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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Thanks Stein. I worry that his signing prevents a young player from gettting a chance. Moreover I worry about the ambition if Griffiths is to be our new striker.
Greenman, I disagree with your point about being humped in the CL. Most teams have been humped in the CL at some stage. It is unavoidable. My local team Zenit lost 4-1 to some Danish mob not so long ago. Yet Zenit have pumped tens of millions into their side. Nobody could suggest that they lack ambition.
Monaghan1900 13:54
Missin’ something!
Local press in west midlands saying our bid for griffiths was 250k
P.S. Samaras is a 1 in 4. As is Pukki, however Pukki’s stats are misleading as a large amount of his appearances for both ourselves and Schalke are last 10-20 minutes. Still think he has potential.
Balde is probably a 1 in just over 3 type player. I’d take May over Balde, although I’m convinced Balde isn’t as bad as I first thought.
Judging players on these stats is fine but we know that any striker for Celtic will get double the chances that they get at any other SPL club.
Samaras had a lot of chances yesterday and his shooting was woeful. I would prefer not to see him in the Hoops again until his future is sorted. It appears to be messing with his head.
LB
steinreignedsupreme
Both are NOW better strikers than AS?
To all CQN’ers who supported me, thanks and I was prepared to fight my corner with the petition, but when fight is rigged & I am kept out of the ring (Norwegian submission binned & hostile Dep Convener) and the Masons aren’t, but are allowed counter petiton which SPICe act on then there’s no contest.
I am happy to take up the fight under a new PPC which may treat the petition fairly.
Maybe the next time I can get 10-20,000 supporters but I would be a fool to be party to a rigged fight now.
http://www.saveourglen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Abandon-petition-01491.pdf …
Paul 67
thanks for the tip re the Co-op bank. Just opened a new savings account and they were happy to give me 15% on production of a Celtic season card.
The guy next to me was opening a new account but only had a Sevco season card. They wouldn’t open an account for him and made him clean my car whilst I was finishing my complimentary coffee.
If Griffiths signs ,he will be a worry off the park,if he can’t hack it in Embra,Glasgow might swallow him up.Would be good to get Kayal or Bangura off the wage bill at the same time.Stokes will need to up his game, or he might get punted in the summer.
The Green Man
“You or PL have no right to gamble with other peoples hopes and dreams, and money.
How dare you even suggest it.”
Yet you were advocating an all-in £10m bet on one striker.
Should I assume, therefore, that you are putting up the £10m yourself for this purchase?
My own personal satisfaction comes from seeing the hoops at the top table in the CL, that’s where we should be.
But, we should also be holding people to account for their actions in the regard to the progress of the team in Europe.
No more squandering on players who are not good enough….its a sheer waste of money, you cannot continue to produce diamonds from thin air.
Please buy accordingly, its embarrassing for Celtic to be haggling for the likes of LG.
How deep in the bargain basement do you want to go, all the way to the bottom?
PS….Its the transfer window, remember, im allowed to go doolally for the duration:)
HH
Leigh Griffiths nay, nay and thrice nay.
think he’s a decent player but what we need is a penalty box striker.
Seem to recall Griffiths efforts were all 25 yarders. If he can get 30 of them a season then OK sign him up.
Monaghan1900
13.54
Dont you just love them! :)
lilys
We have created an expectation re value of Griffiths… He’s been brought in to improve upon £1.5- £2m strikers.
That’s inescapable. Personally I think he is £1m player we will be able to sell for £5m.
May is also a £1m player who we could sell for £8m imo
If we eventually sign Leigh Griffiths, I reckon he won’t be a bench warmer…like our latest attempts .
Don’t get me wrong, I would prefer a top name, reality is, we are not in that market.
Realitycfc.
The Green Man @14.08
It’s alright. You don’t have to answer my question since you say you are going to start talking sense in a couple of days time. :-)
SFTB (from previous article)
“Anyway, let’s see if it is true first.”
Before doing what?
JJ
SFTB
Saving money to purchase a 10 million striker, rather than wasting it on projects and bad buys, doesn’t seem to be much of gamble to me.
It would be preferable to just writing off huge sums of money, like for example, the case of Mo Bangura.
HH
the green man
13:55 on 27 January, 2014
I don’t think you’re an erse, but you’re trying very hard to convince me that you are……. either that, or your winding me up for the hell of it….LOL
I feel sorry for Kayal ,picked a few long term injuries, but any time I have seen him play for us he trys maybe at times he trys to much, but a least he is gives his all, so lenny forget about punting, no keep.
Monaghan1900 – how apt that it is that very word he’s got wrong!
The Hungarian fascist Jobbik has a surname which Russians think is very funny. ‘Jobbik’ sounds like the past tense of a very rude verb… Think of what you used to say to Souness et al when they used to butcher our players. Anyway, the name is very appropriate for this guy.
PS the verb sounds like ‘duck’.
Big Nan
I’m left feeling quite angry after reading your letter. Not angry AT you of course, but, angry FOR you, and for your supporters, at the manner in which this has came to a close, albeit the closure may not be final.
Paul 67 loathes the use of foul language on here, so I’ll leave it at that.
LiviBhoy – God bless wee Oscar @14.06 hrs.
Correct, we have demonstrated that we do not need a proficient striker to score / win in the SPL.
By that analysis any striker we sign must be with a view to the CL ( Or different league ???? )
IMO, Leigh Griffiths does not meet that criteria.
Also agree ref Samaras.
HH.
john o’neil
13:50 on 27 January, 2014
Can anybody remember Leigh Griffiths playing well against us? He was dire in the cup final but I accept that he didn’t look fit. Celtic need players now for the CL qualifiers but I would be worried if LG signed for us.
………………………………..
Yes. He scored the only goal or was it 1 of 2 goals last season at Easter Road in a Hibs victory. With regard to the Cup Final he got injured in training on the Friday before the Final. Hibs had to play him for the sake of morale and in the hope he could nick a goal.
The Green Man
We should be at the top of the CL league table? Why should we be? We have no inherent right to be there, have vastly inferior resources and play in an inferior league. We are a apot 4 club for a reason. Being 3rd in the group stages would be a benchmark with coming 2nd significantly punching above our weight.
I don’t like it any more than you do but that’s the reality. We can do all we can in terms of scouting and sports science to get the margins in our favour – and if everything clicks into place in a given season then you never know – but as a whole we should not EXPECT to win CL groups.
67 Heaven
Hee, Hee, its just for the hell of it, as you fine well know:)
HH
The facts are that Griffiths wants back to Scotland and we are the only club who can afford to pay his wages.
I still think he would be suited better to another loan deal to Hibs who would pay a portion of his wages. I don;t think he is a Celtic player (off the pitch).
I think Celtic are taking a punt to see if Wolves are willing to get rid and are firing off their lowest value of the guy. This one could go right to the wire.
If Griffiths is to be signed at under £500k I would say it’s decent business to be fair.
I still think we should bid around the same money we paid for Brown for Ryan Gauld. That boy is a star of the future.
LB
So, we’re not sticking with super Mo Bangura?
What in the name of blazes do they consider common sense at board level…
Also, at 47, I’m what you might consider more a utility player, but would play up front if asked by Neil to do so.
Paul you have my number if Neil’s interested…
U
Any big hitters out there,Griffiths is 4/6 on betvictor to sign for us.
I would add that Hibs were pitiful yesterday. Hoofing the ball up and down the park. A very poor football side that would struggle in the lower leagues of England.
Yes, we can only play and beat what is put in front of us. But a bit of perspective please. The standard of football in this country is very poor, on a par with the lower/lowest leagues in England. And it seems to be getting worse year on year.
What state shall we find the game in 5 to 10 years time? On a par with the Irish and Welsh leagues I’d imagine.
So hopefully the club do indeed have an exit strategy in place. And for me it simply has to be England. A league of other wee diddy nations has no appeal whatsoever.
BIg Nan
Aye , it’s the devils own job when the authorities one has to go through are the self same ones who feel their power is threatened by the petition.
We couldn’t buy a £10m striker if we wanted to – he would be looking for £50k+ per week plus he wouldn’t want to come to Scotland (if you’re £10m rated – and not just paying over the odds for a £3-4m worth player – then the EPL, Spain, Germany or France is where you go). The most we could spend on a striker is £5-6m because otherwise they’d have no interest.
Good afternoon Bhoys and Ghirls, just to let you know that Mrs Hendrix is expecting baby number 2.
Hail hail.
If Griffiths is coming, we need to hope it’s the Hibs one we get and not the Wolves version.
Also, if he is signing, he’ll get backing from all true Celtic men initially, whether they wanted him or not, and rightly so. After that, the ball’s in his court as to whether the support is maintained or not.
It’s the Celtic way.
With regard to posters who are annoyed about ‘haggling’ over Leigh Griffiths, I would say that Celtic are quite right to do so. We have a lot of players on our books and we are looking to sign more. We actually need to shed some of these players who no longer fit into our plans. Kayal, sadly, post injury is not the player he once was and if Celtic can move him on and get another player in that makes sense to me. I will give LG my full support if he comes but I must say I would prefer to go with Tony Watt, Pukki and Balde. I would also move on Georgios as soon as possible.
Would be happy is we paid £2-3m on Gauld, more would be a gamble. Think he would be a star but at that age any player is a gamble. Also think he needs to play so buy to loan back might be the way to go unless we make sure he plays.
The green Man
“Saving money to purchase a 10 million striker, rather than wasting it on projects and bad buys, doesn’t seem to be much of gamble to me.
It would be preferable to just writing off huge sums of money, like for example, the case of Mo Bangura.”
But what if the £10m is a dud as well? Look at Lamela at Spurs and De Jong at Moenchengladbach. There are no guarantees.
JJ
“Before doing what?”
erm,
making your mind up on whether its a good move
Calling it a disgrace
Giving it credence
There are a lot of possibilities