Two players arrived during this transfer window: Rami Gershon and Tom Rogic, with no first team players leaving the club. I don’t know what Neil has planned for Rami but his loan deal and stats at Standard Liege suggests he is here as cover. I expect to see as much of him as we saw of Pawel Brozek last season.
20-year-old Tom Rogic is different. He joins the club on the same runway as Victor Wanyama, Beram Kayal, Adam Matthews, Mikael Lustig and Emilio Izaguirre. I’ve refused to watch his YouTube clips but there is every reason to hope he will be as successful a recruit as our other recent acquisitions of a similar profile.
I’ve been banging on about Asset Management for years. The mantra being – they all have their price and if any club fails to grasp this reality they will underachieve. Against this backdrop, Gary Hooper will either sign a new contract in the coming weeks or there is a good chance he will leave for nothing when his contract expires in June 2014.
A fundamental problem prevented a deal being done for Gary last month. His value to Celtic, not necessarily in this season’s Champions League, but in the same tournament’s qualifiers in July and August, is far greater than his value to any suitor. In other words, his value as an asset is not measured by transfer fee alone. This squad should have enough to reach the Champions League group stages next season, worth the best part of £20m to Celtic. Any deals have to be measured against this target.
The kind of transfer decision Celtic made yesterday, a profitable club holding onto a player and at the risk of losing him leaving for free, is so much healthier than the scenario we previously faced, in an arms race with a rival who was prepared to spend money they could not afford in order to beat us. What a mistake that whole ‘Old Firm’ thing was. Glad to see the back of it.
The ‘big clubs’ in England didn’t come looking for Gary. Instead, a well-run club made several attempts to acquire a good player on a price appropriate for their income. No harm in that, you have to give Norwich the respect any yokel deserves trying to hook up with a beauty queen (nothing implied about people from Norwich, or Gary as a queen!).
There is no guarantee the same club will be playing top-flight football when he becomes available, or that a club with a greater income, or with a more flamboyant approach to spending, will move for him, so there is every chance that Gary and his new agent will figure out that an extra year on his Celtic contract for a hefty wage rise is a decent option.
There is an interesting side plot to the Hooper non-transfer. Victor Wanyama is sitting on an offer of a substantial wage increase to extend his contract from 2015 to 2016. Unless someone comes in with an offer greater than his value to Celtic in Champions League campaigns he’ll be here until 2015.
Chances of both players signing new contracts in the coming months has to be a wee bit higher today. All those meaningless scripts about Celtic being a selling club floating around various places will have to be shelved for another time. We are a selling club, but only at the right price and the right time, just as it should be.
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Kev jungle reckons we have spent 5m on bangura,lassad and miku.
Am i only one thinks this is loada baloney
I’am dissapointed we didnt fork out on a quality player,playmaker ,striker or centre half.
I think juve are there for taking and another very good signing would have given us great chance…
Is mla off season? Tim cahill woulda been good loan signing.
Anyway plus side is we have kept strong young team together.
Hope to see the two tonys start sunday.
Would also like to have seen paul george or aztic (spl) loaned out for some better experiance. Sound like quality players.
Googybhoy,Hope so and keep Hooper, ace strike force. I think JR has a bit of everything, him and Stokes would be pretty potent as well. JR a bit taller than Hooper/Stokes.
KLV
Any news on Sami’s injury?
Proudbhoy, it maybe not far off 5m, i thknk bang was a few bob off the top off my head, not sure about the other two. But new signings ive been realistic, we have enough for domestic (should have had enough for treble) and lets face it we won’t won CL. so no need to invest. Anyone got the price for those three strikers?
KLV
proudbhoy
Facts:
Bangura cost over 2M (reportedly)
Lassad was a free
Miku is a loan
Wed. 30/1/2013. 22.30
BBC Northern Ireland
The Nolan Show – Series 2 – Episode 8
I watched this programme last night on catch-up. The main item is a discussion of the ‘fleg’ debate.
More importantly for most of us is the second item, which is a very moving interview with Wee Oscar’s mum & dad & some lovely footage.
I wonder if any of our techies might be able to post a link to this show to allow as many of us as possible to see the wee hero’s inspiring struggle.
Thanks for any help.
Toscanabhoy, Neil will do a press conference this morning hopefully for injury updates, he didn’t seem too concerned yesterday though,
KLV
Thanks Snake,Lassad looks good, Bang no where near it and Miku looked good in flashes especially with the ball at his feet, doesnt look like he fancies the header though.
KLV
The West Brom player made a bit of an @ss of himself yesterday. Very strange scenario.
I took a punt on them to get relegated a month ago at 100/1. That boy will upset the dressing room. They have not won in 5 games and not stregthened much either. Could be a wise bet or just a wild punt but the teams at the bottom all seem to be stregthening.
Glad Celtic kept all the top players but would like to have seen an attacking midfielder or another forward come in. Trust Neil though and I feel we have the team if all our top stars are fit to give them a right good go over the two legs.
Hopefully see some goals at the weekend v Raith Rovers.
LB
Cuff sevco 7-0 ?
I’d rather just cuff them round the coupon 7/24.
I never want to see those murderous bigots @ Celtic Park ever again.
Nor do I wish to see us have to endure their toxic blood soaked plague-pit of a ground ever again.
I wish them nothing but a Dantean spiral descent down the nine levels of Hell.
That’ll show them a thing or two about cheating their way to 9iar.
I could go on.
But I won’t.
There are just so many facts with which to blow KevJungle’s assertions to smithereens that we’d be writing a tome of biblical proportions.
The huns are dead. Sevco are mirror images thereof. The picture of Dorian Grey F.C…..soon to rot, remenbered only as an allegorical cautionary tale.
Here Here Miki67, me too, If we did play them, andrew Dallas would get his spl debut no doubt, the cheating would be off the scale. and of late its been pretty bad game in game out.
KLV
Thanks KLV.
I think things are shaping up nicely.
While the players should be focused on the next game, I am now in Juventus match mode. Only 11 more sleeps.
Miki67,
On fine form this morning I see!
And what everyone else is saying about our highly praised in every quarter victory over Barça which this KJ is scurrilously trying to demean, diminish, discredit and denigrate :
Correct
Correct
Correct
Correct.
Did this hun actually see the game? Barça put out their top team, went hell for leather, and lost.
Because on the night, we were actually the bettter team, in terms of tactics and chances converted.
And everybody knows. Except for KJ, apparently.
But hey, he’s entitled to his opinion, even if formed in Bedlam.
miki67,
I will never again attend a football match involving them, their tribute circus or any such incarnation.
I encourage all fans of football to do the same.
They died, I rejoice.
cv
lol.they are jittering a bit toscanabhoy, but after Sunday my confidence has been knocked, we still have Hyde side to attitude. Still our young team can do anything if their attitude and application is right, it will be a night to remember, Hope Sammy is fit and Lassad gets the nod or Tony W for counter attack pace.
KLV
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qck1z/The_Nolan_Show_Series_2_Episode_8/
Fast forward about 35 mins in
miki67.
agree mate the next time we see the hun hoardes darken our doorstep it will still be 2 bloody soon.
am hopeing that after LNS they will just implode and save us all the trouble in future seasons of having to look/listen/smell them.
and another thing how could any so called Celtic fan not know that barca hadn’t qualified when they played us.ffs
10 men won the league
I have said for some time now that THE Celtic board strategy seems to be one of wait and see.
Wait for the inevitable downfall of the Lower/middle EPL teams, like QPR etc so that eventually a degree of sanity will come into the wages and transfer fees and then Celtic can attract the standard of players that a club with 60k fans expect .
While we are waiting though, we may find that since we no longer have the stars at CP that the attendances have been falling year on year for the past 10 years. (This is not intended a criticism of the wait and see strategy, because I don’t think the board have any alternative.) But by god I wish that EPL would hurry up and commit suicide so that normality can break out and teams such as QPR/Norwich with 18,000 fans are not outbidding clubs with a much healthier structure such as ourselves (sky money excluded)
Gonnay Hurry up and go bust csc
miki67
10:57 on
1 February, 2013
That sums iy up for me to
Not an old firm fan, never defined myself as a Celtic supporter by references to them in Govan
Don’t understand why anyone exchanges with the troll.
50 shades dont take the bait mate, Hopefully we never play them again, But if we do the whole of scotland will be in for a world of hurt and who will stand up to them? the politicians? police? msm? na. I dread it. I hope like u that LNS does kill them, not holding my breath though mate.
KLV
Snake Plissken
10:46 on
1 February, 2013
Just to be absolutely clear for those who missed it – had Barcelona won at Celtic park then they would have qualified.
When they lost they still had to qualify with two games left to play.
Any suggestion that they had the group sown up when they played us in Glasgow is bogus.
============================================================
Snake ,to be fair to Kev……….the record didny put it that way.
Happy with our staff positions today.
All our players still here…. Hopefully big Fraser and wee James back very soon.
I am realistic about our chances against Juve …. Slim . But if we go out ~ its been a great and very profitable journey.
Also happy that johnny Russell is still at dundee utd
I’m new on here,, but I get the impression kev is a bit of a glass half empty kinda guy…..perhaps even the victor meldrew of CQN. It really is a shame that he’s never a happy chappy. I’m thinking st. Brigid could guide him into being a tadge more positive. And by the way…feck the huns,, and feck the horse they rode into oblivion on. They have single handedly ruined scottish football. See we can all be negative, but the positive is…..the barstewards are deid. Come on kev, give us a smile, you know you want to.
lionroars67
11:06 on 1 February, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qck1z/The_Nolan_Show_Series_2_Episode_8/
Fast forward about 35 mins in
_________________
Much obliged.
Thank you.
Scottish Cup Record v Raith Rovers
22/02/1908 QF AWAY W 3-0 McMenemy 2, Kivlichan 14,000
24/02/1923 QF HOME 1-0 McLean 31,000
31/03/1951 SEMI HAMPDEN W 3-2 J Weir (7), McPhail (40), Tully (81) HT 2-1 84,237
25/02/1961 AWAY W 4-1 Chalmers (7), OG (14), Fernie (26), Hughes (90) HT 3-1 19,359
13/04/1963 SEMI IBROX W 5-2 Divers (10), McKay 2 (51 pen, 57 pen), Chalmers (70), F Brogan (84) HT 1-1 35,681
06/03/1971 QF HOME W 7-1 Lennox 3 (22, 27, 81), Gemmell (36 pen), Callaghan (52), Wallace (72), Davidson (74) HT 3-0 32,000
26/01/1980 HOME W 2-1 Lennox (15), Doyle (34) HT 2-0 18,000
17/02/1996 HOME W 2-0 Thom (9), Donnelly (23) 31,870
P 8 W 8 D 0 L 0 F 27 A 7
Harper Macleod’s Rod McKenzie was the SPL’s man at this week’s Commission. What changed/ Adn why?
alex thomson@alextomo
So – Harper Macleod lawyers who have acted for Celtic were ‘low-level’ paper-gatherers for Nimmo Smith in Sept – yet became central players?
Kilbowie Kelt
11:15 on
1 February, 2013
Your welcome
Man, I’m irate. Quite often I’m prepared to be amused by Kojo ( say what you like, his footballing nous is usually on the money and he actually loves Celtic…you can tell.) Even tsd can make me splutter with outraged disbelieving laughter and even he has the good grace to occasionally apologise, when his motormouth causes very real offence.
But this KJ is a class apart.
The only thing that would seemingly make him happy is if we just ambled away and Klan F.C. stormtroopered their way back to invading Europe.
The spl is a happier place without the ultra-violent menace. Long may it remain so.
Alex Thomson stoking the zombies paranoia going on about Celtic lawyers at the SPL Tribunal.
I’m a bit disappointed that Lenny does not seem to have faith in our young goalkeepers. There is a 19-year-old in the England squad, but our young keepers don’t seem to be considered good enough to be our third choice after FF and Lukas. Or does it mean Lukas is leaving in the summer?
murdochbhoy, yermanfrommk
09:09 on
1 February, 2013
up_over_goal
We’re not actually a million miles apart on this and your point “Small, intricate passing in more advanced positions is what’s required” actually backs up the argument as that’s what play-makers do , they move defenders about in an effort to unsettle them and create SPACE.
And that’s what Kris Commons does when he has not been clugged to the sidelines by some neanderthal defender. Kim Kallstrom, Spartak Moscow, I’m talking to you! No way is Charlie Mulgrew the only playmaker in the Celtic team. What we call misplaced passes in forward positions are actually good attempts to fulfill the “creative” brief. We’re just not at the same standard as yer Messis, Iniestas and Xavis – yet.
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/orders-for-the-general/#more-3529
KLV,
I know what you mean. I just hope all our big players are fit and I’d like to see wee James Forrest be ready for Turin, which will be the game where matters will be decided.
They won’t have seen too much of him recently, but then neither have we!
I didn’t expect Juve to be going through this sticky patch. Most of the Juve fans I know really fancied this at the time of the draw. They now seem genuinely worried.
Forget about Lassad and Sammi, personally I would like to see Hooper, Stokes and Watt play. Anyone who was at the Killie game would agree, they could not handle us the last 15 mins even if Hooper did leave his boots at home.
HH
talkingsensecsc
I reiterate..feck the huns, they are nothing other than a shower of oraxxx barstewards that we never will forget. Thank god etc,,,,,,
I defended KJ earlier for his/my name sake, but man the dude does have his foes on this site. If anything annoys me on here i scroll on past it, I do sometimes with Kojo if i’m drunk as i usually struggle to translate his posts, Probably a failing on my part for not having the patience. Anyway we will always have nags just skip them.
KLV