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.
Click here to read the fabulous CQN Magazine for free, or strain your eyes squinting below. You can also buy a hard copy of the magazine here from Magcloud.
[calameo code=000390171a36dad35d58c lang=en page=52 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
727 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- ...
- 20
- »
Young James Forrest might be feeling bad today but I hope he gets massive support on Saturday. There is no doubt in my mind that James will become a lot stronger now, especially as he has his mentor there for him and he has taken on and defeated the odds continuously.
It is just another learning experience as we rise steadily.
Doctor Whatfor
18:02 on
24 October, 2012
Battered Bunnet
Slight disagreement here. If Kayal had been sharper and more aware then he could have prevented the cross from coming in. No cross then there would have been no goal. Don’t think it’s entirely fair on young Forrest. Just saying.
Agree was shouting at tv close him down.
Ps speaking as a big Kayal fan.
There are plenty of interesting articles on Russian websites after Spartak : Benfica game.
The mosts interesting piece is quote from Dmitri Kombarov.
Axel Witsel, now Zenit St.Petersburg , previously Benfica Lisbon told couple of days ago that he wished Benfica all the best, kill Spartak game and win it.
Dmitri Kombarov told today:
“I would like to see Witsel talking about Russian teams with more sympathy , wishing Russian teams all the best in Europe. Witsel surely forgot that he gets Russian money, money earned by the Russians who pay taxes in Russia. He should remember that money he gets here, he takes them later to the village where he was born and lives.”
………………………….
Oh where did we hear that before?
Mark Daley just confirmed liquidation day 31st October.
Halloween :))). Wonder what I could dress up as?
Extra sweets for any weans coming to the door dressed as a zombie :))
in my earlier blog did not mention Celtics Performance last night,Terrific,going to return looking forward to it,
Cameron and his Tory Liberal goverment,dont care about us plebs,Mitchel,Osborne,Millionaires,I we are all in this together my A…,if this was the 70s I think there would be rioting in the streets,this lot are more right wing than thatcher,and dont get me started on her.
James Forrest keep them coming,the end is surely not that far away.
Agent Whyte
Smoking gun me thinks.
lads – Forrest is not to blame for the goal. I thought at first he was culpable, but a mate told me to watch again – he is left to pick up 2 attackers – and is therefore unsure which man to mark.
Not Forrest’s fault IMO.
i wonder what other conversations Craig Whyte secretly recorded?
I suspect Chuck might be a bit worried
Doc Whatfor, Valentine’s Day
Yip, at the time I was screaming Kayal to close down the pass to the crosser, but looking again at the goal, Kayal had gone deep to close the full back, and couldn’t cover the ground back in time – it was the guy one in from Kayal who didn’t press the crosser. Our midfield had collapsed into our defence I’m afraid. Que sera.
Anyway, this will all be forgotten as Mark Daly hits the bullseye elsewhere.
Oh well, I suppose there’ll be a few fholk dressed up as Mr Custard on Hallowe’en…
Transcript of the Marc Daly report.
mrgreenwhytebrown says:
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 18:23
4 0 Rate This
The recording, which is to be used in a forthcoming court case involving Duff and Phelps and Mr Whyte’s former lawyers Collyer Bristow, has been obtained legitimately by BBC Scotland.
During the exchange, Mr Grier said: “I’ll tell you what we’re doing with that just so you…
Mr Whyte: “Yeah.
Mr Grier: “We, we went to see counsel yesterday and had a full sort of debrief of all the email correspondence.
Mr Whyte: “Yep.
Mr Grier: “Now, the fact is that we probably did know what was going on with Ticketus. There’s no email traffic whatsoever.
Mr Whyte: “That says that you did?”
Mr Grier: “That says that we did.
Mr White: “But we all know that you did and f****** hell.
Mr Grier: “Yeah, yeah. There’s no…we were not involved in dealing with Ticketus directly.
Mr Whyte: “Yeah. So you knew the structures of the deal. You were dealing with Lloyds.
Mr Grier: “Absolutely.
Mr Whyte: “And the Ticketus part was Saffreys.
Mr Grier “Yeah. So we’ve maintained that line quite rigorously.”
BBC Scotland has been able to confirm with a voice recognition expert that the recording is of Mr Grier.
Duff and Phelps have yet to respond to the publication of the 31 May conversation.
Regarding previous allegations they said: “Our conduct of the Rangers administration has been the subject of intense public scrutiny and we are wholly satisfied it was carried out to the highest professional standards.”
*
C n p from TSFM
thomthetim..and others
The Mark Daly story is now on BBC Scotland’s news pages.
The Battered Bunnet
Kayal wrong.
Mark Daly wright.
IMHO
Old Chick on form tonight. First trying to offload our players. Now saying Rangers were punished for financial mismanagement, so why are Hearts being let off so lightly?
Anybody know what Mark Daly was saying on Reporting Scotland? Just caught the last few seconds. Lord Hodge was mentioned.
TBB,
I see that now.
They don’t call me Scoop for nothing!!
What a great day and evening last night, I had to watch the game in delayed time and was gutted at the end and felt for all the players and thier struggle against a superb team. Lots of positives and how much will this intelligent team and coaching staff can only learn from. WAnyama was wonderful, Foster was ferocius, James was jubilant and Lenny was loving it.
Cant wait for the return.
BBC’s Mark Daly seems to have been given some scoop from Wee Whytie, you just cannot make it up. Whytie is dressing up as the Wizard of Castle Grant and will be giving away treets on Halloween.
RIP Michael Marra, saw him live some years ago, quite an enigma, God Bless.
HH
oooops
thier = their
Grammer oopps
Treets = treats
Scottish football has been rife with cheating for years the administrators were just playing there part.There is no one in Scotland or even Europe with big enough b—s to ensure justice is done and that Scottish football is cleaned up.I would love to know where the funding is coming from currently to fund newco? H.H.
Oh Craig Whyte you devious little rogue, I love you. :D
Nearly 24 hours before I can bring myself to post.
It doesn’t get any easier suffering a Celtic ‘defeat’ and I’m still
inconsolable, I warn you, it seems to get worse as you get older, and after
such a magnificent defensive display to suffer such a reverse and lost all three points,
is devastating.
I thought Celtic collectively were superb, and without reading back over the Blog
there were also individual performances, that were distinguished.
Forster, Lustig, Ambrose, Wilson and Wanyama were each one remarkable testimony to
Neil Lennon and the Celtic scouting network. Kelvin Wilson has made quite a few
including myself eat their words, as he seems unrecognisable from last season.
Celtic’s European élan, totally restored with a really young coaching staff and squad
brimming with turbo speed learners, we should be fit again for Saturday back
at the ole Gazebo duty.
19.03 Complete with inconsolably bad spacing.
I get the feeling wee Craigy Bhoy has a few more bombs to drop.I think he has been stiffed (for a change) by one of the main players.
Evening all. That’s me just in from very sunny Majorca. Went to bed in ye ole Espana with heart sunk and head held mighty high. What a team we support. My undying gratitude Mr Lennon and everyone at Celtic Park. You made a not so young Tim very proud indeed.
By the bye, read the DR more times in 7 days than I have in the last seven years. It is even worse than I thought. How than jackass Jackson can still suggest that our manager brought all that trouble on himself and how we might begin to appreciate him, if he got any kind of result in Barcelona beggars belief. He is way way beyond parody.
There really is a movie in all this isn’t there?
Christopher MacDonald as Craig Whyte obviously ;)
bournesouprecipe
19:04 on
24 October, 2012
9.03 Complete with inconsolably bad spacing.
Ther e is no e x cus e
for b ad sp aci ng
Yes like others on here I think that Craig is just flagging up the fact that he is aux fait with miniature recording devices.
The technology in this field is great now and the quality of a cheap Sony mini-recorder the size of a packet of sweets is incredible.
If I were a poker player I would not take Craig Whyte at face value. The google eyed bumbler act is just that . He is as cunning as a fox.
Maybe SDM should have picked a more naive buyer/patsy.
What happened to winning and losing as a team.
HH
Gene Wilder as Craigy boy.
If Duff and Phelps not MCR have been contaminated by Sir David Murray via Grier which is what the BBC are getting at and Lord Hodge approved the appointment without HMRC disapproval then serious questions need asked about the impartiality of BDO and Lord Hodge.
HH
Our hero Craigy bhoy, just dumped Duff & Duffer right in it.
Wonder what other conversations he’s tape recorded?
He’s a devious fellow wee Craigy!!!!
Jabba cant very well say last weeks interview was all lies now, brilliant
Big Nan 19:23:
Marty Feldman…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
TBB
Your voice recorder on your HTC Desire will suffice perfectly for this. Even when it is in your pocket. Breast shirt pocket is the best place for this.
HH
Valentine’s
̶O̶u̶t̶s̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶ ̶i̶P̶h̶o̶n̶e̶ None what so ever.
Anybody who is Saffrey as referred to the taped interview?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Villa 1 up at Firhill. Very poor goal to lose.
SPF
Awe_Naw
Obviously ,you have used this .
Note to self ,say nought discriminating when you meet awe naw.
Barca Press: Celtic fans are an example of Civility, they have this ‘we are not like Rangers’ mentality’.