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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cyrenean,
A good Celtic pub to travell with, my uncle John was regularly in there, a Donegal mhan that has sadly passed.
I’m really happy with our dealings in the transfer window “buy ins.” on the downside, I was hoping to ofload some that aren’t cutting it.
Still, Sunday was magic, sadly, no huns would take my offer of the win/draw bet which I offered, their not that daft. :))
An tearmann
Fair comment. We need men (or women) of conviction in dark hours and they seem pretty thin on the ground these days in whatever direction you look.
I feel really sorry for our young people – they have a crap deal – but no cavalry appears to be on the horizon sadly.
I am sure that a lot of the legislation passed in the name of “anti terrorism” will be utilized to ensure that no radical leaders are allowed to emerge in this country. It will be interesting to see how the Greeks get on.
JohnnyRambo …
I agree with most of what you say, but a bit less than I would have a few weeks ago….
I thought KC was on his way out…. great at SPL level, but not great at Euro level, and doesn’t seem to fit RD’s system … but KC has played more than I thought he would under RD, and, to be fair to him, he is scoring (when many others aren’t). ….
It would be hard to leave him out in those circumstances … And AS seems to have become on the first names on the team sheet for RD… hard to see him just dropping him now… but not sure where he would fit it.
It will be an interesting second half of the season … I expect that we will go out to Inter (they may be off the boil a bit, but still too good for us at the moment), so we can focus the rest of the season, and securing the treble (given the recent moves, anything less and I will be disappointed) and getting us playing the way we need to for next season’s crack at Europe.
Re: the treble … in saying I’ll be disppointed if we dont do it …. I realize stuff happens, but the league is now won, so there is no reason we cant focus on the cups …. frankly, it was shameful that we didn’t win a treble the last few years.
Evening Bhoys,
I’m gonna make the trip to Dundee with Delaneys Dunky, so I am on the scrounge for a ticket, if anyone knows of any can they leave a message on the blog, won’t be back on til later tonight cheers
The next milestone for me is to credible performances against Inter. They could still both be defeats but provided we play and perform will it will be another step in the right direction.
Even one looking for a laugh should checkout Stv at 6..the loanees are on..they found out about going to sevco on sunday..if stills on twitter are anything to go guys aint exactly excited…
an tearmann
;-)
Sipsini
With your snake hips you probably just slide under the door!
HH jamesgang
In regard to international caps for the Establishment team it as to be remembered that in the 1950s and 60s (?) the Scotland team was picked not by the team manager but by an SFA committee! I don’t know when this practice finished.
Weeminger,
Agreed, competing with them will do me, holding Inter to a draw and low score will show me we have improved.
Who am I kidding, we’ll hammer Inter and if we don’t Ronny must go :)
And take the board with you
Naw, leave Ronny, just sack the board
Vvd will be with us for our champion league qualifiers. Only way he will be away if a champion league team want him and pay Celtic there asking price. That deal could already be done.
Hat trick hero
-weeminger
as long as we are still in the tie for the return game will do me
79 caps
Think it ended when Tommy Doc took over,I might be wrong.HH
5 loanees on the way to ipox from newcastle :)))
https://twitter.com/cartujakds/status/562585066036293633
Lennon’s passion
If he stays I would be delighted
wee Val McDermid on R4 now, talkin’ about the sequel to’ To Kill a Mockingbird’, which wee Harper Lee has finally published after bein’ on gardenin’ leave for 55 years.
Like a dentist’s waiting room with the sound of the drill in the background:
https://twitter.com/TheClumpany/status/562655506687610880
Inter are weak at the back, winning the midfield battle will allow us to get at them and beat them at home.
Simple:)
HH
FREE THE GEORDIE 5 !!
frannyb67 @ 17.23
You could well be right. I don’t think the Doc would have accepted the “good old ways” of the SFA.
gordybhoy64,
Are you aff Yer heid?
The last time I had a night with Delaneys I ended up in Bar-l.
Kiddin aside…he’s a top bloke as is Petec…enjoy…btw, don’t indulge in his peace pipe. :))
any minute now Gazza will turn up at Murray Park with the broon ale and the pizzas, pleadin’ for their release.
Duffy signing confirmed
Those poor Geordies….sent to the football equivalent of the naughty step.
monaghan1900,
The photo says it all…why us!
sipsini/an tearmann
Thanks again for your encouragement.
As for RD’s team it remains a work in progress but I think you would have to be a bit mean-spirited to want to condemn him at this stage.
The 2 DU boys who have just joined have great potential and the guys who have been wearing the jerseys are probably on “passmarks” for the season so far.
RD came in with a completely fresh approach and his own philosophy. I liked how he spoke about his plans for the season ahead and was enthused until he decided to play Berget, just off the train from Cardiff, and with 2 matches under his belt in about 9 months, straight into the Champions League Qualifier against Legia in Warsaw.
I think we would all agree that he has since “Cut his cloth according to his means” and the team has shown decent progress these last couple of months. I make an assumption the DU boys are his picks. If so it augurs well from the point of view that the Board are beginning to back him.
A victory against Dundee next week in the Scottish Cup and a good performance in the Europa League v Inter Milan could set up a very exciting tail end to 2014/15.
I think the team and Rony get though.
Hail Hail
Just tried to donate to the fund for the wee guy who was hit by a bottle on Sun., but got an error message saying they weren’t taking donations right now. Has the appeal finished, or is it just a temporary blip?
HH
A wee phone call to Ant & Dec is in order here:
“We’re not quite celebrities, but ffs get us out of here !”
sipsini
17:33 on
3 February, 2015
monaghan1900,
The photo says it all…why us!
——
Aye – and there were five of us when we came in!
Accordin’ to Wiki[SIMBT] the Committee picked the team until the 1954 WC
Huddersfield Town legend Andy Beattie was the first manager, and took the team to the 54WC but resigned mid tournament, because of interference from the blazers.
The committee took over again until 1958, when Matt Busby briefly got the job, but had to leave the Hampden hot seat because of his severe Munich injuries
After that it was Dawson Walker [?] , and Andy Beattie again.
Hun fans saying that 3 of the newcastle 5 are injured and will be out for 3-5 weeks….better and better…
For those who were asking earlier.
http://www.celticfc.net/news/7599?
jamesgang,
The letterbox big chap. :))
The Snyde phone in should be good for a laugh tonight, then again, I’m the only one on here that will tune in, other than 67 Heaven. :))
You know you want too.
That’s what it is all about…know your enemy.
gordybhoy64
I’m trying to sort tickets for you and DD but won’t find out until later in the week.
DBBIA
Shockingly, I actually thought he was dead. I keep ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ beside my bed along with another couple of favourites that I revisit on occasions.
The Newcastle five are being blindfolded and heavily sedated in preparation for their move to SPFL’s newest club
A know