The No. 1 rule of the transfer window is: get your first choices, and there is no doubt that Ronny Deila wanted Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven. We’ve tracked them for months, Ronny will have watched both players many times, John Collins will have watched them more often, and the entire scouting team will have watched them dozens of times, so on that basis alone, I’m happy.
I spoke to someone at the club early last month and there was some concern that some of our key players would ‘Do a Kelvin’, and present as not in the right frame of mind to play, unless we agreed to a transfer. While we are still competing in four competitions this was a major worry, but those players who were wanted elsewhere were happy to get their heads down and work to the spirit as well as the letter of their contracts. Happy at this too.
Stuart Armstrong is every inch a Ronny Deila player. He can run all day, gets into the box to support – or go beyond – strikers, and closes space in front of the defence. He will allow us to play to plan a lot oftener.
Last summer’s window was characterised by the signing of wingers. Wakaso, Inge Berget and Tonev all arrived on loan, while Callum McGregor emerged as a first team contender on his return from loan, and during the early season outshone all of them. None of these players are now considered as first choice, nor is Derk Boerrigter, who was recruited from Ajax 18 months ago and has proven every adage that ever existed for oft-injured players.
So we’re not short of wingers, but we need good ones, and Gary Mackay-Steven is another known quantity. He is fast, skilful, and will lend a creative hand to Kris Commons, who had shouldered those duties alone for years.
I’ve no proper information on Michael Duffy, who joined the development squad from Derry City.
To paraphrase Neil Lennon, this is only the beginning. Of the 10 outfield players who started at Hampden on Sunday, only one was a Ronny Deila signing, the rest were recruited by one of his predecessors. The summer transfer window was overwhelmingly misconceived, as the regime change cast a shadow over processes. As well as the wasteful wingers, two strikers were signed, neither of whom could dislodge last January’s late stocking filler, Leigh Griffiths.
Mackay-Steven and Armstrong will both make an impact at Celtic, but it will take more than a couple of players to craft the squad into the image of Ronny. More work will be needed in the summer.
Hibs, Hearts, Queen of the South, Ross County, St Mirren, Motherwell, and the SFA will all be alarmed at the flagrant influence Mike Ashley exercised at newco Rangers yesterday, despite his written agreement not to get involved. While the SFA must react accordingly, I’m not sure five players whose appearances are measured in minutes, not games, are ready for a promotion fight. It can take good player months to settle into a new team, and the potential for disruption, especially if the ‘manager’ didn’t play an active role in the process, is considerable.
The upside for newco is that these players settle quickly, take a Premiership place off Hibs, Queens, Motherwell or St Mirren, and leave a lot of clubs wondering what the point of having rules in the first place is. The only appropriate sanction the SFA can levy is a player registration ban, which would be the club’s second in their short history. Clearly a one year ban is not long enough to teach them a lesson.
Whatever you think of Ashley, you have to admire him:
On the last day of the window, he has 5 unwanted Newcastle players he is unable to loan to anyone else.
Realising he had no takers, he sends them to Ibrox, easing the Newcastle payroll.
Newco pay the players with Ashley’s loan, which they still have to pay back. If his men are kicked out at an EGM, these loans mean the new regime have even more money to find. It’s almost as though he wants to burn through the entire £10m loan before the EGM, leaving a new regime with an empty bank account and crippling debt.
It is a thing of Machiavellian beauty. Hibs and the rest are right to be upset, and Stewart Regan will feel humiliated, but I find the whole episode hilarious.
Welcome to Celtic, Gary, Stuart and Michael.
Well done Celtic on a productive transfer window. As always, it’s too early to tell how well we’ve done, but the perennial adage of leaving the window stronger than we went into it seems assured. Well done Mike too, keep up the good work.
Start your League Cup final weekend at the CQN11 St Patrick’s Dinner, at the Kerrydale Suite, Celtic Park, on Friday 11 March. Email me for details, celticquicknews@gmail.com
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Jude
Mrs FB67 done some caring for Jim& his wife,
Says he was a true gent,May he rest in peace.
I read the rst statement , they talk about the GB banners, yet one of their most hated targets..Angela Haggerty said on twitter that she didnt approve of them…wonder how that went down with the morons…
FFM
from the demeanour, I think that’s a given
:-)
HH
offtobedcsc
eddie
Thanks buddy, defo expected from their bigoted view. I sincerely pray the wee fella makes a full recovery and will say a wee prayer for him tonight. I also hope the “asshole” who threw the bottle, is identified and put through the criminal justice procedure required. A total ban from all football grounds will suffice, with a 2 year jail term. Works for me. :-))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Clashcitybhoy
22:34 on 3 February, 2015
One final one, Paul 67 makes a reference to players possibly ‘ doing a Kelvin’ .
I assume he was concerned about VVD, but text implies Paul was thinking of others.
I am discounting Kris C , Any ideas ?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
WHY START A WITCH HUNT ABOUT SOMETHING THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN – LOOK FORWARD NOT BACK
Weefrathe Tim
Totally agree with you. These are very dangerous times we live in and they are also ahead of us. We must exterminate these barbaric murderers now!!!
Petec,
whatever suits you mucker,
hopefully we can come up with 4,
I have asked a few I know on the local buses
The Geordies are getting restless too it would seem…
Newcastle United is being ignored by Mike Ashley and it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of a not-very-happy Mick Quinn
Mike-Ashley.jpg
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley at St Mary’s Stadium
What do you make of that new club up in Scotland?
They are called Range-Castle United. They are kitted out by Sports Direct, in blue, white and black, and sponsored by Wonga.
I am counting the days until this actually happens.
This situation wherein Mike Ashley owns Newcastle United and at the same time clearly has total control of Rangers is a bad joke.
For those who haven’t been following events, this is how it works.
He loans Rangers money. They then hand back some of that money to in part repay an earlier loan. Newcastle then loan Rangers five players so Rangers are now in Ashley’s debt in more ways than one. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
He is the piper so we all need to dance to his tune. He pays the wages and transfers fees, therefore he does exactly what he wants. It feels like Ashley is taking the mickey.
He loaned Rangers a few million quid a while back, which has since increased to five, soon to become ten.
His mates are in the boardroom. Five of his players are now up there. On loan, of course. He seems to own or at least control just about every aspect of that football club.
Meanwhile, Newcastle signed not a single player during a transfer window once again. I make it that’s three out of the last four when they failed to make a permanent signing.
At least one of his clubs did some decent business.
It’s not right that one man can have that much influence and the thing is that I can’t work out what he wants from Newcastle United any more.
What does he think about out club? Does he care what happens?
When the last transfer window closed at the start of September, I stated that we were still short despite having signed a few.
And that was before Siem de Jong, Mehdi Abeid, Ryan Taylor, Rolando Aarons and Gabriel Obertan got injured. I also counted the fringe and young lads who were in about the squad.
And even with them all fit and ready to play, we needed another three or four.
Since then, those players mentioned above have hardly kicked a ball and seven – that’s seven – have now been shipped out of the club when you add the recently departed Davide Santon to the names of Hatem Ben Arfa, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and the five lads at Ibrox.
By my calculations, that means we are a whole team down on where we should be in terms of numbers.
So who benefits from Gael Bigirimana, Haris Vuckic, Remie Streete, Kevin Mbabu and Shane Ferguson playing in a lower league in Scotland?
With the best will in the world and all due respect, what are they going to achieve by playing for a team on its knees against inferior players in a pub league?
I watched the Old Firm game last Sunday and Rangers were awful. There is no guarantee that they will get promotion to the Scottish Premiership, never mind all this talk about getting them to the Champions League.
Although I do wonder if that is his ambition for Rangers. It sure isn’t for his other club.
I do try to be positive about Newcastle. We had a good win last week and at least we know who the head coach is, even if I didn’t agree the situation. A couple of signings would have helped. But that was never going to happen.
If you add up how much Ashley, or the club depending on your point of view, has made and saved over the past month in terms of compensation, players going off the wage bill and the Yanga-Mbiwa fee, it’s over £10m. That’s the same amount he’s about to put into Rangers.
I wonder what the other Scottish clubs think of this. Surely they will have grave concerns that one man is trying to buy a promotion.
It is left to John Carver to get on with it and I feel sorry for the guy.
We have five senior defenders, Daryl Janmaat, Mike Wilamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara.
A back four and one extra is not enough in the Premier League. Rangers have a bigger squad. They are in the second tier of Scottish football.
We need answers to the many questions we have. And Newcastle will be allowed to drift on in the middle of the Premier League, which is just what the owner wants.
RIP Jim Plunkett
Night timdom.
HH jamesgang
FFM – I’m the only conspiracy theorist in the village)
22:53
Not exactly what you wanted but interesting all the same.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/sports/soccer/rangers-going-down-with-heads-held-high.html?_r=0
Have to agree with that RST statement on one thing.
Phil should stop give them daily clues about how they’re being shafted (not that they listen).
He should from now on continue to use the secret UFH code-language which we all use here on CQN.
scullybhoy
Witch hunt ?
I merely asked a question in relation to something that did happen …Paul 67 raising the subject in his leader
Barrach Obampot,
How much would I love to have myself celebrating some personal good news on that front page.
A lottery win would have been asking too much – although I could have bought the rag and made that the front cover for several years until Sevco went belly up, and then closed it down.
gordybhoy64
23:00 on 3 February, 2015
Petec,
whatever suits you mucker,
hopefully we can come up with 4,
I have asked a few I know on the local buses
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hopefully we can get the 4. It will be good for the wee man to see the real Junglists (away support) and not the music genre. ;))
Ah hiv Bin.. an Exception .. oan here..
Regarding ,My Admiration.. of whit Ronny hiz Set oot tae Dae.
Ah bin a Ronny Believer.. Right frum The start of His Tenure..
Right Frum the Get Go.. Ah voiced My Full Support fur oor Newbie Manager.
Maist of Ma Fellow Subscribers tae this Sainted Spot..
Jist Didnae “Get” Ronny.. or whit he wiz up tae..or..
Mair tae the Point..
Whit Ronny wiz up Against.
At the Beginning of His Term of Trial.
Ah hiv bin sympathetic tae tae the Toils n Troubles of oor New Manager.. as…Ah hiv Bin where Ronny Was..
“A Fool Afoot..in a Strange Land.”
Gentlemen.. It Takes a Goodly Few Months.. tae Get used tae the Strange New
Smells.. of a Country..Never Mind.. Being faced with the added Burden..
of ..Trying tae Get used tae… the Set Up in a New Place of Employment..
Ronny,has Overcome.. that Newness.. n..is Noo Finding oot Jist whit it Takes
tae survive in The S.P.L.. MadHoose..
It has not bin Easy.
it is Alwiz a Struggle tae Get One’s Ducks
Back in Line…Like One wid Like them tae be..
Fur the Duck’s hiv bin Feelin’ Mighty unhappy,in their New n Unfamiliar Surroundings..
Ducks ur Lke that.. They Kin scatter at the First Signs of Trouble..which they did..
jist ask.. Weefratim.. He Knows..Ye know..
That’s why.. Ah wull Continue tae Believe in Whit Ronny is Trying tae Achieve
at Celtic..
Kojo
Still,Laughin
But, noo.. They ur..like Ronny.. beginning tae feel at Hame.
Billy Fullerton was one of Mosley`s fascist blackshirts and formed a Glasgow chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.
On Sunday I witnessed and heard thousands of Sevco fans repeatedly singing a song proclaiming their love of being up to their knees in fenian blood and stating their allegiance to this Billy Fullerton character.
How then can the Sevco Supporters Trust object to Sevconians being called fascists or referred to as the Klan? These were labels that the Sevco rabble rather vocally claimed for themselves on Sunday.
Sectarian bile and a sour, bad-losing nature in defeat was the staple diet that fans of the former Rangers brought to the table before they let their club die.
Sunday`s game and tonight`s Sevco Supporters Trust statement confirms that where the deceased Rangers and the slowly dying Sevco are concerned, it is indeed a case of “new sh***, same old flies.”
I’m begining to think it might be best just to ignore Rangers. That RST thing there. Wooft. They have been dehumanised and the terms monkey and Hun are racist and sectarian? I take it they don’t like being called facists then? how about racist bigots?
Eddie,
It was Barrach Obampot looking for hard copies of the liquidation stories I think –
But thanks anyway !
Barrach , i have a copy of the RIP RFC daily record .
FFM
a photo couldn’t have done our joy justice when Rangers died, they’d have to have put a video clip on the page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYOrPTmXfsk
:-)
night all
Fred Colon mate can you get a copy of it to me via Lennybhoy, leftclicktic or CRC thanks.
eddieinkirkmichael that was me. I’ll DM you on twitter tomorrow.
HH
Barrach Obampot,
:)) Aye, they know how to celebrate in Barra I hear (assumin that’s where it is).
BBC4 Guitar riffs docunentary on now
HH
Night all. Night wee Oscar my hero God bless X X
Barrach Obampot
23:21 on
3 February, 2015
Apologies, been really busy with Wee Shay fund raising, work etc, but will start pushing your request.
Fred Colon
You can email me on celticrollercoaster@yahoo.co.uk
HH
CRC
TGBS
Well said. All true.
FFM
yes (74%) it is the Socialist Republic
HH
definitelyawaytobedcsc
FFM – I’m the only conspiracy theorist in the village)
23:05 on 3 February, 2015
Have to agree with that RST statement on one thing.
Phil should stop give them daily clues about how they’re being shafted (not that they listen).
He should from now on continue to use the secret UFH code-language which we all use here on CQN.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Careful, ye will have the defibrillators oot for the infiltrators.
Different Thunder
Norse god?
A Norse Genius is, IMO, in control of Celtic noo. He certainly ain’t a god, just a dude Created by God.
NJoi this brilliant ride whilst it lasts because we are at the very end of Days. ;)
CRC
no worries, will do tomorrow.
there’saslowtraina’comin’csc
Pedro,
I don’t see Lord Livingston as a norse god, just another tory :)) Unless norse was an auto-correct…..
Kojo
23:11 on 3 February, 2015
Ah hiv Bin.. an Exception .. oan here..
Regarding ,My Admiration.. of whit Ronny hiz Set oot tae Dae.
Ah bin a Ronny Believer.. Right frum The start of His Tenure..
Right Frum the Get Go.. Ah voiced My Full Support fur oor Newbie Manager.
Maist of Ma Fellow Subscribers tae this Sainted Spot..
Jist Didnae “Get” Ronny.. or whit he wiz up tae..or..
Mair tae the Point..
Whit Ronny wiz up Against.
At the Beginning of His Term of Trial.
Ah hiv bin sympathetic tae tae the Toils n Troubles of oor New Manager.. as…Ah hiv Bin where Ronny Was..
“A Fool Afoot..in a Strange Land.”
Gentlemen.. It Takes a Goodly Few Months.. tae Get used tae the Strange New
Smells.. of a Country..Never Mind.. Being faced with the added Burden..
of ..Trying tae Get used tae… the Set Up in a New Place of Employment..
Ronny,has Overcome.. that Newness.. n..is Noo Finding oot Jist whit it Takes
tae survive in The S.P.L.. MadHoose..
It has not bin Easy.
it is Alwiz a Struggle tae Get One’s Ducks
Back in Line…Like One wid Like them tae be..
Fur the Duck’s hiv bin Feelin’ Mighty unhappy,in their New n Unfamiliar Surroundings..
Ducks ur Lke that.. They Kin scatter at the First Signs of Trouble..which they did..
jist ask.. Weefratim.. He Knows..Ye know..
That’s why.. Ah wull Continue tae Believe in Whit Ronny is Trying tae Achieve
at Celtic..
Kojo
Still,Laughin
But, noo.. They ur..like Ronny.. beginning tae feel at Hame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I can assure you, that you were not the only Wan.
When I heard Ronny speak after the Murrayfield debacle, I knew we had the very best person for the Job. Ronny may even have been speaking as Delaneys D spotted a coach from Wales coming up to see the BHOYS.
Ronny resonated with Belief with his comments that night.
I can see the Holy Ground re-filling, especially when the 5-0 first half scores become common place, and they are coming.
TGBS…agreed….
That time again folks, I have my begging bowl out (AGAIN) for NCCA UK (Neuroblastoma charity) in memory of my wee pal Oscar & to raise money for other kids and their families
Plz donate if you can
https://www.justgiving.com/TommyMelly-Edinburgh-Run
Thanks HH
I mean leaving to travel so many miles back to Wales.
FFM – I’m the only conspiracy theorist in the village)
23:33 on 3 February, 2015
Pedro,
I don’t see Lord Livingston as a norse god, just another tory :)) Unless norse was an auto-correct…..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We will see how the Support is treated now, the Support is Celtic.
Ronny is the Biz.
kojo
YEEEEZ MA MHAN. Thank ghod somebody agrees wi yer auld pal. Great to hear from you again my fhriend, hope you and yer buddies are too. Yes, we are in fine fettle, and Ronnie will see us through to greater things. The ducks??? They are just about to come back on to the lay later this month. See this ffree range???? Woudn’t have it any other way. Love seeing the poultry progressing naturally. Costs us big time, but a great hobby. Cheers big ghuy and enjoy yer jiggin. :-))))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
AT
Thanks for heads up. Johnny Marr. Hope we get John Squire. :))
Im outa here allday 2moro…the Alfie and Ernie double act will be in shock if the latest poll predictions from lord ashcroft are accurate…it wont be pretty….