Over the last few days of the European transfer window I was keen to find out what business Ajax would be able to complete (what Milan and Barca did is of scant interest). Between Friday and yesterday Ajax lost two players, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen moved to Tottenham, and yesterday, Belgian defender, Toby Alderweireld joined Atletico Madrid.
Both were big players for the Dutch champions, who could realise €20m from the sales, but attempts to sign Ola John from Benfica and Eljero lia of Werder Bremen failed, instead they paid Heracles Almelo €2.5m for midfielder Lerin Duarte.
The Amsterdamers had a frustrating final few hours of the window. No doubt potential targets were worried about having to face three huge teams in the Champions League. In a difficult group, this is what counts as a break for Celtic. Only five games into their league season and without Champions League qualifiers to use as a yardstick, the group stage will come early for Ajax.
Living adjacent to an over-monied behemoth has considerable drawbacks as even our top clubs struggle to retain teenagers in the face of English lower league competition but such a rich market can also bring enough transfer income to make the difference between feast and famine.
The English Premier League spent £445m on transfers outside England but apart from Celtic and Hamilton Accies, who between them will earn around 4% of that total, I don’t think anyone else in Scotland got a piece of the action.
Nurturing and selling talent to England has to be a strategy for dozens of clubs here. Paying (for them) top wages to players who are no longer able to gain employment in England can only be considered a waste by comparison.
[calameo code=0003901713852289beccb lang=en page=92 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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Billed=bleed.
As a relic of the Kelly Kids era, I would advocate caution in introducing youngsters in any great numbers.
Nobody biting tonight.
Going to put kettle on.
Yorkbhoy @ 19;12,
That’s a great idea, when Arsenal and Man U were bringing players through thay’s exactly how they did it.
Just like we have a UCL Squad, we could have a SLC Squad – fringe players, youths, prospects.
P
Let them know it’s their Cup run, if they get through and play well they’ll get picked the next round, a real competition, with medals and a Trophy to play for.
———————————
Congratulations to Peter Lawwell, replacing Ralph Topping on the SFA Board ensures we will have real oversite.
Hail Hail
My concern with the younger players is a lack of competitive games. Learning about playing under pressure I would think is important and without the reserve league it leaves a gap in their development.
Quonno
I think our youth squad would beat THEM… Wouldnt that be fun..?
tommysbhoy- Good point but those using this would need to prove they were unemployed, I would imagine.
Hello , I tried to e-mail Canalamar earlier on an e-mail I was given canalamar@hotmail.com.
However it has been returned, any idea if I got the wrong e-mail?
Thanks in advance
I have always been a firm believer in the old maxim, ‘if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.’
However, this should be tempered – by all means introduce 3/4 under 21 players in, eg, League Cup matches. Kids, in my experience, tend to perform better when surrounded by more experienced players.
It’s not rocket science.
HH!!
Maybe the reason we don’t play more youngsters is because they aren’t good enough.
The manager sees them day in / day out at training, and he is the same guy who stuck with Kelvin Wilson and Mikhael Lustig, when they both had slow starts.
His judgement was correct, mine was wrong.
Two years ago, when Dylan scored a great goal on his debut, I thought we had a player, same with Tony’s CL goal, sadly neither have pushed on since.
We either trust the manager’s judgement or we don’t.
Looking for advice.
1. What section of the San Siro will Celtic be given tickets for? Never been to Milan
2. Anyone have any advice regarding tickets for home fans section? If so, what is best avoided and where is safest?
All help and advice appreciated in advance
HH
Try canamalar, rather than canalamar. :-)
Sorry, that’s for jmmcormick!
canamalar@hotmail.com
Auldheid, would a shareholder supporting Canalmar be to the detriment of the CST as they require that shareholders pledge their shares to the Trust’s proposals?
Or can the same ordinary shares support two masters?
YorkBhoy, hopefully the European Development games will get them ready for first team.
The pressure on the youngsters if wholesale changes are made might be too great.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/266/vrjg.jpg/
Divitbhoy,
Been to the San Siro a couple of times for derbies.
Although it doesn’t directly Answer your question….
– Italian fans often ( not always) give the CL a bye until the serious stuff starts, so tickets shouldn’t be an issue.
– the mantra myself and my friends adopted was to adopt the same caution we would at games vs. our former rivals. Might mean an extra taxi here and there, but better safe etc
Clashcitybhoy
Why do you think neither Watt or McGeough have pushed on since those dramatic exploits?
Personally I think Neil’s system does not suit Dylan as he’s a centre mid with more flair than defensive skills.
Watt I don’t know but something seems to be amiss.Playing him wide dilutes his strengths.
I think both are good enough to be regular first team Celtic players but can’t see it happening with Neil and his coaching systems.
jmccormick
He also has canamalar@yahoo.com
Divitbhoy
Because AC/ Inter share the San Siro – we should be allocated the AC end (believe both sets of fans have a thing about occupying what’s seen as the away end).
Was at the AC 1-3 game and we were in the Inter end behind the goals – to the left of the main stand. Assuming Inter will occupy that end – then we should be to the right of the main stand (Inter website would probably confirm this).
Big Nan
A little misunderstanding there. You can elect to support or oppose any CST motion. There is no ‘pledge’. Support one. Oppose another. Abstain in the next. That’s the way it goes.
Of course, you might be so supportive of the CST that you give them a proxy on your shares, but that is unnecessary and as far as I am aware, doesn’t normally occur.
If they’ve got a motion you think deserves your support, support it. It’s a democracy after all, not a chain gang.
TBB
jmccormick
Did you manage to print out the document? Every time I try the computer freezes up and I have to restart.
mickbhoy1888
16:47 on 3 September, 2013
I see that the day trip to Milan is flying to Bergamo rather than Linates
So it’s a 90 minute bus journey after 2 and a half hours on the plane
—-
Best get train from Bergamo, not 45 mins.
There were some very positive reports from last years Next Gen series, hopefully that will help with their development.
Clashcitybhoy
I can see your point, I was just surprised that Neil would play an unfit James Forrest instead of a youngster.
Not = only
Looks like there are still some “what ifs” going around with regard to the transfer market. Fact is, our squad has been decided and out with a Bosman, Lenny needs our full support.
Barca players noising us up about “revenge” is a moral boost to the squad already. Pin those articles on the dressing room wall and while they blow hot air, we go about our preparations quietly and effectively.
A Werder Bremen fan, who watches all the Bundesliga tells me he expects Teemu to hit the ground running. He reckons the lad is extremely fit and very professional in his “research” and approach. Interestingly enough he says he expects him to do particularly well in the CL games.
I’ll be all over the States for the CL and I’m sourcing CSC’s as we speak. Seattle, Los Angeles and New Orleans so far and the list may grow further.
BakuBhoy,Doctor Whatfor,THE EXILED TIM
Thanks you all , I am blaming Auldheid for giving me duff info ( see page 1 of this) or I need stronger reading glasses.
I scanned and sent signed document.
Cheers again.
The politics and economics of football aside…
We’ve got a handful of new talented players in the squad and only a single game between now and kick off in the San Siro.
Over to Lenny to get the training sessions played at match tempo. Easier said than done…
Divitbhoy
San Siro – should add that we were with the official CFC Travel and were bused right into the coach park area. The flight was not from the main Milan airport and was quite a distance away – we were convoyed there and dumped on mass (no matter your flight departure time).
Tip if you’re going that way – make sure you take some snacks/ drinks (water) as the airport was totally locked-down apart from the toilets.
Was a long wait – especially when we were 7 mins away from a draw. :-(
I went to the GP for a check up & he said “Don’t eat anything fatty”….
“Do you mean things like pies & chips she said”…
“No fatty, don’t eat anything” he replied…
Fan-a-tic,
I don’t know.
I think there are a few issues, which are more about our set up than the players .
1) Every time we get a half decent performance from a youngster, he IMHO gets OTT adulation, when perhaps they weren’t that good in the first place
2) I think the idea of having to have u21s on the bench, prevents us loaning out players, and probably inflates players egos.
Personally, I would give serious consideration to dumping our youth system.
We had one guy in our CL quali games who made any meaningful contribution, who came through the ranks . That is a shocking statistic, and for as far as I can remember , we always seem to be on the precipice of a new dawn with youth development.
I can understand if we can’t rear a Larsson or Wanyama, but how sad is it when we have to sign what I would call Good club standard players. With all due respect surely we can develop a better striker than Stokes, or midfielder than Ledley.
The money we spend on youth development, I would put into a couple of feeder clubs.
Every so often an outstanding young talent emerges who is so good that it becomes impossible for the manager not to pick him – Jinky, George Connelly, Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain, Charlie Nicholas, Paul McStay…
They don’t grow on trees, unfortunately.
The under 20 side have been very successful over the last few years, but how many have become first team regulars?
Is there one, or more, of the current crop who is good enough to push for a regular first team place in the coming months?
Bahrudin Atajic, possibly.
HH!!
Peter Lawell on the board at the SFA..
.
Bloody hell….Rangers will be turning in their Grave
SOAL 20;03,
BRILLIANT:-)))
praecepta
19:47 on 3 September, 2013
Divitbhoy
Because AC/ Inter share the San Siro – we should be allocated the AC end (believe both sets of fans have a thing about occupying what’s seen as the away end).
Was at the AC 1-3 game and we were in the Inter end behind the goals – to the left of the main stand. Assuming Inter will occupy that end – then we should be to the right of the main stand (Inter website would probably confirm this).
you should check the draw out…we are playing Milan!!
Kaka’s return to Milan is rather ironic because the Real Madrid coach who told him that his services were no longer required, is the same man who signed him for Milan in 2003 – Carlo Ancelotti.
Mind you, his yearly salary of €10 million might have had something to do with it!
HH!!
With “Consistency and aplomb”
Much like your posts Kojo, if you’re still around.
Chris Graham@ChrisGraham76
3 Sep 13
@TomEnglishSport No, please carry on. I’m sure there will be plenty of rapier like analysis in the coming days.
Tom English@TomEnglishSport
@ChrisGraham76 As soon as the clowns exit the circus at Ibrox then maybe Rangers should have somebody on that SFA board too
Tom English@TomEnglishSport
Much abuse of Peter Lawwell and the decision to appoint him to SFA board. Rational argument? “Prick!” is the intellectual high so far