Erik Sviatchenko made an instant impact on Celtic’s defensive performances when he arrived in January 2016, six months after the departure of Virgil van Dijk and Jason Denayer. He was our top central defender for the remainder of Ronny Deila’s tenure and for the first six months of Brendan Rodgers’ time.
Then came a game at Ibrox on Hogmanay 2016. Celtic were rattled for much of the opening period and Erik looked most out of sorts. His assured touch was replaced by a need to get rid of the ball early. Fortunately things turned out well that day but I wondered if the manager’s faith in the defender was shaken. Some of us doubted his temperament.
The season just ended started badly for Erik as he picked up an injury early in the Champions League qualification rounds. A loan for former club, Midtjylland, confirmed where he was in Brendan’s plans.
Midtjylland returned most of the money we paid for him and the player is in an environment, and at a level, which suits him. It takes a lot to be a Celtic player, more than just ability or experience elsewhere.
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TBB
EO not an EO but you knew that – we could do with an enigmatic other :)
Bada
The bodies are in open sight just no-ones looking for them
I’m not a huge advocate of bringing in John McGinn or not.
Having said that, almost every player at CP has developed into a better player under the tutelage of Brendan’s Rodgers.
Justsayin’CSC
I really liked Erik, and I’m sorry it didn’t work out for him here.
I wish him all the very best for the future.
His message today was both classy and touching.
As for the latest “statement” from the lying convict – good God.
It’s like the last days of Hitler’s bunker over there.
I am half expecting the next one to order the U-Boats to head for Norway and continue the Good Fight from there till help arrives.
I’m putting a fiver on Stevie G suddenly remembering he’s got something in the slow cooker on Friday.
The (in)dependent media are there to make a buck so they pander to their demographic – the bbc however are a bloody disgrace
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 29TH MAY 2018 5:33 PM
Do not fret over Edouard, the deal is done, 4 years, £4.5 rising to £5 million. Players and others are currently on holiday, patience.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Deniabhoy @ 3.14pm
John James (not his real name) provides little more than “OF” porn for Celtic fans. He started out by claiming some middle of the road “OF” position but since the blue hordes turned on him, his football output is invariably critical of Sevco & everyone involved in running that club. Understandably, many Celtic fans lap this up but his output is as articulate as the Sun & even less pleasant. Celtic fans in particular have casually become corrupted by this juvenile bile because it is designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator within us(me included) and our fan base. We read it out of curiousity, unknowlingly become addicted, then find that it runs our life – and corrupts it at the same time.
He claims to be/have been the subject of serious threats to his life & his parents’ from some dark forces on the blue side. My observation is – in an age where social media is THE breeding ground for nutters, psychos and cyber hardmen, why would anyone launch a blog site which sets out & continues to antagonize/provoke that very element? If YOUR life, but especially if your parents’ lives were endangered by words you wrote about a football team – would you really step up the vitriol & name calling of those allegedly intent of such crimes?
He also claims that another blogger (PhilMac) steals all his scoops without crediting him. Indeed, while hiding behind his own complete anonymity, he roundly ridicules Phil as a fake & a plagiarist who chooses to live safely in Ireland. His own rationale for his anonymoity is “reasons of personal safety”, yet he started his site anonymously before he’d written a single word. He knew what he was doing but carried on regardless. He regularly references the blue gangsters who are out to harm him, usually as a prelude to demanding money from lurkers – accompanied by his version of menaces. His criticism of Phil’s position and threatening the closure of his own site if we don’t send him more money are all delivered without a hint of parody, personal reflection or critical thinking.
He rejects advertising as a source of revenue for personal reasons, but will regularly & publicly castigate people who view his site without making financial the financial donations that he demands, despite the fact that he chose to start the site as a free to view/comment blogsite. He entices punters onto his site, then once they’re hooked, he tries to make them feel guilty for not giving him money. He has portrayed himself as a self appointed righteous crusader against whatever takes his fancy. His targets are usually Sevco related, but other targets are treated with the same anger & vitriol: the McCann family, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared in Portugal, have been mericilessly pilloried by him because he subscribes to one of the several consipracy theories that exist.
“John James” chooses to remain anonymous, howls at the moon and never appears to offer any helpful comment on anything he writes about. He constantly resorts to personal attacks and name calls those he chooses to excoriate in his articles. His bitterness, anger & narcissim scream out from his articles & his own replies to those responders that only he approves for publication. Not surprisingly, many of his personally selected & regular responders pander to his need to be lauded. However, I have to hand it to him – he knows how to operate his own version of clickbait with Celtic fans his principal target. He seems angry at the world generally, but specifically at Sevco and at the system that obliges him to pay money for his children to his ex-wife.
For a while, I used to go there for my “snigger at Sevco” fix, but his narcissism, bitterness & juvenile ranting became tiresome & exhausting. I also objected to reading criticisms directed at me (and others) because I chose not to send money to someone who remained anonymous & yet had no qualms in emotionally blackmailing people he doesn’t know , but whom HE also deliberately attracted onto his site in the first place.
If his chosen model of blogsite is not viable for him then he should just close it down.
He is his own biggest fan and we need only contrast what he chooses to speak about, what he says & how he says it with those of the author of this blog to really appreciate the vast chasm in class between them – at the risk of embarrassing Paul.
He may well have his “sources” close to some of the action at Sevco but then so do others, who might even be the same source. (After all, Phil has been exploiting his sources for years before John James appeared on the scene) The reason for that place leaking like a sieve is quite obvious: they’re a dysfunctional operation from top to bottom & whistleblowers abound in this type of environment.
He started his pay to view articles some time ago, but has to revert to the traditional open forum articles to remind his non paying lurkers that he is still around & trying to be relevant. His pay to view stuff is merely an extension of his failed attempts to solicit money by threatening to leave if we didn’t pay.
He controls the relationship he has with punters but his regular manipulation of that relationship is odious.
HH
Lennybhoy
Fret – never
Worry – all the time
MIKE IN TORONTO @ 6:03 PM
“Would I be upset if the situation were reversed ? If I am being honest, probably would.”
WHY??
Mr MacLennan took up his position in the SPFL before he took up his role in The International News Media Association
Mr MacLennan had much more senior roles in major media organisations – he seems more than qualified for the position and there is no suggestion that he got the role than anything other than merit
there has been no evidence or even the slightest suggestion of partiality
there are no grounds in the slander that he failed to disclose his position – Neil Doncaster actually stating he disclosed it before taking up his position.
So MIT, why?
If you want to know what a potential conflict of interest in Scottish Football looks like it’s this…
https://www.channel4.com/news/by/alex-thomson/blogs/potential-conflicts-interest-heart-scottish-football
It happened when Scottish Football was going through it’s worse crisis ever, when major investigations, inquiries and decisions were being taken.
There was no suspension or investigation then, WHY should there be now?
Hail Hail
Dallas
In our youth, Clydebank had Saint Andy’s and Saint Columba of Iona RC secondary or ‘The Iona’. The Iona became a super school and was renamed Saint Peter the Apostle or ‘The Apostle’ locally. I played against a player from ‘The Iona’ for Saint Tams, who I thought would be a Celtic great like his grandad Patsy Gallacher. Unfortunately Kevin never made it to Paradise as a player. Patsy and John Divers were two Bankie bhoys my dad loved.
John51 @ 6:56
Not for the first time, a well constructed interesting post. And pretty much accurate on all observations.
‘John James’ rumoured to be a friend of Jack Irvine and Media House, been done over by Traynor and Level 5….allegedly
Celtic should not make any comments concerning Sevco attacks on SFA people. It is not our business.
Celtic had been outmanouverered by Murray when he played out his SFA plot involving Campbell Ogilvie, George Peat, Gordon Smith, Stewart Regan et al. We were asleep and the Rangers survival plot was passed on by these placemen. They together with Bryson and Broadfoot ensured that all decisions were in the hands of the grippers.
Celtic will no longer accept this and our coup is getting the Sevco sympathisers out and Independent modern new blood in. We wont be caught out again by the cheaters. We have ensured that Ian Maxwell and others are now in position. They know what has happened under the “old School” and they will not allow this to happen again. It is for them to shoot down King.
Statement o’clock is a term about these clowns who have less and less credibility.
In a statement mentioning
“allegations on non-disclosure”,
“conflict of interest”
“transparency”
“credibility”
“confidence of stakeholders”
“probity of governance”
King fails to mention his own role in the past & current incarnations of his club.
Parody CSC
John 51.
Loved your comments about Franny Mc, last week.
Fond memories.
You are pretty spot on about J.J.
Initially he posted on The R.S.L website and was friendly with McMurdo junior.
As you say, when he wanted it to become about the cash, he courted Celtic fans.
Jack Irvine posts occasionally on the site, so no doubt there is a connection there.
Hail Hail
Mcginn signed yet??? HH
The chutzpah on display from King is beyond belief. You actually have to applaud him for it – it’s mindblowing that anyone in Ibrox could demand transparency and probity in Scottish football and not burst out laughing at the same time.
Must be bad news coming and this is his pre-emptive strike: Euro license refused perhaps?
J51
Should finish with Imo
Only 3 day’s late — but the CL Final offers hope for next season.
JK took a Premiership select to the final with a MF trio that would struggle to dominate at CP.
He made the most of limited resources and showed what effort, belief and desire can achieve. Look at what talent we have at our disposal over the past 5 years — the same effort, belief and desire will take as a long way next season if we can throw of the mental shackles and make a real challenge in the CL.
JMcG — no brainer.
RB — need new blood in that position.
CB — does VvD have a wee brother.
We are in a good place at the moment, however we have failed from this position in the past before. Hopefully BR3.0 will learn from the mistakes of 12 months ago and push on towards a CL campaign that is not noted for its timidity, fear and City Break attitudes.
We can be a £50mill TO company just as easy as a £100mill TO company.
Next season will define the next decade.
More PL inspired penny pinching and we can shelve any plans to do up the stadium and it’s surrounds. We need to become a CL football team and not a music hall act for TV audiences.
tully57 on 29th May 2018 2:17 pm
Always thought Eric had great leadership qualities. Just don’t think he is a Brendan type central defender.
He will always have my gratitude for steadying the ship when we were 2-0 down to Beer Sheva and 1 more would put us out with around 20 minutes remaining. They were creating chance after chance but then hardly anything after the big man came on.
==============================================
That.
Still bemused as to why he didn’t get a decent run in the side this season. Surprised that he wasn’t first defensiv ename on the teamsheet – when fit – beside big Jozo for the backs-to-the-wall CL games
We spent on the invisible Compper. Eric’s ‘downfall’ (see what I did there, Phil and deid Hun afficionados?) games revolved around poor performances against the Huns.
I still maintain he was escapegoated (see what I did there, illiterate Hun bloggers?) due to Boyata’s propensity for criminally wandering out of position – the 1-1 Hun game CP circa April 17, last min stonewaller denied by mason Madden. Had we won that game with the obvious pen, Eric would not have been slaughtered erroneously. His high-profile vilification that day was due to scrambling around to cover two defensive positions.
He might not have bene a ball-playing CB, but I admired his organisational ability, and his courage – personified by Israel; not a player to hid ewhen the going got tough. Shame to lose such character, and a natural defender, from the squad.
However, BR saw him daily and that’s the crux of it; paid handsomley to make the decisions we mull over.
Good luck Eric, thanks for displaying the characteristics of a proper mainstay when many heads around you were exploding at the end of the RD era and in the midst of that Tel Aviv siege.
tully57 on 29th May 2018 2:17 pm
Always thought Eric had great leadership qualities. Just don’t think he is a Brendan type central defender.
He will always have my gratitude for steadying the ship when we were 2-0 down to Beer Sheva and 1 more would put us out with around 20 minutes remaining. They were creating chance after chance but then hardly anything after the big man came on.
==============================================
That.
Still bemused as to why he didn’t get a decent run in the side this season. Surprised that he wasn’t first defensiv ename on the teamsheet – when fit – beside big Jozo for the backs-to-the-wall CL games
We spent on the invisible Compper. Eric’s ‘downfall’ (see what I did there, Phil and deid Hun afficionados?) games revolved around poor performances against the Huns.
I still maintain he was escapegoated (see what I did there, illiterate Hun bloggers?) due to Boyata’s propensity for criminally wandering out of position – the 1-1 Hun game CP circa April 17, last min stonewaller denied by mason Madden. Had we won that game with the obvious pen, Eric would not have been slaughtered erroneously. His high-profile vilification that day was due to scrambling around to cover two defensive positions.
He might not have been a ball-playing CB, but I admired his organisational ability, and his courage – personified by Israel; not a player to hid ewhen the going got tough. Shame to lose such character, and a natural defender, from the squad.
However, BR saw him daily and that’s the crux of it; paid handsomley to make the decisions we mull over.
Good luck Eric, thanks for displaying the characteristics of a proper mainstay when many heads around you were exploding at the end of the RD era and in the midst of that Tel Aviv siege.
Unwitting Lightning-Fingered Double Post Podium Triumph.
Like a boss.
Pebble in the pond time — TFOD2.1 go under again.
Do the “great unwashed” as the rough end of their support can sometimes be called have the capacity to cope with a third incarnation?
If TFOD collapse and don’t recover what happens next?
Would the local egg chasers buy the stadium to replace Scotstoun?
Do we hang about or do we have an exit plan?
LennyBhoy, this cant be true, Celtic don’t have that kind of cash lying about! Celtic can only dream about spending £5m on a footballer, the stadium is in ruins and needs sorted before the club can think about spending money on players! The roof LennyBhoy, what’s the roof doing?
The area around the ground is a disgrace, you can’t even drive up to the stadium anymore, the polis have had to put bollards in the road to cut down on crime! Like robbing trophies and using getaway open topped buses!!
As for the stands!?!?! They’re falling down and Celtic have wallpapered the outside of the stadium with old pictures of hasbeens to try to paint over the cracks!
Sevco will gazump Celtic and swoop in and take EO, or they could if they wanted to, from under Celtics noses. And get him for £500,000.00 because EO will insist he wants to play at Ibrox every week as he finds it so easy to score there! And his salary will be covered from selling bubba bubba, blue coloured of course, or orange at a premium price!!!! Coz it’s worth it!
Coz he has always loved Sevco since he always a wee bear:-) (might have made this bit up!)
Sorry for the ramble, just trying to get into the Sevco mindset.
OffforashowerCSC
RamblingCSC
MADMITCH
Limited resources??
They paid 150 Million Pounds for four players???
Hmmmm
ES — hope things go well for him in the future.
Did a good job against limited opposition but is some way short of the standard we will need next season. Consequently best that he moves on a gets regular games.
Loved his energy an his commitment.
Struggled with his lack of pace and his limited talent.
MADMITCH
the “great unwashed” as the rough end of their support can sometimes be called
Correction , that’s the sophisticated end of their support. Otherwise, an interesting post.
Someone is obviously pissing on DK’s chips.
For him to suggest non disclosure is a serious fault when Rangers engaged in it from 2000 to 2012 in player registrations, dealing with HMRC, the UEFA licence in 2011 and SPL lawyers investigation into use of ebts and side letters in 2012 suggests he is searching for the plot he has lost.
On JohnJames: Much of John51’s criticism is justified.
I should say that most of the problems with his website flow from his determination to publish a new post, usually a long and detailed one, every day, However, he has right on his side in his appraisal of Dave King and David Murray, he is spot on about the systemic dishonesty of the mainstream media, press and broadcast, in Scotland, and he has a keen eye and a good, though layman’s, understanding of the legal actions and threats that swarm around the club that plays at Ibrox (how we need a successor to the wonderful Paul McConville).
I don’t like his lavatorial turn of phrase / turn of mind, and I like even less his commitment to conspiracy theories about the McCanns, the Kennedy assassinations, the moon landings etc. And I think he weakens his argument whenever, which is often, he turns on Phil Macg and the Scottish Football Monitor.
But, he strives to tell it as he sees it, he is literate and brave, he speaks well of this site and of several of its leading contributors. His worst enemy would have to concede that he is a “bonny fichter”, though a dirty one. I always read his blog, and when I send him a few quid, which is rarely, I make a point of sending the same amount to Phil.
And … the steaming, stinking, proliferating mess that is The Rangers, the nest of incompetence and corruption that is the SFA – don’t they need bludgeoning just as much as the deserve CQN’s rapier ?
SP — all that proves is how much money they had.
They paid top dollar for VvD because they had to get him at all costs.
Their MF was very poor and it showed.
JM was the standout and that shows how poor they were.
Us / good performances over the past two months vs JK’s team from Saturday?
Good game or a walkover for them?
You’d think ole Dave was trying to hide something…
SmokenmirrorsCSC
Weet Weet Weet
Thinking of you big mhan
YNWA
Madmitch
I was at Anfield in 2003 when Alan Thompson and John Hartson destroyed Liverpool in what at the time was a fair fight. 15 years later if we were to play Liverpool, it would not be a fair fight. Money has corrupted fitba and left us on the hard shoulder. MON saw it coming.
C’est la vie.
YNWA
DELANEYS @ 7:11pm,
CLYDEBANK aso had St Eunans primary school before St Columba senior school was built. Eunan was a disciple of Columba.
GDT @ 7.37
The whole situation regarding our friends in the West is so extra ordinary that it would appear to be football as imagined by LC “down the rabbit hole.”
Mental is only the half of it.
What could you add to the mix to make even more irrational?
It is beyond irony that two of the big players in their short history have been a Mr Green and a Mr White — you have to ask what David Icke would have to say about this incredible coincidence?
TFOD without the SDM ego trip / greed / small man syndrome and the supports moonbeam tendency is a business opportunity that has few equals in UK sport. It took a particular type of idiot / walloper / snake oil salesman to run it into the ground but now we have had a succession of them each adding to the agony in their own unique way.
At some point this farrago collapses into a heap that will not recover?
What happens next — the bigot pound spreads out / the establishment pound heads out east to Gorgie — and do we hang about to find out.?
RC
When Dave King looks in a mirror, I doubt he sees a reflection of himself.
Bet he casts no shadow in the sun either.
Beelzebub
DD @ 7.54
So what should be our response?
Curl up into a ball and hope the big boys go away?
How do we fight back?
JK earned his wages and then some by taking that team to a CL final.
No matter how much they cost they are not — from end to end — a great team.
Should we not want to match them?
VvD walked into that team.
VW would have walked into that team.
KT would walk into that team.
MD would walk into that team.
CG would walk into team.
A MF of SB / ON / TR would have given them an extra dimension.
We have had our issues this season.
However JK with our squad would not have had our CL issues.
BR3.0 needs to take things forward in the CL.
The resources are there.
John51 at 6.56, excellent post, excellent.