Celtic vs Barcelona (ITV. 7.30pm)

I don't think we can really hold the ref to blame, or the linesman. We can blame Broony because, he made a mistake. My take on it is, he thought about kicking him and he pulled out of it. So it maybe looked worse than it actually was. The intent was there and then it wasn't. That's how hard it is to judge intent. Intent to cause serious damage or is it just a bit of tiredness and frustration?

Did the player actually have any physical injuries? If not then it can hardly be judged as violent conduct. Then the question is, was the intent their, which is basically a way of saying he didn't do it, but did he think about doing it. Still comes to the same conclusion, he didn't actually try to break the guys arm, the guy's arm wasn't broken. Their was no blood coming from the injury and after his physio checked him over, he didn't put any dressing or bandage on his injury, so therefore their was no injury.

It was just purely a reaction to Brown knowing he'd mistimed the tackle, that's all it really was.

Why it should result in us going a man down is purely down to media pressure, that every time the slightest tap is made off the ball it's a red card. It should be a red card if it's dangerous and a player got injured.

If it gets judged on intent, what about Balotelli's attempted challenge on Matthews in the first game? Nobody really picked up on that one, but their was clearly intent to break both his legs, luckily Matthews hurdled a two footed challenge. So yeah let's judge it on intent, then you have to judge it on intent all over the park for all sorts of challenges.
Balotelli makes contact with Matthews, maybe it's a red card, he doesn't make contact play goes on, but the intent was definitely there. So intent is just really legal bullshit.

As far as i'm concerned, a player can get his leg broken and the opposing player can get a yellow card, but a wee tap and it's a straight red. No injury, no red card. If a guy is getting carried off the pitch that's a different story.

 

Just read an article on this game in mundodeportivo.com, it's quite unpleasant reading. The Spanish think we are inferior to last year, that our current team has severe technical limitations unworthy of the Celtic teams of 67 and 70, that we played very violently in the second half, culminating in Brown's dismissal and that Barça deserved to win by more goals. In fact the only Celtic player they praise at all is Forster. They're also very unhappy with Izzy, they seem to think his clash of heads with Neymar was deliberate, accuse him of "using his fist" with Danny Alvez and of another bad challenge on Bartra. They also continually praise Neymar as being "brave" and the focal point of most of our many fouls apparently.

http://www.mundodeportivo.com/20131001/futbol/champions-league/cronica-celtic-barca-champions_54388259296.html

http://www.mundodeportivo.com/20131001/fc-barcelona/emilio-izaguirre-neymar-alves_54388257951.html

 

You have to despair for them if they consider Neymar's performance to be brave. Spaniards seem to want football to become a non-contact sport.

 

Ah, the celtic barca family

 

It's not Barça, mate. Barcelona's players and officials have been nothing but respectful. It's the Spanish media. Maybe someone who reads Catalan can tell us what the Catalan media thought of the game.

 

Ah right cheers for clearing that up

 

I thought we looked far more comfortable than last year until the sending off, but it worries me that they think we're inferior to last year's team.

 

I actually think the truth about Neymar on Tuesday was somewhere in between the praise he got from the Spanish press and the general attitude here that he's just a diving c#*t. He certainly did have the beating of Lustig (though they conveniently overlook that he never turned that into chances because of how well Matthews helped him).

 

Well I just watched the second half again (I know, I know, I'm a bit obsessed- I'll move on on Saturday), this time I watched the ITV coverage. I haven't changed my mind about the red (still deserved for me), but this time I watched Neymar and I now agree with those saying his acting deserved a yellow. In fact he did the same thing to Ambrose later so if nothing else he should have had a yellow for persistently trying to get players sent off. It's very difficult not to feel dislike for him at the moment.

The second thing (and this is why I mentioned that I watched the ITV coverage this time) is I'm actually wondering if Roy Keane hates us. Think I'll start a thread on that.

WGS fighting our corner as always.

 

We are inferior to last years team though, aren't we? We've lost a top class midfielder and our top goalscorer.

 

If they think he played well that's one thing, but he was far from brave. He simulated injury numerous times. It is not illegal to tackle him- he's an attacking player, of course he's going to be on the end of lots of challenges. He is not brave because he gets tackled, it's part of the game whether the Spanish like it or not.

 

Neymar on the whole was *..
Lustig had him well marshalled pretty much every time even though the gulf in pace was obvious,lustig stood up and never dived in and it worked all night..


A reason why the * was playing movie stuntman all night cause he was getting no joy..

 

I just think it's as soft a red card as you'll see. Broony clips him a wee bit, he falls over, he looks to the referee and then starts the play acting holding his back. Busquets goes up to the ref and makes a stamping gesture. It all reeks of desperation to me, all those players trying to get a fellow pro sent off. But they know what awaits them if they go back without a win. Especially Neymar.

They were worried, Busquets, Fabregas and co. They all go and tell the ref what to do and he does exactly as he's told. The referee has reacted to Neymar's acting. He goes down, nothing is wrong, he has his hands up, he sees the ref pull out the yellow and he starts going on like he's seriously injured - HIS BACK.

That's the clincher for me. Neymar reacts to seeing the yellow card - holding his back and he wasn't kicked on the back - he was barely kicked at all and Broony thought it was fair, because Neymar actually fell in front of him and Broony chose not to move out the way.

I'm sure Neymar wanted the red for the initial challenge, saw he wasn't getting it and felt a wee touch and went for it with the play acting. You can take out of that what you want. I'm thinking it was never his intention to try and score but to cut across Brown and try to get him sent off.

All the while the thought never enters the mind of the referee that he's being conned.

It's fair do's to win free-kicks this way, but to react to the ref pulling out a yellow and managing to get it turned into a red says a lot about the referee's failure to keep a game of football alive. As soon as the red's given you'd be as well stoppiing the game right their.


The player goes down unhurt but roles around the floor in hysterical pain. But it's all an act. Next, the whole team run to the ref and tell him what to do and he nods his head and agrees.

At the end of the day, without Messi, Barca will struggle. Neymar can be marked out of the game a lot easier than Messi. Barca played outside the circle for most of the game, they only got inside one time. That doesn't exactly give the Spanish media lots to write about. So they blame the ineffectiveness on our physical style of play, which is strange because they didn't get many free-kicks and they were hardly shy in putting the boot in at the slightest fear of a counter attack.

Barca had all that possession, but how many goals did they mount up against a technically inferior team playing with ten men? One. I'm sure that probably has some alarm bells ringing somewhere. You don't have to beat Barcelona at attacking, you only have to beat them at defending. But all the while it's negative spin aimed at any team who plays this way because they don't want teams to do it.

 

Neymar was * tbh, I didnt take any notice of him during the game. Theres certain games were players are really dangerous or playing really well and you cant help but notice, 2 of the best I remember are Xavi against us in the UEFA Cup game we won and Riquelme in the Villarreal game in the next round, a few others but they're the two I remember most. Xavi was great for Barca in that game and I remember first noticing how he always held the ball and turned and turned until he'd made space for himself then passed it, Riquelme was just sensational and the whole game went through him leading to Villarreal dominating us.

Neymar done nothing.

 

A lot of the talk from Barca is that either Neymar or Bartra were their MOM. Neymar has also said that "Brown stamped on my back". A * on the field and a * off it as well.

I thought he played okay for them in terms of football. But he acted like a * all night and also, from an attackers perspective, missed a sitter when big Fraser got to his shot.

 

I couldn't care less how good Neymar did or didn't play to be honest. Anything good he did on Tuesday was negated by the fact he cheated in order to get our captain sent off.

He's a cheating * and we've all seen it - numerous times.

 

During YNWA some of the kids that wave the CL flag in the centre circle were videoing it :smiley-laughing002: Would be class to see it from that perspective - does anyone know if any videos were uploaded?

 

I thought Lustig played well, and Neymar player well.

Lets be honest, he's a pretty special player. Got the ability, and if he sticks with his current club he'll leave behind a lasting legacy in the game. His touch, vision and passing are all excellent and he puts in a * of a shift too. Fairly expensive, but by the looks of things he'll prove to be worth every penny.
















































But enough about Lustig. Broony should've pole-axed that we * Neymar for backing into his foot