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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Be Critic. More Than A Clug.
Apologies if already quipped.
comfo collecto -this is the right weather for the ole Daisy Dukes
googybhoy ♥ Celtic
If the share price is an indicator it doesn’t look good news.
LB
A Stor Mo Chroi,
I think you’re perfectly entitled to voice your opinion – I was sure I wasn’t the only one feeling let down.
I’m tired of promises of jam tomorrow from politicians and I’m certainly fed up with similar coming from “stakeholders” in my club.
Erza Sevco shares five furra pound!!!
City Police investigation
Emusanorphan at 16:46; Malta, yes. St.julians is ok. Just walk up the hill away from the rowdy built up part with all the bars and there is a pub on your left at the top of the rise, shows all games and served Kilkenny when I was there. Or, walk on by, downhill and round the bay for another Irish bar. All good. Say hello to Paddy McMenamin if he’s there.
Pauloantony
16.51
Pal..
In the First Place, allow me tae tellya.. that..
Any Fellah..Wumman or Beast.. who Bought shares in the Humpty Dumpty Corporation..
is No an INVESTOR..
He , She or It… Is A MUG!
Yes, wan of they Auld Fashioned.. Toby Jugs.. that used tae Populate Ma Aunt Matilda’s
Brace…in her Hoose in Knightswid.
Kojo
Still.. Laughin’
dropping shares
be careful out there!!!!!!!
that makes them very very attractive to a sugar daddy or]
off the radar Billionaire
could be a move on if the time and price is right
Hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
croppybhoy:
Do you really believe the huns aren’t coming back? The whole world is spreading its cheeks to facilitate it.
What would I do?
If I believed somebody had stolen of me I’d call the police. The Scottish police. And if I did not get any joy out of them and still believed that I – and all those who backed me -were wronged… then I would elevate it with all my resources and conviction to a higher court. And yes I would spit the proverbial dummy; if I didn’t I would only be encouraging the thieves to come back for seconds.
Either that or I could sit in silence and stick my thumb up my ass and cheer the thieves on as in fact and in future they did indeed play their ubiquitous entitlement card and come back and thieve from me again and again and again – and you too again and again just to rub it in.
Silence is golden, as the song goes, but for who is it golden is the question?
Mark Hurtly says the drop in shares is like a new signing.
@AgentScotland: Gary Hooper isn’t completely sold on move to the Championship he wants an EPL Club but move to ambitious London club could sway his thinking
livibhoy
16:56 on 17 July, 2013
googybhoy ♥ Celtic
If the share price is an indicator it doesn’t look good news.
………….
Maybe Nimmo Smith has sold his shares.
Ol’ Hamiltontim has still to report in.I went down to the ferry just after it had docked,with an A4 page on which were the “HT” message.Now I know he’s a teacher,but they’re not all daft.I was told to invite him for his tea and was upbraided for not offering him a bed by the present wife.That ferry was stuffed,by the way.Anyone has his mob number phone call and tell him to get in touch.I imagine he’s stuck in the Rock Bar or somewhere,in which case he’ll be singing his head off by now.
north by north west
16:58 on 17 July, 2013
Emusanorphan at 16:46; Malta, yes. St.julians is ok. Just walk up the hill away from the rowdy built up part with all the bars and there is a pub on your left at the top of the rise, shows all games and served Kilkenny when I was there. Or, walk on by, downhill and round the bay for another Irish bar. All good. Say hello to Paddy McMenamin if he’s there.
Cheers mate! Is it The Dubliner?
Andreas – Straight red card
Seemingly Andreas has not been curtailing his early morning Makaton signing to myself.
Today Andreas has been ejected from the beach and asked not to return and asked in future to refrain from approaching women on the beach whilst creating a circle with his left pollex and digitus secundus and inserting his right digitus secundus through said orb while slavering lasciviously.
EC67
Whers SSB when you need them??? Hee hee
Was it not so long ago we were told tales like
we will bring the team back early for pre season as we
hope to emulate or try and surpass last seasons efforts
in Europe, we aim to be ready for the qaulifiers.
Now , in the present time it is woeful to hear the
the excuses being trotted out re our potential banana skin
Could not believe the crap in the DR this morning
Shakes head and takes a deep breadth
Istanbullcelt
For what it`s worth… at least one of the band was an fp of Holyrood. believe his name was McKenna …may also of had a brother in the line-up. Does that offer you any encouragement to listen closer )
Loved their stuff by the way… pity Alex didn`t hang around a while longer.
Settle for 6 and continued riots for the forseeble future
mickybhoy
16:59 on
17 July, 2013
dropping shares
be careful out there!!!!!!!
that makes them very very attractive to a sugar daddy or]
off the radar Billionaire
could be a move on if the time and price is right
Hhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!
Only makes them attractive to a sugar daddy if he believes that the share price is undervalued.
I think Starry Plough is nearer the mark on his 5 shares for a pound !
Even then is CW if deemed to own Ibrox and Murray Park then 20p a share is way over valued!!
Hannibal Hector
If you meet any Tims in the ‘Lonsdale’ – and I’m sure you will – tell them Carlo says hi, and HH, from Italy.
HH!!
quantum
Which brings us neatly back to the FSFA, don’t they need to know who owns a club before granting them a license!!!!!
where’s ma meds!! CSC
Mark Hateley says celtic fans in the Rock bar is like a testimonial fur the derry pele!
Raymac
HT last heard of “in the rock” :))
Afternoon all
Cannot find any sign of the game being on the BBC. Scrolling through beeb Scotland, no sign. Any ideas?
Weefra HH
A stor…
You think the Huns are coming back?
With the bus magnates at the helm or should that be the steering wheel?
You really think we didn’t get cheated before ?
So why did we not pull the plug then?
You talk about spitting the dummy but who would have benefitted from that?
Yes you might have felt good for a day or two but what would it have achieved?
The way things stand the zombies need real money to get back on terms with us
The yank who actually saw the books calculated something like £30M
The bigotdome needs money – Jabba was saying something like £10-12M two years ago
Wages of better players than they have now will cost even more and they’re losing money now!
However I also realise that the current board do not share the same short or even medium term goals that the support probably do
Money will be spent on bricks and mortar that I would rather see spent on players but that won’t make me walk away
Call be naive or foolish but I’ll go on buying my ST and actually enjoying a Hun free environment for the next few years
HH
John McKay in “where’s my green tie” shocker
Well done Sevco on your late rally and closing at £0.44
Well if the rumours are correct Celtic have accepted an offer from QPR for Gary Hooper who I believe is a London lad.However, it seems Gary isnt to sure that he want to play in the Championship it seems he isnt to sure about what he wants.H.H.
Quantum
I really hope it is
5 furra pound and they are on the way out
Would a wee Novena help
weefrathetim
1. Your telly is broke.
2. You never paid your license fee.
Istanbulcelt, Salve salve;- Fwiw The base player Chris Glen is a tim, he went to St Joseph’s Clarkston and Holyrood, I know cause I knew him at school.
As for tonight? well if we are sitting harbouring any doubts about beating Cliftonville, (no disrespect btw) then we might as well chuck it now. They will not be anywhere near the level of the teams who soundly thrashed us on our misbegotten preseason tour.
Greenwells
Veni, vidi, vici
Weefra
BBC 2 scotland apparently.
mickybhoy 17:08 on 17 July, 2013
If you don’t know the DR is full of crap by now then you never will.
weefra .
bbc 2 mate 7.30
I was right–he’s in the Rock.It’s a madhouse at the best of times.He’s gonna miss his tea.Went from first page to last and should have checked in between.
WeeFrathetim- BBC2 I think!
Croppybhoy – they need cash, any business dealing with them will be uneasy till they get paid, the shambles of boardroom & share issue will leave city investors nervous and their own fans let them die. If newco gets back to SPL then thats when the fun begins as they will still be in debt and going to the usual “troughs” might not be an option there requires a sugar daddy once again!!!
midfield maestro
13:09 on
17 July, 2013
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My first time here too…….I’m home on the 29th…..too bad we could have hooked up.
So Moscow….its EXPENSIVE and its a big city…..twice the size of London I would guess???
Its wel policed with no dramas.
Use the METRO at least once……each station looks the city chambers
Buy yourself a Lonely Planet book and read up. Its an amazing place….the people are actually friendly but very few speak English.
Theres a bus/boat tour combination just started you should take like the red double deckers, think its about 20 quid each for 2 days hop on hop off (my woman dealt with it)….good value though.
Its just a different kind of place…………..you have your 30 day tourist visas already, right? You’ll need them before travelling.
ENJOY