We seem to have a lot of forwards. Stokes, Pukki, Balde, new recruit Fridjonsson, and on-loan, Atajic and Watt, while Georgios may yet stay beyond the summer. That’s six under contract for the Champions League qualifiers, not counting Sweden’s ‘next Henrik Larsson’, who is likely to move on soon.
Quantity is one thing but cost is just as important, only Samaras and Pukki are likely to be on wages competitive with some of the richer leagues in Europe, so the actual spend on forwards is likely to be considerably less than on defence or midfield. The manager is likely to be operating within budget for this area of the team.
What we’re missing is an on-form striker who is capable of embarrassing St Johnstone and Inverness’s finest with their goals-to-games ratio, not to mention our own free-wheeling creative-mid. Gone are the days Celtic strikers stats are dismissed as a mere by-product of the sheer volume of chances they are presented with. Without a class act up front, the squad is unbalanced.
There was a note of disappointment in Neil Lennon’s voice when he spoke of missing a potential signing last week. I’m almost certain we’ll sign a striker this week but if he’s more of a hunch than a certified target we’re wasting our money. Hunch signings are fine but you can only give space to so many in any one season. We’ve made our low-cost gambles up front, and there is never a time for a high-cost uncertified gamble.
Celtic have a bit of money burning a hole in their pocket earning 15% interest from the Co-op Bank at the moment. The desire to spend it, from chief exec, to manager, to scouts and all other influencers will be practically unstoppable, which is why I’m so sure we’ll sign someone. Time will tell if we experience buyers regret.
Reminder to everyone who booked tickets for the CQteN St Patrick’s Day Dinner that they have to be paid by 31 January. Let me know if you can’t find details, celticquicknews@gmail.com
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livibhoy – god bless wee oscar
Great post and some great points re his behaviour you won’t read in the SMSM….
Want him tae sign noo….well done…
Kikinthenakas
Quick question on LG
Has there been any reports of misbehavior since he went south?
the exile…
That is true…. especially if the redrawing of league set ups is within a British context.
If its Atlantic or whatever maybe less so?
Regarding LG ,Tell you what ,you get some first class balloons on here you really do, fickle bunch of arses, give the bhoy a chance ffs, he hasn’t even signed yet!! he said this. he did this, so what he may have took longer to mature than some but am telling you this, the same ones bumping their gums willnae be saying much when he’s banging the goals in for fun!! And the muppet asking if he would have been top of Lennon’s wish list at the beginning of January gies piece, who’s to say Hooper, Vic and KC were just because they turned out successful !!! HH
justafan
I like the guy btw. Supersalary max!! <:0)
Livibhoy
Great post hopefully cause a few to question their opinions on why we shouldn’t sign him. Personally i think the bhoy would be a good addition can’t say in all honesty he would be in amongst my top choices but there is definitely a very decent player and potentially a great one in there.
el maestro
So you call me a muppet for asking an innocent question?
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
23:20 on 27 January, 2014
Griffiths aint a million pound player!!!
Yes!
I would like to see Balde and Pukki get a real run in the starting line up before the usual suspects call for LG types to come in.
In the few minutes he has had on the pitch, Balde has done the business
Ask yourselves this……if Leigh Griffiths was top of Lenny’s list…….why wait til 4 days before the window closes before putting a bid in?
I had a wee gamblin debt to settle so I selt the cooker. Wive never mist it till she went to leen on it!!
Is it a striker we need or a change in our playing staff/ style to create more chances?
Several times this season have watched us and, whilst we have had the quality to beat teams, we have not witnessed a plethora of chances being missed by our current strike force, so is our requirement not to create more of those chances as opposed to someone to finish them?
I would be all for shouting for a new striker if the current strike force were missing bucket loads of chances in our games but is that the case?
Not sure our priorities are right here. Do fholks feel we are a team creating loads of chances but missing them?
Hail! Hail!
mayanman
17:09 on 27 January, 2014
Big Nan,
sorry to see that you have abandoned your petition after all your hard work but i fully understand why.
Scotlands “Fabric” is still rotten to the core and that’s why it’s NO to Independence for me. Perhaps in a generation or two when “reasonable” people have reached the levers of power then Scotland should be Free.
HH
…………………………..
Can agree with you about rotten fabric but I don’t agree about independence which in principle I have no objection to. However that is not to say I
31003
I think el maestro is just out of the diplomatic corp.
Thanks Livibhoy
Now let people call it as they see it with the information you have provided. I’m a local and wasn’t aware of all this nonsense – don’t read newspapers.
I’ve always said he was prolific with Hibs and scored a few crackers. As a footballer I think he has potential and could be an asset. As a person he probably needs a wake up call and a decent mentor regardless of football.
Many footballer have IQs which match their boot size but wise up a bit as they mature. If we sign him, let’s hope this is the making of him. If not, get rid sharpish.
I would support a particular party. I wouldn’t vote for any of the present lot.
Sorry about the break but I didn’t raise petition on part grounds and it won’t be on these grounds when it is resurrected (not if).
Livibhoys post just goes to prove that still many still take what the msm say for gospel.
I had read what the msm said about the boy, as always questioned them, but didn’t know half the truth, and I see no reason for LB to lie.
We have all got a past, he is young and daft, and if he does the biz for us, that will do for me.
It’s easy on the high horse when you are on a blog.
HH
Livibhoy
Just back on and saw your very good post.
It’s good to get perspective on things and your analysis of the boy and his past will have given us all food for thought.
You’ll understand from my previous posts, if you happened to see them, that I don’t think we should go near Griffiths, I stand by that.
I’m not condemning him forever to hell and damnation I just happen to believe that because of the nature of his tweet it should mean that he’s unfit to wear a green and white jersey.
I always believed that Big Jock should have said that Celtic jerseys don’t shrink to fit inferior players or men.
I have no I’ll feelings towards him aside from his tweet; he’s young, foolish and irresponsible, we’ve all been guilty of that in our lives I’m certain.
Incidentally, if he does indeed sign I will give him my full support, as I would anyone fortunate enough to wear a hooped jersey, but I’ll always have a feeling inside that Celtic as a club lost a little something by signing him.
Hail Hail
Emdae heard if the deed clubs training has improved today??
31003
23:34 on
27 January, 2014
Ask yourselves this……if Leigh Griffiths was top of Lenny’s list…….why wait til 4 days before the window closes before putting a bid in?
There’s no such thing as a daft question mate. And I should know – I ask enough of them!
I’d be surprised if LG was Lenny’s 1st choice as a striker for Europe. However, he may well have been high up the list if Lenny wanted to address the glaring lack of a striker by whatever means. I think the problem we have is that, once you go beyond a certain price point, you’re not getting too much more for your money. We’d need to spend a hellova lot more than, say £5M, to get a player that guarantees anything in Europe. It’s not the market we can afford to be in.
estorilbhoy
I absolutely agree. We haven’t been missing sitters because we haven’t been creating the chances. I was beginning to harbour some hopes that Biton might be the kind of midfielder who can make that killer pass that becomes the sitter that we could miss.;-).
Anyhow we need a good central mid player who can see a pass and then make it.
31003
I remember Lenny going to a Hibs game last season to watch the boy, he obviously likes him enough to make a bid for him.
Lenny will have a small budget to work with, and LG will fit into it, no way were we going to spend serious cash, all spin to keep the support onside.
Maybe he has tried to get better in, who knows, but if Lenny wants him, that will do for me, I trust Lenny, and I think this will be a Lenny buy and not a PL buy.
HH
jude2005 is neil lennon \o/
23:40 on 27 January, 2014
Emdae heard if the deed clubs training has improved today??
Can’t say I have. Is there any reason why it may have?
Great post by Kojo, give the boy a chance,we would be getting him for next to nothing too.
His private life is his own business and i am sure NL will have a word and let him know what is expected of him at Celtic. Some have him painted as worse that El Hadji Diouf.
he will score plenty and that is what is important.
reminds me of the “no one expects the Spanish Inquisition” sketch, lol.
After 30 years of nightshift, driving a black cab in Glasgow, i could tell you stories about reams of Celtic players whose behaviour has been less than Holy.
They are football players,not paragons of Virtue.
For what it’s worth…….I think he’ll score plenty for us domestically, but if think we need an EXPERIENCED striker with a European competition pedigree if we’re going to progress beyond these shores…
Zaluska
Lustig-Efe-Virgil-Izzy
Forrest-Johansen-Broonie-Chuck
Kris
LG
Don’t reckon that will be too far away from the team that takes to the field in our first CL qualifier.
HH
As a matter of interest….does anyone know how many times he played against us and how many he scored?……that would at least give us some indication of how good he is against a good defence…
31003
23:30 on
27 January, 2014
el maestro
So you call me a muppet for asking an innocent question?
Aye u Muppet!! seriously no I don’t, just think your being hard on the lad, give him a chance!!
31003
23:49 on
27 January, 2014
For what it’s worth…….I think he’ll score plenty for us domestically, but if think we need an EXPERIENCED striker with a European competition pedigree if we’re going to progress beyond these shores…
—————————————
Who are you thinking of?
Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar
23:40 on
…I’ll always have a feeling inside that Celtic as a club lost a little something by signing him….
=========================
HT – I’ve felt that way when we have been linked with some baddies in the past.
However, if LG signs, then – irrespective of how he does on the park – Celtic may just gain something by helping to improve him as a person. Can only hope.
MoreThanJustAnotherFootballClubCSC.
HH
BGFC
Gerrybhoy
Respect for your opinion mate , but let me ask you , would you have said no to us signing , best or Gascoign , hardly two angels off the park .
natknow – supporting wee oscar
That’s the $64,000 question…
The Green Man
13:48 on
27 January, 2014
I know this might appear too simple…..but with the money we have squandered on 1 and 2 million duds,,,,we could have had a 10 million quid striker,if someone at CP hadn’t been so wreckless.
Don’t squander, save it up and buy a proper striker.
And to think, supposedly we have billionaire businessmen on the Celtic board.
HH
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yep……ain’t that the truth…..(all of it)
31003
23:55 on
27 January, 2014
natknow – supporting wee oscar
That’s the $64,000 question…
I don;t have that kind of money!
el maestro
I didn’t slag the boy at all…….I just said I expected a “bigger name” after Lenny saying we had £6,000,000 to spend on a striker…..then we bid £300.000 for Leigh Griffiths
Livibhoy
23.00
Kojo
23.25
Every Celtic fan will have his opinion of what makes a Celt.
The idea of a 23 year old boy, who has fathered four children by three women and whose most recent arrest that I’m aware of is as recent as June 2013, leading the line for Celtic?
Ridiculous.
If Leigh Griffiths is a fit for NFL’s vision of my team in 2014, then why is Alan Thomson not taking training tomorrow morning?
big georges fan club – hail, hail, wee oscar
23:53 on 27 January, 2014
That’s actually a really fair point, I hadn’t thought about it from that perspective.
Jude,
Are you trying to say that Fat Salary had a no show at Minty Park ,on a Monday morning?
Just asking like.
GuyFawkesaforeverhero
23:57 on
27 January, 2014
Livibhoy
23.00
Kojo
23.25
Every Celtic fan will have his opinion of what makes a Celt.
The idea of a 23 year old boy, who has fathered four children by three women and whose most recent arrest that I’m aware of is as recent as June 2013, leading the line for Celtic?
Ridiculous.
If Leigh Griffiths is a fit for NFL’s vision of my team in 2014, then why is Alan Thomson not taking training tomorrow morning?
——————————————————————————
WTF??
What’s his kids got to do with anything??
Are we allowed to sign divorcees? Eat meat on a Friday?