I’m reliably informed Legia will not ‘park the bus’ on Wednesday. Instead, with a three goal lead, they have enough legroom to play their normal game, attempt to compete in the middle of the park, and expose holes at the back, as they did last week. What’s more, they’re unsure they would be able to park the bus successfully for an extended period.
Set aside the debacle what was our defensive performance for a moment. The period of last week’s match Ronny Deila should initially concern himself with is the opening 25 minutes, when Celtic largely bossed the game. We then have to consider the 40 minutes we looked comfortable with 10 men; not an insignificant achievement away from home in Europe.
In short, Legia are a team which for large periods of the game we looked to have the measure of, despite the anomalies of playing a debutant, an inexperienced youth and with a left back who was left out. We should do far better at Murrayfield.
Legia believe they are going through. They unquestionably have the upper hand but the Celtic collapse in the final minutes, when we appeared to be too busy picking fights than sticking to plan, distorted the perceived difference between the teams. Celtic didn’t just underachieve, they did so on an epic scale. What Legia don’t know, is what a highly-functional Celtic team looks like.
We need to transform that epic failure into the kind of performance we are capable of in Europe. The defence needs to find the form which broke so many records last season. Ronny needs to find some of his awesomeness.
The reality is, despite last week’s debacle, we’re still in this tie – and should plan to go through.
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Fancy yourself as the next Ronny Deila? Think your better than Stein? then here is the invite code to the CQN Championship Fantasy Football League, we are now approaching 60 teams entered.
296638-123206
You have 12 days left to register your team & join the league.
http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
As an added incentive I’ve decided to offer some prizes for the top 3 come the end of the season. The winners will each receive items of their choosing from the Official Celtic Webstore to the tune of
1st £100
2nd £75
3rd £50
Or alternatively, winners can choose to donate any winnings to a Celtic charity of their choice.
Also if by some miracle I end up in the top 3, the winnings will be passed onto the next placed team.
HH
, Jeff Louis ap kite nan Nancy pou ale nan Celtic Glasgow,pou de 2.5 millions d’euros pour l’international haïtien..
Merci CSC
RWE 18:29 on 4 August, 2014
For sure…………Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven………..
TBM
” Is this a Jagger I see before me ”
Willy Thakespeare Hyde Park 1969
Jeff Louis? My wife asked me, `is he a defender?` I shouldn`t have said no. :-(
TBB
don’t have the figures but my neice had to go through pharmacy this year as she was unsuccessful at Glasgow, she said 2 Scottish students where admitted last autumn.
Nothing to do with her results..
First nameJeff
Last nameLouis
NationalityHaiti
Date of birth8 August 1992
Age21
Country of birthHaiti
Place of birthPort-au-Prince
PositionMidfielder
Height171 cm
Weight76 kg
FootLeft
—
neil canamalar lennon hunskelper
extrordinaire
17:51 on 4 A
ugust, 2014
There are some real sick individuals
on here that think unrelated ethnic
cleansings are some how justification
for Gaza, I’m totally lost on how the
logic works. Whataboutery at its
lowest.
—
My Dear,Dear Canamalar….
Have You Not ‘Sussed’ The Degree Co-Ordination Going On….
Between Muslim Brotherhood Faction,HAMAS…..
And The Muslim Brotherhood-Linked Jihadi Groups In Syria And Iraq….?
Get HAMAS To Distract Israel…..
By Launching An Onslaught Of Rockets…..
So Israel Has To Invade Gaza……
To Put An End To It…..
Whilst ALL The World’s Media Looks On…!
Meanwhile,Virtually Un-Noticed And Unremarked…..
The Brutal Gulf-Supported Jihadists In Syria And Iraq…..
Increase Their Barbaric Offensives…
And Make Unprecedented Gains….!
Clearly….The Average IQ In Partick Rises Significantly……
Whenever You Go Over To The Gulf..
To Earn Your ’40 Pieces Of Silver’….
From Your ‘Wicked Wahabbist’ Masters…..
Who Maltreat And Exploit…..
Your Unfortunate Third-World Colleagues…..!
Canamalar….MAN OF STRAW….!!
(Still Buddies…Though ?) ;-)
Happy Hour At The Dolphin..Fri..?
Be There…Or Be SQUARE..!
God Bless KevinJ….CQN Leghend!
—–
NEXT : Day#80005….
In The CQN-HOOSE..!
—
Any Italian experts explain an incident I had in Barca yesterday
Sitting having a beer in a café outside Station Nord.
Me and my two bhoys were killing time before getting taxi out
To Airport.
Oldest bhoy 19 had on a Fiorentina top purchased on a trip
To Florence I by chance had on a similar coloured polo
With a yellow logo(my papal top) my youngest
When I later thought about it a kind of lavender top
(colourcoordinatedfamliesareus)
Anyhow a young gentleman walked past and it appeared
he was giving my bhoy abuse. He was with a girl who was
dragging him away and I was just about to stand up and flex
My man boobs.
When the waiter serving us at the time
Virtually chased him away.
Presume Fiorentina rivals ??? who are they Juve??
Or do they have bad blood with Barca??
rwe,
Corkcelt
Genuine question.
Since there are many more civilian deaths in Syria, Iraq and Nigeria, at the hands of the military and terrorists, including women & children, why are there no marches or condemnation?
That is exactly what you were doing, corkcelt told us about the march and you decided to bring in a completely unrelated story wanting to know about other marches you could have easily googled, you are deflecting from the one atrocity by implicating another and questioning corkcelt about information he was unlikely to have. Whataboutery and nothing else.
Denthists are Robin’ bassas!
Italian ones particularly so.
HH!!
If we play open expansive attacking football (AKA Ronnie’s dream) does anyone believe that we will not concede at least 1 which in turn entails our banging in 5 on the night. Not beyond the realms of possibility but bloody difficult.
Midfield is crucial but somewhat at a loss to suggest who should play there. Any chance we could borrow Vic for a night? Exactly what our midfield needs an intimidating presence to bully and harass the poles but sadly no one in the squad fits the bill since we sold big Vic.
Anywho i live in hope more than expectation but COYBIG.
Frankie Bhoy says a big NO to another sh*t poor performance.
BT
Found some numbers for 2010
Total year 1 intake 767
Of which
277 were domiciled in the rest of the UK
and 66 were International students.
Looks like my 1000 is actually about 500.
Is the cap on overseas students of 7.5% of intake still in operation?
ianinascoli
School boy error :))))
jc2
Fiorentina and Juventus have a really vitriolic rivalry. Fans have been stabbed at games before. I think it all kicked off when Baggio moved from Fiorentina to Juventus circa 1992.
One’s Company, Two’s a Crowd – Celtic mismanagement opens the league up
Peter Lawwell.
Depending on who you are, those two words will make you happy or mad. In his just over 10 years at the club, he has taken home a smidge under £10 MILLION in wages.
In that time, the entire game in Scotland has changed. Hearts have risen and fallen. Rangers have fallen and risen. And Celtic have been on top.
It’s easy for a club like Celtic to stay in and around that top 2 of the league. Maintaining a stranglehold on first, however, is more difficult. Rangers disappearing into the abyss should have made that easy.
But Celtic are botching it.
An empire should have been built. A team built around the best Scottish players around. The best young talents all in one club. A team that would stay together for years.
Instead, we have Boerrigter and Balde.
Peter Lawwell has downsized the club. That was in reaction to the financial realities of the Scottish game, but when you rake in £10 million from the club personally, then there needs to be a significant amount of scrutiny as to exactly how well you are doing. Celtic have downsized past, way past what they needed to.
Legia Warsaw didn’t show Celtic up. That was done by Barcelona, Ajax and an awful AC Milan side. Legia just took advantage of a fact well known around Europe – Celtic used to be good but have gotten worse. Celtic, a side with the playing budget of a top half team in Italy, France, Germany or Spain (EPL is on steroids and a very different beast), are also a side with the talent of a bottom half team in each of those leagues.
This is a departure from the last blog, where I decried the quality of the players coming in. But, in another way, it is an extension. The reason bad players are coming in most certainly is not because there aren’t any good players out there – there are – it is a structural problem in Celtic’s talent acquisition programme that is meaning we not only punch below our weight, we actively seek to.
It took me back to an old Rangers policy – buying every good young Scottish talent not at Celtic. Kris Boyd, Kenny Miller, Steven Thompson, Steven Naismith and more. Many of these were wasted but it ensured that no-one else but Celtic, who wouldn’t do business with Rangers, could get enough of a team together to get close to them. This, however, was the day when they would then stick an experienced international in front of those Scots, so they didn’t reap the full benefit. Celtic did this also, back in the day (Didier Agathe – £35k. What a bargain that was). It’s not done now.
And that’s where that £10m bulge in Peter Lawwell’s pocket comes into play. 18 months ago, Celtic were in the last 16 of the Champions League with an exciting young side that was solid at the back, uninspiring but only a couple of players away from a truly top class side that could go toe to toe with anyone in Europe. Fans were, rightly, hopeful.
Now, fans aren’t hopeful. We’ve seen a series of players not worthy of the strip walk in the door and we’re seeing two of the only players who are about to be sold for the sake of the bank balance, not because the club cannot afford to keep them (they definitively can). A certain man who knew his stuff about winning once said the Celtic strip does not shrink to fit lesser men. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t get shoved in that strip anyway.
And that is Lawwell’s job. As the man who writes the cheques that pays the fees that brings the dross into the club, he is the man who is choosing to sign substandard players. That is not to say it is his fault alone, but he is the one setting the overall strategy and he is the one who is heeding bad advice over what players should be brought into the club.
It means he is overseeing the club falling in stature. As they do so, it turns fans off. And as they do so, the cycle starts again – downsize the finances, downplay fans demands, watch the crowds diminish slowly, downsize again. Lawwell is overseeing the club downsizing itself into a club too small to pay his own wage and, when he leaves, you can guarantee that ” Successfuly downsizing Celtic” will be on the list while he smokes a cigar lit by a £50 note.
I can defend good business practice, but how is this good business practice? Failing to put the club in a position where it can realistically access all available revenue streams (like the Champions League) is a failure of the business practices at the club as much as it is a failure of the team on the park. After all, limited players can only play to their limits.
This season will be closer than last. The other teams in the SPFL Premiership are getting closer to Celtic and, if one can break free of the rest, there is no reason they cannot finish the season uncomfortably close to Celtic.
And this is where buying Scottish should have happened and should have worked. Count the excellent talents that went down to England or elsewhere rather than Celtic that we could have…no, should have signed.
James McCarthy, Johnny Russell, Ryan Gauld, Andrew Robertson – Celtic could have signed every single one of these and had a couple of million left over if Peter Lawwell put the money he’s personally taken out of the club back in. And they’d be better than Pukki, Boerrigter et al. And, more than that, Celtic would have a team for the next few years. They’d have the foundations of an empire, of a dynasty that would go along the Lisbon Lions or the Quality Street Gang in terms of name recognition for Celtic fans a generation from now.
Except that won’t happen. We’ll just have one night against Barca, unless this slide in stature and squad quality is arrested.
And that’s the real problem. Because however iffy we might see this Celtic team as being now, they will still win the league. Sure, it’ll be closer than last season, but it’ll still be Celtic’s name on the trophy unless there is an absolutely catastrophic run of bad form and a run of excellent form from one other team.
And, in that light, continued downsizing is justifiable by the board. Celtic will still have a CL qualifying place and a ticket to the big show.
But the great talent at other sides – Callum Paterson, Stevie May, John McGinn, Kenny McLean, Nadir Ciftci – all of whom could and would do well if given a chance at Celtic, will go elsewhere.
That is the real problem. Celtic’s inability to suck up the cream of Scottish talent leaves them looking weaker than they should. Whatever one may think of the SPFL’s quality – would you really rather see Teemu Pukki leading the line than Stevie May? McGinn or McLean as opposed to Nir Biton?
What you can guarantee, however, is that whatever constitutes the cream of young Scottish talent in a season’s time will be joining Rangers and not Celtic. Where Celtic should have built an empire around the very best Scottish youth, the Rangers NewCo will take advantage of the basic flaw in Celtic’s transfer strategy, as created and applied by Peter Lawwell and, with Rangers’ well known insatiable lust for more, they will purchase the best young Scottish players, weaken every other team in the league and win the league ahead of Celtic.
That is what is at stake. And, at that point, when it is finally clear to all that the Lawwell strategy and structure is flawed, it will be far too late to correct it.
In a nutshell, that is why fans are annoyed at Lawwell et al – because the pre-emptive measures that should have been put in place to ensure that ten in a row was a near formality have not been. In fact, work has gone on that undermines that aim.
Combine that with the fact that fans are ever more asked to make decisions about how often they go to games etc because of their own finances while they see their team get worse being mismanaged by a man who has earned more in a decade at Celtic than most people will ever earn in their lifetime.
You can see why many fans are annoyed.
And you can see why their numbers are growing.
http://www.thefootballlife.co.uk/post/93703895701/ones-company-twos-a-crowd-celtic-mismanagement
Bourne, another lefty we may be signing. Some posters who prefer righty’s might be unhappy.
We had six left footed players possibly seven who started the first Reykjavik game.
My bit on Efe, in last year’s semi final v Dundee Utd, he was the player who showed most composure in the last five minutes of extra time by holding onto the ball whereas it was a hot potato to others.
Sea cucumber,
No doubt your info is from an impeccable source
The Singing Detective
I hope you believe in a God, that that God exists beyond your unworthy time on this earth and that that God offers you everything you deserve at your time of judgement.
Otherwise I pray that life can only offer up reincarnation and your sole is transferred into a child born of black Muslim origin from a poor background were people are incarcerated, bombed and hated. Maybe then you will have some idea how much of despicable disgusting rad it’s Fuckwit you are in this life.
MWD says AYE
JC2,
A bucky filled Hun or Linfield supporter, or both.
You should have levelled him.
I can’t believe that there are still people defending the board following last weeks debacle. Bournes in particularly offers a spirited but fact free analysis of us being skint and having spent loads last season. What nonsense.
EDB you apologised to me yesterday. Sorry I never got back to you but no need to apologise. We are all very stressed out when it comes to celtic at the moment. If we lets things continue as we are they are simply going to get worse and worse.
Big cup winners Cassandra was right and sadly so I am.
Auldheid the club lied to us when they said they weren’t passing details to the police but then admitted they were. They said they had no choice, which is also a lie. They then lied to us about not getting a safety certificate because of the green brigade, saing GCC had threatened it. This was promptly denied by GCC and celtic slunk back into saying nothing. They lied to us about reinvesting all the transfer fees into the playing squad, they lied to us about getting better every transfer window. I believe they lied to us on the OBAFA. Sure they said they didn’t like it but they didn’t exactly come out fighting did they. Since they hpthey have helped the police in their efforts to smash the Marxist green brigade. They have suspended celtic supporters for no reason etc.
Why in earth should I trust the people that run celtic?
Still raging at the complete mess we`ve made of things in the last year. But sometimes all you can do is laugh……
From the official Celtic FC website:-
PARADISE IS THE STAR OF THE SHOW
More than 50,000 people and 2 billion world wide television spectators were amazed at the brilliance of Celtic Park at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
Whilst showbusiness stars and athletes took their bow the highlight of the show was undoubtedly when the Celtic Plc balance sheet was flashed onto Europe`s largest television screen inside the stadium during the ceremony.
The world`s media, athletes and spectators alike gazed with awe as Celtic`s balance sheet, showing transactions such as the £12,000,000 incoming Victor Wanyama transfer fee and £20,000,000 Champions League income for 2013/14 were flashed onto the big screen.
And, amid an extravagant fireworks display, there were huge cheers as CEO Peter Lawwell displayed his musical prowess, joining Susan Boyle in a cover of Proclaimers hit “Letter from America” with the crowd enthusiastically joining in for a rousing chorus of “Samaras, no more, Hooper no more, Ledley no more, Europe no more.”
Proud majority shareholder Dermot Desmond beamed with joy as he watched the spectacle unfold. “I don`t normally bother turning up for AGMs but I`m glad I`ve turned up for this. Mark my words, after this spectacle we will definitely be in the English Premiership within 3 years, tv demands it.”
Mr Desmond angrily denied suggestions that he had fallen out with Commonwealth Games organisers over his insistence that John Barrowman`s role in the opening ceremony be given to Roy Keane instead. He also answered accusations that Celtic`s Champions League qualifying campaign would be adversely affected by Celtic Park being unavailable and games being played at neutral Murrayfield instead.
“Our players are so talented that they could play on the moon and not be affected. Hmmm hold that thought, we haven`t gone there yet on a pre-season tour. Pedro, get on the phone to Man Utd and see if they fancy a lucrative show down in a galaxy far, far away next pre-season…..if the money is right of course.”
Peter Lawwell also brushed off concerns. “To be honest there is so little money in the Champions League that its not really worth our while qualifying. We barely break even. Far better to concentrate on the real highights of the season instead – the tours of Japan, Poland, Australia, USA, Finland, Germany, Turkey that have so enthralled Celtic fans in recent years.”
VIP guests were full of awe for the balance sheet and the great Desmondo. Rod Stewart said:- “Everyone knows I was crying when Celtic beat Barcelona 2-1. But that night will truly pale into insignificance when Celtic publish their 2014 accounts next month. I don`t think I will be able to contain my joy when I see the write-off of the Bangura fee and wages or the income from all those outgoing transfers over the last year.”
Nicholas Witchell revealed that the Queen was also bowled over by the Celtic balance sheet and finances. Witchell said that the monarch gasped with awe upon hearing that Celtic has spent £7 million on wages and transfer fees for Teemu Pukki, Derk Boerrigter and Amido Balde in the last year. “Wowser, Lawwell” she remarked. “Even one`s moronic son, Prince Edward, could not p1ss money away as spectacularly as that.”
In other news Celtic shared 5 goals with Legia Warsaw in Poland and 7 goals with Spurs in Finland in thrilling matches.
I am amazed at the optimism in Pauls article.
Lets be honest lads we are not good enough for the Champions League at present (with our dumbed down squad and manager)
Legia Warsaw are not a very good team,St Pats should have beaten them in Warsaw,
Yet Legia beat us 4-1 and had they taken their chances and scored their 2 pens it could have been 8-1
If Legia attack I can see them see scoring at least 2 goals
I hope to be proven wrong of course but I think we are very poor right now,
jc2
VERY bad blood between Fiorentina and Rubentus (the Italian huns).
Barca, I don’t think so.
You should have whacked him.
HH!!
Oh and Auldheid what has happenned to res 12?
If it’s still not moved then why not?
Are celtic simply hoping we get bored?
TBB
She is currently holidaying in Canada, I will get the details from her on her return..
So Tribute FC shun BBC but are willing to take their money for showing the Mickey-Mouse cup game !.
TBB
I dont underestimate the quality req. to make our grand team.
Unfortunately those in charge of our club over the last few years have been way off the mark. Time for them to step up. All i know is for starters May and Armstrong at their young age are better than balde/pukki/stokes & kayal/biton
“James McCarthy, Johnny Russell, Ryan Gauld, Andrew Robertson – Celtic could have signed every single one of these and had a couple of million left over if Peter Lawwell put the money he’s personally taken out of the club back in.”
It’s good stuff. Thoughtful. Grounded.
Not.
Tiny Tim @ 14:15…
Re your post from earlier…
“The last fixture at Murrayfield saw a sun drenched Murrayfield area ,awash tith the Hoops from mid day onwards.
It is my view that it will be awash with Legia fans on Wednesday.
Celtic fans should be careful.
There were reports of Celtic fans being attacked in Warsaw.
Maybe Zybseck can enlighten us.”
I was in Warsaw last week.
There were two instances of trouble of which I am aware. One of them I witnessed and took place in the ground.
Firstly, during the day, some Celtic supporters were enjoying a drink in an Irish pub just off Nowy Swiat, a popular street full of cafes and restuarants.
The Celtic supporters had draped their banners outside the pub and these were seized by Legia fans. A skirmish developed and a one Celtic fan suffered a heavy blow to the eye. He was just behind me at the game and was treated by medics.
The second incident happened inside the ground.
One Celtic supporter ended up in the Legia section immediately to the left of the Celtic area. He was not wearing any colours however he was on the receiving end of a verbal tirade from a number of Legia fans who had to be restrained by a few security staff.
Just before half time the Celtic supporter made his escape and scaled the high metal fence which separated the two sections.
Right behind him was a young couple, also wearing no colours, who also thought it best to bale out.
Incidentally, the two banners (from the Carfin and Saltmarket CSC’s) which were snatched by the Legia fans were mockingly displayed, upside down, (as per our trip to the Amsterdam ArenA) from the upper tier of the Legia end of the ground behind the goal.
I expect there will be a sizeable Legia support at Murrayfield (I believe they had 1500 in Dublin)and they will be very vociferous, though totally tuneless, in their backing of their team.
I certainly hope there will not be trouble however I think there could be a wee bit of “edge” in this tie. I don’t think it will be a Barcelona style “love-in”.
We have a mountain to climb largely due to our own inept performance in Warsaw.
That said, I do believe we can get at this team and hopefully our support will create as hostile an atmosphere for the Poles as they did for us last week.
NegAnon2
Thanks for your kind words but you were certainly due an apology.
Let’s hope we’re all a bit happier come late on Wednesday night.
what is the stars,
no horses this weather?
Dallas
Glad someone else noticed ;-)
ALL
Thanks for Italian feedback.
I am 6ft 3 and about 17st he was about 5ft 7 and 8st in wet clothes
But as I said I think waiter would have taken him out before
I got out my seat.
EDB I hope so but doubt it.
Last season Celtic had to overturn a 2-goal deficit against Karagandy. This time it’s a 3-goal deficit and against much stronger opposition. Also we are now without Samaras, Forrest and Brown. And we are not playing at Celtic Park.
Not much reason for optimism. Prove me wrong, Celtic.
moonbeams wd. wee oscar’s our
bhoy and kano’s our mhan.
18:57 on 4 August, 2014
~~~~~
So Mebbies You Want Me To Come Back As A Darfurian..?
https://www.hmh.org/la_Genocide_Darfur.shtml
George Clooney Cannot Remember….
Seeing You,Gorgeous George..
And The GB…
Going On DEMOS In George Square….
Demanding An End To This Arab Genocide..!
Loud-Mouthed HYPOCRITE..!
You’re Welcome..
Tricolured
Loads of horses
Galway was great