Posted On 18 Sep, 2013 - By lostbhoys - With 0 Comments The European Champions League may not be TRULY the league of champions anymore, with the ridiculous scenario being that any of the top four in England, for example, are able to compete. MONEY TALKS! Celtic’s group however, consists of four past winners and can rightly reserve the tag ‘Group of Champions’ for themselves. The Scottish Champions will be joined by AC Milan, Ajax and Barcelona, all giants who have held ‘Old Big Ears’ aloft to their respective supporters on the greatest night of all. AC Milan, Italy’s most successful club has won the Champions League (formerly the European Cup) seven times. They were runners-up an astonishing four times, and this makes them a formidable outfit in the game. The Celts have played the ‘Rossoneri’ in four rounds previously and have more than held their own, with Scott ‘Skippy’ McDonald smashing home the winner in the last minute to win the tie at Parkhead on the last occasion. May the spirit of replication be with us this time! Milan has boasted several superstars in their ranks, notably Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten, the Dutch masters. This time, they have Ballotelli alongside previous World Cup Winners Robinho and Kaka to water the mouths, and Celtic will want to nullify the threat from the Brazilian duo over two legs if they have ambitions of progressing from this group. Amsterdamsche Football Club (Ajax) came to the fore shortly after Celtic’s Lisbon triumph, and with them came ‘total football’. Feyenoord forged the way first though, and their deserved 2-1 win against Celtic in Milan in the Final of 1970 primed us for decades of Dutch dominance. Celtic drew Ajax in 1971 but were shocked by a 3-0 reverse in Amsterdam, and a Jimmy Johnstone goal at a packed Hampden was not enough to turn the tide. Ajax boasted Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskins at that time and not surprisingly went on to win the big cup. Ajax won the cup for the next two years running, giving them an amazing treble. Their victory in 1995 gave them four in total and elevated them to legend status. They no longer boast such luminaries but with Christian Poulsen and Bojan Krkic on board, they are still a massive threat. Barcelona have won the cup four times and have boasted possibly the greatest side of all time up until very recently. Maradona, the original Ronaldo, Cruyff and Ronaldinho have all pulled on the coveted Barca top and played with exceptional distinction. Barcelona are going through a transitional period right now and will be fully aware of Celtic’s potency after we held them until the last minute in the Nou Camp. We finished the job at Celtic Park when young Tony Watt blew them away in one of the most emotional games in our history. With the usual bunch (Messi, Xavi, Puyol, Fabregas, etc) in tow, few would bet on them finishing first in the group, but…Tony Watt! Celtic. Well, Celtic are the greatest team on the planet. We won the European Cup in 1967 with a destruction of Inter Milan in Lisbon. We won 9-in-a-row LEGITIMATELY under the tutelage of Jock Stein, Sean Fallon and a squad of players who would be priceless in today’s market. We have won all there is to be won, but we have a weapon nobody else in the world has-our fans. From Leo Messi to Paulo Maldini, everyone who is anyone says that Celtic have the greatest fans in the world. FACT! The fans have driven Celtic to the brink and beyond many times before and there is no better time for them to stand up for the Champions. Celtic, Milan, Barca and Ajax. You couldn’t make it up. We are in the Group of Death but before anyone goes moaning about our rotten luck, where else would you want to be on ECL night, or as Sevco fans call it, Wednesday? Here’s to the destruction of the giants and the continuation of our incredible 125th year of unbroken history. First up, Milan. COYBIG! Hail Hail. Eddie Murray.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 11:23:26 +0000
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