Knowledge gaps in football don’t last forever. We discussed this last year when reviewing the advantage Celtic earned over others by investing in the Japanese market. On evidence from three of the four players we signed from Japan before this window, the quality recruited from there outweighs anything we have been able to acquire from European markets.
You, me and the recruitment bods at every Premiership club know this to be the case. It is also true that Japanese clubs and scouts know there is an emerging market in Scotland. If you had a player to move on, you would test the water here.
And so yesterday this particular sun rose for Hearts, who signed 21-year-old striker Yutaro Oda. The undisclosed fee is likely to be well short of £1m for a player who has made only 26 starts, giving a return of 5 goals. It should be noted Hearts had a Japanese loaner from Manchester City for season 2019-20.
Hearts fish in a different pool from Celtic. This is effectively true of every Scottish club, including Newco, who will always lose a player to Celtic, if we are sufficiently motivated. Still, any Scottish club that actually has money to spend on players would be mad not to learn from the lesson Celtic have very clearly taught them over the past 18 months.
This could be the last window we have an effective knowledge advantage for the Japanese market. The real lesson from Celtic in recent times is that these gaps exist and that finding and exploiting them is transformational.
I cannot let this go without comment. Former Rangers manager, Alex McLeish said “We’d never head down the conspiracy rabbit hole.” In response to Martin O’Neill’s unflattering comments about Scottish referees.
Those who earlier went down the conspiracy rabbit hole were able to uncover grand scale disguised renumeration during McLeish’ time as manager at Ibrox. He often fielded entire teams with “improperly registered” players. The conspiracy to hide second contracts extended to over 50 players and officials. When uncovered, it led to Rangers liquidation.
As much as anyone involved in Scottish football over the last 100 years, McLeish knows the truths that lurk down conspiracy rabbit holes. No wonder he doesn’t want to go there. How refreshing it would be if any of these dozens of characters still peddling their thoughts to the media were asked to open up about THE Grand Conspiracy in Scottish football.
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Happy Wednesday from a pleasantly mild Louisville.
HEBCELT and ROB BACARDI take care gents.
HH!
Get in
Ron hope today goes well my thoughts are with you and with Hebcelt.
Obviously not Rob.
Robbing Bacardi will get you lifted.
I’ve got tickets for the Morton game, going to be my son’s first game think it might cost me although he tells me that he still supports Real…
MCLEISH is just another HUN CHUMP.
He is also a BARE FACED LIAR.
I can remember his TV Interview when he was the Manager of the Huns, in which he CLAIMED the following when speaking about the Huns HISTORY….
” This Club has 127 YEARS of UNSURPASSED DIGNITY !
He made this claim, when his Club were involved in EBTs and SIDE LETTERS…Which he KNEW ALL about.
” Unsurpassed Dignity”….My ARSE !
Thats NOT to forget his Clubs long standing POLICY for most of its life….of REFUSING to Sign CATHOLICS.
” DIGNITY”..?…….McLeish couldnt spell ” DIGNITY”.
LYING Hun CHUMP.
End of.
HH.
Camusbhoy
Tell him that Real have never managed to beat Morton…..
CAMUSBHOY on 11TH JANUARY 2023 12:13 PM
I’ve got tickets for the Morton game, going to be my son’s first game think it might cost me although he tells me that he still supports Real…
…………
I TRIED yesterday to buy a Ticket for this game ONLINE.
I GAVE UP……….because I didnt fully understand the ” INSTRUCTIONS”.
I was…and I am STILL UNSURE whether IF I had succeeded, that I would NEED to PRINT OFF any Ticket at home ?
I havent had a working Printer for some years now.
So that was/is another possible obstacle.
HH
Great article and like yourself Paul 67 I will NEVER let the cheating go. History re-writers are incredibly common in the ” Greatest little counrty in the world”. I was going to lambast the Ginger t*at but I defer to the excellent Big Jimmy who said everything there is to be said about this ” Hun Chump “. Keep it lit big man.
Any broadcaster or reporter taken McInnes to task for brushing off Lafferty’s absence for his racist outburst?
Same as it ever was….
Hope the bhoys at Hampden provide them with the message.
HH
Nice one Pablo.
Conflating the two themes of your article I’m reminded of a line from the movie – Margin Call.
“There are three ways to make a living in this business
Be first, be smarter or cheat”
Re the Japanese market – we’re lucky to have Ange as he ticks the first two ways.
As for the second theme in your article? McLeish fits the third way like a glove.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 11TH JANUARY 2023 12:56 PM
N
As for the second theme in your article? McLeish fits the third way like a glove.
————-
I knew a guy who had 5 wullies.
Durex made him a bespoke condom and asked if they had got it right
‘fits like a glove’
For every Japanese player they sign, we’ll sign six. :-)
Think the Morton game could be the first chance to see our two new Japanese players.Siegrest in goal.Hope so,as its on my Telly.
Covid booster yesterday.Arm a bit sore today,but delighted to have got it.
A plethora of dignified huns chomping their gums, in the past week. Sparked by Ange, for the first time I think, calling out the bias afforded to them. Seen a few huns fans media clips this week. Holy shit, they are really stupid.
PAUL67
The passage of time might have dimmed the memory, but wasn’t the adverb used by Bryson ” imperfectly” with regard to the registering of players.
Had he used “improperly”, that would have confirmed rule-breaking, with similar having led to 3 point deductions for other clubs deemed guilty of this.
That would then have left an irrefutable case for the stripping of titles and their reallocation.
And supporters who paid thousands to watch a rigged game for a decade might have welcomed some recognition of that, even if not financially.
Coneybhoy 😂😂
Big Jimmy, I found the website difficult to use as well, ended up creating a new account as it seemed to be the only way I could get it to allow me to buy the tickets
Lafferty has served his suspension and is entitled to look forward to his return to action. Why should manager McInnes be expected to say anything about the nature of the player’s offence when welcoming him back? He apologised and served his time.
Here’s hoping he’s at the wrong end of a thrashing on Saturday.
CAMUSBHOY on 11TH JANUARY 2023 1:24 PM
……………
Im glad that you managed to buy Tickets eventually, but DID you have to PRINT the TICKETS OFF at Home ?
I do NOT have a PRINTER any more.
I WOULD be happy just to get a Taxi to The Ticket Office and buy one over the Counter, but again I am NOT sure that they operate that way any more ?
I will TRY and PHONE the Ticket Office.
HH Mate.
With all the furore about hand ball,other offences can be forgotten.
The Sands.lunge,grab and haul down whilst being last defender.must surely rank as the worst.Pre VAR.Beaton just shrugged.So many shockers so hard to keep track.
Best wishes to Ron today.
HH
As it turns out, it’s people like McLeish, English, Boyd, McCoist, Lord Hee Haw Cowan and any or all of the other deniers of the truth in the face of overwhelming evidence, who are the real conspiracy theorists, imagining a concerted Timmy attack on the Scoddish foodbaw establishment, thereby threatening their comfortable entitled lifestyle and status.
They are the real moonhowlers, as batshit as any Trump election denier.
A look at the ins and outas of Anges transfer spend myth
https://www.celticway.co.uk/opinion/23241150.ange-postecoglou-celtic-transfer-spending-myth/
HH
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 11TH JANUARY 2023 1:32 PM
………………,,.,,,,
He’s still a rotten Hun Tom!!!
!! BADA BING!!
Don’t want to make people feel old, or any older, but it was 24 years ago yesterday that the show that, I assume, inspired your moniker, was premiered on HBO.
I think it was shown on E4 or channel 4 here, and they’ve never had anything better to show us since.
Coneybhoy@1.11
😂😂
Outstanding. Or upstanding?
Var:Did they miss any out? Worth a watch.
https://youtu.be/R4fgRn-eMr8.
HH
paulsthroughball88- it was buried away on Channel 4,about 11pm on a Thursday night, best TV show of all time IMO HH
” Still, any Scottish club that actually has money to spend on players’
—-
Love it.
TURKEYBHOY on 11TH JANUARY 2023 1:38 PM
“With all the furore about hand ball,other offences can be forgotten.
The Sands.lunge,grab and haul down whilst being last defender.must surely rank as the worst.Pre VAR.Beaton just shrugged.So many shockers so hard to keep track.”
—————————–
That was the bold Don Robertson, TB.
“Nothing to see here” body language, trying to convince himself as much as anyone.
Wonder what Cheatin’ would’ve done??
Did any mention made of outcome of VAR summit at SFA.
!! BADA BING!!
Agreed, and it made others up their game too.
!!BADA BING!!
I had no idea on your moniker. Good stuff.
Coneybhoy 1.11
And I thought BelmontBrians jokes were bad. 😂
And a very good afternoon all from Jamaica Street. You absolute shower. 😜
BRRB
You ain’t heard nuttin’ yet!
Coneybhoy
I was afraid of that. 😳🤔🤪
Lest they forget.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYIELAcWsAEP867.jpg