 18-yard line in the Camp Nou and almost got away with a point. The plan was wrong in Lisbon, where a talented Benfica controlled midfield and recorded a narrow win, but the win against Spartak in Moscow was deserved.
Celtic might not be able to qualify for the quarter finals but they can win the match tomorrow; this is an achievable objective which would sweeten the inevitable medicine.
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As for the game tomorrow, I would be very disappointed if we sat back and defended a la the games v Barcelona.
I personally would much rather we went and had a go at them.
Even if we were to lose 3 or 4-0 because of this, I could handle that much better than say a narrow 1-0, due to us having 2 solids lines of 5 sat 18 and 25 yards out leaving Juve to try to break us down the whole game.
They are a good team Juve, but not great. Why not take it to them as we did in the first half at Celtic Park, but this time preferably without the costly mistakes and a bit more penetration than we did then. Not to mention a far superior refereeing performance!*
We are out anyway, as it stands, so it makes no sense to simply defend. Go and challenge them and give all the Bhoys’n’Ghirls who are away to Torino, the chance to really have something to sing and shout about.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
* = I note we have a Turkish referee for the game tomorrow. Relatively young with this his 1st year of officiating in the CL. He’s ref’d 3 games up to now Bayern v Valencia, Zagreb v PSG and Arsenal v Montpellier. Wonder what his take will be on wrestling at corners?
Sorry, don’t expect anyone posting here to a) be walking down the copeland road or b) be sitting next to anyone sing TBB.
BRTH, “Page not Found”
BRTH,
your link doesn’t appear to be working. Takes you to your blogpage, but not the actual article.
Can you re-post or confirm the article name?
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
I suspect the Lisbon Lions would struggle to win by 3 clear goals tomorrow.
But you never know.
Football is a strange game.
Any odds available for us to qualify?
THE TOKEN TIM
I’m with you on that-faint heart never f@&£:d Bengal Tiger as an old acquaintance was prone to say.
Keep it tight at the back and make us proud!
Met an Inter Milan fan in the pub on Friday, he said, “I am so wishing for you guys to beat Juventus, this season they are even more arrogant than AC”.
thomthethim @ 13:46
I like your sentiment and I like your style: a very decent suggestion.
I hope I’m wrong but, for what it’s worth, I can’t see enough Celtic fans signing up to what you propose; let alone enough fans of other clubs.
I know a few lifelong Celtic fans (now in their 50s and 60s) who basically seem to take the view that we (i.e. fans at large) should simply accept the LNS ruling (which, they point out, found RFC(IL) of cheating on an epic scale) and get on with our own game. Personally, I’m baffled by such attitudes.
If these guys (and gals) are representative, it suggests there will always be a significant number of fans (even within the Celtic support) who, for their own reasons, won’t subscribe to a boycott. The club certainly won’t (and arguably shouldn’t).
I also get the sense that most Celtic fans – and, indeed, decent fans of many other clubs – are currently watching and waiting to see if there’s a mutually acceptable proposal for protesting.
The simple fact is that without some serious form of fan protest in the relatively near future, this matter will fizzle away … at least (perhaps) until the UTT decision.
I get the distinct impression that the principal decision makers in our game (by which I mean club owners, officials and their appointees at a national level) lack a mixture of vision, the courage of their convictions [that’s those who have any!] and remain firmly of the opinion that they know what’s best for the game; that this brouhaha will blow over in a few months
And that’s ignoring the possibility that there are some amongst that list who may be ‘conflicted’ for fraternal or financial reasons.
It would follow, therefore, that there are quite a few amongst this ‘elite’ who do not see their interests as aligning easily with those of the ordinary fan.
My guess as to what happens in the meantime is that sufficient numbers of fans will simply drift away from the game. By ‘sufficient numbers’, we may only be talking of between 5% and 10%; enough to make a seriously bad difference for most clubs. The game will go into decline, settling at around the level it was in the early 1980s; except this time, because of the dearth of ‘talent’ running our game and the massive effects of TV money beyond our borders, there will probably be no way back.
As said earlier, I hope I’m wrong …
FF
Paul67
All systems go for a joint Russian/Ukrainian league.
Clubs from the Russian Premier League have voted in favour of the creation of a unified league including clubs from both Russia and Ukraine, after a general meeting took place today. This means that discussions will be ongoing as to whether a realistic league structure can be formulated and implemented while ensuring that both Russia and Ukraine maintain their sovereignty on the international stage.
A statement on the RPL website reads: ‘The task is to develop the concept of an organising committee for the united football league, along with consultation with the Ukrainian Premier League, Ukrainian clubs, as well as bodies such as the RFU , FFU, and UEFA/FIFA in order to agree on a football league in accordance with the regulatory documents of these organizations. The organising committee is also mandated to develop the structure and rules of league, the project calendar and other necessary documents stipulated by the Ukrainian Premier League, the RFU, FFU, UEFA and FIFA,’
ESTADIO
Or may I call you Matt?
Or possibly Rick,spokesman for a generation….
Well effin said!
philbhoy,
there are odds available up to around 123/1 (Betfair) for us to qualify.
Can get as much as 10/1 for us simply to win tomorrow night.
I think a few quid on ther latter is worth it. Couple of quid on the former…why not?
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Samaras 5/1 to score anytime ,and keep his Euro record going.
Doc is Neil Lennon
Best wishes mate.
My thoughts are with you.
Any chance of getting Celtic fans AND Dundee United fans to bhoycott hampden for the semi. I’m sure many of them feel as strongly about it as we do regarding LNS .
apologies, took the odds from oddschecker despite knowing that often the odds shown are not up to date.
Currently we are 94/1 to qualify with betfair. 100/1 with bet365.
10/1 with Coral though for the win.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
The Token Tim
Thanks!
Why not indeed!
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ESTADIO
I like you curtailed my language not only because it is not allowed on here but some of the word I would have used I canny spell :0)
Ernie
You’ve done it again!
PUSILLANIMOUS
What a word, had to check it up! Every day is a schoolday on CQN!
HH
Philbhoy @ 14 20 .
Torino bookies —-
Juve -4/11
Celtic 9/1.
Draw 17 /4..
Celtic to qualify 100 /1 .
Same people price Juve at 10/1 to win the CL
jhj @13.46
That’s a fair point. I didn’t see it itemised in their accounts. hhhmmm!
ESTADIO
By the way my feelings for Celtic have not changed Celtic Then..Celtic Now..Celtic Forever
Soth of Tunis
Thanks!
I will definitely back to win and qualify but don’t know how to write out the line!
South, sorry.
Ever the optimist I’ve taken Celtic to win 3-0 @ 225/1 with PP and supplemented it with Celtic to qualify in 30 mins extra time @500/1 with an “insurance” bet of Celtic to qualify on penalties also @ 500/1
As usual I have almost managed to convince myself that my bet’s a dead cert to win :)
Sorry I will try again.
The Tale of the Great Belli
http://wp.me/p1G95H-I7
HH
Will away goals scored in extra time count double in the event of a tie.
Philbhoy
Yes they do!
Best of luck to-morrow night Bhoys. Give it your best shot.. I was thinking that Jon Daly might be a good buy for us as a squad player. He could give us some flexibility as a big strong centre forward and could be developed into a dominating centre-half , which we lack.
Worth a try!.
Rieperman
How daft you are will depend on your stake :0)
Philhoy ——
Italian bookies often use a Quota system . I have to covert that into UK style odds .
Eg —– online people called —–Better
Juventus ——- Celtic Glasgow ——1 = 1.30 X = 5.25 2 = 9.00.
No quote re the quota re Celtic qualifying !
£2 on each TimJim
Jonny the Tim
Woooohooooo!!!
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!
Hey guys
First up, thanks to everyone who’s bought the book so far, or recommended it, or sent a tweet or posted a message. Outstanding.
The actual hard copies are now available, for those who want to read it and don’t like the Kindle for some reason. (And why ever not? The Kindle is great!)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fragments-James-Forrest/dp/1482606488/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
Many thanks again!
I have also just realised the folly of not backing Juve to qualify in extra time (325/1) and on penalties (500/1) as well. 3-0 to us would guarantee a bumper payday. I’m away to rectify that now.
Rieperman
About the price of ten fags then,better on the bet than on the cancer sticks:0)
We are working on the new issue of CQN Magazine. To be honest it is very tough at the moment to get enthused about it all. One thing has been clarified. They have 54 titles and they are staying together as a set. Every single one of them is now tainted by 140 years of cheating. I read BRHT excellent feature today on Nimmo and while it took him around 10,000 words to make his point, we all know it can be summarised in just a few words. Funny handshake.
That said contributing for the magazine gives us content for the next CQN ANNUAL and we can get into print so we can keep the record of this cheating. If we don’t write the truth they will re-write history as they always do. New contributors are very welcome.
I notice a few posters of late using the punishment of Sion as an example of what should have happened to the huns.
What about Neuchatel Xamax?
Another Swiss team,they went bust last year with a piddling £8m debt.
They were relegated to the regional leagues.
In UEFA’s backyard…..
starry plough
13:49 on
5 March, 2013
‘Phil’s up and running too…
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/charlie-and-the-klan/#more-3588‘
It will be interesting to see what he has to say about the role of the SNP (who, unlike the Kirk, have never issued an apolgy) in the history of anti Irish Catholicism in Scotland.