There was a bit of surprise in England yesterday that Moussa Dembele, subject to a £6m bid from Tottenham in January, chose to move to Glasgow, instead of remaining in London, or picking up another option in the south. Perhaps it surprised a few here too.
Why choose Celtic? We’re an exciting place to play football, again, which as Moussa made clear, has a lot to do with Brendan Rodgers. Celtic’s aspirations have always been to qualify for the Champions League, but that ambition is a lot easier to see now than it has been since Martin O’Neill’s time.
Two of the four managers we’ve had since Martin outperformed him in the Champions League, but that’s hard fact that is often needed to overcome perceptions of a more golden era. Martin sparkled, but Gordon and Neil got results at the top table.
When rating a player I avoid YouTube at all costs, those who watch him every week provide far more reliable verdicts. On that front, Fulham fans are full of praise.
I suspect this signing marks a breakout from the previous range of agents and contacts (which appeared increasingly limited to someone in Manchester and an Israeli agent). One of the things Ronny was unable to bring with him was links into a Champions League-ready talent pool. Irrespective of his coaching abilities, Brendan is already ahead on that front.
On paper, signing a guy who scored 23 in 39 for Sporting Gijon was a result, but Stefan Scepovic is a name we’ll forget soon enough. He competed (loose use of the term) with John Guidetti and (then down the pecking order) Leigh Griffiths for the striker role but the feeling around Celtic was that we weren’t seeing the best of him.
He’s now off to newly-relegated Getafe, who clearly saw more in him on loan last season than we ever did.
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Paul 67
Martin’s 5-in-a-row; the double defeats of Premiership opposition, and Spanish opposition, on the way to Seville before taking the following year’s CL winners, managed by one of the greatest-ever European coaches, to the limit; the green and whitewash; his first season treble, our first since 1969, and only third ever; and his 36 point turnaround (yeah, that’s right, lady, thirty six!) in his first league championship win in his first season,against financially doped-up Deidclub, still outweigh WGS’ and Lenny’s wonderful CL achievements by a fair distance, in my correct opinion!
Sparkling?
Blinding, more like.
Gary 67
Will be with you on Saturday.
Lennybhoy
FRIDAY!!
WC
Cheers
Zbyszek,
Treatment finished. Another scan 2 weeks ago. Feeling fine. Results on Tuesday. Fingers crossed.
Warszavvy
Over the moon with the Dembele signing.
I suspect if we get Duffy and Sinclair, our business will be done for the summer.
Unless the clearout extends into midfield.
Tiny Tim
You’re usually s shrewd judge of player, but maybe your judgement is questionable on Dembele v Sinclair. ( maybe not of course)
I’ve been discussing both, only this morning, with fans of Wolves, Sheffield, Villa, WBA supporters.
All, to a man, think we’ve hit the jackpot with MD, and all, with the exception of one Villa fan, think SS would be a reasonable player for us, but no more than that.
From Fulham fanzone
Another day another player leaves, £10m worth of player and we get 500k, we have to give PSG 250k of that…. Good luck to the lad. A brilliant coup for Celtic, another kick in bollox for Fulham fans… We are building this team around Mccormack thick and fast….
Dembele of the Arsenal just doesn’t sound as good as Dembele of the Celtic.
With apologies to James Mc Grory for the paraphrasing.
HH
…and another from Fulham fanzone
Whoever is in charge of PR at the club needs to be sacked. Just received a email from club asking if i want my seat secure for the palace game minutes after selling Dembele. Honestly sent back a reply asking if they have anything but contempt for supporters
posted by adam
Tiny Tim
I should add, the Villa fan really rated Scott Sinclair.
AN TEACH SOLAIS on 29TH JUNE 2016 1:09 PM
DAVIDOPOULOS @ 12.54 pm
On your question re Res 12, as I understand it the Resolutioners had asked for time to further discuss implications of initial response from EUFA to be followed up with supplementary questions. They had asked for a blackout period in order for this to be progressed.
I am sure that none of us wants, in any way, to undermine their valiant efforts and, so, keeping schtum is for the best meantime.
Avanti Res12. HH
I have no problem with that at all, and I also don’t have a problem with the Celtic board being schtum either, but that doesent count right?
CQN level 5 alive and kicking eh?
It’s ok for one, but not the other? Just a thought.
I am happy to be the dot counter for my section 443.
09.00 today 7
12.30 today 5
14.00 today 6 (some traitor has given up his/her seat. Eternal damnation to them)
!!BADA BING!! on 29TH JUNE 2016 1:39 PM
Ciftci to Antalya Beach Club-fee undisclosed
————————————————————–
As a life guard?….
Bom dia :))
AN TEACH SOLAIS
I clearly stated that I was waiting for someone else to ask ;)
Cheers for the update!
Lower League Lee reckons Man Utd had to sign Zlatan incase they are drawn with Sevco in next year’s Champions League.
Lower League Lee:-)
LLL
LOL
Anyone mentioned Wes hoolahan. ?smashing player, obviously coming to twilight of his career, relegated with Norwich, could possibly pick him up cheap ish? ??.
The irish Lubo? ??
It has been no secret Celtic have been looking at Aston Villa midfielder Scott Sinclair and there was premature headlines declaring Celtic had made a formal bid for the player.
Celtsarehere.com understand that there was more talks between the two clubs over the weekend about the player and that those talks were positive.
Aston Villa are now a Championship club who are looking to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. However, they are looking to re-shape their squad and Scott Sinclair could be sold to free up space in the squad.
Brendan Rodgers is keen to get the attacking midfielder in but it hasn’t yet got to the point where the Northern Irishman has been able to chat to the 27-year-old.
More talks are scheduled for the former Man City man this week
What is the Stars on 29th June 2016 2:24 pm
Anyone mentioned Wes hoolahan. ?smashing player, obviously coming to twilight of his career, relegated with Norwich, could possibly pick him up cheap ish? ??.
The irish Lubo? ??
====
Come on now, Hoolahan is decent but Lubo was pure genius.
HH
Zlatan maybe not the striker he used to be but I would have used him as back-up central defender.
Warszawabhoy
Good. I will say a prayer for you. I hope the scan shows that every piece is only young guy J.
Villa supporting mate of mine rates Sinclair, Baggies supporting mate doesn’t!
Never really seen him play so cannot judge him.
WITS
I liked the look of the fella Hendricks.
Paul67 et al
Don’t forget that Martin’s initial attempt at the Champions League was derailed from the outset by the postponed first match at home to Rosenburg following the attack on the World Trade Center in New York. There were other football related matters of course, not least in Turin but I still feel that had we played and won that first game we would have went on to qualify. Later, the following year, events in Lyons cost us dear. Fair play to both Gordon and Neil and hopefully Brendan, but Martin’s Celtic took us to a level not seen in many a year.
Paul67 et al
Zlatan has given up playing football at the top level.
He’s going to Manchester United instead.
twist n turns
Wonder what his nickname would be in Glasgow…..
I was reading some quotes by Brian Clough. In my opinion the single best achievement by a British Manager was leading a team like Forest to back to back Big Cups. Here are my three favourites:
1) “Rome wasn’t built in a day. But I wasn’t on that particular job.”
2) On Roy Keane: “I only ever hit Roy the once. He got up so I couldn’t have hit him very hard.”
3) On Martin O’Neil’s success at Leicester City: “Anybody who can do anything in Leicester other than knit a jumper has got to be a genius. If he’d been English or Swedish, he’d have walked the England job”
Top stuff. There is a list of 35 of his best quotes here:
http://sabotagetimes.com/sport/35-brilliant-brian-clough-quotes-every-forest-fan-must-read
Interestingly there is Liverpool fan in the comments section who obviously wasn’t that taken with Brendan’s eye for a player: “Players lose you matches not tactics”. As a Liverpool fan, “are you reading this Brendan?”.
HH
Warsawbhoy
You continue to be in our prayers
Keep up the good fight mate
KTF
Emdy think John Park recommend Demebele?nah me neither HH.
Afternoon Timland, very hot and hun free in the valley.
I keep seeing Brendan getting the blame for signing the flops at Lpool.
Posted this a few times, very good insight into how things worked there, and how things work at Celtic imo.
I agree with it 100% btw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kkGyxzILgY
Long ish time ( for me)no post…
”I suspect this signing marks a breakout from the previous range of agents and contacts (which appeared increasingly limited to someone in Manchester and an Israeli agent)”
Further encouraging signs that Lawwell is on his box and that unhelpful nepotism is on the wain…
Smaller turkey in the Lawwell household this Christmas perhaps?
Portuguese ads on CQN in the Algarve…..
I think BR is looking for 5-6 players to play regularly in his first 11,great start as Dembele is a coup,given the EPL interest in him. Hope he has a few more under the radar signings in soon Then after we look as the losses accrued on getting duds out the door,heads will roll.
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on 29th June 2016 2:45 pm
Warsawbhoy
You continue to be in our prayers
Keep up the good fight mate
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seconded
HOTSMOKED11:09 (last article)
I agree that Macdonald & Holt would not have had universal approval, but they might just have won us a couple of trebles – however as they say ‘hindsight is a wonderful thong’.
On Brendan, I do not mean to be the ‘prophet of doom’, but the subject will be raised at sometime, so let’s not be surprised when it is.
I sincerely hope and believe that he will stay and will persuade more like Dembele to join us. HH
Martin’s 40 point turn around against a very decent but now defunct Rangers is in itself enough to put him ahead of NL and WGS in my book. To get us to a European final, beating the opposition we did, was out best achievement since beating Leeds in 70.
Its often said MON got lucky as the King of Kings was already on the books. Well I guess the same applies to Guardiola with the genius Messi.
BREAKING
#Hearts v #Celtic on Premiership opening weekend will be shown live on @SkySports Aug 7th 2.15pm kick-off. https://t.co/kSZ3sntVXI
THE EXILED TIM on 29TH JUNE 2016 2:51 PM
TET – There is a degree of logic common sense and honesty about Brendan’s explanation
But more importantly there is a quality about the way Brendan deals with the situation and is comfortable knowing you cannot have everything and you need to work with what you have
I liked his no complaint from me attitude
67ECW