Derk Boerrigter, Virgil van Dijk and Thomas Rogic have not travelled to Sweden with the Celtic party to face Elfsborg tomorrow night. Kelvin Wilson has, and so has Georgios Samaras.
There should still be enough ability in the Celtic side-none of the three non starters played in the first game-to get a result, though it might yet be one of those watch from behind the couch. The team appeared to be getting into its stride against Ross County on Saturday, but they will need to be aware of themselves early doors.
Scott Brown agrees, but he doesn’t seem overly worried;
“I know we lost an early goal against Ross County as we started sloppy. But once we hear the Champions League music we’ll start nice and sharp with the two banks of four and see what we can do. It would be good if we can score early doors, it would settle everyone’s nerves. We’ve got faith in our back four and the goalie has done well over the last season and a half so we all have confidence, and confidence in the strikers to score goals. ”
He’s not worried about the plastic pitch either, and again its not misplaced confidence. Celtics record away from home on plastic is excellent.
” Is that a concern? Not in the slightest. We’ve played on them in the last couple of seasons at places such as Helsinki and Moscow. We trained on plastic today and it should be okay for us. I don’t really care as long as we get the result.” continued Brown.
“We are more confident going into away games now,” he went on,
“The gaffer has instilled belief into us. I think [not having won away from home in the group phase] was hanging over everyone’s heads at Celtic. We seemed to think we were never going to get there but we got there [in Moscow] and last season we won away in the qualifiers as well.
“We get the ball down, we pass it and we create chances. We also have players like Sami who can get us goals. He scored in five out of five away games last season, so that shows we can get goals away from home. But it’s a team effort. The defence has been solid too. Nobody really talks about our away record anymore, and hopefully we can keep it going and get a few more good results.”
I think we’ll all feel a bit better when the job is done. The start to the season has been a little hectic and nervy, so credit to the players so far. Lets just hope they carry it over to tomorrow night, and they get it over with.
After several unheeded warnings, Celtic took a big decision yesterday to close Section 111, the home of the group of supporters known as the Green Brigade. Theres a wordy statement on the official site, which basically says we told you to behave and you have ignored us.
so, you can all sit somewhere else or get your money back.
The club also claims it was a difficult decision, and that they were in an impossible position. Well, safety has to come first, and perhaps with rumours that another team in glasgow is about to lose theirs, Celtic have to be squeaky clean.
Nobody disputes that the Brigade do a lot to enhance the match day experience. The banners, the singing , the colours and so on are always something to enjoy. The effort and work into the tifo displays is phenomenal, and deserves nothing but praise.
However, if their behaviour at games is causing distress or danger to others, or damage to the ground, then they need to stop it. Its that simple. The club have outlined their position, and it seems that the GB didn’t think that they would take these steps.
Well, they have, and although the support is split over it, the GB may be surprised to learn that life will go on without them. Maybe its time to talk again.
There can be no reason for the club to ban the GB if the GB just behave themselves. It may all seem like harmless fun, but they need to remember that the vast majority of people at Celtic Park go to watch the football. Not to crowd surf, not to set off fireworks, and not to be annoyed by fellow supporters.
Maybe they need to take a look at how others see them, and listen to what is being said.
Interestingly enough, there are no home games for a while, which means there could still be room for negotiation. So, maybe its time to talk.
This story made the front page of the Daily Record today
All of this kept the difficulty at Second Rangers on the back page.
Walter Smith, as expected by anyone who knows his track record, has resigned from whatever position he held at the club. As ever , the going gets tough, and so Walter gets going.
This time, as with every other time, he leaves with dignity intact.
( Thanks to punkawallahtim on KDS for this superb image)
Could this , taken from CQN, have anything to do with his exit ?
It doesn’t rain but it pours. The Independent Review Process of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has looked into the ASA’s recent, and widely reported, ruling on Rangers International’s claim on football titles won by a liquidated club. The Review found that “it was a procedural flaw for the ASA to have relied on an extract only of a report sent to it by the advertiser”.
Further, the review process ruled that “there was also the risk of a substantial flaw of adjudication in the distinction that had been made between ‘club’ and ‘company’, especially in the light of previous ASA decisions about companies that change hands and the circumstances in which the new company could or could not trade off the reputation of the old company”.
The Chairman of the ASA, Lord Smith of Finsbury, as decided to reopen the ASA’s investigation into the case and to withdraw the published adjudication, which favoured the advertiser. Withdrawing this adjudication does not infer that a different outcome will subsequently be reached. To use a football analogy, it’s half time and they’re all square.
An interesting, and potentially critical part of the story, is that after the initial ASA decision was issued, the club’s web site noted that their submission to the process included information that a “panel of the London Stock Exchange” supported their claim.
The Stock Exchange subsequently appeared surprised at this assertion, so much so that the club promptly withdrew the claim from the web article.
Looks like the Advertising Standards guys might not think they are the most successful club after all, indeed, perhaps they have noticed they are an entirely different club after all.
Then there is the charity games to consider, amidst terrible allegations that the money didn’t go to charity..
To summarise:
“OSCR has concluded its inquiry into the actions
of Rangers Charity Foundation (‘the Charity’) in
agreeing to forego most of its share of the
proceeds of a fundraising event in favour of The
Rangers Football Club plc (in Administration).
• OSCR found that the Charity’s decision-making
process which allowed important decisions to be
made by one trustee acting alone was in breach
of trustees’ duties and constituted misconduct on
the part of the charity trustees as a whole.
• OSCR also found that the way the decision
regarding the fundraising event was taken did
not comply with the requirements of the Charity’s
Trust Deed.
• OSCR identified that issues of conflict of interest
inherent in the Charity’s structure had not been
appropriately dealt with.”
further consider that the decision-making
process in the Charity, which allowed a decision
to be taken by one trustee to assign the
Agreement with AC Milan Glorie to The Rangers
Football Club plc (in Administration) without
consultation with the other charity trustees and
without a quorum, was in breach of the charity
trustee duties. In addition, the conflict of interest
presented by the assignation was not managed
appropriately and professional advice was not
obtained as required by the Charity’s Trust Deed.”
Nadine coyle ?
Just before the banner, swithc to column 2. I think I’ve broken the site.
These are just poor attempts at getting pictures of women in to the diary. How about a section on Celtic lady’s team and I don’t mean the Christmas calendar. Cmon a bit of respect before you end up as bad as the Sunday sport.
Cannot see the problem myself bud as other forums do it on a daily basis and have done so for years…
FF and RM for example are full to the brim with tit’s and fannies as is the Scottish Sun Website.
More power to your elbow Ralph(winks).
Interesting that Rangers are using the image of a crowdsurfing fan on their Glasgow underground advert for season tickets.
it never ends over at the dignity dome does it. nicking fea charities noo, and because it was for charity wont that 200k or whatever they pocketed have been tax exempt?
I for one have no problem with lovely ladies with ,tenuous at best,Celtic credentials featuring on here.
would we rather David Hayes hairy arse ?
One could hardly call Paul Wilson, Jim Melrose, et al, tasty looking women could they? Well you could I suppose but I’m sure they would be first to disagree with you.
How come all this news about Newco or Zombie FC is front page news on the tawdry rages and the lead story on the national news? When for example Livingston make a change at boardroom level does that make front page news? Why shouldn’t it, after all they have been around far longer and are a more established club surely?
Although we love all of the (enforced) negative press on the Newbuns it also gives credence to the fact that they are perceived as the same club, minus the debt but keeping the history. So let’s all have a laugh but do not buy the tabloids that have been complicit in maintaining this lie.
I haven’t bought a Daily Rangord since the hearse was parked outside our stadium.
As for any of the other Red Tops never…
U don’t buy red tops? Then how do you find out what is ging to happen in your favourite soaps before it has even aired? Or what such and such a shite celebrity or boy/girl band member had for breakfast or thinks of David Cameron?
Chipwrappers for drunks.
Shoonybaw…..