The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

Started by Gaoth Dobhair Abu, January 26, 2007, 10:41:11 AM

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Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Monday, 19 February 2007


Associazione Calcio Milan



Ground: San Siro (Stadio Giuseppe Meazza), Milan

Nickname: Rossoneri (The Red And Blacks)



Fixtures



Celtic vs AC Milan  : Tues 20th February 1945 hrs

AC Milan vs Celtic : Wed 7th March 1945 hrs





Background:



Both Benfica and Manchester United were two of our qualifying group opponents who could rightly claim to be celebrated European clubs. In terms of footballing celebrity and pedigree however, not even the English league leaders can hold a candle to AC Milan. Like them or loathe them the Rossoneri are among the undisputed royalty of world football.



In the year that Celtic were celebrating their first decade of football in the East End of Glasgow, the British government appointed Alfred Edwards Esq. as vice-consul in Milan. Alfred decided that it would be just splendid if the Italians could learn to play cricket and give him something to watch of an afternoon whilst sipping his Pimms and orange. While he was at it, thought Alfred, he?d throw them a soccer ball and see what might happen. As such the seeds were sown and a year later Edwards appointed another Englishman, Herbert Kilpin as captain and coach of the newly formed Milan Cricket and Football Club. The Milanese public proved to be less than convinced of the entertainment value of cricket but bought into the footballing events with a real enthusiasm. In 1901 Kilpin led the footballing division of the club to the National League title, becoming the first team other than the previously all conquering Genoa to claim the flag.

In 1909 several factions within the club made it clear that they believed that the privilege of wearing the red and black should be reserved for paisanos, fellow Italians. A number however disagreed and felt that the club needed a more international flavour, they left the club to form another team under these international principles, and so began the Rossoneri?s greatest rivals, F.C. Internazionale Milano.



A decade later cricket was officially a dead duck in Italy and the club became simply Milan Football Club. The name change coincided with twenty years of underachievement and frustration at mid-table placings and the only notable excitement was yet another change (this time in the 1930?s), occasioned by Mussolini?s regime, when Il Duce decided that Milan Football Club didn?t sound remotely Italian enough and suggested at pistol point that Associazione Calcio Milano may be preferable.



Mussolini, as history tells us, picked the wrong side in the big stramash of 1939 and Italian football, like most others in the early forties, was all but disbanded. When competition resumed later in the decade, AC were on the ascendency and in 1951 clinched the Scudetto for the first time since 1907.



With the 60?s came coach Nereo Rocco, and his newly devised Catenaccio or ?door-bolt? tactic. Across the city Helenio Herrera was to take note of the style and impose it on his Inter team. The tactic itself was, unfortunately as dull as dishwater to watch but highly effective in shutting out opponents, relying as it did on defensive structure and ?tactical fouling?. It worked for Nero though and in 1963 AC Milan took out their first ever European cup, defeating Benfica 2-1 in the final. Hailed in Italy for most of the 60?s, eleven hooped Scotsmen sounded the death knell for the catenaccio when they tore it apart in the 1967 European Cup Final, recording an unprecedented 43 shots on goal.



While the seventies were a lean decade for the club, and culminated in a 1979 relegation to Serie B as a result of yet another Italian match fixing scandal, the 1980?s signalled AC Milan?s rise to genuine pre-eminence, a rise which has remained virtually unchecked since that time.





Honours



Where do we start? Try this on for size ; 17 Scudetto (National Titles), 14 times runner up. Twice winners of Serie B. 5 times Coppa Italia winners, 5 times Super Coppa di Lega winners. A remarkable 6 times winners of the European Cup / Champions League and 4 times runner up. Throw into the mix 2 European Cup Winners cups, 4 European Super Cups and 3 World Club Championships and you end up with the most successful side in the history of world club football, other than Real Madrid. AC Milan also hold the distinction of being, as at Feb 2007, the number 1 ranked team (by co-efficient) in the UEFA confederation.



Celtic Connections



Only one player has plied his trade in the Rossoneri and the, eh, Biancoverde. The sublime yet ridiculous, genius fascist heidbanger, Paolo Di Canio, who Tommy Burns signed from AC in 1996. Both clubs have also employed Carluke?s finest, big Joe Jordan, although on different sides of the touchline.



The memory of the two clubs recent (2004) Champions League encounters will be fresh in the mind of ?Tic supporters when a stoic Celtic performance held the Italians to a 0-0 draw in Glasgow in December, regaining some respect after an error ridden 3-1 defeat in Milan two months earlier.





Manager



Carlo Ancelotti has been coach at AC since leaving Juventus in 2001 to succeed the ousted Turk, Fatih Terim. Ancelotti had been an accomplished player in his own right, anchoring the midfield for both AS Roma and AC Milan and boasting 26 caps for the Italian national side in the 1980?s. After retiring from playing in 1992 he was appointed assistant coach at Reggina and gained a reputation as an astute task-master. So much so that when Nevio Scala jumped ship from Parma in 1996 Ancelotti was asked to return to his first professional club as head coach. In his first year he took the club to second place behind Juve in Serie A, their best ever finish in the competition. In 1999 ?Carletto? as he was known in his playing days, was offered the opportunity to replace Marcelo Lippi at Juventus and he jumped at the chance. His two years in Torino were laced with promise but were ultimately trophyless. Nonetheless, Berlusconi saw in Ancelotti a man who could motivate and team and when, in 2001 Juve started making grumbling noises over the lack of trophies and dropping not so subtle hints about how welcome Lippi would be if he wanted to return, Il Presidente made his move and brought Ancelotti to Milan. The moved proved an astute one and within 2 years ?Carletto? had won the Champions League, an achievement made all the sweeter by beating Lippi?s Juventus in the final. (Albeit a final which is a leading contender for the dullest of all time). In doing so Ancelotti became the fourth player to win a European Cup as both player and manager. Last year Frank Rikjaard would (with the timely assistance of Henrik Larsson) become the fifth. A 2005 disaster in the CL final against Liverpool aside, Ancelotti is, undeniably, a manager of intelligence and ability who will know Celtic very well by the time the two teams meet tomorrow.



Who To Look Out For.



This is an AC team that just oozes class. Not as full of foreign mega-talent as in previous era?s it is built around a core of home-bred players who work very hard for each other and are as combative as they are skilful. The stand-out creative player is undoubtedly Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite ? Kaka to you lot, and at only 24 he has already shown at every level of football that he can punish teams single-handedly. Kaka however is not our special pick for this Milan team; that is reserved specially for the man known throughout Italy simply as ?Il Capitano? ? the Captain.

Paolo Maldini is inarguably one of the finest defenders in the history of the worldwide game and is revered by those who follow the Rossoneri. Making his debut in 1984 Maldini has made over 750 appearances for his club making him easily the longest serving Rossoneri of all time. He also holds the distinction of having made the most Serie A appearances of any player, the most international caps of any Italian and has captained his country more times than any other player. A quite incredible CV.

With Maldini in the line up AC are a better unit, and a better team.





The Team



Goalkeeper:



The first choice Milanese (and Brasilian) keeper, Dida, will not be travelling with the squad. The man between the sticks is likely to be Marco Storari. Storari has spent 10 years in Italian football but only 3 in Serie A. He is a real journeyman who was brought to Milan just last month when back-up keeper, the disaster prone Australian, ?eljko Kalac picked up a knee injury. The Parkhead crowd has the capacity and the opportunity to really, REALLY, unsettle Storari. You know it makes sense....



Defence:



If Milan are lacking anything it?s certainly not defensive options and definitely not experience. Their starting defence is likely to have a combined age of approximately 150. Maldini is 38, Cafu is 36 and Costacurta is 40. Add in any of the additional centre back options, say the 29 year-old Marek Jankulovski and their back line is nudging 144 years old. Now this guarantees a couple of things; firstly they will all have played against far, far superior players to any in the Celtic line-up and they will all adapt to the big occasion with ease. It also means that if Kenny Miller plays and runs like he did against Benfica at home then at least 3 of them are likely to have hernias trying to catch him. They are incredible professionals who know each other inside out and play their system to perfection but pace can and will unsettle them.





Midfield:



The midfield that has been named to travel North is one of the finest to visit Glasgow in a long time. Players like Kaka, Seedorf and Pirlo are household names and Celtic fans especially are well aware of Gennaro (Rino) Gattuso, who is a fine player, and a much more accomplished and polished one than the teenager who appeared at Ibrox. Lookout for an appearance by Yoann Gourcuff the 20 year old Frenchman that the French press have christened ?Petit Zizou? given his similarity to the legendary Zidane. If ever Nakamura was presented with an opportunity to prove his ability it could be against this Milan midfield. If Shunsuke can make an impression against talent such as this then our little playmaker will have the world at his feet. Unfortunately the world has big pay-cheques and its not inconceivable that a standout performance would make him damn difficult to hold on to.



Attack:

We?re lucky that Inzaghi has been declared unfit and will not travel to Glasgow. We?re unluckly that Gilardino however has been given the go-ahead after picking up a knock last week. The youngster moved to Milan in 2005 after an 18 million pound transfer from Parma. It would be fair to say that his success since then has not been unqualified. No one has ever attempted to dispute his talent but he has perhaps not been as prolific as the man whose understudy Gilardino was intended to be, Andriy Shevchenko. The 24 year old went through 12 games in the 05-06 Champions League campaign without finding the net once.



With Inzaghi injured and the newly signed Ronaldo cup tied, Ancelotti?s other striking options are limited to former Betis striker, the Brazilian Ricardo Oliveira, and reserve team up-and-comer Davide Di Gennaro. Oliveira is not an established star of the Brazilian side but he has scored goals wherever he?s been and Strachan will not take him lightly.



Round Up



Class. And lots of it.



Chances?



Lets not kid ourselves here. AC Milan are the top ranked club side in Europe. They have a team packed with internationals and an almost perfect combination of experience, pace, strength and talent. They come to Celtic Park however with a dodgy third-choice keeper and their two best strikers injured. Celtic CAN beat this Milan side in Glasgow. In Italy however it will be desperately hard to hold onto anything less than a three goal lead and our European away record does not inspire confidence. A few of this current Celtic squad have the opportunity to write their names in the history books.
Tbc....

lynchbhoy

never really rated inzhagi
but he is one of those lads who just have a knack of scoring..


Celtic have the edge at goalkeeper possibly
after that
well its going to be down to whether Celtic can up the tempo and cause as much confusion for the Italian side as possible and hopefully nick a goal from a free kick or something - maybe a headed goal from JVOH (who has really impressed me each time I have seen him play).
If Celtic do not play at breakneck speed and try to out play Milan - then they will get thumped.
This tie makes David v Goliath look like an even contest when you compare most of the players.

But in football as in all sports, you always have a chance, although its a lesser chance over two legs...
..........

tyroneman

Anthony Stokes continues his rich vein of form with another substitute appearance for Sunder'tic. Really must be enjoying all that guaranteed first team football he turned us down for.

Still....at least it;s the legendary marksman David Connolly keeping you from the starting 11 and not some duffer.........

lynchbhoy

Quote from: tyroneman on February 19, 2007, 12:49:10 PM
Anthony Stokes continues his rich vein of form with another substitute appearance for Sunder'tic. Really must be enjoying all that guaranteed first team football he turned us down for.
Still....at least it;s the legendary marksman David Connolly keeping you from the starting 11 and not some duffer.........

I think he made the right choice.
I doubt if he would have been getting any guaranteed regular first team football with Celtic either.
Maybe in the past couple of weeks as they have had a bit of an inj/suspension crisis with their strikers
but Stokes is only a lad and has a LOT to learn.
I actually think he will learn a lot from Connolly and Stern John.
Experienced pro's. Far better than trying to learn from Arsenal's prima donnas or being 'taught' by headless chicken Robbie Keane.
..........

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Naka's sublime free on Saturday, another reason to be optimistic for tomorrow evening.
Tbc....

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

D-day is nearly upon us, quick update from the BBC:

Celtic have concerns about the fitness of Craig Beattie, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Maciej Zurawski ahead of the Champions League tie with AC Milan.

But fellow striker Kenny Miller will be fit after having an operation on a wisdom tooth abscess.

Celtic are minus cup-tied Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley.

Milan are similarly without Ronaldo, Marco Borriello is suspended, Filippo Inzaghi is out injured, while another striker, Alberto Gilardino, doubtful.

Gilardino has travelled with the squad and will be given a late fitness test.

Celtic will also give late tests to their three doubtful strikers.

Gary Caldwell has returned to training, but Darren O'Dea is expected to win the battle to partner Stephen McManus in Celtic's defence.


Hail Hail
Tbc....

Tir na nÓg

Celtic have been in good form as of late. Usually they have been slow starters but in the last few games they have started very well and I think their hitting form at the right time. They will need to keep their concentration up for the 90+minutes because they have conceeded a few late goals this season. The away goal could make all the difference.

Think it will be  1-0 possibly 2-0 with a bit of luck. Then go to the san siro and try to hit them on the counterattack. We will need to watch out for Kaka though, quality player and joint top goal scorer.

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Quote from: lynchbhoy on February 19, 2007, 01:00:41 PM

I think he made the right choice.
I doubt if he would have been getting any guaranteed regular first team football with Celtic either.
Maybe in the past couple of weeks as they have had a bit of an inj/suspension crisis with their strikers
but Stokes is only a lad and has a LOT to learn.

Would go along with that but I felt he would have better off giving it another 6 months at Falkirk. He was getting a regular game there at a decent standard and might well have played in a cup final. Could then have gone back to Arsenal at the end of the season and weighed up his options.

As for tonight Milan arent going that well and could be vulnerable. Celtic's defence a potential worry but in the past people like Kennedy and McManus have risen to the occasion so hopefully O' Dea will do likewise, he's looked decent enough in his SPL outings. Shame Miller is a bit out of sorts at the minute, his harrying game can really upset European centre defenders who are used to loads of time on the ball (ie his performances for Scotland against Italy and for Celtic against Benfica). Despite his recent poor form he might be a decent call to partner Venegoor of Hesselink or at least get the last half hour.

Some of the Celtic fans on here might enjoy this; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQTPt-tBbp0

lynchbhoy

as Graveson has fallen foul of Strachan I'd expect
boruc
wilson, mcmanus, odea, naylor
nakamura, lennon, jarosik, mcgeady
jvoh beattie
starting tonight

miller will me more useful in the return leg when they need his speed for counter attacking.
Milan have quality but are an aging side and if celtic play the spl way (at a very fast pace) this will go a long way to upset the Italian side.
It will be interesting. Milan last came over and ground out a 0-0 result without looking to score. It will possibly be the same tonight, but Celtic underestimate this team at their peril. They have players that can score and Kaka is just one of them.
I think the keeper is making his debut tonight, as they leaked 3 goals to sienna last weekend.
Not as good as they were, but Celtic are very jekyll and hyde.
Celtic and Milan are neither brilliant in defense with the weak link mark wilson rather than the other three as is seen by the media.
..........

tyroneman

Only lack of match fitness would make Mark Wilson a weak link. TBH Lennon is looking more and more his age every match I see.

McGeady could be the main man, if selected, over these two legs - think the Milanese genuinely respect him (more than WGS by the looks of it)

Our central MF for this game could be ripped apart though bgy Pirlo, Kaka and (hate to say it) twatuso

lynchbhoy

think Wilson is a poor defender who is able to use his speed to cover it up.
Watching him over the past couple of years I have yet to be impressed. imo only his speed makes him a better option than Telfer.

Kaka would rip every defense apart. But if Celtic dont give them time on the ball to play football, then they will not be as effective...

will be intriguing tonight.
..........

tyroneman

With Lennon and Graveson/ Jarosik in CM Kaka could take out a chair, have a snooze, dream up what he's going to do next and get back up to do it before they neven got close unfortunatley  :(

SlimShady

Quote from: lynchbhoy on February 20, 2007, 01:08:20 PM
think Wilson is a poor defender who is able to use his speed to cover it up.
Watching him over the past couple of years I have yet to be impressed. imo only his speed makes him a better option than Telfer.

Kaka would rip every defense apart. But if Celtic dont give them time on the ball to play football, then they will not be as effective...

will be intriguing tonight.


:D yeah, that speed merchant from Armagh will take him to the cleaners-Kaka will have to concentrate more on defending!!

lynchbhoy

after another dodgy looking team selection by Strachan, Celtic will be mightily relieved to have escaped with a win yesterday.
Highlight of the day was young Cavan lad and ex-Gaa footballer - Cillian Sheridan, actually being brought on and teeing up the winner for Kenny Miller.
..........

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Quote from: lynchbhoy on February 26, 2007, 09:09:15 AM
after another dodgy looking team selection by Strachan, Celtic will be mightily relieved to have escaped with a win yesterday.
Highlight of the day was young Cavan lad and ex-Gaa footballer - Cillian Sheridan, actually being brought on and teeing up the winner for Kenny Miller.


In fairness to Miller he still had a fair bit to do after Sheridan laid the ball off to him! Hopefully Miller will get a confidence boost from that and go on a wee run of goals...not been the best time for him with goal drought, teeth problems and running into linesmen ;D

The better team probably lost yesterday but Celtic had the mental strength to turn it around late and ICT lacked the mental strength to get over the finishing line.