While the first team head off to the Algarve via Southampton and Fulham and onto Rotterdam it's a little less exotic for the reserves and youths.
Albion Rovers, Livingston and Berwick Rangers will all be facing Celtic XI's as well as a visit to Ireland taking in Donegal Celtic, Newry Town and Bohemians.
Glentoran will be visited at some future date, but not in July I suspect.
FULL PRE SEASON LISTING
Thursday, 3 July 2008
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
That's why we're champions!
Yesterday somewhere in Europe lots of wee teams were put in the draw for the Champions League dreaming of battling all the way to the real competition, picking up a few euros before getting turfed out as the big bhoys make their way into the last 16 and the proper knock-out.
TITLE WINNING VIDEO
When we won the league the euphoria and joy was real, an amazing comeback from the seemingly dead as Rearangers wilted as they finally caught up with those pesky away fixtures that they had been avoiding.
Behind the sheer joy of winning the league was a very attractive prize, straight into the Champions League without having to visit Moscow or anywhere like that.
Twelve months ago the season's build up was all towards being ready for the Champions League qualifier and despite being seeded it couldn't have been any tougher than getting CSKA Moscow away.
Remember the tension? Artur Boruc out injured, John Kennedy playing on a plastic pitch, the joy of Paul Hartley's header, the dismay as CSKA murdered us down the left at home, cancelling out our away goal, Boruc and Lee Naylor squaring up (a bit one sided), Skippy's equaliser, extra time, Derek Riordan appearing, Maciej Zurawski and Riordan scoring, Boruc saving and we're through.
Well this year it will be nice and quiet as others scrap and battle to join the real teams in the Champions League, even Arsenal and Liverpool face qualifiers and we won't face AC Milan for the third year running because their in the UEFA Cup.
Every title win is sweet, demolishing big Eck's dream team and Hearts in 2006, seeing Paul LeGuen across l'channel in 2007 but 2008 was very very special, especially after too many scary home performances against too many teams to mention (such as St Mirren, Hibs, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts and Motherwell)
There was no more margin for error when Walter's gladiators came calling, and twice they were turned over losing their cherished discipline as they ended both games with ten men.
Barry Robson and Paul Hartley were on fire, Gary Caldwell playing out of his skin, Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura dazzling as we rattled of win after win and on to Tannadice.
Remarkably it was in our own hands, no outside help required and bhoy did we deliver as the other lot crumbled with another red card collected as they feebly fell at Aberdeen as the party started down the road at Tannadice.
It's six weeks now since we won the league but the dividend continues through the winter as we enjoy another Champions League campaign.
Enjoy the VIDEO FROM TANNADICE and sit back and prepare for a third consecutive Champions League campaign.
TITLE WINNING VIDEO
When we won the league the euphoria and joy was real, an amazing comeback from the seemingly dead as Rearangers wilted as they finally caught up with those pesky away fixtures that they had been avoiding.
Behind the sheer joy of winning the league was a very attractive prize, straight into the Champions League without having to visit Moscow or anywhere like that.
Twelve months ago the season's build up was all towards being ready for the Champions League qualifier and despite being seeded it couldn't have been any tougher than getting CSKA Moscow away.
Remember the tension? Artur Boruc out injured, John Kennedy playing on a plastic pitch, the joy of Paul Hartley's header, the dismay as CSKA murdered us down the left at home, cancelling out our away goal, Boruc and Lee Naylor squaring up (a bit one sided), Skippy's equaliser, extra time, Derek Riordan appearing, Maciej Zurawski and Riordan scoring, Boruc saving and we're through.
Well this year it will be nice and quiet as others scrap and battle to join the real teams in the Champions League, even Arsenal and Liverpool face qualifiers and we won't face AC Milan for the third year running because their in the UEFA Cup.
Every title win is sweet, demolishing big Eck's dream team and Hearts in 2006, seeing Paul LeGuen across l'channel in 2007 but 2008 was very very special, especially after too many scary home performances against too many teams to mention (such as St Mirren, Hibs, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hearts and Motherwell)
There was no more margin for error when Walter's gladiators came calling, and twice they were turned over losing their cherished discipline as they ended both games with ten men.
Barry Robson and Paul Hartley were on fire, Gary Caldwell playing out of his skin, Aiden McGeady and Shunsuke Nakamura dazzling as we rattled of win after win and on to Tannadice.
Remarkably it was in our own hands, no outside help required and bhoy did we deliver as the other lot crumbled with another red card collected as they feebly fell at Aberdeen as the party started down the road at Tannadice.
It's six weeks now since we won the league but the dividend continues through the winter as we enjoy another Champions League campaign.
Enjoy the VIDEO FROM TANNADICE and sit back and prepare for a third consecutive Champions League campaign.
Thursday, 26 June 2008
Welcome to Celtic Paddy
There's something about Pat McCourt other than the Davie Provan 70s haircut.
VIDEO THOUGHTS
He's confident not arrogant, assured and very talented.
How that develops at Celtic is anyone's guess but he seems a sensible sort and at 24 knows that he's not going to get another crack at the big time.
Rochdale seems a strange place for a great talent to develop at, so it proved with the early promise fizzing out and ending in a free transfer to Shamrock Rovers via an unsuccessful stop off at Motherwell.
The not so shy Dublin duo of Roddy Collins and Stephen Kenny restored Pat's belief and set him on track for the move that few Rochdale free transfers ever make... to Celtic.
Genuine wingers have been thin on the ground at Celtic where wide midfielder have been the norm or win-backs, it's difficult trying to recall the last Celtic winger... was Davie Provan ever replaced?
Steve Guppy and Ross Wallace were both sort of wingers but mainly noted for crossing the ball, usually outswinging from the left.
McCourt seems to offer more, a directness, ability to cut inside with an eye for goal and two footedness.
It'll be interesting to see if he fits in, how he develops, if he can flourish like Didier Agathe and Evander Sno two recent bargain signings that went on to make an impact in the Champions League.
It's a lot to ask for but from his demeanor and from the clips that I've seen of him he won't feel intimidated or out of place, welcome to Celtic Paddy.
VIDEO THOUGHTS
VIDEO THOUGHTS
He's confident not arrogant, assured and very talented.
How that develops at Celtic is anyone's guess but he seems a sensible sort and at 24 knows that he's not going to get another crack at the big time.
Rochdale seems a strange place for a great talent to develop at, so it proved with the early promise fizzing out and ending in a free transfer to Shamrock Rovers via an unsuccessful stop off at Motherwell.
The not so shy Dublin duo of Roddy Collins and Stephen Kenny restored Pat's belief and set him on track for the move that few Rochdale free transfers ever make... to Celtic.
Genuine wingers have been thin on the ground at Celtic where wide midfielder have been the norm or win-backs, it's difficult trying to recall the last Celtic winger... was Davie Provan ever replaced?
Steve Guppy and Ross Wallace were both sort of wingers but mainly noted for crossing the ball, usually outswinging from the left.
McCourt seems to offer more, a directness, ability to cut inside with an eye for goal and two footedness.
It'll be interesting to see if he fits in, how he develops, if he can flourish like Didier Agathe and Evander Sno two recent bargain signings that went on to make an impact in the Champions League.
It's a lot to ask for but from his demeanor and from the clips that I've seen of him he won't feel intimidated or out of place, welcome to Celtic Paddy.
VIDEO THOUGHTS
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Title winning days
How the month of May turned around.
Remember the feeling, hitting some form, winning back-to-back games against Rangers but still having the league out of our control.
VIDEO lap of honour
Sure they had a lot of games to play but after the McCurry-inspired 3-1 win over Dundee United we knew that Rangers would continue to scrape by and get the points needed to win the league whatever it took and whatever we did.
Our home defeat to Motherwell was so costly, if only we had won that, or beaten St Mirren or Hibs at home in December, if if if if.
And horror of horrors as well as losing the league our Seville experience was under threat from the most boring, defensive, miserable collection of anti-football as somehow Rangers had snarled their way to the UEFA Cup Final where all they had to do was bore Wee Dickies Ruskies to death, win on penalties and life in Scotland and beyond would be unbearable.
As we went to the final home match of the season we only had hope, hope we could beat Hibs, hope that luck would run out in Manchester and hope that they'd trip up in one of their three remaining games but with the season over for Motherwell, St Mirren and Aberdeen there really wasn't much to hope for.
A 2-0 win over Hibs delivered some more points but it still felt a bit empty, out of our hands as the players made their way around the park, not so glorious failure to a poor Rangers team or a preparation for celebrations to come at Tannadice?
Thankfully, oh how thankfully, it all fell into place, Zenit won the UEFA Cup, more Rangers points were slipped away to Motherwell then gloriously at Tannadice Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's header brought us a title that we could only have dreamed of a few weeks earlier as a nightmare unfolded.
The summer has been a joy, complete pleasure basking in the pleasure of three-in-a-row, reliving the highlights whilst trying to blank out the scary bits.
Enjoy this VIDEO of the premature lap of honour after beating Hibs 2-0 on May 11, little did we know that some real celebrations were just around the corner.
Remember the feeling, hitting some form, winning back-to-back games against Rangers but still having the league out of our control.
VIDEO lap of honour
Sure they had a lot of games to play but after the McCurry-inspired 3-1 win over Dundee United we knew that Rangers would continue to scrape by and get the points needed to win the league whatever it took and whatever we did.
Our home defeat to Motherwell was so costly, if only we had won that, or beaten St Mirren or Hibs at home in December, if if if if.
And horror of horrors as well as losing the league our Seville experience was under threat from the most boring, defensive, miserable collection of anti-football as somehow Rangers had snarled their way to the UEFA Cup Final where all they had to do was bore Wee Dickies Ruskies to death, win on penalties and life in Scotland and beyond would be unbearable.
As we went to the final home match of the season we only had hope, hope we could beat Hibs, hope that luck would run out in Manchester and hope that they'd trip up in one of their three remaining games but with the season over for Motherwell, St Mirren and Aberdeen there really wasn't much to hope for.
A 2-0 win over Hibs delivered some more points but it still felt a bit empty, out of our hands as the players made their way around the park, not so glorious failure to a poor Rangers team or a preparation for celebrations to come at Tannadice?
Thankfully, oh how thankfully, it all fell into place, Zenit won the UEFA Cup, more Rangers points were slipped away to Motherwell then gloriously at Tannadice Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's header brought us a title that we could only have dreamed of a few weeks earlier as a nightmare unfolded.
The summer has been a joy, complete pleasure basking in the pleasure of three-in-a-row, reliving the highlights whilst trying to blank out the scary bits.
Enjoy this VIDEO of the premature lap of honour after beating Hibs 2-0 on May 11, little did we know that some real celebrations were just around the corner.
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