Reasons why Celtic made January box office running

Box office, woohoo

Mort

KEANOOOOOOOOOOO

COULDNT HELP MYSELF THERE

Hey Fholks,
if we win this league (and I still believe we can), then we will get £10M for getting to the CL Group stages automatically. There is the Keano money. With the squad we now have we may not need to do much business in the summer anyway, and the improved Season Ticket sales and attendances will cover the costs of any of the other loanees that may want to stay on. Christmas could be a poor second to yesterday!!

Ya beauty, now 4-0 tonight will do for me.

Zaluska
Hinkel Hooiveld Thompson Caddis
McGeady Nguemo Crosas McGeady
Rasmussen KEANO

HH

Our faith is restored in the board and Celtic.

Cant wait for tonight.

Will we see Robbie tonight tho?
Paul67......any clues?

Awe Naw

F5

Keano!

Paul

The Ramis deal was dissapointing but if the player genuinely didn't want to leave then there is nothing we can do about it and offerring more money is not the solution as you rightly point out.

I'd also like to say thanks for all you efforts yesterday in keeping us informed on what was going on despite all the server problems. It was much appreciated.

Hail Hail

Mort

Kano! (Keano without the "e")

Tuesday quiz

Consider the following:

Boruc
Zaluska
Cervi
Hinkel
Wilson
Caddis
Braafheid
Naylor
Hooiveld
Loovens
O'Dea
Thompson
Rogne
Misun
McGinn
Mizuno
McGeady
McCourt
Maloney
Ki Sung-Yeung
Zheng Zhi
Brown
NGuemo
Crosas
McGowan
Fortuné
Kamara
Samaras
Rasmussen
Keane

Questions:

1. What is the best and most balanced team of 11 players?
2. How do you keep the rest happy?
3. Who will be gone by the start of next season?
4. Who will win the 2009-10 SPL Title?

Players in from Scandenavia, England, Korea, Germany! What's not to like?

Paul

Din Manure not buy a defender from Fulham for 10m or so?

from last thread

michael__67 Author Profile Page on February 2, 2010 11:33 AM

I was in pub last night watching the Sunderland game at the junction of Wigmore and duke street. Just behind oxford street. It has espn and i would imagine if he went in they would put it on. I cant remember the name of it but its next to an Italian Restuarant and across from an Egyptian.

There was a guy in it who was the best mate of Lenny McLean and the Krays. So if nothing it was entertaining...the game was Not.

10th?

goldstar10

From Prev blog.

Yeah Murray PR machine must have Jammed mid print yesterday. Some of the players they were linked with were just silly. I know Walt said they now had Money..about £6.50 by my count, but considering the bank have yet to ok Boyds deal..where the hell were they going to get the wages for these deals?

You can still get Celtic at 2/1 for SPL on Betfair.

SOMETHING WAY MORE AMAZING HAPPENED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS THAN A MERE SIGNING. A LITTLE LOST BLACKSHEEP FOUND HIS COAT AGAIN!

NOW THIS IS AS BIG (IF NOT BIGGER) THAN ROBERT DAVID "ROBBIE" KEANE SIGNING FOR RA CELTIC.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING WITH KING KONG DANGLING FROM IT.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN MOUNT EVEREST (EVEN THOUGH IT SHRINKS BY ABOUT 10 METRIC METERS A YEAR).

THIS IS BIGGER THAN THE UNIVERS.

BHOYS I GIVE YOU DONEGAL DANNY FIRST POSITIVE POST EVER! EVER! EVER!

---------------------------------------------------------------

YAAHHHSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

Dermot, Peter, BTM you played a stormer! Resotored my faith in all that is Celtic!!

We've done it, proved how big we REALLY are! We are Celtic!

They've proven the ambition that'd been lacking, Celtic are united once more, behind a common cause!! North men, South men comrades all!

Here's to Kilmarnock and 3 points tonight! Here's to Dunfermline and a march to cup! Here's to Paradise next Wednesday and the homecoming of Keane, Kamara, Hooiveld and Braafheid.

Onwards with Mowbray!

Hail Hail

DD

----------------------------------------------------------------

WELCOME INTO THE FOLD DD. IT IS A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU WITH US.

NOW WHERE IS NEG ANON?

MWD CANNYHELPSHOUTINGTODAY.CSC

We're now 7/4 to win the league with Paddy Power. Think that will come in even further with a good convincing win tonight.

Is tonights game on sky or espn in uk?
ps if carlsberg did transfer days.....
hail hail

Hehe.

Here's my article link again for those who wish to read it, as for some reason MTH isn't appearing on Newsnow today.

http://www.monthehoops.co.uk/showthread.php?t=99460

There has always been something special about this club; we all know it, we've all seen it. But on a night like last night, you get a fuller appreciation of it than you maybe do on match days or at other times. Last night was a sight to see.

Did anyone else hear the Real Radio debate I've mentioned? The one between the Celtic fan and the Rangers fan? The one where the Celtic supporter called the signing "pure Hollywood"?

I think that just about summed it up. The whole of Scottish Football can take a shot in the arm from this .... not that I care all that much for the rest of Scottish Football ..... I know Kilmarnock fans won't be feeling particularly chuffed ......

Hail Hail troops!

I got so caught-up in the whole transfer I ended up at Celtic Park with my son at a time way passed my bedtime.

It was great just to be there though never actually saw the man.

Ended up getting interviewed by Celtic TV so those of you with Channel 67 might catch me being a blethering idot on camera.

Especially good day to be a Celtic fan!

Paul

I agree with your assesment of WGS signing poicy however what must the CEO and directors been thinking when they seen the decline in squad quality? It seems to far fetched to think they didnt once question the signing policy or more likely where happy with it providing we remained competative and stadium was full

Robbie Keane owes Wee Gordon Strachan a lot.

WGS made it clear that he wanted to work with British players like MON.

I think BTM might be from another generation.

I certainly hope so as we need gymnasts and dancers that have no fear ...football has moved on. ALl the African teams would put our ball players too shame

TSOAL,

NAFOS informed me that you were on the lookout for a new F5 key. YOu can have mine if you want as I never use it :-)

Hail Hail

From the BBC:

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray could hand debuts to Robbie Keane and Diomansy Kamara for the rearranged away match.

Edson Braafheid has returned to Germany to gather his belongings. Paddy McCourt is out with a minor knee injury.

Celtic: (from) Boruc, Hinkel, Thompson, O'Dea, N'Guemo, Caddis, McGinn, Zhi, Ki, Crosas, McGeady, Samaras, Rasmussen, Fortune, Zaluska, Kamara, Hooiveld, McGowan, Keane

19:30 Kilmarnock v Celtic Scottish Premier League ESPN (19:00-21:45)
ESPN HD (19:00-21:45)

Well played Celtic

Filled problem positions with what looks like great improvements.

Got rid of the players we didnt need.

Kept the players we really need.

Signed a box office, bums on seats gift to the fans type player.

7.30 kick off tonight cant come quick enough. 9/2 Keane to score first Bet365.

If only you could buy 10 points eh? LOL

The delusions that one man - failed at Liverpool, brought back to Spurs, but now thought dispensible by a shrewd manager playing for the highest stakes of Champions League football - will automatically secure you the league title are equally pathetic and laughable.

Open your blinkered eyes and see the big picture - Celtic ALREADY have more talented individuals than Rangers - another ego tossed into the mix will not solve the root problem - players that, for all their individual flair, lack togetherness, team-spirit, character and courage - all required to win this SPL title.

You had proven winners and a proven goalscorer, at SPL level and Champions League level, and Tony Mowbray has seen fit to dispense of them and replace them with a mix and match of unknown quantities, many of whom will have no idea about what it takes to be a success at the Old Firm.

All the high profile arrivals have done is inflate a hollow balloon of optimism which will be all the more painful when Sir Walter and his Champions apply the pin - and all the sweeter for us :)

Yours in Rangers - Scotland's Most Successful Club and Two In A Row Champions Elect :)

Tonights game IS on ESPN,think i'll head down and try and get a ticket though.

Well said Paul,

Now, any guesses for the lineup tonight?

gsu

It was the assistant Ireland manager that got shot of Robbie in Milan.

Did WGS actually sign him for Coventry ?

The board have acted and delivered and most probably within budgets as well.

Aiden and Scott will be sold this summer most likely and will probably command around 15 million between them. Tony Mowbray with a 15 million pound budget is a mouth watering prospect.

A learning process for board and supporters? Make no mistake our C.E. was blown away by the support on the doorstep , shades of 2000 and O'Neill and I'm in no doubt that Keane's stay will pay for itself. I'm pretty sure Kilmarnock will reap immediate dividends tonight!

Gordon_J or others:

So, it's true Braafheid can't play tonight anyway? Why is that? Does anyone know? Is international clearance tougher to get than cross-border clearance between Scotland and England, and if so why? Is it work permit regulations?

JAMES FORREST

READ YOUR ARTICLE JUST AFTER 8 THIS MORNING.

FANS-TASTIC READ THAT WAS. MADE ME A WEE BITTY DISAPPOINTED I WASN'T UP THERE. THAT MICROWAVE BURGER SOUNDS MINGING THOUGH!

HAIL HAIL

MWD

Awe Naw

I use the refresh button at the top of the screen

No F5 button required but thanks anyway.

What a great day yesterday was for all Celtic fans.
The signing of Keano was a dream for all of us.

I see no reason why we can't keep him beyond this season, here's hoping Spurs fail to finish in the top 4 in the prem, we win the league and offer him champions league football.It obviously won't be that straightforward but you get my point eh?

Johann

ESPN tonite

Delighted Kilmarnock didnt clear the paths the other week, hope it really back fires on them tonight and all our new signings score a goal each.

hey all long time no post

great times over the transfer window for us all and hopefully it will continue on over the next few years.

One nagging suspicion I have and would like your thoughts on is why keane was let leave spurs so easily? is it possible they have negotiated an option on mcgeady for the summer?

Does McCourt get injured sitting on the subs bench?

Can not believe Im writting this!! THANKYOU Gordon Strachan!

Only wish we had signed a quality CB But with all the attacking options now available maybe Big Tony has a formular how he wants our team to line out?

Welcome SuperSammy-that contribution shows the hours you spent in the back of the Reliance van were not wasted ;~)

Arthur Lee - no. It's getting out he mini-bus for training that does it.

LOL super sammy, a quick look in the mirror is all you require to see who is being delusional! lmfao

what a night never thought i would see it.the huns in my work a raging can not take it. what a tuesday Iam loving it. 5-0 nil to the tic tonight keane to score first. hail hail

super_sammy

If only you could buy 10 points eh? LOL

If only. You are off course correct that we have had better individual players and many on here have been saying that for a while but Rangers have that team spirit and togetherness that has been working wonders for them.

How long can they keep up with having to win all the time if we click and go on a long winning run that reduces the lead and puts you under pressure.

It will be close again but I hope that the new players we have brought in have that little more quality and are able to convert draws into wins.

We certainly won't be giving up this title race without a fight.

The fightback starts now.

Hail Hail

Mort

SUPER_SAMMY

EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR POST SEEMS TASTEFUL.

ONE THING THOUGH! YOUR NOME DE BLOOM SAYS IT ALL ABOUT YOU!

THE ONLY THING YOU MISSED OUT WAS THE KNEE.

HAIL HAIL

MWD

James Forrest,
Braafheid has gone back to Germany to collect family and belongings. Nothing more sinister than that.

James Forrest 12:12pm

It was mentioned on SSN yesterday that he had to go home to sort out some stuff and 'get his boots'

I heard that another signing in the past week had to 'go and get his boots' not sure who it was due to an overdose of SSN.

BringYerBootsCSC

Shaunboy

Great team. McGeady on both wings?

Big_Liam

If we win the SPL this year - number one aim for the summer will be to keep this squad together!

That means:

Keeping Keane
Keeping Landry
Keeping Braafheid
Keeping Kamara (within reason and subject to other business)

If we do the above, why would Aiden want to leave? Whay would Scott want to leave?

On an aside, i would like to see Hinkel with a new contract.

Morning all,

Paul i always new celtic was the next step for R Keane as i know some of his family but i always thought that move was at least 2 years away givin our financial restrictments, now that he is here do you think we could afford to buy him at the end of the season?
i think if we could offer 50k a week that would satisfy his personal terms but i'm not sure we could afford the transfer fee,
As i said im sure robbie would stay if we could agree a fee with Spurs just wondered what your thoughts were and if anyone else has an opinion please feel free to share it.

Shaunbhoy

That's what I heard aswell. It happenned very quickly for him so understandable that he needs a couple of days to get things sorted out at home. I expect him to be back for weekend.

Hail Hail

Mort

James Forrest,

He is eligible, but there was talk of him carrying a very minor injury somewhere. Give him a couple of days to sort things out in Germany and to shake it off.

Might see him at Dunfermline, or in the next home game. That should be a great night!

oceallaigh,
well spotted! If only eh?
One of the Aidens has to be a Ki of course,

Hail hail!!

:-)

still feelin like a wee bhoy on christmas morning, dying to get stuck into allcomers with this new crop of players.

Outstanding show of support for Robbie last night, yet more confirmation of the greatest fans on earth, yup, even the wee crater SkySports News found to comment on Keano's arrival.

HH

Awe Naw

Get that new left back to drop off that f5 key

Love

SOAL,

:-) there is no difference

although if you press ctrl and f5 you get a hard refresh of the page.

Meaning that the refresh is taken from the server and not your cache

not something you can do with the refresh icon

HAil Hail

James,

Our new left back is injured I believe..

And if I didn't get my message through to you yesterday then apologies for using the news yesterday as a stick to beat your grumpiness with....unbecoming of me in such a cracking day to be a tim.

Tonight let's start the cavalry charge from the off...forward line of Kamara, Ras, Keane, Sammi and Fortune and a rush goalie policy does for me :) Who needs Ramis anyway...

Big Wavy

boruc

hinkel thomson hooiveld o'dea

mcginn crosas n'guemo mcgeady

fortune rassmusen

hail hail!

Paul,

Have to say signing Braafheid is the signing which has lit my fire as much as Robbie's. This guy is an excellent left back. Van Gaal wanted him to stay, Artur Numan raves about him he ticks all the boxes - strong, very fast, can tackle, head, brave and can attack. Aiden playing on the left will really benefit from his presence.

Robbie's no bad mind!!

I´ll give it to him and you can pick it up from my Ma the morra :-)

Afternoon bhoys,

what a day!

k

SOAL (12.15pm), he probably got a splinter in his bum.

By the way all, Celtic have won the last 14 in a row away to Kilmarnock. Does anyone see an end to that run tonight?

super_sammy:

Good to have you with us over on CQN!

Let's start from the begining, shall we? With a question.

As you undoubtedly have your own websites to talk on, why come over here on a day like today? I'll answer it for you. Robbie Keane and the other signings are pure box-office, and like one of those film fans who hovers around the set just to be near the process, you want to be part of it. I sympathise. With your own club in the perilous state it's in, there's no way you'll see something like this at Ibrox for a very, very long time, so with that sympathy in mind, I welcome you to the show. Stick around. Buy a t-shirt. There are some nice ones coming out with the superstar on the front.

Let's face it, there's another reason why you're here. This is like one of those moments when you see your ex-girlfriend with a new guy; you get on the phone, you call up your mates, you tell them what you've seen and then you add wee bits like "I could take him in a square go," or "His shoes look like they haven't had a polish in a month ...."

To all that, I say fair play. Whatever helps you sleep better. We all do it, we all confront our fear with scorn at one time or another; it's a psychological tic found in all human beings, so I understand where you're coming from.

Again, welcome to a place where you can talk about stuff like that. We are a friendly lot over here, you really can open up to us and tell us what's really on your mind.

Let me demonstrate how much I understand about where you're coming from right now, okay?

You know as well as we do that you were outplayed in both games with us this year. Dodgy refereeing decisions saved you in both, that and some poor finishing from our players. Now, your lead is likely only to be seven points at the end of the night, and there are two games left against our team.

For all that waffle about us having better players than you BEFORE the window opened, that might be true, but better they may have been, just NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Your team spirit obviously compensated for the differences in skill. Not so now. Not so with Kamara and Keano in the Celtic team.

Let's face something else, okay? It needs saying. Your own team .. they're not playing well. You know that, and we know that, and you know you'll drop points left and right before this season closes out. The difference is, we are better equipped to pick them up when you do. This is what eats away at your insides.

You are scared. It's obvious from the mocking tone in your words. Anyone who's ever heard a guy shooting his mouth off in a tense bar where you cut the atmosphere with a knife knows the loud guys are overcompensating for the queasy feeling in their gut; otherwise you wouldn't even waste your time on a Celtic website.

Tell the truth .... if we'd not just pulled an A-List superstar out of the hat, yet were still full of confidence, would you even be bothering to come over at all?

Regardless of the reasons, it is genuinely good to have you here. And you know, you might just turn out to be right - I doubt it, but you might - in which case, I'm sure we'll hear from you again.

Afternoon Bhoys

My brother called me this morning as he is working down in London this week to see if I could post on here and see if anyone knows of anywhere that will be showing the game tonight in the W1 area.

He is staying in Oxford Street so anywhere walkable from there would be ideal if you've any idea?

Cheers....

game in on ESPN tonight

Sorry didnt realise my post this morning posted - the browser failed. Apologies for posting again above....

Welcome, Super-Sammy.
Nothing wrong with an open, honest Rangers man giving his thoughts.
Good psychology as well...
' Whenever I feel afraid
I hold my head erect
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suspect
...I'm afraid. '

savo01 - re: the Irish Independent article.

The author went to great lengths to express his contempt for the SPL and players in our "backwater" league, and says it is to blame for Aiden McGeady's talent "stagnating".

Some points:

* I wish the Irish media would take its collective tongue out of the English Premiership's backside.

* I wonder how many Irish people who claim to support Man U, Liverpool, etc. will be as interested once the EPL financial bubble burts, and as Paul67 has noted, their transfer market has all but collapsed recently.

* The SPL might not be among the top six leagues in Europe, but it's miles ahead of the Irish league. Scottish sports hacks, for all their faults, don't spend their time slagging off the League of Ireland. It's a little bit sad that Irish pundits can be so dismissive of Scottish football as a means of giving a tongue bath to the EPL.

* If Celtic is to blame for "stagnating" Aiden's talent, one would expect that, conversely, the likes of Liam Miller or Alan Hutton would have flourished in the Irish Independent's beloved EPL. Where are they now? Also, did Henrik Larsson's career "stagnate" at Celtic?

(thumbsdown) to the Irish Independent.

great post james

i think sammi to change position to a right winger. . .

i think he would be excellent in this position

anyone agree? his days as a striker for us are over

hail hail!

michael

Marquis of Granby WC2H 8HJ probably best location wise for your brother.

Paul, an inspirational piece.
Hail,Hail.

James Forrest - your words are perfect as always, 100% agree, you have captured that moment in time that we will all look back on. Hopefully we will be looking back in May and everyone will realise that this was a leauge deciding moment.

This is a win/win situation

spin off effects:

More shirt sales and number printing sales
Full houses on home games from now til end of season
Thousands of fans will reconsider renewing, even if there is the faintest possability of him staying
More interest in Celtic FC from sponsors
McDonald away will lead to a more harmonius dressing room
....and Keano can take penalties!

JAmes Forrest

t's a psychological tic found in all human beings

Tut Tut lazy journalism

I hope all these new forwards mean a switch to 4-4-3.

Tonight I'd love to see:

________________Boruc

Hinkel___Hooiveld___Thompson___Caddis

_______Nguemo___Crosas_____Ki

___Fortune_____Keane_____Samaras

That would allow us to take control of the midfield, and give plenty of attacking options, allowing Ki to get forward to make a front four. I also include Samaras because he has a habit of scoring goal-of-the-season contenders at Rugby Park.

In reality, it will probably be:

_______________Boruc

Hinkel___Hooiveld___Thompson__O'Dea

Zhi________Nguemo___Ki_______McGeady

_______Fortune______Keane

Whatever the line-up, we have to hit the ground with this new team - we've got so much catching up to do. Now is the time for Celtic to deliver.

Greenlion

Thanks alot mate - I'll pass that on to the leftwinger

Cheers

Afternoon all,

With both Mick and Heid away, I think the captains armband should be given to Robbie. Captain of Ireland, Captain of Tottenham and I think he captained Liverpool on a couple of ocassions. We need a leader and someone who understands what the club is all about. When he lifts the league trophy in May and experiences what it's like to captain a us to a league title, he'll never leave. Robbie Keane leading us out at Mordor, now I'm getting excited.

4 nil tonight.

With TM hinting at resting Aiden and Crosas and McCourt injured tonight. I've got a feeling we might see 100% Broonie back...

-------------boruc--------------
hinkel thomson hooiveld o'dea
---broonie---n'guemo---mcginn---
fortune-----rassmusen-----kamara

The orcs have become even more confident since our astounding news,good ! Wait till the first points are dropped hell will break loose flamed by fear. Please please please dont slip up tonight celtic

sammy you wish you could get rid of half of your dumplings and bring in fresh players but you cant. celtic were terrible this season we can only get better and win the league.ynwa

shaunbhoy
Totally agree with you there is money there within celtic supporters pockets and we are easily convinced to part with it all you have to do is put an entertaining team on the park. you do not have to win all the time seville is a prime example. the keane signing will bring back the support, the people who thought if was a more enjoyable experience than to be anywhere else than celtic park on a matchday. No harm to some of the players who left but they were not celtic class and should have been stopgaps at best. I am sure the corporate guys will be back how many deals are done when the the celts are freeflowing banging in goals I believe Robbie can deliver those goals and hopefully the rest will deliver the goods also. Yesterday was a great day for everyone connected to celtic from the board the manager the new bhoys and the supporters even ramis done his bit yesterday he told us he wasnt worthy onward the good ship celtic and all who support them MON THE HOOPS.

Aw_naw:

Yeah, I just realised that ........

Hehe.

One James Forrest, there's only one James Forrest!..............

A big thank you to Tony and the Board. I took my young son along to Paradise last night, it was a special occasion that will live long in our hearts.

Apologies to Peter Lawwell, I cast aspersions on his motives last week.

‘All the huns are in their bed………all the huns are in their bed’

If anyone is in any doubt as to ONE of the key reasons Keane has been signed then consider this:

I received an email from Celtic today saying get your Keano shirts here only 31.50.

He will pay for himeslf.

Without wanting to come across as being sycophantic, it's informed, reasoned and insightful articles like this that got me reading this site and have kept me lurking for 3 years.

well done everyone for yesterday now for tonight and the rest of the season the fight back is now on!

paul67

great article, I said before about where the signings were coming from being the most important aspect.

Paul67, a belated thanks for yesterday's efforts to keep us informed ( insatiable fools that we are ). It must have been a struggle at times, twittering and CQNing ( is that a new verb? ). Keep up the good work.

Snake Plissken on February 2, 2010 12:33 PM

excellent news !!

Meanwhile the huns lose 1.5m on Boyd.

How could I forget Ki!!!
Is it because our squad is sooo strong ;)

---------------

With TM hinting at resting Aiden and Crosas and McCourt injured tonight. I've got a feeling we might see 100% Broonie back...

-------------boruc--------------
hinkel thomson hooiveld o'dea
----broonie---n'guemo---Ki----
fortune-----rassmusen-----kamara

A warm welcome to our new Captain (IMO) Robbie Keane, who is about to commence the most rewarding (in a non financial sense) part of his career with Glasgow Celtic FC.

May you’re time at the hoops be magical…… we love you.

Hail Hail

I would just like to thank Gordon Strachan and apoligise to the Boro fans. Your chances of promotion are slim you might even end up in Div 1

Supersammy.

No one is delusional and expects that the title is now in the bag. I would also that we have more talented players than Rangers adn that we have lacked belief and cohesion, which another talented striker won't magic in.

However, what you fail to recognise, is the galvanising effect that Keane's arrival has had on Celtic; players, management and fans alike.

Failing to register this indicates that kind of crass life view that us such a feature of huns.

And please sort out your cringeinducing, blustering semantics. 'Hollow balloon'? You're as well saying wet water.

super_sammy on February 2, 2010 12:11 PM

i can smell f e a r.
you made a good point aboot celtic having way more talented players than you's.
as if you didnt know - you have 1 player goin to world cup
we have 8. potentially 10, not including killen skippy and nakamura who we sold this season.

no good players want to come to huns-ville anymair, your reputation is terrible, pure scum most off yous are,

JEALOUS cant begin to describe how you's inbred bunch must be feeling 2day. i love it, and i feel great, roll on 7.45pm

hail hail!

Best team for the run-in?

Boruc

Hinkel
Thompson (Loovens?)
Hooiveldt
Braafheid

Brown
Ki
N'Guemo
McGeady

Rasmussen
Keane

Good Bench

Zaluszka
O'Dea
Thompson/Loovens
Crossas
Kamara
Fortune
McGinn
McCourt

Dinky Diamond, I sure hope we see Robbie tonight.

Mort, aye, we cannot win them all.

Blantyretim, if Man Utd spent that kind of money they didn’t ask me first! CQN, not Lazy Research.

Simian Mobile Disco, I would counter suggest that it seems farfetched that the only Celtic fans who did not see the issues around Gordon’s recruitment were sitting in the board room.

I have discussed this direct with source before witnesses from several Celtic sites and organisations.

GSU, cheers.

Celticeoin, I am sure Spurs will have Robbie back at the end of the season as they will have an opportunity to sell him on the open market. If they don’t get the money they want (again), he may return, but this is too far away to consider now.

Lurgan53, totally agree.

Molly Malone, cheers.

Gregg, :-) Thanks.

Carlo, too true.

Don’t know if this has been brought up but with the transfer window in England only generating circa £30 mil of transfer transactions (due to the economic downturn finally kicking in in football), will this have future implications for RFC and their clearing of debt/Summer spending plans (if they exist) etc?

If their perceived playing staff valuations are diminished or they cant move the Crown Jewels that are left on, could this mean a continuing strangulation of football development ?

Snatching this league and the Champions League bounty that goes with it could have Armageddon like consequences.

Mmmmm – pressure.

James Forrest - Thanks for your warm welcome.

My motivation in posting today was to explain this myth being purported, that us Bears are all running for the hills because Keano's arrived at his boyhood heroes (does that make three in total now? LOL), is, it will sadden you know, some way from the truth.

You're right to say our form has wavered, and this is no surprise as it has been caused by a massive injury crisis, which has deprived us of on occasions our entire forward line.

But don't worry, Messrs. Boyd (no he hasn't left as predicted/prayed for on here and beyond) and Miller are waiting in the wings to return to the job in hand.

We have battled through this storm of injury and misfortune, and emerged with an EXTENDED lead. So excuse my optimism for the months of glory ahead. I say honestly that Keane's arrival has put a smile on my face, ensuring the height you all have to fall from when Sir Walter succeeds in extending our World Record of domestic mastery, this time with BOTH hands behind his back as opposed to one, is all the higher.

And the fact I learn this morning that your most dangerous proven threat against us has also fallen victim to Mr. Mowbray's "wisdom" has brightened my day further.

:)

mmmm...in a team filling itself with technically gifted passers of the ball, retainers of the ball and refined tacklers I'm hoping we have done a Steve Austin type transformation on the one and only Scott Brown.

He needs to come back more accurate in his pass rate, more disciplined in his tackling and provide more contribution to the scoresheet. If he hasn't progressed then I hope he doesan't become an untouchable scared cow in the team...

Be strong BTM. Play the form players. You have the requisite talent at your disaposal and there should be no room for underperfromers in the second half of the season.

Big Wavy

SouthLondonTim

Thanks mate. I'll pass that on - much obliged.

Cheers

Now that the window is closed there is still one area of the squad where we still look weak. Central defence, or to be more specific the right side of central defence. Hooiveld and O'Dea are left sided, and Loovens prefers the left side, leaving only the two youngsters, Thompson & Rogen, who are right sided. Whilst Thompson has done very well since coming in, it would be unfair to expect him to carry on as first choice through a championship run-in. I was disappointed that Ramis didn't sign and surprised there wasn't an alternative lined up (every other base was covered in this transfer window).

On the premiership transfer market.

Spain is on the rise. They know it, the whole world knows it.

Expect many of their top players to depart for the bigger Spanish Clubs with their warm climate and millionaire friendly tax system. Not to mention the fact that the football is just better there.

I don't think the Premiership will "collapse" as many are saying but it will be a shadow of the juggernaught it seemed to be but a few seasons ago.

The Ronaldo transfer was just the first.

For each a road
For everyman a religion
Face everybody and rule
F*** everything and rumble
Forget everything and remember
For everything a reason

You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)

Finding eternity arouses reactions
Freeing excellence affects reality
Fallen empires are ruling
Find earth and reap

Fantastic expectations
Amazing revelations
Final execution and resurrection
Free expression as revolution
Finding everything and realizing

You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)

(Fantastic expectations
Amazing revelations
Finding everyone and reuniting
For everything a reason)

F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
F.E.A.R. (You got the fear)
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear
You got the fear

Robbie's entry to Paradise is a massive sports story everywhere and is great for the profile of the club. Robbie picked his favourite team despite many invitations from EPL suitors.

The dressing room mindset must surely alter after yesterday's dramatic developments. Too many players felt justified in doubting the new manager and they have paid the price by being moved on. I posted on here a while back that there would be 6 in and 6 out and that is fairly accurate, given it was info from early December. The replacements not only bring more quality to the team, they will also make those still here after the Mowbray January Revolution realise that they are fortunate to survive and that they have to produce on the park or suffer the same fate as those shown the door. The club has thus re-gained the upper hand and our decline has been halted. Onwards to the title (some of us never doubted we would win it anyway.)

PS Loved FF last night - over 17000 views on their Robbie Keane post!

They are TERRIFIED!

Does anyone else feel a wee bit grubby?
You know it's a bit like Christmas, when you go out on your brand new bike, all shiny and new and you come across wee Billy.
There he is in his manky clothes, kicking a can, trying to wake up his, p*ss stained, drink soaked Da, lying in his own mess in the front garden among all the dog turd, 3 foot grass jungle, covered in puke, after beating his wife and flaking out following his Eldorado frenzy.
You maybe think sometimes the world is just not fair.

Then you look across at the Huns and say,
"nah, this is just great, GIRFUT"

EC67

First of all: WOW!!

Now, onto to sober reflection.....this will sound churlish, I know, but I went off to work yesterday hoping for one more signing: Ramis. Really disappointed that it didn't happen.

Why? Well, with Sammy, Fortune, Rasmusson and Kamara, I thought we were well sorted up front. The idea of Hoiveldt and Ramis at the back seemed like a good one. I thought we might actually start winning headers and maybe even mark people at corners....

As it is, one of DOD, Loovins or a raw teenager will be making regular appearances for us as we try to catch up on these 10 points.

Another appealing aspect was that Ramis would have been a premanent signing, not a loan. So, given the choice, that's the signing that I felt would have had a bigger, and more sustained impact for us.

That being said, the fact that it nearly happened suggests that we left 3m euros on the table, plus 900,000 euros a week, if Ramis' agent is to be believed. Hopefully this means that we are able to get a decent CB next summer.

It will be an interesting dynamic at the club, with 4 players on loan....

As for the team, I have no idea how we will play. You'd be tempted to predict a 4-3-3 set up......but where does that leave Aiden? Questions, questions.....

Celtic will be interesting to watch again. Hopefully the crowds will return, and the positive mood of our support continues.

Winning, of course, trumps everything. Winning tonight is an absolute must.

Final thought...Van Gaal says he let Braffhied go, as he hadn't won over the Bayern fans. I wonder is Edson thinks he's coming to a club who's fans can tolerate a dodgy left back......?

Let the games begin.

http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/celtic/154801-video-robbie-keane-meets-the-celtic-support/
Video of Keane on the steps last night.

Thanks for the info guys re the game tonight on sky..terrific just need to get sky installed then..just made that last bit up!

so is this taxi for sammi then?..how good would a front three agianst the orcs at castle greyskull be of fortune-keane-kamara or rasmussen?...or keane in as attacking mid fielder?
haul hail
still feet on the ground bhoys still got 3 points to EARN tonight!

DobboAuthor Profile Page on February 2, 2010 12:39 PM

id def stick with thomson over loovens, young josh has impressed me the last couple of games

Gary67

It's possible an alternative was lined up but due to the lateness of Ramis' decision and the efforts to get Robbie Keane on board, it just wasn't possible to get someone else in at short notice.

Thompson hasn't let us down yet and he may grow into the role in the remainder of the season negating the need for us to get another centre back. I think he has definately impressed some people so far.

Mort

By greenlion2 on February 2, 2010 12:04 PM

I was in pub last night watching the Sunderland game at the junction of Wigmore and duke street. Just behind oxford street. It has espn and i would imagine if he went in they would put it on. I cant remember the name of it but its next to an Italian Restuarant and across from an Egyptian.

Was it an Egyptian taxi Driver ?

Tootandcomeoot.

beep beep, am oooottt a here

weeronn on February 2, 2010 12:44 PM

van Gaal admits he would have preferred to keep hold of the full-back.

"He was not rated by the fans in Munich," said van Gaal on Bavarian television. "In such a case, it is better to let the player go and leave the club.

"Edson is an excellent defender. He has just been unlucky here.

"I really hope the fans in Glasgow help him."

James Forrest

An excellent riposte...delivered with dignity and humour!

Had a coffee over laptop moment there!

Respect!

Sammy

The hunt starts here!

WeKnowSFA - Back up and running!

Will Robbie Keane make his Celtic debut at Kilmarnock?

http://footballsfootball.com/WeknowSFA/robbie-keane-celtic-debut-kilmarnock/

---------------Boruc--------------

Hinkel---Hooiveld----O'Dea---Caddis

-----Crosas----N'Guemo----Ki------

--Keane------Rasmussen------Kamara--

Attack! Attack! Attack! If we start scoring five and six goals regularily then the Rangers players' bottle will crash.

Rest McGeady- there's been too much pressure on him of late.

Super sammy

Please do not insult your own intelligence.

Sir Walter has spent 20 - 30 million on that team so stop pleading poverty, it is a team worth more than most of the rest put together. Your team are still living off his initial spends but that will not happen again even if you do win the league.

PLenty of your fellow supporters are rubbishing the moves made by Celtic and you can bum up Miller and Boyd all you wish, lose Davis and you have nothing in that team, he does everything for you. Any injury to him means your creative thrust is elbows McCulloch and Kevin square ball Thomson.

A small squad with injuries?
Celtic have missed several players too. We had 9 out against St Johnstone for exampe, missed Fortune for 2 months, Maloney and Brown out for 4 months (and we do miss Maloney's goals), periodically missing the three centre halves (although I would contend they were no great loss). Just suck it up, accept Celtic pulled a rabbit out of the hat and may the best team now win.

Without any more strange decisions I believe Celtic have a real chance.

One Question: How will you feel if you lose it now?

Probably worse than we would if we lost because we played half a season with a team that didn't play for the manager.

But what about the nett spend?

Eh?

We will hopefully see full houses in the run-in, and with that extra bums on seats,

Mr. Keane could be self-financing :-

(say) 8,000 x £28 = £224,000 per home game

5 games til the split, with at least 2 more after = 7

7 x £224,000 = £1.568 million

Plus tops and other merchandising, plus pies and Bovril for those additional bums on seats . . . . . . .

Could quite easily see that brought up to £1.75 million.

Hopefully a full house home Scottish Cup game as well, that is now standing at a minimum of £2 million in extra money.

Seemples!

See accounts, see ma heid, see mince!

Ulryc

Paul and all the guys in the know
You guys made yesterday awesome, I thank you for all your news and views.

k

Hail Hail

An Fear Beag (12.32pm), 4-0 to Celtic tonight you say?...

Whilst Celtic have won on their last 14 visits to Kilmarnock, they haven't kept a clean sheet in the last 8 visits.

3-1 to the Ghood Ghuys tonight.

It'll take 2 or 3 games for everything to click perfectly into place and deliver the 10-0 thumping we've been waiting for all season.

philvisreturns on February 2, 2010 12:28 PM

Absolutely. Glasgow Celtic will always have a special place in the heart of all Irishmen who are interested is sport but do not expect that from the Meedia.

The article you refer to does not surprise me . It's been written before. I don't even get angry anymore.

The pundits on RTE are just as bad. Eamon Dunphy, Johnny Giles - when they are't doing the wattery tongue thing with Graeme Souness - just cannot say anythin creditable about Celtic - right down to personal abuse.

1. After a European match Neil Lennos took off his top to swap . Souness, "Some people should keep their tops on."

2. On learning that BBJ was coming on as a sub. Eamon Dunphy "Hope everyone's watching in widescreen."

There was also the time when - again The Independent - on reporting a riot in Dublin published a photograph with one rioter wearing a Celtic top. The article then proceeded to link the club with the rioting.

They're a shower.

PAUL67,did man u not pay 10m for smallings,then loan him back til the end of the season?

super_sammy:

Glad you're happy with things! Thumbs up for optimism!

One wee tiny note ......

The fact you've managed to retain your playing squad has made me smile. Had The Great Walter the imagination, he too could maybe have strengthened your squad AND posted a profit! As it is, we'll be waiting to pounce when the legs start to tire (as they always do when you have a forty year old central defender and a dressing room diet of Monster Munch and fried pizza) and the wheels come off the wagon. (Off the wagon .... I bet you know all about that.)

You want to talk about injuries? God, we can compare horror stories if you want ..... that and the fact we play against 14 men (or only 13 if some of your deranged mates believe all that "ref with rosary beads on" crap you've been peddling lately) most weeks ....

In the end, what's put us in the unfortunate position of being some way behind your team is poor finishing. We rectified that when we signed Rasmussen .... and just so you know I'm not getting carried away on the Keano euphoria, I thought Rasma would be the difference between us having to settle for a close second place and taking over you lot just before the line.

(Speaking of taking over you lot ..... with the historical evidence which suggests King Billy was financed by the Pope, has it occured to anyone in your support to ask the IOR - Istituto per le Opere di Religione, better known as the Vatican Bank - if they're interested in buying "the second biggest institution after the church?" I can recommend some people to talk to .....)

So, you see, this isn't just Keano; it's waking up every day to the realisation I'm a Celtic fan. It's about coming on here and realising I'm part of the biggest extended Family in the world. It's about the faith that comes with knowing our day will come. It's about believing, even when the road seems most dark.

Know when it was last too dark to see? The season before last, with seven games to go and NINE points behind, listening to your team drop points against Dundee United and seeing a little light - just a little bit of light - at the end of the tunnel. There were two games against you to go then too, of course ......

Do you remember what happened? Or do I need to draw you a picture?

Yeah, I'm confident. I am ALWAYS confident, and even when I'm wrong, I still wake up a Celtic supporter.

So once again, you have my sympathy.

Paul67

It seems churlish to pick yoou up on your piece today. Why you have continued on this Strachan baiting line though I do not know.

You claim again that he could only recruit from those he watched. This is not the case. His early recruits showed clear vision beyond our shores and he also recruited alot of youngsters from around Europe (Misun, Kurankis(spell)) and beyond (Mizuno) trying to build for the future. The fact he wasn't given the support last January to recruit was pivotal in our failure to win the league.

It also goes beyond this.....Who made the decision to pull the plug on the Tamas deal two summers ago, when you for one were certain that it was going through....but then turned our attention to other targets (Loovens). You made the comment that the generation of Domination was dependent on making the right decisions at the right time. Now whether Tamas turned out to be a bullet missed or not...that struck me as decisions being made on recruitment other than by the manager.

Also if we are to criticise managers for recruiting players that they know and trust does that not equally apply to Fortune and Kamara?

The Board should receive praise for this transfer window and the genuine excitment it has created but I for one feel they have learned from their mistakes.

Club website saying Keane will debut against Hearts.

I think the biggest on field beneficiary from RK will be Aiden.

I was a double No in WGS's poll.

I didn't think that financially, we would be in the market and also, I didn't think that he was the type of player that we needed, i.e., not a penalty box player. We since brought one in.

The first reason has been dispelled and ,perhaps with the other attacking options we have brought in, a new style may evolve, which will suit Robbie.

As was mentioned in a previous post, the alignment of different factors contributed to the move.

One being, Harry's reported relationship with the player. Whether it was anything to do with Keane's friendship with Levy, as reported in the Irish Independent, or a previously reported story relating to a Christmas night out for the Spurs players.

Apparently, Harry had expressed his views on players party nights and he disapproved of them. After the event, he discovered that his team had been on a jolly in Dublin and he was reported as being "furious".

He believed that Robbie Keane was the organiser of the event and held him responsible. He took it personal and, as we know, when that happens, there is only one winner.

One thing for sure is that he has galvanised the support and united the club, which was bably needed and all this without a ball being kicked.

I hope that this mood prevails, irrespective of results.

Welcome to Celtic, Robbie.

I have seen nothing in the last two Glasgow derbies to suggest we cannot win the next two. Failure to convert innumerable chances is what cost us - an issue we appear to have addressed. We also lacked a bit of height and muscle - an issue we have certainly addressed. So win these two games and our game in hand tonight and Hey! All of a sudden we are favourites for the title.

Believe!

Do we have a summary of Net Spend? I have it as this (wages are complete guesswork):

Out
Caldwell - £1m; Wages p/w - £10k.
McManus - Free; wages p/w - £8k.
Flood - Free; Wages p/w - £5k.
Killen - Free; Wages p/w - £5k.
McDonald - £3.5m; Wages p/w - £12k.
Mark Brown - Free; Wages p/w - £5k.
Danny Fox - £2m; Wages p/w - £15k.

Total - £6.5m; Wages p/w - £60k.

In
Ki - £2m; Wages p/w - £20k.
Rasmussen - £1.5m; Wages p/w - £12k.
Kamara - Loan; Wages p/w - £25k.
Hooijveld - £2m; Wages p/w - £12k.
Keane - Loan; Wages p/w - £65k.
Dutch LB - Loan; Wages p/w - £25k.
Ki - £2m; Wages p/w - £20k.

Total - £7.5m; Wages p/w - £179k.

Probably so wide of the mark its Daily Record stuff!

Thumping sore head trying to work out our team or formation once everybody is fit, so many options but hope that doesnt prevent us getting a settled team together.

Strongest team

Boruc

Hinkel, Hooiveld, O'Dea, Braffheid

McGeady, Ki, Ngumeo, Samaras

Hooiveld, Keane

"Braff the Dutchie on the left hand side?" (©KDS Twitter)

Should that not go to plan and we get into a panic we can bring on three from Fortuné, Kamara, Crosas, McGinn, McCourt, Maloney and Brown.

MusicalYouthCSC

Sammy,

I was hoping someone like you would turn up on the blog today. I completely understand your need to be part of a story this big.

Welcome

I saw Sir Walter and His World Record of Domestic Mastery a few years back, at the oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllllllllllllllle Burns Howff.

They were supporting Chic Young and the Hollow Balloon of Optimism.

What a complete waste of time and money that was.

Lads I posted this earlier

Morning all

Today is the birthday of the greatest Dubliner ever
No not Robbie Keane (do yis ever think of anything else)

James Joyce born 2 Feb 1882.
Now listen up.
His most famous work "Ulysses" begins with the words Stately, plump Buck Mulligan
Where am i going with this
I am going to Taunton at 4.10 where Buck Mulligan is the bet of day
6/1 available in places.
Message from God.Get on

UPDATE
Now this horse has been backed from 6/1 to 7/2.Its not because of me and doubt if its because of James Joyce but someone somewhere thinks this horse will win

What a 24 hrs this has been, let today mark the day Feb 2nd groundhog day were we gave Rangers 10 of a start and win the league, it feels like Christmas all over again when I was very young and got my first Celtic strip.

Welcome Robbie for every 5er Ranger for every 5er. Thanks Paul for keeping us posted on the days events yesterday, Robbie for hat trick tonight and to go on and score 14 goals for Celtic.

Hail Hail
Thanks to the board for pulling this one off, Keevins was last seen running up the Campsie hills to see if its true, can I see the training ground from here....

Estadio

was Hooiveld a double signing ?

super sammy 12.11
what have rangers & berwick got in common?

Re St. Michaels Bhoy on February 2, 2010 12:30 PM

re ___Fortune_____Keane_____Samaras

we've all been wondering why Fortune and Sammi have been playing so wide this season... could be BTM was getting them used to the system they will be playing in the 2nd half of the season?

DBBIA- Brilliant!

Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo

See what I mean about sore head with so many options, Ra Ra Rasmunssen of course, knew there was a forward I couldnt remember.

Bring back the Wilfred Flood days, things were much simpler back then...

EN

I think we'll go 4-3-3 to begin with:

---------------Boruc---------------
Hinkel---Thompson-Hooiveld----O'Dea
-------Brown--N'Guemo--Ki----------
McGeady--------Keane--------Fortune

Paul and all the guys in the know
You guys made yesterday awesome, I thank you for all your news and views.

k

Hail Hail

Gary67,

I can see where you coming from, however i reckon we might have enough with Hooiveld and O'Dea t see us to the summer. I think now, Darren has a got a chance, he either takes it or he for the off in the summer.

I would imagine that Loovens, Samaras, Wilson, Naylor will be for the off in the summer.

I was thinking today that just maybe if RK likes it here for the next 6 months then maybe he might just stay on. Obviously there would have to be a bit of Nego wages wise, i'm starting to thin that maybe Aiden or Artur might be used as bait or part of a deal in the summer.

Timo Hildebrand on a Bosman, too good an opportunity to miss IMO. I would love Artur now to shape up and get back to where he was, but it doesn't look like it will happen.

Don't discount Thomas Rogne from coming in at centre halve. Think the left back we just got could end up being agtreat bit of business. Flying at Twente and Van Gaal made him one of his first signings. His unlucky stinit on Germany is our gain.

Snake_Plissken @12.51

The difference between our squad and sammy's team is that we used our own cash, and aren't trying to weasel out of trying to pay it back.

James Forrest - great postings today mate, your keyboard must be on fire................

WGS - you never had me as a no on your list, I wasn't even a mibbes aye, mibbes naw, makes the signing all the sweeter.

We have our captain and someone to sort out the dressing room, watch how players like McGeady and Brown learn from him.

weeronn

That being said, the fact that it nearly happened suggests that we left 3m euros on the table, plus 900,000 euros a week, if Ramis' agent is to be believed. Hopefully this means that we are able to get a decent CB next summer.

And he still wanted more. :-)

Mort

Looks like WeKnowSFA's server can't handle the traffic, sorry for the dead links and inconvenience.

Our T-Shirt shop is working fine, with a large collection of Celtic T-Shirts including ones for a few of our new signings.

Keano, Ki & Rasmussen

http://521062.spreadshirt.co.uk/celtic-C140104

super_sammy on February 2, 2010 12:41 PM

Failte romhat.

I think your lot still have every right to feel confident - but I'm just relieved we will give you something to think about now. We need to overhaul you by 8 points. You've a well settled squad (how could it be anything else?) good spirit, players coming back from injury and momentum. Still yours to loose.

Still - drop any points before the next OF game- and everything changes. Assuming we collect all our points of course

Why did Skippy have to be sold?

Answer : So that we could give Robbie Keane the No 7 shirt. Easy

Nothing to do with the cash.

http://www.tribalfootball.com/fulham-defender-hughes-man-utd-getting-smalling-cheap-613471

Have the mineshafters thrown in the towel yet?

While it is often my "foot" that needs retrieved from my mouth, this morning I'm having difficulty extricating a coathanger from my chops!

:)

Thanks Dermot and co!

BigCheesies CSC

We have the return of the sharp suited man!! :)

Seriously though i think both TM and PL deserve some credit for the overhaul in a month. Personally speaking, i thought they would have found it difficult to remove certain people.

I can't belive we got nearly 4 million for McDonald.

As i said the other night lads, look where the majority of our old players have ended up since last summer? Medoicre bottom of the road epl side or the championship.

Surley now it opens up the question the dearth of quality in our squad in that only championship sides came in for our players.

Super sammy
I would like to welcome you to CQN but unfortunately I cannot bring myself to do so.I like you signed into the opposition web site it was called(Follow Follow) but unlike this site as soon as I let it be known I was a Tim I was banned.The reason they gave was MUST DO BETTER.I would like to ask you WHY?

Welcome to Celtic Robbie,

By the way when you do the "machine gun" celebration at Ibrox after your third, just take the bookin, it'll be well worth it!

WGS, (wink, wink) don't be starting any new transfer polls...yet! Let's have a wee bit of time to digest this window's activity. Do you think maybe your poll exerted some of influence on DD and PL?? You deserve a hollow balloon to take with you to our next game.

thomthethim,

I read the official site as saying that RK's home debut will be against Hearts. There are two away games before tha of course.

By savo01 on February 2, 2010 12:00 PM

Paul67 gets in to trouble if anyone posts ilegal links.

pablophanque

timjim,

At least the guy is a Samaras fan.

HAil Hail

TM's new 0-6-5 formation with rush goallie:

Maloney Brown NGuemo Ki Keane McGeady
Fortuné McGowan Rasmussen Kamara Samaras

Ki drops back into goal whenever the opposition kicks off after a Celtic goal, for the 30 seconds it takes for Celtic to regain possession.

10-0 every game to the end of the season, clinching the title by 1 point on the last day when Rangers bottle it and only draw at home to Motherwell...

Great day to be a supporter. I myself have been disillusioned by the running of the club recently, but now all at Celtic have done all in Celtic proud. Now lets start winning matches!

I was wondering what everyones views are on the captaincy at celtic? Since Mowbray came in, we have not had a 'Club Captain'. Mick is off, didnt play anyway, caldwell was given it by default, as the same applies to O'dea at the moment. TM has never came out, like WGS did, and say...." ????? is our club captian/ my captian"

Look at Mowbray's interview on bbc from yesterday (monday 1st feb) and he hints that the captaincy could go to someone who has been 'sitting quietly for a year or two' and whos personality will grow into being a leader.

who do you think he is talking about? Crosas? Brown? O'dea?

Obvious choices at them moment seem to be Hooiveld and Keane, but is this what TM is thinking?

off topic but I see Channel67 have launched a Premium service for UK viewers. This is £80 a year as opposed to £40 for the regular service but it promises much better quality streaming.

Just wondering if anyone has signed up for this yet?

Mort

Paul74

You are indeed wide of the mark. You've counted Ki twice. Is that because we signed him in the summer and in January?!!!

timjim

is all about things being lost in translation.

When an Orc or whatever you wish to term them needs to communicate with one of us they have to pay someone to translate thier ramblings to English from Orcish. Now there are not many peeeeepppppuuuuulllllll out there who are capable of this but there are a few intelligent ones who can manage it. They charge a fortune though (100 spittles, 10 urinations and one big pile off). Hence the delay in SS (That's sounds worse the Super Sammy) who has chosen his nome de blog based on his heroes knee and most probably the acronymn.

Maybe it is just me but everything about him makes me feel sick to the stomache.

He may seem decent in his writings but it is the underlying tone of his moniker I just cannot stick. Do you think he remembers Sammy English. Na me neither!

MWD

People are talking about a guaranteed CL £10m for whoever wins the league...although that is possible, people forget that the champions of Scotland may still have to qualify for the CL, as Scotland only reached 13th on the list for next season. That means that if a team wins the CL, who don't automatically qualify for the group stages through their league, the champions of Scotland will enter at the final qualifying round instead of the group stages...

Unlikely, but still worth remembering.

Paul67

A quick line to say thanks.

For many of us supporting Celtic isn't just about going to the games, it's about spending time with our pals and like minds, talking about Lubo trapping the ball with his bum, and arguing about whether Harald Brattbakk is ever gonna do it for Celtic.

For those of us who aren't in Glasgow or regulars at Parkhead anymore CQN gives us a home, it's like an online version of Cheers Bar where everybody knows your name, even if some of us are the wee guy at the end of the bar that's only got a bit part as opposed to Norm and Cliff.

We don't all agree or even agree on what we are disagreeing about, but we are all part of one great family. Even Ed and Sammy can come in and share the banter, maybe they don't get that same welcome elsewhere.

It is sad that some "Celtic" supporters have abused your hospitality, they have obviously missed the point of the board, they will never have the same joy we have when we think of Henrik's goal against Boavista, Naka's free kick against Man Utd or Barry Robson's penalty against the Huns.

Stick with it Paul67, if only for nights like last night.

Keep the Faith.

Hail Hail.

Two poignant sets of words from James Forrest....

“We’re knitting together again,” I thought. “This Family has regained its equilibrium and we’re uniting behind the team.”

"Celtic Football Club at times seems steeped in fairytale, and our story at times seems more myth than reality. Tonight the fairytale, the myth, met the reality head-on. Tonight, the spirit which has driven us onward to our most famous triumphs was restored. The flame was rekindled, and burns once more. The Celtic Family is together again."

Absolute fantastic piece of writing James, thanks. You never lose the buzz of being Celtic through and through, however the events of the last couple of days reinforces all that it means to be part of the Family.

Paul your efforts yesterday in keeping our global brothers and sisters informed will NEVER be forgotten.

Yours in Celtic

I would love to see 3-4-3 tonight at some point with mcgeady, nguemo, crosas and ki in the middle with sammi, keane and fortune up front, I think we gave got the makings of a really good footballing team and will cause any team problems , haik gail , oh it's good to be a tim!!

Moonbeams wet dream on February 2, 2010 12:05 PM

lol.cracker,good build up

k

stephenm1987

no idea who would be captain and to be honest I don't think the captain is all that important. It's a good honorary position and Stephen McManus was very good as Celtic captain.

I think O'dea will hold onto the captain's armband when he plays and if Scott Brown regains full fitness and his place in the team I think he is the man for the job.

Mort

Paul,

’We also have a manager who understands the concept of asset management, an attribute wholly preferable to not managing your assets............................................Gordon does not work with scouts. Clearly, Tony does. There is no way Celtic would have recruited players like Ki, Hooiveld or Rasmussen if Gordon Strachan was still in charge.

Got yesterdays transfer news and the Keane drama thro’ twitter/cqn – many thanks (Oh! And then the texts, then the news & Celtic FC online superstore.)

You described a Mowbray transfer as ballsy last week – I think the term could be used to represent his attitude thro’ this transfer window!

Re-building when your 10 points adrift takes nerve, Tony has shown he has this in spades, IF we don’t win the league this year (unlike last season) it will not be due to lack of commitment!

The players we brought in WILL have to prove themselves in the hoops

BUT

One thing’s for sure, the ones that went (for a variety of reasons) were not up to task – goodbye & good luck to Tony’s first nine in a row!

It is clear from Gordon’s current recruitment policy that without the change of manager these wholesale changes wouldn’t have happned!

A warm welcome to Messers Keane, Kamara & Braafheid – And good luck to Master Slane, live the dream!

Hail! Hail!

Neganon & Co – FYI, this has been a great transfer window!

Paul74

You have Ki in twice, you've missed out Robson (£1m + £8k pw) and I doubt we paid £2m for Hoovield - we probably paid around £100,000 - £200,000 for Rogne and the same for Slane(?)

Net spend is something mine-shafters get hung up on - we could spend twice as much as we receive and end up with a worse team just as easily as we could spend half what we get back and end up a good team - the only players who are guaranteed to be great additions are the ones we can't afford.

What we look to have done (the coming weeks will show us either way) is asset managed the way it should be done. Get good money for players that you can replace at the same price or less with better quality.

I'd say Ki for Robson = improvement
Braafheid for Fox = improvement (if only on loan - I don't think he plans on staying)
Keane for McDonald = improvement
Hoovield for Heid = improvement
Rogne for McManus = no idea (would have to hope improvement at least in the long term)
Kamara for Killen(?) = ha! improvement (Kamara sounded like he'd be open to staying)
Flood out = wages for nothing saved

A very successful window in my eyes whether we'd net spent or net reduced. Would have liked Ramis to completely solidify Mowbray's team but that'll have to wait. We should get by with O'Dea, Hoovield, Rogne, Thomson and Loovens.

Not a day for any negativity can't wait to get to Kilmarnock tonight.
you don't hear that very often :-)

Very,very excited and looking forward to the line up,I know we can't play this tonight but I'd like to see:

Zaluska
Hinkle,Thomson,Hooivelt,Braafheid
Crosas,NGuemo
Kamara,Ki,Keane
Rassmusen.

If the full back is as good as many folks think he will help take the pressure off Hinkle and allow our front four to focus on going forward and attacking.I think I'm as excited about the LB as I am about Keane and Kamara.

Priority tonight is a good win and to continue to win until the players bed in,we can watch fantasy football when we get ahead!!!!!!!

Merry Xmas to all fellow tims.

James Forrest

I skirted over that stuff about the Vatican, King Billy and The Pope, not sure what relevance that stuff has to a conversation about football so i assume it was childishness on your part and we can move on.

It's funny how you chaps cling to that spin about being the world's greatest supporters when times get tough (though ironically the last few months have shown this is also when you start deserting your team in the thousands) - as sure a sign of insecurity as anything you've posted so far.

Your comparison with Season 07/08 demands attention, but a moments thought reveals it's a false analogy. Leaving aside the four games in a week fixture pile up stuff, Celtic had a team of winners led by a winning manager who knew what it took to win. You don't have that now. We didn't have a team of winners who knew what it took to win.
We do now.

We have home advantage in the 1st of those crunch games, which we didnt have then, and I have great confidence in Sir Walter, thanks to his proven track record, to ensure we are at least unbeaten in both games, though I expect us to win the Ibrox encounter. With any luck, we can secure the title at Parkhead.

Keane's arrival has admittedly raised the stakes, but when you're holding the winning hand, we welcome the challenge. :)

Sorry I'm on the iPhone and the keys are so small sorry for the bad spelling hail hail!!

BTW, my "No" is right up there with my last infamous "No Chance", which I boastfully followed up with......"If he signs for Rangers, I'll join the Mason !".............*blush*

A very big Well Done to all concerned. You have listened to the people that matter and you have helped to unite the Celtic family in to being something that we all love and cherish.

Still playing catch-up, so apols if this has already been posted.

"by Hugh MacDonald

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE VERBAL vote of confidence in a manager is not worth the paper it is not written on.

The actions of the Celtic board last night have a value far surpassing the millions they have spent in the transfer window. The message from the East End of Glasgow is that the revolution may be bloody, even messy, but it will be bankrolled.
http://tinyurl.com/ydx7pt6

The signing of Robbie Keane acts as a stunning headline to a fascinating story. Tony Mowbray’s position has been undermined by whispers. Celtic shouted out a rebuttal. Money does not talk in football, it screams.

The Keane coup is a central part of the Mowbray revolution. It signifies that Celtic are not frightened to spend and that they are prepared to back their manager. If any further evidence was needed one just had to be at Celtic’s training ground yesterday. The Republic of Ireland captain joins Diomansy Kamara, Edson Braafheid, Ki Sung-Yueng, Jos Hooiveld, Thomas Rogne, Morten Rasmussen and Paul Slane as arrivals during the transfer window.

The rural retreat of Lennoxtown has also witnessed a bloodbath reminiscent of a Chicago February of times past. Mowbray has been portrayed as weak, indecisive and vacillating by his critics. The strongest evidence suggests, however, that Skinny Tony is a ruthless hitman. Mark Brown, Willo Flood, Chris Killen, Gary Caldwell, Stephen McManus, Danny Fox, Barry Robson and Scott McDonald are players who regularly featured on matchdays, even if Brown and Flood were to be found on the bench. Mowbray has counted them out.

That’s the balancing act for any coach. 
You try to get the chemistry right
Tony Mowbray
Others have gone, too. Graham Carey, Cillian Sheridan, Ben Hutchinson, Simon Ferry and Ryan Conroy are out on loan. 
It would have taken a good offer to prise Andreas Hinkel from the club but it could have been done. Lee Naylor survives until the summer. Speculation continues over Scott Brown’s long-term future. Others stay 
on sufferance.

Basically, Mowbray has taken Aiden McGeady and Artur Boruc aside and left the rest to be picked off by other clubs. It is an audacious, highly risky strategy but it will find favour with many Celtic fans.

The media has concentrated fire on Mowbray but a substantial section of the support has become tired of the mediocrity offered up in a calendar year that has witnessed one title surrendered to Rangers and another almost pledged to the Ibrox side.

The Mowbray revolution raises the big questions. The first is: will it work? The second: how long will be Mowbray be given?

It is difficult to answer the first. Football restricts all definitive statements 
to the field of play. “Let’s wait and see. What you do is try and bring quality footballers in,” said Mowbray when asked how quickly his reconstructed team would gel.

“They have to be quality if they are to replace the ones we’ve let go. Ultimately the team will be judged on the pitch over the period 
of time – whether that be 
16 games [left in the league] or invariably for us the next game.”

Mowbray now has 
Marc-Antoine Fortune, Rasmussen, Kamara, Georgios Samaras and Keane jousting for two striking spots. How will he make it work?

“That’s the balancing act for any coach. You try to get the chemistry right in the team,” he said of his options before the Keane deal was completed. “The team is about balance and sometimes that’s not right because of injuries or suspensions. I just want to create as many good options for this football team and, hopefully, we’ll get the chemistry right.”

It is a problem that every other manager in Scotland would love to solve. The Mowbray signings have a degree of versatility. Rasmussen is a stereotypical front man but Kamara can play wide and Keane can play up front, in the hole or wide in a midfield four.

The other major question on Keane is just how can Celtic finance this deal? Is it just a gamble to win the league, thus pressurising Rangers financially? This reasoning suggests that if Celtic win the title the Ibrox side could be looking at a difficult Champions League qualifier, with still no buyer for the club. This, in turn, could force an exodus of Rangers players.

But Rangers are still 10 points in front at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Celtic’s strategy can not be based on mere hope.

There are only two possible sources for the funding of the Keane move. It is not a cheap bit of business. When West Ham United enquired about the availability of the Tottenham Hotspur striker, they were told that Spurs wanted a £1m loan fee and the striker’s £70,000-a-week wages had to be paid in full.

This was too rich for the East London club. So how can it be a viable option for a club surviving on the scraps offered by the SPL?

The first observation is that Celtic have no debt. The second is that the club’s majority shareholder is Dermot Desmond. The Irish businessman had input into the arrival of Roy Keane at Celtic. It would be no surprise to learn that he helped in the transfer of the striker from Spurs.

Peter Lawwell, the Celtic chief executive, also hinted late last night that the Glasgow club might not have to pay all of Keane’s wages. He said an agreement had been made with Spurs over the salary, fuelling specualtion that the North London club may be making some contribution to their captain’s salary. Lawell, though, would not elaborate, citing that the agreement was confidential.

A substantial bill will have to paid for the international striker. But there are solid business reasons, too, for bringing Keane to Celtic Park.

More than 20,000 seats have remained empty at some home matches. That is a lot of unbought pies and programmes. The top-dollar seats in the executive boxes have been particularly hard hit by the recession in both the economy and Celtic’s fortunes. Half-season tickets have also been offered on a regular basis to a largely uninterested public.

This has all changed with one stroke of a pen. Tickets for Celtic games will be at a premium. Merchandising, too, will be given a boost. 
It will not be a difficult task to spot a shirt with Keane stamped on it in the West of Scotland, and beyond, later this week.

Celtic have lifted their supporters. There will be excitement about seeing a player of Keane’s undoubted ability on a Scottish football field. But this must be complemented by tangible success.

And this brings up the second major question: how long will Mowbray be given? Will Celtic tolerate failure this season in the hope that the manager is building a side capable of sustained domestic success and of competing in the Champions League?

The enduring joy and constant irritation of football is that it defies any notions of certainty. Keane could fail, Mowbray could fall and the hopes of Celtic could drown in the dangerous waters of change.

But Celtic have invested in their future and, crucially, their manager. The stock of the board has already risen in the eyes of the fans. The team must follow suit. The revolution has started. Its first test awaits tonight at Rugby Park."

pablophanque

Lurgan53 - You'd think somebody as hideously ugly as Eamon Dunphy would know better than to criticise another man's appearance. He looks like Fr. Jack Hackett. (thumbsup)

finally got in!

Great news re robbie

Im so looking forward about going tonight.

until yesterday i was not going but how can you not go when robbie arrives.

Few beers sing song and catch up with the bhoys

Well done celtic and welcome robbie

Hail Hail

philvisreturns

'irish' independent, complete rag, on par with daily record if you ask me. the amount of abuse it has given to the irish public service is in tune with its west brit owner and fianna fail. it was the main instigator of 1913 lockout of the workers, the same lockout james larkin campaigned against for fair workers pay and conditions. of its majority shareholders is also denis obrien. it, like other irish papers (except irish news) and rte are all english football orientated and look down upon celtic.

do not buy this paper

i sometimes wonder about people and what they expect from supporting celtic

come on, we got one first choice centre half in. another would have been ideal but i think we all need to remember how difficult it has been in the past to attract the sort of player who would be a guaranteed starter in that position to scotland, within our budget, in january. looks like we were nearly there with ramis but the old problems reared their heads at the last minute.

yesterday was a very good day for celtic, january a very good month.

The comments made a few days ago suggested McGeady will be rested. I wonder if this will still happen.

Apart from the obvious excitement of bringing in a quality player like Keane I'm equally as excited in the improvement it should bring to players like McGeady.

Not only will the immense pressure be lifted from the young boys shoulders (a weight that he has had to carry for a number of years now - particularly after Nakamura departed) but having more than one focal point in the team will allow him more space and options on the field.

Gordon_JAuthor Profile Page on February 2, 2010 1:21 PM

Ah. I never read it that way.

So, maybe on the bench tonight and a game at Dunfermline on Sunday, perhaps.

The cup tie is working out well, as it gives more time to bed in the new boys, before the important stuff.

An "ugly" win tonight will do me.

By Kojo on November 14, 2009 5:24 PM
My dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,dear,friend.. Mac1888

Robbie Keane for Celtic?

That is an Impossible Dream.

This Man.. taks Hame, tae his Wife.. they tell me..

Sixty Thoosand Pounds o' the Finest Country Aipples, every Single Week!

Noo, whit She Diz wi' Sixty Thoosand Pounds of the Finest Country Aipples, is HER.... Business!

Howevahhhhhhhh...

Ah know that Celtic, can in No way , better, that Emolument!

So..

Like Ah said..

Robbie Keane...Coming tae Celtic?

Na..

That,Ma friend, is a Pipe Dream.

Kojo.
yer pal ....who likes ye a loater

------------------------------------------------------------------

By Mac1888 on January 5, 2010 7:14 PM
Artur Boruc - 3,4 Milliom (sell) past his sell by date.
Mark Brown - Nowt (get rid)
Lukasz Zaluska - Our new Number 1
Dominic Cervi - Our new Number 2

Andreas Hinkel - 2,3 million (keep)
Lee Naylor - half a million(sell)
Stephen McManus 1 million(sell)
Gary Caldwell ( Strachan should give us 1 million atleast ,no worth it though :) )
Danny Fox - half a million
Mark Wilson - half a milliom ( sell )
Milan Misun
Glenn Loovens - Just ger rid asap ( cut our loses )
Josh Thompson -
Darren O'Dea 1 million (keep)
Paul Caddis 2,3 million ( give him some games )

Landry N'Guemo ( sign up asap )
Scott Brown - 4,5 million (sell)
Shaun Maloney - 1 million (sell)
Niall McGinn - 1,2 million (keep)
Willo Flood - (half a million) Take him Strach
Marc Crosas - 3,4 million (keep)
Barry Robson - Geeze half a mil strach :)
Paddy McCourt - ( Hmmmmm ) Dunno ,keep and see if he can improve :)
Koki Mizuno - nowt ( get rid )
Aiden McGeady - 7,8 million ( gotta funny feeling he will be leaving this window) Hope not though ;(
Ki Sung-Yong - (welcome ;))

7. Scott McDonald - 3,4 million (sell)
9. Giorgios Samaras 2,3 million (sell)
10. Marc-Antoine Fortuné (Signed from Nancy on 8/7/2009 for £1.8m with £750,000 due per season over the next two seasons based on performances) - Really? Well that kinda makes up for him being a dud (sell)
27. Zheng Zhi - 1 million (keep)
33. Chris Killen half a million (sell )
55. Paul McGowan ( same as killen )

Just some of my thoughts on the current Celtic Squad .Who we should sell ,who we should keep and my valuation of players......blah blah blah ....i'm so bored,any signings yet ???

--------------------------------------------------------

By donegaldanny on December 4, 2009 9:58 AM
Something Mac1888 said yesterday really struck a chord.

With the signing of Robbie Keane Celtic would solve a number of their current woes, yes it would cost money, but in the long run it would make sense to push the boat out.

a) You'd instantly inherit a Captain
b)You'd instantly inherit a bhoy who could score 30+ a season
c) you'd get 60,000 back thorugh the gates instantly, I'd even venture there'd be a small waiting list created for next season.
d) Shirt sales of Keane replicas would go through the roof
e) The fans would have a talisman to unite behind, something we should have in McGeady but somehow people are split on him.

I can't see any downside to pushing the boat out and attempting to make a massive siging of Robbie Keane.

Yes it'd cost money but we'd make it back a few times over as well as improving our football side immeasurably.

That is of course if he was willing to come, but I think thats a no brainer now his world cup dreams are over.

DD

My crystal ball is getting a bit worn out lol

Well Done DD & PL

The Feel Ghood Factor is back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8w7f0ShtIM

BackTaeItCSC

steelica

It dont believe that its possible to understand fully what the thinking of the board was during the last two years. SSM comments last night suggested to me he is distancing himself from previous policy but of course its easy to say that now.

What is clear is that the board may or may not know if willo flood is good investment for the team long term and will take manager advice. HOWEVER they fully understand the implications 20k less fans per week, of the captains table being shut most match days since October and now trying to punt lounge match day tickets for £50 a head.

Thats the language they understand

super-sammy

Decent posts from someone who supports their team....but.....if you really want to be taken seriously and come across as fair minded....ADMIT that your "label" as the most successful team in the world is only attached because of decades of help from the men in black, and, that that help is the reason now for your false "league" position. do this and I can assure you your comments will be taken seriously

.

Paul67....

Just One More Favour Please....

Make Some Time Tonight....Go To Your Dad's....and Whether it's Wine or Malt....

Raise a Glass To Yourselves....

And Have a Wee Laugh about The Good The Bad and The.... (at Times) Ugly....That is Celtic Quick News....

.

If Ever a Celtic Fan-site Lived Up Too it's Name it Was Yours Yesterday....

You Should be Proud What You Have Given The Celtic World....

.

Best of All....You Left all They Lazy Journalists.... in Your Wake....

007

PS....They Say that No News is Good News....Try Telling a Orc that Today....:O(

On Super_Sammy

See what I mean.

It took JF 17 minutes to write and post full of quality writing and joined up thinking.

It took the other ghuy 34 minutes to reply with a post full of drivel and half the length of JF's previous reply.

17 minutes difference to write a post half the size and half the quality (if not less). So lets say 8.5 minutes. That leaves 25.5 minutes to come up with payment and get the translation to English from Orcish before posting.

MWD :o)

TM stated that he hoped McDonald would stay but then went on to sya that if he did it would be for "other reasons that will become clear" or words to that effect.
Any news as to what these reasons are?

Starryhope

By James Forrest on February 2, 2010 12:58 PM

JAMES FORREST FROM PRESIDENT

Yeah, I'm confident. I am ALWAYS confident, and even when I'm wrong, I still wake up a Celtic supporter.

So once again, you have my sympathy.

ti-wit-ti-woo bhoys and ghirls

3 points tonight will do for me
by a few goals too would be nice
but 3 points will do me

big shout out to friends old and new
who made last weekend in liverpool
one of the best swally sessions
ive had the pleasure to be involved in
from start to finish i had a ball
and im sure im not the 1 who was as rough as a badgers yesterday

thanks

tbo

Paul

For me regardless of the people we have signed yeserday its the tone and expectation that has been set.SSM has set the bar just up a few notches. Maybe there was a wee bit of an apology somewhere in his words last night..... Was he addressing not just the 4000 outside but worldwide support. Sorry guys 2009 wont happen again!!

Im confident that in summer the real signings will appear. To my calcs this was marginal spend and there is plenty of the 5m budgeted for this window still to spend

Weeronn and Mort

El Diario de Mallorca published the €900,000 offer on Sunday. It was the annual salary Celtic offered Iván Ramis. Of course, in Scotland, where people can only calculate footballers salaries as a weekly wage, something got lost in translation.

The same newspaper confirmed that this was three times more than the player receives at Real Mallorca. This suggests several things.

1. The Celtic board were not penny-pinching here. Three times a guy’s salary is a good offer. How many of us would turn down a move to somewhere a wee bit colder if you were being offered three times the salary to do the same job.

2. It’s another indication of how inflated the game up our way has become (thanks, England) that top players in high-flying clubs in Spain, which has a better league than England, are on €300,000 a year. Appalling players in the fourth division in England, or whatever it's called now (the league, not England), will be on more money than that.

3. The weekly wage thing is the most bizarre piece of nonsense to surround Scottish football. It is without equivalent anywhere in the business world, even the Scottish business world. However, in the real world, Celtic offer players an annual salary in euros. How do we know? Think back to the fax John Park sent to Brazil from a hotel in Rome making the provisional offer of €750,000 a year to the full-back Coelho just before Andreas Hinkel signed.

Hail hail to all.

I think the most interesting selection is v.s. Dunfermline..

Hopefully TM will use Sunday's cup game to test his first choice X1 and allow them to gel in time for big games against the wee huns & the big huns.

31003,

Still an inability to capitalise the personal pronoun.

Is it just one sad hun or are we taught differently ?

Hail Hail

Know what is noising up the orcs in my work?. . . Ah bet yoos hink yer gonna win the league noo? Na! I think you are too far in front. Whit ? ? ?

Meant to say that if he did GO...

Starryhope

http://sport.stv.tv/football/scottish-premier/celtic/154801-video-robbie-keane-meets-the-celtic-support/

Now the window has closed;

I would like to say a Thank You to all the guys who moved on, Good Luck for the future

I would also like to extend a big "Welcome to Celtic" to all the new guys and I hope they prosper and collect silverware

Looking forward to Rugby Park tonight.

Finally a couple of mentions;

Paul67 I posted last night but so many threads, well done for keeping the old server patched up and the back up on Twitter

WGS Good on you mate you deserved it!!!!

Ayrtic/ Celtic Sephiroth Thanks for the info/tips its appreciated

I have never felt so positive about "our" club as I do just now and I am very excited about the rest of the season

PL/DD/Dr JR well done to you all, you have galvanised a body of people who were down and disheartened

Let's hunt them down and take our title back

Hail Hail

Stephen with a "ph"

ps
If they are not bothered why is Super-Sammy on telling us
Think about it !!!

Every hun I have met today has that worried look on their face

Celtic_First

I knew it was per year. i think weeronn did too, probably took it down wrong.

€900k is a fantastic salary for a footballer and if the downturn continues, this will be the top of the scale for many players.

Mort

Hi Paul, (THE MEN IN BLACK)

Was at the stadium last night for the biggest sporting news story in the UK. Although I have no doubt that this group of players may have the ability to win this league, I believe this could be hindered or derailed by the men in black, they have various options which we have seen unjustly used against the team in this season alone which have cost us precious points. For the rest of the season I will be taking a great interest in the refereeing fraternity and their performances beginning tonight at Kilmarnock. I hope the men in black have no major input into the outcome of the game and allow the skills of both teams to decide the outcome.

What makes this window all the more impressive, it seems the quality of the squad has been vastly improveed, without overloading on debt. The board deserve enormous praise for backing Tony Mowbray in this way. I wonder how many 1/2 season books have been taken up, and ESPN subscriptions taken since 10pm yesterday. How satisfifying it was for this great club being the lead story on SSNews. Onwards and upwards.

Super Sammy
YOU still here so I will ask you again why was I banned from one of your teams fans sites.I like you made some points not using any swear or bigot words.I did however let it be known I was a Celtic supporter and can only assume that was the reason I was banned.It did say none Ranger supporters were welcome.Maybe I missed the bit were it said (except Tims)

delbhoy01 - I don't buy any papers and look forward to the demise of the dead-tree-based information distribution business. The likes of Jingle Jackson, Leckie and Bentfoot would then presumably take their skills learned in journalism and apply them to new careers in the sex industry. (thumbsup)

the BIG OWL - Owls can't use computers, their talons aren't separated enough to type.

You, sir, are an impostor. In fact, I bet you're not even a bird at all. The thing I like about birds is, they can't take a punch.(thumbsup)

Super Sammy.

There is a lot of football still to be played between now and the end of the season, so do not write us off so easily.

It is true that Smith has been doing well , it is a by product of the financial mess of your club. Being able to pick a settled,consistent side and creating a siege mentality has worked to a certain extent.

We as a club maybe have left it a little late we shall see but here is what i expect to happen.

No more silly dropped points at home and a Celtic team to go on a winning run backed by a vociferous suppport.The game against Rangers at the end of the month will be pretty crucial , it's been a while since Celtic have won over there .
Smith likes his team to sit back and soak it up , can you be certain that your back line are going to be able to handle the fire power that has now been assembled.

If Celtic win that game you will need to reconsider your statement.

PS i'd be more concerned about how you guys are going to look next year - No Boyd , No Bougherra, maybe no club...........

super sammy
i'd have thought you'd be on one of your hunnic sites today wanting to know why your team have come out of this window with a weaker squad and signed have no one.
Where would your club be without biased officials, you dont have to reply to that as we already know the answer.

Celtic to go

4-3-3

Kilmarnock to go

10-0-1 (the 1 is just so the ref can give a peanlty)

MWD

MurdochAuldandHay

welcome back from Oz.

good trip by all accounts.

I bet Kano has a ruddy big smile on his face today?

MWD

Mort and Weeronn

Sorry ghuys. I knew you knew, but when I read back over my post, it sounds as though I was taking you to task. It wasn't meant like that. Apologies.

It seems John Terry has rang Wayne Bridge to tell him he has lost the England Captains armband...and would he mind having a look under his bed for it!

Boom Boom!

Super_Sammy

My mate has a old press cuting he digs out ever so often. a game at ibrox not so long after the Govan stand was built....attendance 3500

The most successful club team in history is Real Madrid. 31 league titles and 9 big cups; 2 UEFA cups and 17 Copa del Reyes.

The only thing that their trophy haul has in common with the collection of meretricious baubles assembled by the Shame over the years is the degree of assistance they've had from the football authorities in general and referees in particular.

For those who don't know, today 2 February is Groundhog Day, made famous by the brilliant Bill Murray film from 1993.

Honestly, who thought that today we'd be talking about Groundhog Day in terms of the transfer window.

The board have done us proud this month. Hope the players can keep their end of the bargain and get us the wins we need to recapture the title.

Mort

philvisreturns

i have a feather touch keyboard

and your right i cant take a punch

never had to

i hit first then well thats the story ended

solidasarock.csc

DownForSam - excellent point. In fact I would suggest we have managed to significantly improve the quality of the squad without taking on any additional debt. We have taken in around £8m, albeit some of that will be staggered, for players that none of us with lose any sleep over. Danny Fox went for quite a bit more than the £1.8m suggested in the media. We are net spenders and the wage bill will be up but uits all very much within our operational capacity. I think that's what we've been looking for in recent years - more bang for our bucks

The return of Celtic

Early team news in the new 4-3-3

Boruc

Hinkel
Hooiveld
Thompson
O'Dea

McGeady
Ngemo
Ki

Keane
Fortune
Rasmussen

Any spare tickets?

HH

super_sammy:

Interesting the way you put that stuff about loyal fans ..... I remember your team playing in front of seven thousand during the 80's ..... I look forward to seeing how long the loyalty lasts when the club is being dismantled by Lloyds in the coming year.

I also love the way you talk about the fixture congestion as if that excuse will wash with fans who remember having to go to Ibrox a mere two days after a UEFA Cup semi-final. I also remember that we won that game as well ...... and I have trouble recalling anyone at the SFA or elsewhere going to the bat for us, and extending the season!

You guys really make me laugh with that one; what did you want the authorities to do? Suspend all other football until you had a good rest? Dear oh dear .....

I'm going to clear up this "winning manager" nonsense as well. Walter Smith has always been a lucky manager, and that's contributed to his winning as much as any skill he possesess. There's also a myth amongst Rangers fans that Celtic's supporters have treated Gordon Strachan harshly; here's the truth. We treated him no more or less harshly than Rangers fans treated Alex McLeish. See, you might have seen a Celtic team playing good football - and next to what you were watching, I suppose it was - but what Celtic fans saw was stale, boring, unimaginative and uninspired.

You might have seen a "winning mentality" at Parkhead; what we saw was a side that was hard to beat and could grind out results - at times. In truth, neither of our sides has been ALL THAT GOOD in the last few years, dropping points, on average, a DOZEN times a season. In another league, some third club would have overtaken and scalped us both, without breaking sweat.

Walter Smith has been lucky. Lucky he's faced an uninspiring Celtic side in recent years, lucky he's come along at a time when the board at my club wasn't using its financial advantage in the way we should have - until yesterday. He's been lucky to be facing a manager not unlike himself, in that he puts more premium on the defensive art than on the attacking side of the game. And he's been lucky in that he's in charge of Rangers during yet another season when we are deep in transition. I don't think that will save him now.

Luck runs out. Teams catch on to negative tactics before long, and they start to punish you. We should know; that's why you won the league last year, because frankly you weren't brilliant. We had umpteen chances to bury you and failed to take them, and last January was a fiasco.

In 23 games this season, you've dropped points in seven matches. I don't need to tell you that's almost 1 in 3 games where you've failed to win. And let's not forget, those stats don't account for what's happened in some of those games; you were outplayed at Celtic Park but got out with a point. Do you think you would have got out with a point against Keano and Kamara? You scored a last minute winner against Hearts .... or that lead wouldn't be looking quite so straightforward. We, on the other hand, have missed enough chances in single matches to win 10 games ..... with Keane, Ramsussen and Kamara in the side we'll convert a lot more of those.

There are fifteen games to go .... follow the same average and you'll drop points in another five. We've dropped points in eight games, having played one game less ..... hardly better, but then we're a stronger squad, having addressed critical problems.

Are you still so sure? I wouldn't be, if I were you, and the simple fact is you're NOT so sure. You came on here to find out if the optimism was just blind hope, with nothing to back it up. You came on here hoping the Celtic support was not behind Mowbray and didn't get what he's trying to do.

Let me disuade you on both counts; if we were playing BADLY and not creating chances, we'd be worried. Just because the tabloids are trying to whip up anti-Mowbray feelings in the Celtic fans doesn't mean that idea has caught fire and holds sway.

This is a club united behind the manager. We believe in what he's trying to do. We understand - and support - the clearout of the dressing room. Every player who has left - including McDonald - is widely regarded by the Celtic support as someone we could afford to lose, as someone who could be replaced.

Let me give you a wee analogy of mine, to help you get it.

There's a guy looking out his window, looking onto a street filled with people who are going mad. They are running about. They are shouting and bawling. They are pointing. They are screaming. He watches them, sipping tea, and thinks that they look insane.

Outside, they are looking in, thinking HE has gone insane. Why? Because above him, on the top floors of his house, a fire is burning out of control ..... and there he is, this clown, sipping tea in the window without a care in the world.

It's not OUR house which is on fire, but that's not the point. The point is this; the view from the inside and the view from the outside are very different things.

Our confidence is not misplaced. You're missing the point, not seeing the big picture. This isn't confidence just over Keane ... this is confidence about Mowbray, about the plan, about where we're going .... and about where you lot are going.

We are comfortable. The house above us is in good shape, and frankly if we didn't win this title we would survive.

Can you, with certainty, say the same?

It's no wonder you're scared.

TM stated that he hoped McDonald would stay but then went on to sya that if he did go it would be for "other reasons that will become clear" or words to that effect.
Any news as to what these reasons are?

Starryhope

I just got a call from Robbie Keane.

trying to sell me tickets for the Hearts game.

They are not ruddy slow are they.

Not even on my moby. On my home phone number.

Yoda!

MWD

super_sammy

welcome
just a few points
I think you maybe right Rangers just might be too far in front, and it might take a few games for the new signings to gel and perform as a team. with that in mind if Walter wins the league he will in my opinion merit the plaudits of all for his performance in winning a league with both his hands tied behind his back by the bank and murrys overspending.

But i would suggested this to you, Keane and the other loan signings are short term, if it works out we might be able to secure 2 of the 3, and will only threaten a rangers team that is already 10/7 points infrontthis season. If I was you I would be more worried about the depth of talent Celtic are storing up at LennoxTown this is where Celtic are quietly going about thier business of building up a playing staff where as your team are quietly breaking down a youth setup. Rangers need to find a buyer very soon and inject some serious cash

I would suggest that Celtic are building for the future Rangers are busy paying off the credit cards after xmas

cheers

TT

local newspaper in mallorca saying that we agreed a deal for ramis with mallorca, agreed a contract of 4.5m for 3 and half years and then the player and or agent demanded a bigger cut of the transfer fee. both clubs pulled the plug and walked away. looks like the medical had been done and eric riley was there to sign the deal off.

Just seen Harry Rednapp say he thinks Keane will be back at the end of the season but judging by his body language he wasn't too sure and considering he said celtic have no chance of signing Keane in this transfer window in December i think he is talking bull. thoughts?

Super Sammy,

It's always good to get an opposition view on things - but of course you are wrong! I would say that though, wouldn't I?

The game has changed following yesterday's business. That's the simple fact of the matter.

The first half of the season has clearly left you in a good position. You are 10 points clear, although that should reduce to seven on equal games after tonight.

To use a poker analogy, you are sitting with two pairs after the flop. A hand that is pretty good, and could get better. But your inability to strengthen in the window means that you have missed your draw.

We had nothing in our hand but three to the flush. A long shot. But we've gone for it. We've bet the draw. And we've hit on the turn big style. Now it's four to the flush.

So going to the river we are still behind. You are rightly favourites. But it's not over yet. Not by a long way. Can we hit our flush on the river and take the prize? Only time will tell.

But our chances of winning are now much higher than they were!

BTW guys - Sammy has been honest about his allegiance and has not been offensive at all. Let's not assume all opposition fans are the same? That's how FF and their like behave - we are better than that.

starryhope

TM stated that he hoped McDonald would stay but then went on to sya that if he did go it would be for "other reasons that will become clear" or words to that effect.
Any news as to what these reasons are?

Probably just spin from those at Celtic. How dare they sell our top scorer at such an important point of the season, just to balance books I reckon. There may be loan signing or something but nothing to get too excited about.

To the car park!

Mort

It seems things have gotten so bad at Cash4Gold Stadium that the huns couldn't even afford to put Walter and Martin Bain on a Ryanair flight to Italy to do their traditional hiding during the last hours of the transfer window.

There wasn't even an imaginary £700m stadium/casino announcement this year. Have things gotten so desperate for the cash-strapped, hand-to-mouth, crisis loan club that they can't even muster the energy to tell shameless lies to their credulous, mouth-breathing supporters? They deserve better.

There is an air of decrepitude and decay around Ibrox reminiscent of the Vincent Price movie 'The Abominable Doctor Phibes'.

They are 10 points ahead, but they are not 10 points better than us. The title is there for the taking. (thumbsup)

James Forrest

Just what i said and feeling. Its not the names that are important its the expectation and tone that has been set, in my view, back to where it was 2002

Philvis

The Irish Independent isn't.

I rarely ever read it, the Op Ed is very Daily Express with aspirations and an Irish accent.

Welcome "Sammy" how nice to see more of the Indefensible Shame posting.(Helps us form a rounded view of your lot. You'll be made very welcome here.)
Nice blog name by the way, very "dignified".

I think you will end up winning the league this year too sadly, you have many supporters throughout the game and they want your team to win it badly this year.

It wont solve your problems though off or on the pitch, only radical surgery in the stands and a change of "heart" in the boardroom will give you a viable future.

I think you now misinterpret the mood of Celtic fans tho'. Certainly this fan feels much more confident of giving your lot more of a challenge now but our Community, The Celtic Family have been given something very powerful in this transfer window.
It certainly isn't "fear".

You worry about yourselves mate, you have more to fear than we have.

HH

Bankiebhoy1

paul67 said: We now recruit players from a relatively impoverished England, from throughout Europe and from Asia, as well as someone the manager worked with previously, which is allowable in proportion.

You mean like Lee Naylor, Artur Boruc, Majeic Zurawski, Massimo Donati, Marc Crosas and Shinsuke Nakamura?

Sure not all of them were successes (and who's to say how the new lot will do) but let's not pretend Gordon Strachan only signed Hibs boys. I'm disappointed in the recent turn this blog has taken in having cheap swipes at a manager who won us three league titles and took us further in the European Cup than anyone since Jock Stein.

I was as gutted as anyone with last season and I think it was the right time for him to go but let's leave sniping about one of our best managers to the lazy hacks who he wouldn't give the time of day.

Had a great time MWD

Got more pics coming your way pc didnt upload them
all

Get them to you as soon as possible using brothers pc this time:)

Bigmans grin will be as wide as Swan valley river in Perth
and thats wide I can tell you

Gordon_J

Nice analogy but as a more cautious player I'd have probably folded by now. Chasing is a mugs game, but sometimes it does pay off.

Mort

Gordon J

Agree with your comments about Super Sammy.

I know some on here don't like to discuss football with Rangers fans and that is their absolute right however I think contributions such as those from Super Sammy actually add to the blog.

Hope he isn't hounded away.

SwanseaBhoy

James Forrest @2.01pm
Christ that was good well said
Sammy
Do us and yourselve a favour ban yourselve from this site

Mort - "For those who don't know, today 2 February is Groundhog Day"

Good call. Thursday is Ghostbusters Day, and the day after is Freaky Friday. (thumbsup)

the BIG OWL - Are you the owl from 'Labyrinth' that turns into David Bowie and bothers 14 year old girls? (thumbsup)

Afternoon everyone.
First time to post a comment but last night was unbelievable. Can't wait to see Robbie play in the famous Celtic shirt. A brilliant piece of business with all the acquisitions yesterday. I feel we have added pace and power and most of all a real goal scoring threat to our squad.
Well done Peter and Tony!

Mort,

We've got good odds and the pot is big!

Now that I've got a read on you - fancy a game???

.

Eustance P.... Were you at Paradise Last Night....Awe you Must Have Loved it Mate....or Did You Stay in and Watch The SSM Waxing Lyrical on SSN....

I Bet You and Danny were Celebrating to the Wee Small Hours....No Wonder You Could Not Get your iphone to Work or Get Near a 'Laptop' to Post on CQN of The Wonderful News of The Magnificent 7 Return....

I Wish I Was in Your Shoes Mate....You Wont Need to Worry About The Big Greek Nancy Now....

007

MWD

Scrub yer number off the toilet doors then

Love

From Ronnie Cully in the ET

Robbie Keane is prepared to take the captain’s armband at Celtic and lead the Parkhead club’s assault on Rangers’ 10-point SPL advantage.

The man who swept into Celtic Park just before midnight last night to cheers from over 3000 fans is set to make his debut tonight at Kilmarnock.

And Tony Mowbray is expected to ask the 29-year-old Republic of Ireland skipper to lead the team out – and all the way to the championship.

Celtic have delighted their fans by landing the Tottenham striker on loan until the end of the season.

In a dramatic final day of the transfer window, they also rejected another offer from Birmingham for Aiden McGeady.

Now Keane is looking forward to linking up with his Republic team-mate and the rest of the squad Mowbray has assembled.

He believes his experience will allow him to have a significant influence on the club in its time of major change.

Keane trained with his new team-mates for the first time today and commented: “I’ve always said I didn’t want to come here and play for Celtic just for the sake of it at 34.

“I want to make a real impact on the club. I believe I’m at the peak of my career and that I can do that.

“I’ve got the experience, and have been captain of a few clubs. I feel I’m good around the dressing room and will help the players on.

“When I went back to Tottenham last year, they were third from bottom of the league, and I helped them get back up the table.

“I’m not suggesting for one minute that was down to me, but I think I had a big hand to play in that.

“I am here now and I will help the younger players. There are a few who have been here for years, and I’m sure I can help them as much as they can help me.”

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Spurs waived a £1million loan fee after a potential move to West Ham collapsed, but Celtic must still find £1.3m in wages.

philvisreturns

What Owl in Labyrinth? I don't remember that. 14 year old girls? She was 17 in that movie for heaven's sake and to think she went on to do such great movies like........ Hulk.....or........ Requiem for a dream (mental pictures not very good).

I remember the Owl in Clash of the Titans but maybe I need a repeat viewing of Labyrinth to watch Jennifer Connelly (oops said too much)

Thumbsup

Any one in the Fife area interested in tickets for the game tonight? I have 3 adult and 2 under 12 tickets for anyone able to pick them up from Dalgety Bay.

Did I just read something about historic domestic mastery or words to that effect?

LOL

Id be totally ashamed to crow about that given the history of Scottish refereeing.

Well done Celtic for the commitment in the window,relishing the challenge now.

off topic

Can anybody remember the car advert,I think it may have been a bmw,where theres darkness with wee flashes of light showing up parts of the car from distance to the soundtrack of slow,menacing pulses of music(?) which get faster and more frequent until the car is all lit up in the foreground to a chaotic din of sound?

just wondering;-)

Keanophanque....007

Funny enough i was looking at an Iphone but as i have the blackberry and company mobile might just go for the itouch instead.

Tried a few times to get on last night but kept getting blocked.

I'm going tonight to see our new captain and the man who will reignite our season.

Well done to Dermot he listened and reacted to the empty seats.

The fightback may indeed begin now.

As for sammy i think Kamara is his replacement.

A goal or two in south africa and sammy may get a big move.

Hail Hail

Snake Plissken - The owl flew over the starting credits, into the first scene, and then turned into David Bowie wearing fancy pantaloons and eyeshadow.

I bet you also look forward to seeing Hermione blossom into womanhood with each new Harry Potter movie, you prevert. (thumbsup)

PS - I like the Hideo Kojima interpretation of Snake better. Snake! Snake! Snaaaaaaaaakkkkkeeeee!

Still getting over it. And not getting much work done.

Keano is 3/1 to score first tonight

I think we could have another Jorge Cadete moment on our hands.

-10 and counting.

the BIG OWL

sounds like you all had a good time.

a few painful Livers by the sounds of things.

MWD

LMAO,

you know it's all getting too much for The Horribles when you end up with a daft wee pauper hun tyke like 'super_sammy' at 12.11 and after, popping up with his pop-psychology rhetoric, written I presume with one hand as his other would have been placed over his indefatigable British heart...

But he, and the others who read this are more to be pitied than scolded.

It won't truly have sunk into them yet, but last night was the future;

EVERY single transfer window in the years to come will play out like that for them - sitting like grubby wee weans with their snotty noses pressed up against the window of the toy shop as the Hoops stroll about inside picking up some shiny new merchandise.

So we'd better get used to 'super_sammy' and his ilk - foregoing their own tatty backyard to pop over to the shiny new Celtic playground.

Envy, envy, envy. God knows, they keep this up they'll all turn GREEN!

Paul67

We managed to do so much at the transfer window because of one man - BTM. Everybody else was playing second fiddle to him and for once it all very nearly came off.

BTM has shown himself to be a doer and not a talker.
WGS had a go at this and the summer of 2005 was the last time we attempted so much.

However BTM did this all on his own, he achieved all this at the expense of one of the "Big4" - SMcD and still had some money over for IR who decided not to join the party.

His loss although another quality CB is needed.
JT's performance on Sat was good but we need better back-up than the GL of the last six months.

However maybe the addition of the two more dutchmen will help him focus to get his form and attitude back. Given that we now have the slowest developing CB (JH) and the smallest CB (EB) in Dutch football maybe he can learn that what you get out of football is based on what you put in.

Consequently very pleased with what has been achieved.
Very pleased that BTM talks softly but carries a big stick.
Also impressed that PL has learned the art of "Surprise and Delight", long time in coming but useful never the less.

On the playing side Ki is tha main addition for me.
Looks incredibly promising with a high performance level at a young age. He is the new SP.

Although being Korean he is 20% better and was half the price.

Regarding money, BTM has done all this and still generated cash from all the comings and goings. Excluding RK I think we are also to the good on the wages side, £80K+ pw in addition to SMcM wages while he is on loan.

We have only added around £50K pw to the permanent weekly wage bill plus two loans and RK as the icing on the cake.

The wage savings seem to be mounting up.
I think we saved in excess of £40K pw over the summer

I chose to ignore RK as I think he will pay for himself over the 7 remaining (ex TFOD) home games. 15K @ £20+ x 7 = Lots of dosh. Add in a bumper gate if we manage to get a home SC tie and things will be looking rosy.

Issue for me in this is that it took the board so long to work all of this out.
If RK fills the place then Argument No1 of the Board apologists on here falls -- blame the empty seats on the recession.

In the unlikely event that they are right I will double my bet of GB staying PM after the election.

Only thing missing is the football.
Therefore over to you BTM.

On the subject of league position:

Non OF games - We have lost 4 points more than the "TFOD".
TFOD - 21 games = 13 points dropped.
TFOD - 34 games looking like 21 over the season.

CFC - 20 games = 17 points dropped.
We are looking for them to lose one and draw one more match than us over the piece. So far they have drawn 5 and lost 1. There has been a big improvement in their away form but they are relatively more vulnerable at home.

Praying for Aberdeen in the Top 6 although their friends in the SPL fixtures department can always be relied on to get three home games against the sheep.

We can aford one slip up and no more.

OF games - We have dropped 3 more points than them.
We have 6 points to play for and we have to pull back the three points we are behind.
Looking for one win and one draw.

Doable, very doable.
Keep the faith!

On a similar vein:
Have Faith Brothers
Who sang it?

Gordon_J

That could have been an elaborate bluff from me. :-)

My poker playing is restricted to a wee game with friends on a thursday evening. About 5 or 6 of us with a fiver in and the winner takes the pot. Last of the big spenders we are.

Mort

madmitch - I believe it was George Michael who sang about faith.

Baaaaby! (thumbsup)

Monday 21st May 1979
Celtic 4 Rangers 2. LEAGUE OVER CELTIC ARE CHAMPIONS

Wednesday 23rd May 1979
Rangers 1-0 Partick Thistle
official attendance .................. 2,000.

Sandman

sammy is like every hun i know they care not they are skint.

It may bother them but they do not show it.

All they care about is winning.

When we take that away from them. Then watch the poo hit the fan

Hail Hail

philvisreturns

Like that Owl (now I remember)I too have changed into someone else (I used to be KrakowBhoy but decided to become Snake, yeah I know you heard I was dead).

I have never watched or read any Harry Potter nonsense in my life and I am very proud of that fact.

What you are really talking about is the opening where she gets caught in the rain or the dog that gets soaked YOU pervert.

Thumbsup

Eustace P

there wwill be nae poo left as Sammy is using it all up to pay for Orcish to English translation costs.

MWD :o)

Canny help myself Gordon_J. Leave me alone!

Bournesouprecipe (2.01pm) proffers the following as tonight's likely line-up:

Boruc
Hinkel
Hooiveld
Thompson
O'Dea
McGeady
Ngemo
Ki
Keane
Fortune
Rasmussen

But I'm not sure that gives us enough in midfield.

I still haven't worked out how TM is going to be able to pick a team of just 11 players from what he has available to him.

I can't see him not utilising Fortuné and Kamara, as they are players that he has had before and he has gone out of his way to bring them to his new team. And he has brought in Rasmussen to solve the problem of the strikers missing way too many scoring opportunities per game, so he must be a guaranteed pick too.

I suspect that it is a given that Keano will play whenever he is fit & available... and this is probably stipulated in his contract. He didn't leave Spurs to sit on the bench at Fir Park or Pittodrie!

Boruc and McGeady appear to also be fixtures in the team (although it has been hinted that McGeady may be about to be given a rest). Ki Sung-Yeung and NGuemo also seem to be players that TM has brought in as key components of his Celtic vision, so they will figure prominently.

This only leaves three places for defenders. So perhaps TM is aiming to take Celtic back to a 3-5-2 formation with Keane & Fortuné playing deeper roles, effectively as attacking midfielders, and with McGeady having a licence to roam and pull the opposition defenders all over the place, thereby creating openings for the other attacking players to exploit.

With Hooiveld being another recent TM signing and Braafheid only being here until the end of the season, they must both be in the frame, leaving one from Loovens, O'Dea and Thompson to fill the central defensive spot. And giving the captain's armband to O'Dea would appear to indicate that he might be TM's choice from those.

This gives us:

Boruc

Hooiveld
O'Dea
Braafheid

Keane
NGuemo
Ki Sung-Yeung
McGeady
Fortuné

Kamara
Rasmussen

I can see Thompson potentially coming in to replace Braafheid after his loan expires at the end of the season, with a 3-5-2 not normally requiring orthodox fullbacks in any case.

I expect NGuemo's deal to be made permanent at the end of the season, but I don't think Keane will stay on (...we simply can't afford to keep him!) So Brown will then come back to the fore having had the remainder of this season to make a few appearances (mainly as a sub) to ensure that his injury is completely healed and get back to 100% fitness.

If Kamara fails to make the grade (or doesn't sign permanently) then Samaras will step back up alongside Rasmussen, otherwise Sammi will probably leave. Boruc may also be moved on at this time, but hopefully McGeady will pledge his (entire) footballing future to Celtic.

So next season's core team may look something like this:

Zaluska

Hooiveld
Thompson
O'Dea

Brown
NGuemo
Ki Sung-Yeung
McGeady
Fortuné

Kamara or Samaras
Rasmussen

I've no idea what will happen to Crosas, Maloney and Hinkel, but Loovens, McGinn, McCourt and all the rest are available for any reasonable offer...

Of course, I don't actually have a clue what I am talking about.

(c) TLOPG

He's been a wild rover for many a year,
and he's earned all his money so now he's come here.
Mowbray asked Dermot to use credit,
he answered him Yay...
Now Keane's signed for the Celtic, they'll be champions in May.

They said "No! Nay! Never!" (He'll never sign for you!)
No, Nay, Never no more!
Don't be daft, you silly Timmy,
For your Robbie will never score!

They went into a Bank House, they used to frequent;
And they told the Bank of Scotland their money was spent.
They said "Wipe out our debt - or the league the Fenians will win!",
The Bank replied "Get lost you Beggars - time you paid for your sins!"

And it's "Yes! Now! Keano!" (Welcome home my son!)
Keano - this is your time.
Lead The Hoops, to The Double,
And your name in song, we'll rhyme!

Five thousand of the faithful, in the rain they did wait;
to welcome their Hero, they said this transfer was fate.
Keane said "I'm delighted to be here, this was the right time";
"It's important you all know - I came here in my prime!"

And Keane said "Yes! Da - I'm here now!" (I told you I would!)
He screamed "I'm living my dream!"
"Playing for Glasgow Celtic",
"Please God this will be my last team!"

(c)TLOPG

TLOPG>/b>

timjim

Wouldn't take the being banned from FF as personal, its standard operating procedure to ban all posters who identify themselves as Celtic fans, simply because they do not trust their own lot to behave themselves, as they're all bampots that's no surprise.

cant wait for tonight s game. keane has got to come on from the start?

Phil ...

You know as much about popuplar music as you do about:

Politics / Economics / Business Development ...

Hate to chip in with an unrelated subject ......

I just watched The Hurt Locker. Astounding film about war, about survival and about how certain types of people need the first in order to truly appreciate the second.

Stunning accomplishment. Kathryn Bigelow has been one of my favourite directors since I saw Near Dark.

This is her masterwork.

mwd

magic time had by all

made some good new friends as well

dont know final totals
but lets say 100 guys of a celtic persuassion
on the swally doon south
and the only bad news is
one left jumper
and my bumble shorts left in hotel room

says it all really

can you imagine the carnage if it was 100
of that other mob

proudtobeatim.csc

tbo

Mort,
Did you get my post about visiting Celtic park to meet Ki?

I posted then had to switch off for the day.

the BIG OWL

my brother really enjoyed himself.

I had hoped to make it down myself but other things put paid to that.

MWd

Philvisreturns

Just for you or any other old sad 80's films lovers like me.
Best decade for kids films.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UoG-xQ9Lqc

I feel a public vs private scholl debate coming on.

anyone know what school Robbie went to ?

madmitch - I know, awesome right?!?! And I haven't been this excited since the time I met William Hague and his lovely wife Ffion! (thumbsup)

James Forrest - The Hurt Locker is an awesome movie. I also liked Point Break. (thumbsup)

Snake Plissken - I wish I had a cool movie character user name, but unfortunately I lack imagination so I'd probably end up being called Ned Ryerson. (thumbsup)

First off, I would like to send a big thank you to Paul for providing a day full of entertainment yesterday. I finally was able to post late last night. My F5 key is still smoking and I will have to take my MacBook Pro to the Apple store later today.

This has been an amazing transfer window. On January 1st, I thought that we were going to be set for a month of major disappointments. Boy was I wrong. Peter Lawell, Dermott Desmond, and the Board all deserve a standing ovation. Well done lads! You have restored our faith and trust in the club. The signings that were made will improve our team immensely.

Signing Robbie Keane was the icing on the cake and the one that we all wanted. I nearly spit my cup of tea out at lunch when I received a text telling me that Keane was coming to Paradise. I didn’t believe it until I got back to the office and saw all of the news reports about it. I cannot tell you how excited I was, especially to get home and tell my three Celtic daft boys that Robbie Keane was signing for us. When I got home I told them and they were jumping around the kitchen like mad. My oldest said to me “Daddy, you are joking.” I then showed them the Celtic site on my iPhone and the screaming continued. It took about ½ hour to calm them all down. It looks like I have to order some Keane tops. Since we live in Pennsylvania, my boys have never been to Celtic Park. My oldest is now close on 9 and wants to go to Celtic Park so bad. A trip will be on the cards for him this spring. Unfortunately, the other two weans are still too young... they will have their day as well. To be so far away from the thing that you love very much is very tough. I am sure that all of you who cannot get to Celtic Park for matches feel the same way. Thank God for sites like this, Channel 67, and the good friends we have in the Celtic family who make being away much easier. Thank you again Paul!

I have hope in my heart that Robbie will be the catalyst to bring the league and Scottish Cup home to where it belongs. I hope that he and the rest of the other loan signings love playing for our heritage-rich club and want to sign on long-term. If not, it will speak volumes to what is really most important in life, being a legend or having deep pockets. Only time will tell, but I have faith.

Your in Celtic,
HatboroCelt

Well done BTM and PL,rabbitt out the hat stuff,superb.

tonight's game,and the rest of the season,i think we should just go and out score everyone,4-2-4 all the way,

Boruc
Hinkle
Hooiveld
Thomson(loovens)
Braafdheid

KI(Brown)
NGeumo(Crosas)

McGeady
Fortune(rasmussan)
Keano,Keano,Keano
Kamara(Sammi)

Looksgoodtomecsc

Hail Hail p1967

Courtesy of Marinello.

It's not all doom and gloom for the Beggars as the Ipox club were today given a financial boost when David Weirs cold weather payment came in the post.

Jakeit goat.

Ooot a here.

MWD :o)

I have friends(not many) who are huns and we have stayed friends by following a simple rule.We do not discuss football because there is no point I,am not going to change their views and their not going to change mine.We exchange some comments but do not get into a serious conversation and it work.So Iam really not interested in what Sammy has to say on my Celtic blog and I,d rather he went away and stayed away.

James Forrest

I know from previous posts we share a similar taste in American TV - The Wire in particular.

Any thought s on Mad Men? Have you seen it?

One paragrpah will do :0)

SwanseaBhoy

WGS ,
was it you collecting the ROBBIE YES OR NO LIST ?

do you have the definitive recording of it ?

SwanseaBhoy:

Hehe. Not yet mate. I am actually going to get season 1 over the next couple of days, as I've heard only good things.

I just finished season 1 of Damages. Excellent stuff. Glenn Close is just superb ... as ever.

3-5-2 it has to be. Play to our strengths and let the rest of the SPL worry about us.

Zaluska

Hinkel Hooiveld Braafheid

McGeady Ki N'Geumo Kamara

Keane

Fortune Rasmussen

Sorry to drop Boruc, love him to bits for what he has done but his cage needs rattled.

Big chips uk

3-4-3 formation would work brilliant for us I would love that system at Celtic

I thought there was no chance of Robbie signing and said so.
This ruins my record of only once ever making a mistake. It was when I thought I was wrong but I wasn't.

James Forrest - Damages is superb. Season 2 is as good as season 1 and leaves you guessing just as much!!

madmitch

I worked out that we could probably drop 4 points - this was based on them continuing their form (which I believe they will do with the help of the MIB) even though post-split should bring more difficult games.

Obviously if we take the 6 points from the Celtic Rangers games we may have more leeway. We cannot afford to lose either.

Ref; WGS Robbie list..... was down for a no.....and in someways I am correct.....y'see, I thought he meant to Celtic on a PERMANENT transfer. Now, if he'd said the poll was about a LOAN move, I....erm......would have said......eh......YES

WGS

I think I was mistrakenly on your Yes/No Robbie Keane list as a NO!

I may have said 'Not a chance in Hell of Robbie Keane coming to Celtic' and I now having re-read it I agree it was somewhat ambiguous. I assume this is why you made the mistake.

For the sake of accuracy can you ensure that I am transferred to the 'Of course it will happen, what a stupid question' list?

Many thanks

SwanseaBhoy

ZetaBhoy
I have to say the short time I visited the site I was disgusted with some of the comments and the fact they were not deleted.
I should not have sighed on I realise that now but I was just being noisy

BigChipsUK

Anton Mor is going to have a real headache with team selection. Andit'll give us on CQN all the reasons in the world to atgue the piece out with each other.

As for your selection. I can't see Anton Mor going with 3 at the back. Too easy to disturb. It worked fine with MON until Mc Leish blew it out of the water by playing 3 up front. ONeill never went back to it after that.

Defence almost picks itself.

Boruc - (I'd have Cool Hand Luke)

Hinkle Joos O Dea Brafield

after that its any body's guess.

Kammara / Brown Ki/Crossas Nguemo Aiden

Keane Fortune / Ramussan

boruc

hinkel thompson hoiveld odea

zi nguemo mcgeady

fortune rassmussen keane

4- 3 - 3

TLOPG......think that could catch on mate - nice one ;-)

James Forrest - Mad Men is a truly great show, although I was a bit annoyed at first because the Don Draper character is basically a ripoff of me. (thumbsup)

st stivs

Tallaght primary?

jimbob71

Yeah thanks, got to read it yesterday during one of the quieter times of the blog before things started to go a bit mad.

Sounded like yous had a great time.

Mort

I said on the day after the derby match that from the 57 pts remaining we had to take 51. Still stand by that.

We can only afford to drop 3 more pts and those three cannot under any circumstances be to the beggars.

MWD

Saint,

I do, give and take a few i may have missed.

Snake Plissken - My childhood heroes were Darth Vader and Mister T. I pity the fool who doesn't like the 80's. (thumbsup)

Can we see Tony playing his team?...... The Future!!!!

Boruc

Rogue Hoiveld Zhi Braahfeild

Nguemo Ki

Fortune Kamara

Keane Raamussen

.............I was in the "YES'S" for the Hoosfeld, Rasmussen,Rogne, Kamara, Slane and Braafheid polls that nobody thought to poll

My team for tonight.
I think Boruc needs dropped for a couple of games,Is the New Heid ready?

Zaluska

Hinkel Thomson Hooiveld O'dea or Heidv2

N'guemo,Ki,Crosas

Fortune,Keane,Kamara

From the official website

Keane and Camara in the squad for tonight.

FLC

Mort,

We did. The wee fella had a ball and I showed him the website last night, he was delighted to see himself on it!!

Especially the one getting his autograph book signed!!

I enjoyed it too!

FourLeafClover
No Camara please no it must be Kamara:-)

bilbo1888 at 2.52

drop boruc bilbo thats a big gamble for tonights game

FLC

So we finally secured Mo Camara after his release from St Mirren.
Phew, thought that was never going to happen. At least that will stop the perpetual "Have we signed a left back yet" questions.

Hail Hail

Mort

Defo has to be. 3-4-3 all day long

Have to admit I'm a Skippy fan and am pretty gutted for our wee Antipodean (ex)-hunskelper being pushed out for a 'loaner', but after reading Keane's coments in the article posted above(thanks lucky number 7) I'm feeling a bit less PO'ed. The man sure has the class, drive and ability to get our title back....which means beating the huns twice and not losing another game by my reckoning.

So now we will see what all the shouting was about....and if Tony Mowbray really has the mettle to be Celtic Manager.

Onwards and Upwards.

Mon The Hoops

jimbob71

I'm sure you did. Quite possibly more so than your boy if you're anything like me :-)

Mort

jimbob71

was it your good self that the tic let down with re. the bhoys birthday gig on the big screens?

MWD

BigChips

I'd go for...

Boruc
Hinkel
Hooiveld
Thompson
O'Dea
Broonie (yes 100% Broonie!)
Nguemo
Ki
McGinn
Fortune
Rasmussen

Keane to come on if we still haven't scored

Spell check - Kamara instead of Camara.

Cardinal sin mispelling one of the bhoys names.

FLC

WGS,
can you oblige by posting the full list , so us that were right can gloat for a moment.

come on the hoops tonight, lets give the ayrshire huns a goalfest.
revenge.

Henkestongue at 2.52 pm

IMO not a big a gamble as playing him in his current form.

Hail Hail

TM says he may rest McGeady and Crosas, Braafheid is unavailable yet, therefore...

Boruc
Hinkel Hooiveld Thomson Naylor (aye Naylor)

McGinn NGuemo Ki McCourt

Fortune Rasmussen

...later I would swap Kamara for a winger and Keane for a striker.

bilbo1888, Heid mark 2 is not available...

I'd go for that team you have selected....Ras to come off the bench

I think that Maloney and Brown will be like new signings when they come back. Fresh and raring to go. This squad is now brimming with class and hopefully it will tell come May.

I CANNY WAIT !!!!!

WELL DONE TO ALL AT CP. CREDIT WHEN ITS DUE TO THE BOARD AND BTM.

HERE WE GO AGAIN........

HAIL HAIL
CB

Anyone read how much Mido is getting paid while at West Ham until the end of the season.

£1,000 a week according to their new owner. Astonishing.

Mort

Mort,
I did enjoy it more than my bhoy, that I'm quite sure of!!

MWD,

No, it wasn't us. This was an invite 50 kids got who had bought half season ticket to meet Ki and Hoopy, it's on the news section of the official website which Mort kindly pointed out to me yesterday.

MWD

Think that was Ard Macha..

Saint,

I will when i get home mate.

I'm under the impression all the NO's on the list need to stand the Yes's a round :) :) :)

Only kidding!!

Will do mate.

James Forrest,

You seem to be placing a lot of your hope on a belief, maybe you are the superstitious sort i wouldn't know, that Rangers and Walter have been "lucky" - 8 times was it in one post? Hardly the most solid foundations for the great resurgence is it, though not uncommon for the sore loser to seek refuge in delusions of misfortune and conspiracy, though maybe i mis-judge you there. Apologies if so.

Unlike many of the Celtic persuasion, i take no comfort in our balance sheet or the suits in the boardroom - nor did i ever during the days of over-indulgent spending (I preferred Smith and Souness' British-based team to Advocaat's success with mercenaries). Give me a team of Champions over a happy bank manager anyday. You seek comfort in painting a dark future for Rangers, but the future is not something that preoccupies someone so enjoying the present.

I'll indulge you for a second though and presume that Two in a Row/53/Champs League cash'n'all that won't do us any harm in the push for the Big 3
:)

Whats the forum thoughts on Broonie? A guy i have real sympathy for. First year must have been hard with his personal circumstances and the expectations when you move to huge club. Second year ruined by injury and having to look a willo flood's coupon in the dressing room. He can still be key to celtic for years to come IF he works hard and gets his game togther. He deserves his chance to prove himself

vinibhoy at 2.56

is brown fit enough after his layoff

James Forrest on February 2, 2010 12:58 PM

Excellent post!

Also, The Hurt Locker is a fantastic movie. Beautifully shot, great dialogue and story!

WGS,

in work as well, but I am working, but the feelgood factor means i cant stop dipping in and out the blog,

I too remember you saying winners get pints from the losers, considering we were outvoted by 3-1 thats a good start to a night out.

without starting a schools debate, On the Ball on Saturday, admitted that Holycross High School , has produced the greatest number of famous footballers, and mentioned the McStays (obviously, its the only one I knew, maybe Hartley ?) but also that a Lisbon Lion, so ML'ers, educate me on who went there.

And I bet they aint as good as Mick Conroy. Saint Stivs.

I take it Sammy had to borrow some excrement from other Orcs to pay for that translation. Is that the best you could do after 58 mins. 2 paras saying nout. Did they put the price up to (200 spittles, 20 pees & 2 excrement landings) leaving you little time to write your Orcish reply before trnaslation.

Go Getim James Forrest.

Ah! The poor wee beggar guy really had nothing to say.

AAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

MWD

simian mobile disco at 2.59

I would to like to see brown shoot from outside the box when he has the chance. he should become a great player if giving the chance as you said

Malarkey - McCourt is injured (minor knee injury)

henkestongue1969 - As far as I'm aware he's had 2 full weeks training and is itching to run aboot like a rabid dug!.

Paul anybody:

Managed to get a brief fir tonight, do we know if he is playing??

Keep the Faith!

Hail Hail!

My team for tonight.

CELTIC (any combination of)

MWD

Simian MD

I think the bhoy deserves a chance for the reasons that you mentioned. He has shown, albeit in glimpses, that he can play in ANY company.

Broonie will be back with a BANG and show us all that he is the mhan to give us that forward drive in midfield we have all seen to be lacking. (dont mean to pay N'Guemo a disservice by saying that cos his presence was missed during the African CON but the key word was 'forward')

HAIL HAIL
CB

I've solved TM's selection headache...

It's the new 6-8-5 formation:

Zaluska

Hinkel
Hooiveld
Thompson
Loovens
O'Dea
Braafheid

McGinn
Brown
Zheng Zhi
Crosas
Ki Sung-Yeung
NGuemo
Maloney
McGeady

Kamara
Keane
Rasmussen
Fortuné
Samaras

That should put an end to the sieve and rather improve the conversion rate of scoring opportunities!

With all the euphoria of the last 24 hours or so, the team need to focus on 3 points tonight. Nothing else matters and whoever is picked needs to ensure we get a victory. Even a scrappy 1-0 like Saturday will do.
I was of the opinion that what Celtic did in the January transfer window would be the major contributory factor on who won the league, as it has in the last 2 seasons. After dropping 7 points from 9 at home during the transfer window I was convinced, after the Hibs game, the league was over and whatever we did was too late. Not that I didn't think they would drop points or that we wouldn't beat them in the 2 remaining games, I just thought we would drop more points in the run in. I also thought, still think, that TM wasn't up to the job and that the board weren't backing him. With the window now closed, and yesterday's signings, I think we have a chance, we've made it unduly hard for ourselves, but we have a chance. Win the next 5 league games, starting tonight and ending at Ibrox at the end of February, and we'll be no worse than 4 points behind with 11 games to go. If that happens we will win the league, if we drop any points we won't.

super_sammy:

There are two things which arise from your post.

First ....

"Unlike many of the Celtic persuasion, i take no comfort in our balance sheet or the suits in the boardroom - nor did i ever during the days of over-indulgent spending (I preferred Smith and Souness' British-based team to Advocaat's success with mercenaries)."

Hahaha. That fact is self evident from the state of the club. And you talk about Advocaat's success with mercenaries and then talk about Smith and Souness and their success as if the same common thread does not run through both eras ..... all of it was done with SOMEONE ELSES MONEY ......

Secondly .....

Of course I am placing my faith in a belief. Just like you are. You believe - contrary to the evidence - that your club will not drop points in enough games for us to catch up. I believe the opposite, but my belief is based on evidence. Where I veer slightly into hope - but only slightly - is the belief the restructuring job done by the manager will enable my team to win more games and thus overtake you. As we've created a lot of chances, even in those games we have not won, I expect us to take more of them having signed a world class finisher like Keane. Stands to reason.

Thirdly .....

"You seek comfort in painting a dark future for Rangers, but the future is not something that preoccupies someone so enjoying the present."

A self evident fact. The future for Rangers is dark because of just such a ludicrous "live for today ... tomorrow will never come" mindset.

Prosecution rests, Your Honour.

Any thoughts on who of our recent departees will have the best career in the future?

I think we will be surprised by how far WF goes!

saint stivs fp - "Holycross High School , has produced the greatest number of famous footballers"

Yes, but I bet they're rubbish at archery and sailing. (thumbsup)

vinibhoy hopefully the rabid dug has a wee bit more bit and become a legend

Hail hail

News just through that Shame FC did indeed try to strengthen there squad in the January window.

A last gasp bid was made to gazump West Ham to sign Mido, unfortunately they couldn't match his wage demands!!!

Yes, I said there were two things that arose from his post, and I pointed out three .... on closer reflection there was more wrong with it than I initially realised. All two and a bit paragraphs of it!

Paul67-thanks for yesterday what a day please keep the site going if you need a subscription just ask.

Big thanks to PL,DD, and Tony.

James Forrest-what a series of posts,great stuff,thank you.

timjim-I am with you ban them all.

Hunt them down Celts.
Hail Hail.

SS,

the future is not something that preoccupies someone so enjoying the present

Exactly the thinking that got Rangers into the situation they face today. It's often forgotten in the midst of your financial crisis just what an expensively assembled team you have on the pitch. A team assembled with money no other bank than HBOS would have geven you.

Enjoy your title(s) paid for with other peoples money if it comes, but you've now reached the stage where it all has to be paid back and you'll be hamstrung for years to come.

Mendes gone. Bougherra, Davis and Boyd on their way in the summer. All proceeds to fill the big black hole in the finances.

Still, you'll always have the memories of the 2009 title to sustain you throgh the dark days ahead. Maybe in a few years, Govan Gers FC will be admitted to the SFL Third Division?

24th August 1996
Kilmarnock 1 Celtic 3

Anyone remember that game?
The first time the three amigos played together for Celtic (bumblebee strip as well). The stands were bouncing, literally. For those lucky enough to be there tonight I think the atmosphere will be as good as that day.

madmitch - "I think we will be surprised by how far WF goes!"

I think so too.

To the Moon, Willo! To the Moon! (thumbsup)

Clare's Bhoy

Thanks very much - feel free to pass it along!

TLOPG

That’s the best window I’ve ever seen with Celtic … including those in Amsterdam and Hamburg! But tonight I don’t care if we are as scrappy as we were in Hamilton at the weekend as long as we get the three points.

That gives the new Bhoys 10 days or so until the next league game and a bit more time to gel. If we win tonight it’s down to seven points and we have plenty of time to chip away at that – besides, that means they only have to slip up once to put everything back in our hands.

Best of luck to Scott McDonald, and the other Bhoys at Middlesbrough Celtic – I didn’t want the wee man to leave, but I’m happy enough with his replacement!

It was maybe too much to want Ramis in as well, but it would be churlish to complain about that when Celtic managed to do so much in this window.

Barry Ferguson, terry butcher, wet wet wet, andy goram, maggie thatcher, broxi bear, terry hurlock, scot nisbet, bonni ginsberg, ally mcoist derek johnstone. Walter smith can you hear me? Walter smith, your boys are going to take a hell of a beating :)

Carlsberg dont to transfer windows.

Simian Mobile Disco & Others looking at formations

Personally I think if we can still get good money for Brown in the summer he's very replaceable but I think everyone's of the opinion that there will be a formation change.

If we move to 3 in the middle Brown can be a good player with his energy and increased freedom to move forward. In Ki though I believe we have an improved replacement.

I'd go for a normal back 4.

A defensive midfielder/ball winner - N'Guemo (Brown could do this if needed and Crosas to a lesser extent)

A box-to-box midfielder - Brown or Ki

A midfield playmaker - Ki or Crosas (not necessarily needed in an advanced position)

Up front there'd be an out and out striker - Rasmussen (Keane or Kamara are options)

A second striker who can drop deeper when needed and mix up the play bringing others into the game - Keane, Samaras, Fortune or Kamara

And a third striker/winger/attacking midfielder (almost a free role) - McGeady, McCourt, McGinn, Maloney (Keane, Samaras, Fortune and Samaras could also fill this role as could Brown, Ki, Mizuno) this player would link the midfield and attack - they would be between the lines and therefore should receive more space, they need to get around enough though to keep the fullbacks in defensive positions (with the help of the second striker).

I think that would be an exciting layout but it's something that would take a lot of work and won't click overnight. The fullbacks provide width and with 3 in midfield there should always be cover, the 2nd and 3rd striker keep the opposition pinned back and with 3 in midfield there should be opportunities for one to spear ahead and get into the box.

For now I'd stick with a 4-4-2 and play this formation behind closed doors.

Tonights score qill be 5-0 the bhoys, hail hail, I still believe !!!!!

Gary67

I remember it well. We had acquired tickets through a Killie player and were sitting in the centre stand. Although a mixed area (player's wives, club execs etc) it was uncomfortable when Killie scored (a howler from Marshall I think).

After Di Canio scored me and my three mates were going mental - which I don't think went down too well with the locals. After the third we didn't care and it was just Celtic fans left in that section anyway. Great memories.

Gary67,

Remember it well.

We were 0-1 down and struggling at half-time, and it was the introduction of Di Canio with half an hour to go that turned the game. He scored a brilliant solo goal that day as well.

Hoping for a more stress-free first 60 minutes tonight.

James Forrest, well done for pummeling big sammy silkence

are you a lawyer as you dont half batter in

Just waiting on Sammy translating back to Orcish now.

Be a while mee thinks.

MWD

By philvisreturns on February 2, 2010 3:08 PM
saint stivs fp - "Holycross High School , has produced the greatest number of famous footballers"

Yes, but I bet they're rubbish at archery and sailing. (thumbsup)

I did laugh out loud at that one, very good.

an agincourt salute to you.

super sammy

a bit of advise. you are out of your dept against james forrest.
for every five words you write, james will write ten. oh, where have i heard that from before.

james forrest

did you watch the game in chandlers?. i think i was you. if not i apalogise. old haunt of mine 10 year ago.

BigChipsUK

that cobination of looks good to me.

MWD

Be careful what you wish for. I wished for Boydy to be punted. Wee Gordy tried to buy him. He failed, so then went for Skippy. We sold him Skippy, then immediately contacted 'Arry to get Robbie Keane. If Monster Munch went to Boro would we have got Robbie?
31003, see you at Rugby Park tonight

By Danny Boyle, Blaser-Brown and Charlie Donnelly on February 2, 2010 3:16 PM

I was in the next section of the main stand at that game, and there was a considerable scuffle at half time on the passageway, as some local worthy took exception to "tims in ooor seats"

his lip was severly buttoned after we scored the 3rd.

hehehe

This is from the G Speirs article on Robbie.

"The other side of this coin is that Keane, when he goes to Ibrox if fit to play against Rangers on February 27, will be loathed and detested like no other: Irish, Catholic, and all of that. When Keane played in a pre-season friendly for Liverpool against Rangers in July, 2008, the Ibrox club’s officials were left squirming at the level of abuse he received from the stands. So all this is about to flare up again in Glasgow."

This got me thinking about the fundemental differences between us and them. I could not think of a person that has been subjected to "Loath and Detest" at CP purely for nationality of religion. They are mainly abused for reasons of their actions.

Novo - for being a wee snyde
Goram - for his political affiliations.
Gascoigne - Cause he was a great player and had loved being a Ger!
Albertz - he scored loads of goals against us
Laugherty - cause he's a cheat
Lovenkrantz - can't remember where it started, but I did hate him too

the list goes on and on of Huns that I can't stand, and have been given abuse from the CP stands, but none of it was unfounded, and none of it was based on race and religion.

harpsybhoy:

I did indeed! And I met some good CQNers there. Hope next time I am in you will be about.

Hail Hail

mort

mido is 26 and is on his eleventh club.

Well done James Forrest a well presented retort.

The point has been clearly made , i fear a reply of we are the f****** peepil cannot be far off now.

Happy Days at Rugby Park:

Di Canio

Andy Thom

Jorge Cadete

Is that Phil O'Donnell powering up the park to set up Thom's goal?

Mad mitch @ 3.08pm
Any thoughts on who of our recent departees will have the best career in the future?

I think we will be surprised by how far WF goes!

Nah, it will be Chris Killen, New Zealand is a long way from here. :-)

Right ghuys........justed penned a new song to our new favourite, Robbie Keane........bear with me here.........sing these words to the old "Banana Splits" tune.......ps.....if, like me you find it hard to remember the words......print it off and take it to the game with you....anyway.....without further ado.....a little ditty entitled......"He's going to top the scoring charts even though he'd less than half a season"

Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Rob
Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Rob
Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Rob
Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Robbie Rob

Chorus

Rob Rob Rob
Robbie Rob Rob
Rob Rob Rob
Robbie Rob Rob

Rob Rob Rob
Robbie Rob Rob
Rob Rob Rob
Robbie Rob Rob

"2nd verse....same as first

Then Chorus again

Wha'dye think?....be honest

St Michaels Bhoy

Nope it was Cadette with Di Canio running through in the middle.

MWD

celtic4orme

Yeah I'm sure he won't need the money but it's still a remarkable figure and reported to be the lowest wage in the premiership.

Mort

I see big Boggy is on holiday again but this time its official.They had to allow him or he would have went on the Pat and Mick.He will not play against St Johnstone tomorrow, thats their excuse ready for going out of the CIS Cup excuses excuses alway excuses.

james forrest @ 2.01
Sorry to correct you, but i think you will find the huns hold the low home attendance record of around 2,500 1981-82 v Partick Th.
Anyway i am away to get ready for the trip to killie as i managed to get a ticket for tonight
Hail Hail

Marvin, that does tell you everything about that lot. All 6 players you mentioned are Darnelists and thats reason enough for our dislike of them. But Robbie wasnt even a Celtic player and was being abused by Scotlands shame.

Gary67,

Yeah, will never forget that game, i think it was Di Canio's debut.

Hopefully more of the same tonight but unfortunately won't be there to compare the two.

FLC

Hopefully the optimism engendered by the January signings - all of them, not just Robbie Keane - will provide the necessary impetus to see Celtic go on and win the league this season. And, being greedy, let's make it a double by winning the Scottish Cup as well.
However, first things first, the most important game of the season is tonight's match v Kilmarnock. Win that and then focus on Saturday's game.
Let's take one match at a time and not get ahead of ourselves. I hope and believe that Tony Mowbray strengthened the starting eleven and the squad in the January transfer window but, as always, time will be the judge.
Winning the league from 10 points behind would be sweet, a victory made all the sweeter when you think how many more points we could already have had this season if certain refereeing decisions had not gone against us at critical times.
Onwards and Upwards Celtic, let's go for it. 3 points tonight at Kilmarnock and not only is the league race on but we enter it fully believing we can win it.
KTF - Alba Bhoy.
PS - Anyone know when Milan Misun will be fit again?:

By saint stivs fp on February 2, 2010 3:03 PM
Hartley
McStay's
McManus
O'Donnell
McCarthy (I Think)

All former all um nie

Play

Does anyone know if we have first option to buy Robbie if his loan is a success?

.

St Michaels Bhoy....

A Bazzokie @ Rugby Park....

007

oops sorry for the triple post there folks

Keanophanque

Glad you came back to your first hero with that link...

Sammi will always be your man.... ;0)

Can anybody point me in the direction of a national newspaper that has verified the Mc Gregor and Boyd last minute deals were true. Laptop loyal does not count.

MADE up me thinks

It's all deja bloody vu reading the blog this afternoon!

Lynott67 - right opposition and right attendance figure for the lowest, but it was 1978-9 and it was the game right after 4-2, all the die-hards came out of the woodwork to show their loyal support for the gers that night!

HatBoroCelt - 'Arry has already said it's only a loan, he expects to get him back and Keane last night spoke about winning things in "my short time here". It's a short term thing, don't start thinking about him staying on for any length of time and certainly don't give him the captains arm band! You don't give that to a loan player when you've just signed a bunch of other players on lengthy contracts.

Help ,all those triple posts there, it was like my old black and white telly going on the blink. Feel sick now.

The last time the bhlog felt this positive about a player coming in was when we signed Hoopslegend wee Tommy Gravesen.

And when we signed Hoopslegends wee Scott Brown and wee Massimo Donati.

What could possibly go wrong...

Did Scotlands shame land Mr. Poulsen from the little genital ?

I would like to see us move to a more 'modern' 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1 or 4-3-1-2 shape as this team evolves. The width would come from the front three and the full backs. In the SPl, we should be able tofield 3 of our out-and-out strikers in any given game, and a central three shoul be a match for the best the SPL can muster (that's Hibs..).

------Boruc------
Hinkel Thompson Hooiveld Heid

Brown NGuemo Ki

Keane Rasmussen Kamara

I see big Boggy is on holiday again but this time its official.They had to allow him or he would have went on the Pat and Mick.He will not play against St Johnstone tomorrow, thats their excuse ready for going out of the CIS Cup excuses excuses alway excuses.

This sent to the English papers - we'll see if they publish:

(PARTIAL) JUSTICE, AT LAST!

Deloittes tell us that the total spend by English Premier League football clubs this time was £30m against £190m last January. Signs, perhaps, of a dawning realisation that the insane Premier League business model cannot survive much longer without imminent major casualties. The Premier League is the only "business" I know of which is allowed to progress with limited regulation when there is an unstated recognition that most of the major players are inept, irrational, imprudent and/or even crooked. Clubs continue to spend way beyond budget in the hope that the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the long-overdue Administration Express.

The fans, increasing distanced from any meaningful connection with their heroes, subsidise the whole carnival of merchandise, tickets and multiple media subscriptions while the "owners" pay out ridiculous salaries to buy in instant success and, in some cases, to finance their "ownership". For Manchester United to be paying so much in interest payments that they need a bond just to service their debts is, in my view, a definition of madness. Whatever you think of them, they are right at the top of the game in terms of attendance, global marketing and football performance.

Now, let's review the situation in the Scottish backwater. Celtic are the biggest player, they also have global reach but they depend on scouting and buying in cheaper markets and results over the last two years have been dire. Their fans have won awards from FIFA and EUFA recognising their excemplary behaviour throughout Europe. Entirely due to their geographical location in a country with only around 5 million people, they earn just over £1m in media rights compared to the £20m or £30m which Premier Leagues can expect. Despite this, their wages/turnover ratio is exemplary and they have no massive debts. Rangers, on the other hand, are in structural economic crisis due to their previous desperation to buy success at any cost.

Celtic deserve their current success in buying in good cheaper players and will be further boosted short-term by the acquisition of players on loan such as Robbie Keane. But the major breakthrough may be that English clubs are finally realising that this spending carnival has to end. I have never supported the notion that Celtic and/or Rangers should enter one of the English leagues and I am delighted that they were swept away so imperiously. Good business sense allied to talent on the field will always succeed in the end, no matter how unfair and crazy the business model is. I sincerely hope, for the benefit of our great game on both sides of the border, that people are slowly realising that we can't all go on like this. Sound management on and off the pitch should be rewarded, not penalised.

Poor old Walter...

“I think Robbie Keane arriving in Scotland is a good thing for Scottish football as it puts the SPL in the spotlight but, from our own point of view, we are obviously hoping he doesn’t have that big an impact.

“We’ll just have to focus on our own form between now and the end of the season and hopefully in the future my own club will be in such a position where we can make signings – and I mean any signings as this is the third window without buying a player.”

timjim

i read that earlier 7 times i think... ;0)

@Andy M

If Gudjohson has a successful spell at Spurs this could all work out nicely. One can dream, right?

Sorry I,ve goat a stutter

HatboroCelt - wouldn't get your hopes up too high mate as its unlikely that long term we could afford either the transfer fee that Spurs would want (£10m?) or the long term wages that Robbie would want. On a scale of 1 to 10 its probably about a 2.

timjim - any idea where Bougherra is?

Sorry guys.......liked it so much posted it lots of times

timjim Lynott67 31003

I don't know if you didn't see Paul67's comment that from now on your post won't show up straight away - no need to repost several times.

31003

Not Exactly Brian Wilson more Richard Wilson

I dont believe it

Sorry 0/10

Andy M- correct , two out of three aint bad though. I should have known that, as i was at the 4-2 game.
You brought it all back to me there. The huns had hibs away and thistle at home after we spanked them 4-2. You are correct my friend i would put the date at sometime in may 79.
Gordon usually posts exact details at some point.
Anyway enough of the huns , away to get ready for killie.
Hail Hail

Is there an echo in here?

By Danny Boyle, Blaser-Brown and Charlie Donnelly on February 2, 2010 3:53 PM
timjim - any idea where Bougherra is?

NO but neither does walter;-)

TSOAL......ah know whits wrang wi you......you jist don't like it cos you'll forget the words....eh?....eh?....eh?

NMOF(aka Malone)
I kept getting error server message

Keanophanque....007....,

An even better effort from Georgios at Rugby Park in this collection:

Samaras

I guess it is just my hopes that he will want to stay and play for a support who will love and idolize him. If we make the Champions League this could be a huge big game changer.

Danny Charlie
Probally in a brothel in old Algiers

HatboroCelt on February 2, 2010 3:39 PM

PL stated last night that there were no option clauses, or first refusals, in Keane's loan move.

It is my belief that Robbie wont be at Spurs next season though, as he and Harry don't appear to be the best of pals.

timjim - lucky bassa ;-)

Roon ye Sneevins. A couple of weeks ago he mocked a Celtic fan who came on talking about the Keano rumour. Wrong again Hugh eh ? Twat.

Well done PL and the Celtic board. The signing we've all been yearning for and a transfer window that exceeded all expectations.

Just bought tickets for tonight through the Killie shop.

Any advice on parking around the Park.

Cheers

OB

TSOAL......by the way........that song took me from 5.00pm yesterday until 5 mins before posting to think up.......then you.....aye you dismiss it within 2 minutes.....shame on you

ZetaBhoy

I think a lot depends on how Robbie Keane performs for us in the remainder of the season. The wages he would want and transfer fee Spurs would want should make a permanent deal very difficult for us but if he scores loads and makes himself a very important player then a permanent deal needs to be considered.

Robbie Keane has been traded for over £70m in his career so one would assume he has made quite a lot of money from the game in terms of signing on fees and wages and if he is as big a Celtic fan as the rest of us, he should be able to take a pay cut to something sustainable and affordable for us.

The transfer fee is something else but again if he is successful and helps us to the champions league then we have that money, plus the £3.5m Gordon kindly gave us for Skippy. Spurs may also be willing to consider a swap deal for Scott Brown or Aiden to supplement the fee.

Long way to go but I wouldn't rule it out completely. This time yesterday, few of us had any idea this was going to happen.

They say a week is a long time in politics, a day is a long time in football.

Mort

I remember when Roy Keane made his début for Celtic, the match as I'm sure we all remember was televised live and the hype must have got thru to the Clyde players who all played as if their very lives depended on winning the match. Wonder if Killie and Cauldi will be equally as motivated? Hope not.

One last post and I'll sit back and read...

How many of your weans are begging you to buy them a Keane top? I have had three requested this morning over breakfast.

Brilliant signings and good business getting rid of some dross and wasterlings and more or less balancing the books into the bargain. Well done all indeed. Now BTM has built his team we have to do our part and really get behind the team full time, just thought full time Tims, great that!!

It's not so long ago, when we had a team with players up there among the best in Europe, yeah, less than 10 years in fact.Players like Lubo, Henrik, Sutton, Thompson, Mjallby, McNamara, Lambert, Burley, Hartson,Reiper etc . Even wee Maloney was a bhoy with them.
What's changed then. The English premiership was in it's infancy, not much money at the time,and SKY was starting out building their business big time. Like the man says, he who pays the piper calls the tune ans SKY are now doing that big time.However, SKy is in business for one reason and one reason alone, to make money for themselves, and they did this by creating a product with world wide appeal, a package which could make money for all concerned. That is where or when the entire market dynamic changed and the real money poured into English football, alas not Scottish football. Sad but understandable really.
Currently we have the Premiership with as much debt as to sink a small nation and gorging and gloating on there 'success'. But, in purely economic terms this is bound to fail, sooner or later as the levels of greed and debt spiral out of control. We at Celtic are at least pragmatic attempting to live within our means,the mr McCauber principal I call it.
So, what can we do? Do we wait until the premiership inevitably implodes or do we attempt to move Brand Celtic forward. We have a football club, renowned the world over and with interest the world over. Are we fully capitalising on this, the answer is a definite no.
We should create, and lead the way and market a product with real appeal worldwide and with that appeal an audince is there to purchase it. Hate to use an overused cliche but we really must think outside the box. We must retain all Celtic tV rights, brand rights and keep our own money within Celtic. Why let other parties use our money and our fantastic Celtic brand.Money generated by Celtic stays in Celtic and not gifted to the leeches and hangers-on We must think big and lose any sense of inferiority which we may have. For God's sake, we are Celtic!!!
So we should drive and lead an initiative to create a Super League, whether that be European or Worldwide and not let it go, and for this Super league to be heavily marketed and sold so that the likes of SKY cannot ignore us. Difficult, I know, but we know about difficult so lets get into dialogue with interested parties,ie , other clubs with the same ambition and do the sums on the creation of such a league.
Every league in the world has teams at the top, and those at the bottom and in business we have to make tough decisions. We have no responsibility to anyone other tha Celtic FC - we are not in existence to keep the SFA and other Scottish clubs business.
If we go ahead and create such a League we will have a difficult time form the neagtive Media, many reasons why we can't etc etc , but we can do it.
One last thing , we are not joined at the hip to RFC and we should go our own way to making Celtic waht we all want, a real world Super Power.

Danny Basher & Charlie

Anywhere is better than Ipox

31003

I dont like singing songs about the boaby

Love

HatboroCelt

Get them Rasmussen shirts instead. Explain to them that it's better to stand out from the crowd.

Plus, more letters in his name so club gets more moolah :-))))

Mort

BigChipsUK

You raised many issues other than the most eagerly awaited team selection for
many a long time.

Agree with al lot of what you've posted.

I'm thinking TM is a lucky man to suddenly have such a wealth of potential in his squad. We have been short or lacking in midfield even when we've played standard 4-4-2.

Now we have two, instinctive finishers to complement Fortune Kamara or Samaras, who may all be similar in style.

TM has been playing wide men to try and compensate for the lack of sitting or holding men in midfield, we don't do 'holding what we've got,' in some games we've got away with it.

The plethora of front men might make him go for introducing another one, from the start rather than the way we usually end games, always with more attackers, than we started.

We need more than one Nguemo type player for certain games, even in the SPL so Scott Brown will no doubt be back soon.

4-3-3 is just an option given that we are suddenly striker rich. The Captaincy we may keep in
reserve till Summer as an inducement for Robbie to sign his three year deal.

Exciting times.

Hail Hail

Derbyshirebhoy@10:46am previous thread.

I agree with your post.

What I am happy about is that the town heid yins have backed the new sherrif in town...

High Noon approaches.

Random thoughts -

This is all a bit surreal - still feel like I'm watching life through Father Jack's eyes after he quaffed down that Toilet Duck!

I see Tony Mowbray's making Robbie Keane captain - the only decision he could make. Can anyone see any other player taking the armband with him in the team?

Another point is that all the previous CQN debates - ref injustice, songs, Mogga, Mcgeady - seem to have shrunk to the size of wee hillocks in the rearview mirror (and yes, I said hillocks).

Take a bow - hillocks!

What's my team for tonight? Who cares!

James Forrest - great and telling point about fan unity. Bang on, mate! Haven't felt like this since the Martin O'Neill years!

Farewell, Skippy. You were a good servant to this club, and a good person to boot. We'll have fond memories of your goals, particularly those against Rangers and in the CL.

Thanks, WGS. I'll be keeping an eye out on Middlesborough's results. Hopefully, with those five ex-Celts, you'll have 'a right guid chance' of making the Prem next year.

Haven't been this happy and excited about a game against Kilamrnock, er, ever!

Mort
Its KI shirts for my grandchidren
Tight old granda

.

BlantyreTim....

There were a Few Boys Looking for you on the Last Thread....I think They had a Lock in....But have Gone to a Party with a Carry Oot....

007

Jist Watch Big Sammi Go Noo....That His Humph has been Removed and Has at Least Another 6 Players on his Wavelength....

SoS

Could'nt get on the blog last night - what a day

I was definitely in the 'no' camp when it came to our chances of getting Robbie Keane - and i have never been so glad of being wrong - a big well done to the board what a magnificent piece of business.
Let's just enjoy Robbie's time here there will be plenty of time later to speculate whether he will stay after the loan period.
My only concern is with so many New Faces (copyright ATV) we havent got time to find out the best 11 by trial and error - so we need to hit the ground running - let's start tonight at Rugby Park.

Hail Hail

glassalwaysalittlelessthanhalffullCSC

Mort @ 4.01pm

Sincerely hope your optimism is well placed as of course we’d all love him to stay - assuming he’s successful,

I’m not too sure how a long term deal would sit with the rest of the players who presumably wouldn’t be on half what Robbie is earning,

Presumably they can accept if for 4 months or so but if it was a 2 / 3 year deal - then how would they feel?

Can’t see Robbie agreeing to a massive pay cut as after all he’s only human and will want to make as much as he can for the remainder of his career,

But who knows how it will work out, no harm in being really positive and hoping for the best though.

I like your general points kinglubo (@4.03) but what rules would we be breaking to retain and exploit our own tv and internet rights. Is it licensing laws or football authority regulations? Can't we argue on the basis of unfair commercial restrictions?

Can't stand the fact we have to pay parasites like Sky/ESPN to buy into all the rest of their drivel just to see the Celtic. We have the technical capacity to deliver Celtic TV and Internet and we obviously have the global audience. What exactly is stopping us setting up a direct Celtic media service just for Celtic fans? Anyone know exactly what the barriers are and how they can be addressed? Big question, I know.

timjim

:-)

You'd better hope they don't put Ki Sung-Yeung on the back then and charge for each letter :-)

Mort

Win the league we.re in the Champions League Groups Robbie stays if we do,nt no chance of keeping him.

Super Sammy away? Blast, I was wanting his thoughts on the Manchester Riots.

Just a thought.........Robbies take home pay after tax (based on 40%) is in the region of £39,000.00 per week

If we offer him £40,000.00 per week....his take home pay would be £24,000.00 per week....so in effect we're asking him to reduce his take home pay by a MEASLY £15,000.00

Ah think he'll stay...

Memo to Mr Lawell........talk to him in take home pay figures and not top line figures....you know it makes sense

ZetaBhoy

I’m not too sure how a long term deal would sit with the rest of the players who presumably wouldn’t be on half what Robbie is earning

That would be my major concern and I mentioned that back at the beginning of the window when the rumours originally resurfaced.

The only thing now in our favour is that many less players have been with us long term and presumably won't be as concerned with others earnings but it could lead to problems no doubt.

The only time I could understand one player earning substantially more than the others would be a Henrik style situation where the player has proved over a long time to be the most important player in the team and as such has earned his huge salary. Robbie Keane isn't in that categoty, although obviously I hope he turns out to be.

In the short term a deal like this is OK but I don't think long term it would be great. Perhaps a basic salary with huge performace related pay might be the way to go with Robbie as it gives him the wages if he performs and limits the financial damage to us if he isn't a success or gets injured.

Mort

keanosammi...

I missed a drinking session...?

aw well, out to watch the game tonight.... ;0)

timgreen @ 4.12

I think the main barrier has always been that we need all the other SPL teams to agree to any proposed deal as without them we've nobody to play against, and of course they would want there 'fair share'.

timgreen at 4.12

I agree they could have set up some sort of pay per view as we have a global brand. dont see why they could not set there own tv station up

by the way......hands up everybody that sang "my song" word for word.....aw the way through noo......to make sure the words fitted the tune?.....c'mon....hands up now

How long has he got to go on his Spurs contract

All good news for Celtic fans – easily the best January window since… ever?

If I was really nitpicking I'd have liked one more centre back and a real hard man in midfield but what we have, the business we have done, is remarkable considering, like I said, our previous January form. And not just for the bodies in, possibly more for the bodies out. And as Paul mentions, it's good to see John Park being utilised properly.

Up front will be very interesting now as 5 clearly does not go into 2 or even 3, so perhaps brace ourselves for some dummy-spitting from strikers being dropped (yes Georgious, I'm talking about you).

Make no bones about it though Bhoys, we're still 10 behind and the hun has done well not to lose anyone, so whilst we may get into a good bit of form (ideally destroying teams the way we used to) they will still grind on and on, as they do. It raises the stakes too: sure these signings aren't just for this season (except Robbie) but for a longer term plan, but can you imagine the pelters we'll get for losing a league to a team that hasn't bought in what will be 2 years by the season's end?

But that's my glass-half-empty side speaking. February 28 can't come quick enough. I'm sure I'm not the only one imagining the sight of Robbie tearing past Weir/Clubfoot/whoever before scoring and wheeling away to do his somersault celebration as Ibrox bays for his Irish blood.

So as Graham Spiers mentioned in his article today, here's hoping that these signings, most notably Keane's, will lift the spirits and belief and motivational levels in the dressing room (Artur?) and get the Celtic Park crowd buzzing again on matchdays.

I really get the feeling someone is going to get a right doing at Paradise in the not-too-distant-future. And that sort of football will have the huns bricking it

Add McCourt to the 6-8-5 formation and move Maloney to supplement the 5 strikers, then chop it in half. This gives...

Our League Team:

Boruc

Hinkel
Hooiveld
Braafheid

McGinn
Brown
Ki Sung-Yeung
McGeady

Fortuné
Rasmussen
Keane

And our Cup Team:

Zaluska

Thompson
Loovens
O'Dea

Zheng Zhi
Crosas
NGuemo
McCourt

Maloney
Kamara
Samaras

Paul67,

Whats the chances of Alan Huttons nine million to be paid in instalments over 3 years?

Whats the chances of that nine million now in jeopardy coz Huttons loan move (with a view to a permy deal) to Sunderland? Could oor sooside neebors be about to lose out on a cash windfall?

Why did Sir Charlotte square put it through his books? To paper the cracks or cement his fate?

Be funny tho eh

How close was McGregor to going? if only Arry had got his finger out earlier - still, theres always the summer.

Tojo - your friendly neighbourhood conspirator

Team for tonight lads

________________THG_________________

Hinky___Thompson___Hooi___HunSkelper

__________N' Guemo____Ki____________

Kamara________Fortune'________Aidenho

KKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNOOOOO

so many options?

I feel for Rasmussen...Comes on scores with his 1st goal, instant impact. and still wont start tonight.

Can Samaras be turned into a RCB by any chance? because i cant see him playing upfront

Didn't take too long did it!

Celtic signing Braafheid not rated in Munich – van Gaal

Bayern Munich boss Louis van Gaal admits that new Celtic loan signing Edson Braafheid wasn't a fan favourite in Germany.

02 February 2010 14:21 PM

Edson Braafheid gives his first Celtic press conference after joining on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season.

Louis van Gaal has revealed that new Celtic loan signing Edson Braafheid’s failure to win over the fans at Bayern Munich led to his departure. The Dutch defender was one of four deadline day signings at Parkhead, arriving to cover for the departure of Danny Fox to Burnley last week.

Braafheid only arrived at the Allianz Arena from Twente in the summer but struggled to hold down a place with the Bundesliga side. Van Gaal said he would have preferred to have kept his compatriot at the club but feels a move to Glasgow could help him return a better player.

"He was not rated by the fans in Munich," said Van Gaal on Bavarian television. "In such a case, it is better to let the player go and leave the club.

"Edson is an excellent defender. He has just been unlucky here. I really hope the fans in Glasgow help him."

The player was unveiled at a Celtic press conference on Monday and said that once he heard of the SPL club’s interest over the weekend, he was certain that he wanted to move to Scotland.

“At the weekend I got a phone call off my father saying that Celtic were interested. My father called me and said ‘OK, take the time and think about it’. But I thought ‘yeah, I know for sure that I want to make this step’.

“The people I have spoken to were very positive. For me, that makes it easier to come here.”

Braafheid is chasing a place in Holland’s World Cup squad and had feared that he would not come into Bert van Marwijk’s thinking when it comes to naming his pool for the tournament in South Africa. For that reason, a transfer to Celtic was a no-brainer for him.

“That is definitely one of the main reasons that I made this step,” Braafheid confirmed. “In Munich, I had to be patient and wait for my chances to play. The way they are playing, it could have been for the rest of the season. This opportunity came and it was very simple.”

Last updated: 02 February 2010, 14:25

Shower of whaoos!

By ZetaBhoy on February 2, 2010 4:20 PM

If it's just a matter of the football authorities in Scotland, is it not worth the risk of a legal challenge on the basis of their lack of ambition, business acumen and capability. Nobody loves us anyway and we deserve the freedom to capitalise on our good management and risk.

Afternoon all,
The more I think about it the more I think that tonight is very important to our season.

Not only to reduce the points margin but I think we need to get off to a flyer with our new signings to put the fear in the rest of the SPL.

Tonight we must make a statement of intent.
Killie 0 - Celtic 5

Hail Hail

31003 - put me down as a no.

James Forrest,

I notice quite a few cheap jibes from some on here at the time i'm taking to post a reply. I'd have thought most on here could emphasise with the whole "trying to squeeze in the odd post whilst getting enough work done" thing but it seems that's not a problem for some on here. Not that i'm here to judge other posters.

Anyway, back to your last post. My point was i was referring to my preference for the more modest spending on British-based players, who either knew or soon knew what it meant to play for Rangers and the expectations of the Old Firm - Graham Roberts for example, rather than the more extravagant purchases of Advocaat's era - and that was at the time, not in hindsight. There was a bond with these players and a mutual understanding between fans and players that foreign players, exceptions aside, usually struggle to emulate.

I'm glad you turn to "evidence" in considering the question of whether the 10 point gap can be overtaken, as this is something that is clearly on my side, as the league table attests :) A 10 point gap. A goal difference close to DOUBLE your team's. More goals scored, less goals conceded. That is "evidence" of a team on the march to Championship glory for the Second consecutive season.

You don't "veer slightly into hope", you jump head-first - into the shallow end i might add ;) You speculate these cobbled together group of foreigners - topped by one "massive Liverpool fan" (as he referred to himself countless times on a previous press conference a few months ago), most ignorant of the taste of success let alone the demands of playing
for Celtic in Scotland, will gel into a team of invincibles. You hope that Tony will man-manage this group of players more effectively than the experienced
campaigners, most with a proven track record of success at SPL and CL level, with whom he has been close to steering your faltering title challenge entirely off the rails. You refer to Keane as a World Class finisher in the present sense, though
his track record at Liverpool, where he failed to score when surrounded by far better players, and then has been deemed surplus to requirements at a Spurs side embarking on a crucial Champs League chase, would suggest flatters him. Perhaps if he'd been a World class finisher, he'd be proving it so at the world cup this summer.

You clearly have hope, and i won't begrudge you that, as your earlier emphaisis on the superstitious role
of "luck" in the success of Walter Smith, and your insistence on bringing the Pope and the Vatican into the debate, show you are clearly a man of faith, and so I will respect your beliefs.

Best of luck tonight, if you think the two Jimmys will have reserved an easy ride for new bhoys you'll be mistaken i expect :)

timgreen @ 4.24

You would have thought that legally, we would have already looked into this big time. I suspect that we have and established that without their co-operation its a non starter. Greedy blighters!

ZetaBhoy

not so fast.....haven't talked about awarding hime £5.00 bonus for every goal he scores to supplement his reduced take home pay

WGS:

gonnae please post your Robbie Keane list again so that the smug grin on ma coupon can get even bigger and smugger. All you curmudgeonly naysayers........may your glass be ever half empty ; all ye fence sitters.......may your erchies be forever full of skelfs and barbed wire scratches. Let the Lawwell be praised!!!

Paul67 - congrats and thanks for keeping the old blog cranking through most of yesterday.

Could we have an overview soon on the various barriers / opportunities regarding setting up a dedicated Celtic TV and internet service to show just Celtic matches to our home and global audiences? Is a legal challenge possible? Imagine paying a decent fee to the Club to watch all matches without having to subsidise Sky and ESPN!!!

*empathise

My 3 hours of post preparation failed me there LOL!

Tojo,

the Mc Gregor story I cant authenticate from any English press .. which is surprising considering it was Harry Redknapp. Ditto Boyd and Birmingham. Nothing in the Danish or Dutch press about Poulsen ... what happened there it kind of died out.

HAi Hail

Noticed a few posts re-here today gone t’morra supporters!

Wondering how this happens?

WELL

I was out shopping in my home counties town @ the weekend – when I decided a beer would be in order.

SO

Went into a public house to get a quiet pint – thing is I forgot Man U v Arsenal

Ahhhh – full pub!

Still, persevered at the bar and took a seat not a great view of the screens but who cares eh!

Sitting close by was a young boy with his dad proudly wearing his Arsenal away top!

THEN

Man U go three up – looked over at the young lad – who had taken his jersey off and was now wearing a grey top!

.

Trivia....

Only Two Players Scored Against Germany in the 2002 World Cup....

Name them....

007

Sammy the Hun
To long to long decided to skip your post would urge everybody else to do likewise