Modest understatement: we got our money’s worth for the wages paid to Mikael Lustig, who confirmed last night he had left Celtic. He joined from Rosenborg in January 2012 on a free transfer and leaves on a free, winning all eight league titles, four Scottish Cups and four League Cups in the intervening period, becoming one of our most decorated players in the process.
In 2013, Mikael had surgery to shave bone from both hips. It is remarkable that his career at the top lasted this long, but, perhaps as a consequence of changes to his physical mechanics, he has suffered regular injuries since. At 32, so the story is not over, there will be a place in the game for him, just not at the level Celtic aspire to.
Football clubs have a tendency to keep favourite players beyond their peak years, when they are running as much on reputation as ability. Had Mikael stayed, it would be either for this reason, or because we were not going to recruit a replacement. It is better for both parties that they moved on.
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COYBIG
1st?
TRADITIONALIST88
You’re making a habit of this !!
Not fast enough , oh well there’s always tomorrow ?
Totally agree Paul, and I think its a little patronising to expect someone who’s still first pick for a major country like Sweden to be “back-up”
8 years and never losing a title is an amazing record
‘The level Celtic aspire to’, does anyone actually know what that level is ?
It’s not better for Neil Lennon if he can’t sign an experienced international to replace him
PARK ROAD 67 on 20TH JUNE 2019 12:04 PM
My good luck will run out very soon I’d say!
HH
PS KT will go if right offer comes in PL has no interest in reaching CL while we still have some assets to flog. a joke that we have not prepared for CL qualifiers AGAIN! We knew BR was going months ago… but we never looked for a manger… so didn’t look for players… Anyway we should be buying players for the next seasons qualifiers. Same load of pish about not much time to recruit players for early qualifiers.
EDDIEINKIRKMICHAEL
Nope is the short answer
Hail hail. Totally agree with Paul. Great player for Celtic and has a chance to move on and have another payday.
Let’s bring in some quality. We’re Still miles ahead. Good things come to those who wait. Heard some tasty stories!
Probably the right move for both parties. Can understand the “keep him for the dressing room” idea, but the reality is that we need a new RB and Lustig still has plenty to offer as a starter somewhere.
Had his flaws (who doesn’t!), notably back post defending, but a quality player without doubt and a great servant to the club.
Good luck Mikael.
Paul 67 et al,
Agreed Mikael Lustig has been a great servant to our club and at 32 with repeated injuries it’s perhaps time to move on. ( Best for both parties )
However I suppose we have anticipated this and have contingency in place ?
If so great and all will become clear in the near future. If not, why not ?
On a slightly different topic: Football is a simple game, that’s why it’s so popular around the world.
We complicate it at our peril. Stupid initiatives like the golden goal have been tried and scraped. The penalty ruling is another stupid detremential rule that will also be scraped. But heartache until common sense prevails.
HH to all.
Paul67
Chequebook please Celtic.
CL qualifiers CSC
Good luck big yin…your trophy count says it all…you will be sorely missed.
Hail hail Mikael Lustig
‘The level Celtic aspire to’
Well let’s just see where our aspirational level is. Will it include replacing Mika with a proven international RB blooded at World Cup & European championship level. Or will it be another project punt or someone from the lower levels of English football with Heehaw European experience?
More in hope than expectation CSC
IZZY’SQUIFF
Don’t give us half a tasty story !!
Greenpinta
Tony Ralston is the contingency or Jack Hendry to play right back or even go to a back 3 (if we have enough centre halves).
We’re continually fed that players wait to see what there options are, which undoubtedly is true, so it seems logical that if we had a RB in place surely we would know by now (we may have but hes unannounced, but be honest that seems unlikely, given all the past experiences of our transfer windows).
I would hope KT has told PL that he is here for 10IAR and he is going nowhere until then – regardless of what offers may materialise. He has a contract and is not obliged to move for megabucks just because it suits the board.
He will still only be 24 or 25 after the next two seasons, which would still give him a good few years to play abroad if he so wishes.
http://celticbynumberscom.ipage.com/mcgregor-the-marathon-man/
69 matches for club and country. Over 5000 minutes in the legs. No one deserves a break more than McGregor. A marathon season but he keeps getting better.
In leaving now Lustig has guaranteed himself lifelong goodwill from the Celtic support. He was a magnificent servant to the club on and off the park.
Personally I would have liked to see him stay for a year or two as a back up RB/CH and he could have combined this with developing his coaching abilities same as SB.
The major concern is, yet again Celtic have no first choice RB. This problem has been obvious for at least 3 transfer windows. It is inexplicable that we are about to embark on a Champions League campaign with only Ralston as a RB.
All of our efforts must be concentrated on securing a first team ready, experienced RB, CB and CF. Other gaps can be filled in once we have these signings in place. We cannot afford to lose any first team players unless a replacement is signed FIRST.
No loans without options to buy and no “projects”.
It is clearly an extremely difficult task, one our previous manager thought would be impossible. Unfortunately that is a view I now share.
As you say Paul67 it only makes sense if there is a better replacement. Hasn’t been so far.
http://celticbynumberscom.ipage.com/the-lustig-conundrum/
Hail Hail Mikael Lustig
God bless you and the family in everything you do. Haste ye back Hunskelper.
Chairbhoy 8:51
Very interesting post about playing style.
I think we should have a style we stick with and appoint managers and coaches who play that style.
That way recruitment is so much more efficient (no chopping and changing players to fit a new manager’s different style) and there is an easier pathway from academy to first team.
Has the Turnball £2.8m bank transfer been clawed back yet?
Big Wavy
Takes five working days ;-)
Charlie72
Especially your final sentence, not sure if he thought it impossible but he certainly wasn’t up for making his Team 2.
The timing of his exit in a major contributor to our current state, and I think he escaped a lot of criticism redirected to others in the blame game and baggage attached to winning 8 leagues.
@ CELTIC40ME on 20TH JUNE 2019 10:49 AM
“On the whole, I would wager that our net cash in the bank will remain roughly around the same level- circa £45m.”
Apologies, that should have stated gross as opposed to net.
I agree that ajax have advantages over us, but they are not a super club. They are not from one of the top leagues. They are seemingly now being placed on a pedestal as a club we could never emulate.
The last three seasons have shown Celtic fans where the club should be on a consistent basis- competing in Europe regularly past Christmas and making the CL more often that not (and that’s in spite of our failed transfer policy over that period). Compare and contract to the years that preceded BR’s arrival.
There is no reason why we should be downsizing or happy to meekly go backwards. It’s difficult to argue that we are an irrelevance with the turnover we have, the money in the bank and the fact that we would be a pot 3 CL team if we qualified this year.
However, we are not an ambitious club historically. In recent times we took nearly 15 years to break our transfer record. We have consistently shown a lack of desire to push on from a position of strength.
Keeping money in the bank to cushion failure to qualify for Europe is a poor strategy. Firstly, by not spending when you need to, you increase the likelihood of not qualifying, we then sell assets to make up the shortfall (and do not solely rely on cash in the bank) if we fail to qualify, thereby decreasing the likelihood of qualifying the next time around.
Serious Q…is there any team anywhere, where the CEO is also the DoF?
Asking for myself…
Weebobbycollins @ 1.08…Yes, Celtic…
Weebobbycollins…Thanks
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS
Is the answer Celtic? It certainly would explain a lot
PC Lustig should be invited to unfurl the flag – he deserves a better send off than a Tweet
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 20TH JUNE 2019 1:08 PM
Serious Q…is there any team anywhere, where the CEO is also the DoF?
Asking for myself…
Daniel Levy @ Spurs
@ BIG WAVY on 20TH JUNE 2019 1:15 PM
Daniel Levy is quite good though.
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 20TH JUNE 2019 1:21 PM
@ BIG WAVY on 20TH JUNE 2019 1:15 PM
Daniel Levy is quite good though.
—-
Yep. He can build a whole stadium complete with cheese rooms.
THE HANDS CANT HIT WHAT THE EYES CANT SEE on 20TH JUNE 2019 1:01 PM
They are seemingly now being placed on a pedestal.
By who? You’ve spent more time than anyone telling us about them and how we should spend our cash so we can be like them, have their ambition “to be the best football team they can be?” Until I pointed out that they actually save more of their cash to protect against european failure and poor player sales than we do.
Keeping money in the bank to cushion failure to qualify for Europe is a poor strategy.
Isn’t that exactly what Ajax do? Didn’t that mean they could have a disaster of a season when they failed to qualify for either the Cl or El and only had one high value player sale and still be in a position to have the season they did last season?
Weren’t you telling everyone how we should follow their lead on spending money a couple of weeks ago?
Good bye pc Lustig one of Glasgow finest HH