Almost one week ago, a large number of Celtic fans made the short journey over to Amsterdam.
It’s a place widely known as a party city. The locals are friendly, welcoming and laid back people. It’s a lovely city to spend a bit of time in with plenty of tourist attractions.
It also includes a football team with a very rich tradition, a team who is widely known throughout world football.
So what went wrong?
On the park, too many Celtic players were not in peak form. Our passing wasn’t accurate enough, our attackers were not winning enough of the aerial battles. I could go on but I am sure that most people reading this have already watched the game.
When we did have, what I saw as a clear cut chance, we blew it. The chance that I am referring to is when James Forrest and Anthony Stokes were counter attacking and Forrest was unable to either get by the defender to take a shot at goal or get the pass to Stokes who was in plenty of space.
Perhaps that is the difference between us and the top players. I have said it before but money talks and we can’t afford to have the type of players who are capable of creating a goal with almost every chance that they see.
Realistically, I think that 2nd place is beyond us now. With a very nervous home match to come versus AC Milan followed by a game versus Barcelona, we would need at least a win and a draw from these games to even consider a 2nd place.
Of course, I am not being negative here, I am just saying what I think is a bit more realistic. Thankfully though, I am no expert and Celtic have proved me wrong in the past and with a bit of luck, they will do it again.
As well as the result of the match, the off the pitch stuff was pretty grim as well. My immediate thoughts were what was different in Amsterdam ?
I have been lucky enough to have been away in Europe to watch Celtic. The atmosphere, while very drunken was always great. There’s barely been any aggression or arguments or a bad atmosphere.
The closest I remember was hearing folk saying that it would be ok to have another drink – despite being barely able to find the bar.
Think of the amount of places that we have gone to and left a great impression. Paul Lambert was quoted as saying he never knew of any problems with our fans travelling. Paul doesn’t have anything to gain from saying that. However, he is a European cup winner, a very successful football player and seems to be doing well in football management. The point is that he’s the type of guy who is worth while listening to when he talks about football.
The reports from eye witnesses that I have read about have all been the same. That there were unprovoked attacks from groups of Ajax fans and from the Dutch police.
These reports tie in with accounts from fans of various other clubs who have ended up in a similar situation while watching football in Amsterdam.
The common denominator is the Dutch police and the Ajax fans, which is a shame because I have been there while there has been no football and it’s a great place.
Unfortunately, we now have a few young guys who are still over there and have been detained for various reasons. Young guys who may not have a job to come back to whenever they do eventually get home. Young guys who may well bring a criminal record back with them.
It’s a shame really when you consider that this is an isolated incident while watching our team in Europe. Part of me always thinks that the best way to shut someone up (in a sporting context) is to beat them so perhaps our team can use the events of Amsterdam as an added motivation when it comes to the next two group games.
It’s worth remembering that we are there to compete and not just to make up the numbers.
On a lighter note, I was looking into the lowest points total ever from a British based club in the Champions league.
My reason for doing this is that I was worried that we could end up taking the record but we’re safe. The answer is that our dead, former rivals finished 2009/2010 season with TWO points.
Is that petty on my behalf ? Probably, but any chance to laugh at their demise is a good thing for me. Plus I wanted to finish this blog on a more light hearted note.
Our biggest problem on the pitch was our team selection. We played away from home with too many forwards and not enough people battling in the middle of the park. Calling a forward a midfield player doesn’t make him one.
Who did we think we were playing? There’s a good chance that team would have lost away from home in the SPFL, never mind the CL.
I don’t actually think Celtic are that far off having a very good team, for me we could do with a bit of real creativity on the middle of the park & a goal machine up front!
We should go for Finbogasson in January!
We need someone with a real pedigree in midfield, Iniesta would do 🙂
Ajax are a good side an we didnt show up really. The Dam is a fine and vibrant city., lot of friendly people and great bars. Its also a very dangerous city. The police have a zero tolerance policy and they were on high alert. Would never go back there in a million years. Our apartment owners ripped us off for 250 euro, told us he had a weapon. We called cop s and ended up missing flights. Give me Lisbon, barca, Copenhagen amongst others…..don’t trust the Dam at all
You can’t sell some of your top players,replace them with cheap alternatives and expect to do well in the top football competition in the world.
Amsterdam coppers are scumbags at best and beyond junkies at worst (no pun intended) they’re out &out huns and set out to tarnish our clubs immaculate reputation on orders from their Scottish compadraes.(sp)
Fck them and every lowlife that looks like them.
.
Scum of the earth.
END OF
HH
Well no kwit end of swiney eh?
Thought I would get that in first.
Hh
Sweeney Hughes, your comments are very good and you have written well,hail hail. I watched a video on youtube of a Celtic fan being battered,punched,kicked by the scumbags. There was 5 or 6 cowards in plain clothes,a bunch of rotten huns. I hope these huns are sorted out. Come on the Celtic, come on the hoops.
Hahahahaha. Excellent piece of journalism. Sweeney has nailed these fuckers down.
Btw posted from a train traveling the length of holland.
Ajax? Amsterdam?
Scumbags to a man and every perverted variation they have in their fkd up shrtwhole of a city they steep in.
I think the banner on display that they’ve been fined for……said it all.
We should formally complain about the police brutality…shocking it was.
One of our biggest problems is that we have a manager who thinks James Forest is a good footballer 🙁 God help us.
Harsh but funny. Come on jamesy ya wee shite/brilliant footballer.
As usual Steven great piece.
On the park I think most of us have aired the changes we’d like to see when we play this type of game again, having a stronger midfield is by far the most popular and I would totally agree with that.
As for the scandalous behavior of both the ajax fans and police, we cant undo that but I would suggest if we ever have to play them in Amsterdam again then I would urge all celtic fans not to travel to that game thereby denying them and their city any financial benifit from our club.
And for the banner I’ll state what everyone knows
that was more Govan than Amsterdam.
hail hail
I may have gone a bit far in my earlier post through anger, It’s enough to say we were done up like kippers.
HH
Ajax fined 25000 euros for ‘fenian b++++++’ banner by uefa.
Not a club that can afford to absorb that easily.
GIRFUT!
HH
Cheers SWINEY,
I gleened all the info I need
from your back catalogue of posts !!
HOTEL ? INTERESTING !
COMETH THE HOUR,
COMETH THE MAN (in your case it will
be one-eyed
BOGEYMAN )
Last post from CRAIGY
KARMA and VENGEANCE
will be all mine !!
If only you had let up with the SHIT.
Eh…
Craigy used to be hadsburg tim, Pw.
Before that he was someone else, and before that etc.
As hadsburgtim he barged onto the site aggressively putting everyone in their place, calling posters ‘hunnish’ and the like, but like most bullies he was good at giving it out, but couldn’t take it. He threw the toys out a few times including a few ‘this is my last post’ BS, but when he realised no one was bothering their shirt changed his name
to craigy and had a go about ‘frwp csc’, but when he got a civil response reverted back to hadsburg tim and showed exactly what he is with personal threats, but again forgetting who he was meant to be the violent threats continued.
I’m sure Joes got the IP number of which ever computer he was using in whatever Psyco schitzo character he was pretending to be.
Apparently we should all be afraid because he comes from Paisley.
HH