Hoop Dreams: Without Rangers, Celtic is Doomed to an Early European Exit

An extra long weekend has been declared on the green side of Glasgow, as Celtic confirmed their place in the UEFA Champions League final 16 with a win over Spartak Moscow earlier today.  The Bhoys were done a favor as Benfica drew a mishmash of Barcelona's A & B squads, which allowed Celtic to advance out of Group G alongside Barca.

Despite the win and a spot in the next phase of Europe's elite club tournament, Celtic supporters have plenty to worry about. While the win today was a major accomplishment, it was not one to sing too loudly about.  For stretches of the match, Nigerian Emmannuel Emenike terrorized his countrymen Efe Ambrose in Celtic's defense and put himself in very dangerous positions (one of which translated into a goal for the Russians). Despite dominating much of the possession, Celtic were mere minutes away from being bounced out of the tournament if it hadn't been for a (rather generous) penalty that was awarded to Georgios Samaras which was subsequently slammed into the net by Kris Commons in the 85th minute. Luckily for the Glaswegians, Samaras, Kris Commons and the Celtic midfield put in a great shift. But, will that sort of effort work against the quality of potential opponents in the next round? Paris Saint Germain, Schalke, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Bayern Munich or Manchester United. Pick your poison. All of these teams possess much better players than Emmanuel Emenike. The Bhoys always have a chance at Celtic Park, but even the most ardent Celtic supporter would be worried about every single one of those potential match ups.

Georgios Samaras: Man of the Match against Spartak Moscow

So, the situation is rather bleak in the Champions League, but that's fine since Celtic are the Kings of Scotland, you say? Not so fast! The Bhoys are going through a dismal domestic stretch, which has seen the club win twice in the last six matches, seeing their lead a top the Scottish Premier League shrink to 1 point (ahead of Hibernian). This points to a much bigger problem:  Celtic seems to have adopted a habit in which they play up or down to the level of their opposition. Great when playing Barca, not so much when you play Kilmarnock.

In the short-term, an exciting, down to the wire Scottish Premier League campaign gives clubs like Hibernian and Inverness a shot at a title that they have not had a sniff of in years. But, where does this lead to for Celtic both domestically and in Europe? Directly towards complacency. The Celtic of 2007, who also made it to the final 16 of the Champions League before being sent home by Barcelona, were in a much better place as they had to battle with Rangers tooth and nail to the end for the Scottish title that year. While the rivalry created great hatred among both team's fans, it helped to establish a higher level of competition, which often translated for a higher quality of play in Europe from the Scottish representative (whether it was Rangers or Celtic). With a "new' Rangers toiling in the 3rd division of Scotland after its insolvency, the Scottish game no longer has this dynamic. Celtic are the only show in town and, the show ain't work watching right now.

The Old Firm Derby: Produced both the best & worst of Scottish football

In the the short-term, Celtic are in a fine place, as they will likely continue to qualify for the Champions League and makes millions because of this. But, how far will they go in the UEFA Champions Leagu coming years if they remain the under challenged Kings of Scotland? Not very far. Don't see where I'm going with this? See BATE Borisov and FC Cluj. 

THE RETURN OF SHOWTIME: LAKERS LAND HOWARD, MAGIC GET SCREWED

If there was any doubt before, there is certainly none now: the Los Angeles Lakers are the team to beat in the NBA's Western Conference. By adding everyone's favourite flip flopper, Dwight Howard, in a blockbuster 4-team deal, the Los Angeles Lakers' management team have signalled that the word "re-building" is not in their vocabulary.

The Lakers, Nuggets, Magic & 76ers swung a major deal, that had been brewing for some time now. The Lakers picked up the 6-time All Star Howard, while the Nuggets get former Philadelphia 76er All-Star & U.S. Olympian Andre Iguodala, and the 76ers receive Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and Jason Richardson from the Magic. And, what did the Magic get you ask? Aaron Afflalo and Al Harrington from the Nuggets, 1st round draft pick Moe Harkless, and Nikola Vukevic from the 76ers, along with one protected 1st round draft pick each from Denver, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

You can bet there's a bottle of Dom Perrignon being delivered to the war rooms in L.A, Denver and Philadelphia tonight, while a bottle of Motrin or Advil is being passed around the General Manager's office in Orlando.  Let's call a spade a spade: the Magic got screwed.They had a disgruntled star, who made it no secret that he wanted out of town and provided his team with little or no bargaining power. The Magic received little return on their franchise player. No offense to Al Harrington, Aaron Afflalo, Nikola Vukevic and Moe Harkless, who are fine players in their own right, but not one of them can fill even a quarter of Dwight Howard's size 18 shoe.

Was there ever any doubt? Howard is LA bound

And, what of the 1st round draft picks, you say? 3 first rounds are an impressive haul. 3 protected first round picks? Not so much. With protected picks, the Magic as assured that they will not see any lottery picks of out this trade. So, you've essentially traded away your franchise player for 2 B-level players (Afflalo and Harrington), a C+ level player (Vukevic) and 4 mid to late 1st round draft picks (including Harkless) without even getting Pau Gasol?

I'm sure the Brooklyn Nets must have mustered up something a little better at some point. One of the rumoured offers submitted by Nets over a month ago was Brook Lopez, Marshon Brooks, Chris Humphries and 4 UN protected 1st round draft picks in exchange for Howard. Waiting too long for the best possible deal can be a wrong move sometimes, as who knows, it may never materialize.

But, what's done is done. The Lakers are the favourites in the West, with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard in their starting 5, while Orlando will be led by Jameer Nelson, Al Harrington and Aaron Afflalo and Hedo Turkoglu. Good luck, Jacque Vaughn. You've stepped into quite the coaching job.

Decision TIme for the Blue Jays as Trade Deadline Looms

Are the Blue Jays on the cusp of making a run at a wild card spot in the American League or is it time to shut the injury riddled team down for the season? You can bet this question is making Jay's GM Alex Anthopoulos toss & turn in the middle of the night.

With a record of 51-51 and the trade deadline just hours away, the Blue Jays need to decide whether they are in re-building mode or see themselves as a contender for a play-off spot. Anthopolous has already swung 3 deals by pulling off the most low key 10-player trade you will see in acquiring pitcher J.A. Happ from the Houston Astros, trading for another pitcher in Steve Delabar from the Seattle Mariners & also trading away Travis Snider to Pittsburgh for yet another pitcher, Brad Lincoln. But, these 3 deals do not conclusively say which direction the team plans move toward. The Jays have to go one of 3 ways: 1) Re-build 2) Stand pat or 3) Stock-up & go all in.

First J.A. Happ, now Brad Lincoln. Will another new face be playing at Rogers Centre?

• Re-build: This is likely the road least desired by Blue Jay fans. With this option, the Jays could shop their higher paid players like Jose Bautista, Ricky Romero & Adam Lind to name just a few. There is certainly a market for Romero, as the Rangers & Dodgers are both in the market for starting pitchers. The Dodgers would make sense, since Romero is from the L.A. area. But do the Jays want to give up on him this early? In exchange, Jays fans can expect for more of the same: prospects.

• Stand pat: All things being equal, the Blue Jays have suffered from an injury bug like no other in Major League Baseball this season. With the likes Dustin McGowan, J.P Arencibia, Jesse Litsch, Sergio Santos, Adam Lind, Jose Bautista, Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek & Jason Frasor all on the injured list right now, it's surprising that the team has a .500 record in baseball's most competitive division. Would this team have been front-runners if the injuries hadn't occurred? That's debatable, but Anthopoulos could look to improve his team via free agency in the off season, instead of trading prospects or his stars away before the deadline. May be a healthy Jays team would be battling the Angels & Athletics for the Wildcard spots?

• Stock-up:  The Torontonians are 4.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the American League. Not quite Everest. But, after getting clobbered by the wild card leading Oakland Athletics last week, the hobbled Jays clearly need to inject some new blood into their squad if they want to make a run at the playoffs this season. Despite being without their feared slugger Jose Bautista, the Jays are still respectable at the plate (ranking atop the MLB in runs scored).  It is at starting pitching is where the bluebirds require the most help with Ricky Romero struggling, and Brendan Morrow and Kyle Drabek on the mend. James Shields, Ryan Dempster (likely going to the Dodgers), Kevin Millwood & Matt Garza are just some of the names being thrown around. But, which one of these hurlers is most likely for the Blue Jays? Shields & Millwood are the most realistic options here, but the Jays would still have to part with some top prospects, such as outfielder Moises Sierra, and/or shortstop Andeiny Hechavarria, in order to acquire a veteran pitcher. 

James Shields: Likely to moved tomorrow. But, where?

So, which one of these 3 directions do Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays choose? It's hard to say, but by looking at the 2 early trades that the GM has made it seems as though the Blue Jays would be better suited to continue to build up depth at the pitching position during the off season. After tonight's loss to the Mariners, the club still sits near the bottom of the AL East with a pitching staff that ranks 26th in ERA & that has given up 132 long balls so far this season (ranked 27th in the majors). Even despite the injury crisis, the Jays need pitching depth to compete....next year. So no need to trade away prospects and stars this year, because it's almost certain that only the Athletics, Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Rays will duke it out for the wild card this season.

Let's see what happens!


Quote of the Week:
If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.
Babe Ruth

Group A: Poland

POLAND

WORLD RANKING: 65

TEAM CAPTAIN:  Jakub Blaszczyknowski

BEST EURO RESULT: Group Stage (2008)

THE LOWDOWN

The co-hosts head into Friday's tournament opening match as the underdogs in Group A. The Poles dress a relatively young and inexperienced team, possessing the dynamic duo of Jakub Blaszezyknowski and Robert Lewandowski, who led Borussia Dortmund to a 2nd straight German Bundesliga title this year and Arsenal's #1 goal keeper Wojciech Szczesny. Home field advantage and a 3 match win streak coming into the tournament will boost the "White Eagles" chances, but with their first 2 games against the group's two best teams (Greece & Russia) expect Poland to bow out in the first stage of the tournament. Don't worry Team Poland fans, this young team will only get better with time and this Euro 2012 experience. Watch for Poland to make major strides in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup.

PLAYER TO WATCH:  Wojciech Szczesny

The 22 year old Szczesny has cemented himself as the starting keeper for both his club team Arsenal and the Czech National team. With 10 international caps under his belt, the 6 foot 5 inch custodian will need to use every inch of his frame to keep goals out if the Poles have any chance of advancing to the quarterfinals. Despite having a formidable striker/winger partnership with Lewandowski and Blaszezyknowski, the real issue for Poland will be keeping the ball out of the net. Cracks are destined to appear in the Polish defense, so Szczesny will have to take his game to another level to keep Poland's hopes alive.

Wojciech Szczesny

PREDICTION: 4th in Group A

UP NEXT: RUSSIA

GROUP A: GREECE

GREECE

WORLD RANKING: 14

TEAM CAPTAIN: Giorgios Karagounis

BEST EURO RESULT: Winners (2004)

THE LOWDOWN

The 2004 European champions come into this year's tournament ranked 14th in the world with a nice blend of youth and experience in their squad. The aging faces of Giorgios Karagounis, Theofanis Gekas and Kostas Katsouranis are blended with youngsters Soitiris Ninis and Kostas Fortounis. Brazilian coach Fernando Santos will look to the experienced faces for mental strength and composure and moments of offensive brilliance from the young phenom Ninis.

Despite going unbeaten in qualifying, the Galanolefki have never been known as an offensive juggernaut and games against the likes of Russia and the Czech who possess similar scoring weapons and equivalent defensive acumen, could make this group a nailbiter to the end. Expect Santos to bring more a offensive approach to the Greek national team than his predecessor Otto Rehagel did. But, this may turn out to be the wrong style for the Greeks as they cannot expect to throw hay makers with the most talented teams in Europe and come out on top.

Where will Greece's goals come from? Samaras, possibly?

PLAYER TO WATCH: Sotiris Ninis

The 22 year old Albanian-born winger/midfielder will be at the heart of the Greek attack and will be looked upon for the lion's share of the team's offensive flair. Ninis, who made 2 appearances in Greece's disappointing outing in the 2010 World Cup, will look to end his 2nd international tournament on a much happier note. Regarded as one of Europe's brightest young stars, Ninis will have the perfect opportunity to show the continent why a number of top clubs on the continent were vying for his signature after his contract expired with Panathinaikos last month. Italy's Parma won the race to sign the young midfield magician, who will now be playing in Italy's Serie A come September. Is he worth all the hype? We will find out on Friday.

PREDICTION: 2nd in Group A & a Quarterfinal loss to Germany.

UP NEXT:  Poland

GROUP A : CZECH REPUBLIC

The World Cup may be the biggest soccer tournament on the planet in terms of sheer size, but few can argue against the fact that the European Championships always produces the superior on-field product. This installment of the Euros is likely to be no different, where 4 teams out the 16 total can be listed as the favorites to win European football's most extravagant prize.

With only 3 days to go, join me as I give you previews of each team taking part in Euro 2012 and include my tournament predictions for each team. We start with the Czech Republic in Group A!

CZECH REPUBLIC

WORLD RANKING: 26

Team Captain: Tomas Rosicky

BEST EURO RESULT: Winners (1976)

THE LOWDOWN:

The Czech's limp into this tournament after beating Montenegro in the qualifying round playoff, but losing to Hungary in their final warm-up match on Friday. The 1976 European champions have struggled in international tournaments of late, particularly since the retirements of Pavel Nedved, Jan Koller and Karel Poborsky. Despite having arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in Petr Cech, and veteran stars of yester year in Milan Baros and Tomas Rosicky, the Czech's lack international level talent to compete with the heavyweights in European soccer.

The most pressing concern for the Czech's will be in the attacking third of the pitch, as their leading play maker Tomas Rosicky will start the tournament with a nagging calf injury. To add their offensive woes, the strikers in the Czech stable (Milan Baros, Tomas Necid, and Tomas Pekhart) are unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenders.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Tomas Rosicky

After the 2006 World Cup it seemed as Tomas Rosicky was ready to set the football world on fire. Prior the tournament in Germany, Rosicky had transferred to English giants Arsenal FC and during it, as he almost single handedly demolished the United States in a group stage match. Little Mozart, as he was called in his homeland, had arrived on the global stage.

Who can replace Pavel Nedved in the Czech midfield?

Unfortunately, the expectation of Rosicky being "The Next Pavel Nedved" has not panned out for Arsenal or the Czech national team due to a long list of injuries over the last 6 years. The multiple trips to the team doctor's office have affected the midfielder's quickness and shooting power significantly. This tournament may be the last chance for the 31 year old Rosicky to make an impact on the international stage. If the Czech's have any chance of getting out of this weak group, they will need Rosicky at the top of his game providing useful passes to Milan Baros and the other Czech strikers.   

Can Baros reclaim his Euro 2004 form?

PREDICTION: 3rd in Group A (Eliminated at Group Stage).

Up Next: Greece

The Off Season Begins: Tiny Tweaks or a Complete Restructure for the Canucks?

The Vancouver Canucks season and Stanley Cup hopes came to a sudden end on Sunday evening. The planned cup parade was sidetracked by Darryl Sutter and his youthful band of Los Angeles Kings. How could this happen? The Vancouver Canucks were practically shoe-ins to make it back to the Stanley Cup final after falling short last year. Yet, a lack of cohesiveness on both the offensive and defensive end and an inept scoring punch provided Vigneault's boys a chance to get a head start on securing early tee times this spring. Yet, while Canucks players will be on golf courses across the continent, the team's brass have some colossal decisions ahead of them this summer. Over the coming days, I'll go over each of these conundrums over the next few days. We start at the top with Mike Gillis!

FIRE MIKE GILLIS?

Some will demand that Mike Gillis be fired for his handling of the Cody Hodgson fiasco at the trade deadline or his inability to properly improve last year's team by adding more punch and grit. Let there be no question that Mike Gillis certainly holds a lion's share of the blame in the team's early exit. After all, as he mentioned in during his press conference on Tuesday, Gillis is the primary decision maker for the organization when it comes to hockey operations. So, if mistakes were made in constructing the "right" type of team, they are Gillis' mistakes.

That being said, the players still play the game. Let's not forget that Gillis (with a little help of Brian Burke and Dave Nonis before him) has constructed a 2-time President's Trophy team, that was one game away from winning the Stanley Cup. Critics will say that the President's Trophy is a meaningless accomplishment, but if the Canucks' plan is to build a healthy and powerful organization in the mold of Ken Holland's Detroit Red Wings, regular season consistency is required. Gillis has helped to put the Canucks on the map as a perennial Cup contender. Even legendary Canucks coach and GM Pat Quinn was not able to do that in his tenure with the team.

Feeling the heat from the media & fans

Despite this year's colossal disappointment, Mike Gillis has built a Western Conference power. Any turnover at the GM position at this point in time would undoubtedly be a step backwards, as a new GM would bring in his own people and style of play to the organization. All of this would take patience, something that Canucks' fans are quickly running out of. 2012-13 will be a make or break season for Gillis' Canucks, so, expect Gillis to enter next year without a contract extension. The team will need to produce and avoid their annual slow start, or otherwise the Aquilini family will be looking for a new President and GM around the end of 2012.