The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

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

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Total Members Voted: 69

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

LDA I don't think that you can call Celtic fans fickle, I have been supporting them for as long as I can remember (30+) and the years of Rangers dominance in the late 80's - 90's didn't diminish my support or any of the Celtic fans I knew support for the club. It made us more determined to succeed.

Fair enough the same cannot be said of the blue side of Glasgow.

As for the big boys in the EPL not wanting us, far from it, Celtic would be sitting in the top 6 of the EPL and the big teams would relish the challenge, anyway it's not them that make the discissions, its the moneymen behind the scenes, and having Celtic in the EPL would make the league even more attractive to TV and sponsers and increase the popularity of that league.


http://[color=green]come%20on%20the%20hoops![/color]
Tbc....

scottish-dub

how can it not be said about the "blue side of glasgow"

was that when Celtic had crowds of under 8000 turning up just before fergus mccann came along?

yes great supporters 8)

lynchbhoy

Quote from: Lamh Dhearg Alba on June 27, 2007, 09:42:38 PM
Here ;D

Its a complete non-starter. The biggest reason is that England doesnt need Celtic and Rangers, the Premiership is already filthy rich without them. Why would the big English clubs want to share cash with two Scottish teams. Plus despite OF fans having a go at the SPL it also provides them with an annual Champions League place, that wouldnt be the case down south. Be interesting also to see where the OF fans would go when their teams werent guarenteed a steady stream of trophies...notoriously fickle supporters.
Id be happy enough personally if they f*cked off to England and even better if they took their grounds and supporters south of the border too but it wont happen.

Celtic might well have missed a trick by not going for Aberdeen's Russel Anderson who today signed for Keane's Sunderland for £1m. Better centre half than McManus and Caldwell and a good buy at that price.
It would have been a better chance of it two years ago when TV money was looking like it was going to go right down.
Think if rangers and celtic left the spl (even leaving reserve teams in their place) the league would flourish !

As for Anderson - I have been a big fan of his for a few years now. I didnt think he would ever leave aberdeen.Keane obv spotted this in his stint in the spl.
Dont rate Caldwell and to me McManus is an old style left back.
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scottish-dub

mcmanus is woeful - makes far too many mistakes- still has time to stop these errors -but at the moment -not good enough

as for pressley and balde - oh dear

that is where celtic need to strengthen ::)

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on June 28, 2007, 09:00:28 AM
LDA I don't think that you can call Celtic fans fickle, I have been supporting them for as long as I can remember (30+) and the years of Rangers dominance in the late 80's - 90's didn't diminish my support or any of the Celtic fans I knew support for the club. It made us more determined to succeed.

I certainly wasnt questioning your commitment to the club GDA but the 60,000 every game at Parkhead is a pretty new phenomen (McCann years onwards), not long ago at all that crowds of less than 20,000 were common enough at Celtic Park. Would be interesting to see what kind of crowd a Celtic side in the middle of the Premiership playing against Bolton or Derby would attract to games.

Like I said Id be happy to see the back of the Old Firm but its not going to happen. I dont agree GDA that the Premiership would really want these clubs, the league is rich enough already. Would they want the baggage these clubs also still bring? Would also set a very dangerous precedent which could a lot of problems in leagues throughout Europe.


An_dun_abu

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Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Reid plays down Celtic link.

Former Home Secretary John Reid has denied he is about to be appointed chairman of Celtic.

Reports claimed the 60-year-old MP for Airdrie and Shotts had been offered the job and was "highly likely" to take it.

But a spokesman for Dr Reid, well known as a Celtic supporter, said: "Whatever the speculation, John Reid has made no final decision about any roles he may take up in future and won't be making any such decisions for some time."

The Daily Telegraph report suggested Dr Reid would replace Brian Quinn, the chairman since 2000.

According to the paper, his appointment was being promoted by the club's biggest shareholder, Dermot Desmond.

Another scalp for DD.
Tbc....

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Strachan hopes to make giant strides

DARRYL BROADFOOT, Chief Football Writer
July 05 2007


The spring has returned to Gordon Strachan's step.

The Celtic manager has been relieved of his crutches, both literally and, in the case of Neil Lennon, metaphorically, and has resumed his training-ground duties with a renewed sense of purpose and ambition.

A hip-replacement operation near last season's end has been sufficiently successful to enable him to preside unencumbered over preparatory work at the team's idyllic headquarters in Spiez, Switzerland. Developments have been a daily occurrence since he departed like a limping Pied Piper after sharing Celtic's championship success with wide-eyed youngsters plucked randomly from the four corners of Celtic Park.


For a start, transfer business has been brisk: Scott Brown, Scott McDonald, Chris Killen and Massimo Donati have been recruited at varying levels of investment. Departures have been minimal: Neil Lennon leaving seven years of memories behind to join Nottingham Forest, and Craig Beattie's £1.25m transfer to West Bromwich Albion further testament to the remarkable housekeeping of the chief executive, Peter Lawwell, which the manager gratefully acknowledged. "I'm content now," said Strachan.

In the meantime, the vultures hovering over Shunsuke Nakamura have been kept out of harm's way. "It's not worth talking about. Thierry Henry put up with it for five years because he's a top player, too," the manager stressed.

There was also the one that apparently got away, Marceo Rigters, the Netherlands under-21 striker who elected to join Blackburn Rovers after the customary charade of speculation from three man-dated agents. "There was no hesitation; it was my decision," said Strachan.

He addressed all of the pertinent issues that have gathered since he departed for safari in South Africa, including the ongoing search for a captain to replace Lennon, yet conveyed the impression that the ethos and objectives will alter only marginally as he embarks on the third phase of his trophy-laden tenure.

"The basis of the football will still be the same," he said, having himself acknowledged that a second successive title was achieved with an inadequate volume of plunder and, latterly, an understandable lack of inspiration having romped ahead of their nearest rivals before their winning margin was cut to 13 points. "We are working on one or two wee new things from last season."

I think there are disadvantages in coming to Scotland but advantages in coming to Celtic – enough to drag people along





Finding an appropriate and deserving leader to replace Lennon is a task Strachan has undertaken with precision. "I haven't decided yet; there are three candidates I am thinking about in the squad," he said, while not ruling out the late acquisition of a ready-made on-field sergeant. The manager refused to reveal the identities of the three, but a simple process of elimination leaves little scope for debate.

Stephen McManus is the popular and obvious choice. Steven Pressley's experience merits his inclusion but, at 34, and having finished the season poorly, doubts have been cast over his prospects of featuring prominently next season amid competition from Gary Caldwell and the rehabilitated pairing of John Kennedy and Bobo Balde.

Artur Boruc is the dark horse, having pledged his future to Celtic, but might Nakamura be offered an extra incentive to remain? He is, after all, one of the most respected players among his peers, works harder than anyone according to the manager, and already sets a quiet example to the rest.

"We have to look at it carefully because the captain will have to back you up in the dressing room, trust your perception of how football should be played and how a dressing room should be run. Any captain will also get close to me," Strachan added.

"Roy Keane was here and would have been a good captain, but there are many qualities I require. I knew people at Coventry who would shout and scream in the dressing room and become silent as soon as they went on the pitch.

"There are things I see in and around the dressing room that you don't. We need common sense and leadership.

The relationship is up there with the one I would have with the chairman."

His relationship with the chief executive has been successful almost without precedent. Allan MacDonald, Ian McLeod and Jock Brown, the prototype as general manager to Wim Jansen, failed to a man, in some instances spectacularly so. None won the respect of their colleagues, far less the affection of the supporters. In this respect, Lawwell's feats are staggering and consistently so.

The relationship between Strachan and his perennially-harassed line manager has not always been rosy, but mutual respect has been fostered even in disagreement.

"It's good. Last year, I wanted a player and Peter said he was too expensive," said Strachan, with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink's £40,000-a-week demands an obvious source of the mini conflict.

"I didn't agree, but he was proved right. It makes you think, Well played Peter', he stood by his decision. We are a team and Peter has allowed us to buy these players. The on-field success has also enabled us to finance signings more than we did a few years ago."

Lawwell is undoubtedly on a roll. Donati has joined from AC Milan for less than the £3m quoted, while Brown was snatched from under Rangers' noses, with Celtic prepared to up the bidding to more than £4m. Central to the amended tactical approach will be that dynamic central partnership.

"I was impressed by his all-round play," said Strachan, defying invitations to pigeon-hole Donati's attributes.

"John Park Celtic's football development manager had watched a lot of him and I watched videos on tv. He has a good eye for a forward pass, but has a lot of good stuff. He is a good player.

"We want him to be a midfield player, one that comprises everything. We have probably spent six months looking at him quietly, but we also do that about a lot of other players nobody knows about. I think there are disadvantages in coming to Scottish football, but there are advantages in coming to Celtic, like playing in the Champions League and in front of 60,000 supporters every other week. There is enough there to drag people along."

Dragging the punters along is the easy part as demand consistently outstrips supply. Satisfying their renowned tastes remains a source of aggravation on both sides. "Personally, we could have played better and that's why I am looking for more variation next season," Strachan said. "I want to keep our winning ways.

If we don't entertain, I want us to win.

"We won our treble last season. I think if people were asked whether they wanted the CIS Insurance Cup or get to the last 16 of the Champions League, they would prefer the last 16. What we have done is give them winning football. Entertainment? What is entertainment? We still scored enough goals last season to win the league by 13 points, after all.


Basle tonight on Setanta, not be long now til the season starts!  ;)


Tbc....

T Fearon

Its about time Celtic revisited Ireland for a few friendlies,It must be 5 or 6 years since their last visit.

glens73

I'm annoyed that on Setanta Sports 2 ( in the uk) they've put back the hurling qualifier between Clare and Galway to 9.00 instead of showing it live - all for a Celtic pre-season friendly that they could have shown as delayed later anyway.

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Quote from: T Fearon on July 05, 2007, 01:18:33 PM
Its about time Celtic revisited Ireland for a few friendlies,It must be 5 or 6 years since their last visit.


Won't be over this Summer.

The Orcs are playing Distillery though Tony!
Tbc....

stiffler

1 nil victory tonight, with Kenny Miller scoring the goal in the first half.

Alot, if not all, of the new signings got a game. Scot Brown stood out as a hard running attacking player with quality. Brown in nets was also steady, and pulled off one great save in particular. Should be a good back up to Boruc.

Anyone know what the story is with Delvecchio? is he still thinking about moving to celtic park or has he pulled the pin on a deal?
GAABoard Fantasy Cheltenham Competition- Most winners 2009

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Well shaky enough start to the season, but a decent result tomorrow against Spartak Moscow over there would steady things up.

Match on Setanta 2 tomorrow at 5pm.
Tbc....

clarshack

celtic have been terrible since march and need to buck up soon.

lynchbhoy

Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on August 14, 2007, 12:48:31 PM
Well shaky enough start to the season, but a decent result tomorrow against Spartak Moscow over there would steady things up.

Match on Setanta 2 tomorrow at 5pm.
I take it that setanta 2 is not the one we get free in Dublin...?

Celtic really poor up front at the start of the season

have to question the club going over to USA for pre-season games
they always come back kackered and take a few games to get going in the league

this was the reason for the artmedia bratislava and fc basel debacles

youd think they would have learned by now

I am still waiting on Ally McCoist to carry out his promise to jump into the stands and drag out any rangers fan singing sectarian songs...
Ovb wee ally didnt have his hearing aid on for two of the games so far this year  :D
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