Rolling-over St Mirren easily tells you nothing about what will happen at the Camp Nou. As it is, we performed as well as any team in Europe would have last night. Inter Milan and Chelsea won the Champions League in 2010 and 2012 respectively after putting on a similar performance to Celtic in the most testing theatre in football.
The manager, players, supporters and everyone at the club deserve enormous credit for their part in this. Celtic’s achievement is all the more remarkable when you consider they live within their means, and this is not a dig at some former domestic rivalry, the most consistent trait of those currently regarded as uber-teams, including Barcelona, is a refusal to limit expenditure to match income over any business period. We can admire the art of this Barca team while looking forward to the day Financial Fair Play regulations inhibit their expenditure to the £200m-or-so a season more than Celtic’s income.
Barca will know they face a difficult task at Celtic Park in two weeks. Our goal came, as I predicted on Sunday, after a free kick inside the Barcelona half was dropped onto an elevated Celtic head inside the box. When the game is analysed I’m sure the coaches will conclude that we should have invited more challenges in similar areas – on the wing, circa 35 yards from goal. This is an easier area of the field to get possession in than the penalty box and, for Celtic, equally as dangerous.
Messi, Xavi and Iniesta got everything right for their first goal immediately before half time. The passing was fast, tight and each first touch was excellent, but this was a rarity. On all other occasions Celtic forced them into a pass which was too tight or too fast, or to simply make another safe pass and try again.
The second Barcelona goal was a consequence of defending too deep to press the cross. It was the kind of goal you lose in the 94th minute on a huge pitch.
Celtic successfully defended corner kicks zonally. For 70 minutes Barca took short corners, almost always to an unmarked player on the wing, Celtic didn’t mark this player all game, which brought a complaint from me every time, but they defended the zones the needed to inside the penalty area. Conceding possession outside the box looked like a conscious decision. Eventually Messi was reduced to pitching corners down the throat of the Celtic defence with predictable results.
There is still have a hard job ahead to qualify for the knock out stage or for the Europa League but we have gone toe-to-toe with every team in the group and have competed admirably with each – which was regarded as an objective as recently as last month. I’m enjoying my football this season.
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Whoo Hooo – he’s back
Big Nan
As cunning as a fox who’s just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?
Had it been any other team but Celtic sitting in dealing with wave after wave of attack I would have said in the end justice was done, but it was Celtic so justice wasn’t done, and could they have picked a worse time to score the winner, well out of order, shouldn’t happen to us.
Just back and a bit wobbly, I would like to say that the tims I met in the last few days were honourable good men and women.. You represent the club in a great way.
Edinburgh bhoys – jaysus.
Saw the Barca stewards clapping us down the stairs, that is fact.
Last night was the greatest team in the world playing the greatest club in the world. I am proud to be a part of it.
Mr Lennon – thank you.
I would seriously consider contributing to a statue of Craigy Bhoy outside Celtic Park. He has single handedly destroyed rangers and is now going after the ‘zombies’ with a pitchfork and flaming torch.
BBC report from tonight for anyone that missed it (from alanmac from the HB)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2SHBJXhmTw&feature=youtu.be
This just keeps on getting better and better. It’s getting more like a film script everyday.
Nothing is what it seems
http://i.imgur.com/tc0Go.jpg
D or C save us zombies
http://i.imgur.com/uZfGd.gif
A Duff & Phelps deadline
http://i.imgur.com/GtQ2J.gif
October 31st is Liquidation day. let’s all meet at the………
Worlds end pub
http://i.imgur.com/O1hh4.jpg
http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/drivetime/121024/poll-which-goalkeeper-better-183763?
Get voting guys, currently 75%-25% in favour of big Frazer!! Stuff up that tw@t adrian durham!!
Vogue
You better believe it. And it can record for hours and its top quality.
Whenever I am called into an unexpected meeting. It toilet. Recordings on after the flush of course then action ;-)
HH
Dortmund fans giving a pretty good rendition of YNWA, only spoiled by the p!sh coming from the commentators.
Awe naw ….
You’re really up for this conspiracy aren’t you ….don’t know about it masel
However CW is punching them black and blue …hilarious comedy theatre
Villa 2 up. Both headed goals. Defence will be disappointed with the way they’ve lost both goals.
SPF
BSR – Keep yer chin up big fella; loved the photies tae:)
slainte
tony
Awe naw
Tommy on his radio show the other week made the same assertion about BDO.
Seems like he might just have something.
Oh to snare a law lord….
Craig Whyte
The Motherwell Born Billy-Hun-Slayer
Celts 2 down at h/time. Villa not that much better than us, but it’s a poor game. Our passing is poor.
SPF
I think our boy Craig is a shrewd cookie.
He could have played this card at any time and has delayed it till now.
Not showing his full hand but simply showing an ace and saying: do you want to go on with this?
He may have given D & P a chance to gag him with gold but they declined thinking he had nothing on them.
Who would bet against him having other taped conversations?
Good evening friends.
Went online there and see that the Spartak game is now a complete sell out. Which is nice!
Jobo
I thought Celtic were immense last night, we often forget that defending is an art, as much as goal scoring or heading.
Out two banks of four worked really , my only slight criticism being that at the end of both halves we were too deep. If either of the Barca shots which led to goals had been hit from 1 or 2 yards further out, then I am sure Fraser would have got a hand to one or other.
It shows the very thin line between winning and not.
Two other thoughts :
The players wised up very quickly to the fact that the ref would give a foul if there was slightest body contact. This is an area where we have been naive in the past. On at least one occasion he didn’t us a foul for a trip on wee Jamesie, perhaps if wee Jamesie was less theatrical, we may have got it.
My other bit is around Big Vic. At the point when we took off Broony, I would have brought on Kayal ( instead of Kris C) and moved Big Vic upfront. I think his pace and power would have caused them real problems .
Thoughts ?
Torontony
Thank you – and Hail Hail
Saturday 15.00 Celtic Park
1-0 city
Can’t mind now but were D n P not originally a UK firm that were taken over by a global firm of D n P based in the ole USA.
If that is the case does the USA legislation dealing with corruption and backsheesh not come into play. I recall a recent programme detailing how, if there was any connection by a company with the ole US of A then the American legislators would then RIGOROUSLY pursue any company, even loosely connected to the USA, and fine them, astronomical amounts of money. Some who suffered in this way were big players in the UK !!!!
HMT
HH
Does Agent Whyte have any more ‘recordings’…… !!!!!!!!????? ………
67 heaven,
I hear Agent Whyte had a tape of Fat Sally placing his order at Greg’s .
Unfortunately he ran out of tape before Fat Sally had finished.
I am still bursting with pride over that performance last night. They played like Champions. A huge big thank you to all those involved – players, manager, coaching staff and all the other backroom staff who made it possible. There is a real spirit and belief about this team and I get shivers down my spine when I think of what they might achieve.
If this is Armageddon, I think I like it.
Apparently Craigy is in possession of a recording of a conversation between Lee Harvey Oswald and a second gunman on the grassy knoll. True.
Clashcitybhoy.
I posted a while ago Neil lennon regards wanyama as his most skillful player and reckons he will eventually be a first class striker.hh
D&P have just given written statements to lord Hodge swearing they were clean and had no conflict of interest OVER TO YOU LORD HODGE.
Your response on the 31st will tell us more about your intentions.
David Grier & D&P picked the wrong man to try and shaft ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION.
2-1 Villa now. Og from one of their players, but we’ve started really well in the 2nd half.
SPF
Agent Whyte has a recording of what Swally whispered in Lenny ear.
You’re next Swally – watch your step as you’re walking away.
Downfall ? More like Skyfall !
Pass the popcorn.
;o)
It does make you wonder what else Craigy Craigy Whyte has recorded and stashed away.
The Nixon approach still working after all this time.
Saw the game in Spain last night, although I was about 500 miles from the stadium.
It was a great show from Celtic, Neil was brave to send two up front, in current scottish football times, but losing Samaras was a blow. The first fifteen minutes of the second half was our best spell I thought and the pace of the game was so reminiscent of the previous draws in the Camp Nou that I was half expecting to see Stephen Pearson running about like a greyhound as well.
The only dampener for me was when some people around me in the venue started celebrating when there was still a couple of minutes left. Coach Neil Lennon asked for 93 or 94 minutes of concentration from the players, the fans need to exercise patience too!!
As Paul referred to, clubs like Barça are guilty of financial doping, but curiously Barça is an example of how to bring through the youth players as well and something which Celtic need to emulate and are hopefully getting to grips with. Pep Guardiola dropped record signing Ibramovich in order to give his young colt Pedro a place in the team . Obviously Pep is no longer in charge at Barça, probably for decisions like that, but it shows the romantic nature of F.C. Barcelona and their own self belief.
So in filthy lucre matters, we may get a more even playing field in the future if Platini gets the finger out, highly unlikely, or if he gets the boot from above. We need to develop our youth policies and incidentally there is no way I would blame JF for the goal, the ball should have been cut out before it got to the back post. I prefer to remember the young fella taking on Adriano and Mascherano with his flying scotsman runs.
I honestly feel that Barça, with the possible exception of Pele´s Santos and maybe Di Stefano´s Madrid is the most successful team of all time. Around where I live the locals were pleased to see Celtic doing justice to themselves. Spanish football supporters are savvy and saw a professional outfit, dangerous on the counter attack and playing fair.
Barça will love coming to Celtic Park, they know it is one of the meccas of world football, their self belief is great, but they are with a new manager and if we can find a little bit extra for the 95 minutes you never know.
Like bournesouprecipe posted earlier I was devastated 24 hours ago. It was only on Saturday when we remembered the Magnus Hedman type slip from the St Mirren goalie but that goal last night was pure “made in Hedman”, talk about a bad dose of deja vu . But even that sickening blow cannot take away from the spirit of the performance last night which showed that we can be a force in Europe again.
Johann Cruyff, we gave your boys a hell of a game!!
Former Celtic manager on Mr and Mrs right now.
Agent Whyte had taped a conversation with Bomber brown.
But after 20 attempts by the bbc, mark Daly and the worlds best VOICE RECOGNITION experts they have had to admit defeat in trying to decipher it into coherent sense.
1-1city v ajax
Thought Eider Gudjohnsenn was very fulsome in his praise of Celtic last night on Sky.
He even seemed to have a wee soft spot for us.
googybhoy ♥ celtic
20:31 on 24 October, 2012
Thought Eider Gudjohnsenn was very fulsome in his praise of Celtic last night on Sky.
He even seemed to have a wee soft spot for us.
—-
I thought so also. Were we not linked with him when WGS was there?
One of the French writter François de La Rochefoucauld’s maximes is, to paraphrase;
“I have met many women who have never been unfaithful, but I have never met a woman who has been unfaithful only once”.
Well, I’m sure there are many people who have never secretly recorded meetings.
I do not think however, that there are many who have recorded only one …
I think its safe to say that today, the Glorious 24th, marks the official start to “collapsing arse” season down Govan way.