Every Celtic fan will be delighted Fraser Forster was included in the England World Cup squad. Fraser joined Celtic on loan four years ago, becoming a permanent member of staff in 2012. His transformation over that period has been remarkable, which is no fluke.
He is the most dedicated footballer at the club. First in each morning, around 2.5 hours before official start time, he’s also last out of Lennoxtown almost every day. He is possibly the most complete 365-day-a-year athlete we’ve ever had. This is a player who has set high personal achievement goals and has allowed no distractions to get in his way.
Enormous credit also has to go to the man who has guided him through his meteoric rise in recent seasons, goalkeeper coach Stevie Woods. Without the focus, technical development and remedial work Stevie has added to Fraser’s development we would not have nearly as effective a goalkeeper between the sticks.
It is never good to see anyone lose their job but surely the decision for Hearts to sack Gary Locke was one of the easiest to come out of Anne Budge’s 120 minute review (which was more productive than one 120 day review). Hearts early and late season form, where they comfortably recorded victories against most of their peer group, told a tale of what happened for six months of the season, when the team failed to show up.
Locke had the resources to keep his team in the league this season but found every excuse available to ensure they finished bottom.
I’m less sure Danny Lennon deserved to be hooked. The gap between St Mirren’s 8th placed finish with 39 points and Hibs on 35 points is narrow, but when he needed to dig deep, Lennon was not found wanting. St Mirren might not be so fortunate with their next guy.
Tommy Gemmell
We are going to have the one and only Tommy Gemmell on the blog on Friday afternoon between 13:00 and 16:00. He’ll be available to take your questions and talk about life, football and anything else you care to bring up. Tune in.
Issue 20 of CQN Magazine, CQLisboN, is out and enjoying great reviews. Click here to read for FREE.
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Delaneys Dunky
06:06 on
14 May, 2014
Interesting,D.D.
The old adage for goalies.
You only leave your line for a high ball if you`re going to get it.
Zonal? I wouldn`t pretend to know.But I would say that every “system” would require some flexibility which inevitably introduces the increased possibility of human error.
Reminds me of playing the offside game.
There always seemed to be the guy that forgot or was late.
“Move `em up”.
Makes me laugh when the pundits trash the zonal marking system we use. Who has the clean sheet/shut out record again?
I was a keeper in my youth, if you couldn’t catch and hold the ball you were pish. A keeper who punched the ball was seen as dodgy, changed days indeed.
MacJay
Why should Fraser leave his goal line, when he has Mikael, Virgil and Efe to deal with any 6yard box dangers. The best 4 defenders Celtic have had is Izzy and they three.
Delaneys Dunky
06:29 on
14 May, 2014
Not suggesting Celtic change anything.Maybe Lenny and the lads know better than me.
:-)
The three,yes.Plus Mulgrew.
Izzy at the far post for a high ball is imho a liability
Particularly in Europe.
Can`t give you chapter and verse,but perhaps last year`s qualifiers.
MacJay
Love your posts. Agree
GNGB
Unless he is 100% certain to be able to get to a ball cleanly FF is supposed to stay on his line.
That’s what he’s told, though the final decision is his.
It’s to do with zonal marking and the nature of the modern ball.
Bawsman
Go back tae bed!
MWD SAYS YIPEEE
EL
Thanks for backing up what our U 20 captain told me.
Well. I’m just glad women aren’t given same advice when it comes to playing with balls!
MWD says Uh huh
Good morning CQNers,
Zonal marking, hmmm, this guy was that good he performed on and off his line, he was so good he sometimes only needed one hand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9fp4aD3X-E
The master – Mr Pat Jennings
Bawsman
06:26 on 14 May, 2014
The ball has changed.
Delaneys Dunky
06:45 on
14 May, 2014
MacJay
Cheers and thanks,mate.
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ernie lynch
06:48 on
14 May, 2014
That`s the way I see it.
Moonbeams WD. Wee Oscar’s our Bhoy and Kano’s our mhan.
06:56 on
14 May, 2014
Well. I’m just glad women aren’t given same advice when it comes to playing with balls!
——————————————————————————————————–
Living up to your moniker,old chap?
Macjay1
I can dream!
MWD says oh aye
MWD
How you feeling this morning and his long you staying in your new south side abode?
Did you move there to be closer to Ibrox?
HH
CRC
CRC
Spaced. Waiting on the concierge rounds at 10.
MWD says yabadabadoo
MWD
Is it not Jabba dabba doo ;)
tbj
haha
MWD
Despite a late and valiant effort from CQN ers at the hootenanny, Scotland still did not make the top ten.
wtf?
http://www.londonlovesbusiness.com/lifestyle/8083.article?
Must try harder next time.
Good morning friends from a dry, bright and calm East Kilbride where the sun is slowly winning its battle against the broken clouds.
Don’t know about you ghuys but I’m off to Belarus.
MWD
Jobo
Who broke the clouds? Poor wee fluffy things!
MWD
MWD
Nae wonder John O’Neill is always over that way!
http://videocelts.com/2014/05/blogs/latest-news/attendances-up-as-clubs-survive-armageddon-with-ease?
Thunder Road
He’s got the right idea.
Although I did hear the woman are more George than gorgeous.
MWD
When they finally bulldoze ibrox into the Clyde the ensuing party will drag the UK into the top ten on that swally list. If Scotland was on it we’d top it, with or without a demolition event at the big red shitehouse.
MWD
With the drink being consumed everyone will look gorgeous.
Drink til she is beautiful :)
Thunder road, Belarus looks like a cracking place for zombies to visit. There are 17 million goats but only 12.5 of them are called Michael or Timothy, FACT.
ACGR
Hun Utopia!
Morning all. Brightish down here at the moment. Looks like it is going downhill over the course of the day.
Sad to see Pat Bonnar being given the run of Celtic Park yesterday. I would not let anyone who has encouraged any sort of game against the undead in to Celtic Park in any even quasi official capacity. (If you’re wondering to what I refer, a few months back he and the likes of Peter Grant were supporting their pal Derek Whyte promote such a game in Dubai.)
Good morning my friends in Celtic,
Unfortunately I think NFL would take a job in the EPL if the opportunity arose.
To be clear I want him to stay and would ask him to think twice about joining a pressure pot which has already had 12 managerial casualties ( And still counting )
If he does eventually go, one piece of advice I would give Is :- ” Don’t waste time and effort buying a house, a mobile home seems the better option”
Even success does not seem to guarantee continued employment. Ask big Sam?
However ignore previous paragraphs if and when we join the circus.
Where I do agree with “our dear leader” wee eck. We definitely do drink too much as my raging headache will testify.
Joining the pioneers seems plausible at this moment.
HH. always in Celtic.
Thunder road, if all the goats in Belarus formed a goat chain that chain would be longer than a BRTH post. FACT.
Whither the cash strapped scrofulous hillbillies the day?
hehe :)
Now i know you are just havin a laugh!
An update on the ‘Daily slaughter on Qatar World Cup sites’ ‘Over 400 dead so far on World Cup projects’ discussion a few months ago….
http://www.qatarliving.com/news/posts/no-worker-deaths-yet-qatar-wc-projects-nasser-al-khater
‘No worker deaths yet on Qatar WC projects
No construction workers have been killed working on a 2022 World Cup project site, Nasser al-Khater, the executive director of Communications and Marketing at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, said yesterday.
He rejected reports of the deaths of immigrant workers in a section of the international media.
Speaking to delegates at the Soccerex Asian Forum by the banks of the Dead Sea, al-Khater addressed the issues of workers rights under the kafala (sponsorship) system used in the country.
“Contrary to what the international media says there has not been a single injury or death on the World Cup projects,” he said.
“It’s not possible to have 400 deaths when you are still digging a hole in the ground so I would like to make sure this matter is put to rest.
“However, we have taken the issue of workers welfare very seriously and made sure that the highest standards in terms of workers welfare are stated in all our contracts.
“We have always said the World Cup is a catalyst for change and we welcome the spotlight this issue has brought.”
Al-Khater said that only one World Cup stadium was currently under construction and that five would get under way by the end of this year.
He said that “important announcements” would soon be made on the issue of workers’ welfare, adding that no firm decisions had yet been made over cutting the number of World Cup stadiums from 12 to eight.
He said this decision would be taken next year and hinted that due to the size of the country, only eight might be used and not 12.
FIFA’s rules are that eight is the minimum number for a World Cup.
“There has been a lot of speculation that Qatar has minimised the number of stadiums and some have said it’s because of budget cuts,” al-Khater said. “That’s not true.
“Given the size of the country, while we propose 12 stadiums, eight are in final preparation. Of those eight, five will be in different phases of construction by end of this year, with the remaining three announced after 2014.
“Then, in 2015 we will decide alongside FIFA how many stadia Qatar really needs.
“We will make sure that the World Cup will represent the Middle East – and that when we welcome the fans they get a taste of the culture and understand that the Middle East is not what is being perceived right now.”
Republished from Gulf Times’
Having the world cup in Qatar will bring better standards of safety, workers rights and welfare.
CELTIC have targeted Haitian midfielder Jeff Louis as their first summer signing.
The 21-year-old is about to move into the final year of his contract with French club, AS Nancy, who he joined from Le Mans in 2012 for £650,000.
He is expected to be available for less than £3million.
Neil Lennon’s scouts – along with those of Monaco – have been tracking Louis for several months, and have watched him finish the season strongly with a spurt of goals.
In recent weeks, they have seen Louis find the net in games against Lens, Chateauroux and Caen.
Before that, he hit a perfect hat-trick against Havre – a header, then a right-foot shot and finally a left-foot screamer.
All of which has helped take his tally for the season to 12 in 28 league games from his attacking position in central midfield or wide, and fire to the top of the club’s scoring chart.
Louis is strong, but technically very skilful, and is a huge favourite with the AS Nancy fans. The club are currently fourth in League Two, just two points off a promotion spot and a bounce back to the top flight after being relegated last year.
They will complete their campaign on Friday away to Auxerre, and, again Celtic – along with other clubs monitoring him including Monaco, Montpellier, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim – are expected to be represented.
Born in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, Louis moved to France as a teenager in 2010.
He has been a full international for the Caribbean country since 2011, winning 13 caps, and this will help his case if the move goes through as Celtic would have to apply for a work permit.
Louise is natural entertainer with his dribbling style, pace and powerful shooting, and admits he was influenced by Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho as he grew up.
“With the Barcelona shirt, Ronaldinho was unpredictable,” said Louis. “I loved his style, his dribbling.
“I tried to reproduce the same movements, but it was technically a very high level.”
Lennon has spent this week finalising the list of signing targets which have been identified.
The Hoops boss has confirmed he wants to get at least some of his signing done before he heads off for a family holiday then to work as a pundit for the BBC at the World Cup.
Norwich’s Robert Snodgrass is another wide attacking midfielder who is in the club’s sights.
ACGR a package en route to you today let me know when you get it and a review of it’s contents. mysterious csc Hail Hail Hebcelt
Ghuys going to London tomorrow with Mrs Hebcelt to see the show”Sunny Afternoon” based on the Kinks,looking for personal recommendations for restaurants in North London. Staying at the Marriott Maida Vale so something close by would be great. Hail Hail Hebcelt – some thing different