GeorgiosSamaras

Spurs is the biggest opportunity a manager based in Scotland has had since Fergie and likely to remain so for some time. A properly big club and if he decides he wants the chance to take them back to glory, challenge himself against the best managers in the world and probably triple his wages in the process then I wouldn't hold it against him. He is a great fit with Celtic and I'll be gutted whenever he goes.

Congratulations. Do they give out medals for that? You know, like the ones Celtic pick up every year or the ones Frankfurt got in Seville last year?

Exactly like that. Whether we are playing Real Madrid, Rangers or Caley it's all the same. Remains to be seen whether Caley scud us like Madrid or get tanked like Rangers.

Looking forward to this. Was good to see Celtic return to form at the weekend, albeit Caley will have much more to play for than Aberdeen did on Saturday. Good that unsold tickets have went back to Celtic. Have seen a few Celtic fans say that they've got tickets in the Caley end - not sure I'd want to bite my lip all day but fair enough to those who can. Don't blame them for wanting to be there, it is a massive game and a chance to make history with 8 trebles if things go our way. Are Caley likely to sit in and soak up as much pressure as they can or will they try a high press? The high press gave our squad players problems in the three dead rubber games prior to the weekend, and before that at times our first team have looked unconvincing against it too. Long day to park the bus, but I suppose Dodds won't want his team out on their feet by half time, be interesting to see what they do. Think we'll treat it like any other game.

Celtic are by far the biggest club in Scotland with the strongest infrastructure in Scotland, so aye, we should be winning titles. This thread is titled "most tin pot thing you've seen in the SPFL" and we've just had a succession of posts that show why our league is called "tin pot", that go way beyond acknowledging Celtic's status and verge on full "my nan could win the SPFL". Ange came in and took a club that had finished 25 points behind the Rangers in the covid cup. A squad where our best players wanted out, failed big money signings we needed to get out, with the loan signings who had propped up our numbers and our captain gone. He implemented his style of play and made no excuses for early shortcomings. He improved every player who stayed - Rogic, Ralston, Taylor and of course McGregor. Aye he spent some of the money he brought in but just about every signing he made hit the ground running. Now I despise Rangers and all they stand for but even I would admit they were no pushovers last season. Gio was a good manager and with a combination of a fit team, a loud support as well as luck and probably blood magic they went to a European final (where thank god they lost). This was not the teams Rodgers faced, this was a proper threat and challenge. Even this season under Gerrard's lackey they've already amassed a points total that would have won titles not so long ago. Ange has done a great job to put them in their place and ensure the blip a couple of years ago was no more than that. Call it what you want, he's loved by us for it in a way that I've not seen since O'Neill. Tickets are hard to come by - god love those on the waiting list, club tours are sold out, Celtic tops are everywhere you look. Rodgers was great, but Ange is the perfect representative for a club like us. His background his story and aye, his values born from his immigrant upbringing fit Celtic perfectly.

This has clearly gone over your head - ironic given we're now talking about Tav, but for clarity, the Busquets comment was obviously firmly tongue in cheek. Would say Tavernier has more technical ability than Ralston, but he's also a massive loser and it's hilarious that you lot have him in your hall of fame.

Yet Tony Ralston is on course to win more trophies in one season than hall of fame winning Rangers legend Tav has won in eight. Some very bitter takes on the last couple of pages from a support that literally moaned so much about a marginal offside decision that Head of Referees Crawford Allen broke convention to condemn. You had Robbie Neilson, who was never beaten fairly bitch and moan after every pumping dished out to his team. Yet it's Celtic who have broken you and sent you to Staffordshire. We are told that Celtic fans will justify any decision that goes for their team in the same thread where Hearts fans are trying to say the Michael Smith save in the box wasn't a penalty. They're bitching about how long it took to give one of their two penalties in the same game where Celtic were denied a goal for a non-existent foul because the referee blew to early. The red card on Sunday was the correct decision. That said, yes Scottish referees are terrible and we should get rid of the lot of them. The Champions still come out on top every time we play you though because we're much better than you (and Burton Albion).

Wasn't that long ago you were all laughing at his appointment, a joke figure that was to be sacked by Christmas. Now he's compared to Rodgers and being wished away. Not just Celtic fans who recognise the job he is doing

Fantastic scenes outside Celtic Park yesterday and it's all thanks to Ange. We are so fortunate to have a leader like him, the values he holds and the football he plays - he's a perfect fit for this club. We are so fortunate to have him. Four friendlies and one massive game v Caley next month to secure the treble to go.

Credit to Naismith for coming out and giving it a go, first 20-30 minutes they pressed Celtic better than Rangers or anyone else in Scotland has. Despite that, Hearts never made a clear cut chance, never mind scored when they were on top. As Celtic found out in Europe, you put that much into the first half of games then you need to take a lead into the second. Don't understand the complaints about the red card. Maeda is through and Kyogo is with him. The nearest Hearts defenders are yards behind them - it is a clear goalscoring opportunity, it is a clear foul and it's a red. It's like me moaning about the goal Celtic scored that was disallowed after it. Never mind that Ralston was miles offside, it went against my team so I'm not happy. I could go on about the 4-3 game at Tynecastle and other decisions that go v my club but what is the point. Scottish refs are awful. Collum and Rangers youth coach Walsh are both terrible. Happy for them all to go and to bring in foreign officials. Hearts pressing intensity was gone long before the end of the first half. Joe Hart was playing it out unchallenged and Ralston was picking out passes from deep like Busquets on the half way line, which led to the red. No need for quotation marks, you got to see the Champions yesterday.

Best take on this is that Celtic got away with time wasting and holding up play because Reo Hatate tied his shoelaces. Celtic famously like to slow play down and our opponents just want to get on with things! This in the same game Xander Clark was down for over two minutes because Starfelt jumped near him. You came flying out the traps and punched yourselves out within half an hour. Big Shankland and wee Barrie were done, they started to give the Champions time on the ball and from that point there was only one winner.

Thanks! I should have a decent chance of getting a ticket then. Having travelled to Inverness for a 12 o'clock kick off a 12.30 kick off time in the other direction sounds a bit rubbish for Caley fans and our Irish support. A 17.30 kick off would do me if 3 isn't an option. I presume Caley will play like most teams (including Rangers) do against us - sit back and go direct and it will be up to us to break them down and not do anything daft at the back. If we play well we should win but I'm sure Ange won't be complacent.

How many tickets do Caley fans think they'll take for the final?

Wonder if these guys with flags sporting Neo-Nazi Waffen SS insignia and Mussolini quotes are the same ones who get very upset about people not wearing the poppy? Surely they are not the same guys who fly Israeli flags? Thank god we've put these racist bigots back in their place.

What a great day out. Comfortable win for the Champions and a cracking atmosphere. Those losers are absolutely rotten. What a job Gio did taking them to a European final and keeping the gap within 10 points of Celtic. Beale is exposed yet again as an absolute fraud and a rookie coach after taking another beating off Ange. To think the other mob think they've closed the gap.

I think Barry Robson and Jim Goodwin would disagree given last time Robson took Aberdeen to Celtic Park they got four put past them and it could easily have been 8, while Goodwin played the most negative, embarrassing confidence shattering football to avoid an 8-0 pumping at Pittodrie and still lost.

Excluding the last derby game I think the current Celtic side have got a lot better at defending set plays but Thompson's delivery and Sutton/Bobo/Mjallby/Joos and later Hartson/Varga in the box would cause carnage. That said the O'Neill team mixed it up more than they're often given credit for, they could play too. Lubo was a unique talent and Lambert a European cup winner. Guys like McNamara and Petrov were top players as well and would be ideal for modern football football in general and Ange's team in particular. Football was obviously different 20 odd years ago and I don't think that side was built to deal with the pressing of the current team. Bobo probably blooters the ball out the park with Kyogo/Maeda harassing him or just blooters them. Jota causes serious damage to Agathe, even with his recovery pace. For me McGregor is a better midfielder than anyone we had then or since. Hatate is a special talent who sends Lenny for his tea. Douglas/Gould were a weak link but that said Hart's not on the same level as Boruc or Forster. CCV and Starfelt match up as well as any centre half pairing in recent memory to the physical challenge of Sutton and Hartson but obviously Larsson is just a cut above anything we've had since. World class, nobody compares, he destroys the current team like he destroyed everyone. I think you'd have to make a peak O'Neill team favourites. Perhaps I'm being unfair but I think that we won more games back then due to individual bits of talent and skill. Now it's more of a team effort and down to the style of play implemented by the manager. Rodgers first season Celtic were on fire but as has been said everything they did was predicated on keeping the ball. I don't think the current team let them do that. We're much more direct now and I think the pace the Ange team play at would seriously trouble that defence and midfield. Dembele, Sinclair and Tierney were obviously class acts that could hurt the current team. In terms of trophy haul Rodgers record was untouchable but there was a real drop off in terms of quality in seasons 2 and 3. Ange's side have kicked on a gear this year - remains to be seen if we'll do a treble but in terms of performances I would be confident the current team would win.

I think Morelos was very lucky to avoid a booking for his foul on Johnston before the goal that was correctly ruled out. Had he punched the ball into the net he'd have got a card, should have got the same for his two handed judo throw on AJ. Still, even if Fr Clancy missed the infringement at the time I'd have had every faith in the Champions to come back from a goal down and put the serial losers in their place.

Re point two - Celtic's passing was poor yesterday and Rangers pressing was effective, but we still cut through the press and created chances, particularly in the run up to the second goal. In the first half when we beat their front three the ball ended up with Mooy who had space but was miles off it. If he's at it or better yet if Hatate is fit, then Rangers get punished for the space they gave us in the final third. Their chances came from set plays rather than winning the ball high and cutting through us. I think if you're crediting Rangers for us being sub par then you have to give Celtic some credit too for their f**k ups. If Jota's not there for the second then Davies clears it easily, if Jota and Kyogo aren't closing in on Souttar then he doesn't make Alan McGregor look like a tottie by asking him to run. We've not always been great but in 30/31 league games we've found a way to get the result we needed, part of that is having better players but their is something to the never stop mantra.

It's such a loser mentality mate. They might beat us at Ibrox, they still might win the cup but we have broken them. The Espanyol Barca comparison is unfair as the gap isn't that big but I think Bayern - Dortmund is fair. They'll win the odd game v us, even a league and cup here and there, but there's no doubt who dominates. They are firmly in our shadow.

To think I've seen people have a go at Rangers fans when they complain about mediocrity, how can you accuse the Bears of glory hunting after today? Giving us a game is now a moral victory for them. They created next to nothing but they disrupted our game so their tactics are now being lauded. Never mind that Celtic are strolling to the title, they have the chance to stop us doing the treble. This is normality now. Felt very appropriate that the goals that took Captain Tav to 100 were scored in front of no Rangers fans. Didn't feel like it at the time but I think we'll look back on the last half hour as pretty comfortable all things considered after a poor first half. They put on some pressure but we should have been out of sight. Hopefully Mooy will be up to speed by next week and we'll have Hatate back as he's a huge loss. Kyogo is just fuckin deadly, love him and AJ is a unit, top performance against Kent.

I'll respond to this because as far as I can see it's the most comprehensive answer to my post, but trying to answer points raised by others within it. We’ve played at Fir Park twice this season, both times the Celtic end was full and there was 5000 empty seats in the rest of the stadium. Motherwell could have sold significantly more tickets and received a relative financial windfall, they chose not to. Not claiming it would not bridge the financial gulf between the clubs but it is cutting your nose off to spite your face. Rangers success in the 1990s was built on a limitless overdraft from the BoS. It was the only sustained period of dominance they’ve had since the 1950s and it was entirely artificial, spending cash they didn’t have. Fergus could have let Celtic die as Rangers fans let their club die in 2012 but he paid our debts. He could have put our financial security in jeopardy by borrowing money we didn’t have as our rivals did. He didn’t, he set in motion a plan to build sustainable success. Despite similar roots Hibs have long taken a different path. Celtic stand alone in terms of embracing their Irish identity. That identity and support is passed down through generations. I would presume most on here support their team because their dad or another family member did too. Idea of saying I live in Blantyre so I should go 3 miles to New Douglas Park instead of 6 miles Celtic Park is nuts. Same principle applies to those who stay in other parts of Scotland or Ireland. People don’t pick their team with a map and a ruler. Every team has to sell their prize assets, Celtic are no different to other Scottish teams in that regard. Ange has brought in more than he spent. I’d love to have Tierney, Van Dijk and Dembele in the team but we wouldn’t have the squad we have just now without a conveyer belt of players heading out. The buzz around Celtic just now isn’t just because they are winning, it’s the style of football they are playing. I seen an Aberdeen fan respond to me scoffing at the idea of actually trying to play football against us. What chance does Scottish football have when a big team with a European trophy are content with creating 0 chances, having 20% of the ball and sitting 11 men behind the ball at home, and still losing, just because it kept the score down? As others have mentioned, we got pumped by Real Madrid and Leipzig this year. No excuses about budgets, we lost because we faced better teams. Celtic fans aren’t complaining because we went toe to toe with them and had a go anyway.

Get why fans of other clubs would be unhappy with the status quo but talking of splitting ticket sales and the like suggests some seriously clouded judgement. Celtic have an inbuilt advantage over every other club in the league, Rangers included, because we sell 10,000 tickets more than anyone else every second week. We are able to do that because rather than chase short term success in the 1990s Fergus McCann built a 60,000 stadium. In other words, we paid for it, we suffered our rivals spending outwith their means and matching our 9IAR and in the long term it has paid off. We're not Chelsea or Man City pumped up on unearned funds provided by shady businessmen. The club turn a profit. We fill the stadium not because of glory hunters as some suggest but because for a very long time Irish Scots and their descendants were not welcome in Scotland and naturally whether they were from Parkhead or Peterhead gravitated towards the team that represented them. In every one of Ireland's 32 counties you'll find Celtic fans not because of success but because of what the club represents. Don't think there is a way that any other team will have the sustained success that Celtic have had over the past few years. That's not to say others won't win the odd title and cup. Things that have been suggested like changing the structure of the football leagues, in particular moving to a larger premier league, and adding in more promotions and relegations all make sense to me. Other than that, I'd say clubs should sell tickets to fans who want to go to games - we regularly play v teams with half empty stands when we could fill every stadium for every game. Teams are cutting their nose off to spite their face. Failing that, teams could change up their style to get more of their own fans through the door. Pretty rare for Celtic to play a team who don't sit 11 men behind the ball and spend the game trying to launch a long ball on top of Greg Taylor. From experience of watching Celtic in Europe it's better to watch your team have a go and lose than sit in and lose.