The play-off draw was by no means easy on Republic of Ireland and they have
only FIFA officials to thank to for pitting them against underperforming but still very strong
France side. This is obviously going to be most interesting duel in the World Cup play-offs and
while we have no doubts both sets of players will be extremely motivated, it is the coaches that
have the power to win this game for their team.
Celtic v Hamburg Europa League Hampden Park Thursday 22nd October 20:05 BST
Bottom of UEFA Europa League Group C after two games, Celtic FC will be wary of being cast
adrift as fellow former European champions Hamburger SV return to Glasgow, where they won 2-0 on
their only previous visit.
In England, Liverpool is beaten 2-0 by a powerful Chelsea side which moves to the top of the
Premiership. In Italy, Italian champions Inter Milan move to the top of the Serie A beating Udinese 2-1 with a
late winner by Sneijder in stoppage time. In Spain, Real Madrid is taken down by Sevilla 2-1, while Barcelona struggle with Almeira winning
1-0 with Pedro scoring. Click to continue reading...
And both Juventus and Bayern Munich want to pay £10m for the privilege of having Aiden
McGeady running about looking quite nippy dribbling the ball about without ever seeming to, somehow
not quite, not really sort of... anyway.
Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has announced a provisional 27 man squad for the
upcoming World Cup group 8 qualifiers against Italy & Montenegro in Croke Park next month. Goalkeepers Shay Given, Manchester City Keiren Westwood, Coventry City Joe Murphy, Scunthorpe United Defenders John O'Shea, Manchester United Kevin Foley, Wolves Richard Dunne, Aston Villa Stephen Kelly, Fulham Kevin Kilbane, Hull City Eddie Nolan, Preston North End Sean St.Click to continue reading...
As the transfer window deadline looms, here are top ten transfers that I would like to see
happen. The Flat Back Four's Top ten transfers 1. Hernanes to Liverpool 2. Eidur Gudjohnsen to West Ham 3. Rafael Van der Vaart to Manchester United 4. Yasuhito Endo to Arsenal 5. Click to continue reading...
Eduardo's dive against Celtic has ignited an inferno, with simulation being singled out by the
referees providing you are not Man United. Rooney has been shown to have started falling before
making contact with Almunia by Sky's football camera's, and Celtic received a dose of their own
medicine as they claimed Aiden McGeady as the next patron saint as he tripped over his boot laces
adjacent to a Hibernian player who had to jump into the air himself so as to prove the absence of
contact.
Eduardo starts for Arsenal as again, Philippe Senderos is not even on the bench. Aaron Ramsey
joins Arshavin and Van Persie on the bench with Emmanuel Eboue starting his second consecutive game
for the Gunners.
As always, please join the discussion in our comments section which will also be active when the
game kicks-off.
Arsenal will be without captain Cesc Fabregas through injury for Wednesday's Champions
League second-leg clash with Celtic at Emirates Stadium. Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott, Lukasz Fabianski, Samir Nasri and Johan Djourou are also all still
missing.
Does it make good business sense for Celtic to sell two of the elite players in the SPL to
Spurs?
There have been several stories doing the rounds this summer regarding Spurs and Celtic players
Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady. With a 20 million pound price tag on the SPL duo it sure would make
sense for the Mowbray to part company with his young midfield duo.
Arsenal produced a strong collective display to defeat Celtic in the Champions League play-off
first leg. ______________________________________________________________________________
Some remained unconvinced by Arsenal's 6-1 thrashing of Everton but the win over Celtic showed
that the result was no fluke.
Match Analysis: Celtic vs. Arsenal (first game) For UEFA Champions League Qualifying to the Group
Stage, 18th August 2009 Ground: Celtic Park Celtic lineup: Boruc (GK) Loovens Caldwell Fox Hinkel
N'Guemo (McCourt) Brown Donati (McDonald) Samaras (Fortune) Maloney McGeady Arsenal lineup: Almunia
(GK) Sagna Gallas Vermaelen Clichy [. Click to continue reading...
A well struck free kick by Fabregas inadvertently hit William Gallas on the back and took a
fortuitous deflection into goal but even if it had not there was an outside chance that the shot
might have been able to evade the hands of Artur Boruc. The second goal was an own goal as an
unfortunate Gary Caldwell diverted a Gael Clichy cross past his own keeper.
It was not pretty but a deflected William Gallas opener and second-half own goal from Gary
Caldwell put Arsenal firmly in the driving seat in this UEFA Champions League play-off tie as the
visitors earned a 2-0 victory against Celtic.
The home team had more than matched Arsène Wenger's side for the best part of 45 minutes in
Glasgow before Gallas deflected Cesc FÃ bregas's free-kick into the net just before the
interval.
It's game time let's beat these Scots like general Gnaeus Julius Agricola at the battle of Mons
Graupius (boom! history joke!). The good news is that Denilson, Sagna, and Cesc all passed their
fitness tests and are ready to go. The bad news is that Diaby passed his fitness test and is ready
to play (I kid, I kid).
Fabregas, Denilson and Sagna all passed fit as Arsene Wenger names the same eleven who eased
past Everton. Bendtner and Van Persie will therefore start up front.
We travel to Celtic Park tomorrow for the first leg of our Champions League qualification
fixture. It's a shame that only one of two clubs this size will go through to the Champions League
group stage, but it does result in a mouthwatering tie this early in the year. 40 million pounds
and any CL hopes is on the line, and the fixtures will be played in two of the best atmospheres in
Europe.
How nice to sit through a Socceroos match with a smile the entire 90 minutes. Pim Verbeek couldn't
have asked for a more emphatic performance this morning and should satisfy even the most ardent of
his knockers. Right from the opening whistle Australia dominated this match and even though Ireland were unlucky
not to score at least 1 goal the end result was well deserve. Click to continue reading...
The CL draw will take place today. The choices are Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Celtic FC, RSC
Anderlecht, and FC Timisoara. So who will it be?
Fiorentina: The Violas were in the news recently with a possible Felipe Melo transfer to Arsenal
which fell through. He eventually went to Juve. The club finished fourth in the Serie.
After four very successful years, Gordon Strachan has decided to leave Celtic.
The speculations regarding his future had been mounting throughout the season but it seems that
losing the SPL title to Rangers was the last drop. The Bhoys were on the verge of
winning the fourth consecutive league title, having led the race with Rangers from the very start
of the league campaign, but the big downtrend in form during the latter stages of
the season allowed Gers to leapfrog them in the standings and win the long-awaited title.
Tournaments like Arsenal's 'Emirates Cup' and AJAX's 'Amsterdam Tournament' have become big
draws for football fans looking for some quality football in the summer season. With high quality
clubs and big venues, you almost get the same experience of an early season Champions League group
stage match in what is the slowest time of the year for the sport.
(All times - UK) Friday 8 May 19:45 Preston v Sheffield United, Championship Play-off Semi-final 1st Leg, Sky Sports 1 &
HD1 Traditionally, the momentum in the Play-Offs is with the team that sneaks in at the last minute.
That would be Preston then. Alan Irvine's players have won their last four matches and there were
only six points between them and the Blades at the end of the season. Click to continue reading...
Tomorrow sees the clash of the top two in Group 8 qualifying from next year's World Cup as Italy
host Ireland in Bari (K.O. 8.50 pm Local time).
After Italy's win away to Montenegro last Saturday courtesy of two goals from Pirlo & Pazzini,
they stand two points clear of the pack. Ireland will be disappointed to have dropped 2 points at
home to Bulgaria, a Kevin Kilbane own goal equalising for the visitors after Richard Dunne put the
Boys in Green ahead after just 36 seconds.
Newcastle caretaker boss Chris Hughton says that Damien Duff is ready, willing and able to
drive the Ireland side all the way to the World Cup finals in South Africa. Duff has given Giovanni Trapattoni a boost ahead of Saturday's World Cup qualifier at home to
Bulgaria, when he completed 90 minutes for Newcastle in their 3-1 defeat at home to Arsenal, Duff's
first taste of action in a month.Click to continue reading...
Bayern Munich could be set to make a move for Aiden McGeady following a fact-finding
mission on the Celtic winger. Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni claims he was asked to give his assessment of McGeady by the
German outfit. The Italian met Bayern representatives at Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester City last week, where
the discussion took place.Click to continue reading...
Having scouted the Republic of Ireland international, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is preparing an
end of season offer. According to a report in the British tabloid The Daily Express, Tottenham
Hotspur are eyeing Celtic winger Aiden Mcgeady. Apparently, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is a fan
of the 22-year-old and having sent scouts to watch him play in [. Click to continue reading...
The latest reports from Glasgow are suggesting that Aiden McGeady is set to leave Celtic after
another intense argument with boss Gordon Strachan. It seems that Strachan doesn't want McGeady in
the team anymore, even though the young winger has to be given a lot of credit for Celtic's recent
success. Click to continue reading...
The latest reports from Glasgow are suggesting that Aiden McGeady is set to leave Celtic after
another intense argument with boss Gordon Strachan. It seems that Strachan doesn't want McGeady in
the team anymore, even though the young winger has to be given a lot of credit for Celtic's recent
success. Click to continue reading...
- Damien Delaney reportedly not in the Republic of Ireland's starting lineup against
Georgia...Shabbaz Baidoo is set to link up with Danny Cullip at Lewes..Jake Cole Injury No Delaney: BBC: "Hunt and Whelan in Republic team WORLD CUP
. Click to continue reading...
The bastion of truthful reporting in sports - The Sun - has today surpassed itself by saying
Newcastle United have offered £5M plus Charles N'Zogbia for Celtic's top winger Aiden McGeady.
Charles N'Zogbia - we hope he stays at Newcastle Click to continue reading...
