I know what you’re thinking, let’s hope we get more exciting January signings like Pawel Brozek, Rabiu Ibrahim and Freddie Ljungberg.
It’s slightly unfair to mock our January transfer business. Kris Commons arrived two years ago and constituted a one man title challenge for a few months (and still delights). Georgios Samaras and Barry Robson arrived in 2008 and went a long way to ensuring the title came to Celtic. We went signing crazy in January (and 1st Feb) 2010 when Robbie Keane, Diomansy Kamara and soon-to-be World Cup final legend…. Edson Braafheid arrived. Robbie proved his class but it was all in vain, alas.
Most of our worries seem to be focussed on protecting those already in the squad. I’m not too concerned one way or another for the Juventus tie, which will take care of itself, but decisions made today will need to consider the Champions League qualifier challenges we will face in August. If we sell Gary Hooper today there is no guarantee we will be able to recruit his replacement until the final gasp of the August window.
So far this month we have addressed long-term strategy and short-term cover, if we do any more business I’d be happy with more of the same.
Contrary to career expectations 29-year-old Edson Braafheid is not now a delivery driver for Argos but he’s not playing a lot of football these days either.
If the server overheats later I’m on Twitter, @CQN, and I’ll do my best to figure out Facebook, CQN Magazine, too.
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BMCUW
petec
Ah, the age old debate of what version is better. If I had a choice it would be that every singer/band who released it on a label should be force fed drugs & alchohol of our choice to see who could muster the most coherent version.
charliebhoy
Your a hero in your bhoy’s eye’s, dont forget it. You deserve to relax, hopefully mrs charliebhoy is too.
Serious business though, tomorrow morning it’s back to bleating on about past celtic hero’s, make sure you drum it into him proper now :)
HH
great, missus has flaked out on the sofa, cant be arsed to lift her but can be arsed to tank what’s left of the wine
resident:-you are imortal…the conception of my 4 meant i lifted her…..family planning in the 21st century..wouldnt change a thing(though my back is screwed!) hh
So we continue with Charlie Mulgrew as The play maker supported by the full backs.
And people question why the manager always manages to shoe horn Mulgrew into the team? Its the managers only creative idea, the play making centre half. Im a big fan of Mulgrew but to have him as our main/only play maker is horrendous.
Delighted at the signing of Tom Rogić but surely he is not the answer to a creatively inept team? Would the manager have the guts to start a creative central midfielder never mind on thats just came from Oztralia?
We have done well in the CL this season as the manager is good at defensive Steaua Bucharest 87 tactics and it could see us go far, its the best we can do with our managerial and playing resources but are we no Celtic? Playing two defensive midfielders and relying on a centre half as play maker in an SPL that many think should be easy this year? Aye?
Not read back and can see todays spin, ‘Lawwell did great to keep these players’ how many serious bids came in? We didnt need to sell players and were free to knock back any offers if they did come in but Lawwell will be praised today.
The moneyball/Lyon/Porto thing we are doing just now is brilliant and perfectly timed to take us to 10 in a row and beyond but at times its blinkered money before football where we end up with a 20 year old from the Oztralian league and a manager who cant handle creativity in the middle of the park.
Will still win the Champions League.
Morning Celts did we sign Messi?
VMHAN
Naw,mate.
Barca couldnae afford the cash adjustment to us in the swap with him and Vic,and Neil pointed out that Leo would struggle to hold down a first-team place.
Well,that’s how it would have been spun if you had asked about him signing for the huns!
,
Good morning CQN from a wet Clydebank
God bless you and your family charliebhoy
Very pleased we have kept all our best players
With some new young faces coming in during the January window
Look forward to seeing them in the hoops
Keep the Faith
Hail Hail
gscbhoy (kick them whilst they are down – remove their stars!)
23:57 on
31 January, 2013
emusanorphan
23:51 on 31 January, 2013
Indeed he is. He played with our 1994 squad although he was a year younger. A very good player when he left a couple of years ago, and a very nice boy (he used to come and watch his pals play whenever he didnt have a game of his own).
Unfortunately, one of his ex team mates went onto to sign for Sevco (a big Celtic man as well). I expected him to be getting a game by now but that is always going to be difficult when you have Lee Elbows in front of you, the third best player in the world
———————————————————–
There are a couple of GSC kids form the 1995 year playing for Raith. Unfortunately one is out after having knee surgery (striker). The other is a midfielder but I’m not sure if he will be in the first team on Sunday, only 17 yrs old.
charliebhoy
03:20 on 1 February, 2013
……………..
Brilliant post mate,
A big HH to you and your son
YNWA
Vinny
✊
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers
05:49 on 1 February, 2013
……….
Ha ha!
Good morning from pishy Wishy.
Good morning from Keichy EK ;-)
EN you’ll be glad to get that off yir chest :>)
We do need a creative midfielder but we won’t bust the bank for a proven one so a Rogic type signing is the best we expect at the moment, we’re heading in the right direction and I hope a Rogic type steps up.
V
✊
Good Morning from a Dull Airdrie, Home of the now envoled Family Flu, they flu which has something for everyone. My 1 yr old is the last man standing, House wiped out.
KLV
…however, may I wish a Big Happy Friday to the worldwide family of CQNers.
Hi ho……
SENSATIONAL NEWS breathlessly reported this morning on the radio.
nothing much interesting happened on the last day of the winter transfer window.
So there you have it
HH
Vmhan 06:53
I think Rogic is a great signing but we still have a creatively inept manager who has a centre half as his main play maker.
Moving forward businesswise, moving backwards in entertaining football, Gordon Strachan would be slated for the football we play and form we have.
EN
January transfer windows are always the same, quiet, the odd estranged player moves on and the teams fighting relegation in the epl get desperate and get out the shopping basket and the rest of us just get on with it.
KLV
We have kept the squad intact in addition to this have added some more young frogs in Rogic, Gershon and a young Swedish G/K
Neil continues to learn about his squad and himself as we are undoubtedly making progress with the football side of the club
The playmaker role is overstated and naive, having only one game plan through one individual is fatally flawed, we have to continue to develop our ability to compete in Europe by improving the technique and athleticism in all areas of the team
Celtic F.C. IMO is being taken forward underpinned on a sound financial basis with progressive thinking impressive staff in all sections of the football club
True Estadio, And when CM aint at the races we defo do struggle and sometimes don’t even bother turning up like on Sunday, CM would have been right off the park after the pen miss and his reaction (or lack of) if it had been a different manager.
KLV
All true as well Lionsroar but a Plan b would be nice to have and especially as we play packed defenses more often than not, I’m surprised that paddy is still here.
KLV
EN I understand what your saying, a bit of patience will see the unravelling of that playmaker you and I ( and Lenny) are looking for.
HH to ye!
V
Did Sevco vote against their own proposal. Interesting from Phil.
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/cometh-the-hour-cometh-the-man/#more-3526
vmhan
Good luck with your continued sobriety. Mine is complete and I will raise a glass to you tonight.
E.N.7.03
Creativity is a luxury we cannot currently afford.
Productivity will have to do in the meantime.
Before I send the following email off to the Organisers of the Fresno Bike ride in September,cna anyone inform me of just what the deal is with STV and Sevco?
“It saddens me that I won`t be doing the Bike Ride this year . I cannot take part in an event sponsored by STV because of their teaming up with a racist,sectarian and corrupt Glasgow football Club.”
Your etc
JJ
kevinlasvegas
07:12 on
1 February, 2013
All true as well Lionsroar but a Plan b would be nice to have and especially as we play packed defenses more often than not, I’m surprised that paddy is still here.
Packed defences can prove difficult even for a team like Barca, who are around 400 million Euros in debt and have the best player in the world in their team, no stratedgy delivers 100% certainties no divine right to win every match
googybhoy ♥ celtic
07:16 on
1 February, 2013
……….
Good on ye and well done pal.
Hootsman today
Reading between Longmuirs guff it seems more SFL clubs with the SPL proposals rather than chucks opposition
y ANDY NEWPORT
Published on Thursday 31 January 2013 23:22
SCOTTISH Football League chief executive David Longmuir insists a new league structure for the game could be in place for next season – but only if the clubs want it that soon.
Longmuir claims “anything is possible” but insists the 30 clubs in his set-up and 12 in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League must first agree over the controversial matter of timescale.
Third Division leaders Rangers have voiced their anger at suggestions a new league structure could be hurried through in time for next season, claiming their current campaign would be rendered meaningless if reconstruction means they will still be playing in the bottom tier of a new set-up.
Opinion on the matter was split yesterday as the SFL held its first round-table talks with all 30 of its members at Hampden.
Representatives from several clubs voiced differing views on the matter as they arrived for the meeting on the southside of Glasgow yesterday morning but they did agree to push forward with proposals for either a 12-12-18 set-up or an alternative involving two bottom leagues made up of ten teams each.
Longmuir, though, claims that, if consensus eventually points to a desire for an early start, it could yet happen. He said: “Any change is deliverable if there’s a will and a consensus to go for it.
“We want to see improvement in the game and that is ultimately our aim. The quicker we can bring that about the better. Whether it’s achievable or not for next year is another matter and that will be determined by what we can do over the next few weeks and months in terms of bringing the rules together.
“The board will get together over the next couple of weeks and see where we can take it.
“We will start the work now behind the scenes to take a look at the detail.”
Iain Dougan, the vice-chairman of Stranraer, is predicting a sudden change in pace.
“I would say they would be back in here within the fortnight to get a yay or nay on this,” he said, before voicing his confidence that the restructure could be done in time for next season.
“A lot of work is to be done but, if the clubs want it, I’m sure it can be done. If it’s not done for then, we’ll be back to the drawing board again.”
Despite there being no formal approval of the plans, Longmuir insists the Hampden meeting was not just another talking shop and pleaded with fans to show patience. He said: “This has been the first time that the SFL have had a chance to get together as a group since we started the dialogue on league reconstruction. You have got to give it some context in that respect.
“I’m pleased at the way the meeting ended up. We had very strong support to move forward to the next stage in the discussions with our colleagues in the SPL and the Scottish Football Association. We are now going to start looking at the detail of rulebooks and other areas you would expect when trying to combine two organisations.
“Nothing, though, has changed from an SFL perspective other than we have had an opportunity to have everybody from the SFL together – clubs talking to clubs, clubs listening to clubs. There was a distinct mood that we are still keen on a 42-club solution to take the game forward and that is what we got.
“We were talking principles yesterday – one league body, governance, distribution – and those were the things that were key. Now we have had a clear message that our members want to take forward the full detail and we will now look at a combined rulebook.
“That will not happen overnight. We will have to work on that and, at some point, we will have to bring it back in a more formal package to the 30 clubs and allow them to make a much-more informed decision. The talks have to happen because, when you are going to make a change as big as this, it’s important to get everybody with you. That takes time and small steps.
“Hopefully we will be able to take bigger steps later on.”
Jungle Jim
07:20 on 1 February, 2013
Irrespective of the replies,
I love principles,
and admire yours.
JJ RE: stv is for scotland, scotland is 95%? protestant so they will support their majority audience. (or they as all season ticket holder for the devil dome)
KLV
Estadio Nacional
How do you define playmaker? Didn’t Commons, Matthews and Hooper take the Kilmarnock defence apart with intricate passing?
Is there a rule that says creativity must come from a lone individual playing at DM?
I think that if sevco aren’t in the PL next season they will go to the wall again. I expect even more favours from SFA/SPL. pity the fans and chairmen are’n’t so easily brought to heel.
KLV
macjay and kevin
Thanks for your replies.
macjay
I haven`t got many so must adhere to the few I do have0:-
JJ