We’ve never known an easy Champions League game. Ever. Teams with low resources who have pitched up at Celtic Park have always caused us problems. Even our biggest win (3-0, Benfica) was a tense affair with little between the teams territorially.
Five years ago we returned home with a point from Spartak Moscow, expecting a victory at Celtic Park but we had to endure an incredibly tense evening before prevailing on penalties. Celtic will need to be on top form if they are to win tonight, and a win is what we need to target. Barcelona will be professional but they will also exercise their right to rest players. It’s worthwhile remembering that Barca required late winners at home against both Celtic and Spartak; nothing is assured from them tonight.
Spartak have injury worries which will probably see Kirill Kombarov (not to be confused with his twin Dmitir) play at right back. Kirill is a real weakness and should struggle against Celtic, who have several strong options on the left. They will play with two holding midfielders in front of a back four with one striker and three across the middle. Aiden will be a valuable out-ball for them.
This game will take patience, from us as well as the players. Remember how many games teams have taken and lost a lead in this group. Scoring or losing a goal is no indication of the result. It will also be a game where substitutions are likely to be key. Fresh legs in the last 20 minutes could turn the game.
Take care tonight and have another great European experience.
CQN Annual now available at Timland in the Gallowgate and the Cathedral House Hotel.
Dundee United will be devastated by the blow delivered by The Rangers, who have declined tickets for their Scottish Cup tie. The game is, however, 9 weeks away, which is a long time for a fledgling new club to survive. The Rangers board cite Dundee United’s behaviour towards their predecessor club, Rangers, who went into liquidation owing United money for the Scottish Cup tie in January this year. I strongly recommend you don’t try to figure out the logic here, you’re just not clever enough.
After the demise of Rangers was confirmed, The Rangers asked to be admitted to the Scottish Premier League, however, no such facility existed for a new club, so a vote to change the rules was held and 10 clubs, including United, voted to keep the status quo.
Celtic also voted against changing the rules, and if Dundee United are to be punished by a boycott from The Rangers fans, we surely cannot expect them to turn up at Celtic Park as though nothing happened. In fact, Celtic were firmer than any other club on this matter. It seems only fair that we are punished, not by one boycott, but by many. The firmness of Celtic’s refusal to change the rules is surely worth boycotting 100 games at Celtic Park, which would really teach us a lesson.
The pain we would experience facing The Rangers without their legnedary fans would be close to intolerable. I really hope they don’t embark on an extensive 100 game boycott of Celtic Park. Please, please, forgive us for voting against a rule change.
Surely we’ve suffered enough by not facing you in league competition during this Armageddon season? If only we knew how much we would miss ‘Rangers’ when we encouraged the club to vote against the rule change last season. Screw the rules, we just didn’t know what we were doing!
Celtic should be just as worried about this prospect as the Dundee United, who apart from Celtic, are the only Scottish club to receive an award From Uefa for the good behaviour of their fans. Think about that for a moment, a football ground filled with nothing but award winning fans! What is our game coming to?
Charles Green has got Scottish football on the run now.
Epilepsy Scotland have a Celtic ball with certificate of authenticity, signed by 12 Celtic players on the day of the Barcelona game which is available for auction by email. The competition closes tomorrow (Thursday) at 20:00. To win this fantastic piece of Celtic memorabilia email your bid to trusts@epilepsyscotland.org.uk. The prize if for collection only, any postage required would need to be paid separately. All funds raised will go towards Epilepsy Scotland.
Really pleased with the feedback on the CQN Annual, many thanks. You can order online here, it’s an excellent Christmas present, even for yourself!
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I’m banking on 2 connecting balls from Charlie’s left pin to Giorgos’ hair banded napper.
Let’s hope Charlie hasn’t indulged in dodgy takeaways.
oldtim67
11:00 on
5 December, 2012
blantyretim
I’ll be in Glasgow around 2.00pm heading for my first watering hole in Stirling around 12.30pmyou know the one. then express bus to Glasgow arriving around 2,book into the but&ben,then head for the Baccus bar corner of Glassford st and Garth st, then donder down to the Citation Bar on my way to BBs,Tooting Tim,will be either in BBs or McCuills in the High St,so I’ll be half cut by the time I meet up with you.Sobering up period so as I can see the game,ie meal in the Merchant City hope you will be a bit hungry after a hard days shirk,meet up with the chauffeur at BBs then onwards to the game.
————————————————————————
Now that’s a sesh !
dundee utd fans to sevco trust “can we get that in writing please?”
Philvis
Your assertion that ‘Real wealth comes from savings, not debt’, reminded me of an apochryphal piece of New York grafitti written beside a sign which read:
‘Jesus Saves’
… beside which someone had dawbed: ‘Moses Invests’
FF
Many thanks for the helpful road reports folks, 2 hours till launch.
bt
Missed your post due to me having to do some work!
How is Marco doing?
Improving I hope.
(I posted this on the last page of the last thread – didny notice a new article was up!)
If The Rangers refuse their allocation are they still entitled to gate receipts?
If so is there anything to suggest that as a reward to their fans DUFC cannot give them free entry if they buy a programme? Programmes are getting expensive but £20 a throw – what would DUFC be playing at?
Bawsman
‘launched’.
‘launched’?
Sure it’s not an inter-planetary report your needing … ?
FF
Philvis
Real wealth comes from savings, not debt’,
======================
No, it comes from producing real things that people need to live in comfort and distributing those things in an equitable, just and fair way.
You could save a million £1 coins but if there was hyper inflation your ‘real wealth’ would not do you a great deal of good would it?
Deary me…..
Thoughts go to the family of the young Celtic fan pulled from the Clyde this morning.
Craig McCaffrey RIP
MWD, I hear you.
Shieldmuir Celtic, I don’t think the SFA will punish them, not would I support it. A club should be free to boycott if they choose.
Kilbowie Kelt, aye.
RobertTressell, surely worthwhile sharing gate receipts with them just to be free of them?
Folly Folly
13:17 on
5 December, 2012
Lancs to CP in 2 1/2 hours……….launched is fine ;-)
RT whatever forms part of the admission charge Rangers are entitled to a cut.
The football authorities showed they can act very quickly in the recent ticketing fiasco where Rangers’ fans were the victims.
The action by Sevco brings the game into disrepute and will repel future sponsors.
If Rangers want to rake up the cudgels on behalf of a defunct entity then they should also pick up the debts of that defunct entity. If they pay them in full they can keep their titles.
My solution is Rangers to be fined heavily and the dosh distributed pro rata to still living footballing entities owed money by them. If we hang on for the nine weeks Hearts might escape that definition.
Clubs are free to boycott but should face the consequences of their deliberate financial damage to other clubs.
Ed Balls reply to Gideon’s Autumn Statement is utterly embarrassing.
That aside,
MONTHEHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!!!!!!!!!
Paul67
I dont think clubs should be able to boycot, the fans sure, not the club.
CG is making a mockery of the game in scotland in the pursuit
of a profit.
Dundee United
Dundee United ‘won’t dignify’ Rangers’ statement with response
STV 5 December 2012 13:07 GMT
Rangers will not take tickets for their fans ahead of the game at Tannadice.SNS Group
Dundee united have said that they are “disappointed” with Rangers’ decision to refuse tickets for the Scottish Cup match between the sides and say they won’t dignify Ibrox chief executive Charles Green’s statement with a response.
A statement on the club ‘s official website said:
“It is with huge disappointment that we read both the content and tone of the statement from Rangers, stating that they will not be taking any tickets for our Scottish Cup tie in February and urging their supporters not to attend.
“However, we do not intend to enter into a war of words with Rangers or to dignify their position by responding in kind.
“We have noted their decision not to take any tickets for this cup tie and will now act accordingly in arranging the match. The statement from the Rangers makes it clear that their fans should not attend. We have therefore raised a number of related matters with the Scottish FA and will be making no further public statement until their advice has been received.”
Right, that’s me off to Paradise…….now, where are those damn sedatives ……. How good is it to be Celtic Supporter …… Win, lose, or draw…….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When a club signs up to a tournament they agree to whatever is needed to promote the tournament. Interviews, publicity banners, website mentions etc … Consequently a club boycott is a breach of contract.
The GB action is a fans’ boycott, not the clubs. If it continues expect a change in the terms and conditions of you season tickets.
Folly Folly – Moses took the Business Secrets of the Pharaohs with him out of Egypt. (thumbsup)
RobertTressell – As usual, you heroically dive out of the way of the point like an Italian cruise ship captain and manage to insert your own boss-eyed political wibble into the mix to boot.
Where does the money come from to finance building new factories or developing new technologies?
Ultimately it must come from surplus wealth, i.e. savings. That’s how comes Acme can get finance to open a new widgets factory. Somebody somewhere must have saved money so it can be loaned to or invested in the Acme company’s new venture.
Do you see? You probably don’t.
and distributing those things in an equitable, just and fair way.
Has nothing to do with how the wealth is created in the first place.
Funny how some folks are always mad keen on “sharing” other people’s hard-earned money though. (thumbsup)
Tom English @TomEnglishSport
…The point being that from a desperately low number of attempts on target they are bloody clinical. They’d be long gone if they weren’t.
Expand
10m Tom English @TomEnglishSport
Champions League stats from UEFA: A Real Madrid attempt on target results in a goal 20% of the time. Barca 20%. Celtic, miraculously, 31%
Expand
33m Tom English @TomEnglishSport
Turning Motorhead up to maximum volume to prepare my ears for the noise at Celtic Park tonight. There’s loud…and then there’s Parkhead
Expan
Mon the Thunder
Paul67:
…The game is, however, 9 weeks away, which is a long time for a fledgling new club to survive…
…Celtic also voted against changing the rules, and if Dundee United are to be punished by a boycott from The Rangers fans, we surely cannot expect them to turn up at Celtic Park as though nothing happened…
Are you copying me, I alluded to these two points last night:
1.: Chuck might know something we don’t i.e. they will not be in business by then.
2.: The will not be taking tickets for games against CFC1888.
Nothing like an old fool…how the mighty have fallen.
Meanwhile it is down to business in the UCL at CP…on to victory.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Sevco fans staying away from your ground is a threat…….???????
I used to be a bit wary of things like threats and armaggedons, before I realised how fluffy and cuddly they could be.
Funny how some folks are always mad keen on “sharing” other people’s… money though.
>Come on Lizzie, get into your purse and help out your humble subjects.
Is there not a rule somewhere that all member clubs must never act in any way which is detrimental to the good of the game in Scotland?
By boycotting this game, simply because DUFC, like every almost every other club in Scotland, voted in accordance with the rules of the game, Sevco are taking steps to intentionally bring harm to another member club.
If such boycotts are to be used as an on-going tool to harm other member clubs, this will endanger the stability of the game and all member clubs.
This action must be severely punished by the SFA.
Of course, this is paltry compared to what RFCil got up to and we are still waiting to see the SFA take any action on that.
SFA, the most appropriate acronym in history.
At home or in Europe it seems that we always end up with a bear behind!
With the arrival of Spartak and our own balmy Siberian climate, I thought I might take a couple of pics of indigenous and quirky architecture which would have the Oligarchs of Moscow drooling…….but what two locations are these….
http://tinyurl.com/redsquareeatyerheartout
Hail Hail
Estadio
thetimrieper, each to his own.
Lennybhoy, very true.
Estadio – is the first one Kelvingrove Park? (thumbsup)
Mea Culpa – Charlie’s learned to appeal to the worst excesses of tuned-to-the-moon Follow Follow hunnery. It’s desperate stuff from a desperate man.
The Rangers are not long for this world. (thumbsup)
is there anybody out there looking for a tkt for to-nights game.i have 1 but unfortnualy its a concession one priced at 20 pounds,the seat is in the front stand,near the away dug-out.i stay in west lothian,my mobile number07572349224
Philvis……you sharp eyed itinerant. :-)….NAW!
Hail Hail
Estadio
probably a good idea to delete that mobile number. (thumbsup)
people’s palace?
Philvis…..he’s too late…..I’ve got it! Revenge is mine…..ALL MINE!!!
Hail Hail
Estadio (The grim reaper)
Estadio – Dang.
Still using the Sony Cybershot I see :)
I keep hoping you’ll leave a geolocation clue in the EXIF data but you’re too sharp for that. (thumbsup)
Paul,
An excellent article all round. The second bit made me smile but the first bit made me thoughtful. I’m dreading tonight but I can’t wait for it. Make sense?
All,
I need a little bit of help from anyone who knows London’s Celtic minded pubs. A friend of mine and season ticket holder has been called away to London this morning with work. He couldn’t get out of it as he had postponed the meeting before owing to his wife’s ill health at the time. He is staying in Cromwell Rd Sth Kensington area. Does anyone know of a pub that will def be showing the Tic game and not Man U or that other mob?
Thanking you in advance.
Estadio
Sorry……people’s palace?
izzy
Nope….but you get a wee clap for a good effort (btw they are different places) altghough pretty proximate.
Hail hail
Estadio