Ciftci’s industry, the great Czechoslovakia

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BBC’s Jim Spence reports this morning that Dundee United have rejected a £900k bid from Celtic for striker Nadir Ciftci (23), as Ronny Deila continues his quest to recreate the all-conquering (cough) Dundee United team of 2014.

While Ciftci is clearly talented, this is an unexpected move.  He can hold the ball up and bring others into play but he never struck me as having Ronny Deila-type industry.  Not that he would be the first convert to perpetual motion.

With John Guidetti away and Stefan Scepovic yet to stake a claim, we’ve space for a couple of strikers.  It would be good to have at least one before the qualifiers.

Dukla Prague are one of those teams who my generation grew up hearing about.  They were one of the finest teams in Europe, with one of the world’s top players, Josef Masopust, who sadly died yesterday.  Masopust won the Ballon d’Or in 1962, after leading the great Czechoslovakia to the World Cup final that year, which they lost to Brazil.

He faced Celtic with Dukla in the semi-final of the European Cup in 1967, losing only once in the competition, at Celtic Park.  Czech football retains the potential to create great teams, but, denied access to TV deals available in neighbouring parts of the EU, they have been robbed of the ability to achieve meritocratic progression.

The passing of Masopust is a chance to celebrate a great player and team, and to regret what appears forever lost because of television.

Enjoying Phil MacGiollaBhain’s work with the Belfast Telegraph, laid bare in his blog of yesterday.  He includes scanned letters from the newspaper’s editor who regards it as “outrageous to suggest that I, or the Belfast Telegraph, would operate a blacklist of any form”, including one which includes Phil, despite how popular such a move would be in places.

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775 Comments

  1. Gerryfaethebrig on

    dontbrattbakkinanger

     

     

    08:47 on 1 July, 2015

     

     

    Maybe Neil might get a wee shout for Leicester job, no injuries tonight and a few goals to get that winning mentality back will suffice

  2. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    17/04/48, Dundee 2 Celtic 3 [Weir 3]

     

     

    He also played in the 1951 SCFinal, when we beat Hibs 1-0.

     

     

    He had a modest record at Blackburn, so if CQN had been around in 1948 the Great Disguntled would have been chunterin’ on about Celtic signing another dud ;/)

  3. antipodean red on

    macjay,

     

     

    He’s a bad yin that John Pilger, would be interesting to know what he thinks of Tony Abbott’s new laws to put professionals (and others) in jail for up to 2 years if they speak out about their experiences in the concentration camps in Narau and Manus. Democracy indeed!

     

     

    AR

  4. Gerryfaethebrig on

    kevjungle

     

     

    08:26 on 1 July, 2015

     

     

    On the subject of GMS & SA, I am really glad we signed them but they probably cost us the treble in a football sense, they gave us a right boost then when cup-tied it probably upset our rhythm more than anything, anyway that was in the past, looking forward to seeing more of them two after a full pre-season with us

     

    Aff in (tae work)

  5. mighty tim supporting wee Oscar on

    Bmcuw/kevj Frank is still Celtic mad. He would have loved to play for the hoops. Bobby he did indeed retire early through injury to his lower back. Fergie wanted to bring a manure team to Pittodrie to play a testimonial for him sadly the powers that be at Aberdeen refused as he hadn’t been with them long enough. He was also a tidy boxer in his youth and could have chosen that route to go down. Kevj he isn’t that big about 5’10 in his playing days although probably an inch shorter now.

     

    He now lives in Brazil bit is home just now for a few months. I was with him at our cousins funeral a few weeks back. He runs a football academy in Brasilia.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    KTF

     

     

    Utlr

  6. The Pantaloon Duck on

    Den Bosch is a town in the southern part of the Netherlands. Its Sunday best name is ‘s-Hertogenbosch, but that’s too much of a mouthful even for the Dutch, so they shorten it to Den Bosch.

     

     

    It is a fact well known amongst the Dutch that any foreigner who tries to pronounce ‘s-Hertogenbosch will die of asphyxiation. In olden days, the residents of ‘s-Hertogenbosch took advantage of this when under attack by simply asking their invaders “where are you?”. Whereupon the nasty outsiders would drop dead half way through their answer.

  7. The Pantaloon Duck on

    It is also a little known fact that Den Bosch is the only town in the world which is named after its residents’ kitchen appliances.

  8. Almore

     

     

    I totally agree on a loan for Rogic. I would loan him out to a Championship club possibly St Mirren where he would play most weeks and see what he can do.

     

    I’m afraid I don;t see what many on here see regarding Rogic but suspect he needs games and may need to toughen up a bit. 6 month loan and see what he can do.

     

    He will learn nothing on our bench.

     

     

    LB

  9. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    MIGHTY TIM

     

     

    Thanks for the update,bud. Good to know he’s in fine fettle now.

     

     

    Always sad to see a talent lost so early,give him my best please if you bump into him again.

     

     

    HH

  10. MurdochauldandHay & Wee Oscar

     

     

    If Celtic match the bid by Wigan it is up to the player. That deal is not dead yet.

     

     

    LB

  11. LiviBhoy

     

    09:22 on

     

    1 July, 2015

     

     

    Although D Utd might demand a premium from Celtic since he’d now be playing against them.

  12. weeminger

     

     

    Not really. The player and his agent who is big Pierre will be informed. If Celtic match Wigan’s offer then they can push it through.

     

    The secret footballer opened my eyes to a lot of this. Even under contract the player has a lot of control and sway in these situations. Citfci will be a free agent this time next year.

     

    If he instructs his agent to say he won;t go to Wigan. Celtic have bid the same money. You can either let me go or I will speak to them in January and sign a pre-contract and you get nothing. What you reckon they will do? Even if Wigan up their bid by a hundred grand the player holds the aces if his heart is set on a certain club.

     

    I’m not convinced by the boy myself but if Ronny wants him I suspect he will get his man.

     

     

    LB

  13. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    With Celtic being outbid by the mighty Wigan-now in the third tier,btw-the latest madness from down there is…

     

     

    Yohan Cabaye from PSG for £10m. Bid by Crystal Palace.

     

     

    Ffs utter cash carousel down there.

  14. I don’t think the Shifty deal is Ronny’s baby.

     

     

    I’m calling that. . In fact. I’m pretty sure it’s not.

  15. Morning all.

     

     

    How are you all coping in the Scottish heatwave(?!).

     

     

    Careful now!

     

     

    HH!!

  16. The Pantaloon Duck on

    Given the choice of playing for Wigan or for the mighty Glasgow Celtic, where would you go? Tough choice.

  17. Mighty Tim / BMCUW

     

    __________________

     

    Guid to hear yer information about Frank….like Bobby, please pass on my best wishes also – Hail Hail

     

     

    Frank McDougall should have been a Celt – CSC

  18. Due to strikergate. I find it hard that PL who lost all that cash with his striker projects , would Risk another project

     

     

    Final warning peter

  19. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    SYDNEYTIM

     

     

    Yep. He’ll probably say they all fell through.

  20. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    antipodean red

     

    09:04 on

     

    1 July, 2015

     

    macjay,

     

     

    He’s a bad yin that John Pilger, would be interesting to know what he thinks of Tony Abbott’s new laws to put professionals (and others) in jail for up to 2 years if they speak out about their experiences in the concentration camps in Narau and Manus. Democracy indeed!

     

     

    AR

     

    ——————————————————————————————————————–

     

    On the other hand,1,2000 estimated to have drowned in the six years of Rudd/Gillard/Rudd Labor “get on a leaky boat,pay people smugglers 10 grand ” boat bound for the rocks off Christmas Is.

     

    Did you see the tragic drownings?

     

     

    20 months of Tony Abbott…..not one drowning.

     

    Wonder where the Libyan people smugglers got the idea from.

     

    What`s the drowning toll in the Mediterranean?

     

     

     

    John Pilger? Seriously,pal. He spouts about Oz……..but takes the Queen`s shilling.

     

    Typical socialist .There`s a quid in tragedy.

  21. Frank MacDougall great character but very slow. I remember seeing him have a 5 yard start on John MacClelland of the deid team and he got beaten to the ball by five yards.

     

    Knew where the onion bag was though . Unfortunately a horrendous back problem ended his career too early.

  22. Interesting from Celtic after recent (negative) media reports

     

     

    @celticfc: New Celtic away kit is out today and ONLY available from Celtic stores and at http://t.co/egkPQ2xAAQ (NM)

     

     

    HH

  23. Herbo

     

    05:12 on

     

    1 July, 2015

     

    It’s the guns and bullets in Asda(Walmart) they want to ban. A flag had never killed anyone.

     

     

    There is people in South Carolina and Georgia that I know who abhor racism. They don’t see the confederate flag in this way. It should be remembered that there was massacres and atrocities, war crimes that happened to people in the south indiscriminately, no questions asked. Banning flags is nonsense.

     

     

    Just my opinion of course.

     

     

    Just catching up on this one.

     

     

    It is literally true that a flag or fleg never killed anyone.

     

     

    However, as I have posted previously.

     

     

    Paisley whipped up indignation about an Irish Flag flying on the Falls Road helped act as a catalyst for thirty years of murder and mayhem in Northern Ireland.

  24. Celtic are quite right to play ‘poker’ with teams when buying players.

     

     

    For me….the only money that I would have spent in this window would have been on, SA & GMS but, they’re already here so…all the better.

     

     

    Sumdy said the other day that it was Arsene Wenger who said that – “There’s a lot of money there but, where are the players?”

     

     

    That is true as well. I think Swalex also said that there were an unbelievable amount of players in the English game who are mediocre-millionaires….true as well.

     

     

    I think that there is ‘no’ need to become hung-up about recruiting another striker.

     

     

    TontineTim….made a grand post last night as well….but….the point ‘again’ was missed.

     

     

    TT got to the bit about Dixie Deans banging in all his goals…but….what is missed here is, the point that…in those days….it was said that – the dug that used to run onto the pitch from the Jungle could put on a hooped jersey – play up front and score a barrow load…and it probably would have but….the point….that was a Celtic team that made chance after chance, after chance…..that disny happen today….that’s why a conveyer belt of strikers have been wrongly judged / managed…imho

     

     

    Scepovic is the latest.

     

     

    How many chances has he had?

     

     

    How many of those chances were missed?

     

     

    How many were scored?

     

     

    Souness(the beast) used to put sleekit on the bench and, play Mo Johnston instead, causing fury from the hun in the ‘then’ packed stands and, from the Laptop-loyal.

     

     

    Souness said – “Maurice only needs one chance and he’ll score for us….other folk want four or five….that’s not on.”

     

     

    Wildcard prediction…..Jim MacIntyre will be Celtic manager in the next couple of years.

     

     

    HH

  25. antipodean red on

    Macjay,

     

     

    Who mentioned Gillard/Rudd, are these new “laws” democratic?

     

     

    AR