Champions League 2013-14

Trivia

• European Cup final is in Lisbon, the first time since 1967 when Celtic won it there. Final at Benfica’s ground Stade de Luz.
• Celtic have three rounds to qualify for the Champions League group stages, a disgrace after reaching last sixteen in the previous season.
• Celtic’s first match in N Ireland (Cliftonville) in a long time.
• Irony as Celtic’s second opponents Elfsborg were playing Bangura who was a loan player from Celtic. He played well in both games but thankfully didn’t score.
• Third opponents, Celtic’s first time against a side from Kazakhstan in any competition, and we come back from first leg 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 (3-0 win at home), first time since Cologne in early 90s.
• Celtic enter Champions League Group stages in Pot 4.
• Billy McNeill was given the honour of picking the names out the hat for Pot 1 at the Champions League Group draw, in honour of the Lisbon Lions (final is in Lisbon in 2014).
• Group H is the first time in the history of the Champions League that a group will be made up entirely of former winners, sixteen European Cup trophy wins in this group.
• Barca have dubbed the group as ‘The Group of Nobility’, Milan as ‘The Group of Champions’. Everyone else ‘The Group of Death’
• Celtic finish bottom with one win out of the six games. Disappointing.
• Joint worst European result, 6-1 defeat.
• Celtic end on 3pts, our lowest yet in the Champs League, still two ahead of the worst set by a Scottish side (set by Rangers 2009-10).
• From Twitter: “If that Champ’s League group were The Beatles, Barca was Lennon, McCartney Milan, Harrison was Amsterdam, and we carried Ringo’s drum kit.”
• Jan 2014: Uefa close section 127 for Ajax – Red Bull Salzburg, because of their “Fenian Bastard” banner during Ajax – Celtic game. Good news!

Matches

Celtic out of European Competition at Group stage.

Champions League Review

Pre-qualifiers & Play-off

We can’t use last season as a benchmark here. We’d lost the backbone of our first team (Hooper, Wanyama and Wilson) and our expectations had to be tweaked, but then again this is football and we have to dream. Ridiculously we had to pass three rounds of qualifiers to get to the Champions League. A disgrace when we’d reached the last sixteen last season, and yet teams in the EPL etc could easily piggyback to the group stages in higher pot rankings than us.

Anyhow, first round was a meeting with celtic compatriots Cliftonville in N Ireland. A friendly affair but one-sided as Celtic triumped 5-0 in aggregate, with the supports united and enjoying the matches. It was a wonderful exercise, and far better than friendlies but this was little difference in difficulty. The biggest issue was that it was during marching season and tensions had risen sharply again, but thankfully no troubles for Celtic.

Next up was Elfsborg from Sweden. No great shakes, but both matches were overshadowed by that our own player, failed signing Bangura, was on loan to Elfsborg and to face us. He gave us some big frights in the matches, and Celtic slipped through with a 1-0 aggregate victory, despite very lacklustre performances, which concerned all. The most notable part of these matches was that despite our last season pedigree, we were really brought back down to earth and playing like a far inferior side than to what we were. Concerns were starting, but it was just the summer and surely we’d pick up from there.

A curiosity in the final qualifier, where we were to meet Shakhter Karagandy from Kazakhstan to play off for the Champions League. Completely unknown to us, they were the lowest ranked side in the play off round and if won would have been the lowest ranked side to have ever made it. The club had a ceremonial sheep sacrifice done on the day of the game, a local custom. Seemed to work for them, as poor Celtic tactics and a weakened side from the recent big name transfer losses led to a humiliating 2-0 away loss, and all heads were down.

The truth is that most of the support were of the belief that it was now over, and it was down to the Europa League for us. We’d lost Hooper recently, and just couldn’t see where the goals were going to come from for a comeback. A one-nil defeat or a draw would have been fine but 2-0 looked ominous. It was backs against the walls. Karagandy were truly an average side and their attendance in this competition was inflating their true quality, although they had already taken a big scalp earlier in the rounds. We didn’t want to be the second ones.

An incredible recovery in the second match saw Celtic spank Shakhter 3-0 and the emotions ran high and defied the critics (whom Lennon lambested later on). A last minute winner by Forrest following a mazy dribble through the box by Stokes to set him up, blew the roof off every home in the Celtic world. It was an incredible night, with some great football seeing our players bombard the opposition goals (but we had a few frights along the way). We’d made it, and it was our biggest comeback in European football since Cologne in the early 1990s. The players and coaches deserved all the plaudits, and comically most supporters were now denying having ever been concerned in the first place.

Group H

After winning a place in the draw of death last season, we were looking for a respite. We’ve had so many impossible draws before, and we wanted someone new. It was not to be.

The group draw brought out the gasps as our name came out, we’d again been drawn in the group of death in the draw (again), amongst teams we’d already repeatedly faced over past ten years (bar Ajax which is first time since 2001 in a competitive fixture). Barcelona must be sick of the sight of us and same with AC Milan. What are the odds of this? For the travelling fan it was gut wrenching, although they would get over the woes with a coffee in a Dutch café.

Group

• Barcelona (Spain)
• Milan (Italy)
• Ajax (Netherlands)

Group H is the first time in the history of the Champions League that a group will be made up entirely of former winners. Johan Cruyff diplomatically stated: “It’s a fantastic thing for football that these clubs get drawn against other. It’s another group of champions.” For all the fans of the teams in the group it was a frightening and mouthwatering proposition. Incredibly, despite their pedigrees, Barcelona had never faced Ajax before in European competition, so this was a first.

It’s become like the twilight zone in the Champions League as we seem to keep meeting the same old faces, but taking in some of our great results against some of these sides we were hoping for a repeat performance, at home at least and finally sneak some good away results.

We revel in the underdog status and seem to do best when labeled it by commentators, but never before in the Champions League has it been more appropriate than now for us.

Facing AC Milan in the San Siro, scene of our painful 1970 European Cup final defeat, was no easy task. Yet the team put on a fine rugged display. Great performances around were sadly though cut short after an unfortunate deflection from Izaguirre saw AC Milan move ahead, and then a bizarrely awarded free kick to the Italians (would you believe it?) produced their second. If anything we were unfortunate not to get anything. It was a surprising disappointment to leave empty handed. It set a benchmark to match.

The tests in this group were no to let up though. Barca at home next may not have seen us repeat the feats of the previous season, but the story was over-clouded by some shameful antics from Barca’s new star Neymar. He dived and play acted, and a number of his fellow player were little better. However it was Scott Brown’s daft little innocuous clip on Neymar after a tussle that was the changing factor of the game. He was sent off, and the balance of play was in Barcelona’s hands. However, Celtic came close straight after and only (if only) Mulgrew had scored with that header from a corner, he was so agonisingly close. Barca then got their goal and it was over. We were close to a repeat performance from last season.

It was though from those games close calls and incredibly despite great performances we were bottom with no goals regardless of any plaudits. Some sourness due to certain decisions but we needed to pick ourselves up. You had to be positive and rightly so. The players were really playing beyond themselves.

The club had also organised a full stadium display for the Barca, this time funded by themselves. Not as good as the Green Brigades from last season but still very good. However, fan created and organised is more emotive than any done by the club. At this juncture we weren’t to realise what a hot potato displays were going to become for the club.

Samaras summarised aptly our performances to date in the Champions League quite well: “Lost first two games on small details but sometimes they make the big difference in a game.”

Now onto the crunch games in the group for Celtic.

The Ajax matches were back-to-back and even from the start were marked as the ones to define how we were to do in the group. Ajax are to a certain extent like Celtic at this juncture. Big club, great history, small country and little money, plus keep losing their best players to the richest leagues (as both our clubs had happened to us over the past summer). Saying that they’re still a good side.

An injury ravaged Celtic side without the suspended Scott Brown meant that the first side was to come into another backs against the walls display. Yet the tables were turned and Celtic were the better side against Ajax in the first match and the rub of the green saw us ahead.. A surprisingly great performance by the much written off Kayal and Forrest, saw Celtic win the match 2-1 with goals by the two, but there were excellent performances across the board. It was heart-warming to see the first team finally get the rewards for all their efforts.

The best Dutch player on the pitch turned out to be Celtic’s van Dijk who was fast becoming the new club hero. Lots of goading of ex-Rangers player and now Ajax manager Ronald de Boer raised the tempo for the home support. Atmosphere was said to be fantastic and the best in the season so far.

Notably the first match was marred by trouble in the away supporters end, with Dutch hooligans (a sizeable minority of their support) ripping out seats and throwing them and other items at family section supporters. Pathetic, but this was just the start of it all, and was to come back on us later.

But we were now off the mark. We’d got goals, points and respect. Something that many doubted we’d get from this group. There were odds on us not winning even a single point. This win was a good psychological break for all, especially for the manager and his staff who had got his tactics right in all three games to date.

The return was a major failure. The team tactics were poor and very limited if not amateurish, and Ajax more than deserved their one nil victory (scoring a wonderful tiki taka style goal). Celtic were not at the races, saved only by some great saves.

Still though we were mathematically in with a chance of coming second despite being bottom with three points, Milan in second place only had 5pts.

However attention moved to off field after Ajax youths targetted and attacked Celtic fans in pubs and the main square, whilst over zealous policing saw officers acting like thugs and willfully attack supporters. It was a sad day, and Ajax sadly had become an unpopular club with the supporters. Many others did though have a good time in Amsterdam. Our club though publicly supported our supporters, and we seemed to fast make new friends across the rest of the Netherlands.

Ajax were been fined €25.000 by the UEFA for the “Fenian Bastards” banner against Celtic, but the big story was the campaign by Celtic fans (in particular TheCelticTrust) who were supporting and assisting of two supporters who were jailed in Holland after the police brutality. Sadly attention was so focussed off field that it was let slip about on-field issues.

So now the rundown to the final matches. All mathematical probabilities were being worked out for our qualifications, with possible draw for Ajax very Barcelona to help us and what all the permutations would show us. Fortress Parkhead would see us grab the points against a recently faltering Milan side and so on.

That illusion was quickly ended and all the game theory tables were shredded away.

Milan took Celtic apart despite being nothing special at Celtic. The performance from Celtic was baffling, with the defence out of sorts at corners, misfiring chances at Milan ‘s goal and just lacking heart. The three nil victory flattered Milan but the gap was there and undeniable.

We were now bottom of the group, set and fixed and not able to catch up with the rest. So we were out of Europe. Disappointing and frustrating as that may be.

Had the board sold us short in the summer? Critics were lining up on the forums & twitter for a moan, but face facts we don’t have the finances to easily attract high quality talent. We search and play the numbers game and punch above our weight. That’s what we do and once in a while we achieve something special as like last season.

The biggest problem was actually off the pitch after the Green Brigade revealed a Bobby Sands / William Wallace banner. With the increasing and admittedly ham fisted approach by UEFA to curb political slogans, this really blew things up. Celtic were fined EUR50k and the board had enough of the Green Brigade who had his name earlier assurances about banners. Their section was to be ended. It was a shambles, and the board were the unfair targets in this all. Very soon after it sadly led to the disbandonment of the Green Brigade section

Last match was a next to nothing match very Barcelona away. Barcelona were already qualified and their star man Messi was out injured. Problem was that Barca were a great side who needed to win this to confirm top spot and we were the poorer relations with nothing to play for but pride. The end result was humiliation for Celtic.

A masterclass by that wee nyaff Neymar, saw Celtic humiliated 6-1, with Celtic scoring with a Samaras header at the death to give us possibly our only plus mark. It was really heading for a worse beating but for some good defending at times by van Dijk and ‘luck’. It was really going on for ten nil.

It was a sad way to end our involvement in Europe this season.

Retrospective

Firstly, the qualifiers we’d made a bit of a meal of them but we’d still got through, so playing poorly but still winning is a good problem. We scrapped though against some poor sides, and the Cliftonville game was just a great party. Wonderful to revisit Cliftonville again sometime.

Into the groups, the first two matches were wonderful but we just couldn’t grab the points. On the margins we’d slipped up. The second three matches saw us not just dip but slump, and on that form it showed a few issues.

Lennon has definitely had a mixed bag this time. Praise and criticism were given and then thrown at him. A tough ride and again he will have learnt from this, but the lack of a quality striker has really killed matters for him up front. All the good work by the defenders and midfield always came to naught in attack. The strikers brought in the summer and those left-over have been poor. Even Samaras who seemed to previously play his best in Europe was posted missing too often.

We don’t have the depth or quality, but we do have some quality. However, it doesn’t matter if we find the quality, because many (including sadly some of our own supporters) seem to then talk about only that we are going to lose such player in January/summer. It’s nauseating. We can only build on what we have, and we do punch above our weight. Few other clubs in similar weak domestic leagues have managed to keep their heads above water like we have.

Now for the big reality check. We’ve said it for years, but as in the wonderful “The Blizzard” publication, an article dubbed us to now be in an era of ‘mega-clubs’. We’re not one of them despite what any of our fans like to imagine. It’s for the major league clubs: Man U, Arsenal, Barca, Real and Bayern etc plus all those with sugar daddies are killing off the rest who can’t even keep up.

It’s the new football, and we just have sadly had to accept it and adapt somehow. It isn’t going to change anytime soon.