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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I cannot remember a more relaxed feeling before a season than I do now. I know that could change but, for the moment at least, everything seems hunky-dory in my Celtic World.
Anyway, Log Off time for me.
Cheerio for now.
Have always preferred the home kit to come with plain white socks. Gokwancfc
JIMDOM on 2ND JULY 2022 10:55 AM
Agreed……and I always played in a more classy fashion when I was wearing all white socks !
Meanwhile an interesting development on the UEFA club broadcasting front. As from season 2024 until 2027, which as you will recollect the new CL league format kicks in, BBC will for the first time have a Champions highlights show, on Wednesday nights. Imagine highlights from Celtic Park on BBC1?
CELTIC MAC on 2ND JULY 2022 10:58 AM
Meanwhile an interesting development on the UEFA club broadcasting front. As from season 2024 until 2027, which as you will recollect the new CL league format kicks in, BBC will for the first time have a Champions highlights show, on Wednesday nights. Imagine highlights from Celtic Park on BBC1?
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So long as it’s run from England and they keep the Shortbread huns well away from it that will be a good thing.
CelticMac
It’s the market price – the cost is another thing – probably made somewhere in Asia.
I posted the other week the most common 3 word phrase written in English is ‘made in China ‘
We continue to buy everything from China in spite of there treatment of Hong Kong and Uighurs Muslims and their ongoing threat to Taiwan.
Ernie – no chance it’ll be the usual compliment of Hun and super swally- they’ll throw in Sutton and Hartson.
Will be an interesting day at the cricket with India having recovered from a disastrous start – now 375 for 9 – England will be batting soon.
ernie lynch
What, no place for Neil (EBT) McCann, or Alex Rae?
Shum mishstake shurely
WhenSeanWasaTimCSC
It was only a matter of time before somebody brought the Uyghurs into the discussion….
Broad concedes 33 runs in an over 😂
Celtic Mac
Glad I didn’t disappoint
India 416 all out – were 98 for 5
That awkward moment when Gers are in for ‘wonderkid’
Transfer style guide
(8) Any player from outwith Scotland wanted on loan by Rainjurz FC under the age of 21 years is a ‘wonder kid’.
Cambùsbhoy – access to good facilities make it easier to ensure training can be organised and delivered at all time. Good facilities should help with development of players but that goes hand in hand with good coaching. I would say good coaching is more important than good facilities but if you don’t have good facilities it can does not help.
MADMITCH on 1ST JULY 2022 6:51 PM
Stx2 @ 6.05
Celtic don’t operate in the milk and honey super rich leagues such as England and Germany so every penny is a prisoner. Improvement of the training centre needs to be fairly slow and strategic I line with availability of income.
If celtic are gonna invest 86 million in the infustructure of the club I would prefer that went to upgrading and increasing the capacity of the stadium and south stand improvements and the hotel, museum that have planning permission, which are far better investments to increase club turnover and profitability which in turn allows more spending on footballing facilities.
celtic is generally a well run operation from a plc perspective and that reasonably stable investment I.e.it won’t make shareholders rich but it won’t bankrupt them. I worry the lack of progress regards a growth agenda is costing us.
HH
RON BACARDI
A really positive update from you!
Delighted for you!
Wee prayer said for a full and speedy recovery.
Fairly large orange walk in ayr today
Buses of huns everywhere and police “escorting”
Stay away from the town centre and beach area
RON BACARDI delighted things ar going well and you are nearing the end of your chemo. Your attitude and positivity is fantastic. I too went through treatment 3 years ago and to my suprise stayed positive all along. A positive approach will ALWAYShelp. Wishing you a quick and full recovery HH
https://twitter.com/StRochsJuniors/status/1543152032546177025?t=sEMneE6bE-AecVgXHWmV7Q&s=08
Cracking fund raising idea
Goram dead
GREENGRAY1967
Best wishes to you too!
Hopefully heavy rain in Ayr today.
Goram’s died (58) por cierto
Hope hail stones the size of golf balls in Ayr today
And anywhere else there’s an orange walk
Stephbhoy67
Thanks for the reply, I agree that a lack of facilities would be an issue and think ours could be improved but not at the cost of other infrastructure that to me has higher priority
My 6 year old started in an academy that trains on a artificial rugby pitch and the difference in his ability is amazing after just a few sessions, his mother booked him in, imagine my surprise when I saw that it was Steven Smith doing the coaching 😱
Dictionary of Irish Biography
@DIB_RIA
·
Jun 30
#OTD 1922 a massive explosion at the Public Records Office at the Four Courts destroyed 100s of years of documented history.
@VirtualTreasury
has spent two years recreating those lost documents and we
@DIB_RIA
congratulate them on this momentous achievement!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FWfGVAeWYAIHZcp?format=jpg&name=small
RB @ last night
Hope you great run of form continues.
You seem to good spirits for what you are going through.
STEPHBHOY67 on 1ST JULY 2022 11:54 PM
vg, correct the estate is mighty fine for what we need, it develops players, we reap the benefits, scottish football in general gets players.
never really understood the clamour for indoor full sized pitch facilities, we dont play matched inside so why needed.
GENE
Thanks for the link to last season’s results.
when is the full year accounts out ? it is already 2 days into the accounts window, celtic plc summed up.
lawwell is still there by the way,
StB @ 12.07
We don’t operate in a land of milk and honey …
Tell that to our good friend — a certain PL / counter of beans.
We have paid him £20mill in wages / bonus / pension.
He has had a second career with us — over 18 years that has made him a very wealthy man.
A more focused club would have paid him half that amount and spent more on training facilities.
lol, predictable,
Stx2 @ 1.19
We don’t need indoor pitches …
Just as the Old Board told us we needed / wanted more terracing.
Behind the times / penny pinching is our board’s natural position.
Indoor pitches — funny how the rest of the world doesn’t see it like that.
We can’t pay EPL wages but we should have EPL facilities.
w d y f o a g m p.
Some really ugly hun mutants around old Glasgow Town today. Drove through Brigton on way to Parkhead . Even Mrs BRRB remarked “John, that fat baldy person doesn’t have a neck”. My dear, says I, that’s a woman.
Some Celtic fans want hotter pies, they want an indoor full size pitch because they read on the internet we haven’t got one.
C’est La Vie CSC
BOURNESOUPRECIPE, my mate had a pie at Paradise last year. He reckons it inflicted more damage to his teeth than any punch up he’d been in.😂