Real Madrid v Manchester United
AC Milan v Barcelona
Celtic v Juventus
There are some sumptuous ties in the next round of the Champions League.
Manchester United could hardly have a had a harder tie than the Madrid giants over two legs. The English league leaders will have to do it the hard way to get their place in the quarter final.
Barcelona, in scintillating form in the Spanish League, but now with the worries for their coach Tito Vilanova, will find it tough against AC Milan.
Celtic, fantastic achievers from the Scottish League and from a hard group, are rewarded with a tie against Italian league leaders Juventus (seven points clear).
Licking their wounds from an early Champions League exit and a World Club Cup defeat, Europa League qualifiers Chelsea took their frustrations out on Leeds United in the Capital One League Cup quarter-final last night. Their introduction to the Europa League will be a trip to Sparta Prague when the tournament resumes in 2013.
Showing posts with label Celtic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celtic. Show all posts
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Manchester United head the October rankings
On the rankings in the Football Ranking System Manchester United remained on top in October, followed by Chelsea and Manchester City.
Celtic are the highest Scottish team, falling one place to eighth. Dundee United are next Scottish team in 31st.
Rangers continue to fall and have slipped from 33rd to 56th. A good cup run might see them regain a few places.
Leading the Championship teams are Middlesbrough who rose 15 places to 15th.
Truro City are in last (202nd) place for the second month in a row.
Ten-place plus movers elsewhere include:
Nottingham Forest, up from 38 to 27.
Blackpool, down from 18 to 28.
Hull City, up from 43 to 30.
Aberdeen, up from 44 to 34.
Crystal Palace, up from 50 to 37.
Oldham Athletic, up from 88 to 77.
Wycombe Wanderers, down from 96 to 106.
Forfar Athletic, down from 106 to 118.
Hereford United, downfrom 126 to 137.
Celtic are the highest Scottish team, falling one place to eighth. Dundee United are next Scottish team in 31st.
Rangers continue to fall and have slipped from 33rd to 56th. A good cup run might see them regain a few places.
Leading the Championship teams are Middlesbrough who rose 15 places to 15th.
Truro City are in last (202nd) place for the second month in a row.
Ten-place plus movers elsewhere include:
Nottingham Forest, up from 38 to 27.
Blackpool, down from 18 to 28.
Hull City, up from 43 to 30.
Aberdeen, up from 44 to 34.
Crystal Palace, up from 50 to 37.
Oldham Athletic, up from 88 to 77.
Wycombe Wanderers, down from 96 to 106.
Forfar Athletic, down from 106 to 118.
Hereford United, downfrom 126 to 137.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Manchester United top the rankings for September
On the rankings in the Football Ranking System Manchester United have regained top spot from Manchester City, who have slipped to fifth with indifferent form of late. Chelsea have jumped from fourth to second, only held back by draws with QPR and Juventus. Everton have kept up their early season form and are in third position.
Inevitably, Celtic head the Scottish challenge, falling one place to seventh. Hearts are next for the Scots in 27th.
Rangers continue to fall and have slipped from 19th to 33rd. from 8th to 19th.
Aston Villa have staged something of a recovery, rising from 29th to 19th and Championship risers Cardiff City jumped from 37th to 23rd.
Biggest fallers were Coventry City, who plummeted from 53rd to 72nd.
Ten-place plus movers elsewhere include:
Leicester City, up from 34 to 24.
Dundee United, down from 18 to 32.
Brighton & Hove Albion, up from 47 to 31.
Kilmarnock, up from 46 to 35.
Wolverhamption Wanderers, up from 49 to 36.
Sheffield Wednesday, down from 31 to 47.
Ipswich Town, down from 40 to 55.
Portsmouth, down from 57 to 70.
Crawley Town, up from 84 to 74.
Morton, up from 91 to 80.
Leyton Orient, up from 92 to 82.
Hamilton Academical, down from 76 to 87.
Port Vale, up from 102 to 92.
Southend United, up from 105 to 95.
Wycombe Wanderers, down from 85 to 96.
Hartlepool United, down from 87 to 98.
Burton Albion, up from 113 to 99.
Aldershot Town, down from 96 to 108.
Oxford United, down from 99 to 113.
Dartford, up from 169 to 157.
Chester, up from 173 to 159.
Oxford City up from 179 to 168.
Inevitably, Celtic head the Scottish challenge, falling one place to seventh. Hearts are next for the Scots in 27th.
Rangers continue to fall and have slipped from 19th to 33rd. from 8th to 19th.
Aston Villa have staged something of a recovery, rising from 29th to 19th and Championship risers Cardiff City jumped from 37th to 23rd.
Biggest fallers were Coventry City, who plummeted from 53rd to 72nd.
Ten-place plus movers elsewhere include:
Leicester City, up from 34 to 24.
Dundee United, down from 18 to 32.
Brighton & Hove Albion, up from 47 to 31.
Kilmarnock, up from 46 to 35.
Wolverhamption Wanderers, up from 49 to 36.
Sheffield Wednesday, down from 31 to 47.
Ipswich Town, down from 40 to 55.
Portsmouth, down from 57 to 70.
Crawley Town, up from 84 to 74.
Morton, up from 91 to 80.
Leyton Orient, up from 92 to 82.
Hamilton Academical, down from 76 to 87.
Port Vale, up from 102 to 92.
Southend United, up from 105 to 95.
Wycombe Wanderers, down from 85 to 96.
Hartlepool United, down from 87 to 98.
Burton Albion, up from 113 to 99.
Aldershot Town, down from 96 to 108.
Oxford United, down from 99 to 113.
Dartford, up from 169 to 157.
Chester, up from 173 to 159.
Oxford City up from 179 to 168.
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Fulham undone by last-gasp header
Fulham were undone by a sucker punch last night as they were knocked out of the Europa League by an injury-time header by Odense BK of Denmark.
Fulham were seemignly curising into the last 32 at half-time with a 2-0 lead, and needed to win to remain above Wisla Karkow in the group. But two second-half goals put paid to Fulham's Europa League ambitions. So ends a 14-game run in the competition which started way back on 30 June - nearly six months ago!
Despite a 3-1 defeat in Turkey, Stoke City qualified for the knock-out stages last night, but they could be the only British team to make it through the Europa League groups.
All of Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City are starting this evening's round of matches in third place and all look unlikely to qualify.
But will they be sad or happy?
Celtic will be left to push for the SPL title. Tottenham will be left to push for (ahem) a European place, although they will hope to qualify for the Champions League; and Birmingham will be left to catch up their league games and settle down to plotting a way out of the Championship.
It makes you wonder why they bother to qualify in the first place.
Manchester City and Manchester United, take note.
Fulham were seemignly curising into the last 32 at half-time with a 2-0 lead, and needed to win to remain above Wisla Karkow in the group. But two second-half goals put paid to Fulham's Europa League ambitions. So ends a 14-game run in the competition which started way back on 30 June - nearly six months ago!
Despite a 3-1 defeat in Turkey, Stoke City qualified for the knock-out stages last night, but they could be the only British team to make it through the Europa League groups.
All of Celtic, Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City are starting this evening's round of matches in third place and all look unlikely to qualify.
But will they be sad or happy?
Celtic will be left to push for the SPL title. Tottenham will be left to push for (ahem) a European place, although they will hope to qualify for the Champions League; and Birmingham will be left to catch up their league games and settle down to plotting a way out of the Championship.
It makes you wonder why they bother to qualify in the first place.
Manchester City and Manchester United, take note.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Referees in Scotland are right to strike after integrity is questioned
It's always worrying when the integrity of The Beautiful Game is questioned, and such is the case now with the resultant strike by referees in Scotland.
Referees at the top level in Scotland are to strike this weekend after their integrity was questioned following the admission of lying by referee Dougie McDonald following a recent Celtic v Dundee United game.
It seems that Mr McDonald gave a penalty to Celtic, consulted his assistant and then changed his decision to 'no penlaty'. He said that he had changed his decision after being alerted to his mistake by the assistant, but then later said that in fact he had changed his mind upon realising his own error.
The lie seems very small to me, yet Celtic chairman John Reid said: "If the SFA had any sense of their own integrity, they should look at it again. His position is completely untenable. The SFA's position on this issue is also untenable."
I don't see that. It appears to me that the referee made a mistaken decision, changed his mind and sought to justify it by saying his assistant had helped him, but then admitted that it was HIS decision to overturn the penalty award. That IS integrity.
Celtic won the bad-tempered game on 17 October 2-1 with an injury-time winner.
Referees have a difficult enough job with all the cheating that goes on by players (in all leagues), and to question their integrity is, at best, unhelpful.
I sympathise with the strike.
Referees at the top level in Scotland are to strike this weekend after their integrity was questioned following the admission of lying by referee Dougie McDonald following a recent Celtic v Dundee United game.
It seems that Mr McDonald gave a penalty to Celtic, consulted his assistant and then changed his decision to 'no penlaty'. He said that he had changed his decision after being alerted to his mistake by the assistant, but then later said that in fact he had changed his mind upon realising his own error.
The lie seems very small to me, yet Celtic chairman John Reid said: "If the SFA had any sense of their own integrity, they should look at it again. His position is completely untenable. The SFA's position on this issue is also untenable."
I don't see that. It appears to me that the referee made a mistaken decision, changed his mind and sought to justify it by saying his assistant had helped him, but then admitted that it was HIS decision to overturn the penalty award. That IS integrity.
Celtic won the bad-tempered game on 17 October 2-1 with an injury-time winner.
Referees have a difficult enough job with all the cheating that goes on by players (in all leagues), and to question their integrity is, at best, unhelpful.
I sympathise with the strike.
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