I’ve seen nothing of Stefan Johansen but I’m delighted we have signed a central midfield player. Deficiencies up front are glaring, especially in the Premiership, but in Europe, the critical area is central mid, where we need to control more than we did this season.
Central midfield protects your defence and provides the foundations strikers stand on, it has been an important area for Celtic to strengthen since losing our top man last summer.
Conversely, Scott Brown is playing his best football since joining Celtic in 2007 but, as his European adventures were nullified by disciplinary action, the gap was unbridgeable. Honourable mentions should go to Charlie Mulgrew, Beram Kayal and Joe Ledley, but in the case of Charlie and Joe, they were asked to play secondary, or tertiary roles, while Beram was promoted from well down the pecking order to a Champions League starter.
Please observe the usual caveats when a new player arrives. New club, new city, new tactics, team mates, match officials and game atmosphere, Stefan has a lot to assimilate in the coming weeks. It took six months for Victor to settle and at least as long before Mikael, Scott and Joe looked their best.
For Stefan and Holmbert Fridjonsson the primary objective of the next six months is to prepare for Champions League qualifiers, closely followed by a Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen in three weeks.
Welcome to Celtic, Stefan. You have a fantastic opportunity ahead.
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Some players settle quickly some take a year. Some like Naylor can have a great first season but fail to maintain form in next season. I accept that there remains question marks over Pukki, Balde & Derk. Virgil is a confirmed hit and Biton looks likely to become another. I would urge a bit of patience over the 3 afore mentioned as well as this windows signings. If you get a 50% “find” rating on new signings (particularly at the price range we operate in), you are doing very well indeed.
Marrakesh Express @ 11:51 on 15 January, 2014
My ma and da (Vera and Pat) were part of a bigger gang who usually occupied the tables to the left of the stage right next to the PA system which partly explained their profound deafness in their later years. And to think they used to tell me I’d go deaf listening to my “modern rubbish” (Free, Led Zep., the original Genesis and Lindisfarne, etc., etc.) on my headphones.
Craig Bellamy spotted at Tesco Bishopbriggs,filling up his Mark iv Escort.
SFTB
excellent post …very full summation of where we are
however..Ledley is a pretender and must go :¬))
weeminger
13:42 on
Where did you get that from mate?
a ceiler gonof rust supporting justice and freedom for the dam 5
13:52 on 15 January, 2014
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha……brilliant…..but….NAAAAWWWWWW
Judith Tonner looking simply magnificent today…..
Old Barry Robson didn’t take very long to settle in.
So it on twitter courtesy of @asmallteaser, conformed it on Duedil.com. Link from Twitter
Stefan gets No.25 Jersey.
corkcelt- SUPPORTING THE DAM 5
14:00 on
15 January, 2014
Stefan gets No.25 Jersey
***
Thomas Rogne’s old shirt. Nice touch.
Cheers winning captains. I’ve got the annual and will read about young Nik’s experience later.
HH
Bada
There isn’t a Tesco in the Briggs wIth a petrol station.
eddieinkirkmichael
13:57 on
15 January, 2014
Sorry scratch that. It appears the record hasn’t been kept updated. He was an SPL director but finished in August 2010.
weeminger-might be an old document,Dominic Keane and Keith Wyness in there?
Love to hear what/if any of the mentioned games brought a smile to faces
of some of the mineshafters in here.
6-2 aye but it was too sunny that day
5-1 pi$hed down and pies were cold
5-0 love St aye but wasted by fans on pitch after the game
2-0 St Johnstone too Hot and too many eejits jumping about having a good time
winning captains
I would like to compile a list of the 10 Greatest Celtic games since Lisbon – in Domestic football only.
Here’s mine – and I was at all 10 of them:
1. Ten Men won the League (1979) 4-2
2. Sc. Cup v Dundee Utd (1988) 2-1 (Centenary Double)
3. League v Dundee Utd (1969) 7-2 (Jinky’s best game?)
4. League Cup Final v Hibs (1974) 6-3 (Dixie & Joe Harper hat-tricks)
5. Sc. Cup Final v Sevco (1969) 4-0 (George Connelly master class)
6. League v Sevco (2000) 6-2 (Demolition Derby)
7. League Cup Semi v Sevco (1973) 3-1 (Harry Hood hat-trick)
8. League v St. Mirren (1986) 0-5 (League Title)
9. League v Dundee Utd (2008) 0-1 (Tommy Burns Thursday)
10. League v Sevco (2012) 3-0 (as the Doors sang: This is the End!).
H!H!
.
big-cup-winners
14:02 on 15 January, 2014BadaThere isn’t a Tesco in the Briggs wIth a petrol station.
Yer jokin’…..!!! :)) i was hanging my hat on that made up rumour….
Big Cup Winners
Tesco in the Briggs? Give it a month.
#WorldDomination
Stefan bets Lubo,s No.25 I wonder if??? Half as good as Lubo would do me. ACGR did you get my email? Hail Hail Hebcelt
I see some bhoys are saying we should sign Lee Wallace as a GIRUT , we just have to wait a couple of months and we can TUPE him thats a bigger boot in the haw maws for them .
HH
Corkcelt,
I’d disagree.
I still think their is still time for vvd to prove he’s a dumpling.
This mineshafting stuff is easy :)
Praecepta
Good list. Restricted myself to the one 6 goal tanking of Hibs in cup finals for my top 10. 7-2 v United- bad omission from my list.
Jimbo67 supporting Oscar Knox
Regan: Rangers meltdown hasn’t finished Scottish football, although wider financial concern remains
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/not-the-end-of-the-world-at-least-as-he-knew-it.23179317
” The SFA is working on a way to introduce Financial Fair Play rules for clubs to prevent unsustainable spending. A sub-committee of the SFA’s licensing group, which includes representatives from the Scottish Premier Football League, is currently trying to draft regulations which might be acceptable to the clubs at a vote.”
Well its only taken two and a half years
http://celticunderground.net/sfa-reform-one-down-three-to-go/
but finally the penny is dropping. Now for the Referees.
ohits go oscar
14:10 on 15 January, 2014I see some bhoys are saying we should sign Lee Wallace as a GIRUT , we just have to wait a couple of months and we can TUPE him thats a bigger boot in the haw maws for them .
Love it….but wouldn’t touch any of them mate HH
Welcome Stefan hope we enjoy you in the hoops! I’m pretty sure we will.
Bada Bing
Indeed Judith is finding her form again after being off the boil for at least half a season.
5 – 1 Lubo 2 goals, memories, sweet memories. Lubo’s face after scoring was a picture. I do remember Stephane Mahe too had a great game as did the late great P O’D. Oh yes!!
KINGLuBO
jimbo67
Seemed a shame (on my part) to omit wee Bobby Lennox’s hat-trick v Hibs.
Judith has stepped up to the mark just as Gillian Smart has thrown a wobbly and had a drastic hair style change which is appalling.
hebcelt, sure did, and sent a reply back.
HH
Praecepta
Indeed- a majestic performance that day as well. Wee Bobby must be about the coolest and most clinical finisher we ever had. And we nearly punted him to Falkirk in early 65
Jimbo67 supporting Oscar Knox
KINGLUBO, see my posts at 13.31 & 13.36.
Happy daze!!!
!!Bada Bing!!
Me neither but theres always that wee guy on your shoulder saying ” I go on stick it right into them ” pay back for all the tripe we had to listen to in the 90,s .
HH
m6bhoy…
Against Morton 1969…my what memories you’ve brought back…!
tim tanium-she was in Champions League form today,roll on 6.55pm…..:)
Stefan is a very left-sided creative midfielder with a good range of passing. Hopefully we may see an end to the predictable “get it wide and cross it ” nonsense we have had to endure for too long.
NL has often said he does not like to have JL and CM in the same team as the midfield becomes too heavily left-sided perhaps suggesting with Stefan signing JL may be moving on.
Tim Tanium
Indeed,Gillian is now looking like a glam version of wee Jimmy Krankie. A not inconsiderable feat of restyling.
On another note, I see the hun driven media are still trying to sell on VVD before the bhoy’s had a chance to unpack his bags.
we might be a selling club, but we’re no friggin DFS!