Celtic’s January transfer window saw seven new players sign deals, although only four will be at the club for the remainder of this season, and only one of those, Vakoun Issouf Bayo, is on a permanent deal.
Bayo is a classic centre forward-target man, unlike Leigh Griffiths or Odsonne Edouard, who like to play in the channels. He has not played for two months, so it is likely to be a couple of weeks before we see him. He is here because of our Ivorian Connection through Kolo Toure, who is a coach at both Celtic and Ivory Coast. That being the case, the club should know more about him than most new signings, which should mitigate the risk inherent in any signing.
Since the resumption of action after the winter break, we have seen Oliver Burke and Timothy Weah fulfil the striker role, each on loan, from West Brom and Paris Saint-Germain respectively. Neither player is here to play the striker role long-term; expect them to supplement the wide positions after we return to a more normal compliment up front.
With minutes to spare, Jeremy Toljan signed on loan from Borussia Dortmund. This is a player who great things were expected from when he left Hoffenhiem 18 months ago, but Dortmund is a different beast and he did not find the move easy.
That’s not dissuaded many of his talent, which means Celtic’s chances of securing his services on a permanent basis are slim. I also believe the player is on pretty decent (cough) contract. He will not be here beyond May.
Maryann Shved, 21, arrived this week from Karpaty Lviv in Ukraine, where he has returned to stay until the summer. We moved early for Maryann, interest in the player was generated in only 38 competitive games. Players grow up on the football field and Maryann needs as many opportunities as he can get right now. With the manager having so many wide options for the remainder of the season, loaning him back to Karpaty was an easy decision.
Two American full backs were signed yesterday, Andrew Gutman (22) and Manny Perez (19), both loaned back to US clubs.
So all these loans arrivals, signings-only-to-be-loaned out, what’s the plan?
The top-level plan is to win the league, do our best to win the two cups and to give us the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League. Everything else is a consequence of this. Two decades ago, when Martin O’Neill set his mind to the same task, he signed talent who were at the peak of their physical capabilities. Many of those who arrived not only had experience in the English Premiership, they were top performers there.
By the time Gordon Strachan took over, signing strikers who were recently top scorers in England was no longer possible. Gordon took to Poland (as well as Easter Road), as we searched for talent in value markets.
Neil Lennon’s term saw the transitioning to where we are now. Neil found African talent, and successfully raided the lower leagues in England, but under his tenure we embarked on what would become one of the mainstays of our recruitment planning – loaning young players (Fraser Forster) who were not getting a sniff at wealthier clubs.
Many doors have closed to us in the last 20 years. There will be no more Chris Suttons, while competition for players across Eastern Europe is vastly greater than it was when we signed Artur Boruc.
The news is not all bad, in fact, significant things are much better than they were 20 years ago, most specifically, the development of young talent. Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney and James Forrest are more successful than any player Paul McStay and Aiden McGeady – and both of them were notable as exceptions for their eras.
The ‘Fraser Forster strategy’ – scout teams too distracted elsewhere to give opportunities to players, has been very productive. Olivier Ntcham, Odsonne Edouard and Dedryck Boyata all fall into this category (we’ll reserve comment on Daniel Arzani). We managed to get Odsonne on a try-before-you-buy loan first. During his loan he did enough to convince Brendan Rodgers to beak our transfer record on him. Celtic think this will continue to be a productive furrow for them.
Not all signings are Development Projects
Not all loans fall into this category. Some, like Jeremy Toljan, are here to do a job for a specific period. Development Projects are not the only game in town, sometimes you just have to plug a hole to strengthen the team.
There were choices for the right back role. Lech Poznan’s Robert Gumny was looked at and liked, but the player failed a medical a year ago and has not played enough football since a subsequent operation to convince anyone he would be fitter than Jozo Simunovic. Or we could have tried to find a nugget elsewhere, but Jeremy got the nod.
We sign a lot of players
Two American full backs on the same day we sign a German full back, “millions of wingers”. This has been going on for a while. You, me, Celtic and the players know, not all of them are going to make it. Football, for a century, has harvested talent, picked the cherries and cast the darnel aside.
I remember Martin O’Neill, flush with the success of his early signings and before his Ulrik Laursen and David Fernandez period, told us that every signing a football club makes needs to be a success. Yes, if you have the wisdom and insight, the luck and the money, maybe you can be so bold. But there is a real world out there full of scouts and managers who each carry the weight of experience of players who just didn’t work out.
There are formulas, some better than others, but we should know that just putting a Celtic jersey onto a player will not, and has never, made him a certain success. Martin would have been more accurate by saying ;You have to kiss a lot of frogs in this business’, just do your best to get some handsome frogs in the first place.
We have exceptional domestic talent: Scott Brown, Kieran Tierney, James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie – better than any Scottish team in 30 years, and we have done very well to retain them.
There is room for others to follow. The opportunity is there for Scott Bain and Tony Ralston.
As well as developing our own talent, we have cooperated with two of the world’s richest, Manchester City and PSG, to foster young players who are not getting a chance at their parent club. This is affordable, enhances the squad, and has helped achieve our football objectives.
We have five young players out on loan: Lewis Morgan, Calvin Miller, Andrew Gutman and Manny Perez, and Maryann Shved. The hope is some develop into first-team regulars, like Callum McGregor and Ryan Christie did.
That’s the strategy. Is it better than signing the best permanent players we can? Like you, I prefer the good ones to be tied down to long-term contracts at Celtic, but despite this, the answer is a clear yes. We need to work angles with PSG, Borussia Dortmund and Man City. We need to take risks on players with only a few dozen games under their belt. When an opportunity to sign a Ntcham or Boyata arises, take it. And we need to continue to do what we are doing with youth development.
Will it deliver 8-in-a-row? You bet your bum it will.
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IMHO, if, and the key word here is if, we win the league this season it’ll be the biggest achievement in our 131 year history, bigger than the original 6IAR, 2 Empire Exhibitions Cups, Coronation Cup, 7-1 gemme, the Big Cup, an honest and legal 9IAR, the Centenary Double and stopping the thieving, lying cheating 10IAR.
Doesn’t matter if they get three penalties every game from here on in they’ll still no win the league, fargin sneaky bastages :)))
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bYiow8qNL8Y
HH
In the Rowbotham 3 penalties to the hun against Dundee game it was not so much the penalties he awarded his favourites but the two stone wallers denied Dundee.
Remember the Dundee players complain about.
Did they not get an inordinately high amount of penalties that season?
Tontine
I think you could be right
I believe we got 3 penalties in 1 game. Maybe on 2 ocassions.
The question is whether or not the sevco penalties were honest.
Stevie Thomson saying nothing. Not even a sarcastic jibe from the boyhood buddie !
Sevco are now averaging a penalty one game in two.
son of dallas 4th pen sevco 78 mins
This is ridiculous !
Hot Smoked.
I’ve watched the second and third pens on Twitter.
Bada is 100% correct, absolutely no contact on Defoe for second pen.
Defoe looks as If he has second thoughts on diving and half pulls out of it, Dallas still awards it. It’s a shocker.
The third player puts his arm up, sideways, at edge of box.
Dallas gives, very debatable if it’s inside box and the kind of one that a good few refs don’t award anyway.
Hail Hail
Did we get 3 at Pittodrie back in the 90s?
I believe MIB have agreed not to award any pens v their team, as demonstrated in game v Livingston, both ref and linesman( who was quick to flag for them in first half). Also the recent denied penalties for Celtic.
Off to watch Ireland game.
KTF
CATHACH
“four penalty’s in one game”
We will need to score plenty tomorrow to win I fear, as the MIB will try his hardest.
As huns get a fourth penalty.
honest i was kiddin when i said going for 55.
RON67 on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 4:15 PM
3 pens
1 soft
2 dive
3 outside box
4 dive into the box
TONTINE TIM on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 4:24 PM
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 4:19 PM
Sevco world record equalling Rainjurz with three penalties in one game
*aye their ain record when the Scottish collina gave them 3 penalties at dens park, barry 8 contrived tae miss the first 2 and equalised with the 3rd.
Remember Rowbotham well, but like I said a first treble for Sevco.
HadToBeDallas CSC
The cheating is barefaced and shameless.
This will make things tight.
Party time in the ludge tonight. Not to mention Cheatin’ Beaton’s watering hole.
CQN Fifth Penalty from Dallas to Sevco sweepstake
96Minutes?
Wonder how the odds against getting four penalties in a game compares with the odds for winning the lottery or being hit twice by lightning?
Sevco claiming new world record number of penalties.
https://twitter.com/RhebelRhebel/status/1091735014390317056
Absolute joke league – anyone who thinks we will still win 8 in a row is deluded. Will never be allowed to happen.
This is up there with mitb evans sendo 4 calvinists off at hades, it was that bad that guff asked him no tae send any merr aff as the game would have tae be abandoned.
Then the baptie mini who liked tae commit mortal sins outside hunden with one of his flock yellow carded 9 of our players at hades, in an effort tae even things up he also booked 2 of theirs, in the 89th minute.
Stolen from twitter
“Andrew Dallas has just been announced as the sponsors Man of the Match at Ibrox”.
i will be very surprised if the saints manager says nothing about the shocking pen awards.
TONTINE TIM on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 4:48 PM
That was Mike McCurry , a bible thumper like his pal who reffed us on Wednesday.
You can bet it wasn’t the Catholic version of the bible either.
BSR
That might actually
Be the only one of the many absurd world records they claim that would actually have any merit.
Even Gordon Wancell said 3 were not penalties
The bottom line is that as a club we do nothing.
That is why this continues year after year.
At least 1 buddie will be leaving with a big grin on his face, the Hamilton Ontario born and Belfast reared bigot assistant manager who on being interviewed after his then team manure won the FA Cup said he would like tae say hi tae kai, and it wisnae johansen either, back in Belfast.
Refs finalized blue print working well.
They obviously got approval then they submitted it to sfa and sevco.
Any contact on a selfie within two yards of box shall result in penalty awarded.
Any foul on opponent by a hun in sevcos box shall be ignored by ref ,sfa and mssm.
Hand ball should only be penalized if committed by opponent.
Rumor has it that Tavsie turned down Southampton cause they couldn’t guarantee penalties as part of package.
mark “old firm” wilson will be pleased
The performance of the mib in their last home game was so corrupt we reasonably asked for an explanation. In their next home game we get our answer
Southside
Beaton and Dallas have played a blinder in the last two matches at Ibrox. Lanarkshire ludges happy tonight.
SOUTHSIDE on 2ND FEBRUARY 2019 4:56 PM
And the answer is……………..**** off Timmy
and what do we do about it another than accept the agenda and say heehaw .