Let’s get the badge kisser-thing sorted once and for all. We have seen enough of them come and go not to be taken in. You can set your watch by them. I don’t believe in a hierarchy of Celtic players, or supporters, based on proclaimed affinity. You are at Celtic because you want to be here, fan or player, and that’s enough.
Kieran Tierney has been a highly paid and respected professional for four years. He mixed with others of the same ilk, as well as some who know they are out of their depth at Celtic. The latter cherish the term of their Celtic contract, the former all wonder what level they will be able to reach in the game. All of them. To the best of my knowledge, no Celtic player has rejected circa £75k per week to remain here.
I don’t know what his medical advice has been, but if you read about chronic osteitis pubis, you get an insight into where an athlete’s head may be when he has a persistent injury that is not responding as hoped.
“Osteitis pubis is a painful degenerative condition of the pubic symphysis, surrounding soft tissues and tendons…. It is currently considered as one of the most debilitating pain syndromes for athletes. Although the condition is considered self-limiting, it often requires stoppage of sporting activities for several months, representing a significant problem especially for elite athletes.”
Kieran got this move coming off the worst season of his professional career. We will see if things improve, or go downhill, this season. Consider what advice his agent would have given him right now. None of this forms part of the public discourse, instead we got a clumsy social media comment about being out with his pals while Celtic are playing a crucial qualifier.
If we are serious about making progress as a football club, we need to take our player trading onto another level. That means everyone has a price and we should be ready with replacement options whenever a value offer arrives.
If you think selling your top player for £25m is a bad day at the office, imagine your challengers selling a single player for that sum, and how transformational this kind of money is. Trading is as much a part of success in the elite game as tactics and fitness. There are no sacred cows, because eventually, the most sublime talents perish.
We should always be ready to make a deal. See how it is done in Portugal. Or look at Ajax, who were going nowhere, then discovered how to trade, sold €72m of talent in 2016-17, €73m in 2017-18 and reached the Champions League semi-final in 2018-19.
Multi-treble winning Brendan Rodgers is not a talent spotter. He added Scott Sinclair (whom he had worked with) and Moussa Dembele (a John Park recommendation) to Ronny Deila’s squad. If we are going to spend significant sums of money this summer, better to have Neil Lennon with his hand on the tiller.
It felt like a bad day when Brendan left, but now I am sure it was for the best. There is no telling the damage Brendan and Lee would do with this kind of money. Kieran was great, the best left back in decades, and yes, he should have stayed for 10, but I’m already feeling pretty neutral about him leaving.
At Celtic, we love our history more than any others do, but football is all about tomorrow. Time to get busy writing the next chapter.
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Bada
I dont think Ralston is adequate cover for right back tbh
Defensively Boli looks suspect and Hayes is a left back
If both El Hamed and Boli are injured for any amount of time would you seriously be happy having Ralston and Hayes at full back?
Gutted about KT and the way that we were softened up about his departure the past couple of months by you on here Paul , obviously you knew this was coming way sooner than we did . Anyhoo its done now . You say Paul that if we are serious about taking our club to another level we have to get real with player transfers . The club also has to get real , we have previous for bagging big transfer but the fee doesnt seem to trickle down to put us any further ahead on the park . It seems we have no intention of adding quality to the the existing quality we already have. Its as if there is a threshold that PL wont try and rise above . We really have given up on reaching any sort of decent level regarding European football . Sad but not surpised . I know we have won the treble x 3 but it seems our board just want us to be top dogs in a crap leaugue and outwith that they have no ambition what so ever
JAMES FORREST.
My only arguement with your post,is that there is still 3 weeks to go in the window.We have 2 weeks to get players in for the Prague game.Lenny says he is working on it,with players in mind.The problem seems to be now,you cannot please this supportIts impossible.I read a post today saying,”How can PL say we can come out of this window stronger,when we have sold KT”.As if we should go out and spend £25 million on anyone to try and get a KT replacement.Its nonsense.I advocated Taylor.The second best left back in the SPFL.Stevie Clarke,who managed the boy all season,with Killie,put him straight into the Scotland team.Is he an idiot?Would he play a boy in his 1st game as manager,he thought was not up to the task.When you mention this,shot down.We HAVE to spend squillions on someone,with a foreign name,none if them have seen.
Lenny has taken on some job here.Not only trying for CL football,and 9 in a row,but pleasing ,what I think,have become,the most fickle Celtic support,I have witnessed in 50 years.
James Forrest
No worries.
Back to your last post, I’m curious about the bit where you mention the club / boards intent. How much do they want to qualify.
I have a theory, and I may be a mile out.
But rather than always state Peter Lawell, I’m going to say the plc board. I reckon, like all businesses they set financial targets. I work in Sales, and I get given a Sales plan every year. Revenue target to hit, for the financial year.
Now lets say hypothetically, the 2019/20 Income / Revenue Target is £30 Million.
Strategy B : Champions league group stage qualifiers, then full group stage participation. Plus a drop in to the Europa last 32 come January…. would feasibly, just about get them to that target of £30 million.
Strategy A : However, selling one of your most saleable assets, i.e a Kieran Tierney… for £25 Million, obviously almost get’s you to where you need to be. Target wise.
Therefore, the plc board will aim to hit the Target the quickest and easiest way possible.
With that, Strategy A, takes priority over Strategy B.
Point being, Champions League group stage participation becomes bonus territory. Literally. They are not dependant on it, so long as we have K.T’s to sell. Kristoffer Ajer, Callum McGregor, Edouard, Ntcham are all feasibly next in line, January then next summer.
So to answer your question about intent. Don’t hold your breath, watching them bust a gut to get us in to the Champs league groups. B’cos they are quite content with their business this summer.
Bada
id be expecting five, striker, midfield dominator, two full back and a CB. Miller and Ralston arent up to it, in my opinion, Hayes blows hot and cold and id like him further forward. But its all about preference and opinions. Id like 5 players so that we can compete, effectively, on all fronts and not shoe horn people into a position they’re not familiar with. Id cope with 4 as Big Tam can shift in one, if we had a decent RB to play instead.
we have JF,MS and LM right wing and SS,MJ and JH left wing , 3 for each wing if and when required notice how i put LM on right wing he’s useless on the left.
4 for the right wing if you include the loan player arzani , that’s makes a total of 7 wingers , far too many.
Lenny has made it clear he doesn’t rate Ralston and Miller.
Btw
It’s funny how everyone was on top of the world after last Saturday and sayin how we would blow everyone else out of the water this season.
Then we had a very decent result away in Europe
Suddenly, Tierney leaves and it’s all doom and gloom
Tierney was injured anyway and will be out for a while yet
So, nothing REALLY has changed since last Saturday yet the mood has…
Turkeybhoy
We dont all like the same players, its all about preference and opinions, I dont think he played particularly well for Scotland, bearing in mind he was on a big grass pitch, not too dissimilar to ours and playing with better players against better players? I think if we liked him enough we wouldve tried to buy him by now. I realise it was his first game but if he was a serious prospect Killie would have sold him to someone by now, clubs further down the leagues in England have serious cash compared to Killie. Just an observation that i would like a better player, but sometimes you dont always get what you want but you may get what you need.
Cana, perhaps that’s the case, but from personal experience it was very hard to diagnose / confirm extent of treatment, in fact seemed to be injections of antibiotics of all things was the latest development treatment. The consultant I saw (due to benefit of work health cover ) was one of the top specialists in Europe, he even used me as lecture case, but it is not a well known thing
Fans need reminding that we’ve already saved £6M on Leigh Griffiths return.
Neil Lennon
Strange that the money-wasting poor recruiter wanted to buy our BEST player……
Bhoylo- no i wouldn’t be happy with them at FB for any length of time, but where was the back up for Lustig and KT for last few seasons? Whats changed?Really don’t understand guys wanting to spend big money on another 2 FBs? Ive never been one to defend PL on spending, but we’ve spent nearly £5 million on Boli and Big Tam ,so spend more and have 2 guys on 10k a week sitting on the bench,? As i said we’re not Man City……
badabing
i dont trust nl or pl.
BHOYLO83
Awful lot of monikers on today, that forgot to come on after the 7-0 ?
SID1888 on 9TH AUGUST 2019 4:19 PM
Just a common CQN word for the huff ye were clearly in cos you weren’t inundated with Valencia away ticket offers my man ;)
Hayes is never a left back
“Jonny Hayes used to play left back in his school days”
Copyright What is the Stars
Oh yes he is
Not a lot of people know that
https://twitter.com/brianirvine17/status/1159824812656738304?s=12
dosent make him 1 now.
JinkyNewton,
Point is they have discovered it and early, out of interest, what age were you when diagnosed?
Bada
Agree, re Boli, and Ralston could start at Motherwell
Tierney is a very good player but i think because of his background, and because of who he was, he was seen as better than he actually was by the Celtic support
I’m am sad that he has left but there are players of similar ability out there
Very strange comments from Lenny at the presser today about getting players out prior to bringing more in.
If Lenny has identified areas that he wants strengthened then I don’t see why additions are dependent on exits given are financial position.
Is he seriously saying if can’t move Hendry on he won’t bring in another Left back etc ?
imo jonny hayes has never let us down at lb. i don’t know how good he would be against the top teams.
i would like to see hendry play in a back four not a back three, maybe he has , i dont know.
…….BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 9TH AUGUST 2019 4:23 PM
BHOYLO83
Awful lot of monikers on today, that forgot to come on after the 7-0 ?
………………………………………………
wee strangers?
;)
Bhoylo83,
Cracker 😂
if neil lennon needs to get more out before he can get some in that’s a f… disgrace and shows us up as a 2 bob club we are awash with money and should be getting whats needed
I think Hendry could be a player, think he is harshly judged by people looking for scapgoats.
TURKEYBHOY:
We don’t have two weeks to sign anyone before the Slavia game (assuming there is one). The deadline for the playoffs is August 16. That gives us a week to integrate players to fill at least two large holes. A frankly ridiculous position to be in, with £30-40M at stake.
Mbombscare didn’t finish his first two games, Elhamed and Jozo didn’t finish on Wednesday, and the latter two may not make tomorrow’s game. We are at the second game of the season, the third round of the the CL qualifiers, and we are nowhere near having a settled defense. If we think we will get a replacement for Dembele, and have him feature against Slavia, think about how long ago we signed Bayo, and he is yet to appear in a competitive game.
If we do not get the defense sorted out, we have no chance of reaching the Group Stage, and we will be swimming uphill at the Bigotdome on September 1.
IniquitousIV
AN DUN on 9TH AUGUST 2019 4:38 PM
Everyone knows we’ve got a big wedge of cash burning a hole in our pockets, I think he’s probably just playing things down a bit
Taking to naming a Celtic player that within a matter of weeks. What a clown you are.
BHOYLO83 on 9TH AUGUST 2019 4:37 PM
agree re K who.
INIQUITOUSIV on 9TH AUGUST 2019 4:48 PM
add Jullien to your list of our defensive woes , we are nowhere near playing a settled back 4.
Shocking how people have turned on Boli