Football news – RIP Celtic’s season: 09.07.19 - 13.08.19

What an unforgettable run. That Mikey Johnston strike that silenced the crowd in Sarajevo. That famous 7-0 aggregate win over Estonian heavyweights Nomme Kalju. That valiant defeat against champions-elect CFR Cluj.

It’s just a shame it ended in August - and it’s something that doesn’t sit well with the Warm-Up. How can it be called the Champions League if so few ‘champions’ are allowed in without first visiting the deepest, darkest parts of Europe during everyone else’s holidays?

It’s not just Celtic. Ajax, last year’s breakout package, had to battle through to the play-offs with a 5-4 aggregate win over PAOK. Meanwhile, the likes of Valencia, Atalanta and Lokomotiv Moscow are already salivating about the draw having earned automatic qualification courtesy of their league being sexy for TV companies (OK, the co-efficient, but that’s an indirect result of money being poured into certain countries).

Are we not at saturation point? Do we really need to see Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid: Round XXXXVI? Could we not, you know, spice up the Europa League by refusing to reward teams that finish fourth – basically glorified mid-table – in England, Spain, Italy and Germany with a direct route into the continent’s premier competition?

Oh well. At least we got this beautiful clip to ease the pain of capitalism:

Incredibly, this worked. City’s admission that they breached FIFA rules on signing youth players helped them swerve a transfer ban, instead landing a fine equivalent to Kevin De Bruyne’s one-week pay. That’ll teach them.

However, UEFA are yet to offer their verdict into whether City were compliant with Financial Fair Play and could yet throw them out of the Champions League (they won’t, obviously).

Or, as we’ll refer to it in a few years’ time, Frank Lampard: The End. Liverpool return to Istanbul to face Chelsea in the Super Cup final and, deep down, we all know how this ends.

For bursting the bubble of that faux rags-to-riches Salford City in the Carabao Cup. We don’t have the rights to show his debut goal for Leeds United, but Twitter doesn’t care about that.

The Celtic captain dipped into the Joleon Lescott manual of excuses after ‘accidentally’ liking a tweet slagging off his manager Neil Lennon.

For the record, here’s what his grubby thumb hit:

Probably old, but this wonderful clip surfaced:

Tough one. Liverpool v Chelsea in the Super Cup or Havant & Waterlooville v Dorking Wanderers in the National League South? The choice is yours.