With three deals done, the pace of transfer activity at Celtic appears to be approaching relentless. The Ivorian link will have been at work again, as news that we are interested in Olympiakos full back, Omar Elabdellaoui, testifies. Celtic coach, Kolo Toure’s brother Yaya, spent half a season at the Greek club before leaving last month.
Signing players is always a risk, so getting a first-hand insight into how a player performs from someone who has worked with him daily for the last six months is a huge advantage. Bear in mind, Elabdellaoui is just one of the right backs Celtic are considering. This one could run a while.
Reports from the US that we have agreed a deal to sign 22-year-old left back Andrew Gutman are amusing, mostly as he was being trailed as a signing elsewhere in the city. Great to see that as well as using our Ivorian links, we have plenty of connections at Scotland’s smaller clubs. If he arrives, hopefully Callum McGregor will not see more action in that position.
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BR had over the course of 5 windows only spent £2m or more on 4 players (and think how many players we have signed).
That counts, only if you restrict your thinking to the transfer bling market, as so many do.
Every good player we re-signed, under Brendan’s watch (Forrest, McGregor, Rogic etc;) will have cost ud big money. You have to factor in transfer fees plus wages. So many glibly assume that we can get a couple of £6m players that would easily fit within our wage structure. The easy way to do that is to buy a £2-3m player for twice what he’s worth and he’ll be willing to fit the structure.
Look at Castagne and the hints he does not want to come to Scotland. A man with 2 caps for Belgium and, perhaps, he thinks he is too good for Celtic and can do better at Hoffenheim, FFS. Swansea look to have offered Atalanta plenty of money but the player won’t play ball, at least, not for them it seems. These are the realistic barriers under which transfers have to take place.
Srry
First sentence above is a quote from “thehandscant hit” from earlier
BIGBHOY on 12TH JANUARY 2019 12:40 PM
Thanks for that post por cierto.
Breithlá sona do Cosy Corner Bhoy.
Happy 80th, Pat.
Pebble in the pond time regarding what kind of club we are now and what we should be aiming for in the future …
We should be a “buying” club — that is one which spends more on players than we take in.
In the past I put forward a plug number of £5mill as the player investment figure we should be aiming for every season. I would now put that figure up to £10mill given our current and potential T/O.
To go with this player investment figure I would also push for the senior football squad and coaches to have a target total outgoings of 50% of the T/O with a significant bonus element relating to match wins, competition wins and CL progress.
Not sure the correct split between basic and bonus — 60 / 40 overall for the full senior would be my first thought on this but the lower the salary would mean a higher basic % in practice as squad players have less chance of earning bonuses.
If we have a wage bill of £50mill we can afford £5mill for the coaching and support staff.
If we have a £50mill football wage bill we can afford 2 or three players on £80K pw basic if they are good enough and the arrangement delivers for the club.
The radical idea here would to payout a standard bonus across the full team.
SPL win = £10K for the starting 11 / £5K for the used substitutes / £3K for the unused substitutes and £1K each for the squad — £150K player outgoings for every SPL win.
30 SPL wins = £4.5mill in wages plus £600K EmpNI.
No matter the basic wages on offer the important aspect is the management of Deadwood. MON’s successful time at the club collapsed due to a lack of squad development and squad management — just paid higher wages to a squad that was getting older.
Finally all this talk that SMcK is not good enough for us.
Who do some people think we are?
Rank delusions of adequacy.
SFTB @ 4.29
Just more excuses.
One player with one set of circumstances and attitudes should not colour the way we do business.
If the EU Big 5 is not a good market then move on.
The US offers a lot of low cost potential, then there is SK and Japan and then there is Iran and North Africa.
I hope any loan deals to Hibs are just rumours, I would not give them a broken egg.
Just back from supermarket . Had the misfortune to have a wee look in the daily express .
There was Halliday pumping his gums at putting ntcham in his place early doors with a thumping challenge . Then arm field is pictured giving broonie the broonie and the quote it was time he put him in his place . That goes hand and hand with the scousers claim that the players followed his game plan and won all the battles on the field , which unfortunately they did . Every team now knows our real weakness . Any sign of a tough guy midfielder or two coming in .
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZqvkR1BfBk"Brilliant
It is a bit more civilised noooo the mad dash for the exit. :))
Awe Naw
Not making excuses, but the story that many of the squad were suffering from a virus, before the huns game has some basis
!!Bada Bing!! on 12th January 2019 5:11 pm
Not making excuses, but the story that many of the squad were suffering from a virus, before the huns game has some basis
……………………………………………………………………………
BB, I’m sure Celtic will respond emphatically after the Defeat to the New Rangers.
Goals early doors is gonnae be a good 1st half bet for a few games until the bookies do what bookies do.
It so annoys me when the cheat in Black he adds on 1 minute when Celtic are on the Goal trail. 6 subs used. :))
MadMitch
“Just more excuses.
One player with one set of circumstances and attitudes should not colour the way we do business.”
I have noticed you do tend to re-label reasons as excuses. When I factored in wages and contract renewal costs into my reply, I am proferring excuses.
But, when you go on to outline your financial model, and you have factored in wages and bonuses,a s you should, I am sure these will not be labelled as excuses.
As for your Just Juan Man argument, there have been many Castagne’s unwilling to come.
If we change to markets like Japan and Iran, I hope you are prepared for the labelling of your buys as “projects”, “More like Mizuno than Naka”, or as “Lawell going for sales of shirts to the Asian market rather than giving us quality”.
SFTB @ 5.35
Instead of trying to explain our failures.
Why don’t you put some effort into developing some success?
Ideas that can take us forward / improve our performance.
Anything else is just excuses that some lap up.
Give you a good start — get rid of PL.
Personally I would be expecting more bang for buck from PL, considerably more.
Still hoping McKenna rumours go away never to return, seemed a bit strange that with KT rumoured to be our for the season we’d let a player who can play LB go, not averse to letting Hayes go if KT or Gutman could play but that plus £4m seemed way too much
“Staunin’ Up Fur Big Peter”…………..
All things considered he’s our Bhoy and The Mhan for the job.
A thousand years!
Jimtim – sorry to hear about your misfortune of picking up and reading the Express.
Suggest washing your hands and eyes thoroughly – I’ll say a prayer for you.
:)
Hail hail
BIGBHOY
FM, CP – ECG
MadMitch
“Instead of trying to explain our failures.
Why don’t you put some effort into developing some success?
Ideas that can take us forward / improve our performance.
Anything else is just excuses that some lap up.
Give you a good start — get rid of PL.”
Firstly, I don’t see it as failure. I think we have done remarkably well in the 21st Century. And just as revolutionary tendencies tend to come to the fore during a period of relative liberalisation rather than at peak oppression, then I think our support has started to take domestic success for granted and pine for what their parents and grandparents enjoyed between 66 and 74 and cannot understand why they cannot be given it.
The suits are easy scapegoats. I don’t think they are either responsible for our success or for our perceived failures. We could change them all tomorrow and we’d still be in the same place. Well, unless we employed amateurs in their place. Then, we’d be worse off.
I believe we can still improve, even though we are relatively well off. I believe Basel are outperforming us as is Salzburg ( I still suspect cheating) and Ajax by-passed us long ago in the 70’s and have stayed ahead of us for most of the past 45 years.
The Bosman ruling, the change from European Cup to CL and the downplaying of the C part of CL, and, above all, the distorted effect of TV money are real and palpable reasons for us hitting a glass ceiling over the past 20 years since MON gave us a tantalising glimpse of a land beyond our reach. Even Chairbhoy was limiting his immediate ambitions to getting us past Group Stage Pot 4 cannon fodder into reaching also ran Pot3 level with an occasional last 16 CL or Europa quarter-final to add a bit of spice.
But you can go on believing you have a secret to pretend these are imaginary barriers! Just, don’t expect anyone to hand you the reins of responsibilty for implementing your project, based on assumptions and expectations that the dice will always roll six.
I have no great plan to offer beyond the platitude of just buy better players and Sell High/Buy Low. I just do not possess the insider knowledge to run a football club; I just pride myself on recognising the delusions of those that do. Like Peter Cook expressing regret to Dud that he could have been a High Court Judge but he “never had the Latin for judgin’ “, I fear that many of you lack more than Latin.
And to clarify for the hard of reasoning, I am not saying
We cannot do better
We just have to accept our lot
Nobody here has good ideas on what Celtic needs
The current custodians are the best we can hope for.
I believe none of the above and won’t waste time defending attacks on mis-readings.
I have tried to be very careful in what I posted and it mostly fits with the argument that I am sceptical about most of the uninformed (because it lacks a knowledge of the daily practices needed to run a successful football club) advice proferred on here because most of the proferrers have never bothered to enter the ranks and put their pet hypotheses to the test.
If you can make your local Boys club the best in your district, then you earn the right to develop an amateur club. Show promise at that and you might get a chance with a part-time Senior or Junior outfit. Rule the roost at that level and a senior club will take you on. Eventually, Celtic may be interested. Whether you fancy yourself as a club coach, manager or Club Secretary/CEO with recruitment responsibility, there is a career path where you can be judged in real time and in a real context.
Or you can go on bumping your gums with sceptics like me online. That’s where I will limit my ambitions.
As no denial has been forthcoming it looks likely that the ref in charge of our game against sevco was photographed in a sevco pub around the time of the game. Is this acceptable to his employers? We should be told.
SFTB @ 6.29
Is that it?
Next you’ll be taking baths out of social housing.
Not for the likes of us.
What I would like Brendan Rodgers to do in this Transfer window,is get shot of Boyata, Nitcham, Izzaguirre,Hendry,Hayes, Sinclair,when the going got tough against Sevco, Nitcham and Sinclair, didn’t have the stomach,for a get into them attitude,so I won’t lose any sleep if they get punted.
SFTB @ 6:29pm – I enjoyed your post.
BTW – does anyone actually KNOW if Beaton called “Foul Foul Foul” in the lead up to Ollie’s goal?
Oh look – a new Sevco News article slagging Celtic has appeared in Newsnow.
They seem to be playing the “embarrassing” card a fair bit.
Is this the best you can do Jabba?
Let’s see the accounts!
Did you get a bonus?
I think you’re overpaid!
Insane in the Membrane
So
The latests CQN suggestions to end this 7 year ,double treble slump.
Sack The CEO
Sell Ntcham,Sinclair ,Boyatta and other first team squad members.
Yup…that will help.
Oh and bring in experienced international class players at once.
Simple
MadMitch @ 6:45 pm
SFTB @ 6.29
Is that it?
Next you’ll be taking baths out of social housing.
Not for the likes of us.”
And yet, I wrote as clearly as I could… (see options 1,2 and 4)
“And to clarify for the hard of reasoning, I am not saying
We cannot do better
We just have to accept our lot
Nobody here has good ideas on what Celtic needs
The current custodians are the best we can hope for.
I think if the sfa blank us next week (on our request) we should try and force a vote of no confidence, as they clearly aren’t carrying out their duties. I don’t even know if this is an option. It would also call out all the other teams who have been vociferous this season.
In other news the valves have been fired up and Craig Charles is spinning some fine tunes, This port I got for Christmas is totally quaffable. Never really tried port before but it just tastes like the nicest red wine you could hope for, but 20%. Dangerous!
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 12TH JANUARY 2019 7:05 PM
Oh look – a new Sevco News article slagging Celtic has appeared in Newsnow.
They seem to be playing the “embarrassing” card a fair bit.
====
Looked at the video in that link of the big lass waving the Celtic towel at the Rangers(sic) players – that was actually embarrassing :-)))
HH
BGFC
Madm
In the past I put forward a plug number of £5mill as the player investment figure we should be aiming for every season. I would now put that figure up to £10mill given our current and potential T/O.
Based on what ?
Not sure…
If we have a wage bill of £50mill ….
The radical idea here would to payout a standard bonus across the full team.
SPL win = £10K for the starting 11 / £5K for the used substitutes / £3K for the unused substitutes and £1K each for the squad — £150K player outgoings for every SPL win.
Yep
You need to calm down or apply for PL’s job.
Snow off a dyke comes to mind
HH
Back to- Gerrard said Cheatin was shouting ‘foul,foul,foul…’
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 12TH JANUARY 2019 6:03 PM
@@@@@@@@
Many thanks for the prayers pal ,much needed and appreciated . Delighted to inform you .
That I didn’t,buy it . It was a free sneaky peaky . Still should have known better .
CCB a very Hoopy Happy Birthday….to the only guy on CQN who looks younger than his son….sorry Majoc ;-))
67HEAVEN @ 9:10 AM,
“We need to get you (or SFTB) signed up right away ….. the double-trebles / invincibles / financial well-being of the club was pure co-incidence and we need to get out there now and spend spend spend ….. glad I read your post ….makes it all sound so simple
No need, can’t speak for SFTBs but think he makes his position quite clear in that regard.
Now, why would you want to sign me up? What role do you have in mind?
To be perfectly straight with you, I enjoy my current role, sometimes it’s not easy, sometimes very challenging but you know something, making the excuse I’m not doing my job properly because its “difficult” never crosses my mind…
Have you ever wondered why the Board apologist cite the invincible Season and double treble as a successful policy of a well run business?
And
The same fholk state Brendan Rodgers is responsible for our recruitment debacle?
The reason I ask is before before Brendan Rodgers came, our recruitment was a mess, so why is that his fault?
Also before Brendan Rodgers came we didn’t have invincible Seasons nor did we win trebles, so why is this down to the PLC Board?
Odd Eh!?
Hail Hail
Jimtim – cheers.
Bada – thanks for reply. Would be interesting to know if Beaton confirmed to anyone.
Highly speculative but, if Beaton shouted this to Collum who then ignored it, what subsequently happened to Collum is potentially sinister.
As I said though – highly speculative.
Hail hail
Back 2- very good point,which might have been part of Level 5’s complaint…
Chairbhoy
“Have you ever wondered why the Board apologist cite the invincible Season and double treble as a successful policy of a well run business?”
Who is that person?