Much of our Champions League history was on show last night, apart from the fragility which has accompanied Celtic so often on the road. The game was immeasurably more difficult than any challenge we face in domestic football. The opening minutes were so stressful, otherwise composed players were spooked, but winning is all about how you react when you are spooked. Do you crumble and concede an early goal?
With less than three minutes on the clock, and Spartak about to take their third corner kick, how many of us thought back to early goals lost in the opening minutes of recent European adventures?
Not for this team, who reacted to being spooked by scoring a genuinely top class goal.
It wasn’t until Spartak went down to 10 men that we made them look like Motherwell (the similarity in possession, passing, composure last night and on Saturday are remarkable) but, Spartak going down to 10 men was not the deciding factor in the outcome of the game. Kris Commons should have won a penalty when Celtic were 0-1 up and Gary Hooper was clean through on the goalkeeper at the incident which led to the red card.
Once level, with 20 minutes remaining, the stage was Celtic’s, but a more illustrious (i.e. expensive and feted) Celtic team had the same stage against a weaker opponent in Anderlecht in 2003 but ended up losing the game. Last night Hooper, Izaguirre, Samaras, Forrest and Brown went about their business in a steady and unspectacular fashion, exuding the confidence you need to win at this level.
No result is achieved in this competition without an enormous performance; just ask those who lost in Belgium nine years ago, including the proudest man in Europe last night.
Bring on the Salt ‘n’ Sauce Rangers.
The next issue of CQN Magazine is in the planning. If you would like to contribute an article, or advertise, let me know, articles@cqnmagazine.co.uk.
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Murray
Whyte
Green
or
Desmond.
ernie:
The question could have been phrased “how many games has foxy been to?”
He managed 10 matches for us and impressed in only 1, The Rangers game where he played reasonably well in a poor match.
====
Not true, he impressed in most games with the exception of the Clyde game when the entire team were off form. The Falkirk game at CP where he scored in particular.
Its easy to forget that in his last game for Man Utd at Anfield he completely bossed Steven Gerrard.
I do agree though DD’s presence at matches is immaterial.
HH
Whether you like him or not, Ronaldo’s scoring record at RM is incredible
At this present time, i don’t see any other sides (draw permitting) stopping it being a Barca/RM final at Wembley
kudos to Benzema also for a truly stunning goal last night
Sannabhoy
You’ve got mail!
10men
not to meantion the green strip they had on last night..
lionroars67
09:13 on
Sponges for brains
Cant be, sponges absorb, a spongy-brain would take information in.
setting free the bears
09:56
He was worth signing just for the tackle on Prso in said game
Ten Men Won The League
10:03 on
4 October, 2012
Whether you like him or not, Ronaldo’s scoring record at RM is incredible
At this present time, i don’t see any other sides (draw permitting) stopping it being a Barca/RM final at Wembley
kudos to Benzema also for a truly stunning goal last night
Didn’t you see The Bhoys the other night!!Final on 25th May-Destiny!
Seriously you are probably right but both should have made the Final last year and fell short at the Semi-Final stage.
setting free the bears
09:33 on 4 October, 2012
“How many games (football, involving Celtic, not golf) has he been to this season?”
What does this matter?
####
It’s an indication of his priorities.
Real Madrid have serious problems. They have great players, but their manager is a divisive character and division is the work of the devil, hence the name.
If Real Madrid can beat Barcelona in the Clásico at the weekend, things will probably settle down and their season will be properly under way. A draw will probably work out all right for them too.
But if Barelona win, the Real Madrid camp will be in even more of a ferment than it is now.
Mourinho is at daggers drawn with senior members of the squad, notably Sergio Ramos. Big Sergio has been dropped and publicly criticised, which he has objected to. On Sunday, at half time in the game against Deportivo La Coruña at the Bernabéu, Mourinho turned his attentions to Otzil and gave him a dressing-room dressing-down.
During the second half, images showed that Sergio Ramos was wearing a shirt with Otzil’s name and number underneath his own tap. He said afterwards that he had done this to be able to make a public gesture of solidarity with his team-mate in the event of his, Ramos’s, scoring a goal, which didn’t happen.
José Mourinho didn’t like that at all. The subject of divisions in the dressing room won’t go away. I think Mourinho likes it.
A lot of people like Real Madrid. I accept that. But it’s not a happy club.
Son of Gabriel
10:11 on
4 October, 2012
lionroars67
09:13 on
Sponges for brains
Cant be, sponges absorb, a spongy-brain would take information in.
I copied sponges for brains from poster SOT who is lucky enough to spend time on beaches way down south
Maybe drift wood which is dead would have been a better analogy, but driftwood on a beach is a lovely image and we are talking about DR readers
Lets get straight to the point…………………..morons
My immediate reaction after seeing them scrape through in the last round of the cup was to draw them in the next round and batter them, a final nail in the coffin if you like.
Now, on the day of the draw I really hope that we draw one of the bigger teams.
SoT
how was the vino ?
thought you`d have had a heid like stairheid after drinking that stuff :¬))
Anyone know what time the draw takes place today?
#hotballdrawnathome
Two facts (?) about DD`s statement:
1) None of us know if he was simply giving his opinion or if he had some more obscure reason for what he said.
2)If CQN is a barometer for the general Celtic support, he has angered the majority of Celtic fans .
My opinion? Whether it was his opinion or not, his timing is bad. He has played a part in a very positive week becoming negative.
JJ
JJ
FFS!
They are not welcome at CP in any case.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2212552/Rangers-fans-urge-away-boycott-ahead-League-Cup-draw.html
Som mes que un club
1400 at SevCo headquarters (Hampden)
Once Chuckie has got a slap on the wrist at his disciplinary meeting this morning, he’ll attend the draw where SevCo will amazingly get a home draw :)
Som mes que un club
10:31 on
4 October, 2012
Anyone know what time the draw takes place today?
=================
2.00pm.
Ok, for future reference, 1330 today.
http://m.stv.tv/sport/football/clubs/celtic/192178-scottish-league-cup-quarter-final-draw-to-be-held-on-october-4/
Everybody knows that DD detests the Scottish media & hacks but since he was at a prestigous Scottish golf tournament he was trying to be as corteous as he could he is not going to upset the host country he is in imagine,if he said what he really thought,can you imagine the consequences after all this was the mob that sent bullets bombs to our manager,do you think DD has forgoten about that or ther other crimes
Im bloody sure he hates the zombies as well,I cant help but imagining DD is really extracting the urine here with these comments
Rangers is a great football club, it has a great history and it’s unfortunate that they have been relegated,” said the Irish businessman.
“We would certainly like to contest with them every week – we believe we’ve got a better team and a better management structure.
“Rangers is a fantastic football club, it is one of the greatest football clubs in Great Britain, we’ve got to acknowledge that. But we can only look after ourselves.”
Desmond is sure that the Ibrox club will eventually return to Scotland’s top flight and believes they are needed there for the size of their support alone.
can anybody think of any other ‘fan manager’ who is a success ? can’t think of any in the uk!
Lomas Manager of the Month for beating us I take it.
Embarrassing!
Anybody remember the last pronunciation from Celtic we got our knickers in a twist about?
Have any of the things we might have thought those pronunciations meant materialised or do the pronunciations just trigger our own inner beliefs, fears and judgements into surfacing?
Over time if none of the fears (for example those expressed on the appointment of Neil Lennon) come to pass is that not an indication that the inner belief is in fact not true?
Are we so determined then to hold on to that belief we ignore the reality that is shouting “change your mind” because we just have to be right?
The one thing that amazes me so far in terms of comparing Celtic to Rangers is that in spite of Celtic showing Rangers how a football club should be run in terms of a proper business structure and football development I see little sign from Ibrox that they are re-examining their business and footballing philosophy. You would have thought that somebody over there would ask “where to now? What do we need to do as football business to get back into a position where purely by following best practice like Celtic have carved out we become competitive at the higher level again?”
Maybe it is too early for that, maybe survival in any form is all that matters now for them but as a football business they will lie in Celtics shadow for quite a while and that Celtic shadow is cast by the very men who we get our knickers twisted about.
Sevco’s fans refusal to believe that RFC(IA) are dead reminds me a bit of this kind of thing. (Appropriate name too)
http://www.ranker.com/list/12-people-who-were-found-living-with-dead-bodies/carly-kiel
Auldheid
I see little sign from Ibrox that they are re-examining their business and footballing philosophy. You would have thought that somebody over there would ask “where to now?
great comment
I logged off last night to a row about DD and log back on this morning to the same row,I don’t really care what he said or what the MSM print,we all know the huns are deid,DD saying nice things about them ain’t gonna change it
Auldheid 10.47
Well said that man.
Hee hee just found out that I’ve to attend a course on debating skills this afternoon…….
at Ibrox!!!
IronicCSC
Glorious autumn day in ole Shangri La.
Dermot Desmond is at Celtic to make money the same way he has invested in countless other opportunities.
Rugby and golf are his first loves but Celtic are or have become interesting to him. He says we are an emotional investment. Id imagine this is partly true. DD is not in to make a fast buck, there is no rush on his part I feel. However we shouldnt be too hard on him if he wants to behave in a conciliatory fashion with our hacks. What is to be gained from creating animosity and enmity with the dying corpse of RFC(il) or the rotting carcass that is – bar a minority – our MSM.
Dermot has done alright by us so far. Ok everyone makes mistakes, no-one is perfect. We could have had a few players here or there but who knew RFC1873 were going to go on another cheating spree with the cardigan at the helm 4 years ago? In hindsight Id say that caught DD and our board off guard.
Remember PAUL 67’s G.O.D proclamation around 4/5 years ago? That would have borne real fruit had our former rivals not delved deeper into our pockets – our tax – and funded a last throw of the dice which bore them another 3 more titles.
Dont start me on Jelavic etc!
Forster in England squad
Auldheid
Stop Making Sense!!
My old man God rest him used to ask me “How much does it cost you to be right all the time?”
Well done Fraser Forster!
Gary Hooper next… after we sign him to a new contract!
hamiltontim
10:57 on
4 October, 2012
Hee hee just found out that I’ve to attend a course on debating skills this afternoon…….
at Ibrox!!!
Just watch you do not get awarded a diploma with the word Master on it.
Well done Big Fraser, you’ve worked very hard on your game, keep up the good work..
Well done Fraser.