| Match Pictures | Matches: 2012 – 2013 | 2012-13 Pictures |
Trivia
- Summer tour in Germany.
- No TV viewing for anyone, nothing. Only highlights later on on Celtic TV next day!
- First Celtic game of new era with No Rangers in the SPL.
- Since last match, Rangers in liquidation, sold to Charles Whyte. Press tripping up over each other, and Scottish football fans revelling in their misery.
- Lots of rigmorals as NewCo (Rangers successor) try to get a place in SFL Div 1 instead of starting at the bottom. NewCo voted not allowed into SPL after fans across the clubs forced their clubs to vote against them. Only Kilmarnock abstained and their fans are trying to remove their chairman due to it. Celtic released statement that sporting integrity comes above all else and that's why they voted as they did.
- Spain won the Euros and became first team in European history to win three major senior international events in a row.
Review
New era for Celtic and all of Scottish football begins, but not much to say from this match. At least all got a run-out to warm them up.
(from Sohndesbischofs of KDS forum)
The game itself in the first half was pish, the defence horrible. The back three hardly worked, the gaps between Blackman and Twardzik resp. Wilson and McGeouch were too huge. After about 20 mins McGeouch and Forrest swaped positions and Celtics game became better. Forrest hardly had a ball in the first 20 mins and McGeouch was only running after some midfielder from Augsburg. We didn't really create any chances in the first half and Augsburg had three or four clear chances, so we were lucky to reach half-time with a 0-0, it was really one-sided, de Jong was the outstanding player for Augsburg.
We started the second half without substitutions, meanwhile Augsburg took off four players, one of them was de Jong and it showed. We strted better, Kayals shot went wide after 2 mins. The player of the second half was, apart from Fraser Forster who also kept Celtic in the game in the first half, Knowledge Musona, who gave our defence some worries. Although we had Daryl Murphys chance, when he hit the outside of the net, we were lucky, that Musona didn't convert any of his many chances. He also set up a few for his team-mates, but somehow we managed to get a draw. The game fizzled out in the 15 mins mainly due to the high amount of substitutions.
Also, we have to keep in mind that Augsburg started their pre-season preparations about two weeks ago and they already have three or four matches under their belt. But we should still think about this back three again…
Will load up some pics tomorrow, but I must warn you, they are hardly Number7 stuff. More Kelvin Wilson.
Teams
FC AUGSBURG (4-2-3-1):
Jentzsch (Amsif 46); Verhaegh (Pigl 73), Sankoh (Strohmaier 73), Langkamp (Klaven 46), de Jong (Ostrzolek 46); Baier, Callsen-Bracker; Musona, Moravek (Vogt 46), Werner; Hain
Subs not used: Thiede, Mustic
CELTIC (3-4-1-2):
Forster; K. Wilson, Mulgrew, F. Twardzik; McGeouch, Kayal (Watt 72), Ledley, Blackman; Forrest (McCourt 60); Stokes (Toshney 72), Hooper (Murphy 63)
Subs not used: Zaluska
Referee: –
Attendance: 4000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
Articles
Celtic kick off pre-season with a draw
By: Laura Brannan on 10 Jul, 2012 20:26 10 July 2012
Friendly
Stauferpark Stadion, Donauworth
FC AUGSBURG 0
CELTIC 0
CELTIC, in their new green and white Hoops kit, kicked-off the 2012/13 pre-season matches with a subdued goalless draw with Augsburg in Germany.
4,000 supporters watched a strong Hoops side, captained by James Forrest who turned 21 at the weekend, fight hard for a winner but it wasn’t to come in a tight match against the Bundesliga side.
Augsburg had the better chances on target but Celtic, and Fraser Forster in particular, made it difficult for them to break through. Substitute Daryl Murphy had the Bhoys´ best chance late in the second-half when he hit the post, but the visitors couldn’t finda winnerbefore the end.
It wasdifficult for Celtic from the start and they had to work hard to endure Augsburg´s attacks. The home side threatened for most of the first half and it wasn´t until Neil Lennon made a tactical change, switching Forrest to the right wing and Dylan McGeouch behind the strikers, the Hoops managed to push forward into their opponent´s half.
The first 15 minutes belonged to the Bundesliga side, with Marcel de Jong and Knowledge Musona creating most of their opening chances. Fraser Forster was tested straight from kick-off but the keeper held his ground and provided a string of saves to keep the scoreline level at 0-0.
Stephan Hain drove a low shot straight at Forster minutes before the keeper was left stranded by Kelvin Wilson´s short pass back. Celtic got away with the defensive mix-up, though, as Jan Moravek´s resultingshot went wide of the top corner.
Augsburg continued to threaten inside Celtic´s final third, but as the clock ticked towards half-time the Hoops were encouraged to move up the pitch. Gary Hooper provided the best move inside Augsburg´s box, five minutes from half-time, but a tackle by Sebastian Langkamp cleared the ball before he had the chance to pull the trigger.
The sides went into the break withoutopening the scoring but Celtic looked hungry when they re-emerged. Forrest was replaced by Paddy McCourt on the hour mark and three minutes later Daryl Murphy, fresh from his loan spellat Ipswich Town last season, entered the field of play at the expense of Hooper.
And the Irish striker, who was clearly on a mission to impress the coaches, had Celtic´s best chance of the match when his shot hit off the outside of the post just minutes later.
Celtic introduced a youthful element to the game, bringing on Lewis Toshney and Tony Watt 20 minutes from the end and as the clocked ticked towards full-time they looked desperate to find a winner. It wasn’t to be but it had proved to be a good run-out for the Hoops as they got their pre-season campaign underway.
FC AUGSBURG (4-2-3-1): Jentzsch (Amsif 46); Verhaegh (Pigl 73), Sankoh (Strohmaier 73), Langkamp (Klaven 46), de Jong (Ostrzolek 46); Baier, Callsen-Bracker; Musona, Moravek (Vogt 46), Werner; Hain
Subs not used: Thiede, Mustic
CELTIC (3-4-1-2): Forster; K. Wilson, Mulgrew, F. Twardzik; McGeouch, Kayal (Watt 72), Ledley, Blackman; Forrest (McCourt 60); Stokes (Toshney 72), Hooper (Murphy 63)
Subs not used: Zaluska
FC Augsburg 0 – 0 Celtic: Celtic start tour with a stalemate
Scotsman.com
Published on Wednesday 11 July 2012 10:11
CELTIC’S preparations for the 2012-13 season in the Scottish Premier League – for which they are as low as 1-50 to win, with no Rangers to challenge them – started in earnest with a goalless draw against Augsburg last night.
Scotland winger James Forrest, who celebrated his 21st birthday at the weekend, was handed the captaincy for the friendly in the Stauferpark Stadion, but he and his fellow forwards could not break down a well-organised and stubborn German defence.
Fraser Forster, who signed a contract with Celtic at the start of the week after his highly successful loan spell from Newcastle, was in solid form, and anything Augsburg had to throw at him and his defence, he proved equal too. Neil Lennon introduced Daryl Murphy, fresh from his loan spell at Ipswich Town last season, as a substitute in the second half, and he came closest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the post in the 70th minute
Lewis Toshney then replaced Anthony Stokes and Tony Watt came on for Beram Kayal as Lennon looked to give his squad some game-time, but although Celtic had the better of the closing stages they couldn’t force a winner. Celtic next play Stuttgart Kickers on Sunday, followed by another friendly against Vfr Aalen on Tuesday, before further warm-ups against Ajax, Norwich City and Inter Milan before they begin their defence of the SPL championship at home to Aberdeen on 4 August.
Celtic: Forster; K. Wilson, Mulgrew, Twardzik; McGeouch, Kayal (Watt 72), Ledley, Blackman; Forrest (McCourt 60); Stokes (Toshney 72), Hooper (Murphy 63). Subs not used: Zaluska.
Meanwhile, Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley believes reaching the group stages of the Champions League would be a huge achievement for the club. Ledley, 25, has been a mainstay of the Celtic side since his move from Cardiff two years ago and the Wales international has targeted progression in Europe this season. He also maintained it would have still been a priority if angers had been accepted into the SPL in their newco form.
“Qualifying for the Champions League is massive. It would still have been like that even if Rangers were still in the league,” he said before the “As players, you just want to get to that stage. It’s a fantastic tournament. That’s our aim this season and hopefully we can achieve it. We gained a lot from the Europa League last season. We enjoyed it even though we had an extremely difficult group.”
Celtic were one of several SPL clubs to vote against newco Rangers’ application to the top flight but Ledley revealed he did not keep abreast of the ongoing situation during his summer holiday. “I didn’t follow the events. . . I didn’t really know much about it as I was away. I still don’t know all that much about what happened,” he said. “We concentrate on our club and everyone knows that if you break the rules you are going to have to face the consequences.”
Meanwhile, Beram Kayal is eagerly anticipating the forthcoming friendlies against Inter Milan and Real Madrid. He said: “We have some good games coming up, then the Champions League games, and then the league. I want to go back to Celtic Park, I miss playing there.”