I never really understood what was so special about Roy Keane as a player until he came to Celtic, where he opened my eyes for 11 games (his first two performances, against Clyde and Kilmarnock, were awful).
He’s right up there in terms of great footballers I’ve seen play for Celtic, but he’s difficult to feel affection for. Today’s comments are a case in point:
“When [Celtic] qualified [for the Champions League]the celebrations were way over the top.
“I thought they’d won the competition. People were hugging each other, the manager, the coaches, the players.”
And the fans, Roy, Celtic fans were celebrating every bit as much as anyone you watched on television. No one thought we’d won the competition, but we are all aware of the transformational impact group qualification has on our football club. That’s worth celebrating. Fans all did, even if some former players found it difficult.
Brendan Rodgers qualified for the group stage with what was largely the same squad which disintegrated in Europe last season. He became the first Celtic manager to reach this level in his first season.
This challenge, coming a few weeks into your time as manager, is viewed as hugely difficult objective by the club. New managers seldom takeover successful gigs, with an upward trajectory and a list of targets ready to sign up.
The significant achievement in Europe this season, which has largely gone below the radar, is beating last season’s Champions League group stage participants, Astana, 2-1 at Celtic Park, with 11 starters who were all at the club before Brendan took over (one Rodgers signing started the away leg).
By any measure, Astana should have considered their chances that night and concluded, “We were better than them last season, and they’ve not added a player to the team”. (Two of Brendan’s signing came on as second half subs).
Going into this season we turned-over around 10% of what one of Roy’s other former clubs, or Barcelona received. If we had around £450m extra to spend, every season, there would be less celebration at reaching the group stage, as it would no longer be transformational. Maybe we’d be like football fans in Manchester, and only fill half our stadium against a Bundesliga team.
Or maybe we’ve not lost the joy in supporting our team. Neither have the manager, coaches and players.
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VFR800A8
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Hail Hail fella.
If, ye don’t mind me asking…?
Have you asked the Celtic PLC-Hierarchy
to explain they’re part in the rubber-stamping
of the deceitful-sleekit-ACT ?
Ye see,….wee, innocuous, nameless, statements
dropped onto the clubs website, abhorring the ACT
fool only those who are easily or, willfully fooled….imho.
If, ye respond, I’ll catch yer reply later, going off oot, stuff to do.
Hail Hail – laters.
Hot smoked,
That might be the moggy fist that was over Tayport and Dundee yesterday! We have rain today; I hope that doesn’t go up the coast tomorrow!
On the way to work, hopefully to find out whether I am being made permanent or not, today. Fingers, and everything else crossed!
Lot of exclamation marks in my last post.
DHARMA BAM on 16TH SEPTEMBER 2016 7:41 AM
Good Luck today!
HH
Good morning CQN, just home from Night Shift and reading back to discover that the extra Champions League packages to season ticket holders went on sale yesterday (when I was asleep) grrrrr. I have been watching the site for days for them too but it looks as if they are all gone according to my look online. I am looking for 2 packages so if anyone can help I would be very grateful, thanks in advance.
HH
Thoughts and prayers with Annie Dunbar, her family and friends.
Thoughts and prayers with Gordon Murray of Kilsyth, his family and friends also, Requiem mass this morning.
HH
Prayers for Annie Dunbar and Gordon Murray and their families.
Ayr 2-30.
Colonel Frank 9/2.
Too much detail so I won’t bore you with it. Should run a big race.
GL if you try it.
May Annie rest in peace.
Re Ch League packages – Panic over thank god, got 2 via ticket office phewwwww, two happy daughters now!!
HH
I’ve been saying for the last three years that they would be back worse than ever. Theyll see their ‘dominance’ or self entitlement to it, crumbling. They are laughed at and ridiculed everywhere now. They look on as 10 in a row unfolds in front of them. A dangerous siege mentality (if it wasn’t there before) has entered the Klan mindset. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that the Hun of old lived to hate. Now it’s hate and War. A new strain has been born. Reagan Doncaster and the smsm can hang their sorry heads in shame, but they were never going to stop the [people]. Still damaging Scottish society 90 years on.
Wonder why no arrests made with regards the smashing of the toilets . A few faces clearly can be seen . The flare at Stranraer caused more disgust . Hmmm .
With regards to the man city game . I sincerely hope Celtic go for it from the off . We are rated as not having a chance . But I feel we can make chances against this team . They are no Barcelona .
A cloudy ,humid 32 degrees at 9 .30 -way down south .
” In this time of crisis and fear for the future it is essential to have some entertainment . . Fortunately , we have Inter ..One laugh after another . The latest spectacle was witnessed by some 17 k people . ( 1k of them from Israel) . Inter donned a clown strip for this performance . . A perfect fit ”
La Gazzetta dello Sport -16 / 09 /16
It’s Friday and we are only two days away from seeing Celtic play again. I’m looking forward to a bounce back. I don’t believe we will have a problem with players licking their wounds, I think we’ll have a team desperate to get back on the pitch and get back on track.
One of the main improvements that BR has managed to instill, in my view, is mental toughness in this team. It seems we can deal with a bit of adversity. Some may argue that that wasn’t apparent on Tuesday evening, but blips will occur – better they happen in games where we are not expecting a result. Hopefully Sunday will show that they are tougher now than last season* and we will get a convincing result at a difficult venue.
*I realise that under RD we had a good record after European games – I’m referring more to dealing with pressure/adversity.
Brendan blew it the other night.
Brendan didny get his players to go out and, die for the jersey – hardly a tackle put in ?
Brendan wisny Celtic-Cute enough the other night.
Brendan didny get his players to park ‘2’ buses and, boot the ball oot the park, run down the clock, get Messi etc, jumping oot they’re prams screaming about anti-football tactics.
Brendan didny send out Moussa with his feet on the ground after his hat-trick on Saturday or, Moussa wouldny have been too cocky in his penalty taking.
Brendan spoke a lot of guff at the after match media conference.
Brendan,…..if ye were cute enough….?…an English team would have took ye.
Joey Barton was right, yer mid-life-crisis led you to believe that,
you could go toe to toe with Barca.
Sorry for quick double post – gremlins ;-)
Good grief!
What a performance………………….
“embdy giss wit th’ nixt skwirral’s gonnae be…..ih?….ih…?”
Act I, Scene 2…………
We Move To The Next Set-Up –
Places everyone,
Quiet Please,
CAMERA ROLLING…………CAMERA ROLLING……..
– *and cue Hun*
Action!
SoT
Just a wee visit from Rube to look forward to at the weekend…
KEVJUNGLE
We should have got Mark McGhee in instead – his teams don’t lose 7 goals to anybody…
Oh look the circus is back in town….
KEVJUNGLE on 16TH SEPTEMBER 2016 8:57 AM
Yeah, I think Mark McGhee was the right man after all.
Lots of excitement last night around Hapoel winning in Milan. I always like to look at the context of these kinds of results.
It should be noted that Inter changed 7 players from the team that started their league game at the weekend. I don’t know who the first teamers are but my guess is with a game against Juventus coming this weekend players were rested last night rather than last weekend.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it does to many, when teams from the bigger nations put out half their reserves in the Europa League.
Hapoel are decent side but let’s not overegg it.
Also, Brendan…..Roy Keane was spot-on.
Roy Keane knows that……
Celtic FC are plastic.
Celtic FC are run by an assortment of puppet-managers who will ensure that, Celtic FC’s potential will never be realized cause, the puppet-managers will only be allowed to go so far and then,….they’ll be reigned in.
MO’N took Celtic FC to a European final then, was hit with a Michael Gray transfer window ?
Neil Lennon brought the mibbery driven refs to they’re knees, they went on strike during Neil’s campaign against them but, instead of backing Neil’s campaign with the ‘fabled-PLC-Mibbery-dossier’….the PLC, reigned Neil in and, put the club to the back of the bus with they’re kotowing at the govt-summit after the shame-game were we had 3 players booked.
Roy Keane knows that, Brendan is a puppet or, he wouldn’t be in the Celtic dug-out….imho.
Roy Keane was offered the managers job before the desperate PLC-Hierarchy brought in Ronny when Neil, put the tools away and told them to ram it!
Then, Neil had to put his signature to a gobble-dee-gook statement about everyone being on the same page etc…..
Confidentiality-Clause-FC couldny hook, Roy Keane.
So, languishing manager-squirrel-puppet-Brendan, got the gig.
Then, the circus came to town….
Oh look the world famous talking fanny…
Kev Jungle
So Swansea and Liverpool don’t play in England? Both wanted him, he has developed young players and has a decent reputation in the game.
The only thing you have a point on is going toe to toe with Barcelona. I said yesterday and during the game you cannot do it and every team with the exception of Real Madrid who do beat them park the bus and play for free kicks, corners and break away goals.
Brendan got that wrong but he’ll learn from that and will build on what he has for next year.
Okay Peepl, lets take that from the Top – way too unconvincing. Trying too hard.
SCRIPTS PLEASE…..
*make-up* – Less Panto.
(This is Drama darling(s) not Eldorado!)
Camera….
This is a TAKE
Turnover……….we are Rolling…….
ACTION!
Big Mark McGhee
Johnny(6-pack) Collins
Roy Keane
3 gents who drip in Celticness.
And yet, 3 gents who don’t do puppet-strings.
So, 3 gents who’ll be on the outside looking in as, the puppets get fun oot cause they’re ‘forced’ to play players who’ll get them the sack.
Bitton – Gives the ball away all the time.
McGregor – The same /gets caught out of position.
Rogic – Canny last for more than an hour(the new Paddy McCourt)
Kolo – Over the hill.
If,….Wattenacio or, Big Leveine were in charge of the hoops in the Nou Camp on Tuesday, we’d have got a horrible 0-0…far better than a 7-0 skelping and then, having a manager come out and say tat these things happen ?!?!?!
A Cellic manager, dripping in Cellicness would have come out and told us that, Barca can skelp who they want but, we’re Cellic – nobody skelps the Cellic unless they’ve goat a puppet-cuteless-manager.
…..imho…….
Has Hugh Keevins been mentioned yet?
What about Jackie McNamara?
Paul Hartley?
Not even Gerry McNee???
Flip sake…
This is a rubbish game of bingo.
SNAKE PLISSKEN on 16TH SEPTEMBER 2016 9:13 AM
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I thought a manager who’d operated at the level that Brendan has, would be beyond having to learn street-wise-basics,….no ?
HH
…….Let’s go AGAIN………..
Lights – less harsh please, c/up on the face as he delivers the “squirrel line” only………
Steady Cam –
(Nigel, when he screws up his face I want you there…….)
*on the mark*
SOUND – I NEED to hear ” Glesga” vowels………E-N-U-N-C-I-A-T-E-D.
Think Stanislavski NOT Stanley Baxter….
Good God!
Thank- you!
THE BATTERED BUNNET.
indeed !
Stereotyping — Sicilians are suspicious people with a tendency to fret . -Out for bread early this AM .. Baker Man follows Rube . He expressed his fear re the potential loss of face from failing to thrash that lot . For further measure – he added his belief that there was something in the Milan water — apparently there has to be something causing the shambles at both the Milan clubs . Elderly Inter man from down the valley told me that Mourinho’s Inter had sold their soul to the devil in exchange for the Champions League success .Mmmmm.
vfr800a8
Btw, thanks for the Word of the Day ;)
….aye….
Johnny “sixpack” Collins sounds like a gay blow up doll…
Back to the forthcoming game on Sunday…
Personnel-wise there are a few interesting choices to make.
GK: Does De Vries deserve a bit more time to prove himself? I’d say probably.
Defence: Gamboa or Lustig? I think after a baptism of fire on Tuesday night for Gamboa, it is best to leave his next appearance until a home debut against Alloa next week. The pitch at the Caledonian stadium is tight, so I don’t think there is going to be a lot of space for an overlapping full-back. I would stick with Lustig at RB for defending cross balls (hopefully effectively this time).
Midfield: I think the change to midfield is obvious; Rogic back in with Brown and Bitton. Only other alternative I can think of is to perhaps play McGregor instead of Bitton(?)
Attack: If Griff is fit then I would have him back in. Dembele became a hero last week but Griff is still our number 1 striker. Sinclair will obviously be on the left, but who on the right? I think Forrest would be the better choice against ICT (I think Roberts is the better player but I think Forrest is more effective in these types of matches).
It is good we have options, and I trust our squirrel…sorry…manager to pick a team that will get a great result.
Morning all.
Who would win in a fight between Roy Keane, Mark McGhee and John ‘sixpack’ Collins?!
Put them in a cage, and the last mhan standing gets the Celtic gig once Brendan buggers off to….
HH!!
.
STARRY PLOUGH on 16TH SEPTEMBER 2016 9:40 AM
Johnny “sixpack” Collins sounds like a gay blow up doll…
—-
What a terrible thing to say about gay, blow up dolls.