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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EDB,
No, that was Brian Mc.Nally, aka Sean South.
Got chased from here, unfairly, for sometimes having an off mesage opinion…….and owing the blog a pint!
Auldheid – I don’t agree with you because I think Celtic think that in the long terms the money that comes in without rangers will be less.
The real problem is that all I see is going to ensure we revert to the status quo pre huns going bust
thomthethim
Of course it was . Thank you.
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/658768798?-10583:834
Celtic to sign Ajax sicknote Derk Boerrigter for €3.5m (Voetbal International)
Auldheid,
Got a message tonight that you might want to get in touch with the CST regarding your discussion with neganon2
God loves a trier.
thomthetim
From the Observer’s Readers’ Editor today;
‘A review of restaurants in Belfast, “Best of Belfast” (Observer Magazine, last week, page 38), was subject to an editing error in the subheading in wrongly referring to Belfast as an “Irish” city’
Lhadies and Gentlemhen ,
Is the game on Wednesday on t’Gogglebox – need to let a fellow fan who’s in Foreign know.
Cheers
I don’t think Sean South was chased. He was outed and he never used his blog name again. He did pen a couple of odd contributions but his work in England has been very pro-Celtic; at least, what I know of it.
Had the misfortune to be in McArthur Glen shopping centre in Livingstone today.Went for a bite to eat and found myself at the next table to 4 Sevconians, now to be fair these guys were actually okay in that they ate their food and took their beers and caused no bother, but 3 others arrived and it very quickly deteriorated to a foul mouthed bigoted tirade and one of the original 4 joined in. A guy who was sitting with his family asked them to keep it down but they turned abusive. I said to them that my wife did not appreciate their language and it looked like things were going to get out of hand until the restaurant manager came over and told them to leave. One of the idiots then told me and this other guy that they would be waiting outside, it is a long time since I felt so angry and was ready to take a belt at this clown. 2 of the others apologised and made sure they all left and 1 offered to buy us a drink, we refused but thanked him. After they had gone I spoke to the other guy and it turned out he was a Hibs fan, when we left I was a bit wary but they were gone. What truly obnoxious people when even a couple of those that were there were embarrassed.
canamalar1- good work and good luck with your quest for the truth.
NegAnon2
20:46 on
28 July, 2013
Auldheid – I don’t agree with you because I think Celtic think that in the long terms the money that comes in without rangers will be less.
_____________________________
The earliest Rangers will be CL competitors will be 2016. If they survive that long by living within their means and that means developing the same scouting and development system we have, which I doubt as it requires investment on the system and not players I’d add a couple of years to get that established. That is as long terms as I think Celtic need to worry about by which time they could be as important to Celtic as Espanyol are to Barcelona.
Apart from that unless they are being funded secretly from somewhere they will be either be in administration by end of season or under going the equivalent in austerity terms as they struggle to bring costs and income into line. £500k a year for their CEO? What does that tell us?
================================================
The real problem is that all I see is going to ensure we revert to the status quo pre huns going bust
—————————–
Is it more the case that it is what we do not see or hear that gives rise to those concerns? That is not to say they may not be valid but we simply do not know what Celtic’s strategy is.
pcs,
To be fair, he did get a bit of a hounding and yes, he is still a Celtic man.
I follow him on Twitter.
Bada…,
Cheers
Now all I can do is hope it gathers support, I’ve issued the resolution to everyone on the list, so it’s waiting for the feedback and getting it out there for as much coverage as possible.
Celtic Underground @celticrumours 50s
Price for Dutch winger is just under 2m euros.
Celtic Underground @celticrumours 2m
Price for Dutch winger is just under 2m euros.
Vmhan , nothing . What address ?
Sanna
David – i had the misfortune to get stuck on a bus full of them coming off the troon ferry a few years back. Had my young children with me. A five minute experience i never want to repeat. Absolute disregard for children and others.
Longoing may the asbestos lining of their lum be deprived of reeking…..
Canamalor.
Passed your email to pfayr.
You back in partick yet?
DAVID
Was in Livi centre with wife today,forgot all about yon deid club playing (?) there,
or would not have been near the place.
Our bad ghuys are Angels next to the manky mob.
Seems Lenny might want to play the Dutch Bhoy through the middle…
Neil Lennon has stepped up his transfer activity following the departure of Gary Hooper to Norwich City and has been monitoring Boerrigter for some time.
The 26-year-old has struggled to win a regular place in the Ajax side due to a frustrating back injury following his transfer from RKC Waalwijk in the summer of 2011.
Boerrigter is keen on a move to get his career back on track and is expected in Glasgow tomorrow to complete a medical ahead of signing for Celtic.
It’s unlikely that he would be thrown straight into the side to face Elfsborg on Wednesday but could win a place on the bench.
Boerrigter impressed Ajax as a goal scoring left winger but is expected to be given a more central role at Celtic.
Even before Hooper left for Norwich Lennon was looking to bring in a striker to compete with Anthony Stokes, Amido Balde and Tony Watt for two striking places.
Holland and Belgium are two countries well scouted by Celtic with Virgil van Dijk signed last month from Groningen with the sale of former Beerschot midfielder Victor Wanyama to Southampton providing Lennon with transfer funds.
Speaking on Friday the Celtic boss said: “We’ll definitely try for one or two strikers. We’re working away at that, though it’s easier said than done. We’re allowed to bring in one before Wednesday. I’m hopeful it’ll be done over the weekend.
“If we can get him here, see how he is in training, then I’d imagine he’d be in the squad. The one we’re looking at hasn’t been mentioned.”
It now seems certain that the unmentioned striker that Lennon had in mind is Boerrigter.
Celtic Mac
I boasted in this very pages last Sunday that in my newly established middle class status I now took the Observer. And I here I am sending off a less than happyclapping e-mail to them
IshouldgetoutmoreCSC
Thanks to all the folks on here who gave me tips for my recent trip to the Florida Keys. Had a great time and took all the advice given.
Anyone out there played golf at Archerfield?
VP
I know we have some idiots as well but I genuinely feel that these clowns have an inbuilt arrogance and a total WATP mentality that goes beyond acceptable behaviour in a place that had plenty of women and children. Their attitude beggars belief. I am still seething at being told that they would wait outside, probably just as well I didn’t take a swing at the idiot as there were 7 of them, although 7-1 has a good ring to it.
canamalar1
21:08 on 28 July, 2013
Have responded to e-mail, will get back to you by end of week.
Did you respond to CRC question a couple of weeks ago ?
Hail Hail
If he’s half the player his agent was, we’ve got a bargain :)
Babette van Haaren @BabettevHaaren 4m
Boerrigter’s agent Sören Lerby has confirmed his transfer to Celtic. If he passes the medical he’ll sign a three-year deal (via @ajax1nl)
DAVID
Take care mhate , the superior ones are not setting the bar very high.
canamalar1
Also responded to email
Hail Hail
Malorbhoy
BT,
Cheers, Tuesday
if this signing of the Ajax player is true poor old Neganon and the other malcontents will be very upset
For their sake I appeal to all Celtic fans not to be fooled by the machivallian machinations of the evil Goldfinger Desmond
Reject this dutch has been and demand the board step down and hand over to an anarcho-syndicalist commune led by our hero
Cowriebhoy,
Can’t remember, but if I seen it I probably did, you know me, any excuse to babble :o)
Vogue punter 19.44
I didn’t know that you were a lap dancer.
TT
See you soon then. Off to occ health Tuesday to work out return to work plan..
Starryplough. Derk is not an out and out striker he is more of a left sided attacking midfielder.If Lennie was talking about an out and out striker I dont think he was talking about Derk.It will be interesting to see I think he will be a good addition to the squad and will allow Izzie to be a little more defensively minded. H.H.
Canamalar1
E-mail received. Dont have a printer or a scanner so may need to get you to send hard copy.
Jimbo
canamalar1
A poster on Huddleboard started a thread on your resolution. He has had very good feedback around 10 shareholders asking him to pm them in the space of 10 minutes.
BT,
Don’t be in too big a hurry, work is for mugs :o)
I spend months making plans, I suggest you do the same, when yer planning yer no workin