Tichy_Blacks_Back

On January 3rd the 2011 AFC Asian Cup Finals kick off in Qatar using 5 of the existing stadiums (4 in Doha and 1 in Al Rayyan) - there are 16 teams participating including Qatar, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Korea DPR, China, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It should be interesting to see how this tournament goes and how much more interest it will get now that Qatar have the 2022 World Cup. January is always a busy sporting month here with Murray and Co also in town for the Qatar Open and the golfers soon after that for the Qatar Masters and Beckenbauer thinks they can squeeze in a World Cup Finals as well.

Al Wakrah Stadium Stadium will be upgraded - existing stadium was the venue for the 2010 England v Scotland game

Khalifa Stadium (Doha) - Existing

Lusail Stadium (Doha)- World Cup Final Venue

Some of the Qatar 2022 stadiums: Doha Port Stadium on the Corniche

It was announced in the Gulf Times that Qatar will spend 100 billion dollars alone on new infrastructure projects by 2015 to support the football stadia build. That's on top of the new international airport and rail projects etc already underway. Living in Qatar I was split between wanting to see them get it (as I know they can build something special) and the doubts about how they will manage so many fans in such a small country considering there are really only two major towns/cities and they are not that far apart as well as the major hurdle associated with the current alchohol restrictions. Qatar is not Dubai so there are many things that are going to have to change if the requirements (and expectations) of your average football fan are to be met but they have 11 years to do it. Good luck to them I say.

Eric Black

Seconded

A lock-in in Auchterarder - that would be some night if it ever happened

Was that Chick Young that said "Inverness divorced from the football world" - he must have forgotten about County and Elgin or maybe they do not count - how far exactly is it to Perth and Aberdeen....

7 points so far - not too bad....

Great result and 5/1 the draw - smiles all round Loved that 2nd goal - great team effort - and Celtic's defence just crubmled in the last 20 so minutes....oh happy days....

They said McCourt's was good wait until you see this one

2-2 OH YESSSSSSS

Hayes mazey run and then blasts over

Great run and cross and Hayes should have done better with the back post header

Dreadful defending from Celtic trying to play football at the back and Foran sneaked in and rounds keeper and puts in off the inside of the near post - ya beauty

FORAN YEEEESSSSS

It is a great goal though - good tackle started it as well....

2-0 McCourt

Linwood no more, Lochaber no more, McGhee no more....?

Indeed Nick Ross looks every bit like a real player - some nice touchs I don't think it is just Foran though - any contact from an attacking player within the box going for the ball from a corner seems to be deemed foul play

HT scores Celtic 1 ICT 0 Hamilton 0 St.Mirren 0 Hibs 0 St.Johnstone 0 Kilmarnock 1 Aberdeen 0

ooh - off the inside of the post - Essen beaten at near post but it was right in the corner

Jim Craig - Celtic TV bod - giving ICT some credit though and saying that Celtic are awful