Leftie Kobayashi, Elite Sports in admin

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Minutes before the stock of Japanese football rose to unparalleled levels, Celtic confirmed the signature of their fifth player from the country (subject to clearance).  Left sided central defender, Yuki Kobayashi (22) will join when the transfer window opens in January.

Yuki was first choice for Vissel Kobe in the season just ended and spend 18 months in the topflight when Ange Postecoglou was in Japan (a year of which they were city rivals), so he is a player Ange will have personal experience of.

Celtic fast becoming the easiest place for Japanese players to settle west of the Sea of Japan, so the normal caveats of a young player moving from a different continent, not even sharing an alphabet, should be tempered.  Still, he is at least two years younger than any of our other Japanese’ were when they arrived in Glasgow.  We all need time to settle.

He becomes the youngest of a young central defensive pool.  Stephen Welsh is six months older, Moritz Jenz is 23, Cameron Carter-Vickers is 24 (for another month), leaving 27-year-old Carl Starfelt in what would be considered prime for a central def.  He is also the only leftie, a clear advantage.

My one concern from his stats is his height: 6’ 1”, the smallest of a relatively small CD population.  Let’s hope he can leap like a Newco commercial contract (unerringly from file to Court of Session).  A decade ago we went into the Champions League as the tallest side in the competition – and qualified for the knockout stage.  Am I alone in being concerned or has football moved in a direction I’ve missed?

It is highly unlikely Yuki will see into too much strenuous action before the title is secured this season.  Ange often tells us how new arrivals need many months before we see the best of them.  The challenge will be to find his way into the starting line-up as next season kicks off.

Delighted for Daizen Maeda and his Japanese teammates back in Glasgow on their historic national team win over Germany yesterday.  They might want to chill their jets before facing Spain, we don’t want too many scouts looking east.

Another day, another day in court for Newco.  Elite Sports went to the Court of Session to force Newco to disclose sales figures achieved by Castore since 2020 in a £9.5m action against the club for failure to perform a retail deal signed in 2018.  Elite, themselves, failed to perform their retail activities for Southampton, who ceased thier partnership on Monday.  Perhaps as a consequence, Elite were unable to meet their obligations and went into administration yesterday.  That £9.5m will be eyed by administrators seeking compensation for creditors (and their own fees, of course).  An Elite director secured a floating charge over the company assets in September.

Dave King was the man in charge when the Elite contract was signed.  Douglas Park must wonder what the world would be like if his “She’s a lovely runner, Sir” charm could be extrapolated across thousands of football fans.  £9.5m on top of the £8m recently noted for Sports Direct, jeez!  I think we should shamelessly join the campaign to get Dave King back in charge.

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  1. SAINT STIVS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 12:01 PM

     

    Little evidence of Angeball, utter tosh.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    9 straight wins in Domestic games after that one defeat to Saint Mirren.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Goals scored

     

     

     

     

    2,2,6,4,4,3,4,2,2.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    if we score early we tend to score more.

     

     

     

     

    if we dont score we run other teams ragged until we get winners late in games, with effective use of subs and timing.

     

     

     

     

    we cross much less than the other team across the city,

     

     

     

     

    we do have individuals doing exceptional things often.

     

     

     

     

    we scored more goals than last season.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    what do people want ?

  2. bournesouprecipe on

    That awkward moment when a ‘ mendacious witness not to be trusted, he’s a glib and shameless liar ’ wants his money back.

  3. I didn’t see Canada v Belgium last night but have just watched a recording of the ITV highlights show.

     

     

    Very impressed by Johnston.

  4. 🦃🍁🦃🍁🦃🍁🦃🍁🦃🍁🦃🍁🦃

     

    Happy Turkey Day from a veggie

     

    Good to see our business being done early

     

    If the Canadian RB story is true we are in a position to cash in on Juranovic who has a gazzillion days left on his contract.

  5. Watching Japan, it was clear why they didnt take Hatate with them to Qatar, they have plenty of other players who can do what he does. They brought on a sub who looked and played exactly like him, and fitted perfectly into the team. If thats how the game is played in Japan there must be more like them who could do a job for us.

     

     

    Re them, lovely isn’t it, the banter years continue.

     

     

    We were told they would have made. profit last year except for the one off exceptional costs for settling something or other (without mentioning that it was the SDI dispute). Now this.

     

     

    Beale still hasn’t signed so you wonder what guarantees he’s trying to get out of them before he does.

  6. I’d definitely like more height in the squad, if they’re good enough. 6’1″? I doubt CCV and Welsh are as tall.

  7. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Going quite well for a while there, Paul – got in some rare coverage of Celtic! Obviously couldn’t last…..

  8. What kind of world do we inhabit when 6ft 1inch is considered too small to be a defensive footballer?

  9. Celtic are shite, they dont take enough of their chances, we need better strikers, except of course we score with 42% of shots on target. 50 goals in 15 games, ANGEBALL means only one thing really, WE NEVER STOP

     

     

    Welsh 3′

     

    Jota 75′

     

    Furuhashi 48′

     

    Jenz 84′

     

    Abada 90+1′

     

    Furuhashi 7′

     

    Jota 35′

     

    Jenz 45+1′

     

    Starfelt 76′

     

    Giakoumakis 82′

     

    Furuhashi 13′

     

    Giakoumakis 90+4′

     

    Furuhashi 15′, 40′, 45+2′

     

    Jota 45+6′

     

    Abada 50′, 59′, 77′

     

    Juranović 55′

     

    Starfelt 81′

     

    Abada 8′, 40′

     

    Jota 32′

     

    Turnbull 78′

     

    Furuhashi 15′

     

    Hatate 64′

     

    Giakoumakis 90+5′ (late winner aft St J equalized in injury time)

     

    Forrest 9′, 24′, 58′

     

    Giakoumakis 18′, 73′

     

    Maeda 89′

     

    Forrest 14′

     

    Giakoumakis 55′

     

    Maeda 59′

     

    Taylor 76′

     

    Furuhashi 9′

     

    Taylor 53′

     

    Jota 87′

     

    Hakšabanović 6′, 34′

     

    Furuhashi 90′

     

    Abada 90+2 (2 late goals after united had equalised in the 87th minute)

     

    Furuhashi 15′

     

    Maeda 84′

     

    Turnbull 62′

     

    Hakšabanović 68

  10. TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 12:28 PM

     

    What kind of world do we inhabit when 6ft 1inch is considered too small to be a defensive footballer?

     

    —-

     

    A big one 😉

  11. Cannavaro 5′ 9″

     

    Puyol 5′ 10″

     

    Baresi 5′ 9″ (although he did play sweeper a lot)

     

    Willie Miller 5′ 10″

  12. BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 12:29 PM

     

    James Forrest is 1.75 M (5ft 9) according to wiki

     

    ____

     

    Wee Jamsie actually towers over a lot of our wee men. Oh for a new Lustig. Tall, good in the air and a good player, plus an absolute character.

  13. The former Ibrox chief said: “Gio probably ended up in a similar situation to the one Steven was in. Steven was there, won 55, wanted to kick on. Steven was given certain commitments by the chairman as to what resources would be made available to him.

     

     

    “It was very important for Steven to kick on, to win the title and to start our own run for 10 in a row. We are only talking a short period of time ago we were so far ahead of the competition in Scotland.

     

     

    “We won the league by a country mile, our opposition were in turmoil throughout the summer and couldn’t get a manager. (Postecoglou) came in, with all respect to him, as an unknown coach that didn’t know Scottish football.

  14. Can anyone with financial expertise, opine on the effect of these court cases on Sevco’s ability to spend money on players in the January window?

     

    Apart from the 17.5 million, they are also having to provide for Gio’s P45 along with his support team. If they approach a working manager there will be compensation to be paid.

     

    All this before they spend a penny on improving the squad.

     

    Who can they trade in with player sales or swap deals?

     

    Morelos would have been the most obvious in days gone by, but now he’s just the most obvious.

     

    Tavernier (Pen)? HUNners on phone ins say he can’t defend?

     

    Kent? Flash in the pan but a sellable asset at a smallish fee.

     

    Sounds like a bleak outlook for the Huns, on and off the field.

  15. bournesouprecipe on

    Gaetano Scirea who is considered one of the greatest defenders of all-time was 1.78m (5ft 10in)

  16. “Postecoglou) came in, with all respect to him, as an unknown coach that didn’t know Scottish football.”

     

    What does a coach / manager have to know about Scottish football?

     

    The refs are biased, unless you’re a Sevco team?

     

    Penalties benefit one side?

     

    The governing body is corrupt and ineffectual?

     

    Celtic will win the league?

  17. bournesouprecipe on

    Ziggydoc

     

     

    Wee Jamsie looks smaller because of the way he runs.

     

     

    Mikel has just retired assuming he’ll be on a good police pension.

  18. GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 12:29 PM

     

    Tomorrow’s CQN today – newco rangers player snaps bootlace.

     

     

    Day after- bootlace on other boot snaps.

     

     

    Wee p67 is in love wi a mermaid.:-)

     

     

    HH

  19. Late last night after the fitba, i chanced across the tv schedules and found the classic Down Amongst the Big Boys, Jo Jo Donnelly as played by Billy, just caught the last few minutes, then flicked over the channel to find also

     

    The Elephants Graveyard, absolutely superb, 1976 greenock, up the cut, two guys not telling their wifes they lost a job, Billy and Jon Morrison, a great watch.

     

     

    I fell asleep thinking, awe nawe naw billy connolly no as well

     

     

    up this morning to fin dits his 80th birthday

     

     

    hurrah.

     

     

    back to elephants graveyard, i was always puzzled with the ending, as they seperate on the hill looking back across bow road and larkfield, Bunny (Billy) starts wlaking but immediately he is gone, is he a figment of imagination or real.

  20. Bearing in mind the number of goals we score in the SPL, would height help us to concede less in the champions league?

  21. SAINT STIVS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 1:08 PM

     

     

    I’m sure I heard Peter McDougall saying that the story of the Elephants Graveyard is based on his time as an (alleged) Postie in London where he would tell his partner about the fictitious lives of his imaginary workmates

  22. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Maybe the Huns need CL football for him to get his money back and needs others to spend their money/bet the ranch to achieve this. Park and the other incumbents unwilling to do so?

  23. CONEYBHOY on 24TH NOVEMBER 2022 12:34 PM

     

    Cannavaro 5′ 9″

     

     

     

     

    Puyol 5′ 10″

     

     

     

     

    Baresi 5′ 9″ (although he did play sweeper a lot)

     

     

     

     

    Willie Miller 5′ 10″

     

     

    _______________________________________________

     

     

    McLeish was 6’1″, Maldini same. Even great partnerships don’t need too much height as long as they have the right defensive qualities. Plus, even wee guys can be great in the air – I give you Henrik the Great

  24. GM- King as ever,is only after money, i think he’s been punting the shares idea to the American woman,who is rumoured to be interested in buying a large stake in Sevco……me neither……so King would have money coming if a deal was to happen.

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