Hamburg v Celtic 5th Nov 2009 6pm ko, Europa League

We are that inconsistant who knows what will happen .
However, last chance Cup game so come tae feck Celtic give us something to cheer.

1) a humping a la Artmedia
or
2) a Celtic win.

I reckon our best chance is that the German Rangers will undermine us and take this result for granted. I saw nowt that should make us worried provided we cut out the suicide.
They are no Bayern, but if we let them play it could get embarrassing.

This is a chance to do what we did to Moscow. Team on it`s day are capable, but tell you one thing. If they beat us wait til you see the crowd v the Israelis

Zaluska

Hinkel Loovens Caldwell Fox

Brown N`Guemo Robson

Aiden Samaras

McDonald

4-5-1 but more upfield please, with Aiden and Samaras supporting McDonald.

McDonald due to score a wining goal?

Let`s remember this 5th November for all the right reasons.
2-1 Hoops McDonald and Loovens

I love your' optimism Blair it's what gets true fans through the sticky parts of campaigns. I personally haven't seen anything recently to give me confidence that will get us a result Vs Hamburg but if you don't mind I'd like to borrow some of your' optimism and Scott McDonald finds his shooting boots again. For me Paddy McCourt has got to start and get in about them, to me he is one of the best 18 yard box players I have seen in years even if we only get 45 minutes out of him it might be all we need.

What option do we have Ricky?

We would be Huns otherwise, so let`s get into these dirty bastards.

St Pauli scarves in their hundreds I hope in attendance.

Bit of hope, they lost this week-end at home to one of the worst teams in the leauge...

FRANKFURT, Germany — Hamburger SV lost its first game of the Bundesliga season on Saturday, going down 3-2 at home to lowly Borussia Moenchengladbach after twice being a goal in front.

How the mighty have fallen?

Borrussia were a big team when I was a kid. Remember Dundee Utd giving them a gubbing in the 80`s against all the odds.

If they are fit, I would go with:

Zaluska
Hinkel Caldwell Loovens Fox
McGeady Crosas N'Guemo McCourt
Fortune McDonald



Hope that there are green and white fireworks on the pitch and in the air (cheesy I know!)

I would play Samaras for this one at the expense of McDonald to be honest, give Fortune someone to play alongside who isn't only interested in himself. I have no problems with us containing them for a good hour and then opening the game up.

Must win, but then I don't think Europe should be our main concern this time around. WGS had Artmedia (which, I think, turned out to be a blessing in disguise) and perhaps we need to fully focus on winning the league this year?

would play almost the same team, poca, with the exception of mcdonald

I'd give yer man samaras a chance after his weekend perfomance, as his confidence must be up



*edit* just saw des' post......great minds, eh?

That's what they say Jinty.

Whit!? So I'm not a great mind!?

Blonde pigeons (fair do's ) on McDonald. Samaras has been the better performer of the two and that is saying something.

Whit!? So I'm not a great mind!?

Blonde pigeons (fair do's ) on McDonald. Samaras has been the better performer of the two and that is saying something.

good point poca but do you go with the guy on present form or a guy who has done it in big game such as this
id go with skippy first

Whit!? So I'm not a great mind!?

Blonde pigeons (fair do's ) on McDonald. Samaras has been the better performer of the two and that is saying something.

poca, you've not only a great but a beautiful mind too......and I don't mean you're nuts!

the sorry situation is having to pick a striker with the least bad form instead of the best

Both McDonald and Samaras have been murderous to watch, but my evaluation of them would be as follows;
On form both would be kept without a doubt as I feel to replace these players in form would be out of this board`s reach.

Samaras offers something we do not have in abundance- pace. Very little else granted, but we have seen when he`s in the mood (just before his injury) he was unplayable. I`d like to think he can return to those days but who knows?
As his former coach says and has always been the case, if you support the player you may get more out of him. Just boo Caldwell

McDonald should be giving us more imo.
He has done well and has been a great buy, but right now it`s just not happening like it did. His predatory instincts have gone off the ball a little and to me the way he`s being asked to play may be the reason?
Seems he`s a bit deeper (probably to stop him going offside ) and is getting less chances at goal.

I think McDonald looks poor as Mowbray insists on the team playing football and McDonald, for all his predatory instincts can't do that. He is technically poor, but then his position is about scoring goals.

It makes for a quandary to be honest. Samaras is the patron saint of lost causes and comes into his best when least expected. He is still the most equipped player to play up front on his own as he can run, is willing to work hard and has the ability to do the unexpected. He will always be an enigma if you ask me, such is the nature of things. As frustrating as he is, I would actually keep him. I wouldn't play him week in week out by any stretch of the imagination but in this climate, to have a full Internationalist in the squad, who is unplayable when he has confidence for only £1m is actually pretty hard to come by. Squad player. McDonald I would take money for and his goal statistics alone make him worthy of a decent transfer fee.

Problem is we need goals, none of the strikers look like they have any in them at the moment. Not at the level we need. And how we have been spoiled in years past.

TBh i dont see why we have to go negative 4-5-1 anyway, we are all but out of the competion anyway, We should be going 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 all out attack and take the game to them from the off, We may as well go down 4-0 as to go down 1-0, If this team has any balls, Passion, Pride and most of all Belief then they can beat anyone they want, When i see a 4-5-1 it just give's me no hope at all, If fit, up front should be skippy, Fortune and samaras and go for it, just for once i would like to see a celtic team with bottle.....

Look at CSKA last night against Manure, They went for it from the off attacking in waves, granted they where open at the back, But for 75mins of that game last night manure struggled, They had to resort to the 40mill stars to save there bacon, but that russian team left with all the pride....