Since the Artmedia debacle, exactly 10 years ago this week, we’ve had some memorable Champions League wins, but while the subsequent period saw Gordon Strachan, then Neil Lennon, become the first managers to take Celtic into the Champions League knock out rounds, the third and fourth round qualifiers at Celtic Park have been tight.
We drew 1-1 home and away against Spartak Moscow, before that incredible penalty shoot-out win. Dinamo Moscow actually won 0-1 in Glasgow before Tony Mowbray’s team peaked with a 0-2 win in Moscow.
The 2010 tie against Braga was effectively over before we recorded a 2-1 second leg home win. In 2012 we took care of HJK Helsinki but not after a nervy week pondering if the 2-1 home win would be enough. It all came together in the next round, where we beat Helsingborg 2-0 home and away.
2013 saw a tight 1-0 at home to Elfsborg, where Mo Bangura almost stole the show with a shot against the crossbar, before the high water mark, a dramatic 3-0 at home to Shakhtar Karagandy, overturning a first leg 2-0 deficit.
Last season saw us benefit from a forfeit, overturning a 0-2 Legia win at Murrayfield, before Maribor won 0-1 at Celtic Park.
Home defeats to Dinamo, Legia and Maribor, and a draw with Spartak, were at the bottom end of the scale, although only Maribor progressed. We beat Elfsborg 1-0, HJK 2-1, Helsingborgs 2-0 and Shakhtar 3-0, the latter two are the only third or fourth round results which bettered last week’s win over Qarabag.
Clear inferences can be drawn. If you can’t do better than a 2-1 home win against HJK it doesn’t mean you’ll not go on to beat Barcelona by the same score a few months later. Struggling at home to Dinamo or Elfsborg is an immediate concern, but not something which will necessarily cast a long shadow over the season.
We have a hard game ahead this afternoon, but we’re favourites for a reason.
Win a Bumblebee shirt, courtesy of Magners
To mark the release of the Bumblebee shirt, our friends at Magners have offered a shirt to competition winners. All you need to do is answer this question:
In which African country did CQN readers fund the construction of four school kitchens?
Email your answer, with the country in the subject line, to celticquicknews@gmail.com
Competition closes at 14:00 tomorrow (Thursday), so there’s not a lot of time. If you’d like to help towards the next kitchen, you can send a £1, or £2, here. Pile in, you know how effective Karma is in football!
A big Cheers to Magners.
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Hoping we gain at least a draw tonight. Will be backing 1-1, which is what I think the score will be.
HH
Can we occasionally have a SHOT at goal.. We re so shot shy,it’s embarrassing..
Have a shot at the keeper..make him save,or parry,like Rab Douglas..
Things happen..Kayal scored cos he had a shot.. Kris Commons has screamers..
Get a shot off Celtic ..please..
HH
Neganon, indeed.
Moreover, the notion that those of us supporters who can’t get to Celtic Park – because of travel, finance etc- aren’t supporters is a hunnish and snobbish opinion.
We do have players who shoot from distance and they do it quite regular, Commons, GMA and Griffiths por cierto
GMA = Gary Mackay Ateven por cierto :)
Ennis Bhoy 1.02pm-
Our majority shareholder could probably be described as an oligarch himself, given his level of wealth. And I`m sure I`ve seen a few sanddancers in the Hoops in recent seasons too!
I`m not sure if countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, etc have caught up with us as much as is being said, certainly not when we look at the results and rankings of their national teams. I will say though that Qarabag have come a long way quickly, about 15 years ago they were being pumped 9-0 by the likes of Copenhagen in the first qualifying rounds of the UEFA Cup.
I`m not certain that this Qarabag side have moneybags behind them, their number 20 only turned professional 3 seasons ago at the age of 25 after jobbing about the fourth tier of Spanish football for all his career, while his partner in midfield played 2 seasons in Portugal, one in the 2nd division, the other finishing 7th in the Portugese top flight, before pitching up at Qarabag.
They`re a very well coached team of journeymen. Hard to beat, no more no less. If they put us out it will have nothing to do with oligarchs or money, but more to do with a coach being able to identify raw talent and able to get it able to play well above itself. Luck might come into it too.
But hopefully we get an early goal and kill the tie. Make friends over there and do some good for charity as we`ve done so far, and progress to the next round. That will do me nicely until I start worrying about the even trickier tie likely to be ahead of us should we get through!
Commons is the Master Blaster ..
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:)
According to twittersphere, the game is sold out. With the heat, the pitch, the home crowd and Qarabag players playacting, it will be a hostile environment for us and is a real test.
My gut feel, and also with my realistic head on…it’s going to be oh so tight tonight.
A 1 each draw will be marvellous, however I predict a 2-1 defeat.
Either way, if our names in the hat come this evening, we’ll no be caring a jot.
Mon the hoops
Saint Stivs on 5th August 2015 1:20 pm
3rd august show,
8 minutes in for the fun to begin.
ps, how thick is Stuart McCall.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrsc7/episodes/downloads
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/tight-qualifiers-is-poor-indication-of-season-win-a-bumblebee-shirt/#sthash.13JaWWh4.dpuf
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Is this the programme with Tom English and the ‘Struth’ guy? This character is a total celebrity on Clyde. Can’t believe the air time he gets.
Please Celtic, a professional performance tonight, no keystone cops defending.
According to Alex O’Henley both Griffiths and Bitton are both fit for the game
What a lovely wee encounter that was.
Doing a pre match drink replenishment shop, do I no’ just bump into wee ten therty.
Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld. Looking good and as gregarious as ever happily passing the time of day and as funny as … Constant one liners and brilliant wee set ups. The ghuy should host all Celtic events, he is sensational.
I says how much pleasure he brought to me and countless others over the years and he totally wasted me.
Shouts to his wife to join us, “Hey hen this guy trying to say he watched me play, must have been in nursery school!” He turns to me and asks my age.
58 I reply.
62 he says pointing to himself.
I’m confused, surely Bertie’s in his 70s I’m thinking.
With sublime comedic timing, registering the bemusement on my face, ” Ah but ah’m on a two to ten tomorrow “.
What a total legend and he was looking extremely healthy too.
Eurochamps67
MademydaysoitdidCSC
Bsr,
Your serious posts are as good as your funny posts these days :)
HH
Eurochamps,
That’s my dad’s late friends favourite gag.
62 today….couply drinks bought….2 till ten tomorrow… :)
HH
Geordie,
The old ones are always the best.
Certainly in Bertie’s case.
BSR will be pure beelin’ at my latest and greatest celebrity spot.
Eurochamps67
In Marrakech. Any1 know where is showing the game.
Good luck to the Bhoys in Baku tonight. My apologies but I now want to give another shameless plug to my brother (Larkin 1907 on here) who is taking part in the Big Ride from Edinburgh to London in aid of a Palestinian Children’s Charity. Hope he manages to catch the match tonight. Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so here http://www.redspokes.co.uk/thebigride/ or https://www.justgiving.com/John-Budis/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=updates&utm_content=John-Budis&utm_campaign=updates-facebook&fb_ref=Default#updates
As article says, qualifiers at this time always haphazard, even with managers who went on to greater success. KTF in RD and the Bhoys… Enjoy the journey…. Whatever happens today good times are guaranteed. I believe we will progress, even if they score first.
Find the new site a little overpowering at the moment. Ads for apps, logging me off and lots of scrolling required, I am sure I will get used to the new format however….
Very strange to find political advertising about Iran having a nuclear weapon in 10 years and requesting a signature to a petition protesting the Iran nuclear deal????
I know CQN has evolved over the years, and I accept it had to…
Nevertheless….
AIPAC CSC?
Surely not the price of a profitable business model…
I have been speaking to a few mates who go to all the games home and away, and they are all to a mhan happy with what Ronny is trying to achieve, and to a mhan they are not happy with his lack of support from on high.
They like me sighted the lack of a proper striker and playmaker, and like me they are no happy that Pedro is taking a massive gamble again with CL qualification.
But come what may, if we don’t qualify, it won’t stop us supporting the team, it just makes it harder :-)
HH
But not to worry, the OF will be back next year and everything in the boardrooms garden will be hunky dory.
Thanks for that WITS
I firmly believe if we stop concentrating on what is in Baku tonight and concentrate on what is in Frontu we’ll do fine.
MWD said AYE maggies kids said nae
1-1 tonight
Johansen to bundle one in during the first half.
Marrakech bhoy r u on. If u r where is showing the game.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE 1248
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There’s a very good chance that some right guid Tims will be there tonight-in Azerbaijan-supporting THE HOOOOOOOPS,who are unlikely to make it to Celtic Park this side of Christmas.
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Or any other Christmas.
Moonbeams stop being so positive ……..my nerves have kicked in and positve talk is making me even more worried:-))
C.O.Y.B.I.G.
Trying to KTF
HH
So Griffiths has revealed to a supporter that he’s not starting and it’s now on Twitter. He’s not happy apparently.
How do we feel about that news heading into the public domain over 2 hours before KO?
If it was not supposed to be revealed Griff shouldnt have told anyone. The supporter story however may well be a ruse ………time will tell
HH
Exiled Tim
You say
“They like me sighted the lack of a proper striker and playmaker, and like me they are no happy that Pedro is taking a massive gamble again with CL qualification”
Exactly what is “Pedro’s massive gamble again” – who could we have bought? – isn’t spending money we haven’t got, the biggest and most dangerous gamble we could take?
Our wage bill is between £30/40 million per year, EVERY YEAR, and we still need either CL qualification and/or player sales, to stay solvent. So should we sign a couple of players for say £12 million, plus and extra £4 million/year, for four years, on the wage bill? That’s £28 million we would need to borrow, still with NO guarantee of CL qualification.
We only have to look at Man City’s dismal CL record – even with all their billions – no guarantee.
Celtic CANNOT but their way into the CL – solvency and sanity MUST be the watchwords!!!
6-0 tae the tic.
There may be a hefty margin of error in my prediction…
Saint Stivs, thanks for the link, going for a Glesgae siesta before the game starts.HH
“buy their way”
https://mobile.twitter.com/Leighgriff09?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor ..
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I can’t see nowt on his time line suggesting that ..
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Official site does indicate Nad’s is starting though.
TET
Having 3 qualifying rounds to get into the same pay grade as the team finishing 4th in the EPL.
That is the gamble – just ask Ajax.
Whoever you sign for whatever money the gamble remains the same. Marquee signings that don’t succeed. Marquee signings getting injured in preparation season games. All of this is a gamble too.
9000 miles travel to play two games from Iceland to Baku is a gamble.
The dice is always loaded against us and we need luck and strong refereeing to get to the group stages.
We have a team that’s good enough to get there but sometimes that’s not enough.
HH
Defend from the front.
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No silly mistakes in the midfield.
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Keep the defence tight.
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Follow this and there’ll be no need for Gordon to baton down the hatches :)
Careful With That Tax, Moonbeams on 5th August 2015 2:55 pm
It’s the fan that tweeted it not Griff himself.
Strangely not worried about the game tonight , I think we will score & the tie will be over early here’s hoping
In from Golf, got soaked only 15 out of a normal contingent of 45 turned up. Played total rubbish, probably my worst round ever and still ended up on winning team as my partners were on fire and won it on their own. It was a message from the Gods, today is just about winning the tie, doesn’t matter how we do it,
Dena
We will either be 2 up in first 30 mins or 1 down in first 5.
that better? :0)
But I