I wrote in May that Jota (23) was more important to retain than Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent contract. At that point, the profile of both players was high after a successful term in Glasgow, we would not have been the only potential destination. It is a huge credit to chief exec Michael Nicolson and the club that they have delivered both.
Cameron was our best defender, a potential Celtic captain, but still, I wanted Jota more. Opponents fear him. He can take a ball when marked tightly and the defender will not lunge in to attempt a steal, knowing Jota has the ability to move ball and body before they have formulated a thought.
If an opposition team leave him one-on-one, they better not lose possession. He is Celtic’s most effective out-ball; left with only one defender to beat, he can turn defence into an opportunity to score faster than Usain Bolt could track back.
When Aiden McGeady signed for Hibs this week, my thoughts went back to so many great memories. Prominent among them, was watching him as an 18-year-old, bring his instant control to a 2004 Celtic-Milan Champions League game. No one else in the Celtic team had that ball control.
Jota has the same effortless control.
So what about the Magic Window, where Celtic have seen enough of the player to make their move, before wealthier clubs get involved?
Incredibly, Jota had only played an entire 90 minutes of a game only twice before joining Celtic, both cup games for Benfica against lower league opposition. The season before arriving in Glasgow was mostly spent on the bench, watching his Real Valladolid side fail to ward off relegation. He made 8 starts there and was hooked each time, adding 10 appearances from the bench.
Across his career, before joining Celtic on loan last year, he made 9 starts and 29 sub appearances in senior football. Magic window? More a magic letterbox. He had hardly put studs on grass.
Valladolid was clearly a wrong move. As we have discussed previously about Patrick Roberts, he is a creative talent and needs to be with a team that spends lots of time attacking, sides fighting relegation would be unable to get the ball to him enough to see the benefit of giving him a shirt. It was the classic square peg/round hole problem – one we should be on the lookout for again.
To know the value of the player, Celtic would have to uncover knowledge only visible at Portuguese and Spanish reserve level games. The resources required to cover this much ground is unfathomable through traditional means. You are looking at the result of very effective analytics.
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https://twitter.com/soundofmotor/status/1543602592168697861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1543602592168697861%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs9e.github.io%2Fiframe%2Ftwitter.min.html1543602592168697861
Unbelievably he survived
El.
No.
Is Big Tam coming back because it slipped his mind he was due a testimonial?😊
If BADA is correctimundo, I would welcome Tam back, as he can be poetry in motion. A word of caution. How many times have we seen Tam, absolutely rampant in a Scottish league game the previous week, fail continuously to get the ball out from under his feet in Europe the following game, due solely to the opposition being far faster to react?
Swell the midfield ranks for Scotland yes. If needed in a defensive role in Europe, no. The big man is just not fleet of foot enough to get back to help out defensively.
Them’s my two cents.
INIQUITOUSIV 3.44pm
Never mind junior … it’s senior that’s showing Nicholson the ropes
He hasn’t gone away .,. don’t ya know :-)
Tom Mcl 4.00pm
The post from Jimtim was probably aimed at some posters really looking forward to next season, not sure getting ahead of themselves is a fair reflection on punters being excited after a terrific season and the manager having a full pre season with 2 massive players (CCV & Jota) now actually Celtic players … nobody can tell me that their attitudes will not be different now that they are committed to the club, am not saying they were not committed last season but they are now settled a lot more than last season
And surely pre season is the one time supporters can be optimistic we’ve not lost or dropped a point since last season :-)
GFTB
“Never mind junior … it’s senior that’s showing Nicholson the ropes
He hasn’t gone away .,. don’t ya know :-)”
—————————————
GERRY, And he’s probably having conniptions at all the money going out the window, and not getting his bonus.🤣
——————————-
“And surely pre season is the one time supporters can be optimistic we’ve not lost or dropped a point since last season :-)”
———————————-
But, but, Gerry, we huvnae won wan point, or even scored a goal in weeks and weeks. Down with that sort of thing.😂
Is there no end to this folly?
INIQUITOUSIV 4.25pm
:-)
I never thought about us not winning or not scoring
Am just delighted when we go away for a few days in August the dreaded CL qualifiers cannot effect our holiday … Athens a few years back wasted our (well my) holiday, there has been a few over the last few years … in my opinion no CL qualifiers was the most important part of winning the title last year, also terrific carrots for both CCV & Jota signing permanently
Pistol Pete will get his cut when the CL money rolls in
Speculate to accumulate and all that
GFTB, who asked you, ya Lanarkshire ruffian?🤔
BRRB 4.51pm
Excuse me …
North Lanarkshire ruffian … to be precise
GFTB, sincere apologies. That you have to live in North Lanarkshire. 😂 Incoming….
disappointing window so far for me – we have maintained but not improved. Need physicality in midfield and a center half preferably taller than our usual 6ft.
Only then will we have potential to improve
BRRB
Where are you spending your good ladies hard earned cash today, might I ask ?
GFTB, unfortunately it’s always my cash, she’s a Govanhill girl. 😂 In the Vogue mate.
BRRB 4.58pm
Obviously … don’t think I have ever managed to get my hands on the good ladies … money :-)
Sunday evening in the Vogue … at least your a bit closer to home
Stebhoy 4.54pm
Don’t buy into all that nonsense we haven’t strengthened… a full pre-season under Ange and especially with all our Japanese bhoys having a few weeks rest we are definitely stronger this season with one or two still to join … in my opinion we are definitely stronger and might just get even stronger before the windae gets shut
No deal Brexit = immediate united Ireland even without a border poll.
Majority of Timdom voted against Brexit.
Is it Brexit’s fault that Timdom didn’t get the memo?
Timdom pays old firm prices for tickets then argues that there’s no old firm?!?!
From the best fans in the world to the wide asleep fans in the world who’ve become everybody-anybodys mugs.
Hi. 👋
Anita – Kevin
Ignore The Pleb
BRRB @ 3.32
Family folklore behind the hat-trick ball.
Was rescued back in the day and put in a safe place.
As always in tales from the Holy City — the great division comes into play
Smithstone vs Auchinstarry –the original row does not count.
The Smithstone angle demanded that the ball be rescued.
At least that was the story my Aunt got when the housekeeping failed to turn up.
Stx2 will be on soon to exclaim that I made it all up.
My God he’s taken a woman’s monika.
GFTB
More like ‘tonight Matthew I’ll be …..’
Oh well, good while it lasted.
49 poons a ticket
80percent of you are stupid.
welcome Jota
Gene 5.24pm
I can never understand any poster (Celtic fan or non Celtic fan) who takes no joy from Celtic posting on a Celtic fans site …
If Celtic or their fans annoyed you that much you wouldn’t even log on :-)
Remember folks, in Nicola’s Nouvelle Caledonie it is okay to self identify as a woman if you choose to.
After which Bob’s yer Auntie
SAINT STIVS on 3RD JULY 2022 4:13 PM
El.
No.
###
If that is intended to be a reply to my question about whether you can access share ownership details at Companies House can you provide further detail?
AFAIK other than for those with ‘significant ownership’ the information can only be obtained by inspecting the share register which is not held by, or accessible from, Companies House.
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 2ND JULY 2022 5:33 PM
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY
I think you meant Goethe.
…………….
?
Stx2 @ 2.47
Two points to put across:
1) Family folklore — Extended version
The Fridge Magnet was looking to either start his local business / expand his local business.
“Donal” who was then in retirement in one of Cumbie’s — What’s it called — more established suburbs and got involved with him through an introduction to the Vatican Rotary Club and much progress was made regarding contacts / finance / new workstreams.
2) QP has been a backwater for 100 years — rough cut number.
They are now in a state of transition as they go professional and rebuild LH.
The Fridge Magnet has been involved with new funds.
This backwater now has the following:
CEO = well known name from a SPL club.
Manager = household name or so his granny told me.
Scouting Analyst = wonderkid from Holland with a great CV / reputation in scouting circles.
Again he seems to have come from a big club.
So either the QP committee has blown away of 100 years of cobwebs / decay — possible.
Or a certain local businessman has imparted some expertise along with his hard cash — much more probable.
If he is putting in all this effort in QP — Blazer Central — rather than say AR then you have to ask why?
CELTIC MAC on 3RD JULY 2022 5:40 PM
Remember folks, in Nicola’s Nouvelle Caledonie it is okay to self identify as a woman if you choose to.
###
Indeed. Some of their less youthful supporters seem to be having trouble keeping up to speed with this stuff.
EL.
Look it up yourself and you will see why he has no sharehding.
Stx2 @ 5.47
With the access / information you have — who owns QP?
Any major shareholdings?
Tom@5:23
That made me laugh👍👏👏👏👏👏
I don’t have any shares in queens park fc ltd.
SAINT STIVS on 3RD JULY 2022 5:47 PM
EL.
Look it up yourself and you will see why he has no sharehding.
###
I’m not particularly interested in whether he hold shares or not, or whether he’s on manoeuvres or not.
I’m interested in how you obtain details of share ownership through the Companies House website. You said it’s possible and I’d like to know how it’s done.
It’s a reasonable request and I can’t think of any valid reason not to give an explanation.
GFTB
Mark McGhee as manager and piss running down the terracing being dodged by the macaroon seller and the Whites etc in charge would make him / her happy.
Stx2 @ 5.52
That wasn’t my question.
If you have info / access to the QP share register then who owns QP?
Any major shareholdings?
If you are the Fridge Magnet then I claim OC’s autograph and a QP season ticket.
EL
I can see no valid reason for you not looking it up yourself.
ernie lynch
There’s no skirting around it….