As much as we’re all disappointed with last night’s result in Braga courtesy of an age old failing, inability to defend set pieces, some of the comments from our own support have been nothing short of a disgrace.

Four players made their competitive debut, along with Shaun Maloney who hasn’t kicked a ball in earnest.

Couple that with 86° searing heat and you’ll find that Portugal in the height of summer isn’t the easiest of places to go.

A card happy referee, well happy to show the Hoops cards, conspired to make it a night to forget.

But we have to take it on the chin.

Whether we batter Braga at Celtic Park next Wednesday or not, I’m sure the Bhoys will give it their best shot, of course an early goal would set us up nicely.

Either way, the least the Bhoys can give us is a bit of fight, something we lacked last night.

I find it amazing that tonight’s Champions League qualifier isn’t being broadcast on the BBC.

What’s equally amazing if the BEEB are to be beleived, is that Braga won’t sell the rights the game….anywhere.

Are the Portuguese so well off that they don’t need the money that broadcasting rights would bring, or is it a convenience for the BBC to hide behind.

Our public sevice broadcasting corporation has a history of this nonsense, going way back to 1967 when they refused to cover the World Club Championship game between Celtic and Racing Club of Argentina.

The same corporation that showed every one of the MM’s Scottish Cup matches last season, shoving money down Govan way like some sort of charity case.

Something tells me that if the MM were involved tonight the game would have been shown….or maybe I’m just paranoid.

Who would have given CSKA Moscow a hope in hell of getting a result at Old Trafford in the Champions League tonight?

Having lost the home tie 1-0, the Russians sacked their manager Juande Ramos and their whole club in disarray.

But that didn’t stop them going into a 3-1 lead in with only six minutes to go in Manchester before finally succumbing to Man United’s pressure.

If a bunch of no-hopers can go to the home of the Champions League holders and get a draw the surely Celtic can go to Hamburg and pick up at least a point.

Just like the Muscovites, the Bhoys have already been written off by the media, so now is as good a time as any to make the hacks eat their words.

Stranger things have happened before…..

Despite what all the moaning, whinging and complaining, Eduardo Da Silva DIVED when trying to cheat the referee and win a penalty for Arsenal in the Champions League Play-Off tie at the Emirate Stadium.

If you don’t believe me, watch the video again.>>>>>>>>>>>

UEFA know it, Arsene Wenger knows it and most ‘sensible’ Arsenal fans know it.

Only the deluded think that such an act is acceptable in today’s game.
Probably the same deluded that will be seeking justice for Adebayor’s antics at the weekend.

This Eduardo dive is turning into a real farce…..and it’s not even panto season! Everytime Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger opens his big Gallic gub he’s contradicting his last statement.

“It wasn’t a penalty” he said on Wednesday.

“Eduardo isn’t a cheat”, he added later.

UEFA then take a grip of things on Friday and charge the cheat with trying to con the referee and all of a sudden Arsene has gone all bleary eyed and Billy Liar like.

Can you beleive it?  Now Arsene can see it was a penalty!

Somehow the Holy Goalie has managed to touch the Croatian with such a force that he knocked him off his feet, two days after the event!

Amazing.

As for Arsene, why not follow your French comrade Monsieur Cantona and get yourself into the movies, I heard they’re look for a new Billy Liar.

Ideal for soemone who can’t tell reality from make believe.

With the dust now settled on the Champions League Qualifier between The Hoops and The Gunners I think it’s appropriate, especially for our Gooner visitors to the site, to once again highlight the chasm in resources available to both clubs who are only 400 miles apart but a million in finances….

Lets start with Celtic who in the past 4 seasons have won the Clydesdale Bank SPL three times plus both domestic cup twice as well as reaching the last 16 of The Champions League two seasons in a row and their best “Financial Rewards” in one season for doing so including all TV money from both Setanta & Sky plus all League & Domestic Cup Sponsors  as well as Uefa was a grand total of £19m(not including ticket money)……. While if we look at The Gunners over the same period of time during which they have won absolutely nothing but have finished in the top four in the Barclays EPL and competed in the later stages of The Champions League their financial rewards from EPL sponsors Barclays, Sky TV & Uefa in the same season was £90m(not including ticket money)…

This I am sure you will agree is not a “level playing field” and explains why a World Famous Club like Celtic can be outbid in the transfer market by clubs in the English Championship and even on some occasions by League One clubs…..So as usual some say the answer is for Celtic to join the English League set up but to do so they would need the support of the English Club chairmen and owners but as they say why would they want to threaten their own positions as “Turkey’s don’t vote for Christmas”…Do They ?

I think the only way that Celtic will ever move on from the poverty of Scottish Football is to either play in a European League or when Sky really flex their muscles and tell the EPL they want The Bhoys in it…..Then when Celtic are earning the £90m plus a season that Arsenal receive we will see them become the European force they once were…Remember THE FIRST BRITISH CLUB to WIN THE EUROPEAN CUP and the ONLY CLUB EVER to win it with 16 HOME GROWN SCOTTISH PLAYERS…..
Finally I hope The Gunners have a good season both in the EPL & Champions League…

Hail Hail….FRP….28th August 2009

Just to put some closure on this season’s Champion’s League campaign I’d like to thank all or most of the Arsenal fans who took the time to read the Celtic Fanzone, and leave their comments.

The majority appreciate that football is a game of opinions and that we each love our team no matter what. As for the one’s who came on with foul language and abuse…..they can go to hell.

All in all, Arsenal are a better side than Celtic, at this moment in time. It may not always be that way but that’s the way it is just now.

There were a few talking points over the two legs, a deflection, an own goal, a pathetic attempt at winning a penalty, some hard tackling from the Hoops as we chased shadows for long periods and of course, some dodgy refereeing decisions.

So good luck in the Champions League, and hopefully we can have a decent Europa League campaign to look forward to.

Oh, aye something I didn’t get, how come the Gunners had to play a qualifier, then end up a top seed? Just wondering…

In keeping with Arsene Wenger’s policy of signing the best youngsters, Celtic Fanzone have word that Arsenal are about to sign Portsmouth’s fantastic young prodigy….Tom Daley.

Here’s Tom in action, using his now famous ‘triple pike’ a move he learned from new team mate Eduardo.

I’m sure Tom will continue to do well, although his manager might never ‘see’ him in action.

Eduardo or Is It Tom Daley In Training?

Cast your mind back to the seventies, for those of us old enough, and remember a sit-com called Hogan’s Heroes.

The programme was based around a German POW camp, and the head honcho was Colonel Clink, a bespecled buffoon who didn’t have a clue that American Airman Col. Hogan was actually running the camp. (Hence Hogan’s Heroes)

Well, Colonel Clink had a Seargent as his sidekick, a Sgt Schultz who’s catchphrase was, “I saw nothing, nothing” whenever he was asked a question.

Fast forward to the present day.

And replace Sgt Schultz with Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger.

Whenever he’s asked an honest question, like “Is Eduardo a cheat?” of “Was it a penalty?” Arsene adopts the Schultz position, “I saw nothing, nothing”.

See if you can spot who’s who in this episode.

Only a week after throwing himself to the ground anytime a Celtic player went near him, Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of tomorrow’s Champions League tie in North London.

With one eye on their EPL match against Man Utd on Saturday Arsene Wenger must feel the tie is over by resting his captain.

His estimation may prove right but then again better managers than him have underestimated Celtic before now.

If the Bhoys score the first goal then you just might see a different Arsenal than the one that played at Celtic Park. And a different Celtic…

Then again, if they carry the same luck we’d be as well staying at home!