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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Chairbhoy
“The thing that struck me was goal, after goal, after goal came from defence splitting passes struck quickly forward with pace and accuracy.
To be effective at the top level we need to this.”
Correct , if we have either the strikers to run onto those passes and score themselves (Henrik, Macdonald) or , if their backs are to goal, to hold the ball up for others , possibly midfielders , to take a pass from them and score (Sutton , Hartson, JVOH).
In Ledley and Commons we have the latter.
We still lack the former.
Regrettably
Just read on fb….
Greggs in Parkhead held up and robbed :)
No wee fat hun bassa kokes now please.
kokes = jokes
Billy Bhoy 05
13:41 on 4 December, 2013
Big Nan
Petition signed and a very worthwhile cause you are supporting
………………………………
Thanks for the support and yes it screams out at you that this woman (Guje the mother) has been treated in an off-hand manner by the authorities.
But they misjudged her strenght of character and stubbornness. She told me that she visited Kilmarnock Police station on one of her annual visits and the police wouldn’t show her the documents she wanted to see so she simply sat down and told them she wouldn’t leave the place until she did.
She also stood outside of the First Minister’s residence at Charlotte Square with Maria until Alex Salmond eventually invited them in. But nothing came of his assurances.
She held annual “Marches for Justice” from St Giles’s Cathederal to Holyrood. One was somewhat hi-jacked by the Megrahi family but she didn’t mind this as she said everyone was invited. On the one I was on there must have been about 200 people led by a piper with a petition for the Justice Minister, but MacAskill never even came out to take it from her and sent a functionary.
This is not a scatty middle aged mum who can see no wrong in her children Guje is an intelligent and rescourceful woman who has been given the run around and she knows it.
To a large extent now Maria Janssen has taken over as Guje’s health has suffered.
The tragic thing is that if the police/coroner/pf had given her daughters case a thorough going over and came to the conclusion that suicide was the cause of death Guje may have accepted it though not agreeing with it.
The fact she was treated with disdain/contempt made her more determined and of course prolonged her suffering and prevented proper grief from running its course.
All IMHO of course.
I was at corporate hospitality at Motherwell on one occasion and so was much later out of the ground.
Walked passed the main entrance just as big Bobo exited for the bus.
I’ve never seen a more intimidating looking guy.
“Shudders”
Thomas son of Grave, hoopslegend and billionaire property developer, should stop pesterin’ the lovely Kamilla long enough to go and buy some of thoose desirable Dennistoun tenements, ready to fill with the shiny new strikers we’re buying dans le fenetre du Janvier.
Mccaskil’s afanny.
So is wee fat Idi salmond
Tbj.
Police are looking for Chelsea buns.
My next appointment has just arrived.
Bet you’re all pleased.
How many strikers does a team need?
How many strikers does a team who generally play with one up top need?
With Europe over for another season would it not be a better idea to give Balde, Pukki & Fridjonsson the rest of this season to see what they can do? That would still leave us with Stokes, Samaras and, apparently, Bangura as back up if they don’t impress over next couple of months.
What is this buy them cheap, stack them high policy with strikers doing for any young strikers in the youth/development squads trying to get a breakthrough? Can we assume Tony Watt has burnt his bridges and will be punted in the summer when he returns from Lierse.
There is no logic or strategy to what we are doing with regards strikers at the club. The management team/scouts appear to have a blind spot when identifying talent. It happens, even Jock Stein had his blind spot, keepers, as did MON.
Rather than continually bloating the squad with strikers who’s goal ratio is poor, maybe we should look for more creativity in midfield to try and create more chances for them. Would rather sign a ‘No. 10’ type player than take yet another punt on yet another striker.
TBJ
What’s the punchline? :)
Only one Poster Ghirl on here
Delaneys Dunky 13:48 on 4 December, 2013
“Has a similar question been put to Lee Wallace?”
As you are well aware – that line of questioning is never taken when it comes to any clubs based at Ibroke.
Our alleged journalists only offer enthusiasm for them.
Honest Mistake
Hahaha. Belter! :)))
79caps
12:25 on
4 December, 2013
This pursuit of yet another striker seems daft to me. We have:
Stokes
Pukki
Balde
Watt
Bangura
Icelandic bhoy
Young prospect Denny Johnstone
as well as Sammi.
How many strikers does a team need? 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.
Good god.Looking at that list you think we have too many strikers?.!!!!!!!!!.
Pukki is not a striker.Balde is a project.Watts goal return for games played was poor.Sammi is never a striker.Bangura??????.Icelandic boy,not even arrived yet.
Would you go into the CL with Denny Johnstone?.Stokes is the best of the bunch,and still not an out and out striker,decent,but not great.
We play one great game and thats it,forget strikerts.I despair.
Kayal -agreed.
Play to a system that suits the players you have, rather than spendin’ a fortune bashin’ square pegs into round holes.
I think when we beat St Mirren 7-0 under WGS we did not play with a ‘centre forward’; the next week we played 4-4-2 and they turfed us out of the Cup.
SRS
True. I await the Nicky Clark for Scotland campaign fae the msm, after last night.
Hunbelievable from the Mail online following sevcos 6-1 result at home v bridies
(this beats even the kris boyd is the best ever spin)
This latest triumph also ensured Rangers would surpass the 18 successive wins recorded by Walter Smith’s class of 1992, a team that went on to come within 90 minutes of the Champions League final.
Turkeybhoy @ 14.03
Don’t despair. See Kayal33’s comment @ 13.59.
just to bring them back down to earth (from Goal.com)
Elsewhere, Celtic hold the British record for consecutive victories, sweeping all before them under Martin O’Neill’s tenure back in 2003-04. The Hoops posted 25 straight wins in the Scottish Premier League and fired in a record 105 goals, with Henrik Larsson signing off with 30 of them before he joined Barcelona
Tamrabam@12.27
“Folk forget that Bobo balde, the man, had honoured and completed every contract that he ever had.”
Some others forget that he was willing to move if it was right for him:-
In July 2007 when Roy Keane wanted him at Sunderland, he said “I love the club, I am very settled in Glasgow and I would be happy to fulfil my current contract”
In October 2007, three short months later, he said “I don’t want to be at a club where I am not wanted, but I want to make clear it is rubbish to say I am just taking the money…”
Bobo was undoubtedly angered by a belittling evaluation of his playing position. He said that PL and WGS told him he was 6th choice, which must have been an attempt to deliberately rile him into a move. But, in the rough world of football management, far more severe evaluations have been made of players by managers that we praise and worship. I doubt that Bobo wilted under this psychological pressure so that he doubted his ability to perform nor do I believe that he dug in just to annoy people, regardless of the cost to himself.
For whatever reason he stayed on when not wanted, contrary to his October statement, and both club and player lost out in a no win situation.
Maybe winning captains can get Bobo to do an interview for the CQN magazine wherein he finally reveals all.
Naw!! No like that! Some of you have smutty minds :-)
Turkeybhoy
You ask “Would you go into the CL with Denny Johnstone?”
Of course not. I never suggested that. I said he’s a good prospect. Likewise Balde and Watt.
Are you saying these guys should not be given a chance?
Folks still claiming WGS cut the costs while at CP. if you think thats true then check
a) the annual wage bill when he arrived
b) the annual wage bill when he left
And after that if you think he didnt have transfer funds available, then check
the cost of his 40 signings in 4 seasons compared to MON 15 signings in 5 seasons
You might be surprised
Our alleged journalists will do anything to deflect from the issues that matter most at Ibroke.
We should be thankful for this in many ways as Celtic supporters, as it means Sevco are unlikely to offer us a decent challenge, providing they are around long enough to be in the top league.
As consumers though, we deserve a better press. We have the option of not buying the newspapers, listening to the radio broadcasts or reading their websites. That is they only way they will get the message.
Although I have heard The Herald are sitting on a massive story about Sevco, which if true will have serious implications for many familiar names in Scottish football.
Delaneys Dunky 14:05 on 4 December, 2013
“True. I await the Nicky Clark for Scotland campaign fae the msm, after last night.”
Our alleged journalists will do anything to deflect from the issues that matter most at Ibroke.
We should be thankful for this in many ways as Celtic supporters, as it means Sevco are unlikely to offer us a decent challenge, providing they are around long enough to be in the top league.
As consumers though, we deserve a better press. We have the option of not buying the newspapers, listening to the radio broadcasts or reading their websites. That is they only way they will get the message.
Although I have heard The Herald are sitting on a massive story about Sevco, which if true will have serious implications for many familiar names in Scottish football.
Big Nan…
Petition signed……
the long wait is over @ 13:50,
That’s true, to play that way, as well as a playmaker(s) capable of threading through the passes you need someone with pace, technique and a finish to make it work.
—————————————————————
One rule for one……..
But Dougal says that the SFA’s hands were tied as referee Calum Murray did not deem the action as aggressive.
Hail Hail
Tamrabam-not arguing mate but Bobo a sub 51 times?
SRS
Hope we are still around to read the Herald ‘story’.
Tamrabam- they also hold the record for games unbeaten- 62, during WW1.
What’s the odds Owen”Barclays Premiership” Coyle is a pundit at Driday’s game for Shortbread or BT Sport?
Vulturecsc
More chance of the Herald burying the huns story than printing it.
I’m enjoying todays opinions on Bobo, Wgs and Peter Lawell. My ten pence’ worth is that I loved to see Bobo in the hoops starting line up. I don’t think strikers liked to face up to him on the park, he may not have possessed the ball playing skills of some centre halves but he made up for that with other attributes. He chipped in with some goals against the deceased too, which further endeared him to our support. I feel he was treated quite poorly after he signed his last contract with us but I don’t know whether this was due to Peter lawell or Gordon. I remember feeling annoyed at his omission from the team during the Wgs era and can remember being delighted to see him return against Dundee utd for a boxing day game.
I appreciate the job that Gordan did in his tenure as Celtic manager, if I am honest I think I appreciate more now since he left the post. He did bring Jan , Naka and the holy goalie to the park and continued to put a winning team on the pitch. For this , we will be eternally grateful. He has only nice things to say about the club, we all hear his views on celtic when he is asked for his opinion. I think a few other celts in the media should take note of this fact!!!
On Peter Lawell, I am not sure where I stand. He has a tough job, I understand that but we should be able to spend a few quid on a decent striker. We have spent too much on ‘projects’ to date . the club are bringing in more revenue than we ever have, we are not asking the board to do anything reckless, simply to go out and get the striker a club like Celtic deserve to go further in the champions league.
on Sydney Tim’s view of superstars, I ask myself what Celtic players would we be gutted if we were told they were leaving in the next window?
Straight away I thought of Michael Lustiq , Big Virgil or Adam Matthews , your relatives could have bought posters of any of these players. Everyone is entitled to their view of what represents a superstar.
HX2
Just a final thought on Big Bobo, anyone who saw him recently at Stan Petrov’s charity match will probably agree that he won’t be getting a Christmas Card from Robert Pires anytime soon, I don’t think poor Rob went back inside Bobo postcode after that ‘tackle’
AR
BB
Is the Motherwell game on BT on Friday?
Delaneys Dunky 14:23 on 4 December, 2013
“Hope we are still around to read the Herald ‘story’.”
Boy that told me about it reckons it will come out in around three months.
Legal issues.