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.
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Seriously what was the point of the display last night? In what way is a football match a vehicle to display political banners? A fine for us and reputation tarnished in the eyes of Europe, like I said completely pointless!!!!
Lions..
The club was founded by Irishmen in the cause of charity.
HH
Exiled Tim
You could add most of the XXXXXXstan republics to that list too.. most of them are further east than Israel and they are in Euro competition.. including the far distant Karagandy club.
asonofdan
17:48 on 27 November, 2013
Are you serious fella?
I thought the banner was great last night, but was unaware that political statements in the champions league are a no no.
Would seem the GB however knew fine well, so draw your own conclusions.
If they knew it’s prohibited, the carried it out anyway what possible motive could they have other for the undoubted outcry and Celt v Celt v the board we are seeing.
Fed up of my club getting dragged through disrepute charges due to the actions, of what appears to be, a group of look at me’s.
Not happy.
Solution to the GB flaunting of rules! Every time their action results in a fine for the club it should be passed on to them in the cost of their season ticket! If they believe so strongly in their actions let’s see them pay for it!
Bazza
“A group of look at me’s” … exactly!
Mindless self indulgence
Sad as the GB can be such an asset
fourgreenfields-i think Jeanette Findlay may have tweeted the Radio Clyde link….allegedly
Directly from Celtic’s own website
Brief History
November 6, 1887
Celtic Football Club is formally constituted in St Mary’s Church Hall in East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton. The purpose is stated as being to alleviate poverty in Glasgow’s East End parishes.
No mention of any type of refugees.. were there no poor native Scots living in the east end when Walfrid started the club ? The troubles in Ireland don’t define Celtic FC and have no place in paradise particularly when the eyes of the world are upon us.
The people that are responsible for that banner are using Celtic for their own purposes and that meane they are using the Celtic support too.
Cut that and the political singing out.
well disappointed by the result last niight
never thought we would win in amsterdam
an away win in the champions league…emmmm
but at home we were in with a chance
derk and kayal blew theirs
then the whole team and coach went on vacation
overall the performance was ok
just key mistakes yet again
got to bin the zonal marking
why defend a zone?
why leave a man in the box unmarked?
why did no one attack the ball when in play?
1 man in box with no hoops player any where = free header= goal
lets. make it easy or mark them and make it as hard as possible
we have used the set plays and corners to our advatage before
this year hee haw
hence the lack of goals
then again hooper and wanyama sold
replacements not up to the job
look back at the chances we have had this year and not scored
can it all be down to just bad luck at both ends?
maybe
would have loved to been at replay tv session when players and neil look what went wrong
milan took their chances
while we let them off the hook yet again
lets hope the team learn from this
or it will be the same again
at least we got 3 points
some of the pot 4 teams have 0
gottotryharder cfc
Robcfc11
It’s the hypocricy that bugs me.
representing your country at a tournament is political in it’s nature.
Oh well.
HH
!!bada bing!!
Thanks , will check it out .
CL progress…is it really beyond us to change our almost continuously failing away from home?
A couple of points away from home could make such a difference!
dontbrattbakkinanger
17:30 on 27 November, 2013
The bhoys in Amsterdam undoubtedly got some rough treatment handed out but was it as bad as in the Deep South in the 60s and the black townships in the apartheid era?
By all means point up injustice but try and keep some perspective.
“”.”……””……………………………………………………………………..
Why didn’t I consult you for perspective instead of believing what i saw with my old lying eyes?
GB – perfect expression for arch exponents – biggest bunch of Selfies I know
Wee Lulu’s
Paul67 et al
Our group turned out a whole lot closer than it might have done so disappointing to go out in a manner reminiscent of Juventus’ win at the Park back in the Spring, a result which I posted, and no one corrected, was Celtic’s worst ever result at home in Europe. AC Milan equalled that, in their first win at Parkhead since 1969. I often use the 2-1 victory in 2007 against Milan as a template, even if only to illustrate the way Gordon Strachan set up his team against a top Italian team.
McGeady, Hartley, Donati, Jarosek, Brown;
Ambrosini, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka
Naka was substitute that night, WGS did not play three wingers, when one would do. Neil can get it right of course, we would not be in the CL group stage if he didn’t, but he cannot get away with saying we will play a forward open game, and then claim, after the fact, we are missing a striker. WGS only had Scott McDonald back in 2007, but that was enough. Celtic were 25 in the UEFA coefficent last season, a terrific achievement and one which would have been difficult to repeat, had we progressed as a team, which despite some improvement, we have not. We need to make the best use of all of our resources, and they are substantial, and we are not doing that at the moment.
Good Evening Timland.
I’m conflicted over the banner……Willie Wallace banged in a
few goal’s for Celtic,how many did Bobby Sands score?
What would UEFA do if Sevco qualify for a tournament and proceed to have displays at the ground that they recently had during the armed forces commemoration at ibroke……………
Diverted tactics by Lawwell,what about telling us why we will not buy a striker,why was our largest shareholder not at AGM?
Lawwell,thinks that making a joke at AGM we will all bow before him.
Highest paid employee at Celtic (1 m) and will not pay a living wage.
Go ahead Peter ban the GB,then sit back and look out to a half empty stadium.
STV gloating in their “Irish Republican supporters” reporting
My Thoughts.
What has Balotelli goat …that.. say, Sammi, for instance..
Hisnae?
and Sammi, by the way, HIZ a loat of Ither Skills … tae offer… by the way.
Whit Hiz Balotelli goat.. that .. say.. Pukki.or Stokesy
DISNAE.. Have?
Plus the Fact..let me Hasten tae Add..
That..
Neether.. Pukki or Stokesy.. UNLIKE.. Sammi..
Maist, definitely.. DON’T hiv a Loat tae Offer!
Whit hiz Victor Wanyama Goat.. that
Joe Ledley, for instance.. Hiznae??
of course.. Joe Ledley.. unlike Sammi.. Diznae hae a Loat tae Offer..that’s fur sure!
and Furthermore..
Not Wan..of oor Present Line-up of Mid-Fielders Hiv…a Loat tae offer… eethur!
But, Ah must Use baith Them and Joe ..in this Comparison test..
as .. they are awe we goat.
Well.. Ah suppose ye must be wondering.. Whit
Balotelli and Victor Wanyama hiv.. that oor Chaps.. the wans , whom Ah hiv Mentioned…. Diznae?
Of course,Mebbe, ye ur No wondering, that Atawe…
But.. In any case, Ah am Noo Gonna Tell Ya..
Balotelli and Victor, baith hiv.. In Abondanza..
OVER-Powering….PHYSICAL STRENGTH,and In Abundance!
and…it Shows.. By Jingo.. How it Shows!
Tae be Reckoned in Kojo’s Latest Compendium.. of Whit Maks a
GREAT SOCCER PLAYER..
Fitba Skill and awe the Rest of the Good Stuff.. a Player may possess..
is NO ENUFF.. tae evah qualify him as a GREAT PLAYER..
IF…
He Lacks that .. which used tae be filed under…
“Je ne sais quoi..”
Howevahhhhhhhhhh…
Noo, Simply…. Turns oot tae be..
OVER-POWERING.. PHYSICAL STENGTH.
Na..
Not by a Long Shot.. and Not By a Long Chalk.. Eethur!
Must..
A Player…. Besides, Hiving awe of the Usual Good Stuff ,In his Tool Kit..
Wull NEVAH be a GREAT PLAYER..
If he Lacks..
OVER- POWERING .. PHYSICAL STRENGTH.
and that.. dear Readers…is what oor “Venerated” ,Crack group of Fitba’ Scouts,
Need tae Hiv Uppermaist in thur Minds..
Every Single time.. when they are Vetting a Likely Candidate tae Wear the esteemed Celtic Colors.
“Hiz He ..or Disnae He …Possess.. OVER-POWERING GREAT PHYSICAL
STRENGTH?” besides ,of Course.. All of the Ither Required Skills Set..
That, must be the New Criterion.. that must be used, when Vetting a possible New
Player, tae wear the esteemed Celtic Colors.
Whether He be an Attacker or.. A Defender.
Nevertheless…
They Managed to bring in ONE PLAYER, fairly recently,though..
Who could..and .. Did.. Qualify tae be a Celtic Player, using the New Criterion.
Whether it wiz by luck or Design.. that is Hard tae say..
But..
Ah wid Hivtae peg it… As.. By LUCK.
And the Rest wiz history..
fur..
It wiz . VICTOR WANYAMA!
and Now..
Again, Either by Luck or Design..
‘
The Scouts hiv Unearthed a Youngster who Dis Possess..
Great Physical Strength..
although, at this Time..It is UNCLEAR..at least tae this Writer..
As tae Whether or Not..
Amido, can be Molded into Hiving the Rest of the Required Fitba’ Skills..
‘
that must.. Accompany..
The
OVER-POWERING PHYSICAL STRENGTH,which Amido Already Has.
My guess is the Amido can be Molded.
And, if he Can.. Be…well.. Molded..
Then Neil is Passing up the opportunity of a Life Time, as regards
Finding ..if Amido kin become oor Next.. well..
Victor…
and that is,
Because,of Neil’s Ain Peculiar and Annoying .. Proclivity o’
Refusing tae gie Amido ,or , Any ither Promising Youngster.. AFair Crack at the Peerie..
by No Gien them
A Fairly .. Long Run of First Team Starts.. in order fur Them tae Show Whit They
hiv tae offer .
Yes.. Celtic, indeed ,, are ..
‘
At this Time..
A Paper Tiger..
A team of Safties… No in the sense that this Team of Oors..
Lacks Courage.. which it certainly diznae..
But
Safties..in the Sense that
We do NOT POSSESS a first Team Player..
Who Hiz that
Former..
“Je Nais Sais Quoi”
Which ,we now can Identify.. as
“Over Whelming.. Great Physical Strength.”
Kojo
Still Laughin’
Fuds at stv just showed Mark Wilson instead of bog Kelvin…..muppets!
My thoughts are dominated today by the tragic death of Paul McConville. I share Paul Brennan’s sadness at his passing while simultaneously cherishing fond memories of the Big Man’s warm, generous spirit and unfailing good humour. My thoughts and prayers are with the McConville family.
My own tribute can be found elsewhere on the Web for those who want to read it.
Rest in peace, Paul McConville.
oops big Kelvin
Whatever your views of the politics of it ,each to their own , that banner had no place at Celtic Park , Champions League or not.
Yes, the GB bring atmosphere to the ground , particularly in routine league games but at what price?
Their arrogance is beginning to outweigh their contribution.
Serious fraud reported re sevco share issue? Surely not? Deary me.
The gift that keeps on giving.
Fanadpatriot
“Go ahead Peter ban the GB,then sit back and look out to a half empty stadium.”
Really?
I can think off hand of at least 12 guys I know that are season ticket holders at Parkhead not one of whom would fail to renew without the GB.
The Honest Mistake loves being first @ 15:15,
“Chairbhoy. – Wait till the guys away then talk about him behind his back.”
Just re-read my post and think you picked me up wrong, BMCUWP is one of the most amiable, prolific bloggers on the site, in no way did I intend to demean him, quite the opposite – it was highly predictable that CQN could be carnage today I often give it a miss myself after a match, especially when we’ve been defeated and dumped out of Competitions, ducking away was the smart move.
Guess events brought out some fine contributors and fine contributions.
Apologies for any misunderstanding.
Hail Hail
They were asked not to.
They said they wouldn’t.
They did.
If the above sequence of events proves to be the case, and I do not believe the club would lie, they deserve no sympathy.
They do not own Celtic.
Celtic Park is not a stage for them to play out their ego-trips.
If they are now banned then so be it.
They will be missed a lot less than they think.
Kojo
Can’t agree. You can make a footballer into a physically strong guy but you can’t turn a strong guy into a footballer if the basics aren’t there and I don’t believe they are with Balde.
Watched him warming up and doing drills with Danny at half time last night and his lack of a first touch and other basics was painful to watch. I’d love to be proved wrong but I’m not holding my breath.
Kilgore trout
100% correct.
I am numb with hearing the news of Paul’s death.
Only found out when I logged on to his blog this afternoon.
I don’t have any words to adequately how I feel right now.
An intellectual giant of a man.
I feel tears welling up as I type this.
May perpetual light shine upon him.
God bless the big man and all he leaves behind.
He was like many of us and battled his own black dogs and demons with humour and humility.
I feel so low that an intellectual light has just been switched off in our land of bampots.
You will be sorely missed big yin.
Really struggling for words now.
RIP Paul McConville
24 hours later!!
I’ve had time to avoid the knee jerk stuff and consider the current state of affairs.
Yeah, we were well beaten by a better side on the night. I’ve read through all the blog and there are all sorts of issues.
But we must have an honest look at ourselves with the Big picture in mind. We have over and over again done ourselves proud, even 67 and we all know about that. but sadly the SPhell is not the place if we want to be bigger fish. I mean do we really want to be bigger? If that’s the case we must get out of Scotland where we are a whale in a puddle.
Anyway I thought playing Sammi up front was a huge mistake and one from which we never seem to learn. I hate to slag any Celt but this surely is the last season for us to continue with young James Forrest. To me he is another Paddy McCourt, the sizzle without the steak as it were. And we so need a classy intelligent midfielder who can put his foot on the ball. A Lubo, Naka, McStay and dare I say a Marc Crosas.
And why does NFL not play our young guns, especially now we are out of the big stuff.What do we have to lose!!
Enough as my good lady would say when I start to rant.
We still love Celtic, all the way!!
Hail Hail
KINGLuBO
Well the Ajax fans fly the flags of Isreal which is a rogue terrorist state.
.
Henry Clarkson..
A Terrific tribute to Paul..
Thanks for Sharing it..
001Bhoy
I too rec’d identical reply from Dutch embassy. I’m going to reply to it. They try to wash their hands of the issue with lines about not being able to comment of specific cases. But I didn’t ask them to – I’d asked then to comment on the strategies & tactics that were used in policing Amsterdam. Will keep on at them.
HH. Jamesgang
Really no surprised our all inclusive club demand exclusion of anything but the slavers politics.
The club was born of politics and declares its politics every time the board pays lip service to the charitable ethos, there is nothing more political than charity, its a statement that the state is failing due to its political direction, in todays political climate (as opposed to that of the founding climate) it also declares that they are happy with the inequality.
Best bit for me is the corruption of UEFA trying to tell anyone how to behave