There was a standing joke on here for years. On day one of the transfer window someone would write, “The transfer window’s been open 13 hours and still no news, get your finger out Celtic”. It mirrored the less jovial comments when the transfer window had 13 hours left, although “get your finger out Celtic” occasionally still featured.
It’s not just Celtic, transfer business is a deadline activity. Why sell your prime asset early when you know desperate clubs will pay over the odds to appease the manager who is demanding sufficient resources to meet target?
You need to work an angle to pick up prime cuts this early in the window. We picked up Virgil van Dijk for a paltry £2.6m in June 2013, which is remarkable, considering he is an outstanding player who was working in one of Europe’s heavily scouted leagues.
We got in early with van Dijk, who had been released by Willem II without playing a game before making 62 appearances with Groningen. A false start followed by a period with just enough form to tempt Celtic’s scouts, but not so much as to alert the slower footed.
So what do we know about Dedryck Boyata? He’s 24, three years older than Virgil when he joined, but has played around half the number of first team games Virgil had experienced. Dedryck was vacuumed up by City as a 16-year-old, part of the annual harvest major clubs make each year. He clearly had something about him to convince City to retain him, but first team outings were rare. When Celtic came shopping a year ago, City were prepared to live without Jason Denayer for a season, but not Dedryck, who went into their first team squad.
It’s correct to say that knowledge of Dedryck is scarce, even among City fans, but Ronny has spent time on City’s training fields with him, and had him watched extensively in non-first team outings over the last year.
Is he the answer to our defensive prayers? Time will tell, but the recruitment strategy which brought him here is coherent. All our scouts and management team have watched him to the extent that a consensus has been reached. His profile is not high enough to commend a fee which is out with our budget, and most importantly, we can bring him in now, making sure he’s embedded before the potentially lucrative Petrofac Cup Champions League qualifiers.
Welcome to Celtic, Dedryck.
Still laughing, in case you were in any doubt.
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BO
Good man, thanks for making the effort.
Cowiebhoy
Cheers mate I’ll be thinking about you tomorrow.
Anyone have any problems with the quality of the new
Strips?
Anyone else here the deal for Robert snodgrass is all but done
ginger
22:00 on 3 June, 2015
Anyone have any problems with the quality of the new
Strips?
—
Been a fair bit about it on the etims diary over the past week. Complaints about quality and durability as far as I can tell?
HT
Been off for a few days. Did you have any joy with your meeting with the SNP guy last week?
If George Square, as has been claimed by the Glasgow Labour Party, is open to all then why has no Irish Republican parade ever been granted permission to march past the cenotaph directly outside the City Chambers?
JJJBT…doubt it mate…Wayyyy Tooo much Money….
Hamiltontim @ 21:53 on 3 June, 2015
“I’m sorry but I don’t miss Kojo in the slightest. I have no time for racists”
No need for you to apologise at all. KOJO was a total racist and he and his IP address should have been excluded from this site years ago.
Well said Hamiltontim.
Nikes mucky hands over FIFA bungs and the doping on the BBC1 investigation tonight. Glad we have went elsewhere with New Balance as our kit suppliers.
Lance Armstrong was part of that stable as well.
Their guilt can’t ultimately be proved as yet but it’s a lot of mud in the one companies direction.
The corruption in sport at the minute is horrific.
LB
stringer bell
It was a ‘she’ :-)
I’m looking for her to apply pressure on those responsible to ensure that FAC are allowed to present their findings and analysis directly to the Justice Committee. She’s said that she will and has agreed to copy me in to any correspondence she has.
Fingers crossed.
So when do we get to read Bilel WhyTheLongFace has been charged with assault after Sunday’s escapades?
Or is this another indiscretion by a newco player on the field of play to be swept under the carpet?
Paisley Bhoy..Being a Racist or a Bigot, to be Honest, is No bar to CQN,..Inverted Bigotry is Rife on CQN…IMO..
Just in case we forget how Armageddon works in Scottish Football.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGCVQw0dzjc
Hey, Hey, Hey, Beautiful Sunday.
Leftclicktic
Thanks Bhud, just had ma last supper
Roasted And Toasted Cheese :-)
Hail Hail
BGX
You appear to believe that you have won some internal argument of your own devising. I am pleased for you and I hope you enjoy the prize you awarded yourself.
HT
Did you read those links about the historical sequence?
They show that Labour in Glasgow tried to limit them- actually took legal action not just talked about it- and they got their arses kicked by the courts with the SNP then providing succour to the OO.
They have been told not to limit these events using their civic powers. Meanwhile talk of Government legislation to help is 3 years old with not another word said or proposal passed
Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas
21:52
Excuse me, just here and read your post. Bizarrely, I’m travelling back and forward from Motherwell for work at the moment.
Radio.
I’m sure, somewhere in a dusty corner, I still own many C90 cassette recordings of Gerry McNee and Richard Park match commentaries.
Never live because through the 70s,80s I was at every game and didn’t want to jinx the afternoon. In the day Clyde re-broadcast their second half feed, as live, in the early hours afterwards. So for good wins, these tapes were better than music. (for me)
HT
thanks for the update. Good luck with it all. I’m quietly hassling every SNP activist and member I can find about this.
I hope it will be an issue in next years election, along with SNP policy on policing in general,, but I fear the SNP will turn that vote into a single issue matter with their referendum obsession.
Good luck mate, keep it lit.
SFTB…..Shutting dinosuars like you up suits me Alldaylong ..Bless…
So the 1998 world cup was awarded to France due to bribery.
Chuck Blazer singing like a canary.
Where the hell this ends, nobody knows.
https://mobile.twitter.com/henrywinter/status/606191445079375872/photo/1
SFTB
No I’m sorry but I didn’t read them.
What I can say is that I have some ‘on the ground’ knowledge of GCC’s decision making on parades in the city over many years. Frequently parades either have their route altered or indeed are not permitted.
Whatever happened to the idea of making those parading pay for the cost of the policing?
Serious question.
Listening to games on the radio. I remember listening to the 1986 love street game on the car radio driving home to my folks house then sitting outside the house for 20 minutes waiting for the games to end.i am sure we only got the second half live in those days .
Guyfawkes, the e tims article is called radio da da and is a good and sentimental read particularly for some us past forty.
The repsonses are very good to it and a lot of good memories of games revisited.
Those tapes you have of live games covered on Clyde will probably be good for you to listen to again.
The games in the mid to late eighties the quality of commentary, if I remember correctly, regressed , particularly when Gerry McNee was involved.
stringer bell
Good on you mate. I also agree regarding policing in general, the continuing abuse of power displayed by Police Scotland needs challenged and addressed.
Craigellachie10…I was Driving a Taxi That day Mate…Listening…Couldnt believe We did it…Back to my Ma And Da’s in Maryhill…..Aint Thought About That in A Longgggg Time…Thanks for Bringing that Memory Back..
.Bless
HT
There are powers to vary events, especially if police advise of a high likelihood of problems arising. Otherwise they have to be accommodated. It would be an easy thing to ask the Council why this was approved or why this was not turned down. But this petition seeks to do neither of these things- it has other aims. Its primary target is the Labour Party and GCC- that is wrong and a shame.
BGX
So that’s your desired prize! Well, just you continue to award yourself the win and we’ll agree to ignore all evidence to the contrary.
Meanwhile, son, there are grown ups talking…
Putting your hand on a Bible a swearing to tell thd truth in court is applicable only if it is relevant – so ive been told
Shocking mis-read of headline nearly spoiled Monster Mash Sunday for me.
“Well took drugs before final”
Jeez…my sanity for a missing letter ‘S’
Jeeso, good to know the ‘oo’ are stewarding Georges square.
Minds me of the watching “just another Saturday” from my youth.
Don’t be looking out of the windows!
SFTB,
This was an interesting article from a few years ago
http://www.sconews.co.uk/news/18734/is-glasgow-planning-a-u-turn-on-orange-walks/
With the referendum coming up it was simply appeasement
lct
Brother on the radio this morning says they do pay for policing!!
At the 1951 final I mostly remember the huge crowd ,more than I had ever seen, and my Dad doing the same as he always did ; Took me down the front and left me saying don’t move from there I will come down and check on you at halftime Celtic scored early and the next thing I knew he was down saying ‘We are going to win this ,Patrick’ (don’t remember ever being called Son) we are going to win. I always thought we were going to win that’s why I am a Happy Clapper!!
SFTB…Your a Bit Too Easy…I’ll Let you run on This one coz,Just coz im a Nice Guy…But Next Time..Well Next Time Will Be Different….Goodnight ..Bless…
Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas
22:20
Thanks. Ok e-tims, got it. You’re correct of course that the agenda was written even then.
However, on big days where we scored second half goals to turn a game around and sicken that large part of our country that wasn’t us. Paradise.
Dallas, Dallas where the heck is Dallas @ 21:52…
Ah, against Penarol in 1976, my first Celtic game at CP ….although I was around 10 years of age at that time I will never forget the HUGE battle in the Jungle during that game…ironic since it was Celtic fans v Celtic fans during a friendly game…or gangland warfare…
Forget Glasgow on Saturday and get you arse over to Hamilton For the Reamonn Gormley footy tourney from 10am to 16.30 pm
Love
Canamalar
Yep, that fits the timeline. That was what they said AFTER the courts had delivered their ruling in favour of the OO.
They were told to backtrack and they did. What could have been a gradual diminishing of the proliferation of those marches was halted in its tracks. The OO won in the Courts.
The SNP, for reasons of political gain, offered the OO encouragement as Gerry Braiden (not an enemy of the Yessers or SNP) stated.
And meanwhile, apart from one exchange for the cameras between Yousaf and McAskill, and one press statement from Pete Wishart, there has been not one word, not one action, and not one resolution from the SNP in Government.
You might just gain the impression that they are happy on the sidelines.
If something goes wrong economically, blame Westminster.
If something goes wrong within Scotland- it’s a Council issue and they should sort it.
Serial responsibility avoiders
leftclicktic
22:19 on 3 June, 2015
Whatever happened to the idea of making those parading pay for the cost of the policing?
Serious question.
==========================================================
There are outworkings to that which are not desirable IMO – there are quite a lot of legitimate parades/ demos etc (Trade Union stuff for example) which would be penalised. Despite the lack of moral equivalence there is a fight there that would be hard to win – ie them saying others don’t have to pay for marches….
I think the idea that organisations be made to pay councils for clean up operations after parades is a must.
Basically the police must start actually doing their job and tackling racist, sectarian and other anto social behaviours at these things – without fear or favour. Therein lies yer problem…..