When an unexpected name flies into the frame from left field there’s always a concern about what you’ve written about him before. I still remember the day we signed Kenny Miller, and an earlier blog with my assessment of the player (subsequently found to be on the money). While it’s important to be fair when assessing players, I’m not in the business of trashing them before they kick a ball for Celtic, so Miller’s signing was not a comfortable one.
With this in mind, I typed “Leigh Griffiths” into the articles database to check what had been written. Apart from match reports, there was only one comment, the day after last season’s Scottish Cup Final:
“Leigh Griffiths has had plenty of uncomplimentary discourse written about him this season, most of it deserved, so it should be recorded that he was the first Hibs player to return applause in the direction of Celtic fans yesterday, closely followed by his team-mates.
“This is the way football should be. For too long our game has been poisoned by the unique kind of rivalry you got in Scotland. More of the same, please.”
He unquestionably did deserve the criticism that came his way last year. If he gets his move to Celtic he needs to grow as a person, as well as a player, which is a big challenge. His move towards the Celtic support at Hampden was a modest but necessary first step towards reassessing other people.
Having said this, don’t go ordering your ‘Griffiths’ shirt just yet, I reckon a deal has no more than a 50% chance of happening. Wolves didn’t invite our interest and our need is to be ready by June, not February. Neither club has an imperative to do this deal, which is often an omen for snags to get in the way. Patience required, as you know………
Reminder to everyone who booked tickets for the CQteN St Patrick’s Day Dinner that they have to be paid by this Friday! Let me know if you can’t find details, celticquicknews@gmail.com
[calameo code=000390171bffb0dd3dc4f lang=en page=128 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
953 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- ...
- 26
- »
Paulosboots
I’m not meaning who signs.
I’ll guarantee you we approach a dozen players each window that the media hears zip about.
Mags, I typed and then tried to follow up before I was corrected ;)
Big Nan,
See how shifty they looked. Fat pompous Brodie, in effect, was saying, ‘Move along, Timmy. Nothing to see here.’
Naw thats right Honduras play France Ecuador and Switzerland in the World Cup.
Technically Izzy will be playing against Ecuador fae South America.
just saying. ken.
Eddie,
It might be different now but a few years ago you better believe every player after a move had a note of interest fired to EVERY club possible.
I’ll be honest, I’d rather we picked up the right player early in the Sumner rather than any player right now.
January acquisitions haven’t been as fruitful as the summer ones more often than not.
Geordie probably as most were loans. Id rather we picked up the right player anytime :-)
Some interesting stories for ye to smack your gobs on for tomorrow
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/english/rumour-mill-barry-ferguson-fraser-forster-rangers-1-3281966
Mm yesterday’s scotsman doubt Barry will be afterf 5.1 humping good training for allys job.
Yup.
But even the ‘right good’ loans (bellamy and keane) didn’t leave with many league medals.
Right maffit.
KTF
paolosboots FC before PLC
01:19 on 29 January, 2014
Absolutely agree!
Mags,
Thems auld news.
Evening Celtic men and Maggie.
TET, I get exactly what you are saying and the frustration is at fever pitch. Pedro and I were talking yesterday about our constraints and the thought of us being a conveyor belt of unearthed talent for others to harvest at knockdown (jock league prices) just really pisses most of us off. If we were let go of Virgil or FF this window it says to me we have lost, and I mean our club and not our support, any aspiration to be any kind of force in European football. A sad day for Celtic.
Anyway, that’s not happened yet and tonight I’ll be at paradise to see us hump the team with the bestest ever striker in the known universe and those beyond.
I’d like to see a right good shoe tonight.
Hail Hail Celtic.
Geordie Munro
01:22 on 29 January, 2014
Apologies. I have been on the island of drunk monkeys for a week. catching up. So what else is news?
Geordie pity we couldn’t get Keane now guys a legend.
hee hee, maybe a good show and a pair of shoes.
Acgr totally agree if we sell either of those then fans patience will have run out. Our soul is our fans we have a plc not an fc and thats the bottom line in sorry to say.
paolosboots FC before PLC, I’ll enjoy tonight’s game and sweat out the next couple of days like the rest of us.
I’ll wait until 1st Feb before deciding on my level of happiness or anger at our club’s aspirations for the future.
HH Bruv.
No posts for about nine minutes!!!
Right, time to read back the last four days to see how much of a goodwin tony the troglodyte has made of himself. And that’s no disrespect my troglodyte sclaffbaw buddy in Andalucia BTW. Nope!!
I,m putting it all on “oh aye that’s a winner, major erse”
:_))
Could we see a debut tomorrow night?
IT took Stefan Johansen just 12 minutes to score his first goal in Celtic colours, and it was enough to give the Under-20s the victory over St Johnstone and ensure a return to winning ways for the young Hoops.
Johansen was substituted at HT having impressed in his first 45 minutes.
CELTIC are making Wolves sweat in their talks for Leigh Griffiths after refusing to table a second bid for the Scotland striker yesterday.
The English League One outfit expected to receive a fresh offer for the ex-Hibs ace after rejecting Celts’ initial £450,000 approach on Monday.
Griff also hoped further talks would take place as he holds out for a Parkhead move, as exclusively revealed by SunSport.
But Hoops chief executive Peter Lawwell knows Wolves are looking to sign Coventry hitman Leon Clarke — and hopes that could affect their stance.
Griffiths was an unused sub in Wolves’ 3-0 win at Oldham last night.
After the game, boss Kenny Jackett said: “There were more talks today but all that was above me.
“Leigh’s expressed an interest in Celtic’s bid, as any Scotsman would.
“He’s been good as gold with us, but there is big interest from Celtic.”
Meanwhile, fellow Celts target Rhys Williams was stretchered off with a suspected Achilles injury in Middlesbrough’s clash with Wigan last night.
DARNELL FISHER’S career path has had more twists and turns than a Jimmy Johnstone DVD.
And he should know — he bought one after moving to Parkhead.
But the teenager has gone from amateur football with unheard of Eldon Celtic to Champions League football with the famous Glasgow Celtic.
And, strangely, it’s all in the name of the legendary Hoops winger.
Fisher, 19, had never heard of Jinky as a kid growing up in Reading.
But after a chance game against the Jimmy Johnstone Academy team he was soon playing for them — in a tournament organised by RANGERS.
Next thing Fisher knew, he was standing beside the great man’s statue outside Celtic Park getting his picture taken as a Hoops trialist.
And now he walks past the bronzed monument every time he plays for Neil Lennon’s side.
Asked about his meteoric rise, Fisher explained: “I was with Eldon Celtic when we played against the Jimmy Johnstone Academy in a game down south.
“Afterwards the guy who manages them asked me to come up and play for them in a tournament.
“It was the Rangers tournament, in Hyndland in Glasgow, I think. There were a lot of teams playing and we won it.
“At the start I hadn’t heard of the name Jimmy Johnstone.
“But when I did come up here and play in the tournament I got a DVD of him and watched it.
“When I later came to Celtic for my trial I had pictures taken at his statue.
“But it’s a bit crazy to think I was playing amateur football just a few years ago.At that point I didn’t think about professional football. I would watch it on TV but I did not think about it other than that.
“When I turned 16 I left school and I was going to see where a sports course at a college took me.
“I then went to Farnborough in a district league just one below professional. There you’re playing against people who have been professionals. It was a good standard and helped me a lot.
“It’s then that I got the chance to come to Celtic. It was a big move but if it meant I had to leave friends and family behind then I had to do it.”
Fisher has nine Celtic first-team appearances to his name from this season.
Celts legend Jinky got Fisher to the club
It’s not bad considering the quality of player he’s up against at right back. Adam Matthews and Mikael Lustig are hardly two slouches.
It’s only because they’ve both been floored by injury that Fisher has been called upon.
But despite being an inexperienced kid he has covered himself in glory and NOT looked out of place.
On the bench for Celtic’s big European games, Lennon has had no fears about throwing him in at the deep end.
And Fisher is determined to make the most of the opportunity whilst it’s there.
He added: “It’s bad what’s happened to Mika and Adam but it’s good for me to help the team being unbeaten.”
That unbeaten record of 22 league games is currently the driving force pushing Celtic on.
And boss Lennon would love it to continue to the point where it becomes a British record.
It’s been 14 hours and 15 minutes since Forster last conceded a goal — still 357 minutes behind Edwin van der Saar’s record from his shutout run at Manchester United in 2009.
That means Celtic have are four more league games away from creating history.
But Lennon admits: “It’s another record to go for. Mind you as soon as we concede one we’ll get slaughtered!
“To have ten clean sheets in a row is very special. Not many teams go through a series like that.
“But I don’t want people taking it for granted — it’s a hard thing to do.”
CELTIC have slammed the SPFL in a row over live TV matches and warned: Stop messing our fans about.
Hoops chief Peter Lawwell wants answers after next month’s clash with St Johnstone was rearranged for Sky with less than three weeks’ notice.
The move has left fans travelling from England and Ireland out of pocket for hotel and transport bookings made in advance.
A Celts statement said: “We apologise to supporters for the inconvenience this will cause, however the matter is outwith our control. We’ve made a complaint to the SPFL.
“We hope this situation can be improved to take greater account of the interests of supporters.”
The Parkhead game was originally scheduled for Saturday February 15 but will now be played the following day at 12.45pm.
An SPFL spokesman said: “It is important to recognise the major financial contribution made to Scottish football by our live TV broadcast partners.
“We’d like to apologise to any supporters who have been inconvenienced.”
History Bhoys: Lennon’s side close in on 100-year old club record number of clean sheets
By JOHN MCGARRY
PUBLISHED: 00:50, 29 January 2014 | UPDATED: 01:15, 29 January 2014
0View
comments
The further Celtic distance themselves from the chasing pack, the more history beckons.
Looking to stretch their unbeaten league run to 23 games against Kilmarnock tonight, it’s not just the prospect of going the entire campaign without loss that is now driving Neil Lennon’s men on.
If the miserly defence that’s been the bedrock of such form holds firm again against the Ayrshiremen, a 10th successive clean sheet in the league will be racked up – equalling the club record of 1913-14.
Fraser Forster is also just five games shy of beating Edwin van der Sar’s British record for consecutive clean sheets in the league – and with each passing week further milestones come into view.
+4
Invincible: Neil Lennon’s side haven’t conceded a goal in domestic football since November 23
Not since November 23 – when Niall McGinn scored at Celtic Park – have the champions lost a goal in domestic football.
Provided that remains the case tonight, further thumbing of record books will be required in the coming weeks.
‘We’ve been pretty consistent and winning, first and foremost, breeds confidence,’ Lennon said. ‘We’ve really tightened up at set pieces against us and the reaction we got after the 6-1 defeat to Barcelona saw us concentrate a lot more.
‘The two centre-halves have played really well together. I don’t know whether we’ve come up with a special remedy but we do work very hard on the defensive side of the game.
‘We’ve also got good players in those positions and don’t forget Emilio Izaguirre, who’s been so consistent and played a huge amount of games in the past 18 months.
+4
Unbeatable: Celtic keeper Fraser Forster is just five games shy of beating Edwin van der Sar’s British record for consecutive clean sheets in the league
‘So there is a comfort there because we haven’t changed the back four much, apart from the right-back position due to the injuries to Mikael Lustig and Adam Matthews.
Consistency of selection has probably helped us build this record more than anything else.’
Lennon struggled to identify his favoured defensive partnership during his first two seasons in the job.
Only rarely did any combination of Daniel Majstorovic, Thomas Rogne or Glenn Loovens convince – while Kelvin Wilson’s promising start was curtailed by injury.
So when Wilson abruptly returned to Nottingham Forest last summer, ending his promising partnership with Efe Ambrose in the process, Lennon could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
Yet it says everything about the contribution Virgil van Dijk has made since joining from Groningen, that Wilson now scarcely merits a mention.
+4
Virgil van Dijk (right) has been a revelation at the heart of Celtic’s defence this season
‘We thought he’d be a big miss because he showed his qualities in the Champions League last year,’ Lennon added.
‘Virgil has been a more than adequate replacement. I think he can play for Holland and go to the highest level.
‘I enjoy watching him play – he’s brilliant. The first day I watched him I thought: ‘We’ve got one here.’
‘He showed composure and strength. We felt we had young, strong boys running into him and they basically bounced off him in much the same way they did with Victor Wanyama.
‘At that point we knew we had a specimen. But his ability and technique is excellent. He has quick feet and can move the ball into midfield by sidestepping people.
‘He’s graceful on the ball and, for a Dutch centre-half, he can head the ball – in both boxes. That’s one of the first things you look at in a centre-half.’
+4
Virgil tackles Barcelona star Neymar during their Champions League match
At just 22, there seems little doubt that van Dijk will one day become the subject of interest from clubs south of the border.
Celtic might never again sell a player for 10 times the fee they initially paid – as they did in the case of Wanyama – but already the £2.5million invested in Van Dijk looks like frighteningly good business.
‘He hasn’t disappointed us,’ Lennon said.
‘He has so many attributes to his game and the goal from the free-kick against Hibs didn’t surprise me.
‘I see him doing it in training but he’s just not had the confidence to do it – that’s another string to his bow.
‘He’s really hungry. I saw him play for Holland under 21s and Groningen and I felt he could take that step forward into midfield just as Victor did.
‘He has an all-round game and I think we’ve won a watch with him. He’s worth a lot more now than we paid for him.
Premier League pair Norwich and Stoke and Scottish champions Celtic are interested in signing Hartlepool United and England teenager Brad Walker.
The 17-year-old has already made 22 senior appearances for the League Two club and has been included in the Three Lions’ Under 18 set-up.
Walker does not turn 18 until the end of April and his progress has alerted top-flight clubs.
Competition: Hartlepool’s Brad Walker is attracting the interest of Norwich, Stoke and Celtic
Pools boss Colin Cooper, the former Middlesbrough and England defender, very quickly advised that the midfielder be tied down to a professional contract following his appointment during the summer.
And Cooper has continued to deploy Walker at the heart of his engine-room this season, admitting he is among the best players he has ever seen at such a tender age.
He scored his first goal during December’s 1-1 draw with Burton Albion courtesy of a stunning strike from range.
Goalscorer: Leicester are interested in Hartlepool striker Luke James, who has scored 11 goals this season
Sportsmail understands that Championship leaders Leicester City are also monitoring his situation.
Leicester have also shown an interest in Pools striker Luke James. The 19-year-old has scored 11 times this season.
The North-East outfit are currently 14th in the bottom tier and would have to consider offers for the teenage duo.
twists n turns
04:31 on 29 January, 2014
Who needs the MSM when we have you…:)
Good morning Ghuys.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Lennybhoy
I regard myself as the obverse of the MSM. I refuse to print anything positive about deadco:-)
twists n turns
06:24 on 29 January, 2014
Good on you mate, I look forward your posts, much in the same way I do with Jobo’s weather forecast…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Right, off to get the fast Train to G1…have a good day Ghuys.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Good morning friends from a rather chilly, drizzly yet clear skied (work that one out!) East Kilbride.
12 hours till I have the privilege of another visit to Celtic Park. Woo-hoo!
It will be interesting tonight to see if James Forrest starts, with a resultant 4-4-2 to accommodate the player. If so, it would confirm my guess that Lenny sees the highly successful 4-3-1-2, where Commons usually plays behind the strikers, as the shape for away games, ideal for the narrower pitches, while the wider Celtic Park is better suited to wing play.
He has used the 4-3-1-2 at home games, but it has resulted in stuffier wins, and the football hasn’t been as attractive on the eye. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing if three at the back, allowing the fullbacks to get forward more easily, whilst still featuring Commons in his best role in behind the strikers, is a better option, but consistency will be weighing heavily on Lenny’s mind as Celtic approach various winning milestones, and he may favour a more conservative line-up.
Jobo – You are a lucky man.
Enjoy the game.
I hope that the support stand united,and back our manager and our players,as they attempt to make history.
God bless the Celtic.
Er…..LG is a goalscorer!
Er..its good Celtic keep winning!
Er…its good Celtic lose no goals!
Er…its good c
Er..its good Celtic find and blood new young talent!
Er…that’s it!
justafan
Is THAT it?
AR
Came on yesterday and stated that I was annoyed by the change of date for the St Johnstone game. Unfortunately I blamed the club for not informing us, especially those who travel from Ireland and England, about this. The club has now made it known that this was the decision of the SPFL who took no consideration of anyone’s needs. The club has apologised to our fans, I now apologise to the club for misreading the situation.