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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Saint Stivs
16:36 on
4 July, 2015
still laughing at that ;-)))
HH
Cowiebhoy
Drove up through night from Manchester so got home at 5am
Heading off to vigil to allow a long lie before work Monday
HT
Euro champs spotted your pick with him
I saw his one on the wall at Celtic park, at least he couldnae argue with that. 8))
Jmccormick
Premier sports showing on uk free to virgin users I think
some absolute gash being spoken on shortbread with the mullet.
if he had only won the playoff he would be managing them now.
he is a dud, hopeless manager, and will be found out again, if anyone is daft enough to give him a job,
i had a wee look at the bakers stats other day as well, he is a dumplin,
its magic. hehehhehe
mugs.
First off – a friendly in pre-season is a game where (to quote the new Celtic TV co-commentator) the result is irrelevant.
Actually, it is never irrelevant to lose any game or indeed to win a game – regardless of the context – otherwise why play the blooming thing at all. I could just get the subbuteo out and have the league won by dinner time in that case.
The price of defeat or victory is the real issue, and in both cases today – it was zero -assuming there are no serious injuries. It’s more accurate to say that unlike our usual games, the result today was not that important.
We were able to conduct a great many experiments today – team selection, combinations in defence, midfield, attack, tactics, and substitutions that we could never dream of doing in a regular season competitive game. That is why the game was arranged in the first place. It was not scheduled as a glamour tie to increase our income or to enhance our reputation beyond Scotland. Our goal was achieved – even if we conceded 5 goals in the process.
Ask any sensible gambler (oxymoron mibbee) and they’ll tell you the strategy should be to never gamble with something you cannot afford to lose.
Losing the game today was permissable – officially too. No matter how much we fans hate losing any match that is the truth. Officially too though, we’d much rather win every match of course – but not at any price.
Winning easily but learning nothing that will improve your team/individuals/tactics is no better than a subbuteo game.
The manner of winning or losing is really what the coach has to look at in these games.
Ronny Deila will have learned a lot about those three areas from the defeat today. It would be a mistake to assume that Celtic are complacent because of their laid back approach to losing a game such as this.
I think that anyone of us could guess reasonably accurately RD’s starting team against Stjarnan on July 15.
Gordon, Lustig, Boyata, Van Dyjk, Emilio, Bitton, Brown, Johnansen, Janko/Armstrong, GMS/Forrest, Griffiths.
My bash at that anyway.
HH and KTF
Dena29, BT, SD, WITS,
Many thanks, premier sports it is then..
Afternoon all.
Off the point but I wonder if any of the technies on here can offer me advice. My nephew installed the kodi stuff for me. But I had purchased a DroidBox before that. He wasn’t sure if it added anything to what kodi provides. Suggested I ask on here. Anyone any idea?
Stivs
Met a couple of portonian orcs in Side
Met lots of orcs , I ripped them a new one for a few nights, felt like a big game fisherman with my hook line and sinker. 8)))
jmccormick
16:44 on
4 July, 2015
Dena29, BT, SD, WITS,
Many thanks, premier sports it is then..
Your welcome……Hope its a good one
HH
latchford can you breakdown how you arrived at the figure of £50m? Please not £25m per season, a proper breakdown or is it just a guess,however well meaning. H H Hebcelt
saint stivs,
If the mullet is such a dud, (and I’m not arguing about it), it’s a shame he is still not there.
Just caught this from bankiebhoy this morning- worth a re-post as it is top quality stuff:-
bankiebhoy1@ 09:07
“Here’s to CQN……
……an’ all its posters……….
Here’s to the roastirs………an’ the
….boasters,
The fraudsters and impostors.
Here’s to the cuddies an’ the caddies,
The maddies an’ the baddies.
Here’s to CQN
The “NO-Hopers” , the name-droppers an’ the No-Popers.
An’……the mawkit rockets
wi’ the boattle –in-the –back –poackits.
Here’s to CQN.
Here’s to…the stoatirs, and the topers….
The toasters ,
the Toppers,
…………………an’ the toakers……
…..the DOB’rs,
the …gie-ye-the-boakers……
…. And the ones-you love – the-mosters
Here’s to the guid guys an’ the wise guys……
even the sleekit “surprise” guys.
Here’s to CQN….
Here’s to CQN..
…..the runners,
the fun-ners……
…the big rid-heidit-stunnahs.
Here’s to CQN…
To the scrollers an’ the hi-rollers
The Jungle Jims an’ the Boardroom Dims….
Here’s to The Thinkers, the huv-a-wee-drinkers
an’ even…………
The wee stinkers…….
Here’s to CQN
An’ all the
“You’ll-Never-Walk–Aloners”
HH.”
bt,
the port orcs are , like the rest of them, a diminishing resource, their numbers go doon every year.
and they are thick.
i am glad you survived being inSide though , welcome out, in time for the new season.
heheheheh
Celtic to retain the SPFL title and to qualify for the CL group stages.
Dublin not to win the All-Ireland football championship.
It isn’t much to ask for, is it?
HH.
squire danaher
15:07 on
4 July, 2015
weeron
14:29 on 4 July, 2015
——————
Squire Danaher…..
I appreciate what you are saying. Regarding Joe, my understanding is this: Both he and Mathews signed as free agents. They, I believe got a decent salary – and a hefty signing on bonus.
When it came to extending the contracts, their agent wanted the equivalent of a signing bonus again. Effectively, they wanted epl-like money.
I know that Joe said publicly that he wanted to stay. He wanted to stay on epl money. He kept us hanging on in hope until the January window. If we had sold both of them with 2 years left in their deals, we would have got decent transfer fees for them.
It is sad to say, but money talks. There are very few players who wouldn’t jump over the wall for the money on offer down there. Celtic players, in today’s market, are no different.
Regarding Joe Ledley, I was one of his biggest fans. Loved how he went about his business quietly. Met him in person, seemed like a really nice guy.
All of that being said, if he wanted to play for Celtic more than he wanted the big money – he would still be at Celtic.
RWE
Good post, as always.
p.s. Armstrong and GMS
BT
What pic mate?
I know today was only a friendly and you can’t legislate for some players having absolute howlers but I was concerned watching some of that today.
We seemed to lack shape and discipline and the ease with which DP found space where our midfield was supposed to be was reminiscent of our early season European performances last season.
Indeed ole impeach McCrummond bankiebhoy1@ 09:07 at his best
Hail Hail
As someone brought up on the Probs v Poss donation entrance days all pre-season games should be viewed as what they are which is a wee runout for the players and a chance for the watchers,that’s us, to have opinions on the players that we know little of. Fassan,I thought was poor at the kicking in that he over hit almost all balls. He has no left foot either,but,since he has been here a while you would think the players would know NOT to pass back to him on his left! I mean only similarity btwn Gordon and him is they both wore yellow. The younger ones impressed me more than the auld yins and CM ran about as fast as I do! Thought that long lay off would have galvanised him a bit! (New baby doesn’t help). Anyway,will be there again on Friday and hope to try a Paisley watering-hole then!
Any Celtic defeat pains me. Even a meaningless bounce game.
But I’d rather we lost to Dukla Prague this time than the last time we played them.
Who’s up next – Vojvodina?
Tallybhoy
12:11 on
4 July, 2015
Never pished in a river – I don’t think -but once in Lake Garda.
*I did in the boyne while crossing fae Galway tae Skerries. Stopped off just tae dae that….effin sad isn’t it.
Urinated in the Clyde, Leven and Loch Lomond many times, also various times and places in the Atlantic.
HT
You and JF were both spotted on Celtic TV by the ever celebrity alert EuroChamps67.
HH
HT
Must have been a pic with u and him prior to the match he posted on here
Need to go to mass
Later bhoys
HT and BT
Celtic TV/broadcast company zoomed in on him for about 10 seconds as he was standing at his seat. The Kenny MacKay/Stuart Armstrong double act was in full swing so I heard no mention of him on air.
He looked well.
Bourne
At least JF would make me look happy! :-)
til later bhoys
HH
RWE
Good analysis of today’s events in Paisley, however, it’s not the result that concerned me it was how disjointed we looked for long spells.
On a side note I met my uncle at the game today and he was telling me how the polis had advised/told him to close his pub today because of the monkey walk in Glasgow. A sad indictment on our city.
Parkheadcumsalford
Afternoon all.
Off the point but I wonder if any of the technies on here can offer me advice. My nephew installed the kodi stuff for me. But I had purchased a DroidBox before that. He wasn’t sure if it added anything to what kodi provides. Suggested I ask on here. Anyone any idea?
—————-
Kodi is just a bit of software that can be installed on your laptops, tablet, phone or a droidbox.
The convenience of the droidbox is connecting it to the TV via HDMI leaving your laptop etc free for the usual stuff.
Bankiebhoy
Fantastic post.
COSYCORNERBHOY
Take yer other daughter to the game!
If you do,I’ll ask one or two of the mad skwad of your acquaintance to join you.
BSR
SA gave GMS a hard time on Celtic TV today – as in bamming his pal. “They’re all doing fine except the outside left” was his ht summation to some laughter.
One question from cybertimdom at ht was “Are you and GMS the new Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen?”
SA was completely unfazed and after a moment to consider said “Yes”. :o)
After the game, someone called him as future CEO material – he was that good.
Best co-commentator yet and that includes Stevie Frail.
HH
Friendlies ? Never liked them, hardly went to them, it’s just a form of getting fit only with an unknown opposition who are doing the same thing, result means nothing, people will say different, fair enough, but to me it means nothing, once we get to the business side of the season, fair enough fill your boots, but give the players a chance to get back from there holidays, these are finally tuned athletes who just can’t switch on and off. Hear is an idea!
Why don’t we just all focus on PL and blame him……oh hear wait a minute?
Johansen was limping quite heavily when he came off at the end but didn’t see anything that might have caused it.
Who dwells on pre-season friendly results?
About the only thing I remember from pre-season friendlies was Gary Lineker missing a 6-yard open goal right in front of me against Spurs at CP years back; then he had a laugh – grabbed the ball and tried again to the amusement of the jungle.
Think we lost 1-0. But that about sums it up – nobody SHOULD care about the results; we’ve had great seasons in the CL after pish-poor pre-season tours.
Today we scored 3 goals, and got a kick up the arse at the other end; always preferable than a 7-0 romp against inferior sides. All forgotten by September.
So after we’ve sacked Deila in the morning and got the resignations of half the board and Lawwell, I guess we might scrape a draw in the next friendly, but at least everyone will be happy something was done…
Got to be honest,I want to win every game.
And I go into every game expecting to win.
Today was a friendly,a bounce game,a way back to fitness. Players aren’t machines,they need a break and a bit of time to get back up to speed.
Not too bothered to be honest. But I wish we had won!
RWE…
you’ll no be far away with that team selection.
As bournesoup says, it is most likely going to be GMS, Johanasen, and Armstrong, in the attacking 3 behind Griffiths
I think the tie comes too early for Jancko.
on a separate note… I bring you the curious case of Charlie Mulgrew. I appreciate unlucky with injury last season.
However I have only witnessed him having 2 good games in last 18 Months, and funnily these performances happened when don’d in blue.
And alarmingly his only 2 good performances have came against good tims in Green.
Therefore, we are all entitled to ask….. Charlie…
Are you a Hun ?
All the best to AM – liked the guy- 2 mil not money we can turn down unfortunately!
Hebcelt,
Celtic figures show that a decent run in CL group stages with last 16 qualification nets the club easily 20 mil, with points, home gate, bonus mechanism. Last 16 game alone is probably the most profitable game Celtic are ever in. If we end up 3rd and enter Europa we are in 20 mil range.
This season we have the enhanced BT deal kicking in and Celtic could expect to earn 30 mil with a last 16 game or close to it with a Europa game if third.
So over 2 seasons close to 50 mil achievable. Last seasons thrown away with poor prep from our director of football Lawwell. lets see what team Ronny has at his disposal for the qualifiers.
If Lawwell screws up again he will have cost the club big time and he can go wherever his striking projects such as Bangura, Balde, Pukki et Al end up