If you were lucky enough, like me, to enjoy a long Christmas holiday, I hope you had a good one. I’m sure few of us are delighted to be back at it today but there’s an indisputable mood on the blog for bringing in the New. A fresh start is needed and fortunately we’re at the start of the transfer window.
For Celtic most attention will be directed towards recruiting a striker who is capable of doing the business in the Champions League, not to overlook the important point of doing the business in Champions League qualifiers. 20-year-old Icelandic striker, Holmbert Fridjobsson, finally joins the club this month but although we’ll hopefully see plenty of the player this month he is surely considered ‘one for the future’.
One prolific striker does not solve all of Celtic’s issues, however. The club remains acutely dependent on Kris Commons’ creativity (as well as goal scoring), which will become increasingly less-effective as opponents setup to inhibit him. He needs a foil.
Since the annihilation in Barcelona Celtic have offered greater protection from midfield but with both full backs encouraged to overlap the midfield anchor role, previously occupied by Wanyama, becomes crucially important. It also offers support to the strategy of allowing Commons a free role as an attacking midfielder.
Over the break, Archie MacPherson, Scotland’s greatest ever broadcaster, wrote an article for Celtic Quick News comparing two of Scotland’s greatest ever managers. These debates are, of course, subjective, but the article provides a few objective points for consideration. Archie has a totally unique range to deal with this question and is in no doubt as to who the master was. Look out for the article next week, you’ll enjoy it – no guessing now.
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BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS ………FC not PLC
23:52 on
6 January, 2014
MAGNIFICENT 7
Ha,I normally watch through the cracks in my fingers!
Defo keep you abreast of events anyway.
I will watch for your post of when you are going and see what help I can be
catch you later hh
Night Night Timland.
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
benny bheula
23:30 on 6 January, 2014
Apparently we are in for Osa Guobadia, known by all as “Ice Cream”
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osa_Guobadia
If we are allegedly after Jelavic (from Everton) we would then have “Jelly” and “Ice Cream”. Sounds like a really nice forward line but I don’t want the Everton piece of that “combination”!
On a completely unrelated matter, i had occasion to attend my local hospital tonight
to visit my only sister [aged.80}!, i was redirected to 4 different wards in order to find her!
She lives in a Fold Housing Centre, which is very nice, affordable, very secure, etc.,
She had fallen in her bedroom, luckily i had key and was able gain excess, assist her,
ie. call ambulance service, etc., who were on scene very quickly, these guys are
incredibly well trained, arranged her journey, looked after her so well, my wife accompanied her in the ambulance, on reaching A&E, it becomes a nightmare, they are so overwhelmed, it is scarey, my wife was there for over 9 hours, never mind sister, who had numerous tests done, all necessary, for them to assertion the correct course of action!
I finally found my sister, terrible confused, being treated for dehydration, among other things, with more test to come,etc., her condition, will no doubt be addressed, i hope successfully, and i look forward to her return!
My main reason for sharing this with you is to try to highlight, just what the Doctors, Nurses, male, and female, have to endure, day in, day out, i never realised until today, the workload they carry! Yet, they do it with,so much understanding, of the patient, the accompanying relatives, they are simply incredible, bless them all!
As an simple observation,and i saw it throughout the hospital, the hugh medical files, on reception desks, trolleys, i’m sure you all have noticed them, people referring to them, adding to them, patient by patient, drug by drug, doctor by doctor, consultant by consultant, yet, every desk has a computer terminal! Who in the name of all that is holy, is responsible for collating all this info, and making it instantly available to each terminal instantly. i was an IT Consultant for many years, however, i never realised until today, just how ridiculously our Hospitals Governance, Government, and other State run Offices, are so completely IT illiterate.!
Sorry for the rant!!!
H.H.
Gerald 766
Thoughtfull piece hope your sis recovers quickly and returns to good health hh
Seen a lot off thoughts tonight, if Jelrvic is our target then I am ok with that, a proven goalgetter in Scotland and a Guy who will get loads with the way our team plays.
We are crying out for a poacher and this guy woad fit the bill. I don’t really care about his
History, we should be better than than that but for 2/3 million I would take him
Brnobhoy
Jelavic is a proven goalscorer … And is exactly the type of experienced striker to spearhead our euro campaign next season ….pukki a feel might be our ready made replacement for sammi
Would take Jelavic defo. He’s a decent goal scorer, no denying. Better him for a couple of million than another project. Having said that, just can’t see 3m as a realistic price. The likes of Hull, Palace, Villa, Stoke would all splash 5m no bother. Small change.
gerald766 –
Best wishes to you and your sister.
I take your point about the prolifetation of hard files in hospitals, but there is a good reason for that. It means that a patient’s records are instantly updated at every step, which is very important. Medical staff are only human. If they go round a ward of say 6 patients and administer medication or treatment, and then on completion, update 6 different patient records on the PC, mistakes can more readily be made and mix-ups occur.
When it comes to patient care, accuracy of records is extremely important. This is also why patients are often asked the same questions several times by different medical staff. It’s a means of ensuring there is no mix-up and stops someone with a hernia having a leg amputated, to lend an extreme example.
So while the thick vanilla file might seem out-of-date, it is intentionally that way, until someone can come up with a better and more secure system of minimise human error.
Gerald/Tom – interesting discussion….some doctors here(USA) now use ipads/tablets.
I broke my leg 5 years ago and they marked it in permanent marker “YES” before I went into surgery.
I said ” you’re joking?”
Nurse said “nope- need to make sure we operate on the right one”!!!
MIXU PAATELAINEN has warned struggling Celtic striker Teemu Pukki he has to start scoring to save his Parkhead career.
Finnish foward Pukki has had an indifferent start to his career in Scotland since his £3million move from Schalke in August.
He’s managed just three goals in 21 appearances and is set to face more pressure for a place as Celtic target a new hitman.
But Finland boss Paatelainen sprung to Pukki’s defence by revealing the striker had similarly slow starts for his previous clubs — and his country.
He also credited Neil Lennon with how he has handled the shy striker — but admitted Pukki will have to come out of his shell to make the most of his talent.
Paatelainen said: “It’s been a sticky start for Teemu but I know he has the attributes and the ability.
“Obviously there are great demands at Celtic and he hasn’t scored many goals yet.
“He CAN score — but the question is how long it will take to start producing?
“Celtic are a big club and they have fantastic strikers who score regularly.
“Anthony Stokes has had a dry spell recently but he is a proven scorer and always will be.
“So are Georgios Samaras and Kris Commons, so the competition is very high.
“Because of that I’m not surprised he often finds himself on the bench.
“He needs to start scoring regularly to keep his place.
Mixu says Pukki must start scoring
“Even if one or two leave Celtic in January I am sure they’ll bring in other excellent strikers so competition will never go away.
“He’s been quiet so far and it remains to be seen whether he will produce or not.
“But when you’re playing top-level football, time is what you don’t get. You get pushed to the sidelines.
“I think this is a good example of someone who has the ability but it doesn’t quite happen when he goes to a new club.
“Teemu isn’t a bad player — I know that because I’ve seen it. It’s just taking him a bit longer.
“The way he handles this pressure will be telling, because when he gets his chance I’m sure a lot of eyes will be on him.
“People are very quick to judge a player, whether he’s good or bad.
“Sometimes a player starts slow then turns good, but sometimes a slow start never changes and you have to move on.
“I’ve spoken to Teemu a couple of times and sent a few texts but nothing heavy. And I must tip my hat to Neil Lennon and how patient he’s been with him. He’s in good hands there.
“He’s given him time, and he understands the boy’s personality — but at the top level, how much time do you get? I think with the way things have gone, it’s right that he hasn’t played in Celtic’s last couple of matches.
“But I think he will be given his chance — and then it is up to him to make it happen.”
Paatelainen admits the 23-year-old’s reserved personality could be a contributory factor to his slow start.
He said: “He’s a quiet boy. He’ll never be a ringleader in the dressing-room. But the same thing happened with the national team. When he came into the set-up with me he was quiet and introverted.
“I didn’t see him smile too much and on the pitch he wasn’t producing it.
“I was thinking, ‘What’s going on here?’ because I’d seen him score fantastic goals at HJK Helsinki.
“He did it for Schalke in European competition as well.
“But I looked back at his history and when he came back to Helsinki from Sevilla he had a quiet spell to begin with.
“It’s like the same kind of pattern every time he changes environment, so I am not surprised that this has happened again in Scotland.”
Paatelainen admits he has spoken to Pukki about his contribution.
He said: “I’ve spoken to him about his work-rate and his movement.
His problem is that he wants to do everything and sometimes his willingness to do things for the team gets him into places where he can’t score. If he wants to be a goalscorer he has to think about himself more.
“I only spoke to him once about coming to Scotland, after Finland played Slovenia in August. I said it would be fantastic for him.
“I told him Celtic are a great club and that he’d enjoy it if he decided to go.
“But it’s like anything else, if he doesn’t play he might have to think about moving to get more games.
“I hope he gets a run at Celtic as he’s an important player for Finland.
“We play to his strengths — he’s good turning with the ball but he can also play a little bit deeper in the No10 position because of his technical ability.”
Paatelainen was speaking at an SFA coach education event.
By ROBERT GRIEVE Published: 4 hrs ago
NEIL LENNON fears that losing Georgios Samaras will cost Celtic a FORTUNE.
Samaras, 28, could be set to quit the Hoops this month with Atletico Madrid interested in taking him to Spain.
Celtic boss Lennon, who saw his side’s flight to their Turkish mid-winter training camp dramatically cancelled yesterday, hopes the Greek ace makes a decision over his future within the next week.
The Parkhead gaffer is desperate for him to stay, though, and is convinced it would cost millions to find a replacement.
Lennon said: “I think he’d be hard to replace and I can see why clubs are interested in him.
“I know he can be inconsistent, but when he has been in the mood for us he is simply awesome.
“If he does go, and we’ll probably know in the next week, we will need to work hard to find a like-for-like replacement — and these types cost a lot of money.”
As he ponders his future, Samaras wasn’t part of the Hoops squad whose flight to Turkey was cancelled and rearranged for today after a dramatic last-minute hitch.
A Celtic spokesperson said: “Unfortunately there was a problem with the incoming chartered aircraft.
“However we are looking to reschedule our departure for Tuesday.” Celts took up the option to postpone their league fixture with Kilmarnock on Saturday in order to head for warm-weather training.
They are also due to take part in the Turkish Airlines Antalya Cup, where they are scheduled to play Trabzonspor on Thursday evening before facing either Ajax or Galatasaray at the weekend.
Lennon, meanwhile, insists he does NOT expect any January bids for keeper Fraser Forster with his main concern bringing players in and completing new deals for Samaras and midfielder Joe Ledley.
The Welsh midfielder’s agent is due in Glasgow today for talks with chief executive Peter Lawwell and Lennon is hopeful Ledley will pledge his future to the club.
He added: “I’m not convinced that I will lose other players — the likes of Forster.
“The main concern right now is Joe and Georgios who are coming to the end of their contracts. Hopefully we can get something over the line while Joe is with us in Turkey.”
By ROBERT GRIEVE Published: 4 hrs ago
NEIL LENNON will consider letting Celtic misfit Tom Rogic leave in a bid to keep his World Cup dream alive.
Australian midfielder Rogic has failed to break into the Hoops side since joining the club a year ago.
Now former club Central Coast Mariners want the Socceroos ace back on loan until the end of the season.
And with Rogic, 21, desperate to impress Aussie boss Ange Postecoglou ahead of this summer’s finals in Brazil, Lennon is ready to do a deal.
He said “There might be a loan option there and if it’s right we’ll look at it.
“He has the World Cup too and we have to be mindful of that, but for us we need to get him playing football.
“Younger ones should look at the likes of Callum McGregor who has gone and played at Notts County.
“He’s taken a chance and now we can either look at bringing him back or maybe selling him in the future.”
Lennon wants to see players coming in AND going out of the club in January as he reshapes the Hoops for a Double push.
But the Celtic boss was thrilled with his side’s performance as they moved 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership with a 4-0 away win over St Mirren on Sunday.
He said: “I thought James Forrest was a real threat in the first half and then they doubled up on him.
“But then Adam Matthews looked more like himself going forward and we also have Charlie Mulgrew back in the team.
“Getting those three back meant we were able to rest a few others so it was a good day.”
TREZEGUET, the 19-year-old Egyptian midfielder, has indicated his desire to sign for Celtic, despite his club insisting he is not for sale.
Mahmoud Hassan’s stance prompted the player to hand in a transfer request as he seeks to secure a move to the Scottish champions.
“I’ve repeatedly stated that I want to sign for Celtic,” said Trezeguet. “And I have been told that Celtic’s official offer to the club will arrive this week. The club know it is coming and will have plenty of time to find a replacement for me.
Villans to go north of the border for goals.
Premier League strugglers Aston Villa are reportedly lining up a move for Celtic striker Giorgios Samaras during the January transfer window, according to reports in Sports Direct News.
The Greek international has been with the Scottish Premier League champions since leaving Manchester City in 2008, but has seen his name linked with a move back down south to England several times over the recent past.
Hull City had been strongly linked with making a bid for the 28-year-olds signature, but Villa are now said to be keen on bringing him on board for a fee in the region of £2m.
Samaras is in the final six months of his deal at Celtic Park, meaning he is now able to talk to other clubs about a free transfer at the end of the season, though manager Neil Lennon may look to cash in on him now instead of risk losing him for nothing in July.
Villa boss Paul Lambert is looking to add some fresh attacking options to his squad after star man Christian Benteke is looking decidedly off the boil so far this term, and his backup, Czech striker Libor Kozak, broke his leg in training last week.
Finally, a wee bit of fun from Nakamura in case any of you missed it. Free kick of Nakamura knocking bride and groom off wedding cake.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WpW_vJSa4vs&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWpW_vJSa4vs
Well, the man who broke the blog returns!
It’s good to see that a few on here have returned to the following;
Talking to their partners
Talking to their children
Reading Books
Feeding chickens
Reading FF/RM
Watching the telly
No moanin about another crap performance
No slaggin PL
No slaggin Lenny
Nae slaggin Pukki or Sammi
No slaggin neganon2 (benny bheula)
Nae Cricket
Nae shoite hun stories
Nae transfer rumours
Make a list, maybe I should break the blog more often!
AR
isn’t it very weird that the Celtic fhans (mineshafters) who screamed that the new signings were not good enough at the start of the season were told that we should give them a chance. is there anyone out there who is still calling for the new forwards to “get a chance”? or are we in agreement that they weren’t good enough?
Isnt it weird that when mineshafters called on the club to spend some cash and buy one established player instead of half a dozen prospects that there was a rush to tell us how celtic couldn’t afford to buy established players, Yet now that Lenny himself is calling for established strikers it is not seen as an unreasonable request
you see the past few months have maybe raised the question
not can we afford to buy an established striker, but
can we afford NOT to buy an established striker?
Bums on seats will ultimately answer that question
Happy new year
Post number
12345
1234 rather…but now it’s all gone pear shaped :-)
I’m Neil Lennon
made a similar point last night bud, that perhaps, better quality in the first place would have actually been better economically. I would still love to know WHO, decides on the players coming in?
Neil?
John Park?
Peter Lawell?
The board?
A combination of the above?
Not a dig, I just wondered who makes the call. Record on some is vg, Vic, Hooper, Lustig, Kris. Some debatable – Joe – Some undoubtedly poor.
I suppose that’s typical of most clubs, some good, bad, indifferent. The striker position needs to be correct this time. Our next couple of seasons could depend on it.
twisty
I guess lenny alone cant decide who we sign since there are obviously financial constraints, and I don’t believe that big Peter makes that call himself either, therefore its probably a combination of fholks
one consideration though is that we need a number of established players and can afford a few prospects too. I don’t think we had that balance correct in the summer
too many hopefuls and not enough proven players for me
especially when I look at the available cash at that time
Good morning friends from a very wet, very windy, very dark and very bleak looking East Kilbride.
Great to be back!
Following the adjournment of resolution 12 at the Celtic PLC AGM and the undertakings given by the board to the shareholders, a further meeting has taken place with the company secretary with the specific purpose of allowing two of the main shareholders behind the resolution to return from abroad and have sight of the correspondence that has thus far been exchanged with the SFA.
The ongoing dialogue and correspondence between the shareholders and the company secretary will continue over the early part of 2014 with certain key issues and matters now having been clearly identified and discussed. These matters will now form the focus of further correspondence with a view to further clarification being sought from the football authorities if necessary.
The entire matter of resolution 12 is one which shows how shareholders and/or ordinary fans can work with and alongside the board of a formal corporate body with a common purpose and with a view to ensuring that those who govern football administration in Scotland can, where necessary, be the subject of enquiry from the ordinary fan.
Further information will be provided as and when those further enquiries are made and answered”
Quiet night on the blog.
Did someone forget to tell the MOONHOWLERS that it had been fixed?
I was working,btw,before you ask…
Here’s one TWISTS N TURNS missed,from the Record.
Everton set to land Dundee United starlet Andrew Robertson in £750k deal
7 Jan 2014 00:01
TOFFEES boss Roberto Martinez is keen to snap up the highly-rated defender but is willing to let him return to United on loan until the end of the season.
Robertson has impressed Everton boss Roberto Martinez
Craig Watson/SNS Group
EVERTON hope to sign Dundee United starlet Andrew Robertson this month after Roberto Martinez made his move for the highly-rated full-back.
The Goodison Park gaffer took in United’s 2-2 draw with Hibs on Sunday and made
contact with the player’s representative and now hopes to conclude a deal for around £750,000.
Martinez is also willing to loan the teenager back to the Taysiders for the second half of the season before he joins the Merseysiders at the start of the next campaign.
Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson is currently on holiday in America and no deal can be finalised until he returns from his break in the States.
But Martinez spoke with United officials in Thompson’s absence and a deal now looks to be on the cards for the player who has enjoyed a meteoric rise.
Robertson was playing for amateurs Queen’s Park in Scottish football’s bottom tier last season before United gaffer Jackie McNamara swooped for the 19-year-old.
He has made a stunning impact in Scotland’s top flight this season.
Everton talent spotter Kevin Reeves had been impressed with Robertson and alerted Martinez who decided to make a personal check on the player at the weekend.
John Souttar and Ryan Gauld are also heavily linked with a move to England but it’s Robertson who Spaniard Martinez is keen to sign during the transfer window.
Everton could be set to lose England international left-back Leighton Baines and Robertson is seen as a potential long-term successor at the Toffees.
Losing Robertson would be a blow to McNamara after the player only signed a new three-year deal last October. But the money is seen as good business for a player they landed for nothing.
Martinez is also closing in on a pre-contract deal for former Celtic winger Aiden McGeady.
The Republic of Ireland wideman can sort out terms with the Goodison club now as his deal with Russian side Spartak Moscow expires in the summer.
McGeady has almost completed an agreement on wages – and if he signs Martinez can try to agree a fee with Spartak to take him in this window.
Meanwhile, Dundee United striker Nadir Ciftci could still make Sunday’s clash in Inverness but Tannadice team-mate Mark Wilson looks set for a short stint on the sidelines.
The Turk hobbled off with a groin injury just before half-time in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Hibs which prompted the Tangerines to fear the worst.
But while Wilson has picked up a stomach muscle tear McNamara said: “Nadir might be in with an outside chance of making Sunday’s game which would be a bonus.
“But it looks like Mark could be out for a couple of weeks.”
Worth a punt,IMO. But I like to think we have similar quality of our own at that age group.
Let the silly transfer month begin…….keep calm, Bhoys….. well, maybe not…. Hehe
750 is a steal for Robertson – we should buy him back rather than pay double for some foreign left back
Morning all. Looks like we’re in for another stormy day down here. Dark, wet and windy at the moment. Oh to be in Turkey with the Tic.
overseasbhoy
08:26 on 7 January, 2014
Taylor-Sinclair of Thistle is on a Bosman and fits the 6’+ profile of most of our signings. Everton is a bad move for Robertson, should stay at DU for another 2 or 3 seasons, he’ll disappear without trace down south like so many before him.
bobbym…
£750k for Robertson????
They must think Stephen Thompson is zipped up the back.
D U will never let him go for less than £1.25m…he’s just signed a 3 year deal for goodness sake!!!
JUSTAFAN
I reckon yours is probably closer to United’s valuation,tbh.
Typical of the Record. They only give high valuations to Rangers players. Two years ago,they still thought Jelavic should not be sold for less than £12m.
Nevin even suggested £15m! Little sod nearly caused me to crash my van.
Still,I got to commiserate with some huns that their prize asset had been stolen from them for a pittance,so all’s well,etc.
I tuned into the Welsh news yesterday. I wanted to look at pictures of big stormy seas. We were joking about the smallscale set-up there and taking the p**s out of the local yokels.
Then the local sports news came on and it was all about Swansea beating Man U in the cup and Cardiff and the EPL…………..!
Bmcw
“Still,I got to commiserate with some huns that their prize asset had been stolen from them for a pittance,so all’s well,etc.”
So he was a ‘prize’ was he? Thanks for clearing that one up for me. Had always wondered why they’d never got around to actually repaying the transfer money they owed for him.
LOLCSC
HH jamesgang
JAMESGANG
Haha,I like that one. And not too late to use it even now,as I will shoooorly prove next time I see them!
Hi, just in to say….
_______________
I’m Neil Lennon (tamrabam)
06:18 on 7 January, 2014
Isn’t it very weird that the Celtic fhans (mineshafters) who screamed that the new signings were not good enough at the start of the season were told that we should give them a chance. is there anyone out there who is still calling for the new forwards to “get a chance”? or are we in agreement that they weren’t good enough?
_____________________________________________________
I’m a wee bit puzzled ?
I mean, who have Balde, Pukki etc been given a ‘long’ run in the team against ?
I mean – Balde comes on ‘every’ week for what ? the last 5 mins ?
I mean – when I see Pukki, he’s played as an ootside right, while Stokes perfoms his invisible man routine up front. Oh, ah forgot…..Stokesy scored on Saturday….do think that Neil might see that as, grounds for a contract extension ? :)
Realistically….I think that Neil has a ‘brasser-kneck’ that fat Salary, by asking for more money to spend on strikers ?
Maybe Neil should bring some clarity to the situation re : who recruits the players ?
The way that I see it – a manager is partly judged by his transfer dealings, as well as the results business.
My memory might be playing tricks here but, I recall the last winter transfer window of last season when…Neils or, PL’s ‘agents’ in the media let the trick oot the bag that, Neil desired Johnny Russell – Big Time.
When the tw closed…the SSN cameras were there to interview Neil and, you know what ?
Neil looked as if just ben hit by a train !!!!
Why would that have been ?
Fast forwarding to current events….Neil’s bigging-up of Sammi and Joe(the ghost) is either because, Neil is polishing up Celtic’s assets for any possible sale ?
Or, Neil is seriously deluded by ‘his’ place of prominence for these two players ?
Hopefully it’s the former.
Vic 67, Gary Hooper, FF, VVD and Izzy have been successes imo.
Charlie Mulgrew has been great in his new position. imo
Maybe, CM could be the ‘benchmark’ for imminant acquisitions ie: a returning player bursting to grab his second chance ?
Who knows who the Celtic are looking at ?
Maybe if the ‘benchmark’ route was to be employed ?
We might do worse than take a chance on – Paul McGowan and Niall McGinn ?
I’m only guessing before all the ‘closet’ Craig Brown’s n Andy Roxborough’s appear with all their evidence to the contrary.
Anyway – Off oot – laters…
Kevjungle
I suspect any chance of us going for Paul McGowan has gone after his pleading guilty to attacking plod the other week.
We are clutching at srtaws as are the MSM at who Celtic are trying to sign. I guess the only people who will know are employed by Celtic.We supporters will just have to wait until the end of the window to see who if anyone arrives and who departs.Patience is a virtue. H.H.