Celtic’s January 2012 transfer window

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Michael Lustig arrived early on a pre-contract from Rosenborg.  A right back as tall as the North Stand he is one of the most curious signings we’ve made in a while, considering the strength we have in that position.

Rabiu Ibrahim, past-wonder-kid of African football, came in after negotiating an end to an unproductive stay in Eindhoven.  I hear lots about Ibrahim’s ability but Celtic will have to find a way of turning that into a productive force in the SPL, something PSV were unable to do in the Netherlands.

Polish international striker, Pawel Brozek, arrived on load from Trabzonspor, where he spent most of last year at the side of the pitch.  Pawel is an experienced pro who is likely to enjoy his time in the SPL.  He’ll keep the front pairing of Abbot and Costello on their toes, neither of whom will be certain of retaining their place.

Young players, Paul Slane, James Keatings and Lewis Toshney went out on loan to MK Dons, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock respectively, which Josh Thompson continued his tour of English towns and cities by heading to Chesterfield for 6 months.  None were likely to make more than cameo appearances this season, all will benefit from the career development opportunity.

Throughout the month I ignored stories that we would sell our prime first-team assets, Hooper, Stokes, Samaras, Forrest, Commons, Ki, McCourt and Matthews were all linked with clubs in England and offers were received for six of the above, but who in their right mind would sell top players in January when you are in a nip –and-tuck race for the title?

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916 Comments

  1. So the hun on hun war is officially on. Question is whether this is the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?

  2. While the Meeja don’t just walk away free of blame, but rather, make another bucket load of money on the hun mess.

     

     

    They are worse than the huns, and should go sooner.

     

     

    But I’ll bide my time…

  3. “Day of days” is it? The suspense is almost too much P67. Eyes on the prize Celtic. Focus on ICT.

  4. Fortunes Favour Mibbes

     

     

    had a quick glance at Mark Passio’s video there

     

     

    and his website

     

     

    in the vid you link above, he, at 05:02 says

     

     

    the State of Maryland is named after the “goddess of the Christian Trinity, Mary”

     

     

    that, my friend, has falsehood in place

     

     

    shengaloid, in fact

     

     

    haha

     

     

    She aint a goddess !

     

     

    She’d tell us that Hersel’ !

     

     

    “….doods, Me aint no goddess – got it ?”

     

     

    so yer man, Mark, is incorrect in that there instance

     

     

    interesting vid nonetheless

  5. TopCorner @ 02:03

     

     

    At last ! Been trying to find some error in that 3 hr vid. Couldnae find one til you pointed that out.

     

     

    Reckon it’s the Temple of Solomon all aroon Lanarkshire distorting my mind. Best ask the polis on that one though eh.:)

  6. from CU podcast

     

     

    thanks to @markocooper for info

     

     

    Porto sold 2003 team for 100mill euros, we sold our 2003 team for 10mill euros (Stan Petrov)

  7. .

     

     

    TopCorner..

     

     

    The Link to Your mates Travel Agency won’t open on iPhone could you email it..Please..

     

     

    BhoysOfOz@gmail.com

     

     

    A crowd of us a Meeting up in Brazil.. Leaving from Oz..Dublin.. Glasgow etc.. So he Would be a Great Contact..

     

     

    Thanks in Advance..

     

     

    Summa

  8. For anyone who can’t be bothered going to the Herald to read Michael Grant:

     

     

    Is it unthinkable that Rangers could cease to exist as a football club?

     

     

    Michael Grant

     

    Chief football writer

     

    A countdown clock is running on Rangers which has far, far graver consequences than any transfer window slamming shut.

     

     

    Could it be Rangers themselves which close? The outlook is becoming so bleak for them even that cannot be ruled out with total certainty. Liquidation still seems an unlikely outcome but the prospect of the club going into administration has moved from unthinkable to looking pretty much inevitable. It may not be long now before a statement is released confirming that Rangers, drowning in debt, have been placed in the hands of an administrator.

     

     

    It’s not about whether they win or lose the tax case against Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. They could sink before the outcome of that is known in March or April, or else they could collapse later even if the verdict goes their way. What’s becoming clear is that Rangers are living a hand-to-mouth existence where debt levels are unsustainable, income does not match expenditure, and something exceptional such as the sale of Nikica Jelavic is necessary just to pay the bills and keep the wolves from the door for the next few weeks.

     

     

    BUT THEN WHAT?

     

     

    HMRC are all over Rangers. They aren’t just interested in the big tax case, or the smaller one for an outstanding £2.8m fee; those are legacies of Sir David Murray’s reign. HMRC are also investigating an entirely new set of issues and concerns which pertain totally to the takeover by Craig Whyte and his subsequent actions as owner. They have interviewed former directors about the acquisition and about potentially outstanding VAT sums, including £5m which will be due from what is being referred to as “mortgaging the season-tickets”.

     

     

    Whyte has admitted using season-ticket projections for the next four years to secure loans worth £24.4m from an agency, Ticketus. He has denied using that money to buy Rangers in the first place and claimed that was a separate £18m from one of his companies. But if that is the case, where is the evidence of him investing serious money? Rangers’ biggest spend on a player under him has been £1.5m on Lee Wallace, some of which has still to be paid. Madjid Bougherra was sold for £1.7m and Jelavic for around £6m with, it is believed, £3.5m paid up front.

     

     

    SO HOW IS THIS LIKELY TO UNFOLD?

     

     

    A club goes into administration either voluntarily or when creditors file a petition. Clubs first pay football-related debts (wages and fees to other clubs), then HMRC gets some of the money it is owed. Whyte may soon have to accept that he can no longer maintain Rangers as a going concern and pay the bills.

     

     

    WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF GOING INTO ADMINISTRATION?

     

     

    Going into administration amounts to a rescue package which nearly always allows a club or company to survive. A licensed insolvency practitioner, the administrator’s intention is to maintain the club as a going concern. It would secure partial repayment for Rangers’ creditors and should avoid the club going into complete liquidation and ceasing to exist. After the administration the club re-emerges with new directors and a refreshed balance sheet. But it is no easy fix: there would be job losses among the off-field staff and redundancies, too, for players.

     

     

    WHAT HAPPENS IN FOOTBALL TERMS?

     

     

    Rangers would be docked 10 points in this season’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League – no more, no fewer. That is an automatic and mandatory penalty imposed the moment the SPL receives court notice that a club is in administration. No vote or decision needs to be taken. The points come off immediately. Rangers would fall 11 points behind Celtic and be seven ahead of third-placed Motherwell as the table currently stands.

     

     

    If Rangers believe the league title is a lost cause without Jelavic (or any quality goalscorer, for that matter) it would be in their interests to go into administration sooner rather than later. If administration happens during the close season they would start next season on minus 10 points. Ten points will be docked in every season in which they remain in administration. A club can be docked more than 10 points in a season only if it goes into administration more than once in the same campaign. Rangers would also be prevented from signing any players, either permanently or on loan. They could sell players, though. Much as January was, then.

     

     

    COULD THEY BE RELEGATED TO THE THIRD DIVISION, AS LIVINGSTON WERE, OR DOCKED 25 POINTS, AS DUNDEE WERE?

     

     

    No. They’d have to be relegated from the SPL (virtually impossible even with a 10-point deduction) and come under the auspices of the Scottish Football League, which can impose far more severe sanctions for being in administration. The SPL punishment is 10 points.

     

     

    COULD THEY PLAY IN EUROPE?

     

     

    Every club needs an SFA licence to compete in the Uefa tournaments. That is granted only if the club proves it doesn’t owe money to other clubs, its employees or Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The SFA needs to see audited accounts before a licence can be granted to play in Europe. So far, Rangers have not submitted such accounts to the SFA. They have until March 31 to do so, although there is some leeway for up to two weeks after that. But unless those audited accounts land at the SFA Rangers will not play in Europe next season, whether they are in administration or not.

     

     

    WHAT IS THE HOLD-UP WITH THE AUDITED ACCOUNTS?

     

     

    This is another question that Whyte must answer. Last month he said that an audit of the finances would be complete “on or around January 31” but yesterday he told the Rangers Supporters’ Trust that it had still to be done and, what’s more, he could not call an annual general meeting until it had been finalised. Whyte says the delays relate to the HMRC tax hearing. That’s a very vague explanation.

     

     

    IS COMPLETE LIQUIDATION AND THE END OF RANGERS LIKELY?

     

     

    Rangers going out of business altogether can no longer be entirely ruled out, although it is still thought to be an unlikely conclusion to the current situation. It would depend, if the club did go into administration, on whether agreement could be reached with their creditors over repayment term. If, for example, no agreement could be reached with Ticketus’ parent company (if they were the preferred creditor, rather than Whyte) full liquidation would be possible.

     

     

    MIGHT ALLY MCCOIST RESIGN OVER THIS?

     

     

    A matter of daily speculation. His chances of winning the league look all but over without Jelavic, although he is in an almost criticism-proof position given supporters realise the conditions he must work under. Eventually he could feel he is on a hiding to nothing and decide to escape the stress of dealing with it. But if McCoist is deeply frustrated about Whyte he might feel he’d be letting him off the hook by walking out. Nothing is likely to happen until the summer, at the earliest.

     

     

    WHAT IS THE SFA’S ROLE?

     

     

    The SFA can suspend or terminate a club’s membership if it goes into administration, which would prevent it from playing in any league, but it has never previously done so.

     

     

    WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN NOW?

     

     

    Whyte must explain why Rangers seem to be in meltdown. The biggest question is: if he didn’t use the season-ticket money to buy the club, what happened to the £20m-plus of supporters’ cash? It hasn’t gone on signings . . .

  9. Fortunes Favour Mibbes

     

    yeh

     

    they are well-dodgy

     

     

    got a lovely painting of CP in my living room

     

     

    painted by a mason !

     

     

    can you believe it ?

     

     

    he’s a nice man and, cos i know he is seeking the truth, i sense that one day he will be converted

     

     

    i wish him all the best

     

     

    a very fine artist !

  10. RalphWaldoEllison-is Neil Lennon Season 2011-12 on

    TopCorner says:

     

     

    2 February, 2012 at 00:30

     

     

    Fergus McCann

     

     

    “Celtic fans should look forward to my departure as we already have in place a top management team to take the Club forward. I have not dedicated five years of my life to hand the Club over to the wrong people. The Club is on an upward curve. Our target is to have a dominant position in Scottish football followed by being a recognised force on the European scene once again. The quality of people, a first class stadium, substantial finances and a faithful supporter base is the foundation on which future success will be built”.

     

    5/12/1997

     

    ===============================================================================

     

     

    I know you didn’t need me to do it, but here’s the CQN equivalent of a retweet

     

     

    God Bless Fergus. A man ahead of his time. We were fortunate he was a Tim

     

     

    hh

     

    RWE CSC

  11. Morning page streatchers :>)

     

     

    It’s dry and calm out there but -2c so give yourself extra time to get to work, with a skip and a jump if yir a Celt.

     

     

    Two questions:

     

     

    1) Where’s all the rangers supporters gone?

     

     

    2) when are they bust, trying to get a party organised, it would be good if they can hold off until St Patricks weekend, I could drink to that :>).

     

     

    V

  12. Sad to read this morning that the truly brilliant Angelo Dundee (Mirena), Muhammed Ali’s trainer throughout his boxing career has died.

     

     

    RIP Angelo.

  13. Tax Question not raised yet in the past 2 years amongst those of us that know….

     

     

    If I buy 2 shares in hunnery, will it help reduce the £2500 tax bill I discovered I had last night?

     

     

    Genuine question.

     

     

    (Prepared to buy up to 10 shares if it will help?…)

  14. Good morning friends from a very cold, frosty but dry East Kilbride.

     

     

    How much does their undersoil heating cost… ?

     

     

    Jobo

  15. Morning Bhoys,

     

    I am rather distressed to have to report that the axe has finally fallen.

     

    Yes, Amadeus has been banned for life from FF!

     

    It may have been something I said.

     

    If you’re reading this, Suck, and I know you are. You were too slow baby, as usual.

     

    I gave your motley crew the message and them some. I began the revolution!

     

    They won’t forget Amadeus in a hurry.

     

    Still, no hard feelings and all that.

     

    The job is done.

     

    Mr Suck can be assured that I will not post what I know……yet.

     

    Amadeus may be many things, but he isn’t vindictive.

     

    Hail hail, and have a good day (they are all good at the moment)

     

    PS Starry, get some work done bhoy!

  16. saltires en sevilla on

    Good morning fellow Celts from 06:31 to waterloo

     

     

    Seems red tops aligning with opposing factions in hun v currant saga

     

     

    This is gonna be great to watch

     

     

    HH

     

     

    M

  17. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    AMADEUS

     

     

    You really are such a tease.

     

     

    G’wan,G’wan,G’wan…….

     

    What did you say on there that was so bad it got you banned?

  18. I was merely rallying the hordes to action!

     

    I had quite a few on board too, before they tumbled to my seditious ways!

     

    I guess a few of them are a bit peeved at so easily being “suck”ered.

     

    If it’s any consolation, I am still laughing.

  19. Barrach Obampot on

    Morning CQN.

     

     

    Vhman @05:50

     

     

    1) Who cares?

     

     

    2) Is it too much to wish that Thatcher croakes it, the huns go down the shizerhole, and all on St Patrick’s Day?

     

     

    crimbosbirthdaysallinonecsc

  20. Barrach Obampot on

    saltires en sevilla @07:17

     

     

    I’m not big on bloodsports

     

     

    but I’ll make an exception in this case

  21. To be fair to Monsieur Suck, he’s a better class of hun. I wonder if he remembers as I do, a certain rather portly gentleman running like a red-faced bairn down the Paisley Road West pursued by those bad boys. Take it as you will, but that man can still show a turn of speed as and when required.

     

    If his adherents could have seen it…

     

    Luckily, Amadeus is the soul of discretion, unless riled…

  22. Whyte in the Hun today.

     

     

    I am delighted, it will convince the bares once again everything is fine.

     

     

    For the record, he only mortgaged 3 YEARS not 4 YEARS!

     

     

    Fecking Internet Bampots…

  23. RFC were bailed out by the taxman over the past 15yrs to the tune of 130million or so

     

     

    not including the current tax case

     

     

    see CU podcast, linked above