Occasionally an innocuous comment left here can stay with you for years. The day following the 2005 defeat in Bratislava someone wrote, “I suspect we’ll find an injury in Nakamura’s fitness test”. The player was scheduled to sign imminently, but with Champions League income looking unlikely, doubts emerged that Celtic would pay the money.
Soon others expressed doubts that Shunsuke would want to come, but within 48 hours of that defeat, he was sitting in front of the media at Celtic Park. I was there, among a gaggle of Japanese and Scottish journos, when one of the locals asked why the prospect of being without European football didn’t put him off.
Shunsuke handled the question perfectly, “I am not here for six games of football, I have signed for Celtic and hope to play here for many years.” Rumour has it that not everyone in the dressing room back then was equally as enthusiastic about life in Glasgow.
I’ve heard lots about Wakaso Mubarak in recent weeks, he appears to be a genuine talent, as well as being spirited. What is most appealing about him is that he wants to be here. This deal would not have happened if the player was not absolutely committed to coming to the club, and making his stay a success.
Back in August 2005 we didn’t know what we were getting with Naka, and I’m not going to burden Wakaso with a comparison to a player who turned out to be a transformational legend, but we need players with big personalities who can walk into the dressing room with the determination to be there, just as Naka did.
Welcome to Celtic, Wakaso. Be yourself and you’ll love Glasgow; Glasgow will love you too.
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Swordfish –
I didn’t say you were not allowed to criticise Paul. I was attacking your reasons for criticising him on this specific occasion.
I didn’t know we were not allowed to criticise fellow posters. Thanks for pointing that out.
I hope EUFA are noting what the Legia chief is saying. If they arnt I hope Celic are and report him to EUFA
the orignal saidiesboy….if a huge hole would appear in your life if a blog ended??? serious????
Ernie Lynch
What was your point?
Maybe you should write a blog and see how you go with it or perhaps take over peter lawells job….you seem to know more than us all
thecyclist
I’m still not exactly sure why you dropped your season tickets. First it was because the SFL voted to allow Rangers Newco entry into their league set up (a decision entirely outwith Celtic’s control). Now it’s because the board were taking the piss out of you.
Either way, it’s your perogative.
As for not voting and complaing about politics I find that a bit odd too. Surely if you don’t vote then end up with a Government you don’t like you’ve foregone your right to influence matters.
That is indeed another angument for another day though.
I could indeed post on cycling forums but I don’t own a bike and I’m not intereted in cycling so I can’t imagine any circumstances where I would want to. That’s my point.
Do you still call yourself a Celtic fan?
I am glad that mullet & co responded to monteblanco’s post @ 12.48 because, though we may come from several different positions to view the elephant in the room, he seems to have articulated something that I recognise as a truth, and he has articulated it better today than I have in the past.
One of the main sources of our dissatisfaction is that the long league grind to a fairly inevitable conclusion (we win and have a subdued party in March or April) is coupled with a make or break stage of the season early on when we get to compete to enter a prestigious tournament that we have no chance of winning through accident of birth and deliberate design of modern football finance. Even the more competitive environment of the Scottish Cup and League Cup, with attendant possibility of a double or treble, does not really add as much glamour, fun or prestige as we might imagine. The Europa League might offer some substitute CL type glamour, dependant on the draw, but it will remain a LC rather than a SC type of celebration and tournament i.e. we won’t remember it much unless we get to beat the deid team 7:1 in the final.
It is a difficult message to receive – to be told that there is not a lot (N.B. I never said nothing) we can do to change our stars, not even exchanging our less than stellar players and managers for others who might be a little better. It is difficult to see that as anything other than a defeatist, helpless view and, from our leaders, we would prefer a little more dealing in hope.
So I think we have to come up with answers to the dilemma that monteblanco outlines and I urge you all to re-read his post at 12.48 on p.2 of this blog.
What kind of club should we be?
What kind of relationship should we have with our fans and with our own fan behaviour?
What kind of environment should we aim to operate in?
What kind of values do we want going forward?
We need more of a match between the vision and hopes of our fans and those charged with attempting to turn those hopes into practicable plans and achievements.
And the plans need to be coherent and sensible. You cannot ask the custodians, whoever they are now or in future, to win the CL whilst offering season tickets at under £100 per year and buying players that cost £5m or £10m plus.
A dream is not a plan. And failure to fulfill your dream does not demonstrate a lack of ambition on the part of those who fail to do what you charge them to do.
DBBIA .
Thanks for the recommendation re Heydrich . Read it . Thought it was good .
I thought this was very good ———-
Hitlers Hangman -Robert Gerwarth ( Yale University Press ).
Chris Bell solo is very good. Think Alex Chilton said goodbye to his brains in his teens
The Honest Cover-up @ 13.52 Yes, always will do.
Steinreignedsupreme
That will all change with the appeal that will take place in England.
The truth will out, just silently and patiently waiting for it.
stevo
13:11 on 28 August, 2014
not calming down that much …..
I tried to start a debate on this before without any takers so my tuppenceworth …..
No company, not even an accounting firm, should be run by an accountant/finance person. They can only think one way. PL most certainly should have a seat at the top table but it should not be at the head of that table.
This will not change while an accountant is at the top, no matter who it is.
________________________________________
More a lurker than a poster. Been involved in businesses led by accounts, opps, production and marketing / sale professionals.
PL has succeeded in this business making it a positive stable business. A strategy change seems to be getting most flak at the moment. I dont agree with the downsizing or the new manager but I understand it needs time to fail or succeed. I personally cant think of any season other than now that that strategy change could be implemented. If it dont work this season we can recruit again this summer.
Why would anyone think downsizing is a choice thing?
Accountants in charge are bank managers in plain sight. A good one is worth his weight in gold cause he knows where the icebergs are. PL is a good one. I dont agree with a lot of what he does but I recognise his need to do so. He deals the cards he is dealt. He has supported the club all his life. he gets paid well to make unpopular, hard decisions. Put in a sales or opps or chequebook wielding football person and watch out for the icebergs. You’ll know you’ve hit them when you’ve hit them.
________________________________________
I can’t understand anyone who says our game is deteriorating due to the non-existence of Sevco. We didn’t seem to need “them” when Aberdeen & Dundee Utd were our biggest challengers, or when Hearts came so close or even when Ian St. John had Motherwell giving a real run for our money.
Given their current status, they will be just another fixture filler which for me they always have been 3 points no more – no less.
I wish Maribor well in the forth coming CL matches and hope they put up a decent showing, several very good players but well short of the top level.
I’ve no problems with loan deals, did Villareal not knock us out some years back with 10 or 11 loanees.
In the interest of health and safety… there is a giant naked crowned elephant in the room… riding a big horse.
Ignore it if you chose.
Paddy G
How you doing???
DBBIA
oopla ! .
Meant to add that Robert Gerwarth utterly exposed the vile David Irving on tele some years ago
While I agree that criticism of paul67 is harsh, I do think it a bit off to not even reference the debate, or to not link this article (about a loan signing) to his previous (about building for next years cl starts here) – even a basic statement that the two articles don’t match up.
Scully – with no benefit of a scouting department, I’d suggest that there’s at least three players at shaktar Donetsk who would right now consider moving to celtic – even if only on loan! They might even take a pay cut to do so!
Snake Plissken .
Thanks ! .
Off oot ———scorchio ——–dip in the sea time
doctor whatfor
Ah, see your back on the blog. I put out an APB for you on here a couple of weeks ago. How’s it gaun aul yin? We’ll need to get together for a pint soon.
Barcabhoy, Tom McLaughlin, TheOriginalSadiesBhoy
Valiant attempts. Their MO, however is to keep on bashing away.
Welcome to Celtic Wakaso Mubarak.
Welcome to Celtic Wakaso Mubarak
time to stand and deliver
Shhhh…..don’t talk about it.
We will all still be tims in the morning.
Shhhh
Ignore it, and it might go away.
HH
Robert88 13:54 on 28 August, 2014
“That will all change with the appeal that will take place in England.
“The truth will out, just silently and patiently waiting for it.”
I’m fairly relaxed about it. They are gone and what has replaced the Huns offer no challenge to Celtic.
The Celtic board has to concern themselves with issues at our club rather than what is going on at a lower league club.
The Green Man
I can only speak for myself but literally days of destructive narrative does get to me in the end. We are all pissed at Tuesday but there comes a time when a slightly more appreciative approach to the debate is required other than a destructive rant at the moon.
I gave it a swipe this morning and found it therapeutic. You might give it a go yourself.
What happens when the destruction ends and we have to rebuild ? What next fella ?
Turkeybhoy
“Its all nonsense.PL knows it and so does the board.If ythe huns get promoted next year,Celtics season ticket sales will hit 50,000.Absolute nonsense being spoken over the last few seasons.”
It seems to be a day for me to agree with people who often take an opposite approach to me. I agree that there will be a bigger clamour for SB’s next year when or if a team adopted by the followers of the deid Rangers is promoted to the top division. A lot of the people who have stayed away because the football was boring or were protesting the downsizing will suddenly find themselves energised by the appearance of a 3 year old team from Govan, in a way that Gretna did not manage to do when they reached the top flight, to renew and increase the SB.
And it will be a big kick in the teeth to many, albeit a smaller number, who will be strongly conflicted by our club’s failure to articulate clearly its views on recent Scottish football history. We may lose 1000 or so SB holders but will gain 10000 if TRFC gain another promotion next year.
We could lose a lot more than 1000 if our club starts to re-advertise that O** F*** nonsense as they did with the reserve game last year.
Looks a lot like Che Guevara 13:54 on 28 August, 2014
“More a lurker than a poster.”
Then you will know it’s not just Panic in Detroit…
swordfish supporting wee oscar
13:52 on 28 August, 2014
the orignal saidiesboy….if a huge hole would appear in your life if a blog ended??? serious????
………………………………………………..
I spend hours of my time on CQN which I would have to fill doing other things. I already do many other things as well but I would hugely miss CQN. I would also point out to you that this is CQN – More Than A Blog. Does that answer your question?
We need the Serb, we need to hang on to Kris & Virgil. We need to clear out the deadwood. We need to Loan out a few promising kids to Clubs who will give them games. We need Ronny & Johnny to up their game. At the end of year sign the Loanees who stood up to the plate & release the failures. We might then have the nucleus of a squad & Management set up to bring us forward.
Big Wavy
Believe me, I could wax lyrical for hours on the complacency of the PLC, and their numerous follies.
But I prefer to rant…it serves a purpose.
Clappers are far too comfortable and deeply complacent.
And somebody needs to rant:)
HH
Looks a lot like Che Guevara 13:54 on 28 August, 2014
Thanks for the insight. I think some think it’s just like Football Manager.
PL has done an excellent job in dodging bullets for Celtic as you say.
The Green Man
Fair enough fella but this week it’s felt like everybody’s needs to rant…
Problem is after a while nobody can hear a bloody word…
Keep on keeping on..
Big Wavy
Hope you don’t take it too serious:)
HH
If mubarak brings anything close to nakamuras talents I’ll be delighted.
Vision, passing, dead ball ability, a brain and a work ethic – Nakamura had them all. If he could head it and run faster he’d have been in Madrid. Loved the guy.
I’m seeing his 35 yard screamer wiggle and wave it’s way past a bemused mcgregor as I type.
Swordfish
I’m ‘aff oot’ to do one of the many other things in my life just in case you think I’m some sort of saddo but, like General McArthur and Big Arnie, I’ll be back.
Cork Celt – sounds good to me.
TOSB. Perhaps leave a big hole in corkcelts life but Mrs. corkcelt might argue that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Must admit I tried to flounce a couple of times but a week or so later, you have spare time on your hands and log in to see what’s happening. Usual suspects hammering away, you disagree with something and bang you’ve posted and you are back. Bloody thing is addictive.
The League Cup draw throws up another whopping example of how we’re run by a corrupt cabal of jokers who don’t follow the rules.
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/a-continuing-embarrasment/
Robert Tressell
Nakamura…was a one off, fabulous player.
Proper player and then some.
I look forward to seeing Mubarak.
HH
Big Wavy,
Outrage Porn ?! Seems you are trying to fit all differing opinions and criticisms of the club into a nice little newby term you have found. Seems all Paul67 sycophants are learning, they say imitation is a form of flattery.
Paul has done a splendid job which is rightfully admired but I draw the line in not calling out the major issues affecting our club and on a big and influential platform like CQN. We’ll pull a nice thin veil over that disasterous double CL qualifier KO and look over there…..another 2nd rate loan signing.!
Finbogasson is an example of not paying the money. NL wanted him but wasn’t backed and then his value sky rocketed out our range.
Constructive arguements needed but those who attack those venting anger at the badly run pre-season and investment policy need to pull their tongues out Paul’s backside.
It’s too easy to focus on the attention to detail of Ronny Deila, the nutrition, the training regimes, the sports science, the psychology he professes to practice, his philosophy that strives to continuously improve each player and learn from each match played.
It amounts to nothing though unless he can spot football talent, develop a team and adjust the game plan to suit the changing circumstances in each match.
I’ve no doubt he understands the importance of carbs, protein and water during the glycogen recovery window, but I’ve yet to be convinced he understands what to do when his right back is playing as a third centre half, and his sitting midfielder is being danced around by the opposition.
You need to master the first principles before you can develop the art.
My concern is that if the Deila project fails, we will be starting over next season with yet another new management team, but with fewer resources.
These last few days of the transfer window will determine in large part how well prepared we are for next summer’s qualifiers, and indeed, what shape we are in as 2 from Hearts, Hibs and Sevco most likely come into the top league.
As we found when replacing MON, then WGS, then Tony Mowbray and now Neil Lennon, the summer is the wrong time for Celtic to change the first team manager. It’s a January job.
Ronny Deila has the benefit of the Europa League to show us that he is able to operate at the level we play at. Goodness knows I wish him well, but he’s got to show that he has the prerequisites.