I was disappointed for St Johnstone at their exit from the Europa League last night but not for Scottish football, or our coefficient points. Saints are a provincial club in a very rural part of Scotland. You only have to travel through the hills to Perth to realise that pocket of Scotland, with its tractors, knitwear and wellie boot shops, has no God given right to beat a team from any municipality anywhere.
They have done very well for the last couple of seasons, from a tiny catchment area, but managed to reach Europe by pipping Dundee United, who ironically were good enough to have key players poached midseason.
St Johnstone don’t have potential superstars, they are also the oldest team in the league, which gets you through a long campaign but they are never going to sparkle. Or earn Scottish football a hatful of coefficient points.
Dundee United were decimated by the loss of those two players midseason, and were done no favours with the shadow of uncertainty which enveloped backroom and boardroom for months, but they, Aberdeen and Celtic are the only Scottish clubs capable of getting their act together to the extent required to reach European group stages. For everyone else, Europe is strictly a July pursuit, so don’t stress about it, and Tommy Wright is well within his rights to talk up his own club.
If Scottish football wants to get all introspective about last night, we should concern ourselves with concentrating resources on clubs who are independently financially viable: Dundee United, Aberdeen, Hearts, Celtic, Hibs and maybe Dundee. If more of our sponsorship and TV money went to Aberdeen and United and less to the thirty-or-so hangers on, they would be better placed to consolidate their development work and compete in Europe.
Celtic are five days away from their opening competitive game of the season, so I would think tonight’s friendly against Davie Moyes’ Real Sociedad will be the last strenuous exercise the players go through after what will have been a taxing first few weeks of preseason. After this workout it should all be about recovery before the visit of Stjarnan on Wednesday. The usual caveats apply to Nadir Ciftci, if he looks like he couldn’t run upstairs, he’s about where I’d expect him to be right now.
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CaltonTongues
Hope all is well with J
KTF
HH
Big Georges Fan Club – Hail, Hail, Wee Oscar
Did ye take a wrong turning to Paisley pal??
supersutton
Very much a novice with kodi myself but so far ive managed to watch our 3 games through it using SportsDevil so yeah…..have a wee dabble with it.
ps
Thanks for replying.
Thought i was invisible nowadays :(
BILLYBHOY05
Pleasure to have you back,bud. Politically unsound though you are!
Smashing time last weekend. Grateful thanks.
Boy ate hefty clearance from dangerous looking attack
BOYATA
THUNDER ROAD
Who said that? Invisible,naw. Joooost a real good guy.
HH
Even though I can’t see the game and I’m relying on updates from you guys on here,,,I still know that big Biton is a star in the making,hope we get him tied up on long term contract soon.
HH
Foul on Disher about 30 yard out
LG over bar from FK
Young Fisher is a player
Goal kick Celtic.
Hodge awards corner. Hmmmm
Craig clutches it well
60 mins 0-0 and we are dominating
Is there any other country in the world where playing with home officials is such a disadvantage?
There’s been a raft of niggly fouls by Real.
Cracking player Darnell Fisher..
Brighter first 15 mins from Celtic but RS getting away with murder with some of the challenges – not so much brutal as cynical and no yellow cards of course.
Griffiths has been very good.
Dena29,
J is fine, although, she’s staying with Dokesy from the Thursday till the Tuesday with her pal in August, God help him -:))))
I’m Friday till Monday.
Low Izzy cross held by GK after Biton slid a nice pass through for Izzy
Bitton is going to be fun to watch
GMS gang tackled as he prepared to shoot
Boaby
Don’t have Celtic Tv so listening to
Radio 2 show on Billie Holiday: superb
Dirty the ole Real..
VVD comes on for a wee run out
Only seen the second half but the RS seem to be up to the rough and tumble of the SPFL.
This bassa Madden letting a lot of fouls go unpunished…3 real players on GMS.
Real look more sprightly after their subs
VvD coming on for Bitton with Mulgrew moving beside Broony.
Keeping Bitton safe for Wednesday as he was influential especially in the second half.
Madden is a clown
Friendlies are the best opportunity for Celtic to show the SFA we do not rate their standard of refs, pay a wee bit more and bring in English refs, just to make a point.
Chirpy chiroy cheep cheep on for LG
CaltonTongues
21:02 on
10 July, 2015
Dena29,
J is fine, although, she’s staying with Dokesy from the Thursday till the Tuesday with her pal in August, God help him -:))))
I’m Friday till Monday.
WHAT “God help him you say
I say God help her …….only Joking saw him last game on the boat ….. he’s crazy…but a cracking Celtic guy….
HH
Go Nads!
Our Turkish friend coming on.
Madden is a hun scumbag,
Foul on Chifti.
GOAL. GMS
Ye ha