Celtic fans get first sight of Fernandez A full house is anticipated tonight when Celtic welcome Ajax Amsterdam to Parkhead for the first of two glamour pre-season challenge matches, with Italian side Parma appearing on Saturday. The major attraction for Celtic supporters will be a first viewing of David Fernandez, the £1 million signing from Livingston. Having opened his scoring account for the club last month at Queens Park Rangers in a friendly, Fernanadez will be keen to make first impressions count on a home support full of expectation that the Spaniard will continue to show the form which assisted his former club to a UEFA Cup place... The Telegraph
Celtic 1 Ajax 3 too pished to post much more, but the thought of going into any form of competative match with more than 2 key defenders missing now fills me with dread and we played like crap. Our first team can play with anyone on their day, in the squad depth stakes we havent improved any from the dream team and that is worrying considering this is the strongest position we have been in for over a decade.
Celtic 1 Ajax 3 FT Ajax brush aside off-colour Celts Celtic slumped to another friendly defeat as the Dutch masters of Ajax took full advantage of a sluggish first-half performance by the Scottish champions... BBC Sport Ajax hand Celtic pre-season lesson MARTIN O’NEILL stated in his programme notes that pre-season friendly results do not matter as much as fitness — and it is probably just as well.Most of the Celtic supporters who packed into Celtic Park last night would have had high expectations against Ajax after their Champions League victory over two legs against the Dutch side last season that included a 3-1 win in the Amsterdam ArenA... The Times Ajax give Celtic runaround Martin O'Neill claimed in the matchday programme that pre-season friendly results do not matter as much as fitness - but the Celtic boss was given food for thought as his side were beaten 3-1 by Ajax... The Beautiful Game <img src=http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38155000/jpg/_38155938_suttongoal300.jpg>
Should I re-start my John Hartson must go campaign here or in a new thread? SUTTON IS WASTED AT THE BACK MON!!!
I actually think John Hartson could be utilised better with his blistering pace in defence in all seriousness sutton should play alongside larsson or fernandez, larsson seems to struggle against the gers and hartson doesnt have the right shape to be a footballer at all rangers were lucky he didnt end up at ibrox but that wasnt based on skill it was based on luck that he failed the medical (how could someone in that shape pass a medical at CP )
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!! Parkhead black-out over rights to photos TODAY’S Scotsman carries no photographs from last night’s Celtic v Ajax match because of a dispute between Celtic Football Club and Scottish newspapers... Entire Article
Thompson Blow Adds To Celtic Misery Martin O'Neill admits he's worried abut how long Alan Thompson will be sidelined... ScottishFootball.com
After Ajax defeat, Celtic boss insists on new signings Celtic boss Martin O'Neill admits squad depth could be a problem for the coming season... Tribal Football
O'Neill Seeks Valgaeren Boost Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is hopeful Joos Valgaeren can prove his fitness ahead of Saturday's glamour friendly against Parma... Sporting Life
there hasnt been any real good news for celtic in ages if the board wanted to win they'd give MON money and how can anyone be scared that MON will spend the money improperly cos hes a good manager.
I agree with you ads mate, since we won the treble the board has shown zero ambition while raking it in off the punters with share issues and champions league money and the like, When I look at our first team I am confident we can win the league, when you take away maybe 3 key players we take the kind of humpings we got off bremen and ajax. Friendlies or not when they pull on the hoops they are playing to win, and shipping buckets of goals to sides like portsmouth and QPR isnt a good sign in my book.
Ulrik Laursen Bobby S writes Ulrik Laursen has been linked with Celtic over most of the summer, but most of us thought it was just ill informed normal tabloid rubbish. Tonight it seems that this is not so. The official Celtic website has decided to pronounce tonight: A spokesperson confirmed: "Dialogue has taken place between both clubs and there is every prospect that the player [Laursen] could be joining Celtic some time next week." Just as the pre season seemed to be going well this goes and happens. Oh dear oh dear. HibsFC.net O'NEILL WANTS LAURSEN Martin O'Neill has set his sights on Hibs Ulrik Laursen - and the player could move to Parkhead next week. The Dane has spent the last two years at Easter Road, but O'Neill hopes the defender could be in place for Celtic's opening SPL match against Dunfermline on August 3. A club spokesperson told Celtic's official website: "Dialogue has taken place between both clubs and there is every prospect that the player could be joining Celtic some time next week." ScottishFootball.com
Celtic Prepare For Champions League Draw Rob Douglas insists talk of a pre-Champions League crisis at Celtic is premature... The Guardian
LAURSEN COULD BE ON HIS WAY Hibernian defender Ulrik Laursen has said that there's every prospect that he'll go to Celtic, possibly in time for next week's opening league game against Dunfermline according to a report on Sky Sports News. The departure of the Dane would be yet another blow to Hibs fans after the news that international defender Ulises De la Cruz is likely to join Aston Villa. Jinky Soars
It wouldn't really be a blow, since Hibs are skint and need the cash both will bring in. I don't think either player played much in the last six months anyway. (Laursen was injured, and de la Cruz was dropped/"rested")
MSK Zilina Or Fc Basel will be our champions league 3rd round opponents. Maybe not as easy as it looks and but all being well we should be in the group stages, Im predicting we'll be playing the swiss rather than the slovaks.
I think the combined chairmen & directors of rangers & celtic is supposidely over £1 billion. Other than sheer greed I don't see what stops them giving just small amounts, by their terms, cos MON is not going to do an Advocaat buy and hope thing he'll do it properly. David Murray was different to people like Desmond and Fergus McCann maybe because of whats happened to him after his accident he realises you only get once chance in life so why be greedy. MON is doing the right thing getting rid of players like Kharin and Wieghorst who were average players but now hes been forced to bring in players from the Scottish league and 95% of non-old firm scottish players are at best, average. Celtic the way they are structured seem to be chasing their own tail and are only inviting rangers (and thistle :-O) to race past them.
Great read... Celtic given a passport to riches CELTIC were yesterday presented with at least some relief from pre-season troubles when the third qualifying draw for the Champions League paired the Parkhead club with the winners of the tie between FC Basel and MSK Zilina. While neither can be considered slouches, the knowledge that Fenerbahce or Sporting Lisbon might have been their fate instead will surely give reason for the Celtic staff to greet fortune’s hand with at least some glee... Scotsman.com Parkhead, "Adding to these fears are the signs that Sutton, at times deployed in central defence last season, is growing weary of the shifts in that position, and is keen to return to the full time post of striker."
Good, we can hand FatBhoy the position of sweeper, those dressing rooms need a good clean from time to time
ALEX McLeish, the Rangers manager, admitted yesterday that he came close to tabling a bid for Celtic target Ulrik Laursen when he took over at Ibrox. But he insisted he won’t challenge Martin O’Neill for the signature of the 26-year-old Hibernian defender... The Scotsman
AIDAN SMITH: Celtic’s picture plan could turn Hartson into J-Lo CELTIC aren’t daft, you know. But I think I’ve worked out what they’re up to in this dispute over photographic copyright and I’m going to call Amnesty International right away... More From the Scotsman