WELL DONE Celtic. They thoroughly deserved to advance to the play-off round of the Champions League, with a dominant performance in Baku.
Qarabag tended to play what good football they did too far from Craig Gordon, who was required to make very few saves worthy of the name and they never pressurised the Celtic defence, as, for instance, a Celtic team, requiring to overturn a one-goal first leg deficit at Celtic Park would have. Long before the end, you couldn't see Celtic conceding a goal, since Qarabag made so few chances.
Celtic will now have a seeding in the next round, and, with the right draw, why shouldn't they reach the group stages of Europe's premier club competition?
Just one wee criticism. How come Chris Sutton keeps getting these European gigs? He adds nothing of note to the commentary. I always thought of him as a very-over-rated player, but, as a pundit - he is even more over-rated.
Sutton belongs to that genre of Old Firm old boys, whose belief when in the commentary box is: my team, right and never wrong.
SOME people regard Cristiano Ronaldo, or CR7 as he is known, as a total tosser, the narcissist's narcissist. Maybes aye - maybes naw; but, wonderful player though he is, he clearly loves himself.
Qarabag tended to play what good football they did too far from Craig Gordon, who was required to make very few saves worthy of the name and they never pressurised the Celtic defence, as, for instance, a Celtic team, requiring to overturn a one-goal first leg deficit at Celtic Park would have. Long before the end, you couldn't see Celtic conceding a goal, since Qarabag made so few chances.
Celtic will now have a seeding in the next round, and, with the right draw, why shouldn't they reach the group stages of Europe's premier club competition?
Just one wee criticism. How come Chris Sutton keeps getting these European gigs? He adds nothing of note to the commentary. I always thought of him as a very-over-rated player, but, as a pundit - he is even more over-rated.
Sutton belongs to that genre of Old Firm old boys, whose belief when in the commentary box is: my team, right and never wrong.
SOME people regard Cristiano Ronaldo, or CR7 as he is known, as a total tosser, the narcissist's narcissist. Maybes aye - maybes naw; but, wonderful player though he is, he clearly loves himself.
Well, there's a wee video clip came up on my BT internet home page today, of CR7, wearing a false beard and glasses, and with a "fat suit" on under his outer clothing, doing a spot of begging in the main square in Madrid. he tries and fails to interest passers-by in his ball control skills; gets the brush-off when he tries to chat-up passing girls, until, finally, a teenaged boy joins in with him.
He then signs the ball, hands it to the boy and removes the disguise. The look on the kid's face when he realises who he has been playing with is priceless. Then, the adult passers-by realise CR7 is in their midst - cue chaos.
It is a very uplifting clip, well done CR7, it made me smile.
SO, the dear old "Harry Wraggs" - or Partick Thistle to the younger football fans - have signed a Pogba - Mathias, one of Paul's of Juventus' brothers. Good luck to the lad, and of course to Thistle. Like a lot of folk in fitba, I have a soft spot for the Maryhill Magyrs.
However, over the years, we Killie fans used to laugh at how various Rugby Park management teams would make the same mistake - by signing a good player's useless brother. Killie have a long track record in this respect, indeed, I can still recall one edition of the Killie fanzine Paper Roses which actually listed these recruits.
I hope Mathias Pogba does well at Firhill, and I think he will - Alan Archibald has never struck me as anything but a very-promising young manager.
Speaking of Paul Pogba. I remember him, as a 17-year-old, stunning Somerset Park withhis quality, in a young Manchester United team which played Ayr United in a pre-season game. It was immediately obvious - we were in the presence of a very-special talent.
If Mathias is anything like his brother, he will soon be a legend around Firhill, where the Jags' fans just love players who are a wee bit different.
GOOD Luck to young Matt Gould, son of ex-Celtic and Scotland back stop Jonathan, grandson of former Wales manager Bobby; who has just signed for Livingston.
I still find it funny that Bobby Gould's son and grandson both became 'keepers. As an old-fashioned "battering ram" type English centre forward. Bobby Gould had a reputation for "rummeling-up" goalies.
Until that is, the day he met my cousin Allan. Allan was (in my book) the best goalkeeer never to play for Scotland. He got into a couple of Scotland squads, when playing for a very-unfashionable English club, but, never got to wear the thistle.
One day, at Coventry, he went in at half-time covered in bruises, from Bobby Gould going through him on at least three occasions. Suitably annoyed, Allan had a quiet word with the referee, about what he was going to do to give hi some protection from Gould's fouls.
The answer was nothing, so, after Gould had fouled him early in the second-half, Allan told the referee, if he didn't sort Gould out - he, Alan, would.
A couple of minutes later, Gould fouled Allan, forcing him to concede a corner; no reaction from the official. Over came the corner, up went Gould, alongside Allan, who flattened him with one punch.
Loud blast of the whistle. Allan immediately took off his jersey, gave the referee his name and took the long walk.
The case came up before the FA beaks. Allan asked for a personal hearing, at which he got the referee to confirm that he had twice complained about being fouled by Gould, and that the official had done nothing. He further got the referee to confirm Allan had said, if the referee didn't "sort-out" Gould - Allan would.
He got off with a severe censure, no suspension. The moral of this story is - don't mess with goalkeepers from Springburn, who learned their trade with Petershill in the Central Junior League.
SO, the dear old "Harry Wraggs" - or Partick Thistle to the younger football fans - have signed a Pogba - Mathias, one of Paul's of Juventus' brothers. Good luck to the lad, and of course to Thistle. Like a lot of folk in fitba, I have a soft spot for the Maryhill Magyrs.
However, over the years, we Killie fans used to laugh at how various Rugby Park management teams would make the same mistake - by signing a good player's useless brother. Killie have a long track record in this respect, indeed, I can still recall one edition of the Killie fanzine Paper Roses which actually listed these recruits.
I hope Mathias Pogba does well at Firhill, and I think he will - Alan Archibald has never struck me as anything but a very-promising young manager.
Speaking of Paul Pogba. I remember him, as a 17-year-old, stunning Somerset Park withhis quality, in a young Manchester United team which played Ayr United in a pre-season game. It was immediately obvious - we were in the presence of a very-special talent.
If Mathias is anything like his brother, he will soon be a legend around Firhill, where the Jags' fans just love players who are a wee bit different.
GOOD Luck to young Matt Gould, son of ex-Celtic and Scotland back stop Jonathan, grandson of former Wales manager Bobby; who has just signed for Livingston.
I still find it funny that Bobby Gould's son and grandson both became 'keepers. As an old-fashioned "battering ram" type English centre forward. Bobby Gould had a reputation for "rummeling-up" goalies.
Until that is, the day he met my cousin Allan. Allan was (in my book) the best goalkeeer never to play for Scotland. He got into a couple of Scotland squads, when playing for a very-unfashionable English club, but, never got to wear the thistle.
One day, at Coventry, he went in at half-time covered in bruises, from Bobby Gould going through him on at least three occasions. Suitably annoyed, Allan had a quiet word with the referee, about what he was going to do to give hi some protection from Gould's fouls.
The answer was nothing, so, after Gould had fouled him early in the second-half, Allan told the referee, if he didn't sort Gould out - he, Alan, would.
A couple of minutes later, Gould fouled Allan, forcing him to concede a corner; no reaction from the official. Over came the corner, up went Gould, alongside Allan, who flattened him with one punch.
Loud blast of the whistle. Allan immediately took off his jersey, gave the referee his name and took the long walk.
The case came up before the FA beaks. Allan asked for a personal hearing, at which he got the referee to confirm that he had twice complained about being fouled by Gould, and that the official had done nothing. He further got the referee to confirm Allan had said, if the referee didn't "sort-out" Gould - Allan would.
He got off with a severe censure, no suspension. The moral of this story is - don't mess with goalkeepers from Springburn, who learned their trade with Petershill in the Central Junior League.
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