Celtic 2013-14: O Brother Where Art Thou?
- Thread starter The Talented Allen Ripley
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Me too Kev. And i feel sorry for Ranges fans. They don't have much. Queen and country letting them down time and time again. Glasgow's lost some of it's edge to be honest. They're like a cat that lost its bite. In fact I'd be happy to let them back in the SPL. Like they served one year of a three year sentence, time off for good behavior. Back youse come.
On the outsde looking in:
Premier League - Every club will exceed United's record TV income next season
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/premier-league-united-top-tv-earnings-093755045.html
Premier League - Every club will exceed United's record TV income next season
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/premier-league-united-top-tv-earnings-093755045.html
fletcherpost said:
They systematically cheated for years. Think about these years if you were a Celtic fan or Aberdeen fan or whoever, they were not playing on a
level playing field. David Murray ran up debts that they were never going to pay. “ For every 5 pounds Celtic spend Rangers will spend 10” he bragged.
They ignore the truth , they are in denial. When caught, they threatened and bullied. They tried to intimidate members of and independent inquiry. Rather than face up to the truth they cry for revenge. No apologies, no contrition. They boast about being debt free, despite the cost to their beloved Queen to the tune of millions of pounds. .
I hope they get shafted time and again by the money hungry charlatans, they’re just too stupid to see it. If you point out a few inconsistencies about Charles Green, they gnash their teeth.
Miss them? Not me….I hope Celtic never play that carcass of a football club ever again. Hopefully I will have plenty of European nights to enjoy that will more than make up for it.
Edit: Added links to an interesting blog about the impact of the demise of Rangers on the SPL:
http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-armageddon-files/
http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-armageddon-files-2/
Cod Piece i agree with you completely. But i see it more like a movie with a hero and a villain. I don't want the villain to die, i want him back for the sequel, or if he has to die, i want another adversary to take his place. I live here and on the whole i have always felt that Rangers fans were less intelligent and a tad more aggressive and so on and so forth. But fuckin hell the national sport has to be a sport. There has to be competition at the top.
Is Hearts going into administration? Everything I've read makes it sound like a confusing situation.
fletcherpost said:
Most sequels are shite anyway.
There are still plenty of villains, the SFA, SPL, SFL...all trying to bend over backwards for a team being liquidated. Every team I know of that went through liquidation ceased to exist. However, they get shoehorned into the 3rd division. This was a perfect opportunity for Scottish Football to clean up it's act. It has become tiresome to me, the media are full of ex rangers players ( Radio Clyde, Sportsound etc), spouting off about how Rangers never cheated, how they were found not gulity etc.Yes, sport has to be a sport but no exceptions. I would have stopped watching Scottish football if they had not been punished, the gig was up ( at least it was for me).
Don't forget I said in the Ranger Admin thread I thought Scottish Football needed Rangers. However, my tune changed when I saw their threats, lack of contrition, the WATP mentality took full aim at everyone they perceived to have hurt them. Ally McCoist banging on how Rangers should be treated differently because they are a big club. It made me sick.
I don't have an answer for the state of Scottish football. Honestly, I think they should go back to 3.00 pm kickoffs on Saturdays, limited TV coverage, the way it used to be. I don't know would that get arses on seats but it is depressing to see stadiums mostly empty. There are far too many teams in Scotland given the population. TV coverage saturates the game. That's fine and dandy for ex pats who can watch Celtic most weeks on Fox Soccer Plus but I'd gladly give that up. Does it really make that much difference if Rangers and Celtic are in the same league to the likes of Inverness, Aberdeen, Hearts etc? A two horse race versus a one horse race? I know what you will say....at least at the start of the season, it was either Rangers or Celtic...now it's just Celtic. I don't think it makes that much difference.....I'd love to see a strong Aberdeen, a strong Dundee Utd...Hibs or Hearts. However, major changes are needed. The cloth needs to be cut accordingly.....and that unfortunately means the merger of teams on a regional level and some ceasing to exist completely.
Again i agree with you. But think you see where my sympathies are - for the national game. I wish i was an ex pat, but I'm not. I never watched Scottish football when i lived in London, i don't watch it now, but it hurts more being in Scotland. I just watch the Celtic games and even they're painful much of the time. I hope for the best, that the guys coaching the non old firm teams can groom players, make them better men as well as athletes. make them smart players...it can be done. Finding players and coaching them so they can do some of the following: Find space, see a pass, execute the pass; being fit, having two decent feet, thinking on the ball, those are not high minded goals.
Anyway...my resignation grows as this is a mere 4 lines...next year it will be but two. Soon i will have given up. On the bright side there are a lot of black kids who moved here over the last ten years and a few of them are in their teens now. I've seen a lot of these African kids play...they're good and they raise the games of the kids around them and they have Scottish accents. So, who knows in a few years we might see a different type of player.
Anyway...my resignation grows as this is a mere 4 lines...next year it will be but two. Soon i will have given up. On the bright side there are a lot of black kids who moved here over the last ten years and a few of them are in their teens now. I've seen a lot of these African kids play...they're good and they raise the games of the kids around them and they have Scottish accents. So, who knows in a few years we might see a different type of player.
Yeah, same. I hope it looks better without the How High backdrop.
At least it isn't Liverpool's away kit?
At least it isn't Liverpool's away kit?
Wanyama to Southampton for £12.5m.
Sad to see him go, but that's the nature of rooting for Celtic. They can do a lot with £12.5m if they're smart with it.
Sad to see him go, but that's the nature of rooting for Celtic. They can do a lot with £12.5m if they're smart with it.
I'm surprised no big clubs went after him. No question the talent is there. Maybe they figure, at 22, he still has plenty of years and they want to see how he plays in the Premier league first.
That's a real good fee for Wanyama, but he'll be sorely missed. Ledley's on the back nine, Kayal's solid but limited in a starting role, Rogić is more attack-focused... hoping Filip Twardzik can step up and Brown can stay healthy.
Ok...the real games start today at Cliftonville.
2 nil up at half time, hit the woodwork twice. This should make the second leg a formality unless there is a huge collapse.
That gives them 3 weeks to splash that Wanyama cash, at least some of it, on a couple of new signings before what is to be a tougher 3rd round opponent. .
I really don't like that shirt, makes it look like a bar code. Plus, repace the M with an R, swap the the G and N..........
Edit: Link if somone wants to catch the second half:
http://www.stream2watch.me/soccer/cliftonville-fc-vs-celtic-fc-live-stream
2 nil up at half time, hit the woodwork twice. This should make the second leg a formality unless there is a huge collapse.
That gives them 3 weeks to splash that Wanyama cash, at least some of it, on a couple of new signings before what is to be a tougher 3rd round opponent. .
I really don't like that shirt, makes it look like a bar code. Plus, repace the M with an R, swap the the G and N..........
Edit: Link if somone wants to catch the second half:
http://www.stream2watch.me/soccer/cliftonville-fc-vs-celtic-fc-live-stream
According to Gol TV, they are showing the second leg of the CL qualifier between Celtic and Elfborg today. Celtic are defending a one goal lead. I fully expect Commons and Samaras to get kicked off the park assuming they play. There were some brutal challenges last week during the first leg at Parkhead.
Oddly, Gol TV has the kick off one hour later than it is supposed to be. It should be 6.45 Local time which is 10.45 am west coast and 1.45 east.
Edit: Ok this was bugging me. I called Gol TV and asked them why they have it scheduled "Live" but starting one hour later than it should. Apparently it was input wrong..so 1:45 it is.
Oddly, Gol TV has the kick off one hour later than it is supposed to be. It should be 6.45 Local time which is 10.45 am west coast and 1.45 east.
Edit: Ok this was bugging me. I called Gol TV and asked them why they have it scheduled "Live" but starting one hour later than it should. Apparently it was input wrong..so 1:45 it is.
Just a snippet in case any of you folks missed it - Celtic are to effectively 'disband' the Green Brigade, by fencing off their part of Celtic Park, after their behavior in recent matches
http://www.scotzine.com/2013/08/celtic-disband-green-brigade-section-after-warnings-go-unheeded/
Celtic claim this is due to 'lateral movement' in the stand, but co-incidentally it is the day after they received their 4th censure in 3 years from UEFA about their crowd behaviour during the recent friendlies against Cliftonville and Brentford.
http://www.scotzine.com/2013/08/celtic-disband-green-brigade-section-after-warnings-go-unheeded/
Celtic claim this is due to 'lateral movement' in the stand, but co-incidentally it is the day after they received their 4th censure in 3 years from UEFA about their crowd behaviour during the recent friendlies against Cliftonville and Brentford.
inter tatters said:
Any morons who destroy seats in their own stadium deserve what's coming to them. And..they can knock off that flare shit too.
Celtic team to play Elfsborg: Forster; Lustig, Ambrose, Wilson, Izaguirre; Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Mulgrew; Commons; Samaras
Subs: Zaluska, Matthews, Stokes, Balde, Mouyokolo, Watt, Kayal
It looks like a 4:5:1 but I could be wrong.
Subs: Zaluska, Matthews, Stokes, Balde, Mouyokolo, Watt, Kayal
It looks like a 4:5:1 but I could be wrong.
0:0 HT
That was possibly one of the worst performances I have seen by Celtic in the first half. They look like a bunch of strangers who just go off a train to have a quick kick about. They can't pass, can't hold the ball, defence looks vulnerable. The most dangerous looking player is a Celtic player but he plays for Elsborg. Enuff said.
Samaras had a clear header with time but knocked it over the bar. Ledley was in on goal but had his shot blocked......that's it I think. I know it's turf but that's no excuse for passing a ball straight to the opposition. Luckily, Elfsborg don't look that much better.
0:0 FT.
Terrible performance, the least said the better. They got the job done.....180 minutes away from the CL group stages...draw on Friday.
That was possibly one of the worst performances I have seen by Celtic in the first half. They look like a bunch of strangers who just go off a train to have a quick kick about. They can't pass, can't hold the ball, defence looks vulnerable. The most dangerous looking player is a Celtic player but he plays for Elsborg. Enuff said.
Samaras had a clear header with time but knocked it over the bar. Ledley was in on goal but had his shot blocked......that's it I think. I know it's turf but that's no excuse for passing a ball straight to the opposition. Luckily, Elfsborg don't look that much better.
0:0 FT.
Terrible performance, the least said the better. They got the job done.....180 minutes away from the CL group stages...draw on Friday.
I have a sneaking suspicion Mo Bangura won't be all that welcome back at Celtic Park when this loan spell ends
And Celtic draw Shakhtyor Karaganda from the most glorious nation of Kazakhstan. Gonna have to research this one...I'm wondering if they have a plastic pitch. Anyways, if someone had told me the Champions of the glorious nation of Kazakhstan would lie between Celtic and the CL stages I'd have taken it. Celtic play away first.
CodPiece XL said:
When I was in the Peace Corps, I lived in a smaller city in Karaganda province. I never made it to a game there (I was 13 hours away by train), but according to Wiki the stadium is grass. That being said, I wouldn't be shocked if that was wrong, as most field surfaces were some sort of turf in the central and northern regions of the country.
Karaganda is not that far from Astana, where most international flights come in, so at least the last-leg, in-country travel won't be as bad as it might have been.
For those lucky enough to have Fox Soccer Plus:
Saturday: Aberdeen vs Celtic (7:25am ET)
Tuesday: Shakhtyor Karaganda V Celtic ( their scheduled time does not look right), so check the night before.
I was talking to a buddy of mine who has Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, he told me he is getting charged for both. I only get charged for one...is that normal?
Saturday: Aberdeen vs Celtic (7:25am ET)
Tuesday: Shakhtyor Karaganda V Celtic ( their scheduled time does not look right), so check the night before.
I was talking to a buddy of mine who has Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, he told me he is getting charged for both. I only get charged for one...is that normal?
As far as I'm aware, Fox Soccer is not sold on an à la carte basis. Either way, Fox Soccer's days are numbered, as it is shutting down on September 2.CodPiece XL said:
Team to play Shakhtar Karagandy:
Forster; Lustig, Mouyokolo, Van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Mulgrew; Commons, Samaras
Subs: Zaluska, Amido, Kayal, Stokes, Rogic, Matthews, Ambrose
Game starts in 40 minutes, Fox Soccer Plus has it.
Forster; Lustig, Mouyokolo, Van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Mulgrew; Commons, Samaras
Subs: Zaluska, Amido, Kayal, Stokes, Rogic, Matthews, Ambrose
Game starts in 40 minutes, Fox Soccer Plus has it.
Hmmm...so they have two center halves who have never played a game together and are new to the team. I guess the plus is that "Bombscare" Ambrose is on the bench. God, they need a creative midfielder badly.
Down by a goal at half time. Not pretty but they have created quite a few chances. Their keeper is atrocious, having said that I think Forster should have got to the ball where they scored. They just have to keep testing that keeper, especially with crosses. No reason why Celtic can't get some result out of this.....
How the hell they lost to this mob I'll never know......well I do...no creativity.
You reap what you sow Lawwell.
I still think Celtic can score 3 at Parkhead....the question is do they ship an away goal.
You reap what you sow Lawwell.
I still think Celtic can score 3 at Parkhead....the question is do they ship an away goal.
No Kayal, others questionable ahead of tomorrow's leg against Karagandy - whose manager Viktor Kumykov has declared that they will score twice at Parkhead.
Health permitting, I'd prefer a 4-4-1-1 of Matthews/Lustig/Ambrose (gulp)/Izaguirre, Forrest/Brown/Ledley/Commons, Samaras, Watt in front of Forster - but in the end, it was painfully obvious that the club needed to bring in quality after losing Wanyama and Hooper, and they failed to do so.
Health permitting, I'd prefer a 4-4-1-1 of Matthews/Lustig/Ambrose (gulp)/Izaguirre, Forrest/Brown/Ledley/Commons, Samaras, Watt in front of Forster - but in the end, it was painfully obvious that the club needed to bring in quality after losing Wanyama and Hooper, and they failed to do so.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23680545
Article explaining how the coefficient system favours Arsenal and other teams from the major European Leagues and shafts Celtic.
"The system is stacked in the favour of teams from stronger nations, with each club picking up a fixed percentage - 20% - of their nation's overall coefficient to add to their own. That does not add up to much if you are Scottish.
The top leagues see varying numbers of their clubs qualify automatically for the group stages of the Champions League in the first place - Spain, Germany and England get three, and another in the final qualifying round."
I hope Celtic get their tactics right tonight. I think they have to try and draw sheep sacrificers out a little. Celtic don't really have the class and quality to unlock a nine man defense sitting back around their 18 yard box. They need to exploit space, rather than trying to find space that doesn't exist. They need pace and power and a little quality. Slow build ups from midfield isn't gonna do it, give the Eastern European Lamb Lovers time to park the bus is suicide in my uneducated opinion.
Article explaining how the coefficient system favours Arsenal and other teams from the major European Leagues and shafts Celtic.
"The system is stacked in the favour of teams from stronger nations, with each club picking up a fixed percentage - 20% - of their nation's overall coefficient to add to their own. That does not add up to much if you are Scottish.
The top leagues see varying numbers of their clubs qualify automatically for the group stages of the Champions League in the first place - Spain, Germany and England get three, and another in the final qualifying round."
I hope Celtic get their tactics right tonight. I think they have to try and draw sheep sacrificers out a little. Celtic don't really have the class and quality to unlock a nine man defense sitting back around their 18 yard box. They need to exploit space, rather than trying to find space that doesn't exist. They need pace and power and a little quality. Slow build ups from midfield isn't gonna do it, give the Eastern European Lamb Lovers time to park the bus is suicide in my uneducated opinion.
Awesome. It feels like almost every year, Celtic have to decide whether to (1) spend money up front to maximize the chances of making the CL group stages, at the risk of going in the hole if they don't qualify, or (2) hold off on spending money they don't have, at the risk of increasing the chances they don't qualify. They went route 2 this year, and luckily puckered their way through. Close, though.
Now they have the group stage money and the Wanyama/Hooper money still rattling around. I hope they go out and improve the squad enough to make the group stages interesting.
Now they have the group stage money and the Wanyama/Hooper money still rattling around. I hope they go out and improve the squad enough to make the group stages interesting.
After the shitshow known as the first leg and the summer's net outflux of talent, it certainly felt that wayVinho Tinto said:
I could not agree more, I'm not privy as much as I used to be, as far as what is going on but I think they certainly gambled by not signing an out and out striker. They have little or no flair in the midfield. We will see if the rumoured fence sitters decide to sign now. Regardless, some new faces on the way.Joe D Reid said:
I thought Ambrose was immense, not sure what alien took over his body tonight. Matthews should be a starter no matter what, Samaras was an animal tonight, I know he was carrying an injury in the first leg and it showed. However, Karagandy where pure crap.......it should never have reached this borderline do or die stage. I still hate zonal, too slow to get to secondary phase possession. Nice to see they did keep with the old keeping a defender on the goal line at both posts. It saved their arses. I think Forster has taken a step back at this early stage of the season, No 6"7 keeper should be glued to his line and he needs more conviction at punching the ball out.
Wow.....Celtic in with the big boys draw tomorrow.
PedroSpecialK said:FORREST. Tremendous work by Anthony Stokes.
Unbelievable. Celtic are through.
I don't think I ever saw Lennon run that fast when he played midfield for Celtic.
CodPiece XL said:
Shakhter was the beneficiary of the super-fast qualification cycle. Except for the final qualifying round, the draw for each round is made before the previous round is completed in order to allow teams to make travel arrangements. The seeding for the draw assumes that all seeds advance. So when a seed actually loses, the unseeded team from the previous round gets to take the seeded team's place.
Shakhter managed to beat seeded BATE Borisov in the 2nd qualification round, which meant they got to take BATE's seeded position in the 3rd round and therefore faced a weak Albanian team. Had they been unseeded in the third round, they would have faced a much stiffer test and likely would have lost at that stage.
I think Lennon's Leaping and Lolloping to get to the pile on is very similar to the Martin O'Neil victory gallop. I like to see continuity in club football.
Great game to watch. Celtic should never have been in the position they were, but shit happens, especially at the start of the season when you don't really know what you've got and who you've got. Ambrose had a good game, Samaras a good game, in fact up and down the park it was a much better team performance, in that they looked like a team and not a bunch of Sunday Leaguers. But...they were playing the lowest ranked team they could have played, I mean Doncaster Rovers would have given Shaktar a game. Cannae get carried away, this Celtic team are bereft of real quality. And so now we wait to see who they spend 2.6 millions squids on. I think they will buy two players and get one player on loan and the total spend up front in transfer fees will be 4.78m squiadaleenoes.
Celtic will have a profitable year, natch. Anyways i watched the game with my uncle and old boy and they seem to think Lennon isn't as clever as he thinks he is and doesn't listen to the advice of others. Or in their words...'naeb'dy kin tell him onyhing' - (That's East Neuk Dialect to anyone not familiar - I don't speak it myself FWIW.) I'm not so sure...I know he won his locl pub quiz league a few years ago, just before he got beaten up...i always thought the two incidents were connected, still do. But, he needs to work on his hyperbole. Hope the draw is a good un. Glamour and the faint chance of progress is all we can ask for.
Great game to watch. Celtic should never have been in the position they were, but shit happens, especially at the start of the season when you don't really know what you've got and who you've got. Ambrose had a good game, Samaras a good game, in fact up and down the park it was a much better team performance, in that they looked like a team and not a bunch of Sunday Leaguers. But...they were playing the lowest ranked team they could have played, I mean Doncaster Rovers would have given Shaktar a game. Cannae get carried away, this Celtic team are bereft of real quality. And so now we wait to see who they spend 2.6 millions squids on. I think they will buy two players and get one player on loan and the total spend up front in transfer fees will be 4.78m squiadaleenoes.
Celtic will have a profitable year, natch. Anyways i watched the game with my uncle and old boy and they seem to think Lennon isn't as clever as he thinks he is and doesn't listen to the advice of others. Or in their words...'naeb'dy kin tell him onyhing' - (That's East Neuk Dialect to anyone not familiar - I don't speak it myself FWIW.) I'm not so sure...I know he won his locl pub quiz league a few years ago, just before he got beaten up...i always thought the two incidents were connected, still do. But, he needs to work on his hyperbole. Hope the draw is a good un. Glamour and the faint chance of progress is all we can ask for.
I didn't even bother DVRing yesterday's match. Serves me right that I can't watch it. I'm as stunned as anyone.
I just saw the goal highlights on Deadspin and my only reaction was "Holy Fucking Shit."
Tremendous match. Wow.
Tremendous match. Wow.
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