The mood around Celtic Park was a bit sombre when Virgil van Dijk was scouted by Southampton. Virgil looked like he was scared to break a fingernail in the capitulation against Legia Warsaw; we lost out on Champions League qualification, although the player was heading south anyway.
With Stuart Armstrong being measured for a red and white outfit, there is significantly less stress at Celtic. Stuart delivered for Celtic during his three years at the club, but he left unable to command a regular starting place in the team. We are selling a fringe player who has one season left on his contract for a fee which reflects the inflated English transfer market.
Celtic have managed this playing asset very well. Consequently, they have more money available to invest in the team. It is also worth noting that we could have sold the player a year ago, but resisted as Brendan Rodgers did not have back fill. The manager has been preparing for this scenario since. This should be an enjoyable summer for the Celtic support.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0GcXV2njY
Motown’s fabulous Funk Brothers with Joan Osborne…
First post in months – no particular reason – anyway
I will miss Armstrong proper player – I hope we have a % of sell on
67ECW
SAINT STIVS on 25TH JUNE 2018 2:20 PM
armstrongs agent is tweeting that the deal is done.
£40k per week.
Some of our Bhoys not far off that kind of money…
SA probably more than doubling his salary…good luck son.
Will be watching your bouffant on MOTD…
I just saw the post about mr. Curran passing away. John and Danny Boyle were my coaches at Celtic boys club for 3 years and what characters they were. May big John Rest In Peace. A good Celtic man who will be missed.
Sean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmiUYFxSuOc
Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells…
Good on Armstrong if the salary is correct no wonder he wanted out, and thanks for helping make sure we got good money in your transfer
Celtic learn from history very tidy piece of business by Pedro rather than keep an unhappy player then lose him for nada like we did with the original boot in the Bosman – John Collins.
Different Days CSC
A fit and in form Stuart Armstrong would be in my team every week, so sorry to see him go.
I hope we don’t go for John McGinn, not any better than what we have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_9M6kRfJes
They just don’t make songs like this anymore…shame!
Thanls Sean
*thanks
Thoughts and prayers with John Curran, his family and friends at this sad time.
HH
Serves you right .
https://youtu.be/axs6wYto1Xg
R.I.P. John Curran.
BAMBOO on 25TH JUNE 2018 12:23 PM
I still cling to Pele being the greatest of the greats but the only time I saw him in the flesh v Scotland Billy Bremner completely marked him out of the game and Jim Baxter was the best on view.
*whit!!!, wisnae at the game but my recollection fae punters that were was that wee Bremner spent the night trying tae boot the great man aff the park, the Hungarians would do that for real a few weeks later.
MOTM was wee Luggy who did play him off the park, this was confirmed by Pele when he bumped intae John in a NY hotel lobby years later.
Pele also after the game swapped shirts with in his honest opinion the best player in the opposing team, that player that night was Stevie Chalmers who scored Scotland’s only goal in his last game for his country; you’ll no find that in the smsm.
As for the Nottingham Forest and Sunderland flop, he was a myth and only shone in Scotland due tae a poor Celtic side, that was proven when he returned and Jock was in charge, he only lasted about 5 minutes.
In the one game during the years in the wilderness when we actually showed up we beat them on a dreich teemimg doon day 3-1 with a missed penalty and a good goal chalked off, theirs was a late consolation goal.
MOTM that day Charlie Gallagher who missed the penalty never gave baxter a kick of the ball.
I never saw Pele in the flesh though I still think he was the greatest ever and never left Brazil for Europe as he felt a loyalty tae the fans. He only joined the NASL due tae having his money fiddled by an agent which left him pink lint. His book “Why Soccer Matters” is worth a read.
Best player I ever saw in the flesh IMHO was Alfredo DiStefano.
I hope our manager has been preparing for losing Stuart Armstrong (as you suggest, Paul67). Imo, he offered something that our other midfield players don’t (and it was noticeable last season in contrast with the previous): he runs at defences.
Good luck to him but, I feel, we will miss him.
TONTINE TIM,
I thought Baxter was a football player. I would have loved to see him in the Hoops. The entertainment he would have provided with Jinky and backed up by Bobby Murdoch and wee Bertie. Mind you, as I’ve said on here more than once, Charlie Gallagher is my all time favourite Celtic player.
Tontine
I always understood that the reason Pele did not leave Brazil was because of President, Quadrio, who was losing popularity for the poor economy and his attempts to increase ties with the USSR. However, after passing laws which banned gambling and bikinis, his support was plunging further. There were rumours that Juventus and others were looking to sign a Pele.
Quadrio thought that this would be seen as a disaster for the country, and so for him politically, so he passed a bill which declared a Pele a national treasure, which meant that Pele could not leave the country without permission from the government.
Uruguay 3 — Russia 0
A lesson that some teams are way better than the likes of Saudi Arabia and Egypt . Same can be said for people who get hysterical about beating Panama and Tunisia ..
The best player in the flesh thing –
A hard thing to do -so many variables -but -never saw Pele in the flesh — these chaps floated my boat .
Gianni Rivera
Gigi Meroni
Diego Maradona (playing for Napoli )
Gerd Muller
Luis Suarez (playing for Inter 64 /65.
Could easily list 15 more and couldn’t say which of the 20 was the best . Like choosing my favourite 45 !
Bada
An agent tweetin his salary ?
Who else does he represent at Celtic ?
HH
Best players i’ve seen in the flesh (non Celtic) – Maradona, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Cruyff
I met Pele in 1989 at Hampden…was the under something world cup…he was a gent. I also met di Stefano and Francisco Gento at the Hilton…and if I may mention Beckenbauer whom I met at Ibrokes…and Maradona and Messi at CP…
namedroppingCsc…
Master class -You’re nothing but a big lump -I’m a real thing defender defending from Diego Godin v the big lump that is Artem Dzyuba
That moment when u realise you’re going to miss the song more than the player…
???x2
Kikinthenakas
SOUTH OF TUNIS
Godin could teach most defenders a thing to to.
To me he has been the best defender in the world for last 4 years.
His reading of the game is second to none.
Adi- very true, should be confidential info
Pro legal are Armstrongs agents. Brendan spoke out against them last season. Celtic have had difficult dealings with them. Liam O’Donnell is the main man and I don’t think they represent any other Celtic players
Rai, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Thuram, Stoikovic, we have been lucky to see a lot of the greats at CP…
Met Pele’ in 1965 while the Brazil side were training at Portland Park, the home of Troon (Juniors) FC before the friendly with Scotland.
As the players came off the park I made a beeline for the great man, got his autograph, he patted me on the heid, gave me a big smile and disappeared!
The autograph has long gone! Feck knows where it ended up!
HH!!
Armstong was a average player in his initial spell at Celtic; fantastic in his first season under Brendan Rodgers and back to just decent last season. As of now he doesn’t get into the team ahead of Tom Rogic or Calum McGregor. From what I have seen of Lewis Morgan, he will be very close to the first team if he trains on with Celtic and Ryan Christie will also be well worth considering if he continues his improvement.
So for me he would be 3rd, maybe 4th choice next season (as he was last season) and therefore a squad player.
To get £7M for a squad player is, IMHO, great business. He cost the same as French Eddie who will be (again IMHO) a far superior player; he can be the down-payment on Patrick roberts (if rumours are to be believed, around half the cost) so what’s not to like?
What should be remembered here is that he is leaving because he wants to leave; no-one is forcing him out. If a player doesn’t want to play for the hoops, let him go. I wish him well, but we aren’t weakened because he is leaving. That’s the important thing!
KTF
KIKINTHENAKAS on 25TH JUNE 2018 5:14 PM
So true!
KTF
BMCUWP,,
Allright ya lad ye? Aye had my troubles to deal with over the last month or so but back typing again. My poor old mother isnt a traveller at all and finds it hard to leave her cup of tea and cigarettes for that big 10.5 hour flight . Terrible stressed she gets.
Well she flew all this way only for her plane to crash a wing into a terminal building as it was being towed to its dock cue another 90 minutes stuck on the plane youve just been stuck on for 11 hours while the FAA takes photos.
I dont know if she will do it again God Bless her but she certainly did enjoy Vegas. 2 nights I booked us in for and 5 days later I managed to get them all into suv to bail out at last.
And on that plane it seems someone had that virus, the one that near killed half this blog.
First me and one neice went down with it then Fionnuala and as we speak the wife is recuperating.
Anyway about the greatest ever aye its all subjective but I do enjoy it I would admit. Take care of yourself hey.
SFTB,
On Pele ,,you might well be right yes indeed . On the breathtaking part I believe each of the four has been many times . And I do heavily agree that we are very influenced in our thought process in the matter by our age and which era we connected with the game .
Paul Simon said every generation throws a hero at the pop charts and thats kinda what were getting at here. Many think their hero is the best in whatever field.
If my mate said to me critique Pele for me I would say 6 leagues is a bit of a poor return.
And while 3 World Cups is amazing to win those 3 he played a total of 12 games scoring 11 goals. That is undoubtedly producing on the big stage .
But you and many it seems would ask me to take a player as the best yet based on 12 games surrounded by some of the top talent alive all 3 times and especially in 70. That 70 team could easily stake a claim to be the greatest side of all time I believe.
If you had said Mahe he was the best goalscorer ever then yeah I probably could have went with that but like I say his club record isnt great and we have all read how he was a national treasure and protected especially coming up to major international tournaments.
I admit to smiling after reading on wiki hes the only player ever to stop a war ! The two sides in the Nigerian civil war agreed a 48 hr ceasefire to allow him to enter and play. After reading that I thought how come the combatants never thought to themselves if what were dying over is worth stopping for a game then what the hell am I doing but thats beside the point.
To be considered the greatest ever based on 12 games ( is that not whats being suggested here ) is a bit much for me sorry.
This CR7 will be leaving behind a quarter of a century of evidence he claims.
Of Peles 12 games 3 where obviously finals. I think we would all agree the final is probably the biggest football game there is right ? In popularity stakes it would be followed by either the Euros final or Champs league final and you could possibly throw in the final of the Copa America which is indeed a huge trophy in that continent for argument sake..
So we would agree Im sure that those 4 individual games mentioned above are the biggest ( hence the most important right ) games there are. Top tier category A games right ? The elite games were only a handful of professionals ever take part and to do so is generally considered the pinnacle.
Of these top tier games of the worlds elite ,,,
Pele scores 5,,3 world cups and 2 copas
Messi scores 4
Diego scores 1
CR7 scores 6. 4 Champions Leagues with Madrid , 1 with Manchester , and 1 Euros.
Thats right now,,hes on the march for more and we have 7 more years of this to come.
And as far as Peles thousand or so goals hes on track to hit that if not beat it.
Even if he was on the same number as Pele would the variety of trophies not count for more also ?
And thats not even getting into the debate that this format of the CL is a lot bigger and harder than winning the World Cup. 2 last 16 games , plus 2 each quarters and semis and the single final and theres 7 high quality games right there usually against juggernauts a couple of times if not all.
I think stats kinda prove my point , when looked at in a certain light of course.
My question to you would be what would the boy have to do in order for you to say yeah he is the greatest ever ?
Hope youre well partner .
KSA v Egypt is a classic example of why I think VAR would not benefit Celtic in Scotland.
Ref gave 2 pens to the Saudi’s. The first a hand ball, was it intentional, unlikely but it was decided by VAR that it was not a clear and obvious error by the referee. I understand that but it’s the subjectivity that bothers me.
The second pen, when replayed, shows it was The Saudi player who instigated the Jersey pulling and that it should be a free kick to Egypt. VAR asks the referee to come over and view it, now remember VAR will only do this if they think it’s a clear and obvious error by the referee. He looks at it on the monitor and decides to stick with his decision of a pen and compounds it by booking Egyptian player too. So an intransigent, I can’t possibly be wrong ref, just stuck two fingers up to VAR.
What could possibly go wrong with this in Scotland. :-)
I like VAR but, in my opinion, it definitely needs tinkered with.
Hail Hail.
tallybhoy
are you in the picture ?
http://img.pars03.fr.topfoto.co.uk/imageflows/imagepreview/t=topfoto&f=0109723&z=450
https://i2-prod.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article3103604.ece/ALTERNATES/s1200/JS31738887.jpg
Pogmathon will love this but so will anyone else enjoying the good weather:
https://mobile.twitter.com/SnaGaeilge/status/1010886431357722624/photo/1
Sorry to see The Quiff go. Loved his energy and penetration, but if he wants to go he wants to go, and good luck to him in the future. £7 million plus add-ons is a good deal.
I wonder what the score is with Éboue Kouassi – really rated him the few times I saw him.
Re Godin – now there’s a defender! The real deal.
Armstrong, wish him well, the club have done good from him, so much so that the profit pays for Eddie, so we still have the VvD money sloshing around, then there is the CL cash that I’m sure is burning a hole in Pedros pocket :-)
The boy want’s to give it a go in the EPL, good luck to him, I doubt he has any emotional ties to the club, so thank him and wish him luck for the future.
Just read the loonball Davie’s left peg piece, incredible that people with those views are allowed out.
TET…who says he’s out…