Neil Lennon suggested Gary Hooper, unquestionably his favourite son, was Celtic’s best striker since Henrik Larsson. It’s an interesting question.
The list is long: Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Henri Camara, Craig Bellamy, Dion Dublin, Scott McDonald, Marc-Antoine Fortune, Chris Killen, Maciej Zurawski, Kenny Miller, Derek Riordan, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Georgios Samaras, Robbie Keane, Diomansy Kamara, Olivier Kapo, Anthony Stokes, Pawel Brozek, Moh Bangura, Daryl Murphy, Miku and Lassad.
Apologies if I’ve overlooked someone. That’s 22 strikers in nine years (it’s a bit soon to consider Amido Balde), some of whom were loans, but the list doesn’t include the many Celtic youth players who got their shot at first team football, or those, like Tony Watt, who were signed for low fees from lower league Scottish clubs.
Chris Sutton and John Hartson were already at the club when Henrik left, but it quickly became evident they were past their best. Robbie Keane and Craig Bellamy were quality but only played a dozen or so games, so can’t really be considered as competition to Hooper.
Maciej Zurawski arrived a year after Larsson left and had a phenomenal first season at the club. He made his debut after the 5-0 reversal to Artmedia but inspired Celtic to a 4-0 win six days later. Maciej was on fire when he joined and only failed to score in five league games before the league win in April but he never found anything close to that consistency again. Record: 22 goals in 55 games.
Scott McDonald’s YouTube clip of goals in the Champions League and against Rangers will have featured heavily in the portfolio as his agent looked for a new club this year. His goals got us into the Champions League, beat European champions, Milan, and regularly put our (then) nearest rivals to the sword. Record: 51 goals in 88 games.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink arrived in summer 2006 and immediately outshone Zurawski. His debut as a substitute against Hibs transformed Celtic and won the game. His signing was pivotal in Celtic winning the title in 2007. Record: 34 goals in 78 games.
Georgios Samaras arrived 18 months after Vennegoor of Hesselink and alongside Barry Robson pushed Celtic over the line for three in a row. 2008 was a fabulous year for Georgios but although he’s still a forward, he’s not really been a striker since. Record: 41 goals in 138 games.
With 63 goals, 95 games, Gary Hooper’s scoring record is better than anyone else’s, but the challenge to be best since Larsson was simple, just outperform Scott McDonald. With all those strikers as competition, that’s not as high as the bar could be.
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blantyretim.They say the best form of defence is attack.H.H.
blantyretim
Think we will try and work on a 4-3-3 once CL qualifiers are out the way with Balde as the focal point.
GlassTwoThirdsFull
19:39 on 28 July, 2013
thomthethim 19:21
I think we have the players who can play this “fluid” type of system. Forrest can play on either side, Sammy can play left or central, Commons can float around anywhere. I think we need to get away from the old, rigid styles. Predictability isn’t good in the modern game.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
like the idea of a solid back line, backed up by a holding midfielder, with the rest of the team moving in a fluid fasion.
two wide bhoys with pace, switching, a free player moving around the last third creating gaps etc…
HH
bcw……. i was referring to comments made buy “fans” who shoot players down and dont give them a chance….I.E….big balde…….the “horse playing with a ball” was a comment and film posted earlier on twitter by a non fan……i,m not a hun….
It is such a pity that no future Celtic player will know what “putting Rangers in their place” means. Beating Sevco will just not be the same experience.
Chris Sutton (Hun Skelper)
“When I arrived I wanted to put Rangers in their place. I felt strongly about this. I came to Scotland to be a winner and be successful.
” We beat Rangers 6-2 at Parkhead in my first Old Firm game. In that match I was up against Lorenzo and Bert Konterman.
I found Amoruso to be a good motivation. He fancied himself and had a real arrogance about him.
That was like a red rag to a bull for me. I wanted to dominate him, show him who was boss.
I had it in my mind before that game that I wanted to get on the pitch and smash him around”
“There was something sweet about stepping in to the lions’ den and beating Rangers on their own turf.
“It gave me a great level of satisfaction to know how much the Rangers fans were hurting after we’d beaten their team. Beating Rangers was great.
“Knowing I’d helped to make hundreds of thousands of Celtic fans happy was extremely satisfying.
“Celtic are like no other team I’ve played for. I still feel so much for Celtic, the club’s fans, the people who work there and my former team-mates.
“I had the greatest five years of my life in Glasgow playing for Celtic under Martin and it’s something I will always treasure.”
Auldheid
19:34 on
28 July, 2013
Dan
18:00 on
28 July, 2013
I agree that the tipping point from silence to a statement is nearing.
Canalamar’s resolution if it gets enough signatures to be placed on the AGM agenda will break that silence and inform us which way the wind is blowing.
If it is passed at AGM and UEFA approached they can offically expolain to everyone how what Charlotte Fakeovers has revealed conforms with the UEFA licensing instructions or how it tell us how the rules were evaded and how it happened.
———————————
Thank you for reply Auldheid, much appreciated.
Been following Canalamar’s posts and hope the resolution obtains enough votes. Sadly I am not a shareholder, but 100% behind the resolution in spirit. I do hope this will be the vehicle to open the debate and bring to the attention of an international audience via UEFA what has gone on in Scotland.
Even now I speak to folk in the pub and at work and beyond what they have read in the MSM they are pretty much clueless what’s transpired. The true story has to be told to a much bigger audience. Granted a huge task with the bias of the MSM, but In my humble opinion the best way to get it out is through the Club and a no nonsense statement. Unfortunately can’t see it happening that way, so hopefully Canalamar’s approach will be successful.
Dan
Anyone seen much of Boerrigter playing? Is he likely to be a better option than Sammi on the left?
After tonight’s games in the Swedish league, Elfsborg sit in 5th place, 9 points behind league leaders Helsingborg.
Paul67 et al
Well, Big John was there longer and scored more goals for the Bhoys, and brought a whole lot more than just his goals to the club, but Lenny is probably correct that Hoops is the best striker since Henrik. He would have fitted in to any Celtic team of the last fifty years, and like Chalmers, McBride and Wallace before him would have thrived in the company of Lennox and Johnstone. Not easy to replace, but as the link earlier to George Cadette’s first goal for Celtic against Aberdeen back in 1996 shows, even Cadette, Donnelly and Van Hoydonk were replaced in due course.
1st Hymn at mass today
Christ be our light, shine in our hearts, shine through the darkness
Funilly enough though of CQN posting for past few days
Hail Hail
If we are indeed spending money once again in this window this will not be well received by the usual doom merchants….I tell ya.
Though = thought
In work and phone dying,have we signed the Dutch boy or is it a rumour?
Glasstwothirds, stephbhoy,
Lennox, Chalmers and Wallace often interchanged, to great effect.
I have long questioned the role of a central striker in the modern game.
Similar with target men.
Mobile, interchanging midfield/forwards are the key to unlocking defences.
eldiegobhoy
20:02 on 28 July, 2013
If we are indeed spending money once again in this window this will not be well received by the usual doom merchants….I tell ya.
EDB don’t wind them up….the money is still in PL’s pocket
Good evening Ghuys what’s happening?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
gordybhoy64
Ye that’s right, we signed Graham Parker instead!
gordybhoy64 20:06:
Nothing confirmed but apparently medical in Glasgow tomorrow.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
From the DR report of today’s sevco game:
this time last year when they needed extra-time to see off Brechin days after finding themselves dumped in Scottish football’s bottom tier.
££££££
Just the sort of statement that would get copy approval from Jabba!
The MSM are not reporting on Jack’s shennanigans, as reported by Charlotte and discussed in great depth onhttp://www.sfmonitor.org/2013/07/their-masters-voice/comment-page-8/#comments, not because of data protection or Leveson on but because Jack has dirt on every editor/producer in the country.
Charlotte has shown just how compromised the MSM in Scotland is.
ElDiegoBhoy
19:41
Please God she’ll make it. She deserves to.
Cowiebhoy.
The new bishop of Edinburgh was baptised in St Josephs Blantyre..
I lit a couple of candles this morning for the two wee Thai Tims bhoys and the Spanish train victims.also for all our friends in need.
The higher you build your barriers.
Says he’s a striker.
KLV
Celtic mac,aye no bad :-)))
freddiebhoy,
About three years ago, I tried to engage the Observer, through David Hills, one of their sports journos, on the corruption in Scottish football.
Paul67 can verify this.
Hills told me that the subject had come up twice in editorial meetings, but had been deferred.
Eventually, they sent Mc.Kenna and a lady scribe up to Glasgow and they produced a puff piece on OF rivalry.
They interviewed a barman in Bairds and the Louden!!
They concluded that the causes were due to poverty!!!
My last contact with DH was when he admitted that for on reason or another, journos mostly took their stories ” off the wires”.
I stopped buying the Observer after that.
Lennybhoy,cheers mate
gordybhoy64
Fee agreed and flying in for a medical.
BT, I gave you his name a few weeks ago.
Big article on front page of Scottish Catholic Observer this weekend for Mgr Cushley
Still waiting on my ex parish priest Mgr Burke being appointed though, which I also heard
A fantastic priest and person
Hail Hail
Add Guidetti and Finnboggssson to this Ajax dude. Happy days
jimbo67
18:45 on 28 July, 2013
Steve guppy ?
Here’s that goal to win against PSV last year. Only on the pitch a few minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVy-phWBYDA
He also scored in Ajax 4-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Bernabeau after the RM keeper ballsed up a corner.
thomthethim
I passed on my signed copy of WW’s book only yesterday to a great family member. He told me Wispy was his favourite player. That wasn’t so surprising cos I thought very well of Willie also but so many good yins to choose from.
I loved all of them of course but Bobby Murdoch edged it for me. A special player who would be purchased today at upwards of £20 million in my view.
I well remember that article McKenna penned for the Observer. Crass nonsense. If the likes of him can be got at, there is little or no chance of the real story getting reported. I would imagine Irvine could not influence the Observer’s editor; so, I presume he got at McKenna. The only journalist prepared to run with it for the whole of Britain is Alex Thompson. Presumably that is why Traynor is now gunning for him.
Jackie Mac
No, Chalmers. Slightly bigger part in Celtic’s story than the fishy winger!
Jimbo
Q….,
Shareholders who have shares of value £100 and support the resolution.
Initially I had about 50, so decided to get the resolution finished so anyone undecided could make up their mind based on the finished article.
Didn’t McKenna post on here several years ago using a silly timmy blog name?
He offered to buy everyone a drink in BB’s if Celtic won the league that season. We did and he didn’t.
Sean South springs to mind.
NegAnon2
17:18 on
28 July, 2013
Have a look at the book Bigotry , Football and Scotland at this link
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bigotry-Football-Scotland-John-Flint/dp/0748670378#reader_0748670378
and check Chapter 13. Its Title is ” Sectarianism Sells or Does It?”
It states a core belief that you could have written yourself based on what you have said re the bigot pound, but you did’nt I did.(If you use the browse option you might get a sneaky look)
Where I disagree with you is in the following
” My point remains – DD wants to pander to the bigotry to get back the bigoted pound because its good for business. By and large the celtic fans have moved on and don’t want that. We don’t want to be like those who hate us.”
I think that DD and Scottish football at large which includes the msm were tied into the bigot pound and fear at losing it is what is driving msm in particular. But with regard to DD, given the charge that money drives him, then the impact of Ranger’s departure (a huge rise in Celtic income) can not have been lost on him. So even if all that matters to him is money he will not want a return to the days of the bigot pound, there are bigger prizes out there.
I also think that insisting that DD is pandering to bigotry for money is very counter productive.
I mean would you want to talk to a person who charged you with not caring what civil strife his pursuit of geld cost, especially if you believed that person was acting from ignorance in the sense of not knowing all factors? I would not. So I disagree with your DD stance for logical and practitcal reasons.
It is a pre judgement at the door of the isssue that you might have personal reasons for arriving at that I do not (although I remember now hearing a story on holiday of DD’s kindness to someone from Dublin I think who was in trouble and required quick financial assistance)and prevents the very dialogue you (rightly) say is missing.
I think that its not just DD (if he was indeed tied to Old Firm thinking )who has to go through a metanoia moment, but the longer the game continues without Rangers in the top tier, the more the argument in the myth of it needs a strong Rangers (a myth because they never were strong under their own steam)crumbles and the new reality Celtic are enjoying without Rangers becomes evident to all.
If they ever do get back to top tier and we have to compete with them (I’m hoping by then AW Naws suggestion that we are nursing a game we are preparing to leave in order to leave it in good health is right -but no way will we be wanting that mob in a package,- then we absolutely must change the culture at the SFA and replace those who have damaged our game and that is something we are definitely in agreement on and working towards in our own way.
Auldheid,
I have received a few more tonight, so word is spreading, anyone with £100 worth of shares who wants to know the answers to the resolution can and wants to support can get in touch at canamalar@hotmail.com or yahoo.com or gmail.com.
Hail Hail
EDB
Bobby M was also my favourite.
From such a wealth of riches, he had that bit extra.