Alright, so its only a friendly, but thousands of entertainment starved hoops fans will tune into Celtic TV tonight as Brendan Rodgers’s revolution takes the club into a new era.
All that effort into an advert, and there’s no kick off time. Presumably,as they are not expecting a large crowd they’re going to hang about until someone turns up and then start the game.
If that policy is carried on into the league season, it won’t half piss Sky TV off, so hopefully today is a trial run.
There doesn’t seem too be much emphasis on training out in Slovenia, but what the guys aren’t doing on the pitch, they’re doing for the cameras. Player after player has been interviewed by the curiously named Summer Hart, which sounds more like one of those cd’s you get free with the Daily Mail, but perhaps there is a reason for this.
Last season the players and management team arguable handled interviews badly, and maybe this is a kind of media training exercise to avoid a repeat of what turned out to be little more than press manipulation of the club.
Although I have to stress it would be extreme ungentlemanly conduct to offer to tell the delightful Miss Hart to stick her microphone anywhere.
On the pitch, the basics of the new managers plan were worked on, the players here in an exercise called “two touch”.
This is designed to enable most of our midfielders to spend twice as long on the ball before giving up possession, after Rodgers and assistant Davies studied the data provided by the lingerie worn on match days by the players.
Stadium staff also noted a Slovenian addition to the match day experience, and along with the introduction of the new Safe Standing Area at Celtic Park , we may now see the club trial the Safe Watching Area, as illustrated in the area behind the goal in the picture above.
This is more than a possibility, especially with the expected increase in ugly people attending a couple of the games next season, and the board are concerned that of we can see them, food sales in the concourse will take a hit.
( I googled Ugly Rangers fans for a suitable illustration of the phylum, and you should too. Its fucking hilarious , but try to do it on an empty stomach. If you don’t, you’ll soon have one. )
Anyway, on to tonights-or this mornings, or this afternoons -match, and the opponents are NK Celje, of which little is known-until now!
Adopting a knack for investigative reporting that will forever deny me that desired job in the Scottish mainstream media, this is what I found out, all from the comfort of my couch…
Oh, by the way-I got a reply back from the Sun when I sent them my CV-direct from the main man…
Anyway, their loss, though I appreciate the personal touch……back to Celje, and here’s the ground…
Here’s the average attendance..
and here’s the under 17 Celje side in training for the remake of controversial movie “The Human Centipede”
Kind of makes our two touch session a little boring , really.
Whatever you say, or whatever their legal team says about what goes on in training, it must work, as they did something last year Celtic didn’t do…
And their media team is streets ahead…
Their mascot, a cheery wee fellow, seems to be based on that guy you saw sitting in the corner of a Gallowgate bar who only livens up when you offer to buy him a beer…
I don’t know why, but he seems bloody familiar.
Anyway, the club itself. I suppose we’d better find out something about them. Which, spookily, is exactly what the Celtic coaching staff said the last time they were in Slovenia, ahead of the Maribor game last year.
The club was formed in 1919 as SK Celje.[1][2] Soon after the World War II, in 1946, the club changed its name to NK Kladivar (expressionistic term in Slovene for a blacksmith). In 1964 they qualified for the Yugoslav Second League, where they played for one year.
In 1992, year after Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia, the club again changed its name, this time to Publikum. They reached the finals of Slovenian Cup in 1993 and 1995, but lost on both occasions, having been beaten by Olimpija and Mura. In 2003, Celje was in a title race with Maribor until the very last, but in the end finished second and also lost Slovenian cup finals against Olimpija in the same year. Two years later in 2005 the club reached Slovenian cup finals for the fourth time and this time they finally lifted their first trophy, defeating Gorica 1–0 in front of their own fans at the Arena Petrol. Celje were also in the finals the next year, but lost to Koper after the penalty shoot-out.
The Arena Petrol ?
For most of its early years, the club played at the Glazija Stadium, but obtained also the Skalna Klet after merging with ŽŠD Celje in 1967. Glazija was demolished in 1983 and the club moved permanently to Skalna Klet. Since the stadium was in bad shape and could not meet UEFA stadia criteria, the club officials decided to build a new stadium and in 2003 the main stand of the new Arena Petrol stadium was built. The capacity at the time was 3,600 covered seats. After 2003, three new separate stands were build and when the last one opened in 2008, the stadium was completed. The current capacity of the stadium is 13,059 seats from which around 50% are covered.[5] The old stadium is still used as a training facility for the club.
The club also has a smaller third training ground called Olimp, which was renovated in 2005 and is used as a training camp for youth squads of the club.
The Arena Petrol ?
At the time of its opening Arena Petrol was the most modern football stadium in the country.[2] It takes its name from its principal sponsor, the Slovenian oil company Petrol. The stadium opened on 9 September 2003 with its single stand giving it a capacity of 3,600.[1] During the next years three additional stands were built until the stadium was completed in 2008 with the capacity of 13,059 seats; 7,000 of which are covered.[1] The pitch in the stadium is 105 metres long and 68 metres wide and covered with natural grass. The stadium also features a pitch heating system and floodlighting.
Fair enough. I just hope Lawwell doesn’t have a beer with the guy who sanctioned that name, otherwise Celtic Park could end up being re-named Fracking Park, which would cause havoc if you asked for directions without your teeth in.
Still, its better than the BT Family Stand, and much more morally acceptable.
Elsehwere, there’s talk that Peter Lawwell, happy with the response to the signing of Moussa Dembele, is looking to get a couple more in before Brendan gets back , and Shane Duffy and Scott Sinclair are high on the list. Both players are expected to join, along with Joe Allen and Hal Robson Kanu, but the Robson Kanu one has seen a few minor irritations crop up, and is now not as likely as we thought at first.
The Dundee Courier has news of another signing…
Dunfermline striker PJ Crossan has clinched a move to Celtic.
Since Courier Sport revealed over a fortnight ago that the Scottish champions had made a bid for the teenager, negotiations have been protracted between the two clubs.
It is understood that a deal has now been struck, and confirmation of the transfer will soon follow.
Crossan, who broke into the Dunfermline first team towards the end of last season, is expected to join up with Celtic’s under-20 squad.
He sounds an outstanding prospect, as he shows here in a game against two teams where he won 3-1 and 4-0.
Whislt the club want him to join up with the Development Squad, and he would surely benefit from that, would it not be an idea to loan him back to Dunfermline, as there is no learning curve like competitive football, which would be good for the player and both clubs ?
Similar to the deal that landed Ryan Christie from Inverness ?
New man Moussa Dembele was paraded to the press yesterday, and spoke about his move to the club..
“I’m happy to be here It feels very good to sign for a massive club like Celtic and I can’t wait to start.
“I signed for Celtic because it’s a massive club in Europe and I want to play in the Champions League. I think I can do this here.
“I came to Celtic to improve. I was in the Championship now I’m in the Scottish Premier League. I see my future here and hopefully I can score lots of goals for the club and win many trophies.
“I had a few other offers but I didn’t have the same as what I had at Celtic in terms of football. I think it’s the best place for me to be.
“As a young boy you always know about Celtic because the club is massive in Europe. You always hear about them and last season I started to watch closely the Scottish League.
“I’m 100 per cent ready to give everything I have for the club and for the fans.”
And he explained that it was the manager who swayed him…
“He told me about the club and about what he wants to do with me in the future and I was happy with that,” he explained. “Brendan is a very big manager and I can’t wait to work with him.
“When you have a manager like Brendan talk to you about the club and convince you to come it’s a massive thing.”
“I want to score goals, I’m a striker so I want to score goals and win trophies. Celtic is a club that wins trophies and that’s what I want to do here.”
Afterwards, he showed a neat turn of pace-boy is he quick-to join up with the rest of the squad… and this has to be seen to be believed…
Celtic Football Club (@celticfc) _ Twitter
Incidentally, he’s re-united at Celtic with a former team mate, who also knows the history..
I believe thats a young Patrick Roberts in that picture.
you see, there is an argument for using the hoops in a modern Brand identification way. It’s instantly recognisable, its distinctive, and it stands for more than just a football club.
What’s wrong with promoting a brand ?
You don’t see Coca Cola bringing out a different colour can for different occasions.
In this episode of the Simpsons, eveyone knows what team this lass supports.
Oh, wait, thats a bloke. I think.
You get my point though, when you have something so distinctive and identifiable you use it as often as you can and make it as visible as you can to promote your product.
Which leads me to this abomination, a reason to sack New Balance this morning, before they do anything else so monumentally stupid.
In fact, Rodgers needs a kick up the arse for wearing it as well….
It’s blue. a blue Celtic top. Which part of the remit did New Balance-and the guy who works for-well, up until this afternoon-Celtic not get?
Blue, along with orange and pink should not be on a Celtic top. It shouldn’t even be discussed as a possibility.
What is wrong with people ?
If the new boss doesn’t bin it, and publicly apologise , he may find he have to wear a disguise when he goes out in public, and he wouldn’t be the first manager to have to do so;
Speaking of public transport, has Kristoffer ajer had enough already, or is he just plain lazy and expecting a lift down the stairs ?
You have to hope he has better luck at catching things than beleagured England keeper Joe Hart does when he sticks out his arm. Still, roy has a wig he can borrrow if he needs to nip out to get anything.
Caption competition now…
Yesterday we had this,
Another close one, but I went with this … as every word links with the whole of the picture-and praise is deserved for spotting the similarities between the locations…
The ‘rangers’ board see the books
Today, we have another example of community policing, or is it …?
