14 Sep 2016 00:25:24
While it is never nice getting beat, I think we can all admit that we were totally outclassed tonight by one of the best attacking lineups ever seen.
Yes we got pumped but stronger teams than us have been pumped by Barcelona in recent years:
Roma pumped 6-1
Bayern Munich pumped 4-0
Bayern Leverkusen pumped 7-1
Ajax pumped 4-0
AC Milan 4-0
Arsenal 4-1
Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1
Real Madrid 5-0.
{Ed007's Note - Rab, for the past 3 years I've been told that results in the CL don't matter, it's all about the money. Posters saying they'd rather watch us getting beat 6-1 (will it now be 7-0?) by Barca was better than watching us steamroller teams in Scotland etc etc Now it's happened again there's an uproar. I never wanted Lennon to stay on for his final season but the Barca result was a killer for me that year, that's why I could never understand the f**k the results think of the money attitude from others. Money doesn't ease the pain of Celtic getting beat.
The defeat to Red Imps was more embarrassing than tonight's result, we got into the CL by the skin of our teeth against the Israeli team and nothing else mattered - what's changed? Imagine Ronny Deila had a loss to Red Imps and a 7-0 drubbing by Barca on his CV? Remember the EL group we qualified from and that wasn't good enough because it wasn't the CL, playing Inter Milan in the latter stages of Europe wasn't good enough - remember the double standards I spoke about? I gave Lennon dogs abuse after the 6-1 game because I really didn't expect it but tonight's scoreline was a surprise but against the current Barca team - who I grudge having to praise- it wasn't totally unexpected.
I was hoping for something like 3-1 but expecting 4/5 -1 but I'm not at the smashing the bog up stage after tonight's result, we need to concentrate on domestic dominance, anything else as I've always said is a bonus.
So does anyone still think we'll be invited to the Super League?}
14 Sep 2016 06:11:56
The fan base us there to say that an invite to the super league wouldn't be out of the question completely. With such an invitation would come the finances attached to a super league which in turn attracts players of a super league standard.
I would imagine for Celtic to gain entry the super league would require a second tier and for them to work their way up from there.
There's a sound enough foundation we just require the ambitious billionaire or 2.
Now hold your breath.
14 Sep 2016 09:16:57
We are not in Barcas class or real or 100 other teams. even if we spent 30 mil
If pogba is worth 100 mil. What's m n s worth. let alone inesata and co.
14 Sep 2016 10:12:04
You must be talking well over
500 million for just their strike force last night.
14 Sep 2016 07:10:54
Ed, I don't think many will be clamouring to get into the Super League apart from the likes of Desmond and Lawwell and those with a vested self-interest. I accept people like Doncaster fighting for Scotland's place in the "elite" but that's hardly going to happen. Scottish football isn't what it used to be like and it's up to other clubs in Scotland to improve and invest with whatever they can get their hands on and improve Scotland's co-efficient. I'm talking of the likes of Aberdeen and to an extent Hearts to give a better account of themselves in the Europa League, but where they fail is to "lesser" teams and all they seem to do is defend in numbers and attack in ones and twos.
Where Celtic falls down a bit is when they are out of Europe they should be looking at arranging friendlies on European nights to a) keep the supporters interested and b) gauge their progress against other European teams.
{Ed007's Note - That would just be seen as a money making stunt by the Club imo unless the friendlies were free to ST holders and say £10 for adults/£5 for kids for non ST holders - and what quality of opposition would agree to midweek friendlies in Glasgow?}
14 Sep 2016 08:17:26
I would like to add, that neither of us are right or wrong and both have valid arguments.
On one hand there is you who would prefer not to make as much money and play in the second biggest tournament were there is more chance of being able to compete and less chance of a pumping.
On the other hand there is me, who would prefer to get into the CL and get our hands on the money, knowing that it is unlikely we can compete and there is every chance of being pumped. The reason I want CL is that I know that this gives us more to invest in the team and that we don't have to sell our best players unless they are intent on leaving. It also means we can buy a higher caliber of player and make domestic dominance a near foregone conclusion as the gulf between us and the other teams will just widen.
If we keep qualifying for CL then each year we should become stronger and increase our chances of competing at that level. Obviously, with the status quo remaining there is little to no chance of ever winning the CL.
{Ed007's Note - It's not that I would rather not play in the CL, my argument is that it isn't the be all and end all the way some fans go on about it and clamouring for managers to be sacked if they don't qualify. I'm delighted we're in it but it wouldn't have been the end of the world if we hadn't - I'd much rather see us dominating Scottish football and treating the CL or the EL as a wee bonus adventure
We qualified for the CL this year and didn't strengthen the team with the money, in fact when have we pushed the boat out on signings before when we've had CL money? So what makes you think it'll happen in future? Remember a couple of weeks ago all the talk about 'marquee signings. if we qualified.}
14 Sep 2016 09:45:22
I was expecting 5 or 6 Ed if am honest and there he haw any other team could do about goals 2, 3, 4 an 6!
This one league super league a canny get my head round it to me now its just a threat they conjure up to gain a bigger yield each time its renegotiated A mean its like finding your first porno or scud mag mate its smashing but after a while you get fed up with it because there nothing you've not seen over n over
For the avoidance of doubt I can't see us being invited other than milking our fans knowing they would attend more than others (true an games need attending) but again distancing myself further from it I would not want turned over like that every week either (y)
{Ed007's Note - I mentioned a while back that it would take £100s of millions for Celtic to even get near the standards of the elite teams in European football. We'd need to invest in the stadium, the training facilities and the infrastructure of the Club before we even looked at the playing side.}
14 Sep 2016 13:10:22
I agree, lots of our fans have unrealistic expectations. Therefore, when the team/ manager don't live up to their expectations they feel gutted and angry, then start slating players and manager. Whereas if they actually realised were our place is in the hierarchy they would have more realistic expectations and their world would not come crashing down when we got beat.
With regards to our current spending and CL money, it has always been my understanding that we don't get any of the money until the end of the season. This is why I was not annoyed that we did not get the marquee signing at end of August. That being said I do expect a signing of note or good potential in January as we will have gate money to spend. I also expect some good signings next summer, with maybe about 10-15 million being spent. If that does not happen then I will be raging with the board as we will have a massive turnover and decent profit this season, due to a big increase in season ticket, extra revenue due to Glasgow derby and CL money.
{Ed007's Note - But we know the money's coming in so why not dig into our overdraft a bit and push the boat out - wouldn't 60,000 buying the CL ticket packages help cover a fee for a player until we get the UEFA cheque? And remember that 99% of transfer fees are paid in instalments, usually over the duration of the contract, so we would only be looking for the first instalment.}
14 Sep 2016 13:51:56
Yes the CL ticket prices should cover a signing of some note but we don't get that money until the transfer window has closed. This is why I suggested that we will see a signing in January. I am sure that if Rodgers had desperately needed a player then we may have seen the board do as you suggested and dip into the overdraft.
However, no matter who we would have signed the last window, it would not have changed our CL fortunes this season and we should win the league at a canter. Based on that I can see why they did not push the boat out the last window. For once I can forgive the board but I won't be forgiving them if they don't get some good signings in the next two windows.
{Ed007's Note - I think you're going to be disappointed come the end of January, Rab. It is harder to get a deal completed in January and the prices are always a bit higher because clubs don't want the headache of looking for a replacement in the month long window, unless the player is surplus to requirements and if that's the case how bad has his season went from August to January for him to be available now - unless it's Paddy Roberts of course ;-)
Rodgers himself has admitted himself he wanted at least another midfielder brought in and they couldn't get anything done and anyone can see we aren't very strong in the striker department with really only LG and Dembele.}
14 Sep 2016 17:30:21
I think it would be manners to wait until the Super League is formed before we consider who won't be invited .
If UEFA has any balls they will throw any club and any player who joins super league out of all football in Europe incl. international and ban the players individually for life from European football.
Super League could die a death the same as the cricket died in Australia.
14 Sep 2016 19:14:11
I'm not so sure, as we seem to do decent business in January if past years are anything to go by. Here are the main players we have signed for a transfer fee in January in the last few years:
Erik Sviatchenko
Stuart Armstrong
GMS
Stefan Johansen
Leigh Griffiths
Tom Rogic.