New look Celtic side held to a 1-1 draw by the Danish side Midtjylland at Parkhead, they now face a tricky trip to Denmark for the return leg next week.

Elsewhere in Europe, a 5-0 win in Lithuania for the Welsh team TNS, but a 4-1 reverse for their fellow Welsh side Connah's Quay Nomads in Kosovo.

am I allowed to express how incredibly delightful it is to see Celtic being bobbins ?

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:35 pm

am I allowed to express how incredibly delightful it is to see Celtic being bobbins ?

Absolutely!

Oh dear. How very sad.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 20, 2021 10:35 pm

am I allowed to express how incredibly delightful it is to see Celtic being bobbins ?

I think its awful of you to think that ......








and NOT include at least

" Oh dear, how sad, never mind ! " ....

Midtjylland are the sister club of Brentford - same owner and his first club

Excuse my but Celtic 2 West Ham 6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57957450

And this deluded bunch think they're good enough to compete in the EPL, not in a million years, they'd struggle in the Championship with their present squad, is it any wonder many of their stars want away, this Postecoglou chap is well out of his depth, and if he survives past Christmas I'll be staggered.

Chris Sutton not had his say on it yet?

Silkyskills1 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:35 pm

Chris Sutton not had his say on it yet?

One of his catchphrases comes to mind.

You're Better Than That!

The problem is they really aren't, and ever since Brendan Rodgers decided to leave they've been on a downward spiral, and the worry for the Celtic hordes is they appear to be going further backwards at a rate of knots, I know it's only pre-season today, but come on whipped 6-2 at home by West Ham.

I'll bet David Moyes sported a wry smile at the final whistle, Celtic could have appointed him a couple of years ago, and bizarrely choose not to take him on. and now look at the contrast in fortunes between the pair.

Huge tie on Tuesday for Celtic and AP, if they lose it he'll be under severe pressure even before the domestic season kicks off.

Sometimes you just get the impression a manager and a club aren't on the same page, and rightly or wrongly I'm detecting that vibe with Celtic and their new gaffer, now he may yet be able to turn it around, but I sense this job is too big for him to handle.

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:52 pm

Sometimes you just get the impression a manager and a club aren't on the same page, and rightly or wrongly I'm detecting that vibe with Celtic and their new gaffer, now he may yet be able to turn it around, but I sense this job is too big for him to handle.

I suspect that following Lennon was always going to be a tough ask - whoever they appointed. Especially with a re-invigorated Rangers side being realistic challengers to their domestic supremacy (which had mainly come about due to Rangers' enforced demise).

Celtic were overdue a massive turnover of their squad due to several years of under-investment whilst they were able to roll off trebles at will and complete undefeated seasons without spending much on new players.

bfcmik wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:06 pm

I suspect that following Lennon was always going to be a tough ask - whoever they appointed. Especially with a re-invigorated Rangers side being realistic challengers to their domestic supremacy (which had mainly come about due to Rangers' enforced demise).

Celtic were overdue a massive turnover of their squad due to several years of under-investment whilst they were able to roll off trebles at will and complete undefeated seasons without spending much on new players.

I don't disagree, but can you really see the Parkhead faithful giving Postecoglou a season to get his feet under the table, and start a rebuilding process.

Especially when as you rightly say Stevie G has got Rangers firing on all cylinders once again, the Celtic fans aren't exactly noted for their patience.

Blimey! they even turned on their idol Neil Lennon once results started slipping, and he's been a legend for almost 20 years, so AP has little chance of winning their favour unless he hits the ground running, the next couple of months will be crucial for him, if Celtic don't qualify for the CL, and start losing ground to Rangers in the title race then I can quickly see the Celtic fanbase venting their feelings justified or not.

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:20 pm

I don't disagree, but can you really see the Parkhead faithful giving Postecoglou a season to get his feet under the table, and start a rebuilding process.

No chance he will last out this year, and some doubt as to whether his replacement will get to the end of the season either.

bfcmik wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 9:37 pm

No chance he will last out this year, and some doubt as to whether his replacement will get to the end of the season either.

True! and it can't help that he wasn't their first choice, that was clearly EH, who for some reason unknown only to themselves Celtic took 4 months haggling before he turned the job down, why the Celtic hierarchy allowed this to drag on for so long I have no idea, but I guess the change of chief exec may have played a part in that delay.

AP has a mighty job on his hands to turn Celtic back into a force, their squad is breaking up, and although they have recruited well in the main, those new players aren't yet familiar with how the Scottish game operates, that allied to a manager who's also not familiar with the Scottish scene, and I can only see a recipe for disaster, and EH may well be relieved he's dodged a bullet here.

If I was in charge of Celtic I'd make Steve Clarke my number one choice, however now he's got the Scotland gig, and he's finally got them to a major tournament he may not feel it's the right time for him at this junction.

Eddie still available but I suspect he was warned off about their loony support and thought better of it.

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 7:54 pm

this Postecoglou chap is well out of his depth, and if he survives past Christmas I'll be staggered.

You're talking about them replacing the manager already? the season hasn't even started yet
Their new manager has lost their 3 main central defenders. Julien long term injury, Ajer and Duffy gone. Their right back Frimpong left last window and Tierney the left back left the previous summer.

Scott Brown has gone, Edouard wants to go, Kenny gone back to Everton, Christie contract ends in January, Laxalt has left, Elyounoussi has gone back to Southampton. Ntcham left last window.

Forrest, Julien, Dembele all out injured.

Their squad has been absolutely decimated over the last 6 months or so, I have no idea why you're talking about Postecoglou like it's his fault and who the hell cares about a pre-season friendly? certainly not fair to judge a new manager on a pre-season friendly.

KRBFC wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:47 pm

You're talking about them replacing the manager already? the season hasn't even started yet
Their new manager has lost their 3 main central defenders. Julien long term injury, Ajer and Duffy gone. Their right back Frimpong left last window and Tierney the left back left the previous summer.

Scott Brown has gone, Edouard wants to go, Kenny gone back to Everton, Christie contract ends in January, Laxalt has left, Elyounoussi has gone back to Southampton. Ntcham left last window.

Forrest, Julien, Dembele all out injured.

Their squad has been absolutely decimated over the last 6 months or so, I have no idea why you're talking about Postecoglou like it's his fault and who the hell cares about a pre-season friendly? certainly not fair to judge a new manager on a pre-season friendly.

It's not me who's suggesting Postecoglou won't last long at Celtic, it's the Celtic fans and the Scottish media who are suggesting he's not up to the task.

And it's not the WH game he'll be judged on, but if they fail to progress in the CL in a few days it will hardly help his cause with the Celtic support.

And yes I completely agree their squad requires a massive overhaul whoever is in the managers chair, this might well have been a major factor in EH turning them down.

Sadly the days of any manager getting a year to bed in to any job are now long gone, and if you don't get results straight away you'll be under the microscope, and even more so in the Glasgow goldfish bowl where 2nd isn't deemed good enough.

The reason Stevie G was given a grace period at Rangers is he inherited a club who were still recovering from their self-imposed demotion to the lower reaches of the Scottish leagues, and the Rangers support were prepared to give him a chance, mainly due to his household name, and standing in the British game.

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 5:05 pm

It's not me who's suggesting Postecoglou won't last long at Celtic, it's the Celtic fans and the Scottish media who are suggesting he's not up to the task.

And it's not the WH game he'll be judged on, but if they fail to progress in the CL in a few days it will hardly help his cause with the Celtic support.

And yes I completely agree their squad requires a massive overhaul whoever is in the managers chair, this might well have been a major factor in EH turning them down.

Sadly the days of any manager getting a year to bed in to any job are now long gone, and if you don't get results straight away you'll be under the microscope, and even more so in the Glasgow goldfish bowl where 2nd isn't deemed good enough.

The reason Stevie G was given a grace period at Rangers is he inherited a club who were still recovering from their self-imposed demotion to the lower reaches of the Scottish leagues, and the Rangers support were prepared to give him a chance, mainly due to his household name, and standing in the British game.

Well the squad has been decimated completely, there's barely anything left. I'm sure they'll give him time to sort it out.

Yes, they've often displayed a kind, soft-centred, caring outlook. I was only talking the other day about their attitude and behaviour at Turf Moor in Sep. 1978 over effectively a meaningless cup competition. We know that they are used to losing in early rounds of the competition they qualified for through coming 2nd out of two but to be out before 'Blackpool fortnight' is over must be a new one to them.

honestly. stevie g??

who talks like this?

KRBFC wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 5:31 pm

Well the squad has been decimated completely, there's barely anything left. I'm sure they'll give him time to sort it out.

You'd like to think so wouldn't you, and if they should pot him in the first few months of his contract, it'll not exactly reflect well on the new Celtic bigwigs will it, but sometimes managers don't always get the time to rebuild a squad, Moyes at Man Utd is a prime example, he inherited an ageing squad that had just got over the line for Fergie the year before, and he only got 7 months or so before he got bumped despite a decent run in the CL.

The old saying remains true, always be the man who follows the man who follows the man, it was going to be a poisoned chalice for whoever took over from Neil Lennon, and Brendan Rodgers prior to him, 12 trophies on the bounce, and 4 trebles, even by Old Firm standards that's unheard of, and sooner or later that run of success was bound to halt,

If the Celtic board are serious about reclaiming their standing as the best team in Scotland, and attempting to become a force in Europe once more, then they'll need to abandon the biscuit tin mentality which has infested their ranks for several seasons now, and actually invest in their playing staff, they've recouped substantial fees for some of their big guns who've left in the past few years, and now is the time for them to reinvest those profits back into the squad, if they don't at the very least give AP a fighting chance then he can't shoulder all the blame if they are forced to endure another poor campaign.

This was always a danger given they had so many loan players last season, 7 in total I think, and when they return to their parent clubs, as is often the case, then it impacts deeply on your squad, that plus a few players coming to the natural end of their careers such as Scott Brown, who whether you like him or not has been a huge presence on Scottish football for over a decade, and a key figure in the Celtic dressing room throughout their period of success, icons such as him aren't easy to replace, again look at Man Utd after Roy Keane retired, they lacked that driving force on the park which every successful side needs.

What Scottish football really needs is a sustained challenge to the Old Firm dominance, it seems to be cyclical between which of the Glasgow giants rules the roost, and occasionally you'll get a real edge of your seat finale when the title goes down to the wire, but normally the 3rd placed team is usually 20-30 points adrift of the big two, and that can't be good for competition when even before a ball is kicked this weekend you can bet your mortgage that the Glasgow duopoly will be maintained.

Liquidate Rangers and Celtic and let the rest of them crack on with it

claret2018 wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:57 pm

Liquidate Rangers and Celtic and let the rest of them crack on with it

You could say the same for our top League to be fair.

BurnleyFC wrote: ↑

Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:00 pm

You could say the same for our top League to be fair.

Not really to the same extent though, and Leicester have proved that with the right ingredients you can topple the moneybags clubs.

Plus you can't with any confidence predict that what the top 6 will be in the PL season in, season out, whereas you can state with certainty that Celtic and Rangers will be the top 2 in the SPL, the only is in what order.

And the English teams regularly reach European finals, indeed! it's rare for there not to be an English representative in one or even both major European finals, the last time a Scottish club reached a major European final was Rangers in 2008, so you can't really compare like for like can you.

I'm not 100% certain, but I suspect it's nearly 40 years since anyone outwith the Old Firm won the Scottish league, Aberdeen in 83/84 at a educated guess, whereas since the formation of the PL there's been 7 different winners in about 30 years, so hardly a one or two team league is it.

Celtic were dire last season really dire, and yet they still strolled to 2nd place in the league due to the general lack of competition which abounds currently in Scotland. What the solution is I don't know, but this duopoly can't be good for the game in the long term, thankfully at least St Johnstone broke through in both domestic cups, and they offer the provincial clubs some hope of silverware, but as for challenging for the title, unless one of them somehow attracts a sugar daddy forget it anytime soon.

Can they enter the Anglo Scottish Cup?

tiger76 wrote: ↑

Sat Jul 24, 2021 7:54 pm

Excuse my but Celtic 2 West Ham 6 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57957450

And this deluded bunch think they're good enough to compete in the EPL, not in a million years, they'd struggle in the Championship with their present squad, is it any wonder many of their stars want away, this Postecoglou chap is well out of his depth, and if he survives past Christmas I'll be staggered.

Not quite, they think with equal financial footing that would be afforded to them by the EPL, they could compete at the top end . Which is absolutely true.

willsclarets wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 26, 2021 8:18 pm

Not quite, they think with equal financial footing that would be afforded to them by the EPL, they could compete at the top end . Which is absolutely true.

Yes probably correct, hence why I stated they'd struggle with their current squad, which I think most people can see is likely on the available evidence.

Of course if they and Rangers came down to the EPL they would be able to attract better players, firstly they'd have a decent level to compete against every week, and they'd also be able to stretch out on bigger wages, however when you say top end, they wouldn't automatically be challenging for the title, I could see both finishing top 10, and perhaps pushing for Europe, but whether either could improve on that I have my doubts.

Having money and a big fanbase doesn't guarantee success, take Arsenal, Everton & West Ham to name just 3 established PL teams, none of those have come close to winning the league in the past 15 years, and only Arsenal with their FA Cup triumphs even have any silverware to show for their combined efforts, so I don' think the Old Firm would just swan down and sweep all before them.

Talk of Scotland's big two joining the English league is nothing new, it's been regularly discussed for at least 30 years now, and as yet there's no apparent sign that's it's going to happen anytime soon.

Not to mention if Rangers and Celtic came to England they'd likely attract huge foreign investment on top of the PL riches.

1-0 up

KRBFC wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 26, 2021 8:36 pm

Not to mention if Rangers and Celtic came to England they'd likely attract huge foreign investment on top of the PL riches.

I can see the argument for that however you’d have thought if Newcastle can’t attract it, why would Celtic and Rangers?

gandhisflipflop wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 7:58 pm

I can see the argument for that however you’d have thought if Newcastle can’t attract it, why would Celtic and Rangers?

Because celtic and rangers are miles bigger than Newcastle.

1-1 ... squeaky bum time

Forrest squanders a golden chance and the Danes break and equalise, could be a huge turning point in the tie that couple of minutes.

The winners of this tie will play PSV who are thrashing Galatasaray 6-1 on agg.

Barlickclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:01 pm

Because celtic and rangers are miles bigger than Newcastle.

You think so?

gandhisflipflop wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:30 pm

You think so?

Without a doubt, globally miles bigger, Newcastle are only big in Newcastle.

2-1 Midtjylland in ET, about 20 mins to go.

Barlickclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:01 pm

Because celtic and rangers are miles bigger than Newcastle.

In what sense? Fan base? That’s all
They have. The quality of their side is miles behind any premier league side, commercially Rangers and Celtic are miles behind any Premier league side. They play in a backwater league.
Why do you think all the players are want to move to the premier league?

We will never agree, because in my opinion celtic and rangers are bigger in every dept than Newcastle. Agree they play in the only league they can play in, so they can't attract players of prem quality.

Cheerio, Celtic!

Time to bid for Christie now they have a hole in their accounts?

Celtic bundled out at the first hurdle again, this is becoming a habit for them now.

Oh dear what a shame never mind, I’ve never forgiven them since the battle of Turf Moor back in the 70’s.

Barlickclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:07 pm

We will never agree, because in my opinion celtic and rangers are bigger in every dept than Newcastle. Agree they play in the only league they can play in, so they can't attract players of prem quality.

Fan base yes,
Commercially they are miles behind don’t generate anywhere near as much money. Quality of the playing squad they are miles behind because of the previous point.

ŽižkovClaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 9:17 pm

Time to bid for Christie now they have a hole in their accounts?

I'd rather we signed Callum McGregor, but he's tied to a long term deal, so Christie may be the better option, he'll certainly be a damned sight cheaper that's for sure, and I can see somebody taking a punt on him at a relatively cheap price, so why not us.

What a costly defeat. Whatever future investment plans they had have just been thrown into the bin.

Barlickclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:33 pm

Without a doubt, globally miles bigger, Newcastle are only big in Newcastle.

Newcastleclaret93 is bigger

Poor old Celtic

Got what they deserved. Sweet FA.
New manager has taken on a shambles of a club.
Christie showed nothing to make him good enough for us.

Shaggy wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:58 pm

In what sense? Fan base? That’s all
They have. The quality of their side is miles behind any premier league side, commercially Rangers and Celtic are miles behind any Premier league side. They play in a backwater league.
Why do you think all the players are want to move to the premier league?

You completely missed the point, we were talking about if Rangers and Celtic joined the English leagues....

Beautiful start to the season as the scrubbers crash out