The success rate of Celtic’s player recruitment strategy in recent years has been exceptional; pound-for–pound better than any period in our history. Forster, Mulgrew, Lustig, Matthews, Izaguirre, Wilson, Ledley, Wanyama, Commons, Kayal and Hooper have arrived for limited outlay and have propelled the club into the latter stages of the Champions League.
By contrast, Mo Bangura failed to impress on any occasion tested. At another time it would be easy to write him off but it seems unusual that the current system for scouting and assessing footballers has led to a striker who only yesterday recorded his first goal for the club.
In all honesty I suspect Mo will not get a chance to turn things around at Celtic, there are several strikers ahead of him in the squad and our scouts will forever be working on fresh recruits, but this doesn’t mean he is a bad player. It’s more likely that his induction into Scottish life missed a crucial step.
Did you see the story and photograph about Michael Johnson yesterday? The 24-year-old was paid-off by Manchester City near the end of his £40k per week contract. He was unfortunate with injuries but there is a lesson for football to learn in his demise.
The day anyone, young or old, clever or stupid, signs a £10m contract life can become one long party. ‘You don’t like my attitude/weight/blood test/friends? I’m on a multi-million pound contract, deal with it.’ How can football deal with this issue?
For the record, there is absolutely no connection between Mo, whose attitude has been first class, and Michael Johnson’s demise.
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Craig Moore…….look how well he done.
OOPS!!!!
Is anyone there?
5 in a row.
Morning boys,well Sallies mask has slipped…fast track us to the second teir”if it was good enough for stranraer then you would hope it would follow that the same would happen again.” hail hail.
6 in a row.
Maybe no
Craig Foster has obviously never watched Swiss football and seen the quality of the defenders outside of FC Basel, Keystone Cops comes to mind…
Good morning CQNers,
I read in an earlier post that Tom Rogic was humble and confident young man which is a good combination and should help him fit right in at Celtic.
On a political point – yesterday I read that Jeremy Hunt is predicting his vision of the computerisation of the NHS will save ‘millions of nursing hours’. This flies in the face of the current computerisation of the NHS which has increased the proportion of nurses hour spent on administration by some 27%.
Jeremy has a history of deviousness which makes you wonder about his motives.
Good morning from York where it’s
-8c and the cycle to work was a bit on the chilly side. A quiet transfer window so far for Celtic… Happy with that.
Morning,
FINALLY one of them admits they want fast tracked up the divisions.
Fat Sally comparing Sevco to Stranraer. I dont remember them dying and leaving tens of millions of unpaid debt.
.
Re: Foster.. I’m trying to think of a British equivalent to Describe him to People who have Not heard of Him..
A Posh Andy Gray that Doesn’t Laugh..
He Does they things that got done on TV 20 yrs ago with the Electronic pen showing You where ALL the Players should have been during a Move..
Ooh Wait..
It has Just Come to Me..
If he Interviewed Pep Guardiola 2 Years Ago.. It Would have went Like this..
Foster: Pep why are You soooo Goood..?
*Salavate*
Utter Tosher..
Summa
Ps.. I give People Stick on here for Seeming Hating every Single Commentator on Celtic Games..
Foster at Half time In the Celtic Vs Milan last 16 Parkhead game said..
“You would think Celtic would try at Least one attack before the end of the Game.. Considering they are at Home”.. Then went on to Drivel for another 5 Mins..
I have Hated him ever Since..
Pps.. I can’t Believe he Never Metioned Scott MacDonald in that Piece.. Cause between the Lines.. That is Who he is Referring to he Just Does Not have it in him to Name him..
Morning bhoys from a dreich hun free mountain.
Only two more sleeps, then back to the football.
I see the fix is gathering pace, get them back up the leagues,
Good to hear TV3 calling the riots in the north like it is, riots, and they are making burgers in their kitchen this morning >}
YORKBHOY where abous in YORK reyou.O’NEILS for EURO games?????
YORBOY. stickykeys.abouts are.
cure for sticky keys anybody.??????
Favourite Uncle
Live out near the uni, O’Neils usually has a great atmosphere for the Euro matches and there is a good crowd of regulars.
YORKBHOY.yes i know i’m a regular with my wife.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS @ 00.35
Cheers, bobby, kind words indeed.
thoroughly enjoyed our wee nicht, although, i thought it finished up with you calling the “female” taxi driver “sir”!!!
As i walked from the train to my house, i couldnt help thinking about, how good that “Turin adventure bus” would be. Having been to games with some of those guys, i then had to have a rethink….i like my wife, son and my job too much… not happening.
thanks for a great wee night and hopefully see you saturday with ACGR et al.
IZZY
drop me a line, hopefully see you some time soon.
HH PC67
Fav Uncle I am the one at the bar shouting for them to pass the ball out wide… Usually before the game has started…
Interesting perspective from Australia. I suppose a Scottish equivalent could be the level that Aberdeen starlets have been leaving for. What has happened to Chris McGuire?
Craig Foster The World Game..
Tom Rogic will possibly play in the UEFA Champions League with Celtic but is the move really the right one for him?
I’m not so sure, particularly given that after a likely brief interlude in the UCL, it is back to the weekly grind of playing against Hearts and Inverness – not a high quality of football.
Summa,
As I am sure you arte aware Craig Foster is a useles Hun bastard.
He made the glorious heights of the Championship never played in the Champs league and sits on SBS with that old fart can’t rememeber his name at the moment, and pontificates on Champs league football a dizzying height much to far for him, Les Murray that is the old fart’s name, he is a slav of some description but always went by the oh so english name of les Murray.
Please do not mention Craig Foster in my company, I have met him in Artarmon and he is a HUN of the highest order.
c ya
YORKBHOY.ha ha i thought that was BOB the postman or big KARL’S job.
PEDROCARAVANACHIO67
I thought I recovered well from that faux-pas. Well,offered a grovelling apology….
At least I didnae try to give her directions for the station…….
A smashing evening,indeed. Is there not an Electrical Exhibition in Turin that week?
See you Saturday,got a feeling it will be a day to wear the thermals……
Morning all,
-1 and crisp on the Thames West London but the sun’s shining in the portholes.
This retirement lark’s def all it’s cracked up to be, just hope I keep going till the state pays me a pension then it’ll be party time.
Ceiler’s shown me his and I’ve shown him mine but neither of us has seen Summa’s…..
Post Scriptum
How do you do that deg thing for temps on Win 7?
IZZY 0134
Chiil,mate-impress PC67 with your knowledge of your trade,and of Celtic.
Slag the huns a bit as well,and yer in. All the best for the get-thegither.
At half time in the Barca game at Camp Nou. Ol Les Murray said rather timorously, ” Celtic are doing well, but I wish they would do more attacking,” Craig Fostewr cut in with” They would get slaughtered if they moved out of their penalty box”. I then switched to Espn coverage.
At the final whistle, I cut back to SBS and what do you know Ol Craig Foster was nowhere to be seen.
A dirty hun bastard and nevert to be taken seriously.
WEEFRA THE TIM 0151
Easing yourself gently into retirement,no bad thing.
You’ll get used to it,and wonder how you managed to find time to work!
Takes time,though-as you’ve noticed!
You’ve got a lot to look forward to,mate. You’ll love it.
Best wishes and a wee hug for your wife. She’ll love your retirement too,mate.
FAVOURITE UNCLE
YORKBHOY may be inadvertently directing you to a house of hooliganism and thuggery..
That was the branch of O’Neills where a senior police officer was in fear for his life during a Celtic game,as he later testified.
I would NEVER suggest he made it up……
To sit and think that Thomas Rogic is making a mistake by moving to Celtic because the SPL is not strong so you won’t develop your game is ridiculous.
Spl players are currently being dragged down south at an extremely fast rate if they show any potential – they may not all be Premiership clubs but talent is moving on just like A-League talent moving to European clubs (some not particularly illustrious leagues to boot).
People cite Henrik Larrson as the perfect example but let us not forget Larsson was an established player when he came to Celtic. He had played for Feyenoord for years and won things there as well as playing for Sweden in 1994 in the World Cup and scoring. He was hardly an complete unknown but the most interesting thing was that he only scored 19 goals in his first season with Celtic under his then mentor Wim Jansen – he would only score fewer the season he broke his leg. Dr Jo put him right up top and 37 goals followed and then we all know how he did in partnership with Sutton and Hartson. Big Sutton (who had made Alan Shearer in my humble opinion into a better striker) was a perfect foil for Larrson. Teams play to their strengths and learn how to work well together – that is teamwork.
Bill Shankly said if you have useful players trained the right way and doing the little things they can all do well that was how to make a team – “A form of socialism without the politics of course” and he has a point. The cliche there is no “I” in team is very important because what Henrik Larsson could do was not what Neil Lennon could but they did jobs within a team which were as important if not as glamorous as each other.
Fast forward to now and we have one of the youngest Celtic sides in many years acquired for a modest amount of money in the era we live in but they are a team, not a collection of individuals. For this Neil Lennon and his backroom staff deserve great credit. They played under a manager who understood team work at Leicester and at Celtic respectively and they have brought that to our club to great effect.
When people ask me who is Celtic’s star player – I say no one. We don’t have one particular star of the caliber of Henrik Larsson or Lubo Moravcik (or insert your favourite) but we have a team. Samaras is our most famous player because he has appeared on the world stage in World Cups and European Championships for Greece but we now have a team who individually are making a name for themselves.
To look at the two best examples:
Fraser Forster – 2m from Newcastle and a steal considering his exploits in Europe AND in Scotland. Signed after two loan seasons by our manager who saw something in him many fans did not always (myself included) and who Mr “8 year contract at Newcastle” Pardew who slagged off the league we play in saw little in. His value aside, he has improved massively for playing with Celtic in this mickey mouse league.
Victor Wanyama – a complete unknown plucked from Belgian Football for under 1m and has every attribute a modern player should have – ability, strength, goal-scoring and the nasty side when required. Started slowly but now a player being looked at in the EPL (if you believe the reports) and not your relegation end EPL, the good end. Proved he can mix it with the best there is and Iniesta barely got a kick against big Vic in Glasgow and must have been sick of the sight of him by the end of that night – of course he only scored that goal because he is taller than most of the Barcelona team because Scottish football is a league where ye heid the baw.
Vic is in fact the case in point – play to your strengths and exploit the weaknesses of your opponents but Victor could not have scored that goal without the delivery and what a delivery from Charlie Mulgrew. A player who many wrote off from day one but was Neil’s first signing. Again this was Shankly’s point – do the little things you can all do well. Sounds child-like but it works.
The different jobs in the teams and what each player brings to the team are what makes Celtic a special team right now.
Thomas Rogic – you’ve made a choice and despite what ignorant journalists say we are one of the best teams to come to at this moment in time if you are a young player looking to develop his game. Forster, Mulgrew, Kelvin Wilson, Mathews, Wanyama and Hooper all prove it. All these guys were breaking through or were going nowhere with their old clubs – look where they are now.
We are more or less guaranteed European football and CL football for the next 3 years. You will win things at this club and winning breeds confidence as well as improves your game or forces you to go to the final whistle. Celtic will have most of the ball in every domestic match we play. I’d imagine Australia will be something similar against the sides they play to qualify for World Cups. You’ll need to be creative to unlock defenses in Scotland and the same will go when you line up for the Socceroos.
You have the perfect stage here son – you’re up against Juventus in a few weeks. Do the business against them and more and more people will look at you and Celtic with respect and maybe even ignorant journalists will see you have made one of the best decisions of your life.
There is no place better for improving your game as a young player and if Johann was right and you are a wee gem, get ready to shine.
So Gutter Rat McOist now wants Sevco 5088 to be given preferential treatment and fast tracked up a league.
I wondered how long it would take before RFC’s entitlement trait tuped over to the new club.
Morning from a dull cold and overcast north staffs
Not read back but must comment on pep going to bayern – the press down here had him desparately wanting to join an epl club – chelsea or man city was a shoe in – oh dear – he chose bayern for the club set up and its long term planning – not the short term throw money at everything attitude of the overated epl.
Well done pep and good luck
BOBBY M.spot on that’s the place.2 points to P.C.GREY.you could not meet a nicer bunch of CELTIC SUPPORTERS and the huns failed to x the half way line in the second half.”i shudder to think what would have happened if RANGERS had equaised.” the manager’s wife sat through the whole game againand guess what.ZACTLY NADA not a word out of place.
Online ticket queue is mental been in queue since 8.50am and only half way along! My not even part time celtic mate is sweating big time on a ticket lol
Not even part time attendee I should have said
celtic o lennon
The phone is the same.
It’s taking you right through then saying “lines are busy, call back later.”
Then cuts you off!!
I have the same problem online.
The bar has hardly moved in 20mins
jimbob71
thats not great, they are turning people away at the ground as well not allowing any more in the queue
BMCUP
“That was the branch of O’Neills where a senior police officer was in fear for his life during a Celtic game,as he later testified.”
Poor Les Gray never recovered from that traumatic night in York and sadly had to retire from the Force last year. Apparently while he watched that game there were raised voices, some loud cheering and also a few moans (when Sammi lost possession), understandably leading Les to suspect that a full scale riot was about to commence. I wish him well in his retirement.