Celtic’s Europe-UK transfer dilemma

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If right back, Aurelio Buta, completes his proposed move from Royal Antwerp, added to Carl Starflet and Christopher Jullien, who will return later this year, we have the beginnings of a stable defensive structure.

Not that Aurelio would be of any immediate benefit, as travelling here from Belgium would require him to isolate until after the first legs of the third qualifying rounds of the Champions and Europa Leagues.  If we want a right back to play against PSV or Jablonec he has to already be in the UK.  This is a dilemma.

I have zero expectations we will reach the Champions League group stage.  PSV look too strong, with or without a new right back.  A win tomorrow night will secure at least Europa League group stage qualification.  Lose tomorrow, and overcoming Jablonec in the next round of the Europa becomes vitally important.  The latter outcome makes a UK-based signing more likely, the former points to Buta getting the nod.

 

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296 Comments

  1. squire danaher

     

     

    “….as it happened….”

     

    There is a clue in there somewhere

  2. quadrophenian on

    We’ll never know if Ange is pissed off with a particular part of his Celtic challenge becos his demeanour seems permanently pissed off. But in his interview he says he came into this ‘task’ with his eyes wide open; so he knew the difficulties of rebuilding us would be massive (and he musta known about the Covid complications too!)

     

     

    It’s time we faced up to the reality that the 10 just evaporated; like dissolving steam from the team showers where Lenny took charge for another tilt. We lost the 10th and they got their 1st premiership ever.

     

     

    From a business POV, does it really matter they get a 2nd title while we try to rebuild our playing capability?

     

     

    Football-wise it’d break my heart to see us smacked by them and others but business-wise, we’ll likely do enough to get a crack at Europa vases – which (current financial limitations considered) is about our level – via the winning a cup route.

     

     

    Every team and their auntie knows we’re desperate for talent so our negotiating power has been eroded by our own succession planning fails. Whispers that the Great Dermott is involved in transfer deals are spooky – very few multi-millionaires got rich by being careless with their cash.

     

     

    Can’t see his ego being willingly pushed around by clubs trying to squeeze as much out of us as they can.

     

     

    As for Dom – as I’ve said before – any CEO is merely the implementer of the strategy agreed and signed off by their Board.

     

     

    I still fancy us to beat the Danish wolves tomorrow. COYBIG

  3. CELTIC MAC on 28TH JULY 2021 12:01 AM

     

     

    You’re being more than a little unfair.

     

    At no time in anything I’ve posted have I said or intimated that I was prescient at all.

     

    Certainly, ex post facto, I believe I’m able to see things more clearly, but not at all because I knew beforehand.

     

    In fact, I was ok at the time with the appointment of NFL – in the shower or not.

     

    But I felt joy tinged with foreboding at the League Cup win. I made little of it that foreboding at the time but I also know that I wasn’t alone in having those mixed emotions. I put it down to luck being with us for a change.

     

    Again I remained in the happyclapper camp – just, but my confidence was dropping.

     

    I was delighted to have the league win to our credit, because like most of us I wanted 9 so that we could move on to 10 in a row. The fear always was that a conspiracy of some sort would null & void the season to deprive us of the 10. The cup final win was unconvincing & has echoes of the League Cup win.

     

     

    I remained a moderate/happyclapper until the 0-2 defeat to them & the shambles of Ferencvaros.

     

    Far from being prescient, I was soft enough to think that everything would work out fine – until that time.

     

    In a very short time, I saw what others had been banging on about for years.

     

     

    That change of heart caused me to reflect & review a lot, to try to understand how I could have been so daft as to not see it before. It is very much with hindsight that I see the same facts in a different light now.

     

     

    My own view, after all that reflection & is that the apparent success of 19/20 season flattered us and that the crash of season 20/21 began earlier than August 2020. It’s only my view & I’m happy to listen to alternative views like your own. It does appear counter intuitive to say that in a season where we won all the domestic trophies, could be found evidence of our collapse in 20/21 – but opinions don’t always need to make sense.

     

     

    HH

  4. Melbourne Mick on

    Hello again all you young rebels.

     

     

    Whaur’s awe the early burds ? Big Jimmy, David 66 etc. not

     

    up yet ?

     

    Well that’s us out of lockdown again, Victoria has smashed it with only

     

    10 Covid cases now and all in isolation, so hopefully we’ll manage our

     

    vaccination rollout a bit better, and more importantly stop any other

     

    infected idiots entering the state at the borders.

     

    Training starts tomorrow at our local ground and I can see some of our

     

    youths down there straight from school today, those hoops tops stick

     

    out a mile from the top of our hill.

     

    Had to laugh after the West Ham game even though we got humped, got

     

    a dig from an ex WH goalie Danny N. on our clubs facebook page, he’s a

     

    goalie coach for our young dudes.

     

    He put ” Just watching the highlights of the Celtic V West Ham with Mick and

     

    Eddie ” that’s my Tim mate.

     

    So I put ” Not me I’m watching a dvd of the first British team to win the

     

    European cup, the Lisbon Lions have you got any of them ? he…he

     

    That shut him up.

     

    Feeling good about tomorrow night, it’s obvious to everybody and their granny

     

    that Ange needs players, especially fast tall defenders but more importantly

     

    he needs time.

     

    Will he get it ?

     

    H.H. Mick

  5. MELBOURNE MICK on 28TH JULY 2021 7:04 AM

     

    Hello again all you young rebels.

     

    ____

     

    Melbournemick, I’d hoped to travel to Oz, Feb/March next year. Do you expect the country to be opened up by then.

  6. Mick, time is what it willl take no matter what.

     

     

    These games are coming too fast for him and the fledgling restructure.

     

     

    ‘keeper and Striker needs sorting asap just for the League never mind anything else just yet.

     

     

    Given the state of the team –

     

     

    Whether we win or lose the night is , imo , a lottery –

     

     

    HH

  7. Celtic Mac on 28th July 2021 12:01 am

     

     

    The best team does not always win a cup final.

     

    In the last SPL game before the lockdown, which the Celtic Board did not announce, and which some of us actually attended, Celtic won 5-0, and went for a time 16 points clear of our rivals. We had won 12 of 13 domestic games in 2020. With the support behind the team, we would have pushed on and completed the treble. After which, we lost focus, we, as a club lost focus. Various reasons, some of which we all subscribe to, but all leading to the disaster that became last season and to now. None of it was pre-determined, no manifest destiny, but no dealing with it as it happened either.

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

    Excellent post.

  8. Melbourne Mick on

    ZIGGYDOC 1

     

     

    Wouldn’t bet my house on it, Sydney will stay in lockdown for

     

    another month now as Delta is raging there, only takes idiots crossing

     

    the border surreptitiously as happened recently to put us in the sh@t

     

    again.

     

    If your coming anytime in the future and in Melbourne let me know

     

    on here and we’ll meet up for a pint and a gab about the best club in

     

    the universe.

     

    H.H. Mick

  9. Melbourne Mick on

    BANKIEBHOY 1

     

     

    Agree, loved the way they played first half last game but even I could

     

    see we would struggle with the gaps we were leaving, and two inexperienced

     

    lhads at the back for cover.

     

    Although I think both are future stars for us.

     

    H.H. Mick

  10. timmy7_noted on

    Cornelius, an excellent place post a few hours ago, enjoyed that and agree with it.

     

    Thought through and heartfelt, rather than a creep bigging up Leckie.

  11. timmy7_noted on

    Oops don’t know how place ended up in there 😅

     

    Auld folk using phones 🤭

  12. Rolling_Stone on

    @ POR CIERTO on 28TH JULY 2021 8:33 AM

     

     

    Ambitious appointment by Hibs to take someone from a newly promoted PL side.

  13. TURKEYBHOY on 27TH JULY 2021 4:31 PM

     

    Lambert 14,

     

    I take stick.From who?People that are same as you,whingers.Fine by me.

     

    I am fine with the thought Celtic give me great joy,God only knows what supporting them brings to you,going by your endless misery filled posts.

     

    Whatever makes you happy.Or not.

     

    —————————————————————-

     

    I can only imagine the despair you went through when Celts for Change starred up to in order to remove your beloved board members.

     

    Celts for Change would have been your ‘whingers’ of the 1990s.

     

     

    ‘No doubt the Lawwellites on here will tell us that poor Peter and the rest of the board could never have known last season that we would be playing qualifiers in July in order to be ready in time.’

     

     

    This is my comment yesterday.

     

    What riled you so much about it?

  14. Melbourne Mick, will do. Was last in Oz, the November before covid. I’ve family in Sydney, so always visit them. Went to Adelaide last time and loved it. Was in Melbourne in 2014.

     

    What a place, absolutely brilliant. Stayed in the crown next to the casino. Great area that, right along the river. Know a Bhoy who lives in Mornington, which looks a beautiful place.

  15. Melbourne Mick on

    ZIGGYDOC 1

     

     

    Ah… Mornington, the Celtic capitol of the rebel peninsula

     

    a stunning area right enough, especially when the hoops are

     

    marching through the town.

     

    Is your pal a CSC member?

     

    H.H. Mick

  16. TURKEYBHOY on 27TH JULY 2021 4:38 PM

     

    SAINT STIVS on 27TH JULY 2021 2:08 PM

     

     

     

     

    Today is a historic day for St Mirren FC…SMISA has now completed the purchase of Gordon Scott’s remaining shares, taking our stake in the club to 51%. For the first time our club is majority owned by its supporters /1

     

    Would be great if we could do that.

     

    Our first Board

     

    CEO Lambert 14

     

    PeterLatchfordsBelly

     

    ONIL

     

    RC

     

    MAD Mitch

     

    ———————————

     

    I’m certain that none of the above would sign a secret agreement favouring our rivals at our own club’s expense, then lie about it to the fans and shareholders

  17. glendalystonsils on

    I’m confident that with no silly red cards or defensive/goalkeeper howlers we can win tonight . I also hope the refereeing tonight is of a higher standard as last week’s ref was pathetic .

  18. POR CIERTO

     

    I heard Sutton raving about this on 5 live and how well he ran the club.

     

     

     

    Whereas we get someone from rugby. But he did go to St Als!!!

  19. onenightinlisbon on

    LAMBERT14 on 28TH JULY 2021 9:53 AM

     

     

    Well said. I have the best interests of our club at heart, unlike the shysters in the boardroom and our lickspittle sycophants on here who castigate anyone who dares to call it like it is.

  20. quadrophenian on

    Meeja reports say we have made a concrete offer for Gianluca Lapadula – I hope he cements his place in our squad.

     

     

    Thankfully his name is ripe for a ditty:

     

     

    Wel-l-l-l… G-Lapadula – he’s our baby

     

    See Lapadula – we don’t mean maybe

     

    G-Lapadula – he’s our baby

     

    See Lapadula we don’t mean maybe

     

    Wee Lapadula he-he-he’s a wizard wi the ball-a-with-the-ball-a-with-the-ball…

     

     

    Coat. Get. Ma…

  21. Here are the win ratios for the teams that won the spl over the last 5 seasons for the entire domestic season (league and cups)

     

     

    16/17 – Celtic 91%

     

    17/18 – Celtic 70%

     

    18/19 – Celtic 83%

     

    19/20 – Celtic 87%

     

    20/21 – Huns 76%

     

     

    It’s easy to forget that 17/18 was a bit of a slog in the league – we only won 5 more points than we did last season.

     

     

    I don’t think they’ll maintain their league form of last season, get the right players in by the end of august and I think we’ll be challenging.

  22. SAINT STIVS on 28TH JULY 2021 10:10 AM

     

    Who from Celtic PLC signed the secret agreement ?

     

    —————————–

     

    Should have said ‘happy to sign off on a secret agreement’ at the expense of our own club, then lie to the fans and shareholders of the club that you pretend you are a fan of and where you pick up your obscene salary from.

  23. AMBERT14 on 28TH JULY 2021 10:46 AM

     

    SAINT STIVS on 28TH JULY 2021 10:10 AM

     

     

     

     

    Who from Celtic PLC signed the secret agreement ?

     

     

    ————————-

     

     

    Aye but who was it that signed it ?

  24. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    C.O.O. in English club wants a CEO gig in England.

     

     

    One possible pathway – get a CEO gig up in Jockville.

     

     

    Yawn. Absolutely nothing to see.

     

     

    File under “so what?”

  25. Did not know about the fire at St Simons. Looking at the pictures now it is utterly destroyed. Absolutely terrible.

  26. HRVATSKI JIM on 28TH JULY 2021 10:54 AM

     

     

    He might not be at his peak anymore but he’s an instant fix for a serious problem

     

     

    His distribution isn’t great though, and Ange seems very keen on keepers who can pass out