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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weeminger on 1st September 2016 4:53 pm
I think we are capable, at home.. but yes, there are excellent teams in the Bundesliga, regardless of whether they are household names or not,
HH
On the pitch, there can’t have been many more productive Augusts than the one just completed.
The next challenge is September, seven games for our first team between 10sep and 1oct in three competitions before Leigh and Kieran withdraw from the next international get-together. My concern is less about the competence of Scott Brown and Nir Biton against domestic and European opponents and more about their durability. When both are fighting fit, they’re international class footballers.
Time will tell and as is always the case with Celtic, it’s the hope in our heart that weighs us down.
DAVIDOPOULOS on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:51 PM
weebobbycollins
The PC term is plantains..
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Great player. If only we’d signed him during the windae. But naw. Too busy frying eggs on the heeetit drive-away…..
You ever tried peeling a plantain?…and then eating it?
Met an American on top of a mountain, long time ago…he was doubled up in pain…when I asked him if he needed help, he told me he had eaten one of those big bananas…. :-) true story…
Who will stand up for the poor bananas:(((
The Battered Bunnet on 1st September 2016 4:07 pm
G2/3rds
That’s essentially the same shape as I suggested.
Against Barca and City, when defending, your wide players will be directly in front of (and sometimes behind) their own fullback, leaving one guy at point. Only issue thereafter is how you shape your 3 in the middle.
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Yep – our problem in the past has been the one up front getting isolated, as happened with Griffiths v Hapoel. This had the knock-on effect of McGregor also ending up in a no-mans land.
We now have attacking players with pace. It shouldn’t be too difficult to develop a proper counter-attacking game.
NatKnow
I think he is actually getting done for corruption charges along with Blatter. Dodged a bullet there…
By the way, does the driveway do poached? Or will that get us another fine from the SFA?
One of the most notable changes Brendan has brought to the club is the introduction of pace as our key offensive weapon. That is going to destroy teams here in Scotland, starting with the one we play in the next game.
http://thecelticblog.com/2016/09/blogs/brendan-rodgers-the-need-for-speed/
TBB
Forgot to say – with the front three playing a bit deeper the middle three could be in a fairly tight triangle. Either 1 sitting with 2 slightly ahead or vice-versa. As we didn’t get a good holder I’d go 2-1.
NATKNOW on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:23 PM
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.
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Hahaha! Your talent is wasted in…whatever it is you do! :-))))..
You are just straw men with a chip on your shoulder…
Smiley thing….
Tuckshopwondersfromtheearlysixtiescsc
Braw
£15 for the Alloa ticket?
LOL
GIRUY
Neustadt-Braw
Who’dya think yer talkin to ya Chipstick?
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.
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Wrong.
This opinion will be based on them BEING a name team – a name nobody can pronounce or spell with out referring to google.
Anyway, I heard they’re shite…
Dunno if this has been posted before, Thai Tims singing to Brendan, can’t watch it without smiling…
https://twitter.com/goalmad/status/771363942631350272?lang=en-gb
Paul67 on 1st September 2016 5:03 pm
Tony Donnelly, “I use the word ‘grooming’ because I know it gets under their skin. They fall for it hook line and sinker.” “I also know i’m not breaking any rules”. I beg to differ.
This is the definition of trolling. If you want to troll people, do it elsewhere, it is explicitly against CQN rules. It also achieves the distress you suggest to want on CQN. I am happy to protect you from abuse here, but cannot have you are actively pursuing it.
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Phnar, phnar, Tony Donnelly’s being told to stop ‘grooming’…
Chipstick????????
You are a ChipStraw…..the original wan…..!!!!
I used to do crazy things for a packet of chipstraws!!!!
Hahahahha
Braw.
G2/3rds
One of the interesting aspects I’ve noticed recently is how much more effective Dembele is in the skirmishing role in front of the midfield than McGregor is. Of course, that might say more about McGregor than Dembele.
James Forrest on 1st September 2016 5:02 pm
One of the most notable changes Brendan has brought to the club is the introduction of pace as our key offensive weapon. That is going to destroy teams here in Scotland, starting with the one we play in the next game.
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Excatly. I can hardly contain my anticipation of gazing upon utterly devastated Hun coupons next weekend.
For the first time since the Holy trinity of Henrik, Lubo and sutty, we really do have the weaponry to mollicate the monkeys on the 10th.
Have you not heard, due to Brexit all bendy bananas have been saved.
Justice for bananas.
HH.
PS : Not so sure about the big mad inflatable ones though.
a ring to it:
September 10
or ’10/9′
‘Hun Monkey Mollication Day’
NORTH CYPRUS (FORMERLY BAKU) BHOY on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:26 PM
!!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
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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
At last it seems like one club has decided to stand by the truth and to hell with the BIG LIE .
Lets see what our club does on the 10th .
HH
DAVIDOPOULOS on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 5:01 PM
NatKnow
I think he is actually getting done for corruption charges along with Blatter. Dodged a bullet there…
By the way, does the driveway do poached? Or will that get us another fine from the SFA?
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Beckenbauer now under investigation also.
Big Peter better at scrambling (on the last day) than poaching if you read CQN.. ;-))
Tony, I misread a comment proporting to be from you, which I’ve deleted, and deleted my own.
Can we all behave, please?
BTW…Davidioplatio… When I touched your non de plume I got a sausage surprise!!!
Grand……have you tried this Company.?
http://www.weschenfelder.co.uk
You know it is going to be braw…
Let the people link !!and squeur…..
Braw
P67 ….
We miss your soothing words!
Smiley thing…
Braw
WEST END OF EAST END on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2016 4:55 PM
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..
===
Dulyin ma mhan. ;))
Loving the optimism today!
A midfield that was taken apart in the EL last season is now expected to turn over the likes of Citeh and BMG!
Kolo and Sinclair will be some players if they can make up for that huge yawning chasm that is our midfield at times!
Being an old codger I always refer back to Mr Stein for guidance on footballing issues.
His oft repeated mantra was “Win the middle of the park and most times you win the game!”
Anyone who seriously thinks that Brown-Bitton and Rogic/McGregor are good enough for the CL must have a faith that would shift mountains or be on pretty strong medication!
If we were not interested in signing anyone after we qualified the club should have come out and said we were done, that would have been more honest.
I think it was Brendan who said that the transfer market would “explode” for us after qualifying.
If a £400k back up full back is an “explosion” , I hope Brendan ain’t in charge of the fireworks for New Year!
Time will obviously tell and I hope that I’m proved very wrong, however should the CL games go badly, then let me assure Peter that he will hear all about it, especially at £100 a pop!
HH
Reading the back pages of the tabloids in tesco, it has come to my notice that big Philippe Senderos is extremely keen to see himself on the park against us next week.
That makes two of us, Cleetus….
Next week’s Leigh Griffiths-eye-view:
http://www.fangoria.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Michael-Berryman-e1439409599689.jpg
THE BATTERED BUNNET
I think Dembele has done well when he has came on
Noticed he was none too pleased again when Sinclair took the pen against the dons ,he even looked gutted that he scored it .
In fact I think he failed to congratulate TR on the 4th goal as was his ire .
Think he needs to learn there is no I in team .
HH
Paul67
Can you delete my LOL then as it looks like I was laughing for no reason, or at the price of Alloa tickets ;)
HH
NEUSTADT-BRAW
I have indeed – often buy sausage casings from them!
MWD…you spend half your day (time you will never get back) fighting with TD…and you call me an obsessive apologist…got to laugh…
croppybhoy on 1st September 2016 5:22 pm
Loving the optimism today!
A midfield that was taken apart in the EL last season is now expected to turn over the likes of Citeh and BMG!
===========================
Start living in the real world, mate.
Everyone knows Citeh are a disinterested, disjointed overpaid bunch of egotistical mercenaries, that Barca are tired and ‘past their best’, and that the other Unpronouncables from Sausageland are probably pish due to them being just that – unpronouncable.
We’ll have this group tied up after 3 games, and you know it…
yous have all got td67 into trouble.the next time he meats PL he will get yous all banned from celtic park.he will tell pl they/ve all ganged up on me.no doubt his penpal from saturday mornings will be on shortly with a well constructed defense.
Has Brendan picked up his Manager of the Month for August yet ;-))
FTSFA
H.H.
Davie Hay was in visiting Tommy Gemmell last night and reports back saying that Tommy is looking and feeling much better and is even trying to walk. He’s in a wee room of his own with a telly that he can move around to suit and he’s talking away about Celtic.
He’ll be in hospital for a while yet but that is the best he’s been since his fall.
I said I’d pass on to the Bhoys on CQN with TG’s best wishes.