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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As if it makes a blind bit of difference what anyone writes on a blog.
Dearie Me
the glorious balance sheet on 5th August 2015 1:35 pm
Yes, maybe not as well developed as the likes of the Balkan states, Poland, Ukraine and maybe even Scandi leagues now but still a lot better than their 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Copenhagen a few years back. Dani Quintana obviously merits his transition to professional football, he’s no mug, and had a season in Poland with Jagiellonia or some such. Qarabag are much like us in that they have to find players to coach into better ones and can’t shop at even the second tier price list of European football.
I’m just over thinking things, as I do before many a euro tie, especially the qualifiers. Fingers crossed for a solid win for the Bhoys tonight.
0-2 to the Good Ghuys!
HH EnnisBhoy
Re-newed my Celtic TV,yesterday.Just noticed they are saying,”As a security measure they have to disable the Wall for todays match,hope to bring you a new one next week”
Anyone any idea what this means?.I will still get the game,wont I?.
The Exiled Tim
In your case it does.
A carrier pigeon is carrying a transcribed copy of your CQN posts straight to a dookit, in the bowels of Baku, Dookit is not a word you see every day on CQN, and not just because predictive text wants to correct it every time it’s typed.
Passing time nervously CSC
Turkey hoy
In a word Aye.
The Wall is for comments only.
It seems to be a security exposure.
Advice for Celts shot shooters this evening:
There’s a wind from the east, better aim to the west.
If you shoot to the left, lean to the right.
If the goalie’s on the right, feign to the left.
… and if we get 15 corners, please make two or three count!
Easy stuff :)
Cheers GG.A wee panic there for a minute.
I didn’t realise Ajax had gone out to Rapid Vienna last night.
~
AjaxQuickNews will be in uproar.
Probables Hoops
Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, Van Dijk, Izzy; Brown, Bitton; GMS, Johansen, Armstrong; Ciftci.
West Of Scotland FC won’t be playing in Europe any time soon.
They have 3 years of odd accounts.
They must have misunderstood – it’s audited accounts they need !!!
:)
Philbhoy on 5th August 2015 3:46 pm Traditioalist88
That’s where I saw it but omitted the expletives on purpose……………in case any kids are reading!
======
:)
Just in case anybody was wondering about Bangura
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/aug/05/swedish-defender-andreas-johansson-ashamed-dive-viral
There will be 2 water breaks here in Baku. One in each half. Ref will call. #Celtic #Qarabag
TurkeyBhoy
Yes, still live streaming. The Wall is just the chat window that appears next to the live football window. It was disabled last week during the audio broadcast too.
Where roughly in Turkey are you by the by? I’ll be back in my home from home near Bodrum in 3 weeks for a month :)
Hail Hail,
KevinBhoy.
If Griffiths did make the unguarded comment to a fan, he is a lucky boy that Mc.Guinness isn’t the manager.
If he was, Leigh would never kick another ball for the club.
Top Donegal GAA player, Kevin Cassidy, paid the ultimate price for being quoted in a book re some minor aspect of Donegal’s training methods.
It wasn’t what he said that condemned him, but it was the fact that he broke the rule of talking out of school.
Play 5 in midfield and disrupt their passing out from the back then hit them with pace bursting from midfield, GMS & Joe hansen ,
And imho we will be comfortable tonight.
But its the Celtic so strap yerself in for a nerveshredding rollercoaster :)))))))))))))
Anyone remember High Noon?
A recurring theme is the flash to various clocks as the minutes tick down to the arrival of the train,
.
and the bad guys.
I’m feeling a wee bit the same.
Checking my wrist watch every couple of minutes.
Glancing over to the kitchen clock to verify the time on my watch.
Looking up at the top line of my iPad to verify the previous verification.
Making sure the PC has finished any updates.
We are on the verge of a memorable victory.
COYBIG
Mick……..PF’s phones buggered asked me to try and get hold of you.
Well be in the market for 5:15.
HH
Gregor
whats not to be positive about?
we have Craig Gordon in goal
izzi at full back(or do we switch Efe and put in Janko)
Dedryck Bhoyata bhoyata bhoyata already on his way in his Celtic goalscoring career
Big VVD,majestic,and i think a wee free kick from him
Efe Ambrose.time to give the somersault a champions league intro
Broon.Captain,time to show whose running this midfield tonight
Johansen. keep that engine goin,
Gary MS- be direct,run at them
Stuart Armstrong,got a feeling will see a good performance from you tonight
Cifti.time to break the duckma mhan,hold it up well
Griff,early goal time griff,jist wham it,early one from you will go down well
Its great being a Celtic fan.
gie yir heid a dunt and snap it out of that all pervasive cheat mentality that is our meeja.
be confident yir Celtic mhen and whummin
you dont need telt by what your opinion is about Celtic or football is.
you probably have been watching for many years,have confidence in that.
not what cheat infused phoneins or sky or our state liar.
have confidence your Celtic fans
we are Celtic,its not brash,its respectful and is professional.
we have work to do,go to work Celtic.
Believe.
hail hail
and a tim tomorrow i will be :-)
enjoy your night Celts
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 37s38 seconds ago
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CELTIC v FK Qarabag: Gordon; Lustig, Boyata, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Brown, Bitton; Mackay-Steven, Johansen, Armstrong; Ciftci #UCL
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 1m1 minute ago
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Celtic subs: Ambrose, Griffiths, Commons, Rogic, Janko, Bailly, Forrest #UCL
That will Do
Nadir to break his duck & Griff to score in last 20 when he comes on.:)))))))))
big nir forgot bout you,great your in :_) looks a good strong 11 eh Embramike.
of now hail hail
i really hope cifti gets a break in front of goal today
Paul67 et al
90 minutes concentrated effort and we go through, simple as that. Confident we will score a goal, Ronny’s team, whatever our faults and weaknesses, have shown themselves to be able to score away from home. Come on the Celts!
I thought I was super confident about this game. Just cracked open a cold yin and my bottle crashed and my erse collapsed simultaneously!
Mon the hoops!!
pacingaboutalreadycsc
Looking at the bench my only worry is that Biton or Brown get hurt.
Anyone care to guess what’s the leading story on BBC Scotland fitba site on this great CL qualifiers night ?!?
Ha ha – They’ll be watching the Bill, when we’re in, eh, Baku !!!
Advice for Ciftci: aim for goal before you shoot (but a big ugly deflection will do).
.
Good luck Celtic.
Expected line up. Only talking point Ciftci for Leigh. With Ciftci out of domestic football it was always on the cards that Ronny would lean on the side of giving him game time in Europe. I have no doubt that we will see Leigh play tonight at some stage. Good strong team should see us through.
I won’t make it to Wimbledon CSC from work in time so will have to try out The Pavilion End near my work. Found it thanks to this lovely little website:
http://www.matchpint.co.uk/
Any other Tims looking for somewhere to watch should check this site out and see if you can find a nearby public house to enjoy the game…
Right Nadir, time for a goal…
getthejobdoneCELTScsc
Our strongest 18 player squad with only the Cifcti/Griffiths option on strongest starting 11.
.
Score an away goal anytime and we should go through – they have only score once in their last 5 home European games.
.
COYBIG
Syd Negakev on 5th August 2015 4:23 pm Advice for Ciftci: aim for goal before you shoot (but a big ugly deflection will do). . Good luck Celtic.
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If he aims for a deflection maybe he will eventually hit that big ole barn door ;)
Players shld stay off Twitter
Timaloy 29.
If Broonie or Nir get injured either Armstrong or Johannsen can take their role with Commons or Forrest then coming on to play in their starting position.
Ta Summa
“Very windy and much cooler than its been. ” – weather from the ground