Take Spartak on the left, Green has us all on the run

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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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383 Comments

  1. Sad to learn of the death of the great jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck- day before his 92nd birthday. As far as I can gather CQN has very catholic music tastes so I am sure I am not alone in feeling sad at the news.

     

     

    RIP Dave

  2. Jimbo67

     

     

    Sad news, a great age though. Have a number of his albums and love Paul Desmond’s alto playing.

  3. TBB

     

     

    Running late for the Gazebo had to dive out and buy another Christmas Cake as the first one was Stollen.

     

     

    ole EuroChamps67 has gone corporate for the night.

  4. South Of Tunis on

    Dave Brubeck RIP .

     

     

    Time Out is a wonderful LP

     

     

    Take 5 CSC — way down south .

  5. Do not worry about Big Vic not playing Celtic are not a one man team, we will play as a team and we will win as a team.

     

    HH

  6. The Battered Bunnet on

    Ha!

     

     

    EuroChamps can but dream of this purvey…

     

     

    Bourne Soup Recipe Revealed!

     

     

    Put an Ox´s Head, well washed, into 13 gallons of water, add a peck and a half of pared potatoes, half a quartem of onions, a few carrots and a handful of pat herbs, thicken it with two quarts of oatmeal (or barley meal) and add pepper and salt to your taste. Set it to stew with a gentle fire early in the afternoon, allowing as little evaporation as may be, and not skimming off the fat, but leaving the whole to stew gently over the fire, which should be renewed and made up at night. Make a small fire under the boiler at seven o´clock in the morning, and keep adding as much water as will make up the loss by evaporation, keeping it gently stewing until noon, when it will be ready to serve for dinner. The whole may be divided into 52 messes, each containing (by a previous division of meat and fat), a piece of meat and fat and a quart of savoury nourishing soup. The expenses of the meals are: Ox´s Head 2 shillings and 6 pence; Potatoes, onions, etc 1 shilling and 1 penny; 2 Qts of Oatmeal 11 pence; Cost exclusive of fire and cooking: 4 shillings and 6 pence.

  7. The Battered Bunnett

     

     

    “The battered metal helmet turned up in a field on the outskirts of Canterbury………”

     

     

    Thought to belong to a Celtic Warrior, it is thought to date from around 50BC, or around the time of the first invasion by Julius Caesar. (With thanks to yesterday’s Guardian)

     

     

    One of your predecessors?

  8. Hankray

     

     

    Love Paul Desmond’s playing. Sweet without being cloying. The quartet with Joe Morrello and Eugene Wright is one of the greatest bands.

  9. Just a little over 2 hours to go, and all I want to do is to sit quietly blogging or looking up Celtic stuff to calm my nerves and Mrs. corkcelt is persisting in talking to me, she really is driving me mad. Its bad enough I have to drive her into a bloody dinner at 7.45 which means I will have to watch the game on a 10 or 15 min. delay. Obviously can’t log on to CQN until half time, unless the nerves get the better of me and I fast forward. In the meantime my dearly beloved wife, will you please phone up one of your sisters or something but please just leave me alone.

  10. The Battered Bunnet on

    Celtic Mac

     

     

    More likely an elementary soup kettle left in a hurry by one of BSR’s antecedents. That lot boiled their wild oatmeal all over the east of England back in the day.

  11. Paul67 et al

     

     

    If you know your history?

     

     

    Napoleon Bonaparte

     

     

    Adolf Hitler

     

     

    Georgios Samaras

     

     

    Georgios is the only one to come back from Moscow with a victory!

  12. What to do when you don’t drink or take combustibles?

     

    And yer nerves is shredded….

     

    CatOnAHotTinRoof CSC

  13. Glendalystonsils likes a mr whippy with his lime green jelly on

    SSN saying the Elgin chairman is to be charged by the SFA over the Sevco ticket oversell.

     

    They sure come down hard on these chairmen who step out of line

  14. paul67

     

     

    17:31 on

     

    5 December, 2012

     

    The Live updates article will be up at 19:15, could someone leave a note here?

     

    Thanks.

     

    ………….

     

    Yir all warned, when I get the podium post we always WIN, failure to comply may seriously affect the result, my mood and your mush.

     

    Talking the talk CSC

  15. Dave Brubeck kickin’ it is the biggest news in my world today…..5/4.

     

    That’d be an appropriate nerve-shredder of a result.

     

    Barça5-4Benfica

     

    Celtic5-4Spartak

     

    Synchronicity CSC

  16. *THE KING VIC 67* on

    Wouldn’t it be a great gesture of solidarity for all SPL fans to help Dundee United out?

     

     

    Should we all buy a ticket to enable the club to “sell out” Tannadice when Sevco visit.

     

     

    Possibly even create.

     

     

    “World record”?

     

     

    We all know how much the Meeja love world records…..

     

     

     

    Justathoughtcsc

  17. They come from bonnie Scotland, they come from county Cork, 

They come from dear old Donegal and even from New York, 

From every street in Glasgow they proudly make their way, 

To a place called dear old paradise and this is what they say. 


     

     

    Celtic, Celtic thats the team for me, 

Celtic, Celtic on to victory, 

They’re the finest team in Scotland, I’m sure you will agree, 

We’ll never give up till we’ve won the cup and the scottish football 

league. 


     

     

    There’s Fallon, Young and Gemmel who proudly wear the green, 

There’s Clark, McNeill and Kennedy the best there;s ever been, 

Jim Johnstone, Murdoch, Chalmers, John Divers and John Hughes, 

And sixty thousand Celtic fans who proudly shout the news. 



     

     

    Celtic, Celtic thats the team for me, 

Celtic, Celtic on to victory, 

They’re the finest team in Scotland, I’m sure you will agree, 

We’ll never give up till we’ve won the cup and the scottish football 

league. 


  18. Wilkins: hun

     

    The Beast : hun

     

    Redknapp : surely not..

     

    …cos 2 out of 3 is just wrong….even for Sky.

     

    The Beast talkin’ utter garbage…..

  19. *THE KING VIC 67* I’d be in favour of your suggestion after Rangers have been stripped of their share. So as to let them know their boycott based on bitterness will leave a sweet taste in everyone’s mouth but theirs.

  20. Lennon n Mc....Mjallby on

    king vic

     

     

    It would be great if every club boycotted the midden to return the favour.

  21. Glendalystonsils likes a mr whippy with his lime green jelly

     

    17:57 on

     

    5 December, 2012

     

    SSN saying the Elgin chairman is to be charged by the SFA over the Sevco ticket oversell.

     

    They sure come down hard on these chairmen who step out of line

     

     

    Correct and chuckles can say whatever he likes.

  22. Good luck to the Bhoys tonight! Gutted I can’t make the game but ticket not going to waste so all good. Whatever the result Europe after Xmas not to be sniffed at, not when it’s only the 5th time in 32 years.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  23. ArranmoreBhoyLXV11 on

    HH

     

     

    Off to paradise. Two pairs of everything on!!!!

     

     

    Ice Station Zebra..

     

     

    HH