One of the things you hope for when a player leaves for a richer league is that they perform well. It reflects on whatever value you will get the next time someone leaves. Joe Ledley has gotten off to a flier with Crystal Palace, although there is still a long way to go there, but our two big summer sales are finding it tough.
Gary Hooper hadn’t scored in his last nine starts for Norwich. His season tally stands at five league goals and two assists, which is still four goals more than Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who cost more than twice Hooper’s price but has scored only once in the league. Norwich other two strikers have yet to get off the blocks.
Bizarrely, Norwich are flooded with expensive strikers but their fans will bemoan the fact that they don’t have a goal-scorer, which Hooper was at Celtic and van Wolfswinkel was at Utrecht, where he scored a hat-trick against Celtic, and at Sporting. There is a good chance they will be relegated as a consequence, which will probably have them back on the hunt for a Leigh Griffiths-type striker.
Gary had his dips in form at Celtic, which included a meagre last four months of his final season, Cup Final apart, but Victor Wanyama is one of the best central midfielders we have seen at Celtic in a considerable time. He was a solid performer for Southampton before injury side-lined him for two months. Now back, he has a seat alongside Jos Hooiveld on the bench, due to the form of Jack Cork, one of Southampton’s many current stars.
Hooper and Wanyama were among the stars of the Celtic team last season but I suspect their new clubs’ fans are wondering what all the fuss is about. Form is fickle. It’s hard to tell when a career is about to turn all Liam Miller on a bright young prospect (and let’s be honest, Miller was every bit as lauded here as Hooper or Wanyama), or what consequences the new club, the move, or other distractions are having on performance.
There are also a couple of ex-Celtic goalkeepers doing a star turn in the FA Premier League, David Marshall at Cardiff and Artur Boruc at Southampon. After dazzling in his early months Marshall sipped well down the pecking order at Celtic, who eventually offloaded him. He was replaced as first choice by Boruc, who could claim to be the top rated keeper in Europe 8 years ago but completely lost ‘it’, before finding it again, recently.
My prediction is that Hooper, Wanyama, Balde, Boerrigter and Pukki will not fulfil their potential at their current clubs, although I considered Wanyama’s place on the list for a while. This does not make them bad players, ‘it’ just doesn’t always happen when it should. By contrast, some players look born to play for Celtic, including Kris Commons, who does not fit the profile of top-flight English clubs but is a rare gem in the Champions League for Celtic.
Really enjoyed reading the questions to and comments about Tommy Gemmell yesterday, as did Tommy, who spent the afternoon reading CQN and was “delighted” at the response. He’s not got a login yet but we’ll get him sorted and do a live event on the blog after we have the book out of the way.
I’m attending a meeting next Wednesday with Supporters’ Liaison Officer, John Paul Taylor. Let me know if there are any questions you’d like raised.
If you would like to read the new CQN Magazine, GO HERE to read properly, and for FREE, the graphic below is just a taster.
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Oh and if anyone is daft enough to mention FFP after Nimmo …the floors all yours….I need cheering up.
XXX
Twists n turns.
I’m concerned that the belief is that celtic supporters would cut off their nose to spite their face.
Surely celtic supporters would step up to the mark to prevent that from happening?
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
Listen to some of your songs
xx
personally I think the spl is a hard league to be ‘good’ in – and if you make it there you should stay there
http://t.co/biorJdUxEL
Any spare tickets?
Auldheid
16:06 on
13 February, 2014
Now we`re talking.
“the greater good”
I could add ” the common enemy “.
Faithful through and through….aye….until….apathy overrides even the most faithful. I stuck with Orange ( I know) until my package became
Unlimited smoke signals
250 pigeons a month, and,
Free messages in a bottle to other Orange customers
Sometimes, enough is enough….
The honest mistake
Moved for TV
You watch Desmond run ….. If there was no money to be made …..tell you what drop FFP and tell us shoot the family connection and how he bought it for his son…that’s funnier
HH
Shoot=aboot
twists n turns
I agree, 30k a game still is a good attendance, most PL teams would love to get that. however 30k in a 60k stadium looks bad. Football has highs and lows, as far as aspirations go the apathy will continue if any fan thinks we can spend big bucks they are kidding themselves on, the SPL is heading the way of the Irish/welsh league, example semi professional or part time football long term. I cant see anything else happening unless of course we leave if it is even possible, i personally would happily take the Conference in England and do a Fulham of the past or a Gretna Green and go up the leagues back to back, we are more than capable and that would get your 60K every week.
Ianbhoy.
Ridiculous behaviour by sky an the spfl.
I’d prefer if celtic told them to stuff their tv deal.
At your meeting next week can you ask the guy to ask the Police why it now takes twice as long to get away from the stadium now when there are half the number of fans attending.
Ten years ago when there were 60,000 in the stadium all of the traffic lights on London Road would be set to green all of the way to the motorway.
Now that the M74 extension is complete it seems to be Police Scotland’s aim to make it as difficult to get to as possible. No Police at all at any lights on London Road and when you do get to the motorway they have reduced the on ramp to one lane. The minor roads are constantly gridlocked which causes frustration and dangerous driving.
Every new match commander seems to tear up whatever plans were in place from the match before.
I’ve attempted to talk to the club before and they say contact the police but, if this was the owner of a shopping complex, and their customers were being treated like this I’m sure they would be having discussions with the authorities. Its a farce that needs addressing.
After this, the so called “shame game”: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-12631956 …
Did you immediately think; what we need here is the “Formation of a new Football Policing Unit and more Banning Orders”?
Well according to their submission to the Justice Committee in August 2011Celtic did!
Rangers in their submission go a step further than Celtic who simply boasted that they had made these proposals and say when the proposals were made; in March, the same month as the “shame game”! Their submission is very similar to ours and:
“welcomes the focus to address offensive behaviour at football matches throughout Scotland, and along with Celtic F.C. called for the establishment of a national Footballing Policing Unit at the original footballing summit in March.”
I must be pretty stupid because at the time of the first summit on 15 March 2011, just 12 days after the game it was pretty clear that (leaving aside the MSM hype) the game was nothing out of the ordinary with only a handful of arrests made that night.
Why Celtic allowed themselves to be bumped into a position whereby they were portrayed as one side of the two sided bigot brothers act called the Old Firm I will never know.
The apologists for our board say we had no alternative. I say we had no alternative but to kick the summit into touch and explain exactly why. Starting with some OF arrest stats (over 200 at one cup final in 1972). It was a contrived event engineered I think by House but surely our directors could see that?
Robert88
I made the point after Saturday that the crowd at wee Celtic’s game in the wee Scottish Cup in the wee country of Scotland was actually larger than 4 of the 8 games in the EPL, the WORLD’S GREATEST LEAGUE.
The Spirit Of Arthur Lee
What I took from it was , NL is fighting a losing battle to keep
Any kind of settled side , if the players make a name they’re off
Simples ;))
Robert
I’d rather we stayed in Scotland. I’d rather see us play Hibs than Helsingborg, and prefer Motherwell to Malmo.
Personal preference. I think the sense of injustice a lot of bhoys feel is the driving force for change, but I’d rather we stayed and fought every enemy on every front.
Anything else is walking away.
As I say, personal opinion only.
Almost forgot, RIP Jimmy Jones Belfast Celtic legend.
H.H.
EmeraldBee\o/ proud to be an internet bampot
for those who don’t know the EPL is shite! but the moneys good, anybody see the champions V the champions elect last night? Bloody awful even BT were apologising for it! I live in England and get the prem PR shite from TV and fans alike shoved down my throat! its got some great plaers but the football is mediocre most of the time. Pay cheques are the most important thing in English football oh and the OK magazine photo publications!
Djbee
Apologies for late response. Thanks and yes the club did give a strong statement on greetin Graham’s land deal crusade. It was encouraging , my point on that was I hope they are preparing an arsenal of payback for them once this is put to bed.
On attendances I’d guess that of the 20 – 25k that the club has lost on match days, only 5k is down to the tedium of the league race. 5k on the stodgy style of football on show and the rest on the disengagement due to all the great points being spoken of on the blog tonight.
As much as I’ve moaned on about all this, I still think it can be turned round with the right message but think the club needs a figurehead.
Celtic’s strategy is very clear and very simple.
It is to get Sevco, or the next new team to peddle the rangers franchise into the premier league asap.
I’m sure another important, though secondary consideration, is to ensure that whatever new team in the rangers franchise makes it to the top league, that they are as weak as possible.
It’s not rocket science.
Pfayr
I suppose that’s why he’s successful , good people skills .
Big Nan
The board weren’t ” bumped” into anything …they knew exactly what they were supporting
Our support is bring sanitised of the elements that the board find unpalatable or rather the elements that they consider others ( TV etc) may consider unpalatable
I suspect you knew that :-))
The comfortable collective.
It must be rocket science as nobody has been able to convince me that this a viable plan or of any advantages of the plan. Any idea?
The Honest Mistake loves being first
I don’t think the powers that be at Celtic really care whether people like you or me are convinced by the merits of their plan.
But I think it is their plan.
………………… declining, shrinking, decreasing, falling, diminishing, dropping, dwindling.
Insert the correct answer in the blank
A Trust
B Interest
C Celtic crowd.
The Comfortable Collective & The Honest Mistake loves being first
See im always open to what people think with regards to Celtic etc, but if you were in charge what would you be doing right now or planning for the club? That’s what interest me most, there are many shouting whats happening isn’t right etc etc, whats your solution?
The comfortable collective.
I don’t think that they would follow such a strategy without a good reason.
Mungolian Bhoy
You forgot
4 ..all of the above
Good evening all
For what it’s worth, I desperately miss the GB. Just MO :-))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
Right. Doc winning Team is in :-)
Bhoys, I am hugely frustrated at what is taking place at my club Celtic, credit to PL or the board for ensuring we are financially secure – Yes
But
As crowds drop, and they will, how can we continue, need to carry out more downsizing ? I’m sure that will go down well.
Stop signing projects and give us some quality instead of 3 or 4 attempts which fail
Treat your fans with the respect they deserve will also help, and deal with those that constantly denigrate us as both a team, a club and a fan base.
Paul67, I personally wouldn’t ask JPT any questions, not convinced he is the answer to anything .
but, I would ask PL some
How do you believe Celtic head of security is performing ?
How do you believe Celtic head of PR is performing ?
How do you believe Celtic head of Scouting (if that’s JParks title) is performing ?
When are Celtic going to take to task those in the media who have a clear agenda to discredit our club/ fans etc ?
When are you as a board start going to support your fans as opposed to allowing us to be criminalised for supporting our team ?
Now that’s for starters
And incidentally, YES, I will be renewing my 2 season tickets, It is as much my club as any of the boards, and I will God willing be there longer than a few of the board will
Hail Hail
PFayr:
Oops ! Thanks.
hen1rik
17:39 on
13 February, 2014
So Barry the fraudster Hughes his dodgy past has finally caught up with him.
Remember he was walking in to ibrox with Ellis hmmm get digging bampots.
———
Just in :))
http://willievass.photoshelter.com/image?&_bqG=0&_bqH=eJxtUFFLwzAQ_jXtS0HqsIMV8pAmsR6uSUnSYX056iytWCa0ynS_3qQMV9R7uHzfd_fdcWnKPZ5YnHcFZqM6nNYbVT7YvHzMIb1JV0mcXscuUkBuGHlqxvEr6j.6vp2iYLWOmsPz2B6jdhhephDQcGpFkGRFESScLATOvcD5QqpdeNG_Tha_reKvVfxvZWBr0g3N1L0d_QLruvwEpippdY1glKdKg5CuBkp6Cga12ApqBD_TcsmN0pZoKu_D.XSkkpN3hysjNAInlf8W_Nx0gl693gF1pR1oW9Et0lxIVvumEFmG4AY76xlWP1DfXmDhIWWWTG0z7vtwN7vzOTOfvwEzU3uX&GI_ID=
The honest mistake
Depends on one’s definition of a good reason
Robert88,
We need to find a new league.
Think I’d be regarded as a “happy clapper”.
Don’t mean to be unkind but ….JPT… what’s the point?
Pfayr.
A good reason for me would be a reason where the advantages outweighing the disadvantages. I doubt if anybody has a different definition.
Outweigh