It’s probably rash to suggest Neil Lennon dismisses the inflated English market when trying to sign a striker in preference for the Continent. Europe has plenty of quality leagues, and gifted players, but it also has plenty of scouts.
The tops leagues enjoy blanket analysis, which has consequences. Our experience of Lassad and Miku suggests that if we can tempt a striker to move from the likes of Spain to Scotland there’s maybe a reason why. Even the secondary leagues, such as Slovakia and Poland, are scouted extensively by German clubs, who are the most desired destination for most East European players. The success rate in bringing targeted strikers to the club from Europe has been low, which had real consequences for this season.
So where does that leave us? Second tier teams in second tier (but still good) leagues, like Vitoria Guimaraes, who we bought Amido Balde from (strikers at top Portuguese clubs are aiming for the sky), go back to the English Championship, or maybe a peripheral league, like Sweden or Israel, again, or Iceland.
Celtic proposition is not without merit, we will now be touting Champions League football under the noses of every prospect, but finding a player capable of delivering the talent for that stage is the central challenge to the club.
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Brilliant Kakitani goal from the weekend vv Kashima Antlers
http://youtu.be/fnQe4g2aW5Q
TJ
HT
Hes a good looking singer … Some wag on youtube reckoned you were a ringer.
Good evening friends.
Those that predict these things are warning of very high winds and heavy rain for tomorrow. A day for very big coats. And hats (or hoods) instead of umbrellas.
HT
I saw it for the first time last night too. Great first touch……….no like ye…..
Jobo
Is that your running gear for Thursday
Tommy joad
You really like this player , email celtic some info , you never know !
TBJ
She clearly has class and an intelligent mind :-)
Jobo
By the sounds of it you’ll need to be up at 4 to get into your new coat :-)
Big Nan
Petition signed.
————————–
Shunsuke Nakamura Whitaguy
Did Naka ever score with the head for us ?
Try this, hope it works.
https://twitter.com/boxertoye/status/408269338345766912
An article I penned on Kakitani earlier this year (my names no’ really Tommy – apologies for clogging up the blog, just feel strongly this guy could be a magnificent Celtic player)
Why You Should Have Heard Of… Yoichiro Kakitani
WORDS: CHRIS COLLINS
A prodigious talent from the start, Yoichiro Kakitani lost his way at the point when things looked to be taking off for him as a youngster, but now he is back, refocused and scoring goals for Cerezo Osaka on a regular basis. Here’s why we think he could be the next major talent to come out of Japan…
The Cerezo Osaka production line has delivered plenty of emerging Japanese talent to Europe in recent seasons, with the Bundesliga the main beneficiary. Now, a few years later than anticipated, Yoichiro Kakitani looks set to be the next creative talent to come off the conveyer belt.
Shinji Kagawa, Hiroshi Kiyotake and Takashi Inui all earned their moves move to Germany having spent their formative years in Osaka under the guidance of Brazilian coach Levr Culpi. As his friends and contemporaries progressed, it appeared Kakitani’s talents were destined to wither on the vine, but he has achieved domestic and international recognition over the last six months, finally demonstrating the consistency required to break into Alberto Zaccheroni’s Samurai Blue squad.
Still only 23 years old, and having almost squandered his talents before they had fully developed, far less been widely appreciated, he looks certain to terrorise defences at the World Cup in Brazil next year.
Kakitani’s backstory is a familiar one. The youngest player ever to sign a professional contract with J-League outfit Cerezo Osaka, he was a teenage prodigy, firing his country to glory in the Under-17s Asian Championships, being named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player in the process.
In the Under-17s World Cup in 2007, his superb performances, which included a goal from the halfway line against France, drew the attentions of scouts from all over Europe, including Inter and Arsenal, both of whom he was invited to train with.
Playing anywhere across the frontline or in behind a striker, Kakitani’s balance, pace and immaculate control set him apart and marked him out as an attacker of outstanding potential with a lively and inventive football brain.
However, things quickly unravelled. Apparently unwilling to accept and adhere to the basic tenets of professionalism, his star began to wane soon after. Looking back he reflects he simply was not equipped to deal with the expectation.
“Honestly speaking, I don’t think I was ready to be a footballer. The way I was acting was completely unprofessional. Luckily I got a lot of support from a lot of people and now I am in a much better place.”
These “problems” have never been fully documented, though in a society that retains fairly traditional values, his attitude was frequently questioned, and his healthy self regard had seemingly outgrown even his own prodigious abilities. On the pitch, his play had become wasteful and extravagant, to the detriment of the team and his own individual statistics.
Culpi took the decision to loan him out to J2 side Tokushima Vortis, where he played for three seasons, enabling his personal growth and physical development. For a time it seemed he would not emerge from the lower divisions, but Culpi maintained a keen interest in Kakitani throughout his loan period, despite persistent rumours of a badly fractured relationship.
The Brazilian, more than anyone, was eager that he should return to Cerezo Osaka a more rounded professional.
“Yochiro is very similar to Shinji [Kagawa], when it comes to technical abilities, but compared to Shinji, who never let his eyes off the road, Yoichiro had instances wherein he wandered and lost sight of his destination. I pray that he faces his problems head on in Tokushima and develops further.”
His restoration complete, he returned to Osaka in 2012 and quickly re-established himself in the team, scoring 17 times in all competitions. With three months of the 2013 campaign remaining he has already surpassed that figure, scoring freely as Cerezo continue to challenge for an ACL place. His international credentials received further endorsement as he added five caps and three goals to his CV in an impressive start to his career with the senior Japanese side.
He scored three times in his first two games as Japan lifted the East Asian Cup in South Korea in July, and was part of a potent attacking triumvirate with Keisuke Honda and Kagawa in the recent Kirin Cup victory over Ghana.
His disciplinary record has improved dramatically. He has been cautioned only once in the last two seasons; between 2009 and 2011 he received seventeen yellow cards.
To observe Kakitani at the peak of his powers is to witness a footballer with almost effortless ability. He plays with rhythm and confidence, and a fluent, purposeful aggression, despite his relatively slight frame. He has mastered the art of controlling the ball and shifting it away from his opponent in the same movement, though his ice cool finishing is fast becoming his most notable attribute. His heading ability requires improvement and he can occasionally operate in the margins of the game, but on his day he is comprehensively brilliant in almost every aspect of forward play.
Unlike the European-based stars Kagawa and Honda, Kakitani is yet to be tested, let alone prove himself overseas against the best defenders in the world, though recent reports have linked him with some of the top clubs in Germany and the UK.
Barring injury or a complete collapse in form, he will almost certainly board the flight to Brazil next year. A player of immense talent, almost lost to Japan, once more has the world at his feet.
You can follow Chris on twitter @chriscoll10
Keep up to date with all the latest from TheInsideLeft by following us on Twitter @theinsidelefty or by joining us on Facebook at facebook.com/theinsideleft
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Tommy Joad: How much did Wayne Biggins cost?
Nahki Wells? Pretty quick…
Jeez
The ball never touched me. The drunken daftie in front of me jumped to header it, despite the ball being way above us both, and headered my jaw!!
I’d have killed the ball stone dead :-)
Timabhouy ,Paddysmarket, Yogiy, many thanks for signing the numbers have risen steadily today on Annie’s 8th Anniversary.
Standing at 765 and Kenneth Roy has just done a big article on Scottish Review about the case of Annie
http://www.scottishreview.net/index.shtml
H.H.
Rocket Man – Biggins ? £150,000 I think. I’m curious now – why do you ask ?
TJ
tommy j,
Would it not be easier just bringing Tony Watt back! : > )
Tommy: just trying to work out where he fits in with the button buys is all!
TBJ – no running for me at the moment as currently injured. Strained a muscle in my left buttock, seeing as you asked!
Hamiltontim – had a dummy run earlier and got into it in just under 15 minutes so fingers crossed.
Big Nan signed petition best of luck
Matthew Lindsay has to be the worst of the apparent journalists in Scotland. This joker is so bad Radio Clyde don’t even employ him.
“Gers protest group the Sons of Struth has emailed ALL OF THE GLASGOW CLUB’S MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS ahead of the meeting later this month.”
One of the main complaints the Zombies have regarding the set up at Planet Sevco is they do not know who some of the ‘investors’ are. They have stated this continually.
So how do they contact these mysterious characters if they don’t know who they are?
This is one for Scooby Doo to get his teeth into.
Wayne Biggins joined Celtic in November 1993 for a fee of £100,000 and Andy Payton in part-exchange.
He was sold three months later for £125,000 to Stoke, having failed to score a single competitive goal.
HH!!
HT
Her name was S Wonder ;)
Jobo
You rubbing embrocation on that pain in the ass
Serious ?
Anyone know any creditors personally who were bumped by old RFC ?
I hope Celtic are watching Callum Wilson of Coventry.could be just what we need,a striker with pace to burn.
Jobo, bummer about the injury:-)
steinreignedsupreme- Also, it is the holding company’s shareholders- not the club’s.
boabyevans
19:37 on 4 December, 2013
Big Nan signed petition best of luck
……………
They will need it boabyevans and thanks
Long time lurker bhoys, first comment haha, hope you lot accept me anywho ! Regarding the striker/playmaker debate, we’ve seen Pukki/Stokes have multiple opportunities at finishing these great chances (albeit Pukki did score a nice, wee tucked finish under the keeper against St, Johnstone) however I’m at a loss at how Lenny and the Lhads can get him his confidence back to keep scoring them kind of opportunities ! Stand by our team, come May, we can them make sufficient judgement.
HH
I haven’t been running recently either, but steroid injections seem to be working, foot is improving now. Walking without pain, feels great, probably after Christmas before I go back out though.
Thomthetim,
Ha, also fair comment, Watt looked like a fantastic talent, still might be.
Kakitani is close to the finished article though, available for £2.5 – 3m . Playmaker, striker or wide man. Massive, massive potential. Now I think of it, Tony Watt at his best alongside this guy could be quite something.
And to coin a current phrase – for the avoidance of doubt, I am not Yoichiro Kakitani’s agent.
TJ
An exchange fromTSFM.
I hope we all visit that site.
john clarke says: (1411)
December 4, 2013 at 5:25 pm
57 1 Rate This
BartinMain says: (103)
December 4, 2013 at 12:49 pm
‘….Whatever happens, though, I just hope we get the chance to play them soon. ..’
———-
I have made my view known already: any satisfaction to be derived from beating a much weaker and illicit new club would be undermined by the fact that that club would draw some comfort from being deemed to be legitimate.
The propaganda machine is working overtime in a desperate attempt to erase the stain of bastardisation- recently calling in Miller and Commons and sundry other players to utter fatuous statements about how much they wish to see ‘old firm’ games restored, and newspapers running phoney ‘polls’ to try to legitimise what cannot be legitimated.
RIFC plc is founded on a lie and as devilish a work of chicanery and lying as any group of men in office have ever perpetrated and propagated.
For the Celtic support to aspire to buy into that lie and willingly attempt to give aid and comfort to the liars would suggest that the propaganda is being swallowed.
RIFC plc should be kicked out of Scottish football with as much disdain and as little concern as a soiled jockstrap is kicked into the dirty laundry basket, and with as much care not to get dirt on one’s foot.
Dontbrattbakkinanger
09:28 on
4 December, 2013
ACGofRust- could be arranged, we might even drag Malor Bhoy along.
If you are in Dumfries and wanting to watch a game then the Spread Eagle is home to the Dumfries CSC.
Always up for a good Day/Night out with fellow CQN’rs
tallybhoy
19:41 on 4 December, 2013
The guy was brutal and that’s putting it nicely, but was signed at a time when the Huns where spending millions of £s on subs when we where struggling to sign guys for a few hundred thousand quid.
How things have changed HH
hun skelper
13:16 on
4 December, 2013
I’ve said on here time and time again it’s all good coming up with strikers we should be signing, it’s a lot harder trying to convince said striker to come to Scotland.
Playing for a club like Celtic would appeal to a lot of top players playing in Scotland won’t and that’s why we struggle to sign the ‘quality’ we need. HH
This argument,as I keep on saying is nonsense.To back up this statement
Forster,Lustig.Mathews,VVD,Ledley,Sammi,Hooper,,Ki,Wanyama,,Efe,Biton,Izzy.,Nakamura,,to go back a wee bit.The majority were internationalists ,not exactly nobodies.Just how the hell did we manage to sign anyone?
If we paid a striker decent money,instead of wasting money on “Projects”,I think you will find a few good strikers would love to come.
To a few posters
Heard Sevconians are paying in
Bit Coins
Apparently Wayne Biggins’ nickname was ‘Bertie’.
Nobody knew why, but ‘Not the View’ suggested it was because he had the same ability as the liquorice allsorts creature.
HH!!
goldstar10 19:46 on 4 December, 2013
Aye. It’s all part of the continuing comedy that is Sevco.
We are reading breathless copy from no marks in the media and seeing all these self-important Zombies expressing grave concerns about liquidation when they have spent the last 20 months trying to convince anyone and everyone that liquidation is no big deal.
They even invented a holding company and the idea you can purchase history. I reckon the truth will come out when Monty Python do their live shows.
turkeybhoy
19:53 on 4 December, 2013
How many had you heard of before they signed for Celtic ?
For me it was joe
Watching Swansea v Newcastle only one English player on the field.
They really have sold their souls to Sky.
No British players in the Newcastle team.