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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Truly is a wonderful time to be a Celtic fan. And this is only the beginning!
This team can go far
There was a guy who was capped by Ireland and England . He pitched up at Celtic . He was famously fond of the bevvy . I can’t remember his name . I can/t be assed Googling..
A memory from a Quiz on a bus traveling to a testimonial at Old Trafford .
Gordon J
You are all too easily satisfied. I want to know how long it is since we won an away Champions League group tie on grass against a team that finished with eleven men on the park.
—
I agree.
And when was the last time, we kept a clean sheet away from home in the CL?
There was something fishy about Guppy’s England cap.
SoT
Tony Cascarino? Could be completely wrong!!
SoT
John Reynolds
Could be completely right!!
Bobby Murdoch
Yeh I remember the spartak comments, dismissing us.
I found that especially strange seeing as we pumped them out at the qualifiers stage in 2008.
No lesson learned then was there?!
Jungle Jim —–
No
A long ,long time ago .
I also think he is the answer to another quiz question –
Name the only player to have scored for and against England [ own goals excepted]
The milder sun and bluer sky
That crown my harvest cares wi’ joy,
Were ne’er sae welcome to my eye
As is a post o’ Philvis.
Jungle Jim –
Name rang the necessary bell
Thanks !
SoT
It was on some WikiCelts site.
Cheerio for now. Off to get tonight`s fish.
JJ
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS – That would make a fine addition to my “Kiss Me I’m Drunk” range of St. Patrick’s Day attire. (thumbsup)
PeteTheBeat,
Exactly. When was the last time? We need to sort our defence out. Bloody disgrace to let them score two goals.
I hope Hooperman doesn`t get picked for Engerlund, same as I hope Kris Commons doesn`t get picked for Scotland. Our players have a habit of picking up bad injuries when on International duty. I much prefer fit players, especially as we have some serious games coming up. Who knows, we might even get drawn against a team we`ve never played before, an unknown quantity. A wee bit Zombie, like. And that`s just their followers.
Has O.G. spilled the beans yet?
sammi to mulgrew to hooper for the through ball that got the guy sent off. Who the hell would have thought that a couple of years ago. Sammi got stuck in, won the ball with a lovely flick onto mulginho, who was in the centre circle, amazing. this is part of what lennie’s doing – you are good enough to play anywhere
commons little curled ball ahead for to set up the cross for the second
loved it all
well done lennie
ASonOfDan
baffles me too – would love to hear levein interviewed about commons absence
Gordon J
And Sammi needs a haircut!
He would look well hard with a Broonie.
Or would he be like Samson and lose his strength?
PHILVIS RETURNS 1531
Actually,it says “Diss me,I’m a crank”,but close enough…….
SOT-Mike England ?
Headtheball
12:07 on 3 October, 2012
‘Oh dear…..
From STV website….
The lawyers of former Rangers owner Craig Whyte have moved to have him declared bankrupt.’
I heard a whisper to that effect at the weekend.
whatever happened to ACID RAIN?
Zbyszek
12:41 on
3 October, 2012
Aiden McGeady ineffective yesterday? I read his interview to the Russian press. Aiden said that his play in the first half was inefective due to Celtic good play. For that reason he was moved closer to the centre in the second half. He is not a shadow of the player that left Celtic. Neil Lennon tactics and Celtic players made him ineffective yesterday.
————————-
My friend I sometimes think your excellent analysis of football and its tactics is wasted on here.
An accurate and honest description of Aidan’s performance.
Somebody must have paid off the lawyers, doubt it was Craig Whyte, I wonder who ?
Can’t chase a bankrupt for money !!!
Contrary to many I really hope Fraser and Gary do get selected for England, both for their personal ambition and to demonstrate to others that playing for Celtic will not harm a player’s international prospects.
On a different subject if we take WORST CASE scenarios in match days 3,4 and 5 we could have a table like this with one game to go.
Barca 12
Benfica 7
Spartak 7
Celtic 4
Leaving us a win v Spartak in matchday 6 to reach the Europa. So, pretty much guarantees we will have something to play for right to the end.
am i the only person who doesn’t want commons in the scotland team cos A he’ll get injured and B he’s english? i mean, fair enough if you got someone who’s been up here for years and has a scottish mum or whatever, but cmon, the guy is blatantly english. i dont hold it against him, but it kind of rubs the wrong way seeing a scotland side with people that aren’t scottish in it. whats the point?
See…..the msm goes the long way round the houses to tell us all what we already know, albeit in flowery prose and considered (hahahaha!) analysis…….why? Coz we won, stylishly, with a team worth 10% , in financial terms, of what we must compete with in the biggest tourney on planet fitba’, and these hitherto doom-mongering scribes want to bask in the reflected glory of our achievement and talk like they know it all. Unlike the rest of us who live and breathe Celtic and KTF on a permanent basis and can see how our young team has progressed under our young manager with financial constraints and a general air of establishment disdain.
All of a sudden, we are a revelation, because the whole world saw what we all saw last night and our class can no longer be denied by a domestic msm.
HH!
Didn’t Ian wright get a cap when he was at Celtic.
Wish Craig Whyte would make up his mind .
Wasn’t a bankrupt when it suited him but now wants to be a bankrupt when it suits him . He did the same hokey cokey number with insolvency .
THE EXILED TIM
15:39 on 3 October, 2012
‘Somebody must have paid off the lawyers, doubt it was Craig Whyte, I wonder who ?
Can’t chase a bankrupt for money !!!’
I was told he was apparently considering sequestrating himself, perhaps over the Ticketus deal.
This looks more like lawyers suing him for fees over his divorce.
Could be a case of Chinese whispers.
Or possibly more dastardly deeds orchestrated by Peter Lawwell.
SoT
I think he is desperate to be bankrupt.
Saw Valencia saved you last night, a bad one for me, I trust tonight won’t let me down :>)
The Battered Bunnet – You, sir, are a poet. (thumbsup)
oldtim67
15:41 on
3 October, 2012
Didn’t Ian wright get a cap when he was at Celtic.
============
12.99 it cost him in the High St ‘Superstore’ ;)
HH
Goldstar10 – we will take at least 1 pt from Barca
ernie lynch
I would imagine the Ticketus deal has something to do with things,
They will be back on the scene soon enough by all accounts,
As for PL, he has his fingers in sooo many pies, runs the sfa didn’t ya now :>)
Who alerted the ref to the tug on Gary Hooper .
It didn’t look like the linesman dont tell me it was the official on the line.
Sorry if discussed last night just far to many comments to catch up on last night and been run off my feet by grandson all day :)))
now=know
gene’s a Bhoy’s name- hope you are right, but the table reflects the worst that can happen, including Spartak to beat Barca.
Anything else is a bonus.
HH
One of the people from the office, usually quite chatty about the football, hasn’t really been chatting to me today.
Just heard through one of the guys in coating that he backed spartak, describing them as “a certainty”
All I said yesterday was theres a team from Glasgow at 5-1 and you have to believe.
Favourite hunters, cant tell them anything.