Amazonians, the Window of Opportunity

643

“It’s just a dream come true”, the words of 20-year-old Holmbert Fridjonsson, who today signed a pre-contract agreement with Celtic and will join the club on 1 January.  5’ 9” manager, Neil Lennon, told Celticfc.net that the 6’3” striker is “a good size”, perhaps giving a glimpse into the innermost thoughts guiding Celtic’s recruitment policy, for those who have not noted the collection of Amazonians now in hoops.

Holmbert will push for a place with Anthony Stokes, Teemu Pukki and Amido Balde; Georgios Samaras is seldom used as a conventional striker.  He has made 45 career appearances, five fewer than Victor Wanyama when he signed for Celtic, also as a 20-year-old.

A year ago, when Victor was busy declining a new contract offer, we talked about the window of opportunity, when you have enough appearances to judge a player, but not so many that the world and their grannie knows about him.  We concluded that less than 30 appearances would be enough.  Victor made a total of 61 Celtic appearances but was his stock rose stratospherically after 30-odd games. The stats suggest we should catch them between 30 and 60 appearances.

Stunning result for Gordon Strachan’s Scotland last night.  Keep an eye on that guy, he’s got talent.

Really looking forward to another great charity night at the Columba Club, Blantyre, on Friday, starting at 8pm, where we are having a Q&A with myself, Phil Mac Giolla Bhain and Paul McConville, in aid of the Lourdes Fund.  These are always great nights, tickets are available at the door, get along and say ‘hello’.

Many thanks to the hundreds of you have now ordered the CQN Annual, and for all the encouraging feedback.  It’s a bit big for a stocking filler, unless perhaps you’re an Amazonian.

See you Friday.
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643 Comments

  1. Clashcitybhoy

     

     

    my point is that he makes no return on the initial and subsequent investments due to dilution.

     

     

    Return on Investment is gash for him; does he get some return, yes.

     

     

    He has made some chronic investments which returned nought. he got really lucky on London City Airport and cleaned up; he got into a very dodgy situ around mobile licences in Ireland with Denis O’Brien(2m in Celtic) which some legs to run(cost us mega millions in investigations, which i paid a chunk of)

     

     

    Entrepeneurs are a breed. they lose some , they win some, they lie to the authorities and get off with a decent outcome.

     

     

    we have some; the huns have some. they are all entrepeneurs and chancers.

  2. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    DJBEE

     

     

    Thanks for that.

     

     

    Im sure Pat will be sitting having a Heavenly pint with Jinky Bobby, Jock, and the rest of the Lisbon Lions. And maybe Patsy Gallagher,Jimmy mc Grory & co?.

  3. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    coneybhoy

     

     

    23:06 on 20 November, 2013

     

     

    Bit of a ‘sweeping statement’….

  4. Delaney’s Dunky

     

     

    i still need an answer from you

     

     

    am i enfranchised again? will you let me vote?

     

     

    I want to vote in the Scottish referendum. Can we pair?

  5. The Red Telephone

     

     

    Very sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad – had many wee chin-wags with him at the front door in years gone past. Guys like your Dad were one of the approachable links (long gone) between the Support and inside Celtic Park.

     

     

    May he rest in Peace!

  6. thomthethim for Oscar OK on

    coneybhoy,

     

     

    DD does professionally what many on here do for fun(?).

     

     

    He is a gambler. He plays his hunches and as you say, he wins some, he loses sum; like all punters.

     

     

    He just plays for bigger stokes and is, perhaps, better at it than the average mug.

     

     

    A friend of mine worked beside him in Citibank, many years ago.

     

     

    DD was dabbling in the stock markets then, as a pastime.

     

     

    My friend was impressed and, perhaps a little envious when Desmond got a result.

     

     

    However, his comment was, ” you can go to your bed tonight and get up in the morning as you were. I could wake up tomorrow wiped out.”

     

     

    Personally, ?I’m glad that he threw in his lot with Fergus and stuck it out with us.

     

     

    I think that he is a stabilising factor at the club….and the evidence is all before us.

  7. Coneybhoy

     

     

    I just want all Scots to vote Yes for self determination. The 16&17 year olds will swing it to Independence. :)

  8. The Red Telephone on

    My Dad was working the night The Big Cup arrived, but not on the front door. He made sure a 12 year old was at the door on arrival and then whisked up to a perfect seat in the stand.

     

    A perfect day early birthday present for me.

     

    Many thanks for the kind messages. Just read them to my sister who doesn’t do the web. She’s amazed!

  9. 67 heaven

     

     

    like Trigger on OFAH, i always make sweeping statements!!

     

     

    the Celtic situ is quite clear. The early investors lost value(kaiser huge, fans huge).

     

     

    I bought my house for more than it is worth now(100,000 loss) in 2010 cos i was bored waiting for the botton and because it had a great garden.

     

     

    I have a big trampo and swing and all my kid’s friends, cousins and eejits like me have great parties. That is worth the loss.

     

     

    same for the Celtic investors. DD is the same as any fan who put money in except that he put a feck load more in so want any cream available – wouldn’t.

     

     

     

    PS

     

    Sweeping Statement

     

     

    I have had the same broom for 20 years

     

     

    the secret is maintenance – 14 new heads and 8 new handles have kept the same room going

     

     

    Trigger

  10. An analysis of what is driving the oldco/newco debate and how it could be addressed.

     

     

    Posted on TSFM.

     

     

    Although the oldco/newco debate is tiresome to some, the fact it continues unabated, ready to surface at the merest jibe suggest it has an importance way beyond what makes it tiresome.

     

     

    If I can suggest what that might be.

     

     

    There is a school of thought held by most non RIFC fans that Rangers cheated the rest of Scottish football when they embarked on the ebt route by which they broke the trust on which rules and sporting integrity depend and that the punishment for such a crime should be that their history ended when they were put into liquidation.

     

     

    The insistence that it did not is seen by the rest of the game as a denial of the seriousness not only of what was done in the past but more important their ongoing attempts to avoid admission of and consequences of their cheating ever since the ebt story became public.

     

     

    The difficulty this causes the rest is why should a club/organisation/entity that broke trust and cheated yet acts as if it had not, be allowed to compete against other clubs who have acted in a trustworthy manner?

     

     

    There may have been apologies but the general narrative encouraged by the faulty LNS judgement is that all Rangers did was make clerical errors in registering players. This is bullshit. They embarked on a remuneration policy from Sept 1999, with the full knowledge of the existing SFA President Campbell Ogilvie, that was illegal in the way that it was followed. What made it illegal was using side letters, and they knew so or would not have hidden their existence and have admitted them when HMRC asked for sight of them in 2005.

     

     

    This admission of guilt at cheating and breaking of trust is the huge hurdle that the Rangers camp are refusing to face and the desire/insistence to cling to their sporting history is indicative of their reluctance.

     

     

    We already know that DOS EBTs were operated in such an incorrect manner as to make their use illegal and had the FTT found for HMRC in the loan ebts, cheating would have been the inevitable conclusion on them. If the UTT reverse the FTT, the conclusion that Rangers cheated and broke trust is one that no one can avoid and the way should be being prepared now for such an eventuality and what will be to them, an unpalatable truth.

     

    Surely this is wise rather than to keep pretending the game is dealing with a minor misdemeanour which is how LNS portrayed it.

     

     

    The other factor that keeps the debate alive is that if they retain their history and identity then there is no deterrent value in the existing rules, which makes the rules disreputable, not those who jibe at them.

     

     

    UEFA Article 12 is UEFA’s attempt at a deterrent to a club dodging debt via liquidation and the SFA must introduce a deterrent element into their own Articles. Whether the UTT decision or a fuller understanding of what went on with DOS forces the issue, it is clear that the SFA Articles must include a provision similar to UEFA’s Art 12 in order to protect the integrity of our game.

     

     

    If you read Article 12 you will see that its purpose is to protect the integrity of UEFA competition. If it is good enough for UEFA it should be good enough for the SFA.

     

     

    What I would suggest is that any senior professional club who are liquidated may be allowed back into the professional game but cannot return to the tier at which they exited until three years have elapsed. That three years gives the club an opportunity to prove to the rest of the game that it has learned the lesson from its behaviour and is ready to join the rest of the footballing community as a partner untainted by its past behaviour if it is granted a licence in each of the three years.

     

     

    The retention of sporting history would not be a given but dependent on behaviour in the three year period, Call it a probation period.

     

     

    I believe it is the lack of admission of wrong doing and no correction policy that will keep this harmful debate going, and when I say harmful I mean to everyone.

     

     

    However we cannot get such an honest approach whilst the SFA act as if trust was not broken when they, more than any other party, know that it was.

  11. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    The Red Telephone

     

     

    You are one lucky Bhoy!! A wee bit of insider dealing there me thinks? <:0)

     

     

    YNWA

  12. YogiHughes 22:47

     

     

    If you get my email address of P67 – will forward you the stuff we have compiled for our trip to Barca; Metro maps (Camp Nou and City Centre highlighted), Apartments to rent (website) etc.

     

     

    You can get Airport Bus outside T1 (comes in a top of La Rambla) – cost approx 6 Euros return.

     

     

    H!H!

  13. Delaney’s Dunky

     

     

    Then your vote is clear and so is mine(way , way beyond 17)

     

     

    let’s pair. You don’t vote in return I’ll buy you a pint?

     

     

    oops , that’s illegal.

     

     

    pop quiz

     

     

    what is the difference betrween illegal and unlawful

  14. mighty tim supporting wee Oscar on

    The Red Telephone

     

     

    Sincere condolences to you and your family on the passing of your Father.

     

     

    RIP Pat

     

     

    Y.N.W.A

     

     

    KTF

     

     

    HH

  15. The Red Telephone

     

    23:20 on

     

    20 November, 2013

     

     

    My sincere condolences,I will remember him in my prayers.

  16. thebhoywithmcgraininhisside on

    coneybhoy

     

     

    23:27 on 20 November, 2013

     

     

    Or one is contrary to the law and the other a sick bird.

  17. Auldheid 23.24.

     

     

    A very well written assessment.

     

    In time,if the cheating is not addressed,or acknowledged

     

    with some remorse, I for one will find it difficult to pay

     

    into any game in this country when they return.

     

    I hope resolution 12 can start to open the can of worms.HH

  18. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    Night all. God bless wee Oscar my hero.x

     

     

    The Red Telephone.

     

     

    The happy times you had with your dad will out weigh these sad times. I still crack some of my dads jokes and he died over 30 yrs ago..

     

     

     

    YNWA.

  19. With regard to DD, he doesn’t do anything unless there is something in it for him.

     

    I should know I worked for him.

     

    Now that is not a criticism I have allot of respect for the guy but don’t think for one second his investments (note that’s plural not singular) are a selfless act, with him there is always an angle and he’s not scared of playing the long game either.

  20. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    Sanna

     

     

    Ashes just about to start?? Thot you meant the million shares punted today.

  21. Jude2005 , TAL (Tims are laughing )

     

     

    Looking forward to tomorrow to see who has sold and bought because both seller and buyer will breach the ownership threshold which necessitate a declaration to AIM .

     

    Although we all know how much stock they place in obeying these statutory niceties .

     

     

    Sanna (straightbat cscs)

  22. The Boy With McGrain In His Side

     

     

    spot on!

     

     

    a corny joke but always a bit of fun.

     

     

    Who played for Celtic AND Rangers in the 1980 Scottish Cup Final?

  23. Sanna

     

     

    Have never understood why I get so bored watching cricket, when I used to love playing it so much?