21st May 2003 - My Best And Worst Day As A Celtic Fan

The 21st May 2003 is a day that brings about mixed emotions for Celtic fans.  It's a day that we are very proud of but it's also a day that broke our hearts.  It was a day that I'll never forget but it's also a day that I've tried not to look back on until now.

I think when asked about that day most Celtic fans will remember the huge numbers of Celtic fans who were in the Estadio Olimpico de Sevilla and the thousands more who made the trip without tickets.  Many will talk about Henrik Larsson's brace and the bravery of the players in difficult conditions.

Not many fans will mention the result, Bobo Balde's red card or Rab Douglas' mistake that led to the winning goal.  I'm not sure if it's just a Celtic thing or whether it's something all football fans do but all the bad memories of that day have been erased from the memory and the positives are still there.

I am one of a large number of Celtic fans who have never watched the highlights of that game.  I have saw hundreds and possibly thousands of Celtic fans on various forms of social media and message boards say that they have never watched it.  I actually have the official video, "The Road To Seville" in my parents house but as far as I'm concerned it finishes with Henrik Larsson's late winner against Boavista.

When I decided to pen this article I did consider watching the highlights but I'm not ashamed to admit that when I thought about it I got a real sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.   I honestly think the only way I will ever watch that game again is if we get to another European Final and win it.

My own personal memories of that day are faded now but I will try to piece them together.  I was eighteen at the time and went to work as normal.  I seem to remember a newspaper in the office that had a mock up on the front of Paul Lambert lifting the UEFA Cup with the headline "the picture all Celtic fans want to see tonight."

The joys of working flexi hours meant I could leave early.  After work I went home and tried to eat something and then got myself dressed for the occasion.  Shorts, Celtic top, oversized sunglasses, an oversized leprechaun hat and a beach ball seemed to be the obvious choice of attire.  Fed, watered and dressed appropriately it was beer time.

The St Comgalls Club, Larne was my venue of choice and I never saw the place look so well.  The room was jam packed with green and white.  People, flags and beach balls everywhere and everyone of them in the hoops.  I seem to remember a promotion of some continental beer at a pound a pint so I was all set.

My memories aren't great of the game itself so forgive me if some of it is inaccurate.  I could obviously search the internet for answers but I think it means more coming from memory.  I recall the first half was a cagey affair which Celtic grew into as the game progressed.  However, Porto took the lead just before the break just as we were finally starting to believe that we could win.

Many a team would have crumbled after conceding so close to half time but it seemed to give Celtic a new lease of life and they started the second half like a team who had nothing to lose.  Henrik Larsson equalised with a great header from a Didier Agathe cross.  I only remember it was Agathe with the assist as I spent most of his Celtic career praising his pace and criticising his crossing but even I had to admit he got that one spot on.

Unfortunately, it didn't last for long though and Porto took the lead again but thankfully the "King of Kings", Larsson was on top form and he equalised with another excellent header.  From there the game went into extra time.

I remember Balde's red card for what was quite a rash tackle if my memory is correct. When Bobo got sent off I still felt like we needed to find a goal as I didn't fancy a penalty shootout.  Unfortunately, after what seemed like an eternity of hanging on with ten men, Rab Douglas made his customary howler and Porto took a late lead.

My last and perhaps clearest memory of the game was a late Celtic free kick in a good position outside the box.  Shaun Maloney had been earning himself a reputation as a reliable set piece taker but on this occasion he fluffed his lines and hit possibly the worst free kick of his career.  I don't remember the final whistle, Celtic receiving their medals or Porto lifting the trophy.  All I remember was taking a private moment to get my emotions under control and heading to the bar with a friend for treble vodkas, a vodka for each trophy Celtic were going to win the following season.

It's funny when I think back to Seville as the Final itself is way down my list of memories.  When I think of Seville my first thought is the Semi-Final.  The goal Henrik Larsson scored is still my favourite moment as a Celtic fan.  Boavista had been so negative for the full game and it looked as though they were going to be rewarded with a place in the Final until the footballing God's intervened.

Other great memories were beating Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park after listening to the English media saying about how easily Blackburn were going to beat us.  There was an away goals victory over Celta Vigo and a classic 5-4 aggregate win over Stuttgart.  I will also never forget big John Hartson scoring a screamer at Anfield in the Quarter-Final to see us past Liverpool.

I have watched all of those on video and on YouTube but all I've watched of the Final is a few of the fans singing in the Fanzone.  Maybe one day I'll find it in myself to watch the game but as it stands, ten years later, it's still too painful.

Looking back on it, it was a very special time to be a Celtic fan.  We had some very talented players including one of the best in the world in Henrik Larsson.  Back then many people didn't appreciate Larsson as he was "only playing in the SPL."  After he left us he went onto Barcelona were he swung the 2006 Champions League Final in the Catalans favour, breaking the hearts of Arsenal fans all over the world and he also had a brief loan spell at Manchester United were he won over a lot of his doubters who thought he wasn't good enough for the Premier League. 

I'll always look back with fond memories of the 2003 Celtic team.  All of the players involved and the management will always have a special place in mine and every Celtic fans hearts but unfortunately I don't think I'll ever be able to look back at what was without doubt their greatest achievement, at least not with dry eyes. 

Celtic, What Now?

Celtic crashed out of the Champions League last week in Turin, as expected, but there's no reason that it should be all doom and gloom for the Scottish giants.  

It was a great year for Celtic in Europe and it has been a massive improvement on their recent adventures into Europe's top club competitions.  They hadn't reached the knock out stages of the Champions League since 2008 when they lost at the same stage to Barcelona.  In the years between there has been very little to celebrate.  In fact they have only progressed beyond two rounds in the last four seasons and one of those was when FC Sion were kicked out of the Europa League for fielding ineligible players.  It's easy to see why Hoops fans weren't brimming with confidence at the prospect of having to negotiate two qualifiers to earn a place in the group stages and a shot at the big boys.  

The campaign didn't have the best of starts when Celtic stuttered to a 2-1 home win over HJK Helsinki.  The doom and gloom merchants were out in full force talking about Celtic's poor away form and the importance of Helsinki's away goal.  Fortunately neither mattered as Celtic picked up a 2-0 win in Finland to put them into the Final qualifying round. Standing between Celtic and the group stages were Swedish champions,Helsingborgs.  The Hoops made light work of them and after a 2-0 win in Sweden they followed it up with another 2-0 win and Celtic were finally back in the big league for the first time since 2008.  

Celtic were handed a very tough draw in the group stages.  Club World Champions, Barcelona, Portuguese giants, Benfica and big spending Russians, Spartak Moscow.  Barcelona need no introduction, Benfica reached the quarter-finals last year and Spartak Moscow's squad included former Celtic star, Aiden McGeady.  On paper it looked like Celtic would do well to finish third in the group but Neil Lennon's men had other ideas. 

Celtic got off to a bad start drawing 0-0 at home to Benfica which had them on the back foot straight away.  However, a 3-2 win in Moscow got the dream back on track and left Celtic on four points from two games.  Next up was a double header with Barcelona.  Going into stoppage time in Camp Nou Celtic looked like earning an unlikely point but with the last kick of the game Jordi Alba netted from close range to break the hearts of Celtic fans all over the world.  In the home game things went a lot better and although Barcelona scored another goal in the dying minutes, Celtic were already 2-0 up by that stage and hung on for a famous victory.  Celtic travelled to Portugal in their penultimate game knowing a win would secure qualification to the knockout stages.  It wasn't to be though and Benfica ran out 2-1 winners to set up a nail biting finish to the group.  The equation was simple; Celtic needed to better Benfica's result in Barcelona in their home tie against Spartak Moscow. Benfica to their credit picked up a credible draw in Camp Nou but Celtic weren't to be denied and Kris Commons scored a late penalty to send Celtic into the last sixteen. 

The draw was once again tough on Celtic and they were pitted against Italian champions, Juventus.  Unfortunately, Celtic had met their match and Juventus ran out rather flattering winners with an aggregate score of 5-0. It was a tough game for Celtic and despite performing well for the majority of the tie Juventus had too much quality and progressed to the last eight.  

It was a fantastic experience for the team, the coaching staff and the fans. A lot of people will have a lot of happy memories from this year but it's gone now and I'm more interested in what happens next.  

It has become apparent since Neil Lennon has taken charge that the clubs transfer policy has changed.  For years Celtic have had a habit of signing older players with little or no sell on value.  Aside from a few free transfers in his first year in charge, Lennon has concentrated on bringing in younger players playing outside the top leagues with high potential.  This policy has saw players like Joe Ledley, Gary Hooper, Beram Kayal, Emilio Izaguirre,Fraser Forster, Tony Watt, Adam Matthews, Victor Wanyama and Efe Ambrose arrive at the club.  If anyone of those were to leave the club this summer,Celtic would see a handsome profit on their initial investment.

Many Celtic fans would like to see those players stay but unfortunately it doesn't work that way.  Some players will leave and the money generated from their sales will be reinvested into the next generation of young talent and a few of the current players will receive pay rises.  Whilst Celtic are in a solid financial position they are not in the position to throw silly money into transfer fees or players wages.  The majority of the other clubs in the last sixteen are paying individual players annual salaries in the same region as what this entire Celtic team cost to buy.  Teams in England's Premier League earn almost as much from the league's television deal as Celtic's entire annual turnover.  The numbers quite simply don't add up.  

Celtic as a club had to come up with a plan to maximise the clubs potential. Fortunately, they came up with a model similar in style to the one that Lyon used so successfully in the 2000s.  Lyon were in a similar situation, successful domestically but not making an impact on the European stage.  The club began developing young talent and after selling them on at a healthy profit, they reinvested in the next generation of young talent.  Some of this talent included names like Michael Essien, Florent Malouda, Juninho Pernambucano, Éric Abidal,Mahamadou Diarra and Karim Benzema.  Lyon enjoyed a great period of dominance in France as well as reaching three Champions League quarter-finals and a semi-final.  In their first year back in the Champions League, Celtic reached the last sixteen so I see absolutely no reason why reaching the Quarter-Finals in the next few seasons is out of the question.

As well as young talent on the pitch, Celtic also have a young management team. Manager, Neil Lennon is 41 and is assisted by Johan Mjallby (42) and Garry Parker (47).  If I'm completely honest I'm not 100% convinced by Neil Lennon.  I absolutely love the guy and regardless of how his managerial stint at the club turns out he has already earned his place in Celtic folklore but I find myself totally bemused at some of his decisions. In recent weeks he has made some increasingly bizarre decisions that I simply cannot agree with or even begin to understand. 

The biggest and possibly most costly mistake was the decision to play Efe Ambrose in the first leg against Juventus.  In hindsight it turned out to be a terrible decision but I can confirm that I am not simply jumping on the bandwagon.  I wrote a preview of the Juventus game and wrote "Efe Ambrose is a good player but I can't see how Celtic can put a player into the biggest game of the season who has had the lack of preparation that he has."  The Juventus game was the biggest of our season and the team won't have played the Inverness game on the Saturday and then started to prepare for the Juventus game.  They will have been preparing for that game for weeks and for all of that preparation, Ambrose was in South Africa representing his country.  I don't think many other managers would have played Ambrose in those circumstances and it was a gamble that backfired spectacularly. 

Another recent incident also involved Ambrose. He was substituted in the first half against Dundee.  He had made a few mistakes in that game and looked to be low on confidence. Celtic's following game was a top of the table clash with Motherwell.  The game was tight with the score at 1-1 when Lennon decided to bring on an out of form Ambrose.  If you want to build a players confidence the last thing you do is bring him into a big game like that.  Sure enough, Ambrose was at fault for the goal that saw Motherwell take the lead. Lennon still wasn’t finished though. Right after the goal he decided to put Victor Wanyama into defence and moved Ambrose into centre midfield.  At2-1 down Celtic were going to be pushing forward and needed their best players in more advanced positions.  I am completely baffled at what Lennon was thinking by effectively taking the one player who could drive the team forward out of his best position to play defence and replacing him with an out of form player whose confidence was at zero. 

Having said all this, in the European run Lennon did get his tactics spot on in most of the games.  I would argue that the Barcelona win went to his head a little and it led to him fielding a very attacking team against Benfica which led to us getting over ran in midfield which cost us at least a point but in the end it didn't matter.  He is a young manager and I genuinely hope he learns from these mistakes as I don't think there is a Celtic fan on the planet who could take any satisfaction in seeing Neil Lennon struggle as Celtic manager.  Nothing would please me more than in a few years time to be talking about how great a manager Neil Lennon is but as things stand the jury is still out.

Next up for Celtic is trying to secure a domestic double.  The league looks a certainty despite two league defeats in a row.  Celtic are fifteen points ahead of second placed Motherwell with just eight games remaining.  To be honest I would say Celtic have already got enough points to secure the title as the teams from second to eleventh are tightly grouped and have been taking points off each other on a regular basis.  To complete the double Celtic will have to beat Dundee Utd in the Scottish Cup Semi-Final and then the winners of Hibs v Falkirk in the Final. Obviously, Celtic will be hot favourites but there are no guarantees in Scottish football and Hibs in particular will fancy their chances as Celtic are yet to beat them in the SPL this season. 

This summer will inevitably see some players leaving.  I would expect Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama to leave.  Both are exceptionally talented and in my opinion are ready to make the next step in their careers.  Celtic spent less than £3m to sign them and I would be expecting huge profits on both players.  The profits won't be as big as they may have been with both players contracts due to expire in 2014 but they should still pull in a combined fee in the region of £10-15m.  I would expect a good bit of that money to be reinvested but not necessarily on direct replacements.  Tony Watt looks like a younger version of Hooper and I would expect him to get more time on the pitch.  For Wanyama's place I would expect Beram Kayal to get an increased workload and the young Australian, Tom Rogic also looks to be one for the future.  Before Wanyama's arrival Kayal looked superb and he was being linked with some of the top clubs in the Premier League.  There's no reason why he can't rediscover that form if he gets regular games.

If newspaper reports are to be believed Celtic also face losing Joe Ledley, Fraser Forster and James Forrest in the summer. I don't think any of these players will leave this year.  Ledley's contract is up next year but unlike Hooper, he is already an established international and it's unlikely that he would get a move to one of the Champions League clubs so it’s in his best interests to stay at Celtic and I would expect to see him sign a new deal that will put him among the top earners at the club. Forster only signed for us permanently last summer and I would expect we will keep him for one more year at least. Forrest is still very young and I think his future in the game would benefit from another few years at Celtic. One player I think will leave is Efe Ambrose.  Things have turned into a nightmare for him since his return from international duty and I feel his indiscipline in Turin when he missed the bus to training will have been his last chance and going on his recent performances it's no big loss to Celtic. 

Even if Ambrose stays I think Celtic need to look to strengthen the defence,particular the central area.  Kelvin Wilson has progressed well in that position but other than Charlie Mulgrew, I have little faith in any of the other options. If we can bring in a decent centre-back and build from there, I'd be confident of another successful season among the cream of Europe's footballing giants.

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Celtic v Juventus Preview

The UEFA Champions League returns tonight and it promises to be a fantastic night at Paradise as Scottish champions, Celtic take on Italian giants, Juventus.  It will no doubt be a tough test for Neil Lennon's men but they should have nothing to fear.  They have already beat Barcelona at Celtic Park and came within seconds of a draw at the Nou Camp.  This is a special Celtic team with some special players and I hope they're not done with their European adventure yet. 

History would suggest that this will be a hard game for the Italians.  Celtic have faced two legged ties with Italian clubs on nine occasions and have never lost the home leg at Celtic Park.  Juventus have been to Paradise twice and lost on both occasions, most recently in 2001.  Celtic also have an exceptional record at home in the Champions League.  In 23 home games, they have lost just twice.  Both of those defeats came at the hands of Barcelona.  Neil Lennon spoke about bringing the thunder back to Celtic Park.  Not only has he succeeded in doing that, he has also gave the fans a team that can compete with the very best in Europe.

Juventus will most likely line up in their usual 3-5-2 formation.  They will be very strong throughout their team and will be very good technically.  Their midfield looks especially strong and will most likely include Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal.  The battle between Pogba and Victor Wanyama in the midfield promises to be epic.  Both are young men who are built like heavyweight boxers.  It should be a fantastic watch and the winner of that battle could end up being the difference maker in the eventual result.  Another man Celtic have to be wary of is Pirlo.  Pirlo is thirty-three years old now but he's the sort of player who could play until he's forty.  He's not the quickest player in the world but he doesn't have to be.  All the speed he needs is in his brain.  He has the ability to see things that most players don't see and he also has the technical ability to make the pass.  If Celtic stand back and let Pirlo dictate the pace of the game then they may as well concede the tie before kick off.  Pirlo is the sort of player who warrants special attention and Neil Lennon will need a plan to reduce his impact on the outcome.

Most Celtic fans seem to be favouring a 4-3-3 but I expect to see Celtic line up in the 4-4-1-1 that served us so well in the group stages.  If it was good enough to beat Barcelona then I don't see why we would change things now.  My line up would be as follows:

GK : Fraser Forster - He is a top class goalkeeper and with Joe Hart making mistake after mistake it should only be a matter of time before he is England's number one.

RB : Adam Matthews - Matthews is probably a better attacker than defender but his pace usually gets him out of trouble and he deserves a start.

LB : Emilio Izaguirre - Similar to Matthews in that his pace is his best asset in defending.  He hasn't been as good since his injury but is still the best left-back at the club.

CB : Kelvin Wilson - Wilson has grown into his role at the club and has come a long way since a poor start to his Celtic career.  He is quick too and it's an asset I like in a centre-back.

CB : Mikael Lustig - Realistically, if Nigeria hadn't done so well in the African Cup of Nations he would have been playing right-back but as it is I'd expect him to partner Wilson at the heart of the defence.  Efe Ambrose is a good player but I can't see how Celtic can put a player into the biggest game of the season who has had the lack o preparation that he has.

RM : Scott Brown - The skipper will most likely start on the right but with Juventus playing three in the middle as well as wing-backs, I expect we will see him drift from right to middle when required.  Personally, I'd put him in the middle and play Forrest here but I'd be very surprised if Lennon does that.

LM : Charlie Mulgrew - Mulgrew's set pieces will have a big impact on this game and he can play just about everywhere but for this occasion, I think the left wings the place for him.  Like Brown, I don't think he will be restricted to the wing and will come inside when required but he will start out wide.

CM : Victor Wanyama - What a find he was?  Wanyama cost peanuts when he moved to Celtic from Germinal Beerschot but he has been a fantastic signing and is a massive reason that Celtic are at this stage in the competition.  For anyone who still doubts how good he is, just watch the Barcelona games were he was the best midfielder on show in both games.

CM : Joe Ledley - Ledley's at his best when you don't really notice him.  He just quietly gets on with things but when he's played in centre-midfield he never lets the team down.

AM : Georgios Samaras - Obviously this depends on his fitness test but I would feel a lot better about this game if the big man is playing in this role.  In this position he will have two jobs to do.  Juventus will most likely have a lot of possession and I expect Celtic to be under pressure for large periods of the game.  When he get it, we have to make it count.  Samaras is the best player we have at holding the ball up.  He can carry the ball or just hold it up to allow the midfield to get out.  He needs to be our out ball and when used in this role he has always done well.  His second job and perhaps most important job, is to babysit Andrea Pirlo.  Pirlo is an expert at finding space in the midfield and we need Samaras to shadow him when possible.  If Celtic played a normal 4-4-2 or even 4-3-3, Pirlo would just sit in the gap between the defence and his midfield colleagues and dictate the play.  With Samaras on his tail, hopefully he won't be able to do that. 

CF : Gary Hooper - Hooper is perfect for this role.  He has pace, can play football when required and if presented with an opportunity, I'm backing him to finish it.  With three centre-backs for company it will most likely be a frustrating night for him but he only needs a second to score a goal and there's no better man for the job.

I would expect to see Kris Commons and James Forrest at some stage too.  Both are quality players and if it was up to me they would be in with a shout of starting but Neil Lennon has always favoured the cautious approach and it has got us this far so it's hard to complain.  One thing I would like to see Celtic do is try to force Juventus into a 5-3-2.  By going 4-4-1-1 and having Brown and Mulgrew out wide the Juventus wing-backs will have to be careful when going forward.  If Celtic played 4-3-3, the wing-backs could push forward knowing that there's three defenders to cover Celtic's forwards and Pirlo will be just in front of them to act as a spare man.  With a 4-4-1-1, the wing-backs will know that Celtic have Samaras and Hooper ready to attack as well as two wide men and that would leave the Italians short at the back.  By doing this Celtic will be narrowing the areas they have to defend and when required, Brown and Mulgrew have plenty of experience in central areas and will be more than capable of providing the necessary cover. 

Prediction - It's a hard one to call.  Celtic need to respect Juventus as they are technically superior but we are well capable of causing them problems.  I can't see there being a lot of goals in this one and can see 0-0 or 1-0 to either side.  I'll put my neck on the line and go with a 1-0 win to the bhoys in green and white.     

UEFA Champions League - Celtic v Spartak Moscow Preview

Celtic finish their Champions League group stage campaign tonight and they still have a great chance of qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time since the 2007/08 season.  The equation is simple, Celtic have to get a better result at home to Spartak Moscow than Benfica get away to Barcelona.  Barcelona are already through to the last sixteen and will rest Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Andres Iniesta , Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez.  Having said that, Barcelona will still have a strong squad to choose from and they have a great record against Portuguese teams at home, winning their last ten.

Celtic cannot afford to worry about what happens in Spain and must concentrate on doing their own job.  Spartak Moscow have had a bad campaign but on their day they can cause problems.  Celtic won in Moscow which kick started this campaign and another win should be enough to take the hoops through. 

In the last game I believe Neil Lennon got the tactics wrong.  The win over Barcelona gave him the confidence to think he could go to Portugal and play 4-4-2.  The difference between the Benfica style and the Barcelona style is width.  Benfica play with wingers who have their heels on the touchline.  Barca don't rely on wingers and play a much more narrow style.  Even when they get the ball out wide, nine times out of ten they'll play it back to the edge of the box.  Against Barcelona Celtic played 4-4-1-1 and defended their own half and the width of the penalty box.  The 4-4-1-1 meant for much of the game they had ten men behind the ball, defending a relatively small area.  Against Benfica Celtic had to defend the full width of the pitch and the 4-4-2 meant they only had nine men behind the ball.  With less bodies and a larger area to cover, Celtic found it very difficult to contain Benfica.  Both sides dominated possession against Celtic but Benfica carried a bigger threat in the attacking third as they had more spaces to exploit.

In tonights game I would like to see Lennon return to the 4-4-1-1 that has served us so well in Europe this year.  I know it's a home game but I just don't think 4-4-2 works any more on the European or international stage.  The teams from mainland Europe are all technically better than the teams from UK/Ireland.  We see it in Europe all the time and England and Ireland experienced it in the Euros.  These sides all line up with one thing in common, three central midfielders.  It might be 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1 but almost always, they will have three players in that area.  Most games are dominated by whoever wins the midfield and my opinion is if your opponents are technically superior footballers you have to try to win the physical battle.  No matter how physical your two central midfielders are, it's going to be an impossible task to win over three men.  The opposition will always have a spare man and they have the ability to find him.  Your two players are going to be chasing shadows and will quickly become ineffective.  Celtic need to line up with a forward player in a deeper role and they have a perfect player for that job in Georgios Samaras.  Samaras is quick enough to break out from midfield when Celtic win back possession and he is a great option to have as an out ball.  If Celtic use him right, I think Samaras could be the difference between winning and losing. 

The line up I would go with is as follows.  Frazer Forster is an obvious choice in nets and the back four will most likely be Mikael Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose and Kelvin Wilson.  The midfield will pose the biggest problem for Neil Lennon but I would expect him to line up with Scott Brown, Joe Ledley, Beram Kayal and Charlie Mulgrew.  I've already mentioned Samaras in an attacking midfield role and I would play him just behind Gary Hooper who was fantastic in Moscow.  The only other option would be starting Kris Commons ahead of Beram Kayal and playing him on the right wing and putting Brown in the middle but I would expect Kayal to start.  I expect to see Commons come on for Scott Brown at some stage but I prefer him coming off the bench on European nights.  The suspended, Victor Wanyama, will be a huge loss for Celtic and everyone will have to give a little bit extra to compensate for his absence.  Wanyama has been outstanding this season and has been instrumental in getting Celtic to this point.

Win, lose or draw tonight I hope the Celtic fans get behind the team and we don't see a repeat of the criticism Neil Lennon has had to endure from his own support.  People have short memories and a wee bit of success goes to their head.  The league form has been poor but Celtic are most definitely not the first team to struggle to be competitive domestically and in Europe.  Better teams than Celtic have struggled to juggle the two competitions and with our former rivals no longer with us, we can afford to put all our eggs into the European basket for a few months.  Celtic are in a much better position than we were when Neil Lennon was appointed and in my opinion he is doing a fantastic job.  Lennon's team is a work in progress and this Champions League campaign will have made them better players and I can see bright futures in football for quite a few of the squad.      

When the Champions League draw was made I set a target of European football after Christmas.  We have already guaranteed that so let's raise the bar a little and lift the target to Champions League football after Christmas.  Either way Neil Lennon and his team have done themselves proud this year and I for one will never forget the joy and relief when that final whistle blew at Celtic Park on 7th November 2012.