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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Lubo, one can only conclude that you are the misfiring geordie. Hoopwr ten times the player that Johnson was.
67 Heaven….
I hope you dont mind me butting in on your chat with neganon.
What comments some ‘like’ or ‘dislikes’ ( a feeling) isnt really the issue… if you disagree (a thought) is always the key …. You may like strawberry ice cream, I like vanilla… if it is just that, the discussion can go nowhere … no ‘like’ is right or wrong…. but if you want to try to convince me that strawberry is bettter than vanilla…. that is a discussion that can be had (although you would be wrong! :))
The second part is more troubling… the suggestion that the only certain views (in most theory, leftist, and in this discussion, ‘anti-board’ are agenda based…. all views are agenda based…. the notion that certain views are not ideological is 100 years old, and been discredited thoroughly.
Sure the GB might be marxists (I’m not sure about that, but for the sake of argument). But DD is a capitalist. If you want to say ‘no agenda’, then you dont get a DD, because he also has an agenda (use Celtic to make money). So, it is only a question of which agenda/politics you prefer …. again, a welcome and important discussion if held honestly and courteously.
Hail hail
MickTT
Big country indeed.
Not familiar with the name.
Where in Ayrshire does he hail (hail) from?
School attended?
If you dont mind me asking?!
HH!!
Fifth best Italian could be the goalkeeper Ugolini.
Or the up and coming goalkeeper Leo Fasan.
Sandy McMahon (1891 -1903) 79%
Top five seen
1. Henrik Larsson
2. Paul McStay
3. Lubo ********
4. Danny McGrain
5. Brian McClair (just liked him)
HH
Bobby Lennox 47%
South of Tunis – yes indeed. Celtic was created for the poor irish immigrant population in Scotland to give us a rallying point and identity. meanwhile prejudice and sectarianism was rife against that population.
It is a source of eternal shame for the club to have toadied up to the ones at the centre of that prejudice for the sake of making money.
Paul is often fond of saying, following the hun demise, that things will never be the same again. I’m afraid that’s wrong and we are quickly trying to go back to the way things were.
What we all need to ask is are we happy to be the fodder that feeds all this?
gorbalstam
14:11 on 28 July, 2013
Correct….
Twists n Turns – Surely Robbie Keane has to be up there?
pauloantony
13:35 on 28 July, 2013
Kelvins family hasn’t settled up here.
If the player has requested a move for personal reasons then so be it.
IRRESPECTIVE of weds game…
Injury will wreck a move therefore will his head be in it at such an important game?
Lustig mulgrew at centre half are more than competent imo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh,hell!
I thought for a second you wrote that Keevins’ family hadn’t settled.
Is there no-one who will rid me of this troublesome pr……….
Looking at outfield players who have never scored for Celtic, I find one? That can’t be correct is it? Not even sure this guy didn’t score? Surely?
Tosh mckinlay? Never scored? And….is he the only one??. Might need a new reference site!!
Does anyone know when Anthony Stokes contract is up. I thought it was the end of last season and he is still to sign a new contract as far as I’m aware, unless I missed it. Is it 31st July?
Neil McCallum (1888-1892)…57%.
HH!!
tallybhoy
14:28 on 28 July, 2013MickTTBig country indeed.Not familiar with the name.Where in Ayrshire does he hail (hail) from?School attended?If you dont mind me asking?!HH!!
Ardrossan and went to St Andrews, Saltcoats, think he’s north of country..
HH
Robbie keane was obviously a loanee…but 75%
Mike in Toronto
13:52 on
28 July, 2013
Agree with most of what you say.
I particularly remember Gerry McSherry and his repeated ‘Risible
Rebels’ jibe.
Don’t see anything hugely controversial in what dd said bout sevco. Its all standard stuff that everybody asked trots out as they know its too much hassle to go against grain. Read it again, at no pt says we need them, does say likes testing against them an beating them. My preferred option is for anyone connected to Celtic when asked bout them to say no comment as no win situation.
More importantly how can a team on a transfer embargo sign players contravening embargo an play as trialist.
twists
Has big Kelvin scored for us ?
twists n turns,
Bound to be a few who never found the net – might want to set a minimum number of games though. There will probably be the odd defender who only made a couple of sub appearances and didn’t score
Good afternoon all
Summa@1422
I resemble that remark :)) pmsl
Weefra HH
Top 5 board members / directors etc
1. Fergus
2. Craig whyte
3. Carlo verdi
4. Sdm
5. The rest
Scotland’s shame
The irony is , is there any team made more signings than Sevco in the UK and they have a transfer embargo?
It’s sick
Joe Carruth (1936-45)…69%.
Was unlucky that WW2 intervened, and received a bad injury which effectively ended his career.
His brother was a close friend of my parents – Catholic priest who taught at the Fort Augustus Abbey School.
HH!!
Not posted since game yesterday, which I quite enjoyed.
The movement of the German team, is what we need to start adopting, a major problem with us, is total lack of movement ( and not just at halftime warm ups)
Some of the youth Bhoys had good touches etc.
I was also concerned with the body language of Tony Watt, didn’t look interested to me, and movement, in 2nd half young Dylan broke up to the touch line to cross, Tony was still somewhere between 18 yard line and dug out, wide on left, is this our coaching ? Is it part of his lack of interest, playing wide left ?
Still enjoyed the day, and watching some youth being given a chance.
PS, for me, no big deal if Kelvin is sold, even before the Elfsborg game
Hail Hail
Burgh bhoy
No he hasn’t, but was looking mainly at less recent players, but no he hasn’t. Did tosh never score?
Kelvin Wilson has not scored for us
Imo. Gary Hooper is the best out and out goal scorer we’ve had for a long, long time. He is also a far better all round footballer, again imo, than many give him credit for.
Best 5 players I have seen: Bobby Murdoch, Bobby Evans, Jimmy Johnstone, Danny McGrain and George Connelly.
twists n turns
14:31 on 28 July, 2013Bobby Lennox 47%
Cheers, wasn’t a dig btw, good of ye to post it, thought wee Bobby would have been higher, but the games played effect the goals scored, and they were plenty. A gentleman too, know him relatively well..
HH
NegAnon2
Have you ever been to Celtic game at Ibrox??
Prof green
Amto has a year left on his contract
Gordon
Yes, would make sense.
Interesting piece Paul.
My opinion.
Well frankly I find it ridiculous that our Manager has been lauding this player,irrespective of form,since January and is now sounding off to anyone who will listen he has lost someone as good as ” two strikers”.
Who needs to be a DR investigative journalist when the Celtic Manager is filling their pages for them.
Perhaps Neil should look back and reflect on his famous Champions League victory against Barcelona and ask ” how did I do that”.
Let me help you Neil.
You were missing HOOPER,STOKES,FORREST,BROWN,and IZZY, as a result the opportunity for tinkering or playing favourities like Hooper and Forrest was removed and we ended up with 11 men putting in a shift,supported by Subs Watt and Kayal.
The entire Hooper and to a lesser degree Vic,has been a distraction which was forseeable and should have been planned for,as is the current possibility of the exit of Wilson,has he just overnight became dis-enchanted with Glasgow,dont think so.
Planning and preparation required,not hissy fits.
neganon2
14:27 on 28 July, 2013
Sorry, I wasn’t including you in my assertion !!!
Starry Plough – yes quite a few times – why?
Cowiebhoy,
I have been dreaming for a long, long time of us moving like the German team did yesterday. Our players seem to have no idea of pass and move. I too thought Watt’s body language left a lot to be desired. I thought the same could be said of the bhoy Herron but he could be excused, imo, because of his inexperience.
Harry Brady @HarryBradyCU
Just spotted that SEVCO have a competitive game today. Any reason why this cash strapped club haven’t played a pre-season game at Ibrox?
It is actually quite saddening how this country will let that horrible mob endanger people’s lives at ibrokes just to keep the pretence going.
I posted the other day that the BBC had Media House on it’s payroll,a few guys disagreed.Seems Charlotte agrees with me.