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.
[calameo code=000390171e05b9b63a832 lang=en page=38 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
Order your CQN Annual, in time for Christmas, here:
And/or order your copy of Sean Fallon, Celtic’s Iron Man, here:
743 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 20
- »
ernie lynch
12:31 on
4 December, 2013
Auldheid
12:10 on 4 December, 2013
Would Fergus have been more tenacious?
++++++++++++++++++
An interesting question.
Personalities have to come into it and Fergus was more adversarial, but he was also apart from the SFA, whilst PL is part of the SFA.
That means relationships develop at a more personal level. Now that can be a good or bad thing depending on the situation, but that is where Celtic are. In the cab but not in the driving seat.
In fact it seems to me that just as Phil Mac Giolla Bhan was attacked for his views by the very people he was informing, the fact that initiatives come from Celtic and not elsewhere works against everybody.
The environment dictates to a large extent the policy and approach Celtic follow but I would like to think that they display an attribute one of my bosses once said I had. Which was a way of letting people know I wasn’t happy.
Something to do with my facial expression I think.
Paul67
I thought Vitoria Guimaraes were a top tier side, not a second tier one.
They won the Portuguese Cup last season, beating Benfica in the final.
They qualified for the Europa League and currently lie third in Group I, still with an outside chance of qualifying for the knock-out stage with a game to go.
HH!!
Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar
Yea McManus and Caldwell were better
I know this because WGS said so
PS He also said Paul telfer was a good player
senga
13:03 on 4 December, 2013
Big Nan
I remember reading about Annie Borjesson and I assumed it was resolved, obviously not. I read your post with astonishment and I’m ashamed at the appalling treatment meted out to Annie’s mother and friend by our powers at be.
Well done for highlighting their plight and I’ll forward the petition on to family and friends, (I’ve got into the habit of signing and passing on your petitions!)
………………………….
No it never got sorted out Senga and in fact it has got worse because it more or less broke Guje’s health and yet she still tries to find out what actually happened.
To see at first hand two foreign women having to live in cheap hostels, sharing with men, drunks, junkies, etc was sad. I tried to do what little I could to help them as I felt guilty, responsible in a way for the way the authorities treated them which of course was daft.
I tried to put myself in their position, which doesn’t bear thinking about, but for them to keep coming back and keep investigating is in itself a terrible indictment on our justice system.
Thanks for signing and yes please pass it on.
I can assure you though that I don’t make a habit of lost causes, but today is the anniversary of that terrible event which was made worse by the heartless treatment of the grieving parents.
Adam Le Fondre, a wasted resource in the Reading reserves.
Tamrabam
In the mid 70s, I would have been out of my nut on Smarties by half time :))
DD
only smarties have the answer… o))
green and white pacers for me…
10 years ago I went into the Celtic shop and asked for a Bobo Balde poster.
“How big is you wall?” was the question
“I’ve got a 12ft snooker table in the same room”
“Not big enough, sonny” he said “Bobo a huge superstar, too big and expensive for your house, how about a Peter Lawwell poster, turn it upside down and you would think you were in Sydney, he’s a legned down there”
“Deal” says I
SosOfErin
I want us to sign the striker who is keeping le Fondre out of the first team.
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
goldstar10
The full size posters of The Bunnet were, err, smaller.
Big Nan
Petition signed
In cases like this I always think WHY wont they have a proper look ?
I still like Big Bobo!
A true legend.
God bless you BIg Man!
leftclick Together we will get justice for the Dam 5
13:19 on 4 December, 2013
Big Nan
Petition signed
In cases like this I always think WHY wont they have a proper look ?
……………………………………
Yes there are many cases where one wonders if police informants are being shielded but in this case there isn’t anything that jumps out unless of course the simple truth is that it is simpler to state suicide than have an unsolved suspicious death or murder on the books.
I was told recently that Glasgow police had no unsolved murders on their records. I don’t know if that is true but it wouldn’t surprise me.
BT
I always went for the dearer sweets on matchdays, cause my uncles would buy me what I wanted. As long as I didn’t tell my mum, what my dad and them were consuming before and during the game. Happy Days! :))
Signed in my lunchtime Big Nan
oldtim67
12:54 on 4 December, 2013
NatKnow – Supporting Wee Oscar.
Are you saying there was no posters at all, or, was it that there weren’t any that your nephew liked. I’ve bought a few posters in Celtic Super Store, but not for a couple of years.
I’m saying neither – it was SidneyTim’s relatives who were looking for a poster. I was just being cheeky as usual! :-)
Big Nan
I’m so sorry, I can’t imagine what a horrendous time Annie’s family are going through. My apologies for my stupid comment about petitions, there was no need for it, particularly today.
History tells us that WGS did a great job with a much reduced football budget (he understood the reasons for it being reduced)
He inherited several players who were on high wages, awarded to them on the recommendation of the previous manager. Some of these players didnae rate WGS and didnae want to play for him.
Like a sensible manager would, he decided that if these players could be offloaded then he could put their wages towards paying the new guys who would inevitably have to be brought in – he did that successfully with some of them.
He was unsuccessful with Bobo and Bobo was within his rights to stay and collect the cash.
Simply put…. both sides were trying to do the best for their side – it happens.
And
history also tells us that there was a huge amount of abuse even hatred handed out on this site about WGS not being ‘Celtic minded’
I wonder how many of the haters have changed their minds on that but kept quiet about it
But the haters are the haters then and now
BREAKING NEWS!
JUST IN!
From: maria jansson
To: Tom Minogue
Sent: Wednesday, 4 December 2013, 13:22
Subject: Long Article about Annie
http://www.scottishreview.net/index.shtml
Dear Tom!
Follow the link to read all the pieces that Kenneth Roy have written.
warm greetings
Mia
Big Nan….signed ……a terrible situation for the family….
Big Nan
13:23 on 4 December, 2013
‘I was told recently that Glasgow police had no unsolved murders on their records. I don’t know if that is true but it wouldn’t surprise me.’
###
Well there’s the Bible John ones for a start.
Big Nan
13:27 on 4 December, 2013
I was just going to post this link to an earlier article by Kenneth Roy.
Cock-up or conspiracy? The strange death of Annie Börjesson
Kenneth Roy
http://www.scottishreview.net/KennethRoy115c.shtml
Do the celtic shop not sell rod Stewart posters?
Honest Mistake
Louis from 1D in his Celtic strip, would sell lots of posters. Well both my daughters would buy one.
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar
11:36 on 4 December, 2013
From previous post
SydneyTim…
…The MSM want you to hate Peter Lawwell ask yourself why please!
LB
I’m unsure where the credit goes for the above statement but it hit me like
a slap in the face.
I believe it to be so true and yet it had not occured to me!
Naive, and to long gone from Scotland is what that is!
T
I liked Wee Gordon Strachan!
A true legend.
God bless you wee man.
Ask yerself, how was your day today?
Then ask a director or shareholder at ayebrokes
how was your day today?
if he doesnt reply it was crap, we lost another 38,000 quid today he is a liar
and ask him the same question tomorrow
and the next day
and the next
and so on
until……………………….
Big Nan
Petition signed and a very worthwhile cause you are supporting
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25213318
referee’s don’t do irony – do they?
One of the alleged journalists that report on Scottish football has asked Virgil van Dijk if he thinks Netherlands coach Louis Van Gaal will see Celtic’s 7-0 thrashing of Hearts at Tynecastle as proof the Scottish game lacks the edge required to ready him for a major finals.
No team has ever scored seven goals in a domestic match in the ole Netherlands of course.
Bitter, hurting Zombies. Still upset their dream tie did not materialise.
Delaneys dunky.
As long as he’s not being sick after being tackled.
79caps @ 12:25,
“……………… The game against Hearts showed that if the midfield improves, the goals will come. For once we had midfielders passing the ball forwards and making runs into the box.
Buy a playmaker, not a striker.”
As the Morton Cup game proved, most teams are more than capable of defending in numbers for long periods against superior opposition.
I’m not a great MoTD fan these days but a couple of Sunday’s ago I watched the last half hour or so, now it tends to be condensed highlights of the EPL games by that time.
The thing that struck me was goal, after goal, after goal came from defence spliting passes struck quickly forward with pace and accuracy.
To be effective at the top level we need to this.
Hail Hail
Big Nan,
Petition signed, as was your last one.
Great causes – more power to ye.
They might not do irony but they do do cheating.
Livibhoy
I totally agree with your stance on PL. The board realized early enough that the big spending under MON was unsustainable. WGS came in and did a great job, bringing down the wage bill while still remaining competitive unlike the dead club who as Wattie admitted “with Rangers you just need to find the money”. No wonder they went burst.
My favorite memory of Bobo Balde is during the fracas with Alan Thompson and the shameful Peter Lovenkrands, that wee dugs sh*** Alex Rae goes running over to get involved. Bobo picks him up under one arm and carries him away. (please tell me I didn’t imagine this) I hope some of you who can do the linky thing can put up footage of this.
charles kickham
13:43 on 4 December, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25213318
referee’s don’t do irony – do they?
__________________________________________________________________________
…….no complaints when Boughera got a £5k fine for something similar in the “shame game” I seem to recall.
HH
SRS
Has a similar question been put to Lee Wallace?