Learn from the experience, and invest wisely.

All CSA News is picked up from here and published on Newsnow.co.uk
Joe O'Rourke
Posts: 272
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:13 pm
Contact:

Learn from the experience, and invest wisely.

Postby Joe O'Rourke » Thu Nov 24, 2016 11:59 am

Well that’s the Champions League and European Football over for this season, but it was a wonderful experience playing against three great teams, and the supporters of those three teams have been great as well, especially the Monchengladbach supporters both at Celtic Park and in Germany.

I’m sure Brendan came to Celtic with a five year plan that would be what top class managers do. I would imagine the target for the first year would have been to qualify for the Champions League (CL), year two would be European Football after Christmas, and the next three seasons finishing first or second in our group.

I think after watching Celtic improve steadily since the hammering in Barcelona those targets are certainly achievable. A lot will depend on the quality of players we can attract to Celtic Park to improve our squad. We have a good squad of players for football in Scotland, but European Football is a big step up from that level.

Last night we played against the best football team in Europe, they were certainly the better team on the night, but we competed with them and had chances to score a couple of goals. Our Captain Scott Brown was immense, Scott Sinclair and Big Moussa can certainly play at that level, and with hard work and dedication a few more are more than capable as well.

I have said on here before January will be a very important transfer window opportunity for us. We will hopefully have the League Cup in the trophy room, and will be well clear in the race for the title. It will give us the chance to invest the money made from the CL in players, and that will give those players six months to bed themselves in for the challenge next season.

We were up against it once the draw was made for the groups this season. Drawn with Barcelona again was disappointing from the familiarity point of view let alone the football task. Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach are very good teams as well, but that ensured the sold out notices went up, which is great for team and the finances needed to improve.

We could have been lucky and been allowed to pick the opponents ourselves, just like Leicester City got the chance to do, how else can you explain the group they were in with Copenhagen, Brugge, and Porto? That is one of the many problems with the way UEFA seed the teams in the CL, it was Leicester’s first appearance in the CL yet they are top seeds in pot one. Having said that would we have sold out the stadium if playing against those three teams?

We will be a better team for the experience of playing against world class players. You can certainly say that about the Barca front three, although I wish Neymar would stick to just being a very good football player instead of all the nonsense he gets up to. I also thought Luis Suarez conned the referee with the penalty, he played for it and got it, but all in all three wonderfully gifted players.

We can now look forward to Sunday’s league Cup Final with more than a hint of confidence. I hope that Scott Sinclair is fit, he has been fantastic for us since he signed, a truly class player who was giving Barca plenty of problems last night before Jordi Alba crocked him. Hopefully Griff will be fit again and Big Moussa gets back on the goal trail. And at the end of the game our Captain Fantastic Broony with be holding aloft the first of the Treble. Come on you Bhoys in Green.

Return to “CSA News”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 61 guests