Does any Celtic fan care? Apparently the Auld Enemy play each other at Wembley tonight in a friendly of incredible significance.
Scott Brown believes that leading out Gordon Strachan’s side will be a bigger thrill than captaining Celtic against Juventus in the Champions League. Really?
Going even further Mark McGhee claims that scoring against England in the 1984 British Championship was a bigger career highlight than being in the Aberdeen team that beat Real Madrid the previous year to win the European Cup Winners Cup!
In an age of media hype and build up it’s understandable to talk everything up but who are Brown and McGhee trying to kid?
It’s 15 years since Scotland last qualified for a major tournament, you’ll find short odds on the SFA blazers enjoying another continental jolly this side of 2018 as last night’s u-21 result demonstrated.
While England are regular qualifiers for World Cup’s and European Championship’s equally predictable is their departure at the quarter-final stage, generally in a penalty shoot out.
While Brown and McGhee get worked up into a frenzy for tonight’s match Neil Lennon has only one wish- that his players survive tonight’s match without injury.
Next Tuesday Celtic travel to face Shakhter Karagandy in a game of much more significance. Securing an aggregate victory over the Kazakhstan champions will be much more meaningful for Celtic, Brown and Scottish football.
Every club in the top division will receive a payment from UEFA if Celtic repeat last season’s achievements while Celtic can look to bring in £20m plus from reaching the group stage.
To do that the only significance of tonight’s match is that the Celtic players come through the game without injury.
After that it’s onto Pittoddrie on Saturday before the two matches that will make or break Celtic’s season- not a friendly international kickabout.
I would like to see Scotland win but Celtic are bigger and more important than the national team.
Celtic first, but definitely Scotland supporter. Have a wee soft spot for Ireland also. The guys who are Scottish born and don’t support us are just fools. Scottish is what we are so back the team!!!
Hail Hail
Scott Browns proud to be Scottish, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all. I”m a massive hoops fan, but to capptain your country against England is a massive honour. I support Scotland and Celticnot interested in Ireland as they are more interested in Man Utd, Liverpool etc.
We have TWO huge games coming up and I would have had no hesitation at all in withdrawing all Celtic players from this pointless friendly. To hold such a game at this stage of the season is utterly stupid and shows the SFA for what they are…imbeciles.
I sincerely hope any Celtic players come through the game with no injuries and couldn’t give a toss about the result…winning means hee haw apart from a few drunken idiots who think people are glad to see them….bar managers apart, Scotland wouldn’t figure on the top 10-15 Countries English fans would rather play against. They will learn absolutely nothing from this non-event as indeed will Strachan.
What’s this clown talking about I was told if we win that’s us going to brazil , all b there the night with my celtic tartan kilt
Neither should we have played a “meaningless friendly ” in Dublin last Saturday if we are so concerned about injuries to our players . Realise that some Celtic supporters ( and players ) are proud of the land of their birth and support their country in sporting contests rather than Ireland !
Not the most important fixture in my calendar , but there are No H**S games any more
its glasgow celtic not irish celtic yes plenty of us back scotland all the way
Yes of course the Wembley game has huge significance for me, a life long Celtic fan. I was born in Scotland to an Irish mother and Scottish father, so I’m proud to say I am Scottish even though I now live in Canada and have Canadian citizenship. I followed Scotland in all the World Cup finals they contested back in the 70s and 80s and they will always be my country. I loved it when Andy Murray won Wimbeldon, when Sandy Lyle won the Masters and the British Open, or when the Scotland rugby team beats England or wins the Grand Slam or Triple Crown.
It’s actually perfectly OK to be a passionate Celtic and Scotland fan – none of my Irish cousins are Celtic fans. They either follow Liverpool or Man Utd. Point is Celtic is a Scottish team playing in Scotland and representing Scotland in Europe.
When all is said and done, I will be in front of the TV today rooting for Scotland.
Me. Glasgow ScotlAnd born and bred celtic through and through
Hahaha kenny turncoat miller has just scored a brilliant goal. I’m toatally flabbergasted. Hahaha
Poor, poor article.
Most Celtic fans are proud Scots and are proud of the caps Celtic players earn.
To say that you are not proud of a Celtic player being capped for Scotland is disgusting and almost a sevconian attitude.
Agreed mate! Shocking article, shocking attitude!!
Pish!! Celtic = Scottish (mainly). Sevco = British (english)!
Celtic are a Scottish team (with Irish roots). We are not all plastic paddy’s! Anyone born in Scotland would be proud to turn out against the english! The vast majority of our support are Scottish! Sevconian like attitudes like this is not & never will be the Celtic way!!
Im an irish celtic supporter and I like.most other irish celtic fans was delighted to c brown .forrest . Mulgrew play against de english. Was a great game jus a pity yous didnt beat the shite outa them!
Can understand some celtic fans turning their back on the national team after years of celts players and managers being treated poorly by Scotland fans and SFA hierarchy but that is exactly what the bigots want – to marginalise us and make us feel foreign in our own land
Well am not willing to give the bigots their wish, proud to be Scotland and Celtic supporter
Personally couldn’t give a feck about the SFAs team.
I’m a proud scot but wouldn’t support anything to do with the SFA, that’s the way I see it.
Im Irish ,living in Dublin Celtic supporter all my life and I watched the Scotland England – thought it would be more interesting than Wales, Ireland and was proved right – just meaningless friendlies
Scottish Celtic supporters should be proud of their country & players capped but I refuse to accept that I am any less a Celtic supporter because I am not Scottish – without the history and Irish aspect – Celtic would just be another Scottish club
Hail Hail
I totally agree with every word written there, im not a plastic paddy, not pro irish or pro ira but i also dont give 2 shits about the scottish national team.
I just think international fitba is a distraction and i dont like to see celtic players playing in these games, not just for scotlands internationals but any internationals.
What happens if broony and forrest got injured last night leaving our threadbare squad even more depleted and decreasing our chances of CL qualification.
And proud to be scottish, whos kidding who? Any country that actively encourages not just allows orange walks in this day and age, also a country with one of the highest heroin and violence rates in europe is not one to be proud of.
Proud of scotland and enjoying internationals, not for me im afraid.
Can see the concern regarding injuries but I would say the number of friendlies crammed into pre-season each year is equally detrimental on that front
Internationals can only help a players development because the players they come up against are far better than the standard spl fare and Celtic will reap the benefit of Brown,Forrest and Mulgrew testing themselves against Wilshere,Gerard and co
Last night was a friendly in name only,it was played at a cracking pace and our players will benefit from it IMO
OZ, when they play for Celtic They Play for Celtic, when they play for Scotland…..blah…blah
When we play friendlies the team are playing for us, they are getting match fit for us, they are, in the instance of the Liverpool game, the American trips and the rest of the big friendlies, they are bringing prestige to our club, they are usually playing against top notch competition, AC, L’pool, ManU..etc and yes they are bringing funds into the CP coffers, but I really don’t see anything intrinsically wrong with that, infact I think that’s a good thing.
They also allow supporters from afar to see the team in the flesh so to speak, especially the kids.
I agree this years ‘pre-season friendlies’ were a bit disapointing, but that was exactly for the reasons you’re talking about m8, we couldn’t go on a glamour tour, although as I understand it we were invited, to the likes of America, Australia or Japan because we had early Champions League qualifiers so we were stuck with the German tour a bit closer to home.
I would rather be doing that than having an annual bigotfest every year against some racist bigoted snidey wee NI outfit because we share the same twisted mind-set, like the most successful and biggest team in the whole wide world has to, ha ha.
I think we should be happy that the club is thought of so highly and that our glorious club has such a (real) massive global fan base.
I am anyway.
Not a dig m8, just looking at things from a different angle.
@ Beldub, I think the article is aimed at Scottish Bhoys m8.
I don’t think anyone expects Irish Celtic supporters to support Scotland.
HH
dont forget the Lisbon Lions, are you a hun?
That’s funny, my mrs keeps calling me that.
HH
To be honest Dub I was typing that on the wee windae of a tablet, sitting on the couch waiting for my tea and when it came I just posted, I was really a bit taken aback myself when I seen how long it was.
It’s difficult to Judge in the wee window of an Android and I never checked it before posting.
I’d also like to appologise to OZ CELT, it must have seemed as though I was wading right in m8 and really that was not the case, I got carried away with my own chain of thoughts and as I said just posted without thinking when my tea came out. If there were an edit facility I would have went back and chopped it up.
Sorry.
HH
Once we gain independence you’ll see the true passion of this country. Once the shackles are removed……and as for the English loving Brits, well they can go and live in Britain.
Rangers fans hate Scotland because their Newco players didn’t get a game. Personally I think we do better without the likes of Ian Black.
Of course Celtic fans care – well the Scottish ones anyway should care!