10/29/2002

Stan fit for big game.

Celtic this afternoon received a significant boost ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Cup clash with Blackburn Rovers when Stilian Petrov was declared fit and available for selection

10/28/2002

Reggina to test Celtic resolve over Larsson

Reggina are considering making a £4 million offer for Celtic striker Henrik Larsson. The Swede has 18 months left on his current deal and stated over the weekend that he would be leaving Scotland when his contract runs out.

However, Larsson refused to rule out a move to England after earlier insisting he would only leave Celtic for a return to Sweden.

The striker's comments alerted the interest of Reggina, who's technical staff rate Larsson highly.

The Serie A outfit are banking on Celtic's wish to make some money from Larsson's transfer and could table a bid in January.

10/26/2002

News of entertainment for ALL Celtic supporters before the big game in Blackburn......

THE BIGGEST EVER CELTIC PARTY IN ENGLAND Blackburn 14th November 2002 Midday - 6pm An afternoon of Irish and Celtic classics with Charlie & The Bhoys and guest DJ Chic Charnley.

Thursday 14th November UTOPIA, Lord Square, Blackburn. Bus and car parking available. Doors and bars open at midday. Celtic colours and Supporters Clubs flags all welcome. Price: £6 at door.

Please pass on to any Celtic fans going to the match. If you want space reserved for your supporters club, e:mail us on this address.

Hail! Hail! The Athenrye Angel

10/24/2002

CIS CUP 1/4 FINAL DRAW

Celtic v Partick Thistle

Aberdeen or Motherwell v Hearts

Dunfermline v Rangers

St Johnstone or Livingston v Airdrie or Dundee United

Ties to be played on 5th, 6th or 7th November 2002.

10/18/2002

HEDMAN BREAKS DOWN AGAIN IN TRAINING.

Celtic were last night dealt a massive blow when jinxed keeper Magnus Hedman was ruled out for a further six weeks. Hedman hasn't started a game since the win over Dundee United in August but was expected to play in the crunch SPL clash against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday. But the Swede suffered a recurrence of his calf injury at training and faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines which could include missing the next Old Firm game at Ibrox on December 8. Gutted Hedman said last night: "I was preparing to be in Celtic's squad against Hearts at the weekend but then I was injured in training on Wednesday. "Now I am off for at least another month. I am totally devastated by this latest set-back. "I had been seen by the Swedish team's physio last weekend and my plan was to start slowly in training at Celtic Park then step up my work. "But when I broke into a sprint I felt a great pain in my calf and I knew immediately there was something wrong. I had gone back to training too quickly." Nothing has gone right for Hedman since his £2million move from Coventry City at the start of the season. A torn calf muscle in a pre-match warm-up when Hedman was supposed to start the game against Livingston on September 1 originally put him out of Martin O'Neill's plans. A breakdown in training three days later put the giant keeper in hospital for a scan and he has failed to prove his fitness since then.

10/17/2002

Celtic v Blackburn on BBC

Celtic's Uefa Cup second-round matches against Blackburn will be shown live on BBC1. The first leg at Celtic Park on 31 October will kick off at 2005 GMT.

It promises to be a passionate encounter as Rovers boss Graeme Souness used to play for and manage Celtic's Old Firm rivals Rangers.

And the return leg at Ewood Park two weeks later will also be screened live by BBC1.

Celtic enjoyed a comfortable victory over Lithuanian side FK Suduva in the previous round while Blackburn beat CSKA Sofia on away goals.

10/16/2002

Celts International round up.

Wales 2 Italy 1

John Hartson was one of the stars in the shock scoreline of the night as Wales kept up their fine record under Mark Hughes, Hartson set up the winner for Craig Bellamy with 19 minutes remaining.

Bulgaria 2 Andorra 1

Stilian Petrov was in the Bulgarian side that kept up their 100% record in the Euro 2004 qualifiers but they were made to work hard to secure a 2-1 win against a defiant Andorra side in Sofia.

Republic of Ireland 1 Switzerland 2

Mick McCarthy’s Irish side now faces an uphill task to qualify for the finals in Portugal after this latest setback. Celtic’s want away star Colin Healy played the 90 minutes in this one and showed some good football. The Irish were sunk by a sucker punch just three minutes from time when substitute Celestini ran on to Chapuisat's angled pass and lifted the ball over Shay Given to restore Switzerland's lead. This was Ireland’s first competitive home defeat in 18 matches under Mick McCarthy.

Estonia 0 Belgium 1

Joos Valgaeren played in this game with the only goal coming two minutes in, Wesley Sonck scoring for the visitors.

10/15/2002

Transfer rumours.

Liverpool, Blackburn and Celtic have all been monitoring the progress of Dumbarton youngster Neil Collins. The 19 year-old defender is expected to move on in January after only joining Dumbarton in the summer from Queen's Park.

Representatives from both Premiership and SPL clubs have been spotted at Dumbarton games this season tracking the teenager.

10/15/2002

More pressure for Rab Douglas as Magnus Hedman returns to training.

Rab Douglas faces a battle to hold onto his Celtic No1 status with the return from injury of Swedish keeper Magnus Hedman. After two gaffes last week against Rangers, Douglas is under enormous pressure, particularly with Hedman now resuming training.

Celtic yesterday confirmed Hedman was back in training after a three-week lay-off, although it is too soon to tell whether he will be available for this week's match at Hearts.

10/15/2002

Stan earns praise from his boss.

CELTIC star Stilian Petrov was the toast of Bulgaria as he inspired his country to a brilliant 2-0 win over Croatia.

The Parkhead midfielder blasted home the opening goal to follow up his strike in the 2-0 win over Belgium last month.

Petrov has helped fired the Bulgarians top the top of Group Eight - and earned high praise from his manager Plamen Markov.

"Petrov brings so much to our team with his energy and ability to score from midfield," said Markov.

"I feel he has developed a lot in the past two years and he is now one of the most important players in our team.

"He has helped us to win games against Belgium and Croatia and should be proud of that."

Petrov's Celtic team-mate, Joos Valgaeren played the full game for the Belgians as they beat minnows Andorra 1-0 thanks to a solitary Wesley Sonck strike.

10/15/2002

Blackburn tickets latest.

CELTIC last night admitted they could have sold every seat at Blackburn's Ewood Park to their own fans - after accepting 8000 tickets for the Battle of the Britain UEFA Cup clash on November 14.

Officials of both clubs met yesterday to thrash out a ticket deal and Celtic supporters will take over a quarter of the near 32,000 capacity Lancashire stadium.

And while the Scottish champions know there will be a massive demand for briefs to see the clash with Graeme Souness' team, they are hoping a good first- leg performance at Parkhead will lead to more of their fans getting tickets for the return tie.

Celtic have been told more tickets will be made available to them if Blackburn fail to sell the remaining 24,000 to their own fans - and that could happen if the Scots take a commanding lead in the first match on October 31.

They will be backed by 57,000 of their own fans on Hallowe'en as Blackburn yesterday accepted an allocation of just 3000 for their supporters.

A Celtic spokeswoman said: "Both clubs have been in discussion today and the talks went well.

"We have reached an agreement over the ticketing arrangements for both sets of visiting fans.

"At the moment, we are getting 8000 tickets but we know that the demand will be massive. We could have sold out their stadium with the number of our fans who want to see this match.

"But we have been told our allocation may increase. That will depend on how many tickets Blackburn sell to their own fans."

Meanwhile, Blackburn striker Matt Jansen - out since suffering head injuries in a summer motorbike accident - is targeting the Celtic clash for his comeback as he prepares to play for the reserves tonight.

10/14/2002

Celts injury update.

Jackie McNamara is rated as doubtful for Celtic's trip to Hearts on Sunday after picking up a thigh injury in Scotland's 2-0 win in Iceland on Saturday.

The 28-year-old was withdrawn from play in the first half after suffering a knock.

McNamara is now struggling to be fit for the trip to Tynecastle at the weekend after being told he would not be fit to train this week.

Midfielder Paul Lambert also suffered a slight knock during the international but his absence from the friendly against Canada is merely a precaution.

Scotland Under-21 internationals Stephen Crainey and Shaun Maloney both have groin strains and will be assessed ahead of the weekend.

Swedish internationals Johan Mjallby and Magnus Hedman have returned to the gym in their quest to return to full fitness.

10/13/2002

STAN NETS FOR BULGARS

Celtic’s Stilian Petrov was on the score sheet for Bulgaria yesterday as the defeated Croatia by 2-0. Bulgaria now sit at the top of their group with six points from two games.

10/12/2002

Larsson warns Celtic of Blackburn's attacking threat

Henrik Larsson says Blackburn Rovers strike-pair Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke are his team's main threat for the upcoming UEFA Cup 'Battle of Britain' clash. The Swede told the Herald, "I think Cole is always a threat, as is Yorke, and they have a great midfield with players like David Dunn and David Thompson.

"I also like Henning Berg. They have the big Swedish Under-21 defender Nils-Eric Johansson who is very strong, although I don't know a great deal about him since he's much younger than me and started playing in Sweden after I had already left.

"And then there is Tugay who I know from his time at Rangers.

"He's another very good, strong and skillful player.

"We know what they are capable of, but we also know how good we are.

"It's also good that it has come straight after the Old Firm match was shown across Britain, since more people in England will know a bit about us as the match was televised live down there.

"It's got to be good that there is such a focus on this match."

10/11/2002

MARTIN O'NEILL FOR IPSWICH????????

May as well start the rumours early now that George Burley has been given the boot by Ipswich Town this morning

10/11/2002

Ticket scramble on as Celtic draw Blackburn Rovers Celtic fans face a ticket scramble after they were drawn against Blackburn Rovers in this morning’s UEFA Cup draw. Blackburn normally give opposing fans just 4,000 tickets and unless this is changed it will another mad scramble for the Celtic fans.

10/11/2002

BBC RELEASE VIEWING FIGURES The BBC have released figures for last weekend's Old Firm derby. They report that close to 4 million viewers tuned in during peak periods of the match. A spokeswoman for BBC Sport in London said that the figures were "phenomenal".

10/11/2002

Teams we could face in the UEFA Cup Blackburn Vitesse Viking Stavanger Denizlispor Austria Vienna National Bucuresti

10/11/2002

Martin O’Neill to leave Celtic Park??????? Ex Celt turned Radio Clyde journalist Davie Provan yesterday announced that he has news that Martin O’Neill may not renew his contract with the club. His comments were “early indications suggest that Martin O’Neill will not be renewing his contract with Celtic,” He also said “it’s got nothing to do with money” Other parts of his story stated that Martin O’Neill would have been the highest paid manager in the Premiership had he taken the Leeds job in the summer. Something strange with his story though, he had interviewed the Celtic boss live on air just five minutes before he broke the news to the fans listening on Clyde. In a further twist SKY SPORTS had a banner headline running all Sunday night after the Old Firm game stating that Celtic’s Chairman Brian Quinn expected Martin O’Neill to sign a new three or four year deal within the next fortnight. This story will no doubt run and run over the next few weeks.

10/11/2002

UEFA CUP NEWS The draw for the second round of the UEFA Cup has been confirmed for 12.00CET on Tuesday. Two-legged ties The 48 sides from across Europe have been divided into seeded and non-seeded teams for the draw in Nyon, Switzerland. In all, it will produce 24 ties with each played on a home-and-away basis. Four groups There will be four groups of 12 teams each, with six seeded teams in each group. The composition of the groups will be announced on Monday but teams from the same country will not be able to play each other. Past winners Germany, England and the Czech Republic have the most entrants with four teams involved from each country. Three of the clubs in the hat are former winners of the UEFA Cup, namely Parma AC, RSC Anderlecht and Ipswich Town FC. The UEFA Cup final is to be played on 21 May next year in the Spanish city of Seville. The holders of the competition are Feyenoord, who beat BV Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in Rotterdam last May. Clubs seeded for the UEFA Cup second round draw Draw: 8 October 2002 at 12:00CET (Nyon, Switzerland) First leg matches: 29-31 October 2002 Second leg matches: 12-14 November 2002 Pos Club Coeff. 1 S.S. Lazio (ITA) 106.334 2 Parma AC (ITA) 91.334 3 Leeds United AFC (ENG) 76.729 4 RC Celta de Vigo (ESP) 76.233 5 FC Porto (POR) 66.124 6 FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA) 63.176 7 Panathinaikos FC (GRE) 57.058 8 Deportivo Alavés (ESP) 55.233 9 VfB Stuttgart (GER) 53.495 10 Hertha BSC Berlin (GER) 52.495 11 Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA) 51.176 12 Real Betis Balompié (ESP) 49.233 13 AC Sparta Praha (CZE) 48.312 14 SK Slavia Praha (CZE) 47.312 15 FC Schalke 04 (GER) 46.495 16 SV Werder Bremen (GER) 46.495 17 FC PAOK Thessaloniki (GRE) 41.058 18 RSC Anderlecht (BEL) 38.762 19 SK Sturm Graz (AUT) 37.625 20 Boavista FC (POR) 36.124 21 Celtic FC (SCO) 36.062 22 Ipswich Town FC (ENG) 35.729 23 NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 35.520 24 Málaga CF (ESP) 34.233 Clubs unseeded for the UEFA Cup second round draw Draw: 8 October 2002 at 12:00CET (Nyon, Switzerland) First leg matches: 29-31 October 2002 Second leg matches: 12-14 November 2002 Pos Club Coeff. 25 SBV Vitesse (HOL) 30.082 26 FC Slovan Liberec (CZE) 29.312 27 Grasshopper-Club (SUI) 29.312 28 Blackburn Rovers FC (ENG) 28.729 29 Fulham FC (ENG) 27.729 30 Hapoel Tel-Aviv (ISR) 26.666 31 Besiktas JK (TUR) 26.362 32 Wisla Kraków (POL) 21.750 33 Fenerbahçe SK, TUR 19.362 34 FK Crvena Zvezda (YUG) 18.165 35 Legia Warszawa (POL) 17.750 36 Viking FK (NOR) 17.737 37 KS Amica Wronki (POL) 15.750 38 Denizlispor (TUR) 14.362 39 FK Viktoria Zizkov (CZE) 14.312 40 FK Partizan (YUG) 14.165 41 FK Austria Wien (AUT) 11.625 42 PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) 11.582 43 Ferencvárosi TC (HUN) 9.874 44 FC Midtjylland (DEN) 8.687 45 Djurgårdens IF FF (SWE) 8.620 46 Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) 7.666 47 FC National Bucuresti (ROM) 6.958 48 APOEL Nicosia FC (CYP)

10/11/2002

And then there were three. Aberdeen crashed out of the UEFA Cup yesterday afternoon losing to Hertha Berlin by 1-0. Scotland now has three representatives left in the competition. Celtic, Livingston and Rangers.