It’s funny how a comment from out of the blue can come at just the right time and tell you exactly what you need to hear.

Not a long-winded post coming up but I wanted to emphasise the importance of sharing our emotional connection to Celtic. A quick message can be powerful in a way we cannot anticipate.

I have received a message like that just recently.

Towards the end of last week I decided to stop blogging about Celtic. I want to spend time starting from scratch with a new blog about my life and the impact my accident has had on it.

I admit to feeling somewhat deflated with the unjust scoreline against Juventus coming so soon after another Hampden mishap. The ridiculous verdict from LNS was a reminder that we are swimming against the tide to succeed in a corrupt game. All that combined with some personal problems had me all but defeated. Plenty of other bloggers doing tremendous work sharing thoughts and opinions for our enjoyment.

The message came along at just the right time.

It reminded me that we are a strong community held together by one mutual passion.

Maybe it is a reflection on my state of mind but I feel all the debate and bickering about Scottish football has brought a grey cloud close to Paradise. Completely understandable but the message I received was the kick up the arse I needed. As a community we all have some level of responsibility to make a positive contribution. If we decide to neglect that responsibility then the cloud grows darker and moves closer.

The message provided the encouragement I needed to take some time and recognise how we have grown over the course of the last year or so.

A European campaign that generated praise across the continent was undoubtedly the highlight of the season. Jumping for joy in the stands and in the boardroom. The players blessed us with some great memories and a financial boost beyond the expectations of the most optimistic fan. Nobody knows when we will be treated to more European success which makes the highlights of this season all the more special.

A young squad has been pieced together on a carefully managed budget. The nucleus of the squad could be around for years while some of our best players are constantly linked with big-money moves, a compliment in itself.

An exciting young manager whose potential and ambition match his undeniable passion.

The 2nd of 10 league trophies will soon be in our hands while the possibility of adding the Scottish Cup is still very much on track.

This Armageddon carry on ain’t too bad!

I needed to be reminded about all this. The message I received was perfectly timed to do so.

We all go through spells when like me, we feel a bit flat. That is something worth keeping in mind as making any positive statement or message could make all the difference to someone as it did with me.

I like this quote from American theologian Frederick Buechner. If we all remember this our community will grow in strength

“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt”

Many thanks to the individual (you know who you are).

For the final five minutes of the Juventus game I sat trying to decide how, or even if, I could write this post. The full-time whistle was blown and I had nothing more than some weak ideas based around the usual ‘better luck next time‘ clichés.

Then en route from the upper tier of the Jock Stein Stand to my car I overheard three separate conversations that angered me,

“I’m tellin’ you, that f*cking team don’t know how to pass the ball 10 yards”

“What a gubbin’, made to look like idiots in Europe. Bunch of clowns”

“F*ckin’ disgusting, turn up to watch that shit”

Every fan, just like the gentlemen quoted above, has the right to an opinion so I am going to cash in my chips now.

The first-half performance last night was full of the positivity and intensity I had been hoping for. In all honesty, I don’t believe we have played that well against SPL opposition this season. To go in at half time without leading seemed cruel. To go in losing seemed criminal.

I was expecting Juventus to take control of the second half ensuring a long 45 minutes of chasing shadows. Instead, we continued our dominance. I was sure it was only a matter of time until we restored parity and then go on to take a deserved lead.

The incisive attack by the Italians with 15 minutes remaining knocked the stuffing out our players, visibly gutted after pushing so hard. The 3rd goal was devastating but not wholly unexpected as desperation bred ill discipline.

I cannot question the attitude of our players nor their desire to win. A gutsy performance resulting in a scoreline which flattered the visitors.

This praise does not however grant exemption from criticism.

Criticism is something that players are paid plenty of money to deal with. It is unfortunate that sometimes criticism can be taken too far. During the game, around Celtic Park and on social network sites some of the comments were appalling.

Schoolboy defending would have been adequate to stop two of the goals. A lack of creativity at the other end restricted us to long-distance shooting, too often straight into the arms of Buffon. When a rare opportunity did arise inside the box no quality was to be found.

For all of our work, Juventus demonstrated the two traits essential for success at this level. Disciplined defending and clinical finishing.
We were sadly lacking in both departments. Whether that be down to naivety or possibly even overconfidence, it was a big lesson for all at the club. One they would be foolish to forget.

The manager cannot escape criticism after gambling on Ambrose who adopted kamikaze defending to single-handedly cost two goals.
Still can’t get my head round that managerial decision. Especially when Matthews was left on the bench. With the versatility of Matthews, Lustig and Mulgrew a number of options were available aside from playing Ambrose.

No point dwelling on shocking refereeing, gamesmanship, time wasting and constant wrestling in the penalty area. These things need to be accepted when playing European football. Rightly or wrongly we need to either stop complaining or adapt our game. We should know by now that it’s not going to change.

Taking all the above into account I believe it was still a very strong performance. To have more possession than a passing team like Juventus is unusual. We also limited them to 5 shots on goal compared to our 15. Most impressively our pass completion % was higher than theirs. Considering we played the majority of the game in the Juventus half and on the attack that statistic is very encouraging.

Failure like last night’s can often crush losers. It can also inspire winners so maybe we should spend a little less time looking at why we have slipped up and instead focus on where we landed.
Making it to the last 16 of the Champions League was our reward for 7 wins and 1 draw from 10 games in Europe this season. Don’t allow that achievement to be overshadowed by one bad night, it deserves better.

Che Guevara once said “live your life not celebrating victories, but overcoming defeats”

We should only indulge in the first if we are willing to tackle the latter.

@stevenceltic81

In one month managers, players and fans across the continent, representing the greatest teams in the game, will be hoping to avoid Celtic in the last 8 of the Champions League.

I say with complete confidence that we will beat Juventus.

Am I blinded by loyalty? Possibly so but I dare you to question the conviction of my belief, my confidence is unshakeable.

We have discovered how to play away from home, just in time, but I believe this tie will be won under the floodlights of Celtic Park.
On the 12th of February we will attack Juventus and we will defeat them. Our team should fear nobody.

We have a remarkable track record when playing at home in the Champions League.
Our performance this year has not been down to luck. You only need to look at our history of home performances in the competition.

We made our debut in 2001 with a 4-3 victory over none other than Juventus. 3 wins from 3 games was unexpected but it set the standard for the years to come.

In 2003 the stars of Bayern Munich were unable to break down our fortress.
Victories over Anderlecht and Lyon ensured we were undefeated at home for another campaign.

In 2004 we were not expected to beat Shakhtar Donetsk, yet we did. We were to provide a bigger surprise in the next home game by holding the mighty AC Milan to a draw.

In 2006 we rattled Europe again. Victory over FC Copenhagen was followed by giving Benfica a thrashing. We finished off the group by dramatically defeating Manchester United.

In the last 16 AC Milan came to Celtic Park again but failed to leave with the win they expected.

Going into 2007 and we were still the underdogs, but we were unplayable. We beat Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk before going on to defeat Kaka, Pirlo, Inzaghi and the rest of AC Milan’s superstars.

In 2008, yet again, nobody could defeat us at Celtic Park. Only a late goal salvaged a point for Manchester United. Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez the latest batch of Europe’s best to be brought down to earth.

After all that, why were our chances written off again this year?

7 points out of 9 at home. The script had us down as the whipping boys but we knew better and the rest of Europe should have known better by now.
Barcelona seemed unbeatable yet the greatest team in the history of the game could do nothing to stop our young squad from recording another famous victory.

Surely the very best in Europe fear Celtic Park now. They must get it.
Only Barcelona can boast to have beaten us.

23 Champions League games at Celtic Park and only one club has managed to win. A record like that is not the product of good fortune or a lucky streak. We should be admired across Europe for year after year of sensational home performances.

That record should worry Juventus. If not, more fool them.
That record should fill you with pride. That record should eradicate any fear of any opposition.

Celtic continually defy the odds when playing at home in Europe

I have no doubt that it is down to the support. It is because of the 60,000 strong army that refuse to lie down.
We Celtic supporters are the extra man that other teams don’t have and can’t handle. Do you think we would have beaten Barcelona playing in an empty stadium?

On these nights the fans become part of the team. We will be on the attack before a ball has been kicked. By the time Juventus hear the first whistle they will be on the back foot and they will understand why the best in the world come to Paradise and fail time and time again.

Juventus may be Serie A Champions but the Champions of the English Premier League and the Champions of La Liga have fallen at our doorstep. It is Juventus that should be fearful.

When we defeat the Italians it should not come as a great surprise. Every team in Europe should fear coming to Paradise. If they don’t, then they will. They are not coming for a game of football, they are coming for a war. 60,000 foot soldiers standing behind our leader and his 11 captains.

Our strength will not be matched. The very best in Europe have tried and failed. Juventus are next to try and like the rest, they will fail.

@stevenceltic81

There has been plenty of debate recently, in the media and among supporters, about this years attendances and the cost of supporting Celtic. The situation is not exactly “Armageddon” as many in the media (and the walking dead) are fantasising about but clearly still an issue amongst fans.

It would be tough to argue that the extinction of Rangers has not had an effect on the SPL. With the disappearance of old firm games, and our main competition, I believe we feel it more than anyone. Combining this with the fact that many people are struggling through another year of financial strain is resulting in a more opinionated debate than usual.

Times have changed and each individual’s circumstance is different. Ranging from those fortunate enough to splash out on season books for the whole family to those who must pick and choose one or two games a season. Money is tight for many and what is being done with any spare income is being allocated with more consideration. Plenty of activities that are more cost-effective are available and tough decisions must be made. One thing that will never change is that Celtic fans WANT to support the team as much as possible.

Is it time for Mr Lawwell and his team of money men to deal with this situation?

It is worth taking a closer look at the current situation at Celtic. It is also important to remember that the pricing policy was put in place before any European success guaranteed a bumper financial year. The policy was based on last year’s financial results and having a look at them I don’t feel Celtic can be heavily criticised.
Group turnover was down yet again to £53m, the lowest since 2001. This resulted in a financial loss of over £7m compared to a marginal profit the year before. Debt to the bank has now increased by over £2m.
Season book prices were frozen for the fourth year running, ranging from £387 to £609. Match day tickets remained generally unchanged with the cheapest coming in at £23 ranging up to £29 for the most expensive. Considering the financial position at the time I believe that freezing ticket prices was reasonable.
As I said, those figures do not include any champions league money which was the stuff of wet dreams when the pricing policy was made. Next year will be a completely different story and the ticket pricing should reflect that or there will be no defence.

If only we could be rolling in the money pit of the English Premier League. Newcastle are a shining example of how to take advantage of this with ticket prices starting at £15. They can now boast an average attendance of over 50,000. The 3rd highest in the premiership.

We have clever money men looking after the club and that is precisely their job, to look after a while the club. I am sure they must have looked at the option of reducing prices, forecasting turnover based on selling a higher volume of tickets at a lower price. It seems like the sums did not add up. Regardless of whether you see them as greedy or not, they want to protect the financial position of the club by maximising income. If they could have done that by reducing prices then they would have.

Now that the pricing policies are in place and many fans are speaking with their wallets these money men are faced with a new problem, empty seats.

Empty seats make no profit so surely they are working tirelessly to sort this. Apparently not. It seems like they are stuck inside their box and are unwilling to look outside it. Not just Celtic but all football clubs in Scotland need to be looking at incentives and offers to entice the supporters back inside stadiums.

Free tickets to schools and youth groups is a no-brainer for me. Worse case scenario, Celtic pay the price of printing tickets and posting them. What would happen is that it helps fill the stadium and many of these kids end up getting merchandise and/or food. It all helps. At the same time we are helping to grow the future generation of Celtic fans. Yes, many of these kids have parents who could afford to take them but they are not doing it. Not the kids fault. Celtic lose nothing out of this as these seats are sitting empty.

The Kano Foundation do great work in this area and it is important not to undermine this.

That takes us to the issue of supporters who would love go but simply can’t afford it and parents who want to take the children but are in the same boat. Assuming that the pricing structure is not changed mid-season some other kind of assistance must be offered. These are people who may well be able to afford season books next year if prices are reduced. Celtic should be careful not to alienate a massive cross-section of the fan base by doing nothing to help now.
It is trusted to more insightful and intelligent people than myself to work out how to do this, but it must be done. This season was always going to be pivotal for Scottish football and Celtic must set their stall out now. They must take care of the fans who have always taken care of them while nurturing the next generation.

I don’t know the answer for this season but given our forecasted financial position for next year ticket prices must be reduced then. The list of possible offers and incentives is endless but these empty seats must be invested in, suggestions on the back of a postcard….

@Stevenceltic81

There is little unsaid about Celtic’s performance in the Camp Nou. Praise is flowing in from all directions, quite rightly draining the dictionary of superlatives. I refuse to allow any dwelling on if, but and maybe. Nothing but pride. I believe that I witnessed something special last night, a turning of the tide for Celtic. A performance that could pave the way to great things.

Last year Chelsea went to Barcelona with their wealth of expensive household names. Just like Celtic last night they had only 28% possession, that’s what happens when great teams play against Barcelona. Chelsea were camped in their own half, backs to the wall defending wave after wave of attack. That’s what happens when great teams play against Barcelona. Chelsea chased shadows and fought for every touch of the ball. That’s what happens when great teams play against Barcelona.
That night was also to be settled by a goal in injury time but it was not Barcelona who were celebrating.
Chelsea went on to win the Champions League. It is a very fine line that can separate teams when playing at the pinnacle of world football. It is that same fine line that our young management and players now find themselves treading.

Celtic were represented last night by a team with an average age of just 24 and assembled for under £12 million. To put that into perspective, Barcelona’s desperation last night saw them throw on a substitute striker with 10 minutes to go in a final attempt to break us down. That striker cost them £35 million. One substitute ‘worth’ three times the entire Celtic team.

These XI ambassadors for Celtic were on a huge learning curve. By the 94th minute they looked like they had experienced something that could set us on a path to great success. Nothing to do with learning tactics, technique or skill. By the final whistle these men looked like they knew what it means to be a Celtic player.
During the hardfought battle they went toe to toe with the best team in the world and we saw something that has been missing for years. Steel and determination, total commitment to the cause and a lung busting fighting spirit. It felt like there was a burning desire and a hunger in every player. They pushed themselves to the limit and by the end of the game they understood the last 125 years.

It is important now that these players realise what they have accomplished and do not dwell on what could have been. It is a painful thing to do to but watching that Barcelona team celebrating should fill our players with pride. The greatest team in the world overjoyed to score a goal in the 93rd minute against a team of young men who earned the respect of a continent.

They need to remember one important thing about this European campaign, this really is just the beginning.

@Stevenceltic81