One ruminates, you know, sometimes, even from Cloud 9 where we have been for the past 48 hours or so. Flicking through football websites, I came across this year’s Europa Conference’s last 16. Now we know that it is the lowest of the three tiers and that we would rather not be there, but there is not really an awful lot that is impossible in that line-up.

Difficult yes, but not impossible. Mainly clubs like ourselves who have a reasonable pedigree in Europe but who have fallen on bad times in recent years. As far as I can see there are three former winners of the European Cup if you count Marseille who won it then had it taken off them for cheating in 1993. There is also PSV Eindoven … and we know who the other one is.

There is also Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City (oh, how we would love to beat them in the Final!) and our old enemies from Rapid Vienna, the two Pragues, Fenerbahce and a few others whom we have come across in the past (often in unhappy circumstances) and a team called Randers whom I thought was some other team at first glance.

None of these 15 teams have anything like the support that we have, and if we play like we did on Wednesday night … well, anything can happen! Not only that, but I believe that the final will be played on 25 May. Now, that is not a bad date at all! It will be played in Albania (details below), and I can just envisage the 22nd minute at Parkhead next season everyone starting up with “In the heat of Tirana…”

All right, enough of the fantasies! But it’s a thought isn’t it? And I am not going to believe that it is impossible, if we play like we did on Wednesday night. It’s a big if, though, isn’t it? And let’s get Bodo Glimt (the strangest name we have ever faced?) out of the way first!

Well, no, actually, let’s deal with Motherwell first on Sunday!

But let us also look long term. Our European record for many decades (with the odd exception) has been nothing short of shocking, and I am fed up looking up into a bright August sky to realise that there will again be no Champions League this year. One of the weak excuses often trotted out is that “We were not prepared. We had not got our squad together”. Well, let’s start to work on that one now. Let’s make up our minds NOW who we want, and let’s be ready this time. There really is no excuse at all for a ground like Celtic Park, as we and the world saw it on Wednesday, not having Champions League football! Rise, Celtic, rise!

Oh, and another thing! Don’t anyone annoy me by saying things like “the League has to come first”! We cannot prioritise and chose our competitions. One is already in the bag, and we are in another three. My own particular favourite trophy is the Scottish Cup which has now been 40 times to Parkhead, but I want the other two with an equal passion, and I honestly believe that we have the players to take home all three…. if we play like we did on Wednesday night!

David Potter

Tirana’s National Arena will stage both Albania’s and the UEFA Europa Conference League’s first final on 25 May 2022…

Tirana’s 21,690-capacity National Arena (Arena Kombëtare) will stage the first UEFA Conference League final, as announced by the UEFA Executive Committee on 3 December 2020. Appropriately for the final of a new competition, it will be the first UEFA final to be played in Albania. The game will be played on Wednesday 25 May, kicking off at 21:00 CET.

The stadium opened in November 2019 with a European Qualifier between Albania and France. It was built, with the help of UEFA’s HatTrick assistance programme, on the site of the former Qemal Stafa Stadium in the centre of the Albanian capital.

THE PRESIDENT OF ALBANIA..

After the magnificent Derby #CELRAN, it is my great pleasure to celebrate today in Tirana at the Celtic Supporters Club🇦🇱🍀for the last victory and for the future victories of the Bhoys. I want to thank my dear friend @PhilBoswellSNP who came from #Glasgow! Hail Hail. #CelticFC💚 pic.twitter.com/N1BEvvz5dd

— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) February 4, 2022

Tickets might be scare should Celtic reach the Europa Conference League Final but we’re hopeful as we have a friend in high places in Tirana! What an occasion it would be for Ilir Meta to have tens of thousands of Celtic supporters celebrating in his capital city.

“The Celtic Star is one of my favourite media,” Ilir Meta, The President of Albania…

It is great to receive a message from you, especially since “The Celtic Star”🌟🍀 is one of my favorite media. I would be very happy to meet in your work environment, with all your journalists, who do an admirable job.
I wish you many more successes! 👏

— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) November 9, 2021