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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67heaven … i am neil lennon..!!.. ibrox belongs to the creditors
20:10 on 24 October, 2012
Does Agent Whyte have any more ‘recordings’…… !!!!!!!!????? ………
Coming out for Christmas “Whyte Christmas- Craig Whyte’s Greatest Hits”
2-2 now at Firhill! Brilliant goal from P.Twardic. All over them now.
SPF
Thanks ScotPatsFan, Their is a Villa supporter over here who gives me grief, I was really hoping we would stuff them tonight.
estorilbhoy
20:32 on 24 October, 2012
Yes we have been linked a few times and he would have been a good addition a couple of years ago.
Scotspatfan,
2 each – that’s great news!
Thanks for the updates
scotpatsfan
20:33 on
24 October, 2012
2-2 now at Firhill! Brilliant goal from P.Twardic. All over them now.
C’mon the Hoops
Some goal by Ronaldo – brilliant.
SIXTAESEVEN
you’re getting all your Craigs mixed up. Our favourite Craig is the lead actor in Hocus Pocus whereas your guy was the lead in the new Bond film,saviour of the western democratic way of life and supporter of the house of Windsloer !
Make way for the Wizard Whyte of Castle Grant.
clashcitybhoy
20:13 on
24 October, 2012
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.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
He Heeeeeeeeeee
The 3rd twardzik brother, a goalkeeper, is on trial at aberdeen
PfAyr
It cannot be anything else but a conspiracy.
Grier MIH former account manager for BoS !!!!!
3 years later … An MCR board member
He brokers the ticketus deal for Whyte that Rangers FC pay for ?
MCR are then taken over by Duff and Phelps.
Either Lord Hodge is in on it or being played like a fiddle. I will go for being played like a fiddle due to previous CPS dealings.
It is now up to him.
If he does nothing then he is in on it.
If he starts fkexing his muscles then he is a good guy. He has not even flexed a bicep yet ….and that is very telling.
It wont be long before questions are being asked who had a Rangers EBT and works for the Crown ?
HH
If he is the third twin that would be something special : > }
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
thetimrieper
20:46 on 24 October, 2012
The 3rd twardzik brother, a goalkeeper, is on trial at aberdeen
How long to go in the Celtic / Villa game..?
F/time at Firhill, Celtic 2-2 Villa. We were the better team.
SPF
Saw this on the TSFM (from Agrajag), which nicely sums up the latest chapter in the Zombie page-turner:
“Administrators making an advance agreement with the major shareholder on how an administration is going to pan out, with him getting the business back debt free, for a fixed fee.
With the major creditors being Her Majesty’s Government who the major shareholder failed to pay £14m to, not counting another outstanding amount under appeal of tens of millions.
Wow, just wow!
You couldn’t make this stuff up.”
jc2
:-)
Thanks SPF, Pity we couldn’t get the 3rd but I suppose to come back from 2 down is something to be pleased about.
Awe naw
I’d be surprised if Lord Hodge was in
on it . No doubt the others are it big style .
Re Lord Hodge I asked a pal about him the other day . Very clever able
lawyer by all accounts , I doubt he’ll be happy with all these shenanigans
Agent Whyte has been swatting up on the “for Dummies” books again.
How to get Revenge
http://i.imgur.com/KtE2S.jpg
Sherlock Holmes is on the case. (Played by Mark Daley) 8¬)
http://i.imgur.com/II0oC.jpg
Well done to Lenny, staff and team HH
Do to being a wee bit excited, I don’t recall any bookings last night.?……. World record …????
Celtic nextgen team at the moment best of third place teams
with two to play
2-1ajax
Bah finally got a new password this blog is harder to get back into than the spl for a new team who can’t afford the lodge dues :)
Extreme long shot I know but have been let down for a ticket for the barca match any one know of any going spare or failing that a ticket :)
As a fall back position would the bars around the ground show the game if I have to try and fail to get a ticket around the ground on the night?
….pfayr
20:56 on 24 October, 2012
There is no way Lord Hodge was in on anything …… He is NOT a cheating criminal ….. He just catches them….!!!!!!!!
Come on Ajax
Northbhoy
I think you’re losing track of the story. Agent Craig is on a mission, but it’s no’ Hocus Hopus, it’s Opus Dei.
By all accounts he’s doing a grand job!
Hope that helps.
;o)
Ajax beating City
2 to 1
Sixtaseven
This may explain why HMRC did not oppose such an obviously corrupt decision in the first place.
It initially made Lord Hodge look like he did not know what he was doing. If he knew exactly what he was doing then the question arises what was his motivation. A Green Hornet request or an EBT beneficiary. That will depend on how well Lord Hodge was informed and by whom.
HH
67Heaven
Two yellows for Barca and Jamsie was booked a couple of minutes before the goal.
Crime count (fouls committed) was very low: Barca 10 Celts 11
belfastkev
Looks like the game is on Sky Sports2.
Malaga 1 Ac Milan 0
Don’t forget that the Celtic Nextgen team is now without the service of players such as Tony Watt and Dylan McGeouch.
Also another one of their best players,Paul George is still out injured after suffering a horrific leg break.
It would be difficult for any side in that tournament to do without three players of that calibre.
ScotPatsFan
Thank you for updates.
Mr Sir David Murray, Johnston, Grier, McCoist, Traynor, Duff and Phelps, Whyte, Green, The Other Murray, Kennedy, Ng, Miller, Ellis, King, The ‘German’ consortium…
And guess who the smartest guy in the room is?
The mad, paranoid, wee, google eyed guy with the tape recorder…
Bet Traynor’s loving having went with the Pinnochio front page and pages 4 and 5 rebuttal of the Tape Recorder Kid’s claims.
There are nuances to savour in this story, the subtle, yet stone cold displays of irony, which will warm the very embers of my heart for years to come.
Mr Traynor – I’d advise you to watch Al Pacino destroy Kevin Spacey in Glengarry Glen Ross and whilst doing so, remember one wee line – You never open your mouth until you know what the shot is…
Oh, and one last thought on irony – the square headed gent from the SPL getting all uppity about punishable offences in regards to finance and football teams…
Some things you can’t write nor imagine, for them things you need good ole bona fide life…
U
3-1ajax
PFayr
He has been made to look like the foolish uninformed clown he looks like today by whom ?
And how was such an experienced fair minded expert so easily duped.
Is Lord Hodge using the same claim of innocence as Sir David Murray.
If he is …then we should be worried.
HH
S
sixtaeseven: £94m: permanent embarrassment & disgrace forever
21:03 on
24 October, 2012
Crime count …… World record ….LOL
OOPS, ….AJAX score a third……totally outclassing MC