Celtic’s valiant capitulation last night had a familiar feel to it. We took the game to Milan, bossed them in many areas while the tie was still close enough to be called a contest, created chances but had no cutting edge and lost heavily, at home, to what is clearly the weakest of four Milan teams we have faced in the last decade. It was a similar story when Juventus came to Glasgow last season.
Am I the only one who thought it was familiar from stirring European nights of the 80s? Take on one of the most experience teams in Europe with two out-and-out wingers, inspire for a time but only earn a lesson in how unforgiving the game can be at the top level. Or at least, hope we learned a lesson.
We loved it in the 80s, of course, but it was like going to school when Martin O’Neill arrived and taught us how to win in Europe. Despite the defeat, the 10 men got it right at home to Barca, and in the home win over Ajax, where we allowed the visitors the majority of possession and territory, but with four minutes on the clock and Celtic playing well last night, I noted the game was “worryingly open”.
In Europe, an open game means defeat. We don’t have the midfield or attack to win playing adventurously. When setup properly, we can defend as well as anyone in Europe, this is our irrefutable strength, play to it.
Paul McConville
The first thing I did when I met Paul McConville at the Columba Club on Friday was dig him up for not being in touch recently. This gave him an opportunity to wax enthusiastically about the consuming joy of being back on the tools as a solicitor in Glasgow. He was a man who had arrived exactly where he wanted to be in life.
He was so full of drive, clarity of vision and purpose that it was with utter disbelieve I heard the news of his sudden passing yesterday.
As anyone who read Random Thoughts Re Scots Law knew, he loved his family. He also loved practicing law and held Albion Rovers in high affection. He was not, as has been suggested, part of the Celtic family. Had the snake oil salesmen turned up at Celtic Park they would have endured the same forensic analysis from Paul as he applied elsewhere, but he was an important friend and resource to our community, and ultimately our club, during an historically important time.
To most of us he was a unique blogger. Cheerful, incisive and unrelenting. He charted the story of Rangers insolvency, administration and liquidation, then picked up the even more complicated events surrounding the phoenix.
When asked on Friday why he had been less industrious recently, specifically covering the leaks from Charlotte Fakes, he conceded he just didn’t have the time anymore; he was back litigating and loving it.
The personal cost of his blogging was often all too clear, he was out there, but Paul managed to retain his determination not to be browbeaten, while enduring the numptites with more good grace and humour than most of us could muster. Before taking up his new role in Glasgow he worked a few minutes walk from me. We collaborated on a number of matters in recent years and marked one auspicious afternoon last year by sharing a bottle of Champagne; a genuinely treasured memory.
The fragility of it all is breathtaking. Our condolences to the McConville family. May he rest in peace.
[calameo code=000390171e05b9b63a832 lang=en page=34 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
CQN Annual:
1,130 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
gb or not gb is one question . i however would be happy to let uefa get on with their money making tournaments without us.they are corporate pimps who have created organised brothels across europe, the whole game is about money and who has the most. its rancid greed has nothing to do with the ordinary supporters other than to fleece them of cash. its all sick and tbh if we were to go amatuer i would care not.
jimmci
12:00 on 28 November, 2013
What line did they cross ?
What was offensive about the banner ?
Not getting involved in the ever circling debate except to say that once again mickbhoy1888 outdoes his own stupidity once again!!! Round of applause for gun splatter numptieness.
As you should be aware the support back in the 80’s had absolutely no time for the Celtic Soccer Crew, as they were known, were chased out of CP many times by the ordinary fan. Unwelcome then and unwelcome now.
MWD Stupid id as stupid does.
I wish someone would just give us the identikit of the perfect Celtic supporter so we can all just conform.
67heaven,
Spot on mate…the Green Brigade when they play by the rules, that in their eyes is probably too stringent are a delight to watch.
Play the game bhoys, keep your politics civil and a bit smarter, we all have opinions and I personally saw the point you made.
Others don’t, and I’m not talking about the board or blokes that post on here.
I work in a hun environment and they can’t wait until the day you get banned from celtic park…jealousy of your singing and your tiffo’s are plain to see in their faces.
Keep the high ground as they “lie” under it.
Mickybhoy.
Nope, you wouldn’t.
Don’t think you’ll find any defence of football related violence any where on this blog.
moonbeams wd. kano 1000 \o/ supporting neil lennon 100%. champions. c’mon wee oscar.
12:16 on 28 November, 2013
Moonbeams kisses and cuddles darling mwahhhhhh
Identikit- Tic perfection
BlantyreKev
12:16 on 28 November, 2013
I wish someone would just give us the identikit of the perfect Celtic supporter so we can all just conform.
I can send you my photo if you supply your email addy?
;-)
OhLordItsHardToBeHumbleCSC
I have a tracker mortgage on which I pay 0.5% interest, I expect to be arrested shortly.
http://footballtaxhavens.wordpress.com/
If I may suggest a future strategy to protect the very well being and health of Celtic PLC, and the eyes and ears of those who are offended by all things GB.
Lets think strategically and longer term.
Lets ban ALL under 21’s.
Not mature enough to form opinions, or to know whats best for our club, they are the Declan and Kevin teenagers with all that drawing attention to themselves, and their clothes, its all about them, they out to grow up.
If we can stop them young, we cant stop them gettin radicalised into these Univeristy types, and if they cant do what they are told, then its their ain faults.
This would also improve the catering at the matches, we would needs less stewards, do away with the loud tunes at half time, and get rid of that ridiculous Hoopy thing.
Thats the solution, ban them kids.
The head of a stallion, the heart of a lion….and legs like a spider?
I know a lassie….
Groupon deal today
Cheap leather brogues ( brown or black ) .
Can see the NEW club buying up the lot .
weeminger
11:59 on
28 November, 2013
FAVOURITE UNCLE
11:47 on
28 November, 2013
I beg to differ. Menachem Begin engineered the deadliest single terrorist attack on a specifically British target to date and we helped support him as a Prime Ministe Govts condemnation of terrorists is always dependent on political gain.
—————————–
if they had caught him at the time he would have been hanged.they hanged other people at the time.the IRGUN said if any more of their men were hanged then the IRGUN would hang british soldiers.3 british soldiers were hanged.the IRGUN were called all the fancy names,but funny thing no more IRGUN fighters were hanged .FU.
hun skelper
12:15 on 28 November, 2013
jimmci
12:00 on 28 November, 2013
What line did they cross ?
What was offensive about the banner ?
—————–
They moved away from the agreed line they had taken with the board. Their statement was childish in its petulance and seems to confirm what the Board were saying to be true.
They brought politics to CP. Maybe your bag or not but for me I don’t want to see this when I go to support the team.
Anyway, my main point is what is being lost in this broohaha is we lost three nil at home to a moderate Milan side and all we see on the board is chatter about banners. ( I’m maybe as guilty for commenting but my main thrust was the football, not the banners)
Anyone wanting to catch today’s post with their copy of the CQN Annual please order before 1pm. (Link below Paul’s blog or click on the ads to the right on your computer screen).
Anyone still not registered for tickets for CQTEN please email celticquicknews@gmail.com – we have around 300 from here already coming along and you are more than welcome to join us at Kerrydale Suite on Friday 14th March to celebrate 10 years of CQN.
Re Banners – Celtic First. Celtic Last and Celtic Overall.
Saint stivs
Can I apply to join The Grumby Old Men CSC.
auldheid,
What did we pay for pukki, balde and others. Six to eight million minimum.
Free transfer or out of contract the money stays in the bank.
If we pay a proven player £25,000 a week over two years it’s probably £2.5 million… One transfer fee without wages taken into affect and not warming a bench.
As for naming targets, I’m sure there is people at celtic park scouring the land for such targets only to be told there is no sell on fee!
You will probably come back with the wage structure of clubs that are out of our league…my point is to spend money more wisely and buy to entertain.HH
the honest mistake loves being first
12:18 on 28 November, 2013
Get you mate……..perfectly okay then my friend to sympathise with a group of supporters who in order to further their own agenda publicly display a provocative banner that relates to a group of people who condoned violent acts as a means to their own political ends 30 years ago
I leave you with the words,from only 3 days ago,of a Mr McGuiness who some would say was instrumental in permitting young men to commit one of the most mortal of sins
“We need to see people in communities making it clear to the extremists, whether they be so-called republicans or so-called loyalist extremists, that those days are over – that we want to move forward and we want to build a future for our children.”
Maybe we could take note in the satellite 7th county
The Sergeants affair (Hebrew: פרשת הסרג’נטים) was an incident that took place in Mandate Palestine in July 1947 in which the Jewish underground group the Irgun kidnapped two British army Intelligence Corps NCOs, Sergeant Clifford Martin and Sergeant Mervyn Paice, and threatened to kill them if the death sentences passed on Irgun militants arrested by the British authorities on charges of illegal possession of arms, and with ‘intent to kill or cause other harm to a large number of people’,[1] were carried out. When the executions were carried out, the Irgun killed its hostages and hung their booby-trapped bodies in a eucalyptus grove near Netanya. This act was widely condemned in both Palestine and the United Kingdom. Soon after hearing of the deaths some British troops and policemen attacked Jews in Tel Aviv, killing five and injuring others.[2] The killings also sparked off antisemitic rioting in some British cities.[2][3]
WEEMINGER.just for you.
In a move designed to change the topic on CQN – Neil Lennon has confirmed that Mo Bangura’s loan deal is over and he is set to return to the 1st Team Squad.
new article posted.
DBBIA @ 12:19
How on earth did you get hold of that pic of my wife … ?
FF
So once again the GB leaders have forced the club into a corner and seemingly split the fans.
They accuse the board of not protecting the fans enough, yet they are the very ones that are happy enough to have the team playing behind closed doors and all for their own political ends.
We have to wise up here and see that they are using the draconian offensive behaviour law to further their own political objectives which are to have a situation like they have on the continent where the ultra’s dictate to the club what should happen. In other words they see this as a power struggle and it starts with making a very sucesful singing section which the fans latch on to.
The leaders of the GB attend ultra conventions on the continent and are commited to that organisation and not to Glasgow Celtic or even their foot soldiers who as someone else put it are expendable. In that they are not unlike any other radical political’s where the leaders never get their hands dirty but merely load the bullets.
We were here before the GB and we will be here long after they are gone. They will never ever brow beat the Celtic fans into believing that behaving as they do is in the best interests of this great fan base.
We can only pray that UEFA (yes that corrupt shower of bassas) do not close the ground for our next CL game and make no mistake they have the power to do so as they must be getting sick to the back teeth of our board saying that they can resolve this.
So to all you young GB bhoys, sing your hearts out make the noise, fly your flags especially the triclour and the saltire and do so with pride, we all love and support you in that but tell your leaders to do one as they are only using you.
If I have got this wrong and you believe in everything your leaders believe in then I say to you there is no place in Celtic park for ultras of any kind.
Like ive said before….its not wise to bite the hand that feeds you….Ban the Green Brigade?…..The board don’t have to worry too much, with the football that’s on display at Celtic Park, I wouldn’t be surprised if they never turned up again.
Now…it seems to me, that our board want to chase those “bad” Celtic fans, because they have a point of view about sectarianism, and bias, which is going on constantly in Scoddland….which the board of course don’t want to talk about(Shhhhh)
However….im sure im not alone when I say, I want the real Celtic back, not some cardboard cut out
Now…our board want to tell everyone what do to,,,,what I say is this….Its not the board that make Celtic great,…its the Celtic fans, that make Celtic great…..Don’t forget that Mr Lawell
The board do not own Celtic….no matter how many block votes they can muster, and like I say…..They wont have to worry about banning anybody, the way things are going now
HH
Macca,soup taker, or, I need the gig, an other fanny man, still likes.Mo, You never get guys, like, McStay, Boyd, Aitkin, and on and on and on, let me know when to stop, Macca is an apologist .
RIP Paul.
Thank you for your hard work. I personally enjoyed your thorough, lucid explanations of the shenanigans at Sevco and at Rangers during the Whyte takeover period.
My sincere condolences to Paul’s friends and family.
I have thought long and hard about our performance in the Champions league this season when the draw was made I thought we would be pushed to get anything from our group as it was a tough ask.We now know that we have at least 3 points but no European football after Christmas and in my opinion this will hit our crowds as many fans are bored with the fare served up in Scotland there can be no doubt that we are weaker than last season and we have already been knocked out 50% of the competitions we entered this season.We did not get a striker to replace Hooper and this has cost us dear we also have the board rightly or wrongly concerned about the Green Brigade and although I dont think football and politics should be mixed however,part of me wonders if those having a go at the Green Brigade are useing it as a smoke screen to cover our exit from Europe and we also must remember being Humbled in the League cup by Morton who have sinced parted company with there manager. I would say we need to learn the lessons from this season but will we ? as we seem to have been here before. H.H.