Celtic look set to continue their cornering of the French youth international team by capturing Olivier Ntcham (21) this week. He would be the most recent signing in a productive relationship with Manchester City which has seen Patrick Roberts, Dedryck Boyata and Jason Denayer all make the journey to from Manchester to Glasgow.
Olivier joined City as a 16-year-old and has been on loan at Genoa for the last two years. The player will doubtlessly be impressed by the progress of Roberts and international teammate, Moussa Dembele, at Celtic Park.
Ntcham is an attacking central midfield player who will compete with Tom Rogic and Stuart Armstrong for a place in the team. At 21, he has played a lot less football than either of them, but with 30-odd games in Serie A under his belt whose progress has been meticulously planned by City since 16, we should be getting someone first-team ready.
A year ago, we were told our signings were a reaction to the arrival in town of Joey Barton. I wonder who has us worried this year? Or maybe we just plan our business well, pay our bills, tax and NI, then spend whatever is left over. Like we have done for 20 years.
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I’ve said it for years. Long term……if Scotland is to have a viable footballing presence on the World stage then the scoddish domestic outfit are going to have to be made to submit to something akin to a Truth and Reconciliation process…very apt when we consider the actions of the huns and their supporters at the heart of this.
ROGUELEADER
In my experience if you write a letter to Peter Lawwell he will take the time to reply to you.
Mr Peter Lawwell
Celtic Football Club
Celtic Park
Glasgow
G40 3RD
There are decent Rangers supporters that I have no problem recognising as such.
There are certainly more than a fair share of nasties but the point I’m making is that such an approach suggested totally undermines the nasties and gives the decent supporters an opportunity to change their clubs direction.
To those striking their heads in disbelief what would Christ do? He recognises the decency in everyone and preaches forgiveness when men fail to be decent.
Would we rather they stay in the dark just to reinforce a view that there are no decent supporters of TRFC?
The fact that the word decent is what you focus on rather than the full solution says a lot about you and me. I am what I am, you are what you are. The challenge of life is to rise above that.
DavidO- if you add up the EBT money, there’s a few not on the list, i heard that one of them, who is good at gardening, is expecting a bill.Referees ,journalists, TV execs will also be on the take.HH
Wouldn’t have said this was our priority position, but sounds like a very decent player.
Hoping for a central defender, striker and keeper.
Nice final paragraph btw Paul :-)
!!Bada Bing!!
Absolutely don’t doubt that at all.
What I do doubt is the ability of anyone to seriously back it up with evidence. That will always be the issue in trying to fully explode this cheating scandal. Too much of what happened is protected by a handshake. I fear that the most scandalous of revelations will never be proven or even see the light of day.
Hope SA signs up as he has a lot to contribute to this team.
re the S** ‘ story ‘ on Armstrong, baffled by the scepticism of their ‘ journalism ‘ it’s not like they have ever played fast and loose with the facts when reporting. On the other hand…
Bankiebhoy 1:02
While we have people like “strong Rangers” McRae in charge of our game we will go absolutely nowhere. The whole thing needs a complete clean-out.
AULDHEID on 10TH JULY 2017 12:36 PM
It would also have to be explicitly stated that as a new club they are not entitled to any of the honours won by the former club.
Bankiebhoy
Truth is a prerequisite of reconciliation.
This piece caught the attention of the highest echelons in the Scottish Catholic Church but the advice was there was no one ready to engage with on the blue side.
If events since have not caused some change of minds nothing will. Perhaps another Administration might.
http://celticunderground.net/nothing-to-see-here-timmy-move-on/
My view is that if good men do not emerge on that side they are doomed to more of the same. Their thinking creates what they are now experiencing.
Sooner or later they will not like the experience.
Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses their understanding and they are in for lots more.
DavidO-Auldheid- Could a Freedom of Information request , give the full list of EBT recipients?
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWXP8iChXPf/
Who would have that list in Govt?
BRTH might know which Govt Dept is responsible for the justice system and that would be an organisation covered by FOI.
HMRC will know but definitely will not divulge confidential info.
I see our NI friends have taken 1500 briefs for the match. Do you think Celtic have asked for some form of (flute) bond regarding any potential vandalism given a good number will probably seek to do the same as their Govan cousins……
Rogue Leader
It can go to Supporter Liason Officer John Paul Taylor. See http://www.celticfc.net/pages/supporterliaisonofficer
Auldheid – agreed.
Glasstwothirds – agreed.
Clearly the huns can’t handle the truth…McRae being a guid example.
The concept of the good, decent hun might exist, I’m resolutely sceptical, because there seems none ( No, not one!) so bold as to grasp all the nettles in one big red hand…..
While some may be willing to admit inalienable truths in private, none so far have put their ugly heids over the parapet, far less the Copland Road stand………..
Unless we get McArthus V’s The Japanese type Surrender, there will be No let up in the maddening guff we are subjected to.
Enough Guff Is Enough!
The way things are shaping up there will be fierce competition for places in the midfield .
I think it’s out of Rogic,Armstrong,Ntcham,Kouassi and possibly McGregor for the two remaining slots in CM beside Broony,can’t see anybody else getting a look in this season.
It will be interesting to see who makes way for Ntcham assuming that he signs and Armstrong stays.
Re FOIs / EBTs
As this is a national disgrace in Scotland it is in the clear public interest to have full disclosure of all those who avoided tax through the scandalous Rangers (in Liquidation) EBT scheme.
The Rt Hon. Philip Hammond MP as Chancellor of the Exchequer Second Lord of the Treasury should be able to provide that information.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the government’s chief financial minister and as such is responsible for raising revenue through taxation or borrowing and for controlling public spending. He has overall responsibility for the work of the Treasury.
Parliamentary contact:
House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA
Tel: 020 7219 4055
Fax: 020 7219 5851
Email: hammondp@parliament.uk
https://twitter.com/PHammondMP
An FOI to Scotland’s Minister for Sport might also be interesting about what the Scottish Government is discussing with the SFA / SPFL on cheating and sporting integrity. Is it remotely feasible that no contact has been made?
Both Govts are not shy on publishing information on benefits cheats or paying less than the minimum wage. The EBT scandal is not just national but international. Ask Porto.
TONYDONNELLY 102
Aye. Indeed. Spot on.
Two fingers cos they know they’ll get away with it.
Thing is,my hun flatmate told me that seven years ago when the brown stuff was starting to hit. And I’d been telling him about it for years beforehand!
They ALWAYS think they’ll get away with it,but the wheels of justice grind exceedingly slow.
During which time,evidence mounts.
Ernie Lynch
I tried to get that point across after the last sub para but that is the crucial point.
They cannot have it both ways and either way strip titles or new club the title counts drops or disappears and UEFA have already presented, even if unintentional authority to new club view.
That’s what makes it elegant ;)
Dbhoy 1:45
Hopefully gives us different options on formation and playing style.
I’d like to see us playing 4-3-3 in Europe. This doesn’t suit Rogic, who is better suited to 4-2-3-1. Maybe Brown sitting and Armstrong (if he stays) and McGregor just ahead.
Don’t know enough about Ntcham to see where he would fit in.
Kouassi probably more one for the future.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 10TH JULY 2017 1:53 PM
Dbhoy 1:45
Hopefully gives us different options on formation and playing style.
I’d like to see us playing 4-3-3 in Europe. This doesn’t suit Rogic, who is better suited to 4-2-3-1. Maybe Brown sitting and Armstrong (if he stays) and McGregor just ahead.
Don’t know enough about Ntcham to see where he would fit in.
Kouassi probably more one for the future.
____
Ntcham is supposed to be a bit like Armstrong. He’s capable of playing as a central midfielder but prefers to be a number 10. He’s also been known to play on the right of the 3 behind the striker in a 4321
Not sure how Celtic are going to accommodate Ntcham, Armstrong, McGregor AND Rogic.
McGregor will continue to be a player that flits in and out of the starting 11 (a very valuable player all the same!!) and Rogic will pick up knocks here and there throughout the season (inevitable in Scottish football for a player with good close control). Kouassi doesn’t seem to be ready and Bitton probably won’t be around for all of this season.
I don’t think we have too many midfielders…
!BADABING!
The players and club officials who took EBTs also took side letters as a wee insurance policy. How that works out,time will tell.
I genuinely canny believe that anyone with no official connection to the club accepted an EBT as payment for services rendered. That leaves a paper trail,and with little chance of justifying just why they got a penny.
But in the age-old tradition of styoooopit huns over the years,they probably saw no chance of being called to account for it,so by ‘eck I hope it’s true!
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 10TH JULY 2017 12:16 PM
TURKEYBHOY
I thought the Post article was a disgrace.
I’ll be honest,I had no time for Ricksen in a blue jersey,any more than any of them. But anyone suffering that-IMO-most dreadful of diseases deserves sympathy,empathy,support,prayers.
He doesn’t deserve to have his name paraded and words twisted in that way.
Have not allowed that particular rag inside the door for over fifty years.
Auldheid,
I guess there are some rangers fans who want open and transparent governance within their own club at moment,but look who is in the chair?
When it was his club Murray was an autocrat.dissent not permitted.a lot of old school rangers men (hugh adams excepted) just walked away knowing the cliff murray was revving up to jump off
:-)
HH
Over on FF, the threads about the new signings seem to have disappeared, They are mostly about EBT, title stripping ect. One is on the 28th anniversary of that little shitehouse Mo Johnston signing for them. It would appear now that it was the greatest signing . Funny I seem to remember at the time, season books being torn up, scarfs being burnt and wrists being tanned. Silly Billy’s. F.K.B.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL
Thought I read somewhere that Brendan thinks Kouassi will make a mark on the first team this year.
From what I’ve read on Nthcham he sounds very versatile in terms of where he can play but he views the the no 10 slot as his best position.
Good point on the possibility of opening up different formations, certainly not short of numbers
Can’t say I know anything about the guy other than YouTube videos which we all know can be misleading… BUT…
I always look at a players stats, particularly when it comes to attacking players, stats don’t lie, although they never tell the full story. Ntcham has only a handful of goals and assists in his 2 years, combined with what I’ve saw on YouTube he does not look like a number 10 to me but a player who could be moulded into a top defensive or box-to-box midfielder.
Hell will freeze over before SFA do the right thing by stripping titles and find a way to compensate those who lost money.
I wonder if wee Barry will have to sell his Hotel. There is a lot of bumping the gums in the msm deflection to be honest. Guilty every last one of them I would like to know who the hell they got their tax advice from do they not have a duty to report these dodges. Seek and find go after every penny.
I really hope Armstrong stays. I rate him very highly and I’d rather we retain him and release Bitton and Henderson who have transfer value and will release wages to keep Armstrong.
If we keep SA and can get Paddy Roberts we could sell Craig Gordon and play with no goalie knowing for every five the opposition score we’ll score ten. :)
Quonno
There has to be an amnesty on financial compensation not just because of where would the money would come from but because it is an unrealistic expectation preventing sporting justice.
Sky revamping their sports output from next Tuesday, they seem to be splitting un the EPL from football in general, cricket golf F1 seem to be getting their own channels, here comes a major price hike and selective viewing for others , I hope they are left with their EPL packages and then have to pay the 5.1 billion for the term of the contract.
We all know Armstrongs ability going forward and knack of getting/creating a goal, but hes just generally a tough guy to play against. He has got a lot stronger on the ball in the last few months. On Saturday, there were Shamrock Rovers players, who fancied their chances of winning the ball, bouncing off him. According to Chris McLaughlin(I know) Celtic are relaxed about how the negotiations are going.
I think he will sign a new deal.
HH
QUONNO
Not bought it since my Mum used to send me down the shop for the papers. And she certainly gave up on it a long time ago too.
It was the best-selling newspaper in the world,per capita,at one time. Down to about 150k dafties now.
KarmaCSC
AULDHEID
Re compensation,I think so too.
Take the moral high ground and make the point that it NOT about money-despite having had it stolen from us. We just want the right thing to be done,and seen to be done.
Strip the titles,works for me. Maybe make sure certain people can no longer work in the game.
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