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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“The meeting was chaired by a former referee and I have to say his decision making hasn’t improved any since he stopped refereeing.”
Can you imaging the uproar if this came from Neil??!!
Would laugh my ass off if Sally got a ban for this now as well.
Mac
Methinks McCoist doth protest too much. But, you can bet your bottom dollar that the rags will get “justice” done for “ra peepil”.
Isn´t former hun Finance Director Donald McIntyre due to have his day in court tomorrow ?
Can anyone tell me which court or has it been postponed ?
Hail Hail
Lennon n Mc….Mjallby says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:17
He aslo jumped two footed into a Hearts player with the ref looking straight at it and waving play on
Also remember Weir grabbing a hearts player buy the back of the neck and throwing him to the ground in the penalty box against Hearts and the ref telling the Hearts player to get up and stop wasting time
hail hail
STV…… a wet leaf hit Kyle Lafferty on the foot, Strathclyde Police have blamed the Green Brigade
Awe Naw
Up before Lord Paddy Hodge in the Court of Session tomorrow
what would Sally say about this
Look at the refs reaction ,its as if he is thinking ,sh@t I might have to give hearts something here http://youtu.be/lVpJOtfX0jA
BSR –
Couldn’t agree more – McCoist was always a master cheat. Sound like you remember the good ole bad ole days of the late 80’s/90’s like me. He certainly is trying to pile the pressure on with that reaction.
It’s also a sign of pressure. I’m sure he’s a worried man. We need to keep him under pressure.
A message for Fat Sally McMoist.
Shooper Ally. Your player is a cheat and now a liar and so are you.
Yet again you’ve made a complete fool of yourself and have dragged rankers even further into disrepute if that were possible.
This feigned outrage is so transparent. Close up photo’s of the alleged contact and turning up at the appeal in the full expectation that the mere presence of the rankers manager would intimidate the panel has failed spectacularly, and should now be a source of concern for rankers and encouragement for all the other teams in the SPL.
The sneaky one must now be trying to come to terms with the fact that his sense of entitlement just because he is the beggars’ manager is seriously undermined, and what will the future hold for THEM given this unprecedented rebuff.
rankers are now holed below the water line, mostly due to their own devices, but we may now just be witnessing the beginning of a sea change in Scottish football and its attitude to the peepel.
The club is in desperate straits and obviously greatly diminished.
They no longer enjoy the status that they used to and this may have emboldened others to treat them accordingly.
I do believe that we are on the cusp of a real power shift in the football establishment in Scotland, with Celtic eventually emerging as the victors.
I know that there will continue to be problems for us with the MIBs and for a while with the Old Brigade (ironic or what) in Scotland, but I truly feel that our ultimate triumph will be inevitable and irresistible.
It is a good time to be a TIM.
TBB
I have been impressed how every hun session with the judiciary has always been scheduled for Friday afternoons.
Do you know how it is possible to manage to pull this off ?
HAil Hail
oldcastleboy @ 13.48
mate if you drop me an email I can help out with books for your da’s kindle no probs.
gutterkid1 at hotmail etc
Neil Lennon will serve a 20 match ban after the SFA found him guilty of causing today’s weather problems, in other news a wet leaf hit Kyle Lafferty on the foot…police have blamed the green brigade
bada bing currys has 42 inch tvs and the the price is ok. bada make sure it has full hd dont take anything else ,hope this is some help to you.
All joking aside, I think the storm is getting worse here. The wind is battering against the windaes noo.
“Rafik Halliche expects to be told within the next 24 hours if Celtic plan to offer him a way out of his Fulham nightmare”
via lennoxtownews
The only thing missing from aluko’s dive, was Mr T rolling up in a tank and chucking a snickers at his bonce.
3-0 to the good ghuys on Saturday
pc67
timbhoy2 says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:32
bada bing currys has 42 inch tvs and the the price is ok. bada make sure it has full hd dont take anything else ,hope this is some help to you.
share
Thank you sir.
Hearts players seek meeting with SPL chief executive over unpaid wages
• Hearts squad have not received wages due on 16 November
• Players want to know what assistance league can give
Ewan Murray
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 8 December 2011 15.57 GMT
Hearts players are to seek an immediate meeting with Neil Doncaster, the chief executive of the Scottish Premier League, as their wait to receive salary payments shows no sign of ending.
The Hearts first-team squad were due to receive monthly wages on 16 November. But so far little more than token payments, issued last week, have been forthcoming and morale among players at Tynecastle is at a low ebb.
Now, the Hearts squad want to know if television and other commercial monies due to the club from the SPL can be diverted directly to them. Although that is almost impossible – the SPL holds contracts with Hearts, not their players – the squad want to clarify what assistance, if any, Doncaster can provide before they issue the league with a formal, written complaint against the club for the first time. If they have their way, a delegation of players will meet Doncaster before Saturday’s trip to Celtic.
Some players claim they are running desperately short of money, with others in need of surgery for injuries, which needs to be paid for.
Those close to Hearts stress attention would be better focused towards the Lithuania-based Ukio Bankas Investment Group (Ubig), the club’s parent company. As per Hearts’ last published accounts – which showed them to be £36.1m in debt – Ubig promised to continue funding the club as a going concern. Inability or unwillingness to meet payments due to employees is a clear contradiction of that guarantee.
Scotland’s professional footballers’ association held talks with the Hearts players on Thursday morning. The union’s chief executive, Fraser Wishart, later said: “The expectation is that our members simply continue to turn up for training and games as normal without any sign of being paid. It is to their credit that they have done so in recent months and, rather than being weak, this takes strength and shows a care for the future of the club.
“There is however a growing anger, frustration and a feeling of isolation amongst the players. Our members ask for the governing bodies to intervene and help resolve this matter. The governing bodies have an obligation to the integrity of the game in this country and it is imperative that from this aspect our members are paid.
“Our members wish is quite simple; they want to be paid their wages. There is no wish to take legal action against the club and we agree that it is in everyone’s interest that Hearts get to January and raise revenue by selling players. It cannot be right though that a club can demand a transfer fee for a player who it cannot pay as there are no signs that the club can guarantee to fulfil the terms of the contract.
“The longer our members go without pay the more likely that many will look to use the terms of their contract and the Fifa regulations. The club is in clear breach of our members’ contracts and players are now looking at their contractual position.”
Hearts’ last set of wages arrived to their players 19 days late. This time, there has been no explanation given for the delay in funds. No possible timescale for salaries appearing has been given, either.
NatKnow
I thought Fat Sall was a cheating masta.
The Battered Bunnet says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:24
‘Awe Naw
Up before Lord Paddy Hodge in the Court of Session tomorrow’
That’s not listed.
Though this is
A32/11 The Rangers Football Club plc v CRE8 (Publishing) Ltd
Dundas & Wilson CS
McClure Naismith
Are CRE8 (Publishing) Ltd not some mob that went bust owing a number of clubs money?
Can’t get on Internet Explorer,but can get on net through Google Chrome,any reason why bhoys?
The Battered Bunnet says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:11
There is no mention of McCoist’s comments on the BBC website. I suspect they are racking their data base to find some pictures of him cuddling otters at the zoo to attach to their article.
His comments MUST lead to some ban. Poor Jim McIntyre is the real victim in all of this. He has done next to nothing wrong. Aluko has cheated McIntyre’s team, the referee has cheated/displayed utter incompetence and McCoist has claimed bias against his club and called into question the integrity of the new system. Why McIntyre is punished in all of this I’ll never know.
McCoist should be grateful for the 3 points that Aluko managed to cheat for him.
The fact that the whole main stream media has led this campaign to keep Aluko in the team shows how desperate and scared the Huns are. Mon the Hibees!!!
Bada
Have a look here?
Ernie
http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2011/11/24/rangers-fc-yet-another-court-case-this-time-as-pursuers-but-still-not-good-news/
Hail Hail
South Of Tunis says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:26
Awe Naw —-
” Career threatening tackles ” are tolerated in Scotland —– part of that ” it’s a man’s game ” guff .
” Diving ” is seen to be a bit ” foreign ” / a bit ” Latin ” and is therefore very much frowned upon . Halfwit Huns like Duffield mouthed off about ” the blight ” of diving whilst ever so conveniently forgetting that world class diver who played for The Hun , one John MacDonald. No ” blight ” comments from Duffield about him . Wonder why ?
*the worst of them was davie wilson
oldcastleboy,
I should have made it clear thats .com not co uk.
anyway drop me a line brother I’ll sort it out.
Hail Hail
Tontine Tim says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:43
Davie Wilson was worse than Mc Coist ?
Mc Coist was another hun legend who made a career out of gifts bestowed upon him on a weekly basis by the MIB
Hail Hail
Eurochamps67 –
A lot of strongly descriptive words come to mind when I see him. But this is a family site!
After the famous fight at Muirton—Sir Walter and Alex Totten were charged by the police with fighting and swearing and thrown out of the ground at half-time and not allowed back in until an hour after full-time—the St Johnstone manager told the court he had swore at Smith because Ally McCoist was a cheat and had elbowed striker John Inglis in the face.
Surely not?
The cuddly cheeky chappie wouldn’t do such a thing would he?
Says so here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58617255/Walter-v-Totten-Fight
Sir Paul
The “Why Did Celtic Re-Sign …Broonie?” …. Continued..
Ah think, Think.. Mind Ye!..
My Curiosity jist Bin .. Un-Piqued.
Tae Wit:
See News Now..
“Advisor of MidField Star, Reveals Liverpool Interest”
It is reported the Kayal is Valued by Celtic , at
EIGHT MILLION POUNDS OF CABBAGE.
Hmmmmmmmmmm
Yep.. if Kayal goes. then..
Broonie wull be able tae Get a Starting Place..
efter Awe!
Ah Think.
Kojo
I see Bangura banged in a double in the bounce game yesterday against hibs ,looks like he may have got himself a pair of scoring boots .
hail hail
truth4767 says:
8 December, 2011 at 14:55
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOx8FKZ7zUs
And they said ‘NOT GUILTY’
—————————————————————————–
Terrible call. At least they managed to get the next one right though. Here’s hoping the correct decisions continue!
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo says:
8 December, 2011 at 16:30
so I am but I will happily accept it since they have lost every case they have presented to Lord Hodge.
Maybe Friday’s are not Good for them.
South Of Tunis says:
8 December, 2011 at 15:06
I am no fan of football hooligans quite the opposite but if one nation deserves a little bit of football hooliganism then its the Italians,the way that away fans get treated there is a disgrace.
Compare the bile infested rant from Mc.Coist, featured on the web today, with this article taken from the BBC website:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/16086433.stm
For me, it sums up the difference in character of the two men, or in a word; Class.
It should be noted that the AGM postponed story has been penned by the Sun sports editor Iain King.
Hail Hail
To me hun players are 30% better than actuality due to the aid of Scotland’s refs.
This is why they rarely look good when they leave.
Even Laudrup who was a good player struggled elsewhere.
The new Baresi(Wilson)has not got close to the Liverpool first team ason a level playing field he is very average.
Greg Luganis has also stated he would never have won his haul of gold diving medals if he had competed against those ibrox legends.
Ah See the Lenny is Talkiing aboot his Bouts wi’
Depression.
Lenny,if ye are reading this.. listen tae whit
my wise Uncle Moishe said..aboot… Depression.
” Ye are Supposed tae get Depressed. fae time tae Time..
The Guid Lord Made ye . that way..
Fur..when ye come oota it..
Ye feel GREAT!
And Ye wull come oota it.. sure.. ye wull..
It is a Perfectly natural State.. nothing unusual aboot.
Actually, if someone telt ye that they Never Goat
Depressed..
Then..
That wid Be… UN-NATURAL!
Bottom line..
Fur..
If ye NEVER Goat Depressed..
How wid Ye know..
When Ye wur Feeling …HAPPY?”
Maks sense tae me.
Kojo