One week tomorrow we are in Europa League action at home to Zenit St Petersburg , the Russians first competitive game since going into winter shutdown on 11 December.
Zenit have played five friendlies in the last three weeks, conformably beating Danish, Czech and Chinese opposition, all of who were also on a winter break, before drawing 0-0 with Slovan Bratislava on Sunday. The Slovaks are two weeks away from returning to competitive action.
Zenit manager, Roberto Mancini, did very little squad rotation during his five warm-up games, clearly with an eye on getting his starting 11 ready to face Celtic. He also stuck to a narrow 4-2-2-1-1 system in each game.
Zenit use this formation semi-regularly, but its repetition in each of the friendly games suggest Mancini sees winning control of the middle of the park against Celtic as a priority. This will present Celtic with problems and opportunities. We are unlikely to control as much of the ball as you would expect at home in Europe, but our strength in the wings presents Brendan Rodgers with a clear strategy.
I don’t believe in reading too much into the results of friendly games, but I hope Celtic scouts took in the Slovan game. Zenit scored 15 goals in their three proceeding games, so how Slovan stopped their attack will be of interest.
Mancini and his players are now back in Russia having left their summer training bases. They play our old pals Maribor in St Petersburg on Saturday in their final preparation before the game in Glasgow. Brendan will be occupied with thoughts of two hugely important cup games in the coming week, but if he gets through the Partick Thistle test on Saturday, he may be glad of the competitive experience. This is a time Game Face, not friendlies.
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Green and Whyte both previously involved with Close Brothers.
Whyte sold off future catering revenues at Ibrox to Close Brothers.
Don’t know if still current, one of board members of Close, Ray Greenshields chairmen of Octopus who own Ticketus.
What a tangled web.
This information from Mintys Lamb on Twitter.
Hail Hail
Robert,
I know less than nothing about Financial companies.
My info came from Barcabhoy on Twitter, who does know.
It appears that it is probably a similar deal that Whyte had with the same company, whereby he pocketed £2m on the strength of future catering revenues.
We know how that turned out.
The assets this time could be ST money. What else do they have.
As for the cold shoulder bit.
Close Bros are possibly replacing Oasis as lenders, taking King out of the firing line.
Phil called this a few weeks ago when he said that they were trawling every distressed lending companies.
Barcabhoy also Tweeted a screenshot of Close’s application form, which, I think explains their MO.
When the question of deidco signing a Catholic arose around the late 70s the sunday mail interviewed known Catholics in the game at the time and asked if they would play for them.
Some of them hedged their bets but 2 right up front said naw, one was Arthur Graham who pretty much said he would give up the game first and the other was Paul Sturrock who said he wasn’t a practicing catholic anymore but still could not play for them based on who and what the were.
A few of my Tim acquaintances were quite surprised saying they didnae know he was a ben affleck.
TONTINE TIM on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 9:00 PM
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Ha Ha ,I can imagine their surprise along with a good few in Pitlochry.
PS.Arthur Graham ,the only man I ever seen giving Danny any problem.
You could argue that david Narey and Ralph Milne would have been similarly minded.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 2:13 PM
TONTINETIM THEBOYJINKY is known for his discerning taste!!!
*They are a remarkable organistion Bobby, they had an amazing coach, Vinnie Lombardi that you could equate with the Big Mhan for his legendary status, and is considered by many to be the greatest coach in football history, and he is more significantly recognized as one of the greatest coaches and leaders in the history of any American sport.
The Packers greatest season was 1966/67 where he led them to the first Super Bowl. After his untimely death in 1970, the Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor, a bit like the Scottish League trophy being named after Jock, aye that’ll be right, more chance of it beingnamed after naesurname.
He is still revered within the game and talked about often where the three constants throughout his life were football, family and religion and not necessarily in that order are mentioned.
Our greatest manager also had an untimely death in the dugout trying to lead the sfa side to the WC in Mexico and all we hear about him are slurs and nobody will do anything about it.
E44- Ian Scanlan of St Mirren gave Danny a hard game too.HH
Milne was a hun fae Larkhall way i’m sure
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 6:52 PM
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the Celtic squad for the weekend after injury
Jozo Simunovic returns to the injured list after the weekend game
Jozo Simunovic returns to the injured list after the weekend game
Jozo Simunovic returns to the injured list after the weekend game
Thank goodness your religious faith,or lack of it, is no longer the criteria by which football clubs select players.
Bada
I’m sure Ralph Milne was a product of Dundee Celtic
Met him a long time ago when we sat together in Celtic stand when he was injured
We lost 1 nil to Utd and had a drink in Angels after the game
Ach Balls…..
I was gonna say Arthur Graham but TT beat me to it. :-)
BARNEY67 on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 1:47 PM
M6BHOY
So you only want to see us in games that we win? You don’t think competing against better sides will make US better?
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I’ve never said I only want to see the team in games they win. My oft-repeated view of the CL is that it is a systematically rigged competition run by a corrupt organisation benefit for the exclusive benefit of the elite clubs from Europe’s top leagues. The only reason the rest are permitted to enter at the early stages is to allow Uefa to pretend the CL is a pan-European competition which makes it more attractive to the TV broadcasters and the multi-national corporate sponsors.
I gave up on the CL a good few years ago not just because I thought it was rigged but it was getting more so with every passing season. The fact that we now have four qualifying stages to overcome before we get to the CL group stages proves that point.
We are no more “competing” in the CL than Brechin City competed against us a couple of weeks ago. If you think getting regularly humped by Europe’s elite is getting better then you are delusional. Fine if you (and others) want to endure this but I gave up masochism a long time ago.
NEILBHOY
Amen to that :))
BT- i could be getting mixed up with another DU player…
i agree with m6bhoy CL is nothing but a corrupt league even if you can call it that if i had my way would have nothing to do with it.
Sounds like Close Bros have bought the Morelos BS…
!!BADA BING!! on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 9:13 PM
E44- Ian Scanlan of St Mirren gave Danny a hard game too.HH
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Yes,good player.
BT
Correct re Ralph Milne. Born in Dundee he played for the local Celtic Boys club.
B.B. 9.26.
The facility from Close Brothers is,secured against Albion Car Park and Edmiston House.
Hail Hail
Jimmy @9:30
That’s right because they are not a bank but a assets loan company. I despair at the Smsm just look at their website, or more likely they don’t want to!
Sevco tried to lower their wage bill in January and get any sort of transfer fee in for anyone and failed.
I personally don’t think they got a single bid despite every player being touted to every Championship and league 1 team in England
They are now in even worse shape.
A football club going to Close bros is a football club a step nearer bankruptcy…..absolutely no doubt.
If they have secured the £2.5m loan ( overdraft lol ) basically until season tickets money comes in then between the hire purchase players, any other loan repayments and ‘ screaming ‘ invoices, they’ve basically spent 80% of it to keep the lights on.
This is the same or actually worse than what Craig Whyte done.
That Etims article was terrible.
Eamonn Bannon , Billy McInlay , Peter Weir , don’t know if they were all tims but wouldn’t have minded seeing them in the hoops.
Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Eusebio, Charlton, Banks, Carlos Albertos……………I could go on………..
Hello again all you young rebels.
MATT STEWART
Thank you for that post and pics Matt, we had not long arrived in Oz then
and we were baby sitting while my son and daughter in law worked so i
did not make it but Paddymac and others from the rebel peninsula were
there, i’ll give him a phone in case he’s not lurking.
My son was travelling to places like Fiji, Papua New Guinnea etc with his
work and kept encountering all these hoops tops at various obscure
airports and he knew our bhoys would get their usual support in Brisbane
As our late great legend said ” they are there and they always will be “.
Our faithfulness doesn’t leave us although we are thousands of miles away
if anything it grows stronger.
And i’m betting we’ll have the first CSC on the moon when we colonise there
: 8-)))))
H.H Mick
P.S some great vids on utube of that event for you all to peruse.
Nite all!
C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
£3m more debt.
Secured against Assets.
Interest payable, the rates will be significant.
Soft loan facilities must be dry.
Was this loan in the Audited accounts?
18/19 Season ticket money already spent…
Only one way this ends.
This hun cash deal is what I am banging on about, they are in the crapper, a blind man can see that, Close are lenders of the last resort, they charge arms and legs for the privilage.
A pukka sfa and spfl board would tell them to sort themselfs out or their licence would be withdrawn, they either have to live within their means or feck of, it’s what any honest and upstanding authority would do, yet they will break all the rules to accomodate them, again, and again if needs be, and not a soul will say feck all, well feck them, they can keep their rancid sectarian shit.
As for the cheating referees………..it is what it is and they are laughing at us, not a peep from the media about the Thistle goal disallowed last night, it’s as if it didny happen, our team are refereed totally differently to the rest, it’s a joke, and it’s only gonna get worse, it’s too much for the stress levels, they can and will cheat us while laughing at us, I want an easy time of things in what I have left and am finding it easier and easier not to spend much of my time on the blogs, the club are doing nothing about anything, all they are interested in is your money, they will bend over and jump as high as needs be to keep the status quo, they are corporate whores, feck them as well.
Think I am gonna get blootered, been a while
https://twitter.com/rsmorrow1964/status/961197854944579584?s=08
We should bring back the Lamb Shanks Award for the SMSM
Thetimreaper @9:48
That’s all good news m8 :0)
CELTIC MAC on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 2:22 PM
Tontine Tim Don’t think the four down rule slowed the NFL game much in Minnesota on Sunday!
*No not at all and I’m not decrying the 4 down rule but it does favour the safer running game where as with 3 downs means the ball is up in the air more often which is more hazardous and can lead to interceptions, exicting as it is.
When the Giants beat the Patriots in the 2012 SB it was the running game that won it for them. I coach soccer and tell the boys to keep the ball on the ground and only blooter it upfield if no other option is available.
Just read the etims stuff, were they on the sauce when writing it !
CELTIC wonderkid Karamoko Dembele has been pictured alongside PSG superstar Neymar at a Nike event in London.
Dembele, 14, was invited to the bash by the sportswear giants as they launched their new range of Superfly Mercurial boots.
I wonder of Brendan knew he was there….
Bada………….
:)
You’d have to feel sorry for that yin….
rainjurzitis – terminal case
TIMHORTON on 7TH FEBRUARY 2018 2:13 PM
tontine tim great game last Sunday, thought it was just your politics i disagreed with but steelers, cowboys etc wow.
*When I came back here the 2 biggest clubs were the Steelers and the Cowboys, didnae like the former at first but took to the latter as they were America’s team with Roger Staubach at quarterback.
As the years went on I changed to the 49rs due to Joe Montana at quarterback, no clear favourites right now although I would have liked the Vikings to have won it this year. Just glad they cheatin deflategate bassas, lost.
I like the Steelers now as we travel through Pittsburgh on our way to North Carolina, hence the Panthers windbreaker. The Steelers are owned by the Rooney family and are perceived to be an Irish club; one of the grandsons of the original owner is Dan Rooney, the chairman of the board of directors and a former United States Ambassador to Ireland.
2 of his 75 great grandchildren are the actress sisters Kate and Rooney Mara, the other side of their family the Maras founded the New York Giants, like them tae lol.
As for politics, I’m a strategic voter, ABT, anybody but tories; I once had an NDP sign on my lawn but voted Liberal for the first time that year, which was due to the opportunity to end 42 years of tory rule. Makes no difference up here though as this is tory true blue country.
Wonder if Morelos agent knows of Rangers latest windfall.
copyright SMSM
: > )
BB1- How any Celtic supporter could buy those rags is beyond me mate.
2 players I would have loved to have seen in the Hoops-
Wee guy called Payne who played in the great Dunndee Utd team- Bannon and Milne kept him out
the team mostly
And I always wanted Celtic to sign Pat Nevin- thought he was a great player.
HH