There is significant pleasure this morning that Juventus are out of the Serie A Champions League spots. As prime protagonists in the European Super League fiasco, the definitive poster boys for cheating, as well as claiming titles that are not actually theirs (cough), they deserve all the antagonism coming their way. More than all this, however, we all like to see a successful club taken down a peg.
Apart from when it is us, of course, there was nothing pleasant about going from 12 trophies in a row to an empty season. Like Juventus, Celtic looked imperious a year ago on securing nine titles in a row. I am of the view that fans of most other clubs have a milder form of dislike for Celtic than Newco/Oldco, it is certainly true of Aberdeen, Hibs, Dundee United and I suspect even Hearts fans. Those of a couple of teams from my native Lanarkshire will forever be the holdouts. Notwithstanding an occasional fondness for Celtic, every other club and set of fans in Scotland wanted our run to stop. We became the greatest scalp in Scottish football history.
Success like this was great for Celtic and Juventus, and lousy for all other clubs, but it was also great for competitions in both countries. Every cup competition in Scotland from 2016 until Ross County knocked us out of the League Cup in November had an intensity the sponsors could not dream about.
Great sport requires great champions but the greatest sport is when the greats lose. I watched the World Snooker Championship this month and noted the only finals mentioned on TV that involved six-times winner Steve Davis were the two he lost, to Dennis Taylor and Joe Johnson. The former’s win ranking in the top TV sporting moments of the decade.
Those two Davis loses were a blip, he won the next three at a canter. Great champions also know how to recover. I expect no less from Celtic.
233 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- »
SQUIRE DANAHER on 10TH MAY 2021 12:28 PM
Juventus’s home form isn’t the problem, they’ve been very poor away from home compared to previous seasons. And they’re in their third season of var so unless the television officials were also being influenced I don’t see how your point could be valid
1. You might have a point when you say they’re over reliant on Ronaldo, but they’ve had a lot of injury problems to dybala, and Pirlo has struggled to find a formation that works. However Ronaldo is far from clearly past it, he’s still been excellent this season and his goal scoring record proves it – 27 from 31 in serie a, 34 from 41 in all competitions. As good as anyone in the top leagues except for lewandowski
2 in the seasons following Ronaldo’s transfer they’ve spent an absolute packet in transfer fees and wages for new players. Look at what they paid for de Ligt and you’ll see what their thinking was. They’ve started buying younger less experienced players but still paid decent money for them, and signed older experienced players like rabiot and Ramsey on free transfers and paid both of them 400k a week
They have an enormous wage bill, they didn’t stop spending after they bought Ronaldo
3. All the signs are that they won’t sack Pirlo. They realize the cycle has come to an end and they need time to rebuild. They’ve signed a lot of young players and appointed a coach with no experience of coaching at any level before. They’re taking their medicine rebooting and hoping that it is just a downward part of the cycle.
Other than that it’s exactly like what’s happened at Celtic
Paul’s right though, we’ll be back on top, like Juventus before long.
.
We’re bothering about Eddie Howe not being in situ , if desmond brought in pep or clippity it would make no difference . We all witnessed the lengths the Lanarkshire mibs association went to to stop the ten , With the backing from hampden HQ and without a whimper of complaint from that cowardly lot that head our club . We shook our heads in astonishment at the decisions that went against us on the field of play and off it . Mark my words if we thought that was bad wait till this new season when the team winning the league goes straight onto the top table and the 30 million plus debt buster , were up against it bhoys , anyone who listened no doubt in shock at our majority shareholders glowing appraisal of that stinking cheating club , it must have cast doubts on whether we supporters of the club are wasting our money buying our season tickets , we are up against a stacked deck . We all have unconditional love for the Celtic , but sometimes that love is tested to the heavens .
JINTIM – the difference with Pep or Jurgen is that they’d call it out, put them on notice and draw the world’s meeja to the issue. Whereas our incumbents are usually happy to play the magnanimous masochists acting like it’s just the rub o the green. agree, they’ll be emboldened.
Keane is another who’d call BS when he saw it.
In a strange convoluted connection, Simone Inzaghi, who was beaten home and away by Neil Lennon’s Celtic in the Europa League as coach of Lazio had been heavily linked with with the Juventus job should Pirlo get the sack. He’s also being linked with the vacant Spurs job.
QUADROPHENIAN on 10TH MAY 2021 2:06 PM
What did Klopp have to say about the Super League?
Jimtim
Do you think having Brendan R as manger made a difference?
Would a manger, of similar quality, make a difference next season?
SQUIRE, you’ve had TWO emails?
What have I done to deserve NONE (yet)! It’s no fair, so it isnae.
It’s my right to get emails, so that I can delete them.
“We are not half of anything” was the cry.
Well, I am sorry, we are half of 80% of Scottish Football, and right now the losing half.
The other half, is a new club playing put of Ibrox. It has won the title this season and is already making signings & plans for next. To all intents & purposes it is a financial ‘basket-case’, stumbling from one giant loss to another, with a DUP councillor as head of public relations and Mike Ashley constantly wielding a Damoclean sword over it.
What are we doing? It appears that the club is either in total turmoil, or, is working on a far-reaching re-structure so ambitious that it must be kept under wraps for the time being.
Season ticket holders are the lifeblood of our club, by far the biggest single income source, and yet over the last few days many have received an e-mail, that must have been composed by a primary school pupil, revealing nothing that we didn’t already know.
So – what is going on, TURMOIL, or, TRANSFORMATION?
Our next Manager/Head Coach should be as good as the level of Brendan Rodgers, that’s where our level should be, not just better than Neil. So is Steve Clarke, at that same level? por cierto
JHB on 10TH MAY 2021 2:20 PM
“To all intents & purposes it is a financial ‘basket-case’,”
They’ve gone from being debt free and looking at a financial shot in the arm of 80m over the next two seasons to this in two weeks.
So – what is going on, DEBT-FREE and SUPER SOLVENT, or, FINANCIAL “BASKET CASE”?
Could the delay be because DD is selling up and in negotiations? Would that have to be announced as happening or maybe not till later on in any discussions? por cierto
CELTIC40ME on 10TH MAY 2021 2:10 PM
Thanks for your considered and informative response.
I’d acknowledge your comment about CR’s continuing goalscoring capability. To even the most casual of observers though, it looks his overall contribution has diminished. It looks to me like the side has to carry him and I don’t think they’re good enough to do so – maybe as you say Pirlo is still tinkering to find a formation.
I wonder also if there is a degree of disharmony caused by his financial package. I would seriously doubt CR is on less than the £400kpw pair Ramsey and Rabiot.
As far as overall quality is concerned I was thinking less about them and de Ligt and more along the lines of people like McKennie, Kulusevski, Morata, Bernardeschi and Cuadrado who seem to be regular picks and not good enough.
The question as you say seems to be whether they think Pirlo will step up to the plate and make a team out of these players or whether they rip it up and start again.
Cheers.
First debt-free
Then nobody knows
Now they’re a basket case
Make up your mind
2020/21 — Failure in spades
Squad = Some gaps / very stale / poor recruitment / relying of loans has become a drug for our CEO.
Squad Dynamics = Poor dressing room / cliques to the fore / little effort to help the new players settle.
Squad Leadership = See above / SB well past his sell by date / senior players not interested.
Squad Effort = Shameful to the point that certain players should be training with the youths.
Manager = Wrong man at the wrong time in the wrong job with the wrong attitude.
Coaching = There has been no coaching — no coaching at all / the Juniors are put out better prepared.
Fitness = Suit yourself / X Box to 5 in the morning vibe all season.
Conditioning = Tuesdays only and then it was half hearted.
Medical support = KT was lucky to get out “alive” — only 8 months to get him back on his toes / JF — I rest my case.
DD — Looking for his EPL payday and nothing else.
PL — Reduced to a husk of a man and he had no talent to begin with.
Boardroom — Pals and sycophants going through the motions.
Given that role of dishonour it is a miracle that we will manage to fulfil our fixtures.
Shambles three years in the making.
I wonder what the bookies will make of our season?
If Connor McGregor buys Celtic from DD, who is gonna be the first to ask a critical question at an AGM?
SQUIRE DANAHER on 10TH MAY 2021 2:27 PM
I’d acknowledge your comment about CR’s continuing goalscoring capability. To even the most casual of observers though, it looks his overall contribution has diminished. It looks to me like the side has to carry him and I don’t think they’re good enough to do so – maybe as you say Pirlo is still tinkering to find a formation.
I watch a fair amount of Italian football, I would t say his contribution is that much diminished. Even the most casual of observers, wouldnt call him “clearly finished.”
I wonder also if there is a degree of disharmony caused by his financial package. I would seriously doubt CR is on less than the £400kpw pair Ramsey and Rabiot.
Ronaldo is paid more than them but he’s a world superstar and one of the best to ever play the game. I doubt very much his wage packet caused a problem. Players know their worth s d they know it’s considerable less than Ronaldo
As far as overall quality is concerned I was thinking less about them and de Ligt and more along the lines of people like McKennie, Kulusevski, Morata, Bernardeschi and Cuadrado who seem to be regular picks and not good enough.
What? Bernadeschi has been there for years and been a regular pick in title winning teams, Cuadrado had won 5 or 6 titles there, he starts every game when fit and this has been possibly his best season there. And Morata isn’t good enough? He’s been there before and won titles.
McKennue and Kulesevski are both young and in their first full season at Juventus.
The question as you say seems to be whether they think Pirlo will step up to the plate and make a team out of these players or whether they rip it up and start again.
That’s not the question I was suggesting. I wasn’t suggesting they’d rip anything up and start again, that’s an empty statement that betrays a lack of understanding of what a big club like juve, or Celtic might do when faced with the problems we are
Cheers.
Cheers!
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 10TH MAY 2021 12:18 PM
……………..
You are of course correct, but apart from Farage…and some otrhers…my memory was of Boris Johnson, Angela Leadsom, and other Tory Ministers part of the Tory govt at the time, telling the BIG BUS LIE…
I remember asking some Folk at that time…” IF that is TRUE about the £350 Million a Week, then the NHS would NOT need to be Funded as it is now or ever again or as it has been in the past, because of the so called £350 Million a week” ?
I was a Labour man til I was 54…and then Labour Councillors and MPs let me down BIG Time on a Personal level. I can never forgive them.
Im just NOT an easy forgiver…I have a long memory for those who let me down.
HH.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 10TH MAY 2021 2:44 PM
If Connor McGregor buys Celtic from DD, who is gonna be the first to ask a critical question at an AGM?
…………….
I will do it….if he doesnt like it I can always threaten him with some of my bad Jokes !
HH.
.
waiting on the manager – maybe coming by boat
https://twitter.com/PastGlasgow/status/1391072618611105797/photo/1
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 10TH MAY 2021 2:44 PM
If Connor McGregor buys Celtic from DD, who is gonna be the first to ask a critical question at an AGM?
Could you imagine his reaction if someone asks about the pies in the main stand or no hot water in the toilets?
Would be good to have him as our PR guy at press conferences though.
wee musical interlude potato potaato
https://youtu.be/LOILZ_D3aRg
hh
PAUL THE SPARK on 10TH MAY 2021 3:15 PM
……..
Connor McGregor doesnt frighten me……I would take ma Da with me…hes the REAL ” Big Jimmy”
LOL
HH.
Ma Da is bigger than Connor McGregors Da..
so there !
HH.
ConMcG — He is a better businessman than he is a fighter.
Quite a few folk have given him a second prize.
No-one has beaten him at the box office.
Big Jimmy –
The bid red £350m bus lie was a marketing marvel, it’s something that bizarrely could only happen in politics.
I considered an analogy. If in the corporate world the CEO called me into his (or her!) office and said “There’s a big corporate decision coming up, and I want you to tell me what it means for us as a company.”
I reply “Don’t you worry Mr/Ms CEO, I’ve looked into this, done all the investigation and analysis. And I can tell you categorically if you decide to take this course of action then I can guarantee you £350m additional revenue every week for the company.”
He/she replies “This is what we’ve employed you to do, you know this area better than anyone, therefore I fully trust your judgement and will follow your direction.”
Roll on 2 months, CEO calls me in again “Great news! We took that course of action you advised. Now…..when can we expect this first £350m to hit our bank account?”
“Ah, Mr/Ms CEO,” says I, “What a naïve outlook you have. See, it’s not as simple as that…..”
After a long pause “Clear your desk, and expect to hear from our solicitors.”
Alex Ferguson – tells it straight.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1390966499515543553
Just heard the Hundertaker is buying that mob!😉
UNCLE JIMMY on 10TH MAY 2021 2:16 PM.
Hi pal . Brendan Rogers is the level of manager we should be aiming to attract imho . Sevco have set us a challenge by upping there game , add to that the help they will undoubtedly get and it makes it harder for us . My other wish is that we stop buying wee TIMid players , the scousers first few buys were all over 6 ft 4 inch ,I said on here a few weeks ago that we could do with Martin O’Neil , I meant a Martin O’Neil type who brought in hardy guys , his Seville team feared no one , not many if any of our current squad would have got into that team . Now we have 5ft 7 inch fullbacks no wonder we have conceded from cross balls , and apart from our super skipper we had no bottle for a fight ,we continually got bullied in matches ,we need to buy with exception big ball winners to support our ball players . My thoughts anyway pal . Hope you are well .
When we stopped the dishonest 10 it was reported at the time that the majority of players in the country were delighted, no because they were Tim’s, but they were sick of that mob and their gloating, especially about their salaries.
They are desperate to celebrate the way the previous rangers did, a full scale riot, you know they are itching to do it. Some blogs wanting to march on the merchant city, they are out to hurt people.
———————————–
Police send Rangers fans George Square title party warning as supporters told not to join planned trophy day march
Ibrox supporters’ group the Union Bears are urging fans to join them on march to celebrate the club’s historic title success.
Police Scotland have warned Rangers fans to stay away from a planned march to George Square on trophy day.
Steven Gerrard ’s men will be presented with the Premiership silverware following Saturday’s game at home to Aberdeen.
It will be the first time in a decade the club have lifted the silverware but they won’t be able to share it with the fans who remain locked out of football stadiums in Scotland due to Covid restrictions.
Rangers ultras are planning their own party which will kick off outside the stadium after the fireworks and ticker-tape have died down inside.
However, Police Scotland have now released a statement warning against the celebrations in the midst of the pandemic.
It read: “Ahead of the match between Rangers and Aberdeen at Ibrox Stadium on Saturday, 15 May 2021, an appropriate policing plan is in place to maintain public safety and minimise any disruption to the community.
“Under the current restrictions no-one should be gathering in numbers of more than six at the stadium or any other location and Police Scotland supports the club in urging its fans to do the right thing and follow the coronavirus regulations around gatherings.
“We will continue to liaise with our partners, including the Scottish Government, to ensure these matches can be completed safely and to minimise the risk to both our officers and the public.
“The sacrifices people have made have allowed for further easing of regulations, however, we continue to ask people to take personal responsibility and to use Greater Glasgow safely and respectfully.”
The plans were revealed by fan group the Union Bears ahead of the final league clash of the season.
They wrote in a statement: “We are unable to confirm an exact time but we will be outside Ibrox after the match and once the trophy has been lifted, we will make our way to Govan Road/across from the Louden Tavern at Kinning Park.
“We would ask all supporters wishing to take part in the march to keep an eye out for members of the group outside Ibrox who will indicate when we are ready to head to the meeting point to begin the march.”
Wonder if the polis will wear their scarves too?
Scumbags the lot of them.
Spits.
https://twitter.com/AdamLynchVideos/status/1391767278232948736
All the best and thank you for the memories!
DREW1967 on 10TH MAY 2021 3:32 PM
Just heard the Hundertaker is buying that mob!
……
Who is the Hundertaker ?
HH.
SAINT STIVS on 10TH MAY 2021 3:46 PM
I think Ra Ranjurrs Bearrs will take that statement from the police as a challenge. Now that it is out in the open we can sit back and watch the fireworks (no, not THOSE fireworks!!) and perhaps the contortions by the police as they try to accommodate their brithers.
Scullybhoy,
that is just wonderful, I am going to miss Broony greatly.
People writing him off, I think he will play for a while yet.
DREW1967 on 10TH MAY 2021 3:32 PM
………..
Haud oan Mate, Ive just realised is the Undertaker not one of the USA Wrestlers ?
silly me !
HH.