Celtic were overflowing with fine performances last night but mostly this was a tactical victory. Ajax dominated possession against Milan and enjoyed lots at the Camp Nou, so Neil Lennon knew what to expect.
Despite playing at home against our lowest-ranked opponent, we never chased the game, allowed Ajax time on the ball, and waited for the opportunity. We had the intelligence across the field to outsmart Ajax, with agility (Forrest), combativeness (Mulgrew, Kayal) and experience in the box (Stokes) to get the job done. We also have perhaps the best keeper in the competition. Shhh.
At some point before the return game in Amsterdam, The Bore may consider that his team deserved to lose, just as Nir Biton deserved his red card. Lunging into tackles inside the box is a recipe for defeat. Take the ball or you take your opponents leg. The noises from Ajax after the game suggested some bewilderment at the defeat; a well-worn track for teams to leave Celtic Park after Champions League games.
I hope de Boer carries that sense of entitlement into the next game, if he does, he’ll have learned nothing and his team will lose again.
Celtic’s area for remedial action is also clear. Over three Champions League games they have not conceded in the first 75 minutes but conceded four times after that point. This is not a complaint, it’s hard to maintain the levels of concentration, not to mention the physical effort, late in a game, but the stats suggest that, at this level, we wilt before our opponents.
The Dutch are known as progressive and tolerant people but the behaviour of Ajax fans (I hear from the moment they arrived at Schiphol Airport) was deplorable, without question the most violent European fans in all my time watching Celtic.
Football hooliganism is nothing like it was in the 70s and 80s but it is on the rise across Europe. Remain ever-vigilant.
On a more prosaic fan issue…. We were not at a pantomime last night. The moment between Nir Biton lunging forward with his studs up and the referee producing a red card was filled by a “Oooh” from many in the home support.
As soon as I heard this I knew the card would be red. Biton may have gone without the sound effects, but we don’t need to authorise the ref to make a big decision.
All this and the Big Glasgow Derby coming up!!
Between now and Sunday you are going to hear lots about the collection on behalf of the Greater Maryhill Foodbank, taking place before the Thistle-Celtic game on Saturday. What a great cause to be a part of.
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Honest mistake @ 10.40
I am trained to 6 sigma green belt level but somehow I don’t think they would be asking me to Murray park/Auchenhowie/Barratt homes with that…. :)
!BADA BING!
Tickets?
You should be in it!
Jungle Jim,
Just the usual media inspired nonsense. Forster might well leave some day, but that’s hardy a story, is it?
Paul67 Oct 23 2013
“…Between now and Sunday you are going to hear lots about the collection on behalf of the Greater Maryhill Foodbank, taking place…”
??
With upfront apologies for slipping into paranoid-android mode, has anyone been in contact with General Brennan this week since the round-up of non aligned dissident Republicans?
I’m even becoming concerned that Sergeant Canamalar is now MIA.
Free the CQN2
BMCUW-VG :)
Auldheid
Good point earlier.
For a club that has arguably the best coaching and youth system in world football Barca tend to buy a lot of foreign strikers.
It absolutely amazes me how people can come on here and write off our new signings so early in the season.
In the past couple of years alone we have had Forster, Lustig and Wilson completely written off as duds after a couple of games before going on to star for us. Sammie and Brown before that!!
I’m absolutely convinced Boerrighter and Pukki will be good players for us and hope Biton, Balde and Rogic can kick on to the next level…..not as convinced about these three!!
Shame we couldn’t have gotten Finnbogason aswell!!
sydneytim
Haha I wish…..Yeah nice area but have to drive everywhere .
Still on for tomorrow though, buses looking quicker than trains!!!!
HH
Ok when so they drop the dime, and let everyone know who, Blue Pitch Holdings, & Margareta is? What’s the odds it’s round about the time the stoke exchange closes, any ideas?
Lymmbhoy summi has sent u my mobile. SMS me your name and will talk tomorrow. Putting wee sydney tim to bed at moment
billy bhoy 05
11:15 on 25 October, 2013
Name me any player that has left the Celtic in recent times and has signed for a club that will regularly compete in the Champions League or regularly compete for domestic trophies.
Most players leave the club for money and to shop window themselves on a bigger stage domestically
If rumours are to be believed Gary Hooper was prepared to stay if his renumeration was on par with that of the highest paid player at the club……was he worth that sort of salary ? …..who knows ?
ST
Run for the profit of our CEO
..
What is the point of making arguments and then coming out with guff like above.
By expansion Celtic must have the stupidest shareholders on the planet allowing the CEO to favour his own interests over that of the company
Quonno, ST, answering me earlier, let me state that I in no way compared Henke to Pukki. My point was that spending big does not guarantee success. Even on proven goalscorers. Tore Andre? Harald? Both were unsuccesful in Glasgow. Hooper was a gamble. It paid off. He was a success at Scunthorpe, but that didn`t guarantee him to be a success at a higher level. I am in the `jury still out` with Pukki camp. My point was originally to ST who advocates spend big and to hell with the consequences.
BobbyRussell
Interesting and well made points. Sunday is going to be one those games where the weather is going to play a huge part like Easter Road. I sometimes feel we don;t have the personnell for pitches which are in a poor state. This is reflected in our horrendous record at Fir Park in recent seasons. Do we go with big Balde and see what he can do?
It may not be a day for our ball players.
I still think Pukki needs a rest. I read years ago that most players coming to Scotland take about 2 months to get their fitness to the levels required due to the pace of our game. You don’t get much time on the ball in our league due to wallipers in other teams rattling about the pitch at 100 miles per hour.
LB
LB
Deniabhoy @11:02
Haven’t seen much of the match on TV but from my recollection of being at the game and in particular the 2nd half was the amount of times Samaras hit the bye line and our strikers were nowhere to be seen in the box . It’s almost impossible to make a killer pass when your strikers are 30 yards behind the play
.
l Hate it when People come on CQN and Say the Olde CQN was the Best Bla Bla Bla..
But l really think the Ole Sammi Debates were when Ole CQN was the Best..Bla Bla Bla..
Modern CQN Sammi Love-Ins is Rubbish..
Summa
Billy Bhoy 05
11:15 on
25 October, 2013
When I saw Hooper in the stand the other night my first response was a deep dislike for him, but this subsided to be replaced with sadness and pity. Regardless of what I have heard or read about his ambitions to play for England I feel certain it was all about money. That’s were the sadness comes in. At CP he would earning over a million pounds a year – a kings ransom – and enjoying fantastically wonderful European nights: Ajax, Milano & Barca, but for the sake of a few quid he is in Norwich – a decent town – fighting relegation, and, if you really saw his thoughts on Tuesday, desperately upset he wasn’t on the park.
Hail hail
==================================================
You could `see` his thoughts?? That`s some talent you have. He came to us, did a good job, left (i would assume, as I don`t have your gift) to try and better his chances of an Engerland call up AND get a lot more money for doing so. As would most folk, money talks and it`s not as if he was a lifelong Celtic supporter living the dream. He and most down south will see a move to the premiership as a move up. We know just how big a club we are but not many southerners think that, Mickey Mouse league and all that, which isn`t even a 2 horse race anymore. I certainly could understand him regretting not playing against Barca etc but maybe he thinks if he shines in England he may get a move to a bigger club there and once again he will feature in big games. Who knows? :-) HH
,
Right..
Wee Quiz..
Which Celtic player has had the Most Disallowed Goals in the Olde Glasgow Derby..
Ps..I Know the Answer but Don’t know if it’s the Correct One..lol
Summa
Clink. Our club is run with one KPI. It’s balance sheet a good balance sheet gives our CEO a good bonus
Having star players on the park is secondary
Bobby I have never said to blow massive amounts of cash
I would prefer if we just signed one quality player during a transfer window who is a 1st eleven player
Less quantity and more quality
Bring through more youths and let them play with top players
Is pukki any better than Dylan or tony ?
I am just saying that our policy upfront has not worked. We have spent and wasted squillions on a large amount of average players upfront looking for that special bit of talent
We seem to have gone from the spend what u earn and the “every penny brought in will be reinvested in the team ” to the look at the balance sheet and let’s pay our CEO Epl pay
Lennox ?
Summa of Sammi….
Bobby Lennox?
My auld man swears he had more goals chopped off than he scored.
LB
!!bada bing!!
11:39 on 25 October, 2013
May I ask what level you are seated on . I recently attended Rod stewart at the Hydro and was seated in section 229 at a cost of £80. The acoustics etc brilliant however my seating was too far from the stage and the only way I was able to establish that it was in fact Rod Stewart was by viewing the large screens situated to the rear of the platform
For this reason and this reason only I decided against purchasing a ticket for Still Game deciding that the subsequent DVD would give me a a better viewing experience
Check out the first video on this link. Watch how the ref still tries to act as though he is in charge even after he has lamped a player.
I get a wee picture of Willie Collum or Ian Brines trying this.
Kuwaiti ref
DeniaBhoy
Have saved your link: Barcelona tickets.
Can you please keep me posted if you get tickets (and how you went about it)?
4 of us are all booked-up; flights, apartment etc but have still to source tickets.
Thanks!
Ahhhh so quiet the podium chasers must be off elsewhere……..quite sad
Was just recalling a wee song I made up……….LOL
Ger it intae yur heed
That the raingurs are deed
Hahahahahaha
ICT announce their first profit (albeit a small one of £22k) in 6 years. Armageddon strikes again!!
Summa/sydneytim
Thanks Bhoys
Will be in touch tomorrow ST
HH
MICKBHOY1888
12.17
Agree with you, times i`ve been to other venues, (SECC) to watch acts, especially comedy, and to watch it on a screen. DVD much better value. Or better still, wait till it comes out on Greenray.
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!
Praecepta
On Matchday last year there was a ticket booth situated near the top of La Ramblas selling tickets for the game. It seemed to be Barcelona accredited
I wouldn’t worry too much about sourcing tickets as by the time we play there Barcelona will surely have qualified and there will be a glut of spare tickets
Don’t know of any Celtic supporters having travelled in the past without tickets that have been unable to to gain entry to the ground
Ps Word of advice wear a neck wallet and keep it hidden
Micknhoy 1888
You’re spot on but still sad. £1m not enough for anyone?
Auldheid & BMCUWP
We are almost unanimous on here that signing players in the January window would enable Celtic to play the CL qualifying rounds with a more settled team.
It is not simply a case of harvesting quality players, as Auldheid so succintly told us. Strikers of the calibre we seek are no doubt out there, but can we sign one in January, even on a pre-contract, like we did with Hooper? Our finances are such that now we can probably afford to take such a punt. But let us all be clear that there is no guarantee of success. For example, our new prize striker could get injured during the second half of the season, either here playing for us, or in his own league.
We will be seeded to beat any team we face in the qualifying rounds, but again, no guarantees, no matter who we sign.
I would be interested to hear NFL’s view about how he feels on this particular aspect of transfer policy.
Had tweets this morning saying “Celtic third biggest club” couldn’t get on the link anyone any info.
BobbyRussell
Ta for your acknowledgement
is Paulus ok ? on a break ?
I’ve just passed a Dunne’s Removal van from Inverness – I wonder if they’re shifting the contents of the inverness ranggers supporters club into storage – what was it again – failure to pay taxes –
lennon’s passion
The story is that Celtic supporters were rated 3rd best in the world after Boca Juniors and Borussia Dortmund.
lennon’s passion
@celticfcnews: Celtic fans named 3rd best in the world http://t.co/1i1fyIf0P3 @CelticJournal
HH