Efe Ambrose looked a tad nervous at the start of last night’s game. He wasn’t the only one. Adam Matthews was pressed into an early return from injury, a forced change, but Celtic’s decision to deploy a more adventurous line-up than in previous encounters with Barcelona was by choice.
The result was 36% possession, heady heights compared to last season’s win and narrow defeat, but oh what a price. When Barca went 4-0 up early in the second half I suggested “This could be our record defeat”. My Dad said “Artmedia was only one more than this”. I meant THE record defeat, not the record European defeat. We were a few bounces of the ball away.
Results like this are always possible at this level if the game plan is wrong. In the minutes before kick off on Champions League nights, when the stomach knots with tension, I tell myself there is no shame in defeat, but “let’s make sure it’s not 3-0 again”. This must always be the priority. There seems to be a couple of rules:
If we defend the 18 yard line, in numbers, we have a chance of winning Champions League games, but beauty will very much be in the eye of the beholder.
If we chase vanity marks, as we did at home to Juventus and Milan, and away to Barcelona, we’ll lose heavily.
Last season’s Champions League campaign was a textbook lesson on how pot 4 teams from weak leagues should tackle the tournament. Spartak Moscow had more possession at Celtic Park than Barcelona had at the Camp Nou last night, but Celtic won both games against the Russians. There is a shout out loud lesson here.
Between now and the beginning of the next European campaign we have a great opportunity to build upon the type of football we saw in the last two domestic games. If we do this well, we can prepare for next season with a more mature model, but venues like the Camp Nou should only see our bedrock tactics for the foreseeable future.
The Celtic Graves Society are commemorating the life of Peter Scarff, who died of TB 80 years ago this week at the age of 25. Peter, a teammate of John Thomson and Jimmy McGrory, scored 54 goals in 112 games for Celtic before contracting his fatal illness at 23. A short service will be held at Peter’s grave in Kilbarchan Cemetery at 11:30 this Saturday, 14 December. You are all welcome.
There’s a Celtic shirt signed by the first team squad available for auction on ebay in aid of the Wellburn Care Home in Dundee, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. It’s currently going for a song, so get there and fill your boots.
“The centre of Astana very much had a western feel- vibrant, affluent with a splattering of large video screens on the buildings advertising top of the range cars to luxury apartments. With skyscraper office blocks and top-end hotels with marble kerbstones, this very much is one side of Asia.
“The stadium itself looked fairly new, the shape of it reminded me of Tyncastle, thankfully we were made welcome here though!”
From a trip to Kazakhstan page 136 of the 2014 CQN Annual, available here:
Sean Fallon, Celtic’s Iron Man:
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Cowiebhoy
See you at 107 on Saturday ;)
Will do Jinky, will come in early for a wee chat
hail Hail
http://www.thefootballlife.co.uk/post/69816029793/the-final-straw
On last night
strange game is the football, watched a re run of the game immediatley after the game, and was with praecepta and ACGR, sober we were,and we got the score down to 3-1, much more acceptable.
All 3 of us thought we played much better watching on the box, imagine how bad it was watching with the Barca support, who were wetting themselfs at us, they even took photos of the 3 of us doing the huddle when we scored.
Anyways, first goal, deflection, third goal hand ball in the lead up play, far too many goals, but another was offside, that was our 3-1.
We also saw the Bobby Ms Hootenanny flag on the box.
Tactics, really don;t know what to say, subs, will say even less,not going to slag Lenny, not the players.
Matthews yellow, a feckin joke.
HH
timomouse,
bullsheet article.
Yer man obviously doesn’t speak German. There is a reason that those guys are out of work. There is also a reason that Germans refer to Lothar as Lodder. Basically he is as thick as a brick.
Cowiebhoy
Should be there about 2:15 .
Why do so many folk talk down Scottish football? It is what it is and imho is not half as bad as it is made out to be. The standard of football is pretty competitive bearing in mind the resources available to most of the clubs outside Celtic and that also applies to us on the European stage. Until that changes, we can only do the best we can – on a level playing field of course. I will be at Parkhead (what is it with the Celtic Park guff) on Sat to support our team – will you join me, please?
HH
I’ll come for a wee chat too, might be a bit later.
TET, you lost any credibility when you said you three were sober:-)
Did anyone ever actually buy a macaroon bar or spearmint chewing gum in the Jungle?
Was ELD better than Lanliq?
timbhoy2
20:44 on
12 December, 2013
Agreed.
Football stadia before basic facilities.
Imagine if the apartheid mob had done that.
Have the lawyers acting for the 128 been allowed into the “crime scene” as the MSM put it?
Id rather got beat 6-1 in the C L than 7-1 in a C F!!!
Doc
Ok then, compared to Oldtim we were sober >}
HH
TET, now I believe you:-)
Even worse….
Did anyone ever buy a chopped pork roll,from the wee guy selling them out of a cardboard box in the corner where the Celtic End pylon became the Jungle?
Then he moved down the front and placed his disintegrating box in a puddle of pish haha.
SalmonellaCSC
With 2 hours to go only 14 signatures needed for 1,100 supporting PE01501
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/thevictimslastright …
A petition to avoid the anguish of not knowing how loved ones died.
Inspired by the suspicious deaths of Annie Börjesson and Colin Marr.
H.H. and thanks to all who signed.
Big Nan 13 now
friesdorfer
21:56 on 12 December, 2013
I posted earlier I would like Celtic to move leagues, so I’m one of those posters you refer to.
I would point out my two gripes are, firstly the authorities, secondly the size of the market, I said we had outgrown the league. We could develop into a global phenomenon in a bigger league( market).
I enjoy Scottish football, I agree it’s not as bad as made out.
I’ll see you at Celtic Park on Saturday:-)
Big Nan, signed days ago, forget to mention it here, another good cause.
Dubaibhoy,
Ralf Rangnick isn’t unemployed – he’s at Salzburg at the minute.
Salzburg who just got out of the Europa League groups without dropping a point.
corkcelt- SUPPORTING THE DAM 5
……………
Good man. H.H.
sean thornton
15:49 on
12 December, 2013
John Collins.Celtic to the core, and his da!.
BigSean.
Just saying like.
I have never seen anyone look as sick as Collins last night having to sit in a studio with the smirking Tanner.Looked like he really wanted to lamp him.
Turkeybhoy….
Bang on about John Collins.
Gets negative press in a media backwater called Scotland because he is one of us.
Galashiels Bhoy……Celtic to the core.
He was too big for us when he moved on.
What a manager he will be for us one day.
Wait and see.
burghbhoy your’re spot on.
Barcas debt is a disgrace, Talkcrap? is that station owned by Ulster TV by any chance?
I’m still burning with the SFA, it’s more than CO, and Bryson, the halls of Hampden are packed with hangers on, filling their bellies on Scottish Football while our young footballers turn to buckfast at an early age, their focus (SFA) is their little team, I would not be surprised if SFA agree to be Sevcos bank of last resort.
We do have an option, stop paying their wages! Do not attend Scottish Cup games, no more Scotland shirts, don’t use SFA facilities, every £ we spend on SFA merchandise a little bit goes to Campbell Ogilvie, let’s not do that.
I’d love to see a Scottish Cup final with no supporters, just a banner at both ends, one green, one red, saying ‘SFA, Cheats and Liars for Sevco’
Celtic are still in debt, not a lot, and won’t be next year, but it’s hard being honest, why are we beating up our team when we are doing very well in the honest big picture, let’s focus on the problem in Scotland and it is SFA.
St Johnstone? Why did they bother with the hardship of paying their bills? Dunfermline, Hearts, Dundee Utd, Aberdeen? Because it’s the right thing to do.
Let’s hold Ogilvie out to dry, strangle SFA cash flow, they are not deserving our loose change.
still burnin.
Big Nan…
Just clicked the link….
Is it S.Graham petition?
Big nan
Petition signed. :)
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
ryecatcher
22:18 on 12 December, 2013
Big Nan…
Just clicked the link….
Is it S.Graham petition?
……………………………….
Thats the one he is the step father of Colin Marr and is also doing it in conjunction with Guje Borgesson for Annie.
Clerks at PPC made them remove their names. Shocking.
They don’t want to reopen their loved ones’ cases but want to prevent others going through what they have been through.
After the last game at Easter road, and the events of last night, I reckon Hibs are getting a real doing this weekend…
John Collins was a player who gave us some light in dark times, for that he should be thanked and remembered.
He used the Bosman ruling to his advantage, FairPlay, players had been hard done to previously.
As for him managing the Club, not for me, we have a manager.
When the position is vacant, I’ll think about it then.
Big Nan
Just signed petition on ipad
Ryecatcher, I don’t remember the ham roll man at home games but used to see him at most away games and did buy a few, in fact we were on a football special to Perth or Dundee one day when game was called off, so the guy came round trying to sell his rolls, it was a buyer market fot about 5 for a pound . Now I think about it don’t think try were even wrapped in cling film ! Happy days KTF
Before investing in shares please remember shares can go down as well as plummet !
Ralf “Ive got a dicky heart and cant handle stressful jobs” Rangnick?
Timabhouy
22:25 on 12 December, 2013
Big Nan
Just signed petition on ipad
…………………………………
Good man Timabhouy nice meeting you at the bucketeers.
ryecatcher……..wee thought that pish was ELD vinegar !!!
Tom Minogue….
You will have my support and signature, sir.
P.s.Marvellous performance from you at Holyrood…..Watched it again the other night…they were ermmmmm…..uncomfortable to say the least,ey?
Keep on keepin’ on mate.
Auldheid
I posted maybe 18 months ago that perhaps we should choose not to participate in the Scottish Cup and you gave a very good reply explaining why that is not possible – which I cannot now remember! Any possibility of a re-run please thanks.
HH
John Park’s latest centre forward target…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25339027