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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Man City getting cleaned out by Ajax
3 to 1
In the style of Gary Nevile it looks like big trouble for Machstrsty.
Jobo
Nearly 4
Eldiegobhoy
Yeah, I mean if I can’t get a ticket I’ll still travel over and try to pick up one outside the ground on the night but failing that was looking for conformation that the bars around the ground would show the game as obviously would leave it late before giving up and heading to the bar to watch it,cheers
Englands best keeper, Fraser Forster would have anticipated that deflection :>)
Best league in the world eat yer heart out
Oh but aren’t man city the champions of the all singing all dancing best league in the universe : )
Sixteen roads to Golgotha at 21:06
Oops!,,
In addition, Filip Twardzik is injured and there was no John Heron tonight.
Without half a team and most of these of high quality as you say.
Watching Ajax tear Citeh a new one is almost as pleasing as watching anyone tearing Oldco a new one… :)
Sixtaeseven
No I’m totally confused . The wizard of castle grant is building up to be a strong character. Who else would fly their broom over both Green n D n P in jist over a week. He’s not afraid to appearvin the sunlight even after all the threats. More needle than I thought. Daniel Craig eat your heart out…..pass the port Miss Moneyspender oh errt Miss Moneypenny !
Dutch riot police will be busy tonite.
It’s in thems genes bad losers and that.hh
That Man cty team are costing round about 2 mill a week, oh dear……..
Gary Neville at 2-1 ” I still fancy Man City to win ”
3-1 Ajax
Ghuys this latest expose by Marc Daly asks some serious questions
Would I be right in saying the recording now calls into question the administrators fit and proper status to conduct any deal regarding the future of oldco/newco and it also calls into question their appointment as administrators by the judge.
If they are found to be telling lies (which it does look like) then their credibility is shot to pieces and the deal with Green is now questionable.
What other lies have been told I expect our hero Craigy boy Whyte has more recordings, the one I do hope he has kept is his dealings with Minty Moonbeams Murray who many people in the media are trying to protect.
Maybe the media have a few skeletons in the closet.
Everything about their club stinks and the smell gets stronger by the day
Gunners getting beat
1 nil
BigYinMilan
Indeed.
It just goes to show that they are not doing too badly atall,all things considered.
belfastkev
Would keep an eye on the blog especially nearer the time.
Celtic would wipe the floor with any of those English mobs.
From DEADclub media:))
Penny maybe dropping idiot 1
“Has everyone forgotten this little fact…
D and P were solely responsible for the sale of our club to one
Charles Green.
No one else was involved or consulted, and he was presented to us as a fait accompli, taking us completely by surprise, with unknown backers who we still do not fully know, nor trust.
This sh**storm is only just beginning”.
Reply from IDIOT 2
“I’d say one thing in all of this green seems above board”.
Uly @ 21.08
Good stuff
Just saw the clip from BBC Scotland.
So what do we think has happened? Duff and Phelps must have stiffed old Craigy boy at some point, either that or he wants to make sure that it’s not only himself going to Barlinnie?
If he was stiffed – that would imply Greeny being in a wee bit of bother?
If he was being set up to go to jail – maybe Minty was pulling the strings?
Does anybody have a clue?
Good to see that Mark Daly is still on the job though and that Whytey has such a fine ‘singing’ voice.
northbhoy
Now that Craigie boy is getting “wired” in, with any luck there might be a few that end up behind bars (and I don’t mean serving drinks) and the Irn-Bru Third Division might soon be looking for a Club 12.
Karmageddon
;o)
Martin Tyler thinks they are playing West Brom?
Commentators ,,? Ajax far better than City on the night, commentator ….”I think it will be 3-4″ LOL
Evening amigos
Still gutted but even pwoder than before
Gave my ticket away tonight for the barca game at celtic park ….. Broken hearted aint gonna cover it :(
Thindimebhoy
Not just the media but the SFA the police also and the crown too.
Remember Borucs blessing himself caution after an OF game. There is a direct link from Ibrox.
The leniency shown to the nail bombers
The leniency show to the Tynecastle assault
Historically EBT billionaires@KJ being fined and being allowed to pay back in minimal installments.
I certainly would not be shocked if the Scottish Lords are as corrupt as the Yorkshire police and if they belonged to the same secret society.
HH
Ajax showing the way with what can be acheived with no real money. They are ahead of us now as most of their first team have been developed together from a young age so they can get the methods drilled into them early and get them used to each others styles over a number of years. Hopefully this will be our way in a few years time. But things ain’t too bad right now.
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
20:59 on
24 October, 2012
….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….!!!!!!!!
I wouldn’t put it past any of them.
What about BDO ?
The Boy Jinky
21:27 on
24 October, 2012
Evening amigos
Still gutted but even pwoder than before
Gave my ticket away tonight for the barca game at celtic park ….. Broken hearted aint gonna cover it :(
you sound like a glory hunter!!!
leftclicktic
21:23 on 24 October, 2012
LOL……. Hunbelievable
O dear
2 nil Schalke
Thindimebhoy
That smell is just the purification of the corpse that they refuse to give a decent burial to.
They are like a mass grouping of Norman bates with the old rangers being the mother in the rocking chair and they refuse to believe its dead,but this may come as a surprise to most of them but rangers are dead no matter how many times the msm try to pander to their delusions.
To paraphrase an old saying in these parts, they have gone away you know : )
Awe_Naw
I know for a fact that many of the judges are members of a secret society, I would swear on my grandweans lifes they are.
But you knew that anyways
Thetimrieper
Cheers,will do that
bourne @21.16 – the only thing Gary Neville has in his favour is he is probably more handsome than his brother. But as Phil is no oil painting, thats not saying too much at all. Can’t believe Sky pay that rammer to spout his beel. Havering gasbag, as my Granmaw would have said…
Maybe Craigy is detecting a hatchet job on him by the Scottish courts as well as the media and feels its time to give the Scottish courts …. A shot across its bows …. His Roofing case is still hanging about ?
Has that joint hatchet job been cancelled ?
Why ?
HH
Anyone have family or friends who are primary school teachers looking for supply work. East Renfrewshire are in need of supply teachers, 5 or 6 schools have vacancies needing filled.
You never heard it here.
ulysses mcghee, yes, wee Craigy is smarter than all of them.
BigYinMilan, 21:10, concise.
Mag 7
Why would you think im hunting