If you were sitting in the Cliftonville dressing room tonight, you would fancy your chances against Celtic. They are a team reportedly playing the best football in their club’s history and are packed with professionals who are focussed on the task in hand. Celtic have vastly greater resources, but the fact that we have a list of excuses ready for a below-par performance is concerning.
The plastic pitch, the departed Wanyama and possibly departing Hooper, the tactically non-existent preseason and the fact that the deciding game will take place in Glasgow next week, are all available excuses, and teams with ready-made excuses often take them.
None of the above hold water, though. I would be surprised if Celtic players didn’t spend more time working on a plastic pitch at Lennoxtown than they spend on Celtic Park. Wanyama and Hooper were each absent from substantial Champions League victories last season and whatever gave Celtic the blues in Germany is a consequence of poor form, not a reason for it. Celtic can draw or even lose tonight and will still be favourites to proceed in the tournament but this is a game of football, and deserves to be respected as such.
The momentum for last season’s triumphs started to build after a solid win in Helsinki. A win tonight in Belfast would take the pressure of next week, allowing Neil Lennon more freedom to prepare for future challenges.
No excuses, Celtic.
To kick off the new season we’re having an Internet Bampots session on Friday at the (always excellent) Columba Club in Blantyre. Paul McConville, Phil Mac Giolla Bhain and myself will be on stage for a Question and Answer session from 19:30.
Tickets are available at the door. See you there.
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macjay1,
Thanks.
Supporting Celtic is ahuge emotional commitment, but sometimes, emotion has to be put to one side.
Celtic are but one voice in Scottish football and, of course a unilateral witholding of funds is not the answer.
What I was saying is that last year, fas of other clubs, not Celtic, forced their chairmen to halt the hunercoaster that was driving them into the SPL.
It worked, and should ave been applied again this season, with Crltic fas on board.
However, the prostrating in front of CO and his cohorts at the Cup Final was something that could/should gave been avoided by the fans refusing to give the SFA credibility…..and cash.
Do say that attendance was out of loyalty to the club is, in my view, a cop out.
Conversely, letter PL or DD utter sonething in any way not to those same fans liking, thenit is pitchforks and torches in the car park.
Ask not what your clug, etc….
Lots of typos there
Fas = fans
Critic = Celtic, although perhaps Freudian!!
Clug = club.
Plus assorted spacing omissions.
Bets laid, including a mental bet on Lustig to score twice at 66/1. Ye’ll be laughing on the ither sides o yer faces later.
The 3-1 is TKF bet.
————————————————————————————————————–
17/07/2013 Single To Win M Lustig @ 66/1
To Score 2 or More Goals
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17/07/2013 Single To Win Half Time Score Celtic 1-0 – Full Time Score Celtic 3-1 @ 35/1
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17/07/2013 Single To Win Half Time Score Celtic 1-0 – Full Time Score Celtic 2-1 @ 25/1
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17/07/2013 Single To Win Celtic 2 – 1 @ 7/1
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17/07/2013 Single To Win Celtic 3 – 1 @ 9/1
Correct Score
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‘Must be like being a hun fae Annan…..’
-we were first footed by Los Horribles this year.
Instead of black bun we were goin’ round wi’ bottles of Domestos.
Think it will be a close game tonight but we will edge it 2-1 with Sammi getting the winner.
HH
CRC
TNT
Having a quiet day on the auld betting i see
ABOUT TIME
When you see yer man fly they must have topped up the ole cannon with Holy Water.
BMCUW, i think its great for the Bhoys in Belfast, how much money time and effort have they spent & shown the club over the years so it will be some small compensation to watch their beloved hoops.
thomthetim…
We are all fas of Critic Football Clug.
Twist n turns…..Celtic -3 @ 5/1 in Hills. That’s the bet for me tonite……will be watching it in very sunny Lagos. Good luck with your bets……sense we are all a bit more confident as the game gets nearer.
Oops, new season… had to make a wee amendment to my moniker there.
BRB.
Early ko 2.30 in wotherspoons at central station. Oldtim and I will then spend at least an hour battling over why I won’t go to bbs..
Some cracking photos coming through from The West Club on The Falls, the party is in full swing.
I am currently on holiday on the Moon.
Camping close to the crater Copernicus.
Can anyone recommend a pub nearby that will be showing the game tonight?
Thanks in advance.
thats a lovely picture of Betty Windsor, switching sides and joining the real Ancient Order of the 5 a sides.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/17/article-2366600-1AD9C7A9000005DC-930_634x322.jpg
See when you were young and your parents told you to give the nonsense a rest and to get on with your homework because the only way to get ahead was to have an education… even then I thought there was something not just right.
Remember after all of the years of struggle to get the grades you so rightly deserved at the big school you still didn’t get the place at the university you so wanted to go to.
Remember when you graduated, with honours too, and the only job you could score was as a barman.
Remember that night after you got your first weeks wage when you celebrated with more than one too many but you could still walk the line but you got huckled on a Breach of the Peace nevertheless and the polis took every coin in your pockets and dropped your grand-dads bequeathed rosary beads down the stank for a laugh and then you appeared in court and kopped a one hundred pound fine when the going rate for a first offence breach of the peace was about ten pounds.
Remember when you went for that interview for your dream job and then was asked the dreaded question – “What school did you go to?” and then when you were being shown the door you were departed with smirk and a strange hand shake? Do you remember?
Do you remember your ancestors paranoia? What a feckin hoot that all was. Yeah the big dreaded much maligned ‘P’ word. Do you remember your grand-dad and your father and your uncle and his mates telling you it was all a Masonic fix? And in your – never lived a life but I know it all youth – head you thought your grand-dad and your father and your uncles and all their mates were either thick or dinosaurs? Do you remember?
Do you, any of you, remember the days when the police were worthy of respect?…
Do any of you remember when Scottish courts were worthy of respect?…
Do any of you, who take a moment to think it through, really believe that silence by Celtic in the face of contempt for their sporting efforts in all the domestic sporting competitions they contest is commendable? Do you believe that silence in contempt of the efforts and sacrifices of all its living supporters for a level playing field is truly laudable? More importantly, Do you think that those that gifted you the Celtic passion but who have long since passed on, do you really believe that in their heart of hearts the would wish for their club to clash bigotry and contempt with silence? Do you really?
Those who have gone before us toiled so hard and for so long so that things would be better for us, for all of us, regardless of colour, creed or religion.
I wish I knew then what I know now, I’d have kicked that cop so hard in the balls for throwing my beads down the drain and whatever the court took off me would have been so much less than my dignity.
But then nothing much seems to have changed. Maybe history will repeat itself. Maybe Celtic will just shushhhhhhhhhhhhhhh come whatever SFA and the greed for profit may and rosary beads and Catholic schools will be blamed for the failure of Glasgow’s sewers.
TSOAL
Cant watch a game without an added interest!
It was much better when the huns were playing on TV. Easy money in their games, though the odds were unattractive. Huns to get 3 penalties @1/6, opposition to have a man sent off @1/33, McCulloch to score a knockout or gain a submission@ 1/25 etc. Ahhhh those were the days.
BT
Stick to your guns BBs is full of pretentious posers…. What time you be in there T4?
Philbhoy,
All pubs on the moon have been occupied by Rangers fans since 14th Feb 2012. I hear there’s not much of an atmosphere anyway. Sorry.
KELVINBHOY
You will have more chance watching it in Lagos than us Ayrshire Tims will have in Largs.
Enjoy….
kelvinbhoy
best of luck bud.
TwistnTurns – looks like you had more than 16Roads with bets like those!!! good luck though…
Square Slice – no info on that place mate, sorry.
DBBIA – do I know the fella? Not heard anything anyway mate.
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning!
The Soup Dragon Inn
LOve
A STOR MO CHROI
WOW…..
BT, saw the good news you posted regarding your leg, another battle won glad to hear, keep on keeping on
HH
gsu invalidsareuscsc
Philbhoy – It’s just the beginning!
14:10 on
17 July, 2013
I am currently on holiday on the Moon.
Camping close to the crater Copernicus.
Can anyone recommend a pub nearby that will be showing the game tonight?
———————————
The Star Hotel is opened,
but its lacking a bit of atmosphere
Mon the Clug!!
stevietar……….
I’m so disappointed!
hen1rik
13:48 on 17 July, 2013
hun skelper
13:39 on 17 July, 2013
But he’s just wanting to know our club are working behind the scenes.
Working behind the scenes on what ?
BMCUW…..apartment has freesat so can pick up both BBC NI and BBC Scotland…..which one would be best for an unbiased commentary? Nah never mind, will watch with the sound off.
Philbhoy- the BuzzAldrinCSC meet regularly at Tranquility Base.
Games are on through the back, as the zero gravity pole dancin’ lassies take up a lot of room.
Sometimes the signal from Earth can be a bit tricky, so we just phone Houston and tell them there’s a problem.
Philbhoy
I am currently on holiday on the Moon.
Camping close to the crater Copernicus.
Can anyone recommend a pub nearby that will be showing the game tonight?
Thanks in advance.
The Apollo CSC run coaches from the Tycho Inn, they’ll be showing the match. Mention me to big Tony behind the bar…
I avoid all the Moon pubs – no atmosphere.
I take it yo’re working in Lagos KelvinBhoy, and not out as paet of a package holiday! Was out there working myself about 10 years back. Used to stay at the Iko hotel. Do you know it?
HH
‘That’s one small step for man, one giant bounce for Mo Bangura’
DBBIA
Philbhoy- the BuzzAldrinCSC meet regularly at Tranquility Base.
Splitters……
a stor mo chroi
A Celtic supporter has just told me i will not be missed.Sad really.I hope he reads your comments.Powerful.HH