The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

Everybody knows Man Utd have a far stronger squad than Celtic so not sure why people are using the fact that Man Utd won 3-0 to talk down Celtic (and the bizarre point that the result shows Celtic are Uefa Cup standard ). Ultimately the situation Celtic were in last night was similar to many SPL teams going to Parkhead, up against a stronger team and needing a bit of luck to get a good result. The last thing they needed was to see 2 offside goals awarded against them and those mistakes killed the match as a contest (wonder what the people who posted on this thread a while back on the need for foreign officials in the SPL to give Celtic a fair chance made of it ). People shouldnt forget the last time the sides met Celtic lost narrowly away 3-2 and won 1-0 at home, the gap isnt so big that Celtic arent capable of giving Man Utd a very good game.

[Rav67]

Back from the game there, painful viewing not helped by having to sit in the home end so couldn't even support the team.  Shocking amount of Man Ure fans there for Ireland, seemed to be around 1/3 in the bar beforehand.  Celtic were very poor on the ball, only McGeady offered any attacking threat and the side totally lost heart after the offside goals.  Hope Utd get put out by an offside goal later in the competition. 

Looking at the money spent on the two sides you realise it has got to be an exceptional performance to come anywhere close to them when you're playing away, even Nani who is fairly shit cost £17m or so.  We'll just have to hope that their debts cripple the English elite at some stage if we are to close the gap a bit.

[Mentalman]

Smith defends Celtic against Ince

Smith has defended the standard of the Scottish game

Rangers' Walter Smith has hit back at Blackburn boss Paul Ince for describing Celtic's Champions League defeat by Manchester United as "embarrassing".

The Rangers manager defended the state of Scottish football after Tuesday's 3-0 defeat by the English champions.

"It was interesting to hear an English manager commenting, but a lot of the English teams suffer the same fate when they play Manchester United," he said.

"Some of them even worse and they are Premiership teams. They forget that."

Ince had also described the game as "men against boys", but Smith suggested that the match was not a fair reflection of the game north of the border.

"There is a big gulf between Manchester United and a lot of teams in the Premiership - people forget that," he said.

"If you look at Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, they've made themselves fixtures at the top of that league.

"The game in Scotland is as good as it can be taking into account that football is a financially-based game and has been for the last 10 or 15 years since the introduction of huge sums of television money in England."

Celtic have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for the last two seasons, while Rangers reached the Uefa Cup final last year - without the finances available to English clubs.

"Scottish teams do the best they can," said Smith. "Celtic acquitted themselves well in the Champions League last year and I felt we acquitted ourselves well.

"They have a level of finance that's greater than the Scottish clubs, even teams just going into the Premiership for the first time.

"But football throughout Europe is like that as well. You don't see many teams from small countries getting into the latter stages of the Champions League.

"We managed to get to the Uefa Cup final last year, so Scottish teams have proved they can stand up and play and have a level of success.

"It's very difficult for us to do so every year, but it doesn't stop us from competing and I think we compete very well.

"There has been an exaggeration about the effects of Celtic's defeat at Old Trafford.

"They've still to play them at home and they beat Manchester United there the last time and they have beat most of the teams they have played there.

"Scottish football is not in a desperately poor situation just because Celtic got beat 3-0 by a team who can probably beat any team in Europe 3-0."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7689580.stm

[Main Street]

Fair play to Walter.
I'm sure, real Blackburn fans would not be so dismissive of Celtic

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Fair play to Walter.
I'm sure, real Blackburn fans would not be so dismissive of Celtic

Yes thinking the results against Blackburn in the UEFA cup were Celtic 1 - Blackburn 0 and Blackburn 0 - Celtic 2.
Paul Ince = poor manager looking headlines and arse kissing Man Ure.


4 - 2 to the Bhoys today against the Hibees, great result, but mixed performance.

Hail Hail

[mhacadoir]

was at the match yesterday. a few things about it.

great to see we finished with paddy mc court and cillian sheridan as the strike force. neither looked particularly out of place.

we werent great, but got the job done so cant ask for any more.

im also liking that they play different things after the goals, instead of just chelsea dagger. they played the pogues yesterday and it was class.

i sat in the main stand for the first time and the atmosphere was seriously quiet. in fact, only for the jungle bhoys, the green brigade and the lads in the upper jock stein stand there would be nothing. its a pity and i know the weather aint great, but hopefully as the season wears on the atmosphere picks up.

hail hail

[Rav67]

was at the match yesterday. a few things about it.

great to see we finished with paddy mc court and cillian sheridan as the strike force. neither looked particularly out of place.

we werent great, but got the job done so cant ask for any more.

im also liking that they play different things after the goals, instead of just chelsea dagger. they played the pogues yesterday and it was class.

i sat in the main stand for the first time and the atmosphere was seriously quiet. in fact, only for the jungle bhoys, the green brigade and the lads in the upper jock stein stand there would be nothing. its a pity and i know the weather aint great, but hopefully as the season wears on the atmosphere picks up.

hail hail

There's been a crap atmosphere at league games in the autumn and winter this past few years now. 

Heard Brown played well again, he's been improving a lot this season and turning into a much more complete player.

[mhacadoir]

yeh, he took his goal really well and is starting to look like a real player.

robson at left back was a strange one, he did ok (better than naylor) but it aint his favoured spot.

caldwell has improved immensely this year, he looked really composed and him and loovens worked quite well together, despite conceding two

anyone for paradise on the 5th for united?

[Over the Bar]

Tonights Kilmarnock match can be watched on BBC website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7634231.stm

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

yeh, he took his goal really well and is starting to look like a real player.

robson at left back was a strange one, he did ok (better than naylor) but it aint his favoured spot.

caldwell has improved immensely this year, he looked really composed and him and loovens worked quite well together, despite conceding two

anyone for paradise on the 5th for united?

Will find out on Sunday if my tickets are sorted, have been told shouldn't be a problem though, seems that there's a few tickets floating about atm.

£85.00 bus, HSS and match ticket all in.

[T Fearon]

Competition for two Man Utd tickets in this week's View....oh and I nearly forgot, a letter from yours truly 

[T Fearon]

GD, might see you there next Wednesday night. Prize tickets have arrived, Section 104 North Stand lower half way up, near the halfway line, class

How am I going to find my brick on the LL wall in the dark though?

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

GD, might see you there next Wednesday night. Prize tickets have arrived, Section 104 North Stand lower half way up, near the halfway line, class

How am I going to find my brick on the LL wall in the dark though?

Bring a torch! 
Not sure where we'll be seated.

[illdecide]

So i take it you have no tickets for me then lads...

I can't believe how tough it is to get tickets for a Wed night game...I know it's Man U but i still thought there'd be a few floating about...

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

So i take it you have no tickets for me then lads...

I can't believe how tough it is to get tickets for a Wed night game...I know it's Man U but i still thought there'd be a few floating about...

Person I am speaking to poss may have extra tickets, but won't know til Sunday.