Brendan Rodgers brought five players to the club this transfer window: Moussa Dembele, Kolo Toure, Scott Sinclair, Dorus de Vries and Cristian Gamboa, two defenders, a wide midfielder, a striker and a goalkeeper. Moussa has been used sparingly so far, but there’s a decent chance four out of the five will be first choice for our key games this season. Kristoffer Ajer also arrived but was signed up by Ronny Deila earlier this year.
The leavers over the summer were mostly deadwood, with honourable mentions to Charlie Mulgrew and Stefan Johansen, both former Player of the Year winners. Our best wishes go with them. We also saw Saidy Janko escape on loan to Barnsley, Scott Allan head to Rotherham for the season, while Aidan Nesbitt will continue his apprenticeship at Morton until next summer.
You would be hard pressed to identify a better transfer window than this since the ‘Robbie Keane window’, which looked good at the time but was ultimately unproductive. Try naming one. Peter Lawwell’s adage about coming out of the window stronger than we went into it, was unequivocally achieved.
We also managed to achieve something you and I have debated here for years: spend early in the window in enhance your chances of reaching the Champions League. No one should be in any doubt that the reason we were able to achieve this, this season, was down to the personal pull of Brendan Rodgers.
Kolo, Scott and Moussa would not be here for any other manager, and without them, we’d not be in the Champions League. It wasn’t a decision to spend early this year that we didn’t want to do in earlier years, we’ve simply not had the drawing power to get the targets we wanted. That included Teemu Pukki, who wasn’t prepared to walk among us until we’d delivered Champions League football for him to enjoy. This is the reality, even for everyday-jobbers like Teemu.
Those of us who like the scientific approach to football won’t like this. Success shouldn’t be about reputations, it should be finding good managers or players who are undervalued, and giving them a platform to shine.
What the last two years demonstrated more than anything else, is that a football dressing room is an incredibly difficult place to get scientific. Brendan’s reputation as a top manager helps him deliver success, which we’re all happy about.
I spoke to someone last night who felt “cheated” by the window. “Why?” I asked. “Because we were promised a major spend. Dermot was raging at that other lot after the semi-final and we were promised a big spend. A week ago we were promised James McCarthy.”
Honestly, some journalist writes a complete fantasy and we’re jumping off cliffs after one of the best July and Augusts we’ve had in years. Don’t confuse media output with actual reality. It’s mostly nonsense. Dermot left the game in question before the penalties, there was no overreaction from the other lot.
And Celtic told anyone who asked that they had no intention of signing James McCarthy. If a fan told you otherwise, his taxi driver-source was misinformed. It happens. If a media outlet told to this, they either wanted to run the story without checking, or didn’t care.
Did we want more from the window? Yes. We all did and we all always do. That’s why Celtic were still on the hunt for a deal or two yesterday, but the manager’s primary bases were all covered. Celtic will continue to do what they always have done financially – spend all the money that comes in over any business period you care to mention.
Enjoy this season, I think it’s going to be a memorable one.
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THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:15 PM
TD67
I do think you owe the GB and the blog an apology.
Dont you?
You thinking ? Now I’ll bet that thoughts very lonely in your head.
SWD ‘STAND UP ON 15 FOR THE GB’ on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:16 PM
And what if I’d prefer to play with traffic. can i do that to?
MWD
You can do as you please.
MiT,
Read your conciliatory post to Tony there and you make a not unreasonable point.
Earlier today, I suggested two words that TD may have used to convey the same sentiments, without arousing the ire of some.
They were, radicalising and brainwashing.
Apart from Greenpinata, who, I think half jokingly, replied that radicalising is another of those words that has been squeezed into a singular area, by lazy media and others.
Back to the point.
If no one objected to my substitute words, does that suggest that there is agreement on TD’s sentiment, re coaching of youngsters towards the views of the GB?
12 days till the Nou Camp – hoping we are catching them early before they are fully motoring but they appear to be able to score at will at home.
Sinclair, Roberts and Griffiths will be vital as the out ball and pulling us up the pitch. We can’t sit camped on the edge of our box for 90 mins.
We really need to get tackles in as well, Hapoel Beer Sheva were able to pass around/through us far too easily.
Maybe those ropey away qualifiers will have taught us a valuable lesson about certain players. Sure one of them has already been punted!
HH
DAVIDOPOULOS on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 2:52 PM
NatKnow
Laughed oot loud…
Thought of some more:
Pringles over at the knitting books
Nik Naks in antiques
Squares in Mathematics
Bikers in Sports
Space Raiders in Science Fiction
Pomme Bears in Wildlife
Lays in…. I’m not going there.
——————————————————
Hahaha! Your talent is wasted in…whatever it is you do! :-))))
A few weeks from now, people that don’t really know that much about football, will cry ‘we should be beating teams like BM’. This opinion will be bases purely on them not being a ‘name’ team.
ThomTheTim
Some may agree, some might not with regards coaching or educating. I disagree.
However that is not the point under discussion.
MWD
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 2:18 PM
Just got this…
Aberdeen supporter I work with just showed me the ticket website for Aberdeen v Rangers……….has a section for score the last time the teams played……….,,,,,says no previous ties! Lol
====================================================================================
Here’s the link:
http://www.afc.co.uk/matches/matchcentre-overview.php?FixId=1905
Actually states: “Last Time No previous meeting found”
Still, better than anything our Club has said!
HH
But Tony
It appears I’ve to do what you tell me.
Make your mind up.
Man up.
MWD
Why not just ignore the posts of Tony Donnelly, NegAnon, Mats Nilloc etc? They don’t add to the debate, all they seem to do is antagonise others. It is in incredibly tedious and ruins an otherwise good blog.
THOMTHETHIM FOR OSCAR OK on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:19 PM
MIT
MWD
TGM.
Et al.
Agree . Compromise is the sensible way forward.
HH.
In all the discourse viz a viz the quality midfielder we should have bought this window, I have yet to note a viable option suggested by any poster.
Wild speculation about a Tim from Castlemilk, with Irish and Celtic leaning, currently underperforming in the EPL and ultimately unobtainable due to his current physiological condition notwithstanding!
FFS, in Championship Manager you couldn ‘t even go out and buy the desired object, even if you knew who he was, just because you desired it so.
Celtic are in the real world.
We are operating way above our weight in European terms from a relative fourth rate footballing background.
Brendan may well have heard us calling in the night.
Chances are it will take a shade more time ’til he leads us to the light.
In the meantime, dominate domestically, get rid of dross and bring in quality over time.
Eurochamps67
LovingthebrendanerasofareuropewillcomeintimeCSC
TD67
Its you that cant think straight, construct an argument with evidence.
Your accusations against the GB are foul, and without foundation.
Prove what you are saying.
Put up or shut up.
weeminger on 1st September 2016 4:23 pm
A few weeks from now, people that don’t really know that much about football, will cry ‘we should be beating teams like BM’. This opinion will be bases purely on them not being a ‘name’ team.
============
Unless of course we do actually beat them.
HH
Eurochamps67
As I said to JJ earlier.
I would have been happy to go with Brendan’s target’s. he obviously wanted and identified the player\s he needed.
It’s quite simple really.
Who I would prefer doesn’t really matter.
Iniesta, Xavi, etc…
MWD
Before asking that a particular position is strengthened Celtic fans must scout players and submit a detailed report to the club? Is that the rule now?
TONYDONNELLY67:
Our host and his moderator got the apology THEY deserved, for how I spoke to them after they removed my post, which did breach the guidelines on this blog.
But you thoroughly and absolutely deserved it, and your conduct since proves that I was right. Your bitterness and spite shine through in your every single word.
I don’t care in which context you meant the offending phrase, but having been told that it was offensive and having the connotation pointed out to you – and I’m well capable of believing you are just too stupid to have got it when you said it – you still refuse to withdraw it or apologise for it, and instead continue to attack other posters because they’ve asked you to.
You don’t deserve respect. You’ve pissed all over your right to it, and you continue to.
However that is not the point under discussion.
MWD
That is the point under discussion, or was, it’s you Whois moving the goalposts not me, I’m sticking by what I posted, you and the pack are spinning it.
TD67
Apologize.
Man up
I think if we can all agree on two things it will make matter easier.
1. TD is indeed too thick to know what he was saying.
2. He is an obnoxious old bugger and will apologies for nothing.
Stop banging your heads against a very thick brick wall
HH
MOONBEAMSWD ‘STAND UP ON 15 FOR THE GB’ on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:27 PM
But Tony
It appears I’ve to do what you tell me.
Make your mind up.
Man up.
MWD
Oh I’m not telling you what to do, what I would love to tell you to do would be physically impossible trust me.
‘The Pack’ very interesting use of language there.
I suppose it it signals a change in ahem…rhetoric
‘Fringe Groups’ and ‘Malcontents’….dont forget them, and those Bolsheviks as well.
Have we signed anybody yet? Thought not….
MAGNIFICENTSEVEN on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:39 PM
I think if we can all agree on two things it will make matter easier.
1. TD is indeed too thick to know what he was saying.
2. He is an obnoxious old bugger and will apologies for nothing.
Stop banging your heads against a very thick brick wall
HH
Thought up all on yer own eh? Clever boy.
Must go now my Kodi box is ready, have fun, and get those e mails into P67 HH
Thomthetim … For me, this has nothing to do with the GB per se. It was about the use of an expression to which I objected. And, like you, I think this has taken up too much time already, and could easily have been avoided.
TD has set out his stall, and made it clear that P67’s opinion is the only one that matters to him, and invited a ruling from P67. So, I have asked P67, and will abide by P67’s decision. Otherwise, I have said my piece, so I will, respectfully, bow out of the conversation.
HH
TD67
Resign:)
tonydonnelly67 on 1st September 2016 4:43 pm
MAGNIFICENTSEVEN on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:39 PM
I think if we can all agree on two things it will make matter easier.
1. TD is indeed too thick to know what he was saying.
……………..
See wit a mean.
Folks, why are you even bothering with this? I mean, when you go for a swin in the sea, are you really that bothered about the plankton?
*Snake Plissken on 1st September 2016 2:57 pm
The CL is only about making the money this year realistically. The most important thing is winning 6 in a row and slapping down the upstarts.
*Absolutely, apart from a few great nights we stopped being a top European side in 1974 after the argies in athletico strips kicked us of the park.
And FFS please don’t mention Seville which was for the ‘mickey moose” cup, apart from a great day out we lost, no different tae Milan in 1970. Aye we should have won both games but we didnae.
Prior to Lisbon we had appeared in 2 “Barca lavvy” cup semis and lost the 1st one was a result of Bob Kelly’s Corinthian attitude to how we should play and the latter a cowardly Belgian ref.
In both MTK games 6 future Lions and 3 members of the squad played, one of the other 2 was seen that glorious night running round the Estadio with a tricolour after the final whistle.
In the other 8 members of the Lions appeared in both games while Jinky was left out of the 2nd one with Jock preferring to go with 4 strikers. The Bear and Joe McBride, both members of the squad also played.
The only non-Lion in all 4 games was on the Lorry as we paraded the Big Cup roon Parkheid.
Apart from Joe and the Faither all the other players had grown up with each other as Kelly Kids and then took part in a 6 week tour of the States in the summer of ’66.
When the Blessed Brendan has the opportunity to spend more time with the players and they get accustomed to each other is when we will become a force in Europe again. Until then the “mickey moose” cup and 6- in-a-row and more will do.
TD67
Hmmmmm!
It took you 1 week and 4 days to come up with that excuse.
Your post in your defense, again readily available on here, was not written by you IMO but written by someone else (probably educated – the irony) as the writing was not your usual ill educated writing. I did note that to you at the time without reply, again available for your perusal. Given you were taken to task on it by various posters prior to that I do applaud you for ingenuity and the buy in you have received from some posters on here for your attempt to obfuscate.
Now for your benefit. I will ask again.
Do you believe it is\was or will ever be appropriate to use the phrase “Grooming of Kids” to score points against a section of the Celtic support given the implication of such a phrase in the West Coast of Scotland?
Think carefully now, or ask an educated person. Both might be beneficial to you.
Man up.
MWD
My goodness! There is an obsessive obsessiveness with TD67…and it’s spoiling the blog…it’s even more obsessive than the call for a defensive/holding midfielder…
Corrupted words part 1…Gay………gay abandon = carefree abandon
…………………………………….2…Groom…the bride and groom = the bride and her erm…husband to be
Political correctness gone bananas……bananas? Can you still say that?
WeeBobbyCollins
You cant say bananas, but you can say nuts:)
HH
weebobbycollins
The PC term is plantains..
TD67
What you would like to ask me to do. So you didn’t tell me to do something earlier?
Go on. I’m now interested.
Man Up
MWD
TRADITIONALIST88 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:30 PM
That’s a very good, and well made point. I’m having a pessimistic day.
How’s it going mate ?
aye good, you ?
naw bad, loving the fitba that we’re playing the noo, pity we couldnae hive got another yin in thou before the windae shut
ach not too bothered, we got the deals in early and Brendan seems happy enough
Listen, any good Celtic sites online, getting fed up with KDS & twitter
Aye, you should try CQN, supposedly lots of good Celtic men on there and do a lot for charity, just don’t swear though as the bossman disnae like it cause of aw the weans that read it.
Tried it mate, shower of auld goats arguing about nothing, some of them forgot to take their meds by the sound o it..
I’m away to watch the video of all of lubos goals again. That was magic.
TD67
I’ll leave you for now to your obsessive apologist and your excuses. say high to macjay wen you break through.
One last thing though.
Man up.
MWD