Celtic FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014/15 Mod Warning post #6011

Dempsey, if you feel like stepping out again then we really won't mind

Lassad & Kayal not up to much so far

lubo_moravcik wrote: »

Dempsey, if you feel like stepping out again then we really won't mind

I saw that one!

Although I was getting some bad news from someone just before the corner

What a miss by Ambrose there. For a CB to take his eye off the ball and use the top of his head is really poor tbh

Dempsey wrote: »

What a miss by Ambrose there. For a CB to take his eye off the ball and use the top of his head is really poor tbh

His head was still spinning from they backflips

Tony Watt with a good header, fully deserved as he worked his socks off all day.

EDIT

Izzy is beginning to look like his old self today, some great runs forward by him

ANDRES INIESTA fears Celtic’s Euro talisman Georgios Samaras will shatter Barcelona’s fragile defence.

The Greek hitman is in a rich vein of scoring form ahead of Tuesday’s Nou Camp Champions League crunch clash. Samaras has netted in his last three European away ties — banging in goals against HJK Helsinki, Helsingborgs and Spartak Moscow.

Barca superstar Iniesta revealed Sami’s Russian exploits didn’t go unnoticed as manager Tito Vilanova battles with a defensive crisis.

Skipper Carles Puyol and French ace Eric Abidal are definitely out, while Gerard Pique is edging back after a four-week absence.

Midfield enforcer Sergio Busquets is banned for the upcoming double-header with Celtic after being sent off against Benfica in the last game.

Iniesta is worried Samaras’ strong running could cause Barca’s makeshift backline huge problems in the wide open spaces of the Nou Camp.

He told SunSport: “Celtic are a strong team. Their biggest asset is the collective strength of the players. “But Samaras is the one player who can make the difference. He is very direct, fast and powerful.

“Celtic have many dangerous players. We know about Miku but Samaras stands out for me. He is the main threat and we will have to watch him closely. “He scored the winner against Spartak Moscow in the last game and is playing with a lot of confidence.

“Teamwork has been the key to Celtic’s success so far in the Champions League — but Samaras is a special player.

“It won’t be easy against Celtic on Tuesday. It’s difficult because we don’t know everything about the team.

“It’s different from playing teams in La Liga as we are familiar with them and know their strengths.

“We don’t know every detail about Celtic and any mistake you make can cost you dearly.”

Pique could yet return in time for Tuesday’s Group G contest but Iniesta admits Celtic won’t face a full-strength Barca back four.

He said: “We have had bad luck and lots of setbacks in defence. We haven’t had any stability but we have to get on with it.

“All our injuries seem to have come in defence and losing Pique and Puyol at the same time has been unlucky.”

Iniesta has emerged as one of the best players in the world over the last few years and will be a huge danger to Celtic. The midfield genius already has three Champions League medals and five La Liga titles to his name.

He also scored the winner for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final — sandwiched in between two European Championship triumphs.

It’s not bad going for a 28-year-old but there is not a hint of arrogance as he looks ahead to the Hoops’ visit. Iniesta is instead full of admiration for the way Neil Lennon’s side have approached their first Champions League campaign in four years. Drawn against Barca, Benfica and Spartak Moscow — few people across Europe gave the Hoops much chance. But after taking four points from two matches Celtic are in contention to prolong their Euro adventure.

Barca at the Nou Camp is a daunting task for any side and Lennon’s men must punch above their weight to get any kind of result.

But Iniesta believes Celtic must be taken seriously as they bid to defy the odds and reach the knockout phase. He said: “They have put themselves in a strong position with the first two results and are currently our main rivals.

“Drawing against Benfica and then winning in Russia was a positive start, especially in such a tough group.

“We have a lot of respect for Celtic. They are a famous club with a lot of tradition and we know that it will be difficult for us.”

Iniesta — a driving force in the best Barca team of all-time alongside midfield sidekick Xavi — is no stranger to Celtic.

The two clubs have met six times since 2004 — with the Hoops winning one, drawing two and losing three.

Iniesta featured in three of those clashes and twice played in front of 60,000 fans at Parkhead.

And he revealed Barca are expecting a massive test of character when they pitch up in Glasgow in a fortnight.

He said: “Celtic are especially strong at home. They have a fantastic record in the Champions League.

“It will be a very difficult game for us. The crowd always get behind Celtic from start to finish and make it hard.

“It’s a different game from the Nou Camp and you have to be very focused when you play in Glasgow.

“However, we know if we win these games that puts us in a great position to qualify for the last 16.”

The last time Barca played in Glasgow, a certain Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-2 last-16 win.

The bad news for Celtic is that Iniesta believes the best player in the world has got even BETTER since then.

He said: “It is almost impossible for Leo to play a bad game. For me, he is the absolute best. He is even better than he seems to be at first sight.

“It is very difficult to make the difference like he does and make everything look so natural. It’s just great to see him play.

“He always does the unexpected. The best thing about him is that he always comes up with something special, something surprising.”

Barca No1 Victor Valdes also agrees with Iniesta — and warned his team-mates that Celtic could pose the awesome La Liga leaders some problems this week.

The Nou Camp goalie thought the SPL champs were going to be group whipping boys — until he saw THAT result in Moscow.

He said: “We only consider victory because failing at home just does not ever come into our thinking.

“The matches against Scottish clubs are always intense and full of emotion — but it is necessary for us to close the match out quickly. If we win then the main objective to win the group is closer.

“But if the people believed this group would be a stroll for us then they must change their point of view.

“Normally Celtic plays a defensive system and that would be difficult enough. But they beat Spartak Moscow in Russia — and they gave us enough problems at the Nou Camp in our first group match.

“So there will be no easy matches in the group. We need to control the ball, stop them from playing. We must own the ball from the first minute.

“At first I wouldn’t have given Celtic a chance of qualification. But their triumph in Moscow was a fantastic achievement.

“Yes, there is a big difference between us — but it shows that there can still be surprises in the Champions League.

“We have analysed videos of Celtic against Benfica and Spartak and they have improved their level and now control the ball with a better style.

“We need the three points to make sure there is no extra pressure on us.”

I seen the 1st 2 episodes but not that one, might catch it during the week or on rte player.

Celtic have a fine setup and they are tweaking their youth development program all the time based on feedback from other setups. My biggest gripe in recent years is that they dont bridge the gap between u19, u20 as it is from this season onwards, and senior level, the best prospects dont get their chance but that seems to be changing under Lennon. Tony Watt, Dylan McGeough, Jackson Irvine, Marcus Fraser, Callum McGregor and Filip Twardzik have all played for the senior team this season, some had a few games last season. Forrest & Mulgrew are playing regularly in the 1st team. Findlay is another u19/u20 player thats highly rated and hopefully he'll be more involved in the senior setup before the season finishes. He played against Norwich last season and had a great game all things considered! I was stunned to find out that he was only 16 at the time!

MANUTD99 wrote: »

Would there be many Irish lads in the academy. Do Celtic actively scout in Ireland,have any links to schoolboy teams?

http://www.celticfc.net/team_u20s

http://www.celticfc.net/team_devsquad

There is the u20 & development squads lists on the Celtic website. TBH, I could say if there is many Irish kids in the academy at the moment as information about it is limited.

I imagine if Celtic were scouting Ireland in detail then they probably wouldnt have done the show as they would have already spotted any talent that would have auditioned for the show.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/celtic-boss-neil-lennon-bans-1393675

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/4604154/Dont-even-look-at-them-in-the-tunnel.html

According to the Record, Lennon has banned the swapping of shirts and the Sun are saying that they are to ignore the Barca players in the tunnel. Hopefully Lennon can keep them all focussed for the 90 minutes with small tweaks to their preparation for the match.

Two twitter comments yesterday by Lennon made me smile

Neil Lennon ‏@OfficialNeil

sounds like the GB have found our hotel #dancinginthestreets

Neil Lennon ‏@OfficialNeil

That is twice in 3 days Efe has given me the heebie jeebies #dontforgetpassport

Cant wait for the match this evening