The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[tyroneStatto]

Arsenal hadn't one englishman last night whereas Celtic had four scots (including Mc Geady who was born there) Says it all.

The irony is that when the financial playing fields were level Celtic and Rangers regularly pissed on English teams (and they were Champions of England) in the European Cup. Both of them knocked Leeds out. In 1967 Scottish Football was arguably the strongest in Europe with Celtic winning the European Cup and Rangers only losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in that years ECWC Final after extra time.

The money bubble will burst soon enough in England and a lot of so called big clubs will go the way of Leeds.

Celtic and Rangers will always be strong and relatively stable

would love to see that. it seems boom is always followed by bust (just look at the housing market), therefore it could well happen .
read recently that 92% of chelsea's current fanbase didnt support them 8 years ago -  if chelsea went the way of Leeds who's bandwagon would they jump onto next?

[Dinny Breen]

Arsenal played well within themselves and there normal fluidity was misisng, credit to Celtic there as they did work their asses of but they were all huff and puff and were missing subtlety and guile up front. The scoreline flattered Arsenal but there felt an inevitability about the result almost as if the Celtic didn't believe they could win. Arsenal are close to being the finished article and will go well in the EPL and CL, Celtic are in a rebuilding process with a new manager only learning about his players.

As a gooner and defender last season of Song delighted to see him maintain his progress.

[T Fearon]

Its a joke.

As one that goes regularly to both Celtic Park and White Hart Lane I enjoy the Celtic Park experience much more. There is an aura and history about the place which sadly the Lane just doesn't quite match. Also love the wit and humour at Celtic Park, you start off sitting beside a total stranger then at the end of the game its like you've known each other all your life.

All these things come from history. Celtic and indeed Rangers will never lose their identity unlike the likes of Man Ure and Liverpool and their foreign owners with  nomadic fanbases.

As for English clubs records in the Champions League considering it has the most resources in terms of cash, two wins in ten years is paltry and even one of them was lucky in the extreme and the gap between Europe's top club and Man Ure was glaring in last year's Final.

Had Barca been focussed and together the year before it would have been them and not Man Ure in the final against Chelsea

[lynchbhoy]

why do the english fans on here feel the need to tell all celtic fans how bad their team is, I dont think anyone on here would not acknowledge the gulf in class (money) however last night boruc wasnt tested, two freak goals and for my mind an absolute definate penalty waved away for celtic at 1-0, celtic did little else than hold arsenal for the majority of the game but they did that and had more of the ball in the second half. Well done arsenal though I would still be wary of the second leg, and think celtic could get a draw out of it.

Europa cup football isnt the end of the world, just disappointing when celtic shouldn't have been in the position needing to qualify!

It has become cool to hate Celtic in recent times, I know of people who take delight at Rangers winning the league ahead of Celtic which is sad.  I have great affinity for Celtic, they are a well run club with an enviable fan base.
Good luck to Arsenal but it is still plain to see that when a game gets physical they have no match in the middle of the park, until that is addressed their trophy free run will continue.

Far from it been that people hate celtic, its probably the case that when Celtic get a result in Europe, generally at home, we are told about how they would win the EPL in a few years if they got the chance. This is far from the truth and Celtic fans have problems facing up to that.

pray tell how and why ?

(not that I  think they would  - but wonder how you quantify that)

Well for a start look at the squads and the players Celtic are buying, and Rangers for that matter. They normall poach from other SPL teams or pick up Championship players from midlevel teams. Other players bought are from French and dutch league teams. These are the type of player that even promoted EPL players don't go after - Loovens, Naylor, Donati, Fortune, Fox, etc etc. These guys are solid footballers but not even on the radar of the EPL clubs.

The transfer of players from the EPL to the SPL and vice versa had dried up in recent years. From the days of Butcher, Woods, Bellamy, Lennon, Stuart Slater even to Viduka, Di Canio, Petrov, Van Hoojdunk, Amoruso, Tugay, transferring between the two leagues we rarely see anyone moving now. Mendes in the past year to Rangers is all I can think off and he was unwanted at Portsmouth. Maloney couldn't cut it, Ferguson couldn't cut it, even Petrov took a while to settle from the kick and chase that he faced in the SPL.

The gap in quality is widening.

The form of Celtic in the CL away from home, would also be an indication. They struggle against teams that keep the ball and don't just hoof it up at them like they face in away SPL matches where they will continue to dominate possession. When they have to win the ball and keep it in the CL away matches they can be exposed.

I don't think Celtic are a bad side but they are losing pace with the EPL teams, as it is becoming less attractive to play up north.

As for Celtic fans not facing up to the truth - look at Fearons post about the performance of the EPL teams in the CL. 

dont disagree
but thats all down to money and the availability of it in the epl.
Still a good few players coveted by epl clubs and sought after - brown,mcgeady and that young Irish lad mccarthy that went from hamilton to burnley.

rangers have a couple of players that some epl sides would want. Am sure there are a few more.

I dont see an argument.
If the money available was the same then the standards woul be the same.
Only diff would be in trying to convince someone to go to live in glasgow/edinburgh (or newcastle/middlesboro etc for that mater !)

[bingobus]

dont disagree
but thats all down to money and the availability of it in the epl.
Still a good few players coveted by epl clubs and sought after - brown,mcgeady and that young Irish lad mccarthy that went from hamilton to burnley.

rangers have a couple of players that some epl sides would want. Am sure there are a few more.

I dont see an argument.
If the money available was the same then the standards woul be the same.
Only diff would be in trying to convince someone to go to live in glasgow/edinburgh (or newcastle/middlesboro etc for that mater !)

Of course the money would help but my original point way back was that if it doesn't happen soon, then it will be pointless, as in the first few years when Celtic and Hibs  try and get a foothold in the EPL they'd be at the same level of say Burnley coming up and the gulf will be too much to catch up.

Even Peter Crouch didn't want to move to Sunderland so its going to hard for players to move further north 

It'd be great to see Celtic in EPL but it has to happen soon or its never going to work. An Agathe or Reggie Blinker will always look good in Glasgow but the EPL?

[Clown]

As someone said last night on the radio - celtic and rangers in the premiership is NEVER going to happen so its pointless talking about how they would do/how much more money they would hav etc

Celtic were no more outclassed last night than Man U were a few months ago by Barcelona
Maybe united should look into joining La Liga

[Clown]

An Agathe or Reggie Blinker will always look good in Glasgow but the EPL?

I actually thought Blinker was shite in Scotland, he did better in the EPL, scoring two crackers in his early days at Sheff Wed and everyone predicting he was a great signing

[The Watcher Pat]

Its all relative.

By and large Celtic did as well as the vast majority of EPL teams last night, but sure at the other end of the scale, the Italian clubs and particularly the Spanish clubs (if they're not fueding amongst each other) regularly piss over the EPL clubs (discount Liverpool's steal in 2005) in the latter stages

Arsenal will not be involved when it matters in this tournament as they will be pissed on with a club that has more money then them

Maybe in much the same way as your beloved Tottenham will never be involved in this tournament!

[lynchbhoy]

dont disagree
but thats all down to money and the availability of it in the epl.
Still a good few players coveted by epl clubs and sought after - brown,mcgeady and that young Irish lad mccarthy that went from hamilton to burnley.

rangers have a couple of players that some epl sides would want. Am sure there are a few more.

I dont see an argument.
If the money available was the same then the standards woul be the same.
Only diff would be in trying to convince someone to go to live in glasgow/edinburgh (or newcastle/middlesboro etc for that mater !)

Of course the money would help but my original point way back was that if it doesn't happen soon, then it will be pointless, as in the first few years when Celtic and Hibs  try and get a foothold in the EPL they'd be at the same level of say Burnley coming up and the gulf will be too much to catch up.

Even Peter Crouch didn't want to move to Sunderland so its going to hard for players to move further north 

It'd be great to see Celtic in EPL but it has to happen soon or its never going to work. An Agathe or Reggie Blinker will always look good in Glasgow but the EPL?

know what you are saying but that hypothesis cant be answered unless or until Celtic get into the epl to see what actually happens.
I would still think that because they are one of the biggest/best supported and historically big clubs in the world, they will always have a chance once the same level financial playing field is instilled.

you cna throw examples up all night - I'll give you eyal berkovic and juninho who were great in the epl but looked third rate in the spl ! ! !
 

[tyroneStatto]

henri camara was another one who did better in the epl than the spl.

[No way ref]

If we're gonna be silly sure i'll fire in roy keane

[lynchbhoy]

If we're gonna be silly sure i'll fire in roy keane

LOL
viduka, franny jeffers, tore andre flop...


it just goes to prove that it proves nothing.
There is some great young talent in the spl, but the money is a fraction of the epl.
if the money was equal, then it stands to reason that it would all be level standard.
However that wouldnt be good for the home grown young jockos that I have to say make the scottish game quite entertaining from a purist soccer perspective.
Watching the likes of dundee utd v hibs is like a throwback to the pre epl era with honest soccer ability and effort and far less primadona attitudes.
Its refreshing.
In a way I prefer this to the OTT poncey soccer that most of the leagues are ending up as.
Its only downfall is that it makes spl clubs less competitive in europe.
But unlike the eircom league sides, these scots teams can actually play soccer !

[tyroneStatto]

in 1984 dundee utd drew 2-2 with man utd at old trafford in the uefa cup. this is just one example of what money has done to the game since.

[bingobus]

And Celtic reached European Cup finals, Uefa cup finals etc etc

In the past the SPL could compete but the gap is widening very quickly. But as someone siad its never going to happen.

[bingobus]

Its not the fault of the Scottish Clubs that the gap is widening but UEFA. Also Celtic are not up to their eyeballs in debt like Man Ure and Liverpool etc.

Imagine the outcry and laughing if Celtic had met Burnley and lost 1-0? The jibes about how bad Scottish Football is etc

Thats true, Celtic have managed their finances very well in recent times buts it not that long ago they where in a mess. Its the controlled spending that has saved them.

However, in the EPL they'd find the spending and wages would have to increase and despite the increased money from the EPL it is hard not to drfit into debt unless a sugar daddy is footing the bill.