Sebastian Tounekti again caught the eye as Celtic cruised past Partick Thistle in yesterday’s League Cup quarterfinal, but the game was more notable for the creators of all four goals, rather than the names on the scoresheet. Bejamin Nygren’s deliveries led to headed goals from Yang and Liam Scales. Poor deliveries from the wing were a feature of Celtic’s play for much of last season. We can all agree than Benji is not a winger, but his crossing is a joy.
Kelechi Iheanacho put on a simple but very effective performance – was always available for the pass, controlled the ball and laid it off. This sounds easy but, just with the poor crossing we suffered last season, was a persistent problem for Celtic.
Thistle were thoroughly softened up before Michel-Ange Balikwisha setup Luke McCowan for the final goal. The Belgian snatched at a good chance to open his scoring account moments earlier. Four goals assisted by new signings is an unusual stat to record.
Our semi-final draw is a repeat of last year’s final, in which Celtic edged Newco on penalties after a 3-3 draw, with Motherwell facing St Mirren in the other semi. The semis take place during the Europa League campaign, when squads are stretched by two games a week. We will rely on some of the fringe players who stepped up yesterday.
132 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Burnley78,
Agreed – many had an input in Matt’s excellent progress.
Mark wasn’t one unfortunately as he hadn’t joined Celtic when MO’R was signed.
But take your point, as I was trying to elevate the negativity and blame culture.
Hail Hail
Burnley78,
BR&Co put 3 x the value on Matt O’Riley and convinced Nic to come to Celtic
Kuhn had interest from other clubs but insists the call from Celtic and a chat with boss Brendan Rodgers made up his mind to make the move to Glasgow.
Nicolas Kuhn has joined Celtic on a five-and-a-half year deal; Hoops agreed a fee of £3m for the Rapid Vienna winger; he is Brendan Rodgers’ first January signing; ‘It was clear at the moment Celtic called and showed interest that I wanted to come here’
Celtic have made their first January signing with winger Nicolas Kuhn joining from Rapid Vienna on a five-and-a-half year deal.
The 24-year-old completed his £3m move to the Scottish Premiership leaders following a successful medical in London.
Kuhn, who played for Ajax and Bayern Munich in his youth, scored three goals and had seven assists for Rapid this season.
The German, who could make his Celtic debut in Sunday’s Scottish Cup tie against Highland League side Buckie Thistle, believes Parkhead is the perfect place to achieve his ambitions at club and country level
Speaking at his unveiling at Celtic Park on Wednesday, he said: “Of course they [Ajax and Bayern] were big clubs. I learned a lot, it was a good school.
“There were a lot of players who had a good career and who made big steps to big clubs so I learned a lot and now I want to show what I can do here.
“At Ajax I played with the whole squad that got to the semi-finals of the Champions League [2019], I trained the whole year with the first team.
Celtic’s new signing Nicolas Kuhn says he wants to show what he can do after signing from Rapid Vienna on a five-and-a-half year deal
“At Bayern I played with players like (Robert) Lewandowski and (Joshua) Kimmich and all the guys you know.
“I think at Ajax I did really good in the youths. When I first arrived, we won the second league with the second team. I trained the whole time with the first team. In the youth league, I was the top scorer and I deserved a chance.
“But then I made the move to Bayern. After the first season, we were also champions with the second team in the third league in Germany.
“Then there were some private problems so I made a step back.
“People were looking at where I was playing but for me it was a good step. So I can take two steps forward now.
“I’ve improved a lot, I think. I’ve now played regularly and I’ve stayed fit. That’s the most important thing. Now I can show what I’m able to do.
“When I was at Erzgebirge Aue for one year on loan, I said I wanted to play in the Champions League and for the national team.
“Now I’ve made a big step to a big club. So, of course, in the future, I want to play for the national team as well.”
Kuhn had interest from other clubs but insists the call from Celtic and a chat with boss Brendan Rodgers made up his mind to make the move to Glasgow.
He said: “We had some really good meetings, we talked a lot and he told me what a great and big club this is although I knew about Celtic before and I also saw some games.
“He convinced me to come here and everything he told me was really nice and I had the first training session today.
“It was clear at the moment Celtic called and showed interest that I wanted to come here.
“There was some interest from other clubs but the moment I received the message I didn’t think about going somewhere else.”
As for Rodgers, he said of the new arrival: “We are delighted to welcome Nicolas to Celtic. We believe he is a dynamic player who has an excellent level of quality and all the attributes to fit well into our style of play.
“He has the profile we are looking for, he has a real attacking intent, a player with great pace and ideas, the ability to create and score goals and a player with a great energy and work ethic.
“He is someone who can play wide on both sides so he brings with him that versatility for us too, and myself and the coaches here really look forward to working with him.”
Hail Hail
Good morning CQN
Another grand day to be a Celt
Auldheid @ 11:46pm
“Looking back and seeing PL had written to Infantino at UEFA in May 2012 about Rangers use of ebts and with no evidence of a reply I think PL was telling the truth that UEFA were not interested”
—-
Sshh.
Don’t let that suspicion that he was telling the truth get round.
maestro@6.36
Midweek in Bosnia?
Hope you haven’t finalised any travel arrangements….
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full @ 9:33 am,
Truth!!
Hail Hail
Spikeysauldman, yellow card. Everyone else manages to post without using the ‘C’ word or inserting a * to get around a non-existing prohibited list. They do so by choice.
Auldheid @ 1:31am … re the Collective and what you think their purpose and objectives.
Sound, clear reasoning. Respect.
If they had coherent, constructive responses to your 5 questions EVEN I WOULD JOIN THEM.
But their single answer to all five questions if they were being completely honest would, IMHO, be something akin to …
“Dunno.
We’re hacked off cos Celtic got dumped out of the Champions League.
Spend the money
Sack the board”
You also make an observation about the toxicity of the current debate.
With you all the way.
And some of the most toxic voices are in the mix of the Collective.
This has got Bolsheviks vs Mensheviks written all over it.
Good chat on player development and MoR in particular.
My tuppence.
Brought in by a Lawwell driven process?
Yip
Developed primarily from that low base by Ange?
Yip
But Brendan added some serious value to Matt.
Goals and assists stats increased markedly under BR.
I know we were all disapointed with the summer transfer window and not progressing in Champions league….
On a more optimistic note.. I don’t know who was responsible for signing Tounekti………after just a couple of games this wee guy looks like the real deal……suppose credit where credit is due.. can’t wait to see him against The Huns …. Well done Celtic 👍☘️
Hi, anyone knows a good Celtic bar showing the match on Wednesday in Carvoeiro in the Algarve?
Tounekti…is over 6ft tall.
For a wee guy.😂
general interest. how is kuhn playing in como
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full @ 9:48 am,
Well of course we can all have our take, but sticking to the odd fact helps:))
Neither Peter Lawwell no Mark Lawwell were at Celtic when Matt was signed in January ’22.
Matt was a Fulham lad like young Osmand.
They offered him a first team contract.
He said will I get first team games, they replied honestly and told him he gad a ways to go.
So he refused the contract and became a free agent.
Think it was Russell Martin, but certainly someone at MK Don’s got wind of this, offered him a contract and told him he would be playing first team football.
Matt agreed, he stipulated a low buy out clause if the right club came in for him though.
This was no secret squirrel stuff, folk in Div 1 were well aware of it and that Matt was a talent.
Anyways some smart scout at Celtic got wind of this, Ange was prepared to give the lad playing time and the rest was history.
I do love your middle~way approach, but the odd fact is well worth considering 🤔
Hail Hail
Vale Bhoy
Looks can be deceiving, thought he was a bit of a short arse 🥴🤣
CB – cheers.
🙂
My use of “Lawwell driven process” was intentional.
😉
Bluntly, it was a buy low opportunity … the background to which you outlined factually.
I’m not close enough or inside enough to know who is doing what at Celtic.
And I’m as likely to apply CD to my interpretation of a situation as anyone else.
The biggest problem I have with all this stuff .. is not who is right or wrong, who is an angel or a devil.
Binary childishness.
… but rather the lack of transparency around who owns what, who controls what, who does what.
Reading between the lines?
I see the root cause of most of this as a failing of leadership and governance … amplified by some personal preciousness and egotism.
On that? phrases associated with two separate US Presidents spring to mind
(Leadership) – “The buck stops here”
Take note MN, Leadership involves occasionally telling very confident, assertive, dominant, ambitious personalities “I hear you, but we’re doing it this way. Get on board”
(Preciousness) “It is amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit”
PS – CB … perhaps unwittingly? one of the most significant things in your post, IMHO ?
“Anyways some smart scout at Celtic got wind of this”
Action for Celtic – go talk to that ‘lucky general’, find out what he did, and get it absorbed into the recruitment standard operating procedures as a repeatable process.
new article posted.
big ask tomorrow but BR can do it