Lee Congerton, who left his post as Celtic chief scout, to re-join Brendan Rodgers at Leicester, will not be remembered fondly by Celtic supporters. We can look to Olivier Ntcham, a £4.5m acquisition from Manchester City, whom Celtic had a pre-existing relationship with, and to Odsonne Edouard, a 2018 £9m acquisition from PSG, whom Congerton identified as a loan signing during his first transfer window at the club in 2017, as success, but they were few and far between.
The debit column has Marvin Compper and Jack Hendry, two central defenders who Lee should have discovered were not what Celtic required before putting his name to the players, but the most alarming signing was Charly Musonda.
Charly was one fo the slightest players I have seen in a Celtic jersey. He had something about him, but so do lots of players. What Charly did not possess was the detrmination to success at Celtic, or the physical attributes necessary to work in the professional game. He was an extravagant signing, at the time the best-paid player in the Scottish game, and a complete misfit at Celtic.
Five transfer windows did not produce as many players able to command a regular starting place.
Football loves a scapegoat at Lee is a perfect fit. I have little sympathy for him, but scouting is as nuanced as any other aspect of life. Scouts are repeatedly employed by managers because they do not wipe their bums without the boss telling them to do so.
The fact that Lee left Celtic surprised no one, but the real question is, why did Brendan employ a scout who was so ineffective for him at Celtic? It seems an incredulous appointment, but Lee got the Leicester gig because he did what he was told at Celtic to the satisfaction of Brendan.
Chief scouts who keep their jobs and are repeatedly re-employed by the same manager observe one rule: Let the boss control everything. I have heard this straight from one well-known chief scout, who suffered the odd period of negative publicity, while only privately despairing at his manager’s signing choices.
A chief scout acts as gatekeeper to the countless agents promoting undiscovered never-will-bes, while trying to convince an agent with a talent in demand that his club is the perfect platform for the next stage in the player’s development. It is a job of phone calls, video feeds and airports – so that the manager doesn’t have to. The manager, often inspired by his confident ability to produce Lazarus-type recoveries, will then allow everyone to marvel at his wisdom.
I have no idea if Lee Congerton is a good scout or not. I can tell you his knowledge of obscure European players was impressive and his analysis was consistent with other good analysis I checked, but the data is not complete. Judging him is a big like judging a striker on his goals tally without known his Expected Goals stat.
All we know for sure is that the outcome was not good enough for Celtic, but was good enough for Brendan to give him another job.
Auction ends tomorrow (Wednesday): Directors’ Box Champaign Reception for 4 v Hearts, 19 May
Celtic sponsor, Intelligent Car Leasing, have offered four tickets to the Directors’ Box on trophy presentation day at Celtic Park against Hearts on 19 May 2019.
Package includes champagne reception on arrival, four-course meal, seats in the Directors’ Box over the halfway line and complimentary bar both pre and post-match.
This is an opportunity for four people to experience a special day in Celtic’s history from the Directors’ Box. Tickets can be collected from Glasgow on Thursday 16th or Friday 17th.
All proceeds from this auction will go to Celtic FC Foundation. The Foundation support people living in poverty in Scotland, England, Ireland and in many of the world’s most impoverished countries. The provide support to people with Downs Syndrome, Autism and Dementia. They reach out to those excluded from many aspects of normal living with educational and social projects, often providing life-changing opportunities.
You can bid for the prize here on eBay.
Thanks for the fantastic help of Intelligent Car Leasing – again!
234 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- »
Thiat…That
I Hope so…there’s a few on here who I know can help
BADA BING – last year’s open top bus worked well and the arrival at Celtic Park was brilliant. Back then we had no idea of what was about to unfold over the summer. We thought BR was here for 10 and that MD would be shooting us into the CL group stages. Can’t help but thinking it will feel a bit flat in comparison this year even though the Treble Treble appears on paper to be another new high in our Club’s history.
Players and Lenny will deserve their plaudits but with so much uncertainty at the moment I can’t see the unleashing of unbridled joy.
I should have said the Treble Treble is a new high, not appears to be. Just doesn’t feel like it at the moment. I’m sure 1000s of others will feel a lot more upbeat than me.
DB- i think you are right…
Av depleted all my savings…got £7 to keep me…self destructive personalities are us…oh fuk
TLT- Sorry for your troubles, hope you can talk to folk who can help you out.HH
This is the wrong place…am sorry
THELURKINTIM – HOPE THINGS IMPROVE FOR YOU.
Goodbye…for a bit
Lurkin’
?
CATMAN on 14TH MAY 2019 4:41 PM
FIVE retrospective red cards against us this season (so far…) !!!
A complete joke…
WHY ARE CFC SO SILENT ON SO MANY ISSUES ?!?
THELURKINTIM
Take care fella
SIXTAESEVEN – wonder if that’s a new world record.
Did Defoe get asked about or comment on his dive in any post-match interviews? I didn’t see any post-game analysis on TV, was he ridiculed, called out by Sutton, English, Stewart etc. or was it not even touched on?
Remember a few months ago he did the same thing and said he would never intentionally cheat. He’s being doing it ever since.
https://twitter.com/jamesdoleman/status/1128343361189031936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1128343361189031936%7Ctwgr%5E363937393b70726f64756374696f6e&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html%231128343361189031936
Have just dropped this email to JPT…..will let you know how I get on!???
Hi John Paul
I hear, in the event of a Celtic Cup final victory, that Glasgow City Council have granted the club permission for an open top bus return from Hampden.
The route proposed is a cracker taking in as it does, Cumberland Street and especially the iconic Crown Street in the Gorbals.
When I read this it just seemed that it was like serendipity smiling down upon me. After all firstly I’ll be at Hampden for the game, I live in the Gorbals and most of all……… “ I have a Senior Citizen Bus Pass that entitles me to free bus travel throughout Scotland.”
So if you could just send me details of where and when to board with my pass, then in if/when we win I’ll make sure I can get to the muster point. By the way, I’ll probably jump off if you don’t mind just before the bus crosses the Albert Bridge and hits the Saltmarket.
Right I think that’s all for now….apart from just to say that I am so looking forward to the journey. I’ve told all my family and friends about it and they are frankly amazed that all this is possible with a bus pass.
Hail Hail
Matt
********************************************************************
Hail hail
Matt
LurkinTim
Thoughts with you fella. Hope matters improve and take care of yourself.
hi bhoys can anyone tell me whats the matter with the lurkin tim.hh.
Can Shved play in the next two games? He is obviously match fit. If JF is injured I’d put him straight in this weekend. Looks a real livewire and is scoring for fun.
Big Packy – he said earlier he was having big financial problems.
Oh oh…it’s Statement O’Clock Time
Deniabhoy
Nope. He can’r.
The huns talk about respect for referees…….Willie Collum anyone?
Matt Stewart
Good luck with that.
HH
Not all on Congerton, but combined league appearances for the following players this season:
Scott Allan, Arzani, Benyu, Bayo, De Vries, Kouassi, Comperr, Gamboa, Jack Hendry, Lewis Morgan, Mulumbu…
6 starts & 13 sub appearances (Morgan accounts for 9 sub appearances).
11 players we paid various transfer fees for and serious wages.
Combined contribution to the cause of zilch.
Total and utter waste of money.
DENIABHOY, thanks for that.hh.
THE LURKIN TIM, thoughts with you pal .hh.
Matt Stewart…passengers who choose to sit downstairs on an open top bus parade must be awfully boring…
Make sure you’re upstairs with the bhoys…
There’s been some good oul’ belters the day……
Such stories……………….
Incredible.
Are you allowed to smoke upstairs on an open top bus parade?
Not even in the back seat?
There must be something coming down the pipe over Sevco way…..
peterlatchfords
.Daniel Armani got a cruciate injury in his first and only appearance for Celtic
Mulumbu is on loan at Kilmarnock
Benyu is on loan at Helsingborgs
Morgan is on loan with Sunderland
Hardly accurate never mind fair slagging Celtic or the poor players
for their lack of appearances.
Matt Stewart
Judging from the way the Board treated the Resolution Bhoys there is more chance of you been thrown under the bus than you getting oan it! Bus pass an awe!
Bada…is that a sewage pipe?
Bada Bing
The rather large Mike Ashley invoice arriving at the bigotdome?
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 14TH MAY 2019 4:51
“…,Now, we all have different positions on this – my own is that we owe a duty of care to people affected by the actions of those whose tendencies were known and either, ignored or diminished by the Senior Club, Celtic, with whom there was an arms-length relationship to Celtic Boys Club in which we were not legally responsible but were morally culpable.
You can see that the public and press are not going to be impressed by the strict legal definitions, and there are many in the Press and Media quite willing to blur the lines and promote the ambiguities.
While I would support the club in going after the careless or malicious reporting, it would be better done in a climate where we held our hands up and said “While we had no legal obligations, we did not do enough at the time to act on these issues”.
I would see this done, even at the expense of having the funds to employ a big time manager.”
——————————————————————————————————
For me many Celtic fans want this swept under the proverbial carpet. I understand where they are coming from and why but they are wrong morally. If we are the club we believe we are, ‘A CLUB LIKE NO OTHER’ then surely we have a moral responsibility to do what is right for all the victims of child abuse associated with Celtic Boys Club.
To try and avoid our responsibilities by hiding behind lawyers and legal formalities is preposterous if we are the kind of club we believe we are.
I believe that at some point in the near future we will see a formal inquiry into these issues. Before that point we need to at least make contact with the victims and offer assistance, whether that be monetary or with counselling services ect.
To hide behind legal definitions only compounds the horrendous trauma the victims and their families have endured over the years.
Fingers crossed Bhoys
THELURKINTIM
You are in my thoughts and prayers my friend, hoping you get all the help you need.
Take care.
HH