There’s always some excitement when a player arrives at Lennoxtown with the intent of giving the club a look at his wares. 17-year-old Norwegian midfielder, Kristoffer Ajer, did exactly that yesterday, ahead of what we hope is a busy transfer window.
I’m pleased Ronny is scouting a market he knows well, and that we are looking to recruit below-radar players with potential. It’s also good to have prospects play training games with the squad ahead of any decision. It’s too easy to make multi-year mistakes but Kristoffer will be measured against the first team squad, and the Development Squad.
One of Celtic’s perennial failures is our inability to promote the country’s best youth talent into top professionals. Before Rangers liquidation we were involved in an all-or-nothing arms race. Every game was precious so the prospect of allowing youth players time to develop in the professional game was seen as a luxury too far.
With the greatest respect to our current rivals (including Newco, should our paths meet in the Scottish Cup), those competitive pressures have now eased. Ronny can afford to take a different view of team development. Until August, anyway.
I know what you’re thinking. You read the charges laid out at some of the characters involved with Rangers, old and new, and thought: haven’t Craig Whyte and Charles Green suffered enough? Surely calls for due process to be fulfilled are nothing short of bigoted rants? These men made their mistakes and have come through the mill, they should be allowed to get on with their lives!
Aye, I know, it’s a ridiculous suggestion.
The charge list includes “fraud, conspiracy and serious organised crime”, which is a Sword of Damocles hanging over Ibrox. No current Newco directors were involved in the criminality which is alleged to have facilitated the club’s setup, but that won’t change what happens in the event charges are upheld.
I’m sure the SFA are pondering the scope of punishment appropriate for this scenario. Irrespective of team loyalties, such is the seriousness of the alleged offenses they will be praying for not guilty verdicts.
Please note that all men charged are innocent until and unless proven otherwise and are entitled to a fair trial unprejudiced by public comment and desist from inappropriate comment.
If you have two minutes, take a look at Steven Donnell’s page here. He’s currently cycling round the Premiership’s 12 grounds to raise money for Accord Hospice in Paisley. In minging weather. With his dad, who is blind.
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Zbyszek on 6th January 2016 8:43 pm
I know they weren’t RD signings, it’s why I made the post.
I well remember you talking about Tonev and you were happy he didn’t sign for us.
Some posters still think our coach decides who we sign, it was the reason for my post.
Our coach is said to have the final decision on who we sigh, he may well have, but when you are given the choice between shite or no shite, he would be a fool not to choose the shite.
A few years ago, the night we signed Mo Bangura, Lenny was in Portugal watching a player called Baba Diawarra, a person who works for the club told me that we were signing Bangura, Paul 67 even blogged that we were probably signing the player Lenny was watching, I posted that Bangura was signing, he did sign, and then the spin started that Henrick recommended him, we had been scouting him for ages etc. Lenny who had never heard of him had to say he was delighted we had signed him, maybe that’s the reason he never played him, like a few others he never played he was supposed to have signed.
Hopefully we are going down the path of RD actually looking at players himself and making the final decision.
HH
Bada
Cheers for that, but it is Lennybhoy that is looking
HH
CRC
!!BADA BING!! on 6TH JANUARY 2016 8:51 PM
Text me the details if you have them.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Angelgabriel
I often state that I don’t think we are getting value for money from Lennoxtown.
If it was up to me I would play at least 8 under 21′ in our domestic cups. Especially the league cup. To some extent we contribute to the lack of opportunity for our youngsters.
We demand trebles and deem RD Et al failures if we don’t achieve this. We should be willing to experiment in the cups and use them as a stepping stone.
We will never get the full potential that Lennoxtown may have if we don’t give the youth the stage to show what they can do in meaningful completion. That is why Lennoxtown has benefited other teams more than us.
HH.
On these long winter nights, as we sit in our quiet, book-lined studies, musing on what the coming year will bring, we sometimes come across an old letter from a loved one, a favourite poem from our childhood, or a report from “an independent inter-governmental body that develops and promotes policies to protect the global financial system against money laundering and terrorist financing”. A passing reference in a comment on the JohnJames blog led me to the 2009 report Money Laundering through the Football Sector.
It includes a number of case studies, one of which caught my eye:
Case 2:
Investing in a club in financial difficulties
The FIU of country B received a disclosure from a bank with regard to suspicious transactions concerning club A.
This club, which was in financial difficulties, was looking for funds (several million EUR) in order to avoid bankruptcy. A financing proposal was put forward by a financial group established in South America. It was linked to an individual that had already invested funds in various foreign clubs. These funds were suspected to be of illegal origin. After the bank inquired into the origin of the funds the financial group withdrew from the negotiations.
A second financing proposal was then put forward by Mr. COX, a European investor through his company located in a tax haven. Suspicions were aroused because this individual, unfamiliar to the world of sports, had suddenly suggested investing money of unknown origin in club A. Additional information showed that Mr. COX was known to the police and FIU for various cases of fraud. In this case the different possibilities for investing in club A can be considered to be attempts to launder money of illegal origin.
Source: Belgium
As I say, musing on what the coming months may bring.
TET.
I couldn’t agree more. The past 4 seasons have been perfect for giving youth a chance. Unfortunately some of our own don’t see the big picture and only as good as your last game seems to be the mantra.
Wait till young Kieran has a dip.There’s always a whipping bhoy.
I’ve sat beside a few at Parkhead who must have played for Barcelona in a previous life.
GLENDALYSTONSILS on 6TH JANUARY 2016 8:54 PM
SAINT STIVS on 6TH JANUARY 2016 8:28 PM
is there an option to make short guys taller ?
The Spanish Inquisition have a rack.
—————
nobody asked for the …….
THE EXILED TIM You are right.
GREENPINATA
I have said for years we should play the kids in the league cup at a minimum, I would also play them in the SC as well.
Years ago when we had a reserve league, before the hun decided they didn’t want one and the powers scrapped it, it was a great stepping stone for the kids, maybes we should push for getting it back, or playing a second team in the lower leagues like they do throughout most of europe.
We should get the magic hat to suggest it, then the smsm will take it up and it could well happen.
HH
SAINT STIVS on 6TH JANUARY 2016 9:11 PM
GLENDALYSTONSILS on 6TH JANUARY 2016 8:54 PM
SAINT STIVS on 6TH JANUARY 2016 8:28 PM
is there an option to make short guys taller ?
The Spanish Inquisition have a rack.
—————
nobody asked for the …….
******
…..didn’t see that coming!
Don’t forget that we have a few of our more mature youths gaining regular first team football whilst out on loan.
Sorry last message for Lennybhoy
GreenPinata.
No argument. Treble’s are overrated. I wouldn’t mind more but at what expense.Give more kid’s a chance.
We could wait forever on another Paul McStay if that’s the standard required.
Football is a squad game. Not about eleven.
Supplement the squad with youngsters brought up properly with Celtic.
The English Championship and SPL is full of them.
As Exiled Tim says, the problem is as much with the fans as anything else.
Entitlement ?
Thanks for the reply.HH
Angel
The whipping boy, how sad when you think about it.
When I lived in Ireland a few years back, I was a season ticket holder at St Pats, they had no choice but to play kids or freebies and one thing I never ever did was slag the players, it was pointless, a few round about did it as their god given right, but a few stopped short at slagging the kids, how generous they were :-)
Supporters are fickle things, many think they have the right to slag and bitch and stamp their feet and scweem and scweem, thankfully many don’t.
At the end of the day I am grateful and honoured that I am a Celtic man, I shouldn’t have been given my background, I am grateful we still have a club to support, the powers have done just about everything they can to see us gone, and ironicly all they have succeded in doing is seeing their charges gone, and their bastard incarnation will be follow following on, Oh how I pray they will, but can’t see the last final act happening sadly.
HH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6HWNzzR070
Thom
We have one in Liam Henderson, Fisher can hardly get a game for St Johnstone, who else do we have out ?
Good to see you posting, the blog needs a level head now and again :-)
HH
TET
Let’s be a little more optamistic ….: ).
Grafitti
Oh how I have tried mi amigo, I have tried so hard, but as we speak the landscape is not condusive to seeing them gone, maybes when my weans are my age :-)
HH
TET,
The newly retuned Eoghan O’Connell, though granted he was injured.
I thought we had a couple more, though.
Good to read you in such good form and keeping the faith.
We will prevail. It’s the Celtic way.
TET.
I know a guy who carries ear plugs to away games. Stops potential arguments with fellow fans who berate rather than support. He can be quick tempered and is getting on age wise,so the ear plugs let him concentrate on the game. Sad , funny and true.HH
Everton would be relegation material without Lukaku
Thom
It’s all about the faith, lose that…..
Still no on song with the suits mind you, prob never will be but I will give them credit where it’s due, and I thank them for keeping us alive.
I forgot about O’Connell, can’t think of any others, but the grey matter ain’t what it used to be.
HH
………………………………..
Angel
I would have thought that the away support were more forgiving :-)
Obviously not.
HH
angelgabriel – Saturday was a hard listen, some of the guys round me where abusing the players & manager during the warm up. Ciftci was getting it sore for missing the practice shots, some of the stuff would have got you lifted in the street. Homophobic, racist in between just foul mouthed abuse. It got worse as the game started especially as we didn’t score 4 early goals. There’s going to be bother at home games if this keeps up…
The bbc manage to spin sevco signing pre contracts with 2 starlets
Son of former Aberdeen and Hull City striker Dean, Windass joined Accrington from Northern Premier League outfit Harrogate Railway Athletic.
He was recently reported to be a target for Arsenal and has rejected the offer of a new contract from his present club.
Like Windass, who has netted 11 goals this season, Crooks came through the youth ranks at Huddersfield Town and made the switch to Accrington permanent in February after a loan spell.
Crooks, who can also play in defence and attack, had previous loan spells with Halifax Town, Radcliffe Borough and Hartlepool United.
Accrington majority shareholder Andy Holt confirmed on Monday that Rangers were in talks with Crooks and Windass
LOVED THE LINE ABOUT ARSENAL BEING INTERESTED IN WINDASS
TET,
I suppose you can include Christie, who has a lot of first team experience and should be ready for the run in.
Angel
I often wear my earphones at celtic park
Cuts out the nonsense from fellow hoops fans but also good to listen to my favourite tunes while watching the bhoys on form ( think last time was when the Beatles were number one in the hit parade singing yesterday )
The exiled tim, Stewart Findlay is at Killie, Paul McMullen is at St Mirren , i think one or two are Dumbarton, Michael Duffy is on loan at Alloa.
That’s all I can think of at the moment.
Evening all
It feels a wee bit difficult to engage with the blog at the moment. I will never, ever decrie my club. As our Saviour said, ” following Celtic will always be difficult, but supporting Celtic will always be rewarding. The Bunnet. HH and Night Night.HH
ANGELGABRIEL on 6TH JANUARY 2016 9:40 PM
TET.
I know a guy who carries ear plugs to away games. Stops potential arguments with fellow fans who berate rather than support. He can be quick tempered and is getting on age wise,so the ear plugs let him concentrate on the game. Sad , funny and true.HH
That’s given me an idea…..There are some days when I think I might read CQN with a blindfold on, for the very same reason ! -:))
Not really wanting to get involved in the ongoing debate re grooming but guys some of you are seriously misinformed if you think only white girls were targeted-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29794729
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30152240
http://www.desiblitz.com/content/sex-gangs-target-asian-girls-for-grooming
TET.
Mostly they are more forgiving ….& more bevied ;-)) but the odd one or two can be very critical.
West end of east end.
I’ve moved seats rather than listen to some. I don’t mind frustration, or disappointment being expressed. Abuse is wrong. HH
Thom
Looking forward big time to seeing Ryan Christie in a Celtic shirt, he would be a distant relative of mine, my Ma was a Christie, delighted we are going down the kids route, we have wasted so much cash in the past few years it’s bordering on criminal, this is where I have the probs with the suits..
HH
………………………….
DD
Thanks, I knew someone would come up with the answer :-)
HH
Wee Fra
How the heck are you
West End of East End I seriously and honestly hope you pointed these racists out to the Police and stewards in attendance.
THOM
One of the probs I should have added :-)
HH
Glendalystonsils.10.06.
Belter ;-)))
Interesting, the thick plottens.
The plan to liquidate the huns.
http://www.thefrontofthebus.blogspot.com.es/2014/07/project-charlotte-plan-to-liquidate.html?m=1
eddieinkirkmichael – I was with my better half who told me she was leaving if I didn’t sit down and ignore it, so against my better judgement I let it go…