A quick straw poll suggests we’re happy with £2m for Adam Matthews, although Sunderland will be happier, having signed what is likely to be a first team player for what is a bargain fee in the English league. For Celtic, the player had only a year left on his contract, and was not first choice when Mikael Lustig was available. On other occasions we would struggle to get £500k.
A few factors supported Adam’s marketability and price. He is part of a successful Wales team who are likely to reach Euro 2016. Scouts from all over Europe watch Wales and it’s unlikely you’d be able to sign any of that team for less than £2m.
There’s also the Joe Ledley and Victor Wanyama effect. Joe and Victor were Celtic contemporaries of Adam and both are solid performers for EPL clubs. Don’t even ask me about what’s going on with Daryl Murphy at the moment, as it beats any rational explanation I can come up with.
Having 20 hugely wealthy neighbours comes with lots of problems, but if we are going to lose players to England, it’s better to lose them on our own terms – when we are in a position to start a fresh building process, than have events overtake us, as appears to be happening at Tannadice this year.
Enjoy events this afternoon at New St Mirren Celtic Park.
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Have the wheels fallen off Ronny`s wagon already?
arranmorebhoylxv11
My three season tickets arrived today.
Is this the page for pre-season panic posts ?
It’s grate to be back moaning, whining and full of panic, ain’t it ?
Janko was the trialist ..
Madmitch and others….
Some lazy thinking going on regarding our CEO and ‘downsizing’. Some of you are willfully ignoring the power that players have in contract matters.
Every time the epl signs a new tv contract, the gulf in wages between them and us widens further. Players and their agents are aware of this, of course.
The result is that no-one comes to Celtic if there is an epl club on the phone with an offer. We have done well to sign players like Wanyama, Bitton and VVD. Keeping them is another thing entirely.
I believe that Victor was only a couple of months into his contract with us, when his agent told us that he would not be signing another one. Faced with a player walking away for nothing at the end of the contract, Celtic must decide on the best time to sell.
At least Victor and VVD were upfront on their desire to triple (or better) their wages. Others have kept is at the table, professing to be keen to extend, but never quite getting it done. Joe Ledley and Adam Mathews seem to have been of that ilk.
The truth is, when we are lucky enough to be able to sign good players, they probably will not extend their contracts with us.
To suggest that the CEO is pushing them out the door is nonsense. But you guys know that of course……..
I have been negligent in planning my travels for August and have only just checked the web for dates of CL qualifiers. Not happy to see that we will have a qualifier at end August if we get past two preliminary rounds, even ignoring today’s result that looks like it will be a game too far for us.
Amazing some folks take on friendlies …we get stuffed ..it’s only a friendly
We win well …brilliant , fantastic ..assign any other superlative
thunder road
14:19 on 4 July, 2015
Whos been messing with Hanouseks Personal Info on Wiki?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marek_Hanousek
Very good
Careful With That Tax, Moonbeams
14:29 on
4 July, 2015
Janko was the trialist ..
=====================
Well he cannae be much cop if he didn’t even get on the park.
I blame Lawwell for not signing a striker. Then there’s that daft stuff he does, like last year taking all that money from the Commonwealth games and playing in Edinburgh. Our ambitions have been stunted this year and we are now playing at Paisley……
We’re doomed……doomed…….doomed !!!
Early pre-season friendlies are mostly about building up fitness levels.
DONT PANIC!
However, big improvement required.
HH!!
Tallybhoy
Somebody didnae hang about!
Went to have a look at his stats and age but clicked on that bit too.
Nutters :)
arranmorebhoylxv11
New ST arrived today.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Why was Janko listed as trialist?
Is Jim Farry back at the SFA?
PF Ayr
It is indeed amazing that a good win against Den Bosch was dismissed as being the least you’ld expect against a poor Dutch team while a defeat to Dukla indicates we’ve no chane in CL quallies.
The hyperbole goes both ways.
We should not panic over pre-season friendlies. All about getting fitness right and trying things out. Breath Ghuys.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
weeron
It’s surely big Peter’s job to have players like Wanyama, VvD fall in love with Celtic and “get us”……..
If he did his job right there’s no way they’d want to double or triple their wages.
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Back fae the glorified training session,plenty of cobwebs
blown away,have not read back,are the bedwetters on yet?
Would like tae see us start Friday’s GTS,with the bhoy’s who
are likely tae start the qualifier.
SFTB
Quite ..
I can pretty much guarantee those happy to accept losing five goals as only a friendly/bounce game preferred it when Celtic did no do friendly’s.
Expectation management has worked treat.
We are Celtic Supporters obviously we always like to see Celtic win. God Almighty there was more adrenalin pumping last night to win an online vote, me being as guilty as anyone. However anybody getting downcast at losing a pre-season game or starting to build castles in the air on winning one should have their head examined.
Its primarily about fitness and experimenting, trying out different players etc.
The result means eff all.
Disappointing. Yes, it’s a friendly but you don’t tend to see decent teams lose 5 goals to mid table Czech sides even in friendlies.
Typically teams still have the basics that get them thru.
First half, Dukla showed our potential CL Qfr opponents exactly how to play us. Push high up the park and don’t allow us to play it out from the keeper.
We have no height further up the park so Gordon kicks it long and we lose out. If we gamble by playing it short we aren’t technically good enough to keep it under pressure.
It’s a problem.
Take VVD out the defence and Biton out of midfield and we lose all shape. Biton usually sits almost between the centre backs, offering an outball, height and cover. Today we missed that.
Further up? Well GMS and JF played too wide leaving us too spaced out. They looked to have all the room in the world.
We probably aren’t good enough to play 2 out and out wingers.
I think JF is the better of the 2 in some regards but GMS willingness to make those incisive runs on and off the ball must give him the jersey.
A lot for RD to think about today
Petec, I hope you are right mate.
That was still worrying today. Maybe as some say it’s good for a result like that to focus the minds and take appropriate measures.
However this nonsense about getting getting fitness and sharpness etc back up, what we forget is they have only been away for about 3 weeks. It’s not like years ago when they are coming back after 2 months off doing God knows what. They are athletes these days and lack of fitness and sharpness should not be an issue after 3 weeks off.
Hope Ronny plays his first eleven against Sociedad and forgets this idea of giving fringe players a run out. The real business starts too soon for experimenting now.
DP were miles ahead of us in match fitness,they played as a unit,we rarely do.
Back up goalie as soon as possible and maybe try going with 3 central mids far too much space down the flanks.
KTF
That Prague mob are a decent wee outfit.
Think today’s game was their 6th pre-season match already, they haven’t lost any yet.
Hopefully we have learned from that result.
It’s no big deal, really it isn’t.
HH.
I don’t know if Ciftci is good enough but he looks a better option for holding the ball up an bringing our ‘supporting’ players into play, especially uf we stick with the one up front which I think we will. Not much of that happening today.our best players, probably Johansson and Brown. Rogic looks good but needs to be involved more.
That was ugly … Unlike the wosniacki/gorgi match at Wimbledon, which was lovely…. But I digress…
Do we have the players to play the system Rd wants. it doesn’t seem to work against any decent European team.
Uch! .. Eastern european teams are just bogey teams ..
Barcelona, Real Madrid .. Who the hell …
:)
rocket man
13:59 on 4 July, 2015
Anybody know if Cifti is banned for his bite? Or are the SFA waiting to see if he signs for us?
…………………….
My own feelings exactly. Why else haven’t they administered a punishment?
Guernica: 14:38
Excellent post…spot on analysis…well done.
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
14:36 on
4 July, 2015
weeron
It’s surely big Peter’s job to have players like Wanyama, VvD fall in love with Celtic and “get us”……..
If he did his job right there’s no way they’d want to double or triple their wages.
————————————————————-
Indeed……:)
Sadly, the money to be made down south is crazy enough, that it no longer matters who ‘gets us’…..:(
Example: A while back, Harry Redknapp was moaning about one of his players (in the Championship) who was always injured. Harry said. ‘I don’t know, I think he just shows up to pick up his 60 thousand pounds a week…!!! I don’t even remember the player in question.
We are doing a decent job of surviving in a mad, mad world.
M i T
‘La bella’ signorina Giorgi is my favourite Italian tennis player.
Gutted she is out.
HH!!
Something different to main aboot :-)
2 new season tickets in, have to say, would have liked something a bit louder in design, nothing better than opening the auld wallet and showing of the season card
This one doesn’t stand oot :-((( like the last one in green and white hoops
Hail Hail
Proff green,
You make a good point, players have two or three weeks out due to injury and are expected to hit the ground running when they are put into the first team, it appears returning from holiday season is far more of a problem that returning from an injury, why is that do you think ?
Main = moan :-(
Professor Green,
I didn’t see the game so I can’t really comment on it, but I am sure we will be ok for the qualifiers.
The main thing is, IMO, to be in tip top shape for that last qualifier because that one will be a toughie.
By all accounts, questions were asked of the team today, Good.
My season ticket arrived in post today. Can’t wait.
Tallybhoy …my great grandfather was from Sicily … It must be us Italians that know what is truly important. :)
GinalolabrigidaCSC