Living so close to England it’s easy for us to get drawn into the ways and processes which prove effective south of the border. SPL clubs all scout there, more often than not trying to pick up physically robust scraps discarded by the lower leagues, or troubled souls looking for a sixth chance. Scottish clubs are full of players who have failed to make the grade in England.
When Motherwell were looking for a manager a year ago I heard one of their directors say they hoped to get someone with experience of the English lower leagues, as this has proven to be an effective place for them to network in the past.
Problems with the neighbours works both ways. It’s too easy for English clubs to use the loose change part of their budget to scoop up anything that looks like promising talent from the SPL. While most players will earn well in England, few enjoy the career progression they hoped for.
They do things differently elsewhere. When was the last time teams from Cyprus or Switzerland badgered an English League Two side for their surplus talent? Developing football teams is difficult but a good top level plan helps. One of the most encouraging aspects of Celtic’s top level plan is that it meets criteria that match our place in the world. Recruit talent from the right markets, at the right age and price. Some money has been spent in England, but not much, and those who have arrived from there look decent value.
If Celtic are to match the recent Champions League achievements of Basel or Apoel Nicosia, players like Izaguirre, Kayal, Wanyama and Ki, who pitch up in Glasgow from what appears to be beyond the horizon of the English, will be crucial. Just as those players at Basel and Apoel, they arrived here within an affordable budget and appear to have the talent required to compete at the level Celtic aspires to.
11 years ago we bought Chris Sutton from Chelsea against competition from other FA Premier League clubs. He was soon joined by others at the peak of their ability and reputation, all relatively low-risk signings. We had a few years in the sun but it was neither affordable nor sustainable.
We’ll know soon enough if the current crop of players trying to establish a reputation for themselves have what it takes to win the league and compete in Europe. Good top level plans can still fail in execution, but I’d rather this strategy than send my cash down the M6.
Issue 5 of CQN Magazine is due out next week, let me know if you would like to advertise, celticquicknews@gmail.com.
Read CQN Magazine for free online here. Subscriptions to the online copy are discretionary but you can contribute here. Old-school hard copies are available here from Magcloud.
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VP-thanks for your help:> at least you got a Hurricane named after you today…
lostinbonnybridge
Imagine if Lenny had said that, they would be looking to lynch him, no wait a minuite, they have done that already.
!!Bada Bing!! says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:43
Ho Ho Ho
The Battered Bunnet says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:39
GOT – Of course not, he won’t even be embarrassed.
Therefore no change forthcoming with the cheating refs…Same old
Auldheid
I am more concerned about your world view.
Under these circumstances then clearly there is NO IMPROVEMENT no matter how much you would like to think that there has been. This is why we are so crap generally at game of football as South of Tunis very eloquently illustrated.
Has the law improved if petty crimes and misdemeanour’s are trawled through the courts and highlighted at the expense of major crimes ?
I think it is insignificant.
I see it as beads to the Indians.
You are happy with that I am not.
For sure that does make me a bad person just consistent and I would argue reasonable person.
I wont accept anything other than fairness. What´s wrong with that as far as you are concerned ?
Hail Hail
For sure that does NOT make me a bad person
lostinbonnybridge says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:37
Sally not happy!
Having read his rant, I think the anonymity of the panel members will not last long.
The mock outrage from Rangers over Aluko’s dive is as transparent, as it is predictable.
They are doing it to influence the next game, and the next.
Plus ca change.
So when does HMRC get it’s money from TFOD for the wee tax bill?
Is it today or tomorrow?
INISH ISLAND wins by a nostril.
PHEW !!!
Thank You, Belfast City Celt.
TBB
A phenomena?
Easy for you to say.
You’re sober.
The Battered Bunnet says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:39
I hope and pray you are proved wrong mate…not having a pop, just in case you take it that way but I’m sure you wont.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Auldheid
will Sally be brought before the beaks for his outburst ?
Neil Lennon was for intimating that they probably have their story ready already last year and with COMPLETE AND PROVEN justification.
What you are encouraging is not the road to fairness but a few cherry picked incidents that will allow the self serving politicians and football administrators to pretend that they are doing something about it.
Hail Hail
The Evening Times saying that Whyte is in talks with the tax man and says its not the wee tax man from Scotland but the big guys from London.The triburial resumes on 16th of January but according to the Times Whyte wants to get it sorted out before then.Well Mr.Whyte that is easy done pay the tax bill plus the penalties and it will be cleared Oh whats that your saying you dont have that kind of money awww shame H.H.
Gary Hooper has been fined £2,000 for comments made about referees in November. The punishment is suspended for a period of 18 months, until the end of June 2012.
The Scottish Football’s General Purposes Committee imposed the fine after the Celtic striker said he believed match officials treated Celtic differently from other clubs. Celtic can appeal the decision and must lodge paperwork stating their case within seven days.
Hooper was at the centre of the controversial incident during Celtic’s match against Dundee United at Tannadice in October. Referee Dougie McDonald awarded Celtic a penalty for a foul on Hooper before reversing his decision. McDonald admitted lying to Celtic manager Neil Lennon after the match and was censured by the SFA over inaccuracies in his match report.
The fallout from the incident dominated the media in the weeks after the match and when asked if he felt “there was a disproportionate amount of decisions” at a press conference, Hooper agreed.
“Yes, I think so, yes,” he said in November. “Because we are one of the biggest teams in the world.
“Everyone wants to beat us, all the teams, and the referee wants to give a decision against us so he can say something after the game”
Despite two injury layoffs, Hooper has been a key player in the Celtic team this season as they challenge for the SPL title. The striker, who joined form Scunthorpe United in the summer for a fee of £2.4 million, has scored 12 goals in 14 games.
The SFA’s decision to fine Hooper comes at a time when relations between the players’ club and the governing body are strained. Celtic are already appealing a six match ban imposed on Lennon for his behaviour during a match against Hearts.
The Parkhead club issued a statement criticising that decision and the disciplinary process, prompting SFA President George Peat to make a statement of his own, branding Celtic’s complaints as “tiresome.”
BSR –
Sally outraged at panel decision? Fancy that. It might be fake and predictable as you suggest. Or it could be the genuine reaction of someone who fully expects every decision to go the way of Rangers.
After all, that’s the natural order, innit?
Auldheid
Are you disgracing yourself with Estrella or Sangria today?
Joe Filippis Haircut –
RTC tweeted this earlier –
@rangerstaxcase
Rangers Tax-Case Evening Times tax talks story = 100% fabrication. No talks taking place.
Hope you are reassured.
Jobo
Seven Fishes Four Steaks says:
8 December, 2011 at 14:53
Say one player, for arguments sake a rangers player manhandles a ref and another player from lower league team does the same. Is it fair that one gets off and the other gets a 14 game ban?
……………………………………
Unfair comparison SFFS because referee Calum Murray said that Boogie had his arm in a half-nelson in a friendly manner.
lostinbonnybridge says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:37
Maybe Sally feels guilty and may have to alter his team talks in future .Feeling the pressure me-thinks
I noticed how he commented that the ref had a GOOD game ,well I find that astonishing as he only managed to see one single foul committed by any ragers player coming in the 79th minute and gave what has now been deemed a penalty to ragers that should have been a booking for diving.
Then again in the ragers eyes that performance is worthy of a step up the SFA ladder .
hail hail
Jobo The whole thing gives me a warm glo and brings a smile to my face.Lies Lies and more Lies the way forward for the poundland team.H.H.
Declan Is Neil Lennon 1888 Hates being 2nd says:
8 December, 2011 at 14:48
ye badjin..got me hook, line and reggie blinker the other night ;-)
on tats:
I knew a guy fought in the Africa campaign WW11 and wanted a tattoo- he explained to the wee guy in Alexandria what he wanted done …”Desert Rats -Africa”
The wee went ahead and finished the job…got carried away tho’ and added an extra ‘s’ in Desert
The old sweat spent the rest of his life denying he liked rodents in his pudding.
Then there was the wee Jock Tar who was tired of getting ribbed by his English seamates -decided on his next shore leave he would get a nice Scottish tat to wind them up..
Sure enough, next time the ship came into Singapore he got the usual skinful of beer and headed to the local tattoo artist…..had to explain what he wanted of course, because the artist had never heard the words ‘Scotland the brave’ and had certainly never seen a jaggy thistle..so the wee tar drew him a picture and promptly passed out due to the heat and the bevvy…
when he finally sobered up …he was delighted to see the legend “Scotland The Brave” in nice order on his forearm…under … a lovely… big….. Pineapple.
Then the bright Millwall fan who asked his equally bright mate to tattoo ‘Up the Lions’ on his back..
bullet heid is still cutting about with.. ‘Up the Loins’ ..his mate has not been seen since
HH
M
Lennybhoy
The issues are profound, and the organisation of the SFA is not equipped to deal with the avalanche of malfeasance and mala fides now racing towards the poor buggers at Hampden.
The SPL on the other hand is a self-serving organisation, and takes decisions bsed upon the principle of self interest, not good governance. The fools don’t understand that their interests are best served by good governance.
TBB
any word on the illicit signing stitch up at uefa
NatKnow
You are spot on.
It’s both of these things, and they are designed to create an atmosphere of injustice, and to influence future games.
Unfortunately, I’m old enough to have seen McCoist’s entire playing career, a virtuoso in the dark art of
‘leg buckling ‘ inside the penalty box, (especially when he saw Roy Aitken coming)
A dirty, diving cheat of the highest order, – and that’s me being polite.
Today his faux outrage sums him up, – master and pupil in front of the SFA.
It’s funny how fat sally never remembers the disgraceful assaults made by his own players.
Ally McCoist…”…the panel have effectively called my player a cheat and a liar…”
And you backed him Ally, In fact your whole club did …
Jobo, is that a tweet or do you know something :-)
SffS
If Coisty is quite so furious as is being reported, can I assume the MSM are running with that photo of him being held back by Walter Smith?
McCoistus Intripuptis
Sally’s out burst is absolute nectar. Under pressure wee man?
“I can also remember off the top of my head someone having a fly kick at our goalkeeper last season. (Sammy)
“I can also remember a goalkeeper having a go at Kyle Lafferty this season (Don’t know, but he deserves it) and a Motherwell player getting elbowed this season (Hooper).”
Who you worried about Sally?
Ha Ha!!!!
bournesouprecipe says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:10
Correct,and yet the wee snivelling rat is seen as a hero in this country.
NAE SHAME.
2 match ban for telling the TRUTH outragous given the outbursts By Butcher and now Fat Sally
DUNFERMLINE last night reluctantly accepted Jim McIntyre’s two-match suspension as they fear an appeal would lead to it being increased.
The Fifers are in shock after their manager was hit with a ban by the SFA after agreeing with them about Sone Aluko’s dive at the weekend.
They risked having this doubled or even increased to five matches. And chairman John Yorkston said: “I can’t get my head around this so I will keep my mouth closed so I don’t get myself in any trouble.
“Jim has accepted the decision so he gets a suspension and hopefully that is the end of it now.”
Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there with silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair she walked up to me gracefully and took my crown of thorns come in she said I give you shelter from the storm. WetwildandwindyglasgowCSC. HH
Will he miss the Old Firm game??
You have to laugh at Sally’s example of laughatme ,NOW THERE IS A GUY PROVEN TO BE A CHEAT .ask Charlie Mulgrew .
OH THE IRONY
hail hail
What happened to mcgregor last season when he ran and karate kicked the player on the chest?
TBB
Today it is Mount Gay, when in Spain do as the Bajans do. ;)
TBB 16:07
Being in a sober moment. Amen to that. A perfect summary.