It’s probably rash to suggest Neil Lennon dismisses the inflated English market when trying to sign a striker in preference for the Continent. Europe has plenty of quality leagues, and gifted players, but it also has plenty of scouts.
The tops leagues enjoy blanket analysis, which has consequences. Our experience of Lassad and Miku suggests that if we can tempt a striker to move from the likes of Spain to Scotland there’s maybe a reason why. Even the secondary leagues, such as Slovakia and Poland, are scouted extensively by German clubs, who are the most desired destination for most East European players. The success rate in bringing targeted strikers to the club from Europe has been low, which had real consequences for this season.
So where does that leave us? Second tier teams in second tier (but still good) leagues, like Vitoria Guimaraes, who we bought Amido Balde from (strikers at top Portuguese clubs are aiming for the sky), go back to the English Championship, or maybe a peripheral league, like Sweden or Israel, again, or Iceland.
Celtic proposition is not without merit, we will now be touting Champions League football under the noses of every prospect, but finding a player capable of delivering the talent for that stage is the central challenge to the club.
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Jings
Hail Hail
Big Nan
11:26 on 4 December, 2013
Top of the morning to you all from Fife on this glorious winter’s day.
8 years ago today Swede, Annie Börjesson was found dead on the beach at Prestwick.
There was no indication that she took her own life and there were other suspicious circumstances that her mother tried to have the authorities look at, to no avail.
Annie’s mother and her best friend Maria travelled back and forth from Sweden whenever they could staying in cheap lodging houses and hostels in Edinburgh and to this day have not given up their search for the true circumstances of Annie’s death.
The Scottish authorities have treated them shamefully. Petition 1501 in the Scottish Parliament looks to help such victims.
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/thevictimslastright
Please sign it to show that not all Scots are uncaring.
Thank you in anticipation of your help.
Turd?
2nd
Time will tell, sooner rather than later ;)
mwaahhhh
big nan
will add my name when home from work, glad you got it on the first page
From previous post
SydneyTim
Peter Lawwell getting us in the CL? Dearie me. You would think the man played centre forward for Rangers.
Did Steven Fletcher want to sign for Celtic? I worked with his girlfriend at the time he went south and there was no way he weas signing for Celtic.
As for our striker situation. Hooper wanted away. Hooper as offered a contract many times. I doubt he would have signed it unless he got crazy money. We have not signed a decent replacement yet. That does deserve criticism but does Peter Lawwell pick the players? The scouts and the coaching team do and they have maybe not got it right this season. I have stated before that signing a player is not done in minutes for the most case. In some cases clubs talk to players and agents for months. Celtic have been used in the past by players and clubs to drive the price up for another suitor. I assume Peter Lawwell also gets the praise for the signings that have worked out well if he gets the flack for the ones that didn’t. If you see your glass half empty you will never see the good in anything. Take the blinkers off and ask yourself this. Who could do better? Do the club get more right than wrong?
It is a club not one man running the whole show. It’s a team and Lenny and Lawwell take the plaudits and the flack when it’s due. I think both men have got more right than wrong.
Look at the psitives with the club and think about where we are going. Celtic are not standing still. We are evloving and improving behind the scenes and on the pitch. Patience is the key. We will not wipe the floor with teams every season and we will not beat the best teams in the CL every season but we will compete and we will get stronger if we stand together.
The MSM want you to hate Peter Lawwell ask yourself why please!
LB
Splurge out on a striker (not Vaughan – he is not good enough), keep our best players (Ledley, Sammi, Lustig) and snap up the best from the SFPL (Gauld).
Transfer strategy sorted – gives the best chance of the CL in 2014.
We can find strikers.
The hard part seems to be finding strikers who can find the net…but if we won every game by the approved 7 nil would it matter if the strikers never scored?
DBBIA/Nandor Hidegkuti CSC
I’ve never been a podium chaser – but there it was a big fat zero and I pounced – what a rush!
Thoughts turn to Friday’s game against murderwell. They’ll be annoyed after their cup exit (lol) and that means the elbows will be flying. Will be surprised to see 22 men still on the pitch at the end of the game. Given the abysmal refereeing we see, it is likely a Celtic player who’ll be binned!! Hope I am wrong and we do a “herts” on them.
HH
MSM still reporting we are going to splash 5M+ on Championship striker?…….that would be a big mistake and waste of resources IMO.
A world class attacking midfielder is what is required (if they will come to Scotland of course)
Its Rogic, Biton, Brown and one other in midfield next season……Commons will begin the transition into coaching.
Get the right midfield playmaker and we can go 4-4-2 without being over run in the middle of the park.
Theres enough fire power on the books, it just needs the supply.
Big Nan
Petition signed.
HH
oldtim67
11:40 on
4 December, 2013
I posted this on the last blog.
Dontbrattbakkinanger.
I may be driven to pot, but not if Peter Lawell comes up with the real goods, (tickets to you and me),I know that I’ve said it a couple of times already but I really,really, really like you Peter.
Went in for the Biopsy on Monday and it was a South Korean Doctor that I was to see. I met him and he said I see your going to Barcelona, I take it your going to the game, yes, said I, good say’s he , we’ll hold off until you come home, fine say’s I don’t wish you to spoil my good looks.
Livi. We agree to disagree
Regarding strikers. Last few years we had one , it was an alarming situation
We needed another
Now we need 2:((
PL has put zero debt before performances on the park
My nephew went into the Celtic shop last week with his dad
His dad wanted to buy him a poster of a superstar to put in his bedroom
He left without one as there are none at Celtic park Nuff said
awe_naw_no_annoni_oan_anaw_noo
11:39 on4 December, 2013
Livibhoy
I have no problems with the job Peter Lawwell does. I think he does it well. I have problems that he gets a massive bonus due to doing the job of a disinterested board.His first remit is to protect them. He protects their lack of interest and its a malaise that has existed since September 2003. I have problems with our lack of prescence within Scottish football. We have no voice. I dont like how powerful he has become within the club. He cannot do everything but as long as we are running at profit that is all he cares about. As a cost cutter heis exceptional. I would have preferred the ambitions of MON and WGS to have been attemptedrather than given the bums rush due to continued unnecessary cost cutting. By extension that means the fans also. I fully expect Lenny to eventually fall at the sword of our continual rationalisation. He is without any shadow of a doubt a master of spin. Honesty and openness is not his forte. We have went from the Seville UC final to being proud to be a selling club and see that as our main aim. His words not mine. He got his bonus defferred after the Tony Mowbary debacle. He had NFL under his nose but still couldn’t make a decision. It was afait au compli that we are where we are now. He got lucky. I also dont buy that we have improved under his tenure. Year upon year except for the bank balance. He is of course only following orders. The one order given to him ten years ago. I sometimes wonder if there has been any input from above since. I tell you what lets see what we do with the massive profits that we are now making ?Are we about to turn acorner ?I might change my mind.
HH
Sidneytim.. did he not know that in advance ?
Celtic proposition is not without merit, we will now be touting Champions League football under thenosesof every prospect,
But will we sign them before we qualify ?
HH
Big Nan
11:26 on 4 December, 2013
Done
Paul 67 – Totally confused on this CO-OP bank stuff….do we have loans of xx Million and huge debt. I know we have an overdraft facility but is it used ??……Confused.com I got the accounts through with my shareholders pack but I’m no accountant ……ans also apologies if yoiu’ve covered this in an earlier article
SydneyTim @11.47 hrs.
“My nephew went into the Celtic shop last week with his dad
His dad wanted to buy him a poster of a superstar to put in his bedroom
He left without one as there are none at Celtic park Nuff said”
Nice try I take it that is a hypothetical situation.
Then again, maybe I’m not surprised that they did not know our players prior to going into the Celtic shop.
HH, Always in Celtic.
If I cut and paste on this phone it looks like a pigs breakfast.
Is todays post a shot across Lennys bows ?
Is Owen Coyle being lined up ?
Only kidding ;-)
HH
KevJungle
10:51 on 4 December, 2013
Just in to say….
Ah canny be bothered adressing the rest so – I’ll finish by saying that – apathy will rule the day at CP, so long as…”
Made me smile. :-)
Vaughan for 5m pounds or John Guidetti for 6m euros?
Guidetti every time for me.
Looking forward to the Motherwell game, lets see if the Bhoys can repeat their first half performance from sunday.
KTF
If the Slovak league is being scouted a player has emerged this season who has scored 11 goals thus far and we are currently in our winter break.
Tomas Malec got his chance this season when Trencin’s main striker got injured and has scored 11 goals including a 13 minute hat trick against runaway leaders Slovan Bratislava (Trencin are second in the Corgon liga). He is 20 years old, very tall and could fit the bill of what we are looking for.
http://youtu.be/Iq2yNefB8yE
Pace and power?
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
11:35 on 4 December, 2013
big nan
will add my name when home from work, glad you got it on the first page
…………………………….
Thanks it is a tragic case and I don’t pretend to know what caused Annie’s death which may have been suicide or any other number of causes but I do know one thing for sure her mother was treated disgracefully by the Police COPFS and the poor woman and the daughters loved ones are entitled to know that there has been a proper investigation into Annie’s death.
We would expect the same if it happened abroad to one of ours just as we are seeking justice now for the Dam boys.
H.H.
Owen Coyle’s just the man to bring the superstars to Celtic Park.
Think of all the posters we could sell !
More about Malec
http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=2031989.html
Burgas Hoops @ 11 33
” Bobo Balde was a great player for the Hoops until someone told him he was a footballer”
That struck a chord .
I was always very ambivalent ——– one bit of me saw the value of the Bobos gonnae get you approach, another bit saw the cheap free kicks for the opposition, the dreadful passing,the missed sitter at 1 up in Munich and the handling of Luyundula’s [ sp ?]header in Lyon and the consequent penalty.
He would be cheaper than Lenny and more SFA friendly ;-)
HH
SOT
Gary Caldwell put that all right ;-)
HH
SydneyTim
Happy to agree to disagree. It’s what the blog is about for me. Everyone can air their views. I have just been sick of the abuse shown to Peter Lawwell. I have criticised him myself many times in the past and no doubt will do in the future but I don’t abuse the guy and call him Liewell. Sometimes I despair when I read that.
Regarding a striker. Why we haven’t signed Billy McKay is beyond me. Guy gets a few chances each game with ICT and scores at least once almost every week. I would prefer to see us spend £1m on him than some other guy I have never heard of.
LB
To those criticising Peter Lawell – look at what Arsenal have done. they have got themselves to a zero debt position and are now able to invest greater sums in the team. I anticipate that we will be able to do that, on a smaller scale, as we move forward with a zero net debt position.
Sydneytim,
My nephew went into the Celtic shop last week with his dad
His dad wanted to buy him a poster of a superstar to put in his bedroom
He left without one as there are none at Celtic park Nuff said.
Peter lawell ;-))
polmikcfc
11:52 on
4 December, 2013
In brief, and as reported in the accounts we have a long-term, low interest (which has the hordes gnashing their teeth) loan of circa £11M. We have cash in various bank accounts totaling approx £14M.
So we’re £3M to the good and essentially debt free.
Sidney Tim
I think distance might have something to do with dismissal of a key reason why Celtic lost millions.
They did not lose them they were cheated out of them by Rangers and a compliant SFA whose current President started the cheating ball rolling.
Any Tims Sidney or otherwise can e mail me via Paul for the evidence.
Rangers HAD to get access to CL money to survive. The msm knew it, the SFA knew it and Celtic will have suspected it but when they asked questions, they were turned back on them with the question.
“What are you suggesting here? That the SFA are cheating?”
Well the world and their wean on line knows that they were. Lord Nimmo Smith and the SPL were cheated when vital evidence was not supplied by D&P as administrators of Rangers.
Lord Nimmo Smith was misled by Campbell Ogilvie when giving testimony on ebts. Yet the guy is still there because no one was prepared to oppose and clubs were not pressured by their supporters who were either ignorant of COs role or mini huns.
Do not underestimate what Celtic are up against here and do not underestimate the impact of what we are up against on those lost millions.
As I said e mail me.
AWE NAW —–
I was never ambivalent about Gary Caldwell.