TalkCeltic - The Ultimate Celtic FC Forum
Forum software by XenForo
The first Old Firm game of the season kicks off this Sunday and it could be the biggest of Alex McLeish's time at the Huns (Sorry, lets keep it professional) Rangers. The Scot is threatened with the possibility of being sacked by the board after a poor performance against Russian team CSKA Moscow not to mention the utterly humiliating whitewash last season.
Celtic go in to the game after an impressive opening three games and are looking to maintain their 100% early season record. Rangers however havn't enjoyed their opening few games so much, after an opening day draw with Dunfermline and some less than convincing wins over Livingston and Hibernian combined with the fact that the club will not take part in this seasons Champions League. Aswell as damaging Rangers reputation (If one was ever established) CSKA added to Rangers misery financially, a crippling blow to a club who are already in a dire financial state. Celtic could also go 5 points clear of Rangers with a win.
New Celtic signing Juninho is thought to be taking part in the game after completing his move from Teeside to Glasgow, the player who has been widely regarded as the answer to Slovak legend Lubo Moravcik is set to take over the number 7 jersey left by Henrik Larsson. The Brazilian world cup winner comes with high expectations and is guarenteed to cause a thorn in any opposition this season. The confident midfielder has also stated that he thinks the Hoops could make it to the Champions League quarter finals ahead of todays draw in Monaco.
"I think we can go through, but it will not be because of me or because of any other player,"he said. "Celtic did very well in the last Champions League and, with the team we have, we should go through to the last 16. This year, I think we have a great opportunity to go through to the last 16, and maybe even the last 8"
Martin O'Neill however does have a few injury worries ahead of Sundays clash, Chris Sutton is thought to be a major doubt ahead of...
Celtic go in to the game after an impressive opening three games and are looking to maintain their 100% early season record. Rangers however havn't enjoyed their opening few games so much, after an opening day draw with Dunfermline and some less than convincing wins over Livingston and Hibernian combined with the fact that the club will not take part in this seasons Champions League. Aswell as damaging Rangers reputation (If one was ever established) CSKA added to Rangers misery financially, a crippling blow to a club who are already in a dire financial state. Celtic could also go 5 points clear of Rangers with a win.
New Celtic signing Juninho is thought to be taking part in the game after completing his move from Teeside to Glasgow, the player who has been widely regarded as the answer to Slovak legend Lubo Moravcik is set to take over the number 7 jersey left by Henrik Larsson. The Brazilian world cup winner comes with high expectations and is guarenteed to cause a thorn in any opposition this season. The confident midfielder has also stated that he thinks the Hoops could make it to the Champions League quarter finals ahead of todays draw in Monaco.
"I think we can go through, but it will not be because of me or because of any other player,"he said. "Celtic did very well in the last Champions League and, with the team we have, we should go through to the last 16. This year, I think we have a great opportunity to go through to the last 16, and maybe even the last 8"
Martin O'Neill however does have a few injury worries ahead of Sundays clash, Chris Sutton is thought to be a major doubt ahead of...
John Hartson scored twice to give Celtic the points against 10-man Inverness Caley Thistle at Pittodrie.
The home side had Juanjo sent off early on after a clash with Neil Lennon and Hartson headed Celtic into the lead shortly afterwards.
Barry Wilson equalised from the penalty spot after Bobo Balde was penalised.
But Stilian Petrov gave Celtic the lead again with a fine volley moments after he missed a penalty, before Hartson scored the third from close range.
Caley Thistle started brightly, though it was Mark Brown who had to deal with a couple of Alan Thompson efforts from distance.
The home side's task was made a great deal harder in the 17th minute when Juanjo was red-carded for an off-the-ball clash with Lennon. The Celtic player escaped without any punishment, although both players appeared to be culpable.
The opening goal came after 25 minutes. Celtic strung a series of passes together before Didier Agathe crossed for Hartson to direct a header out of reach of the despairing dive of Brown and into the corner of the net.
Celtic were almost completely dominant by now and Brown thwarted Balde from close range and dived to his left to keep out an Henri Camara effort from 20 yards.
In a rare foray into the Celtic box, Caley Thistle should have had the equaliser after 41 minutes.
The ball fell to Wilson in plenty space and when his shot was blocked by Valgaeren, Liam Keogh scooped the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
But the equaliser did come three minutes later. A corner into the box led to a scramble in the Celtic area and the grounded Balde was penalised for handball.
Wilson coolly slotted the penalty past David Marshall.
On the stroke of half time, Valgaeren should have put Celtic back in front but his header from only a few yards out was too high.
Celtic came even closer after 51 minutes when Hartson's cross was met by the head of Camara, but the ball came back off the crossbar.
Moments later,...
The home side had Juanjo sent off early on after a clash with Neil Lennon and Hartson headed Celtic into the lead shortly afterwards.
Barry Wilson equalised from the penalty spot after Bobo Balde was penalised.
But Stilian Petrov gave Celtic the lead again with a fine volley moments after he missed a penalty, before Hartson scored the third from close range.
Caley Thistle started brightly, though it was Mark Brown who had to deal with a couple of Alan Thompson efforts from distance.
The home side's task was made a great deal harder in the 17th minute when Juanjo was red-carded for an off-the-ball clash with Lennon. The Celtic player escaped without any punishment, although both players appeared to be culpable.
The opening goal came after 25 minutes. Celtic strung a series of passes together before Didier Agathe crossed for Hartson to direct a header out of reach of the despairing dive of Brown and into the corner of the net.
Celtic were almost completely dominant by now and Brown thwarted Balde from close range and dived to his left to keep out an Henri Camara effort from 20 yards.
In a rare foray into the Celtic box, Caley Thistle should have had the equaliser after 41 minutes.
The ball fell to Wilson in plenty space and when his shot was blocked by Valgaeren, Liam Keogh scooped the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
But the equaliser did come three minutes later. A corner into the box led to a scramble in the Celtic area and the grounded Balde was penalised for handball.
Wilson coolly slotted the penalty past David Marshall.
On the stroke of half time, Valgaeren should have put Celtic back in front but his header from only a few yards out was too high.
Celtic came even closer after 51 minutes when Hartson's cross was met by the head of Camara, but the ball came back off the crossbar.
Moments later,...
Celtic begin the defence of their SPL championship this Sunday where they entertain Motherwell at Celtic park. In their first competitive match without Parkhead legend Henrik Larsson, the Bhoys will be looking to return to winning ways by taking all three points in this SPL opener.
After a mixed pre-season, which was completed with a 2-1 win over Newcastle, Celtic will surely be the favourites despite losing influential Swede Larsson. The Hoops also recorded victories over Fulham and Manchester United as well as losing against Roma, Liverpool and Chelsea. The steelmen come into the encounter fresh off the back of a 3-0 win against Scottish division three outfit Stenhousemuir.
The match gives new signing Henri Camara a chance to impress in front of the Celtic faithful after completing his loan move from Wolves believed to be worth around £1.5 million-the most expensive loan deal ever in British football. The quick striker from Senegal has promised big things after he refused to play again for relegated Premiership side Wolves.
The match will give Martin O’Neill a first chance to see the team in competitive action again and perhaps a chance to see whether some youngsters can make it at the top level. After a promising Pre-season from many of Celtics youngsters, players including Aiden McGeady, Ross Wallace and Craig Beattie will be hopeful of pushing their way into Martins plans for the new season.
Celtic have only one major doubt ahead of the match, this being left midfielder Alan Thompson, after a clash with Chris Eagles during Celtics pre-season tour of America Thompson looks set to miss the Motherwell match. Long-term absentees Shaun Maloney and John Kennedy will also miss the match.
Player to watch
David Clarkson
The young Motherwell forward showed much promise last season by netting 15 goals in 45 appearances. The hard working Scot possesses good technical ability and an eye for goal. Certainly one for the future aswell as the...
After a mixed pre-season, which was completed with a 2-1 win over Newcastle, Celtic will surely be the favourites despite losing influential Swede Larsson. The Hoops also recorded victories over Fulham and Manchester United as well as losing against Roma, Liverpool and Chelsea. The steelmen come into the encounter fresh off the back of a 3-0 win against Scottish division three outfit Stenhousemuir.
The match gives new signing Henri Camara a chance to impress in front of the Celtic faithful after completing his loan move from Wolves believed to be worth around £1.5 million-the most expensive loan deal ever in British football. The quick striker from Senegal has promised big things after he refused to play again for relegated Premiership side Wolves.
The match will give Martin O’Neill a first chance to see the team in competitive action again and perhaps a chance to see whether some youngsters can make it at the top level. After a promising Pre-season from many of Celtics youngsters, players including Aiden McGeady, Ross Wallace and Craig Beattie will be hopeful of pushing their way into Martins plans for the new season.
Celtic have only one major doubt ahead of the match, this being left midfielder Alan Thompson, after a clash with Chris Eagles during Celtics pre-season tour of America Thompson looks set to miss the Motherwell match. Long-term absentees Shaun Maloney and John Kennedy will also miss the match.
Player to watch
David Clarkson
The young Motherwell forward showed much promise last season by netting 15 goals in 45 appearances. The hard working Scot possesses good technical ability and an eye for goal. Certainly one for the future aswell as the...
Celtic are looking for their second win of the pre-season this Saturday when they meet Premiership big spenders Chelsea on their tour of USA & Canada. The Chelsea match is Celtic’s first of their tour and will be looking forward to their first real challenge without Parkhead legend Henrik Larsson.
The game will take place at the magnificent home of the Seattle Seahawks in Washington DC, the 67,000 all seater is where Celtic met Manchester United this time last year and lost 4-0. Celtic flew out to their base in the USA fresh off the back of a 2-0 win at Craven Cottage against Fulham.
During the pre-season Chelsea have so far played one match in which they drew 1-1 with League 2 side Oxford Town with new signing Mateja Kezman on the scoresheet. Unlike Celtic, Chelsea have once again been active in this seasons transfer market bringing in Paulo Ferreira, Mateja Kezman, Petr Cech and Arjen Robben whilst Didier Drogba and Tiago Mendes are also expected to join shortly. Chelsea also appointed a new coach in Joe Mourinho who took over from Claudio Ranieri, Mourinho who signed from Portuguese champions FC Porto led them to a European and UEFA cup.
Despite Celtic being inactive in this seasons market many youngsters are expected to make a name for themselves on the coming tour, 18 year old Aiden Mcgeady who recently got his first cap for Ireland is expected to make a big impact on the SPL this season and he is thought to be relishing playing the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
Celtic don’t have any injury worries ahead of the match except youngster Stephen Mcmanus who went off early on against Fulham with a suspected leg injury and long term absentees Shaun Maloney and John Kennedy who aren’t expected to play again until Christmas at the earliest.
Player to Watch
Mateja Kezman
The 25 year old Yugoslavian was signed at the beginning of the summer as part of Mourinho’s revolution at the club. This quick striker possesses skill, pace,...
The game will take place at the magnificent home of the Seattle Seahawks in Washington DC, the 67,000 all seater is where Celtic met Manchester United this time last year and lost 4-0. Celtic flew out to their base in the USA fresh off the back of a 2-0 win at Craven Cottage against Fulham.
During the pre-season Chelsea have so far played one match in which they drew 1-1 with League 2 side Oxford Town with new signing Mateja Kezman on the scoresheet. Unlike Celtic, Chelsea have once again been active in this seasons transfer market bringing in Paulo Ferreira, Mateja Kezman, Petr Cech and Arjen Robben whilst Didier Drogba and Tiago Mendes are also expected to join shortly. Chelsea also appointed a new coach in Joe Mourinho who took over from Claudio Ranieri, Mourinho who signed from Portuguese champions FC Porto led them to a European and UEFA cup.
Despite Celtic being inactive in this seasons market many youngsters are expected to make a name for themselves on the coming tour, 18 year old Aiden Mcgeady who recently got his first cap for Ireland is expected to make a big impact on the SPL this season and he is thought to be relishing playing the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
Celtic don’t have any injury worries ahead of the match except youngster Stephen Mcmanus who went off early on against Fulham with a suspected leg injury and long term absentees Shaun Maloney and John Kennedy who aren’t expected to play again until Christmas at the earliest.
Player to Watch
Mateja Kezman
The 25 year old Yugoslavian was signed at the beginning of the summer as part of Mourinho’s revolution at the club. This quick striker possesses skill, pace,...
Celtic kicked off their pre season campaign in style yesterday with a convincing 2-0 win over London based side Fulham. In Fulham’s second game back at the cottage many fans expected a lively and competitive game in which both sides would have opportunities and goals.
Before this occasion I never really knew how many Celtic fans existed in South Wales however on arrival to Cardiff Central we saw at least 10 Celtic fans at the station and another 20 or so already on the train. Undoubtedly the train became like the inside of a stadium with chants being blurted out the whole journey. Once we had arrived at our destination (Putney Bridge Tube station) we immediately noticed the sea of green and white which we stood in front of, all pubs and clubs around were dressed in the hoops, I failed to see a single Fulham fan in this area of the city and wondered just how many would be at the game.
In an early arrival to the cottage I noticed just how much work had been done to the ground and I must say I was impressed, from reading reviews of previous fans who visited the ground I was expecting it to be a sh*t hole but fair play the stadium wasn’t all that bad and in my view was better than Loftus Road where Fulham had previously played their games. The stadium was all one tiered except the main stand which had an upper and lower section, I think this must’ve been the only stand which they didn’t re-develop as the layout of the stand was shocking (I sometimes found myself stuck in places and unable to get out without diving over a metal fence) and the upper section of the stand was wooden seats, whilst Larsson 04-05 was sitting pretty on his fancy plastic seat I was stuck on my rock hard wooden one which was close to falling apart.
Nevertheless I was excited for the game and wouldn’t let this little hitch spoil my day, as I would be standing most of the match anyway. The first half line ups suggested that this would be quite a chop and change game but I didn’t really...
Before this occasion I never really knew how many Celtic fans existed in South Wales however on arrival to Cardiff Central we saw at least 10 Celtic fans at the station and another 20 or so already on the train. Undoubtedly the train became like the inside of a stadium with chants being blurted out the whole journey. Once we had arrived at our destination (Putney Bridge Tube station) we immediately noticed the sea of green and white which we stood in front of, all pubs and clubs around were dressed in the hoops, I failed to see a single Fulham fan in this area of the city and wondered just how many would be at the game.
In an early arrival to the cottage I noticed just how much work had been done to the ground and I must say I was impressed, from reading reviews of previous fans who visited the ground I was expecting it to be a sh*t hole but fair play the stadium wasn’t all that bad and in my view was better than Loftus Road where Fulham had previously played their games. The stadium was all one tiered except the main stand which had an upper and lower section, I think this must’ve been the only stand which they didn’t re-develop as the layout of the stand was shocking (I sometimes found myself stuck in places and unable to get out without diving over a metal fence) and the upper section of the stand was wooden seats, whilst Larsson 04-05 was sitting pretty on his fancy plastic seat I was stuck on my rock hard wooden one which was close to falling apart.
Nevertheless I was excited for the game and wouldn’t let this little hitch spoil my day, as I would be standing most of the match anyway. The first half line ups suggested that this would be quite a chop and change game but I didn’t really...
Page 234 of 234