Tag Archives: celtic

Celtic: Barcelona left shocked in Scotland

  By O-Posts Team | November 8, 2012 - 14:58 | , , ,
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Celtic-Barcelona-Goal

7/11/12 – a date which every single Celtic supporter will remember for the rest of their lives. The date was already special as it marks the club’s 125th anniversary, but their 2-1 victory over one of the greatest teams in the world was the icing on top.

It’s not every day a Scottish club like Celtic will beat a team like Barcelona in a competition like the Champions league; but today was the day the Bhoys in Green stunned football pundits around the world as they defied all odds.

Going into this fixture Celtic were definitely the under dogs, even though they were narrowly defeated away to Barcelona. Celtic may have been labelled as the small fries but that didn’t keep them from thinking positive and playing like they had won the competition 4 times over themselves.

Ahead of the monstrous game, Neil Lennon made four changes to the side which drew against Dundee United on the weekend. Scott Brown was ruled out due to illness while Thomas Rogne and Emilio Izaguirre were left out because of injuries. Youngster Tony Watt was dropped off the starting line up as Mikael Lustig, Efe Ambrose, Georgios Samaras and Miku made way into the starting 11.

Ahead of the match, Celtic fans decorated Celtic Park in honour of the club’s 125th anniversary. Prepared by the Green Brigade, Celtic Park was wreathed in green and white – a stunning display to join the already energetic and high powered atmosphere travelling throughout the stadium.

Barcelona started off the game in front of a crowd of 60,000 at Celtic Park. Both teams took a while to settle into the game but it was the Bhoys in Green who took the first jump at the scoreboard. Victor Wanyama tore up the pitch towards goal, sending the Barcelona defence into panic mode.

He won the Hoops a corner which then resulted into a goal for Celtic. Wanyama jumped above both teams to head Charlie Mulgrew’s fine corner into the net; and if anyone asks, Wanyama is the one responsible for the earthquake caused by Celtic fans which shook up the ground in Celtic Park.

Six minutes later Celtic had a sufficient chance to double their lead against Barcelona. Adam Matthews came charging down the left flank and almost received his first assist for the club if Victor Valdes had not intercepted the ball from Georgios Samaras.

Barcelona was buoyant as they sped towards goal. At the half hour mark, Lionel Messi powered a ball which Forster just got his fingertips to. Alexis also joined Messi in hitting the woodwork as Barcelona increased the pressure, but they failed in gaining anything for their efforts as Celtic walked off the pitch at half time with their 1-0 lead.

Barcelona started off the second half as the stronger side. After a series of corners from Barcelona, Celtic still managed to keep a clean sheet thanks to some excellent defending from their players. Fraser Forster was even down on all fours as Barcelona continued to fire balls from left, right and centre at the Englishmen.

It was Forster’s exceptional goalkeeping which gave Celtic their second goal of the night. Forster’s ball deceived the likes of Xavi, which gave the chance for Tony Watt to slot the ball past the Barcelona keeper – a reflection of Alex Morgan’s World Cup goal against Japan last year.

“It’s the most special goal of my life. I don’t know if I’ll ever score a goal as important as that in my career, the second in a 2-1 win,” said Tony Watt.

There still might have been 7 or so minutes left in normal time, but Celtic fans were celebrating as if they had already won the Champions League. Not even Messi’s quick tap in could kill their mood. As the referee blew his whistle to signal full time, the roar of the crowd quickly deafened everyone watching from home. The game ended 2-1 and Neil Lennon’s Bhoys just made history.

“I think it´s one of the greatest nights in the club´s recent history and very poignant on our 125th anniversary,” said the manager. “To play Barcelona in such a prestigious game and then win the game under huge difficulties with the squad decimated by injuries and illness – the players are heroes, they are heroes to me.”

“I can’t speak highly enough of their performances tonight and they will go down in the history books as the side that beat probably the best team in the world.”

Fraser Forster hailed the fighting spirit of his team mates against the Spanish giants:

“It was a fantastic team performance. I’m delighted to have made some saves and contributed, but we put up an amazing fight for the 90 minutes. We had a lot of injuries, but we coped with it ever so well and I’m delighted with the result. I like the challenge of the big games – they’re the ones you dream about playing in as a kid.”

With 5 attempts on goal, 5 on target, 11% possession and 166 total passes compared to a whopping 23 attempts on goal, 14 on target, 89% possession and 955 total passes; not only have Celtic raised the bar in the Champions League for their up and coming rivals, but they have also boosted the Scottish League and their own reputation in stunning fashion.

It even left Rod Stewart in tears by the end of the match.

If you’re the same as us then maybe this result got you thinking about maybe a sneaky outside bet at an online bookmakers on a team such as Celtic to bring home the cup this year. Either way you could be in for a win – I bet the people who placed money on Celtic to win, probably brushed away as too big a gamble by most, are happy tonight!

Some would even say it was sweeter than 2004…..

 

Written by Siobhan Pedroza

Follow her on Twitter @briefcase_wanka

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Celtic vs Barca: Can the Bhoys achieve the unthinkable?

  By O-Posts Team | October 23, 2012 - 14:37 | , , , ,
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Ahead of next week’s group of games in the UEFA Champions League, Celtic fans have already started to fret about what Tuesday/Wednesday could bring about.

Those going to the increasingly anticipated match v Barcelona could either leave absolutely shattered or absolutely elated. For those who don’t follow the Glasgow side, I think you know which route the Celtic supporters will probably be taking.

But in football, absolutely anything can happen; as we all saw in the Germany and Sweden World Cup Qualifying match. Maybe the unthinkable can be achieved at Camp Nou.

For Celtic, this will be the match of their lives. Playing Barcelona at Camp Nou is a suicide mission, especially for the Glasgow side who has never had to compete against a skilfully elite team such as Barcelona.

Fraser Forster has never come up against a talented gifted striker like Messi, Charlie Mulgrew and Emilio Izaguirre don’t have players like Iniesta and Xavi to fight against and Gary Hooper could never imagine having a “shaggy dog” like Puyol to fly past in the SPL.

But Barcelona shouldn’t undermine this Celtic side. A team like Celtic aren’t used to losing, especially playing in a league like the SPL where they don’t have any serious competition. With a mindset like the Scottish team possess, they won’t be giving up easily – and this is definitely a game Neil Lennon wants to seal.

Yet Barcelona play against teams like Real Madrid and Valencia week in and week out, which keep the team on their toes. The contrast between the La Liga and the Scottish Premier League is huge. The La Liga feature world class teams and is majorly competitive, while the SPL possess teams who, well, can’t beat Celtic.

Celtic are definitely going into this game as the under dogs. What the fans don’t want to be seeing is The Bhoys “park the bus”. Personally as a supporter of the club, we want to see the boys fight for the three points.

We want to see the boys attack with the passion of lions and defend with hearts of steel. Yes, we are going up against a team considered one of the best in the world – but that’s all psychological. If Celtic thinks like that, then they’re going to lose against one of the greatest teams in the La Liga.

If they go in with confident attitudes and positive determination, then they stand a good chance against Barcelona.

But wait! Let’s rewind back to 2004. Remember the stunning victory against Barcelona? “The Beating of Barcelona” will always remain in the memories of Celtic supporters. Celtic reached the quarter finals of the UEFA cup after defeating Barcelona 0-1 on aggregate.

Celtic’s Alan Thompson scoring the winner against Barca in 2004.

Celtic held on 0-0 against Barcelona at Camp Nou through a fantastic and breath taking performance by non-other than David Marshall. It was the youngster’s third senior game with the club and he held off the likes of Ronaldinho and Luis Enrique. If Celtic ever needed an edge, this renowned game is what they need.

Neil Lennon is hoping that Scott Brown and James Forrest will be fit for the Barcelona match as they both suffered injuries during the international break

“James did his groin in training with the Scotland squad and Scott, as you know, has this ongoing problem”, said the Hoops manager.

“I felt he was playing very well against Wales but obviously he couldn’t continue after half-time so we are assessing him as we go along. We are hoping (he will be fit for Barca), this weekend may be too soon for them but they might have a chance for Tuesday.”

So, can Celtic repeat their runs of 1967 and 1970? Can they pull off another spectacular victory against Barcelona? With only 2 points behind Barcelona and 3 points in front of Benfica, they could very well progress through to the last 16.

Football is a game where unexpected surprises and startling blunders often occur – Barcelona v Celtic will be no exception.

 

Written by Siobhan Pedroza

Follow her on Twitter @briefcase_wanka

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Scout Report: James Forrest (Celtic)

  By O-Posts Team | September 25, 2012 - 15:08 | , ,
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James Forrest

Scottish football has very little to shout about at the moment. Poor performances from the national team, a mediocre Premier League, a shambolic governing body and one of world football’s most famous clubs languishing in the Irn-Bru Third Division wilderness all paint a bleak picture of the so-called beautiful game.

However, promising performances from the under-21′s national team in their ultimately unsuccessful qualification campaign for Euro 2013 provide a glimmer of hope. Players such as Johnny Russell, Tony Watt, Danny Wilson, and two recent graduates to full international honours, Jordan Rhodes and James Forrest, point to a brighter future for Scottish football.

Described by the SFA’s Performance Director, Mark Wotte, as “the light in the darkness” of Scottish football, Celtic winger James Forrest is already beginning to make his mark for both his club and the national team.

Scouted by Celtic at the age of 11 while playing in his home town of Prestwick in Ayrshire, Forrest signed youth terms with the club two years later, having turned down offers from Kilmarnock and Rangers.

By the time he was 17, Forrest had developed into one of Celtic’s finest prospects, becoming a regular scorer from his position on the right wing. Forrest started the 2008/2009 season for Celtic U19′s with three goals in his first five games, but an injury sustained in October 2008 sidelined him until the next March.

Without Forrest, the young Celts suffered a poor run of form, but on his return to the side as the season drew to a close, Forrest proved injury had not stunted his development. He soon progressed to the reserve team, scoring twice in his first two games, and was rewarded for his excellent form with a new four year professional contract, which he signed on 30 August 2009.

Having scored on his debuts for Celtic under-19′s and the reserves, Forrest repeated the trick in May 2010, when he was introduced as a substitute at Celtic Park during a Scottish Premier League game against Motherwell. He scored the third in a 4-0 Celtic win, which prompted manager Neil Lennon to insist he would not rush his new star’s development, despite his fine start for the Hoops.

An injury to Paddy McCourt at the start of the 2010/2011 season presented Forrest with the ideal opportunity to stake his claim for a regular place in the Celtic side, which he grasped with both hands, scoring against St Mirren, earning his first call up to Scotland under-21′s at the age of 19, and winning the Young Player of the Month award in a promising August.

In January 2011, Forrest was rewarded for his excellent start to life in the first team with a new five year contract.

While the 2010/2011 season ended in disappointment for Celtic as Rangers claimed the league title, Forrest had been a revelation.

In Celtic’s title winning 2011/2012 season Forrest again blossomed, with match winning performances, including against Hibs at Easter Road, where he scored twice after half time to turn round a 1-0 deficit.

Shortly after this display, it emerged that then Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was monitoring the progress of Forrest, and he was named in FIFA’s list of 13 young players to watch in January 2012, alongside talent such as Barcelona’s Thiago Alcantara.

Forrest’s rapid rise has been rewarded on the international stage, with caps at Scotland age groups from under-17 to under-21, culminating with his full international debut against Republic of Ireland in May 2011. He has since collected seven caps, including his first competitive Scotland start against Macedonia in a World Cup qualifier in September.

This season will see Forrest’s debut in the group stages in the Champions League, where Celtic will face Barcelona, Benfica and Spartak Moscow, and though the Hoops are expected to dominate the SPL, every game played increases Forrest’s experience.

Though he is far from the finished article at 21 years old, Forrest possesses a commodity which has proved all too rare in Scottish football in recent times: flair. Able to play on either wing or as central striker, Forrest has been compared to Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone, and described as a direct, old-fashioned winger, and has been praised for his positive attitude and willingness to learn from more senior Celtic players.

James Forrest is exactly the kind of player Scottish football needs in a time where confidence in the national team is dwindling. He excites the crowd, often produces the end product to good wing play, and can score goals.

If Forrest represents the future of our game then it will most certainly be bright.

 

Written by Andrew Watson

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