Aaron Hickey’s incredible £19m move to Brentford looks like an eye-opener for Italian football. Bologna paid around 10% of that for the Scotland international two years earlier. Now Hibs have accepted a £3m bid from Hellas Verona for Josh Doig, while Aberdeen have accepted a bid for the same money for Lewis Ferguson. Scottish players of this calibre were disappearing into the English lower leagues for a fraction of this money before Hickey.
Fans hate when their best young talent leave after only fleeting appearances in the first team, “What’s the point if we only keep the poorer players?”, is the overwhelming emotion. Aberdeen and Hibs have stumbled into a lucrative player trading seam. They now need to figure out how to grow that side of the business.
£3m can be wasted in a season on imports from cheaper European markets with lower wages. This was the route Dundee United and Aberdeen went down when their player development strategy was broken up in the late 80s. The whole of Scottish football followed, although other clubs did not have a successful youth strategy to dispose of.
Alternatively, £3m buys you a lot of scouting and youth development resource; Aberdeen could be bidding against Celtic for St Mirren’s best talent, for example. Scottish Premiership clubs have a competitive league, relatively straightforward access to European football and a domestic pond that has largely been overlooked by foreign scouts until recently.
Selling players of the calibre of Hickey, Ferguson and Doig has allowed clubs from genuinely impoverished leagues like Romania and Moldova to make an impressive impact on the European stage. This is the model for Aberdeen, Dundee United, Hibs and Hearts; Celtic are operating on a related but different model. If this New Money is spent wisely we will all benefit.
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Celtyforme I don’t need to clean my glasses,I think maybe it’s you who needs Glasses,The Stadium a complete mess outside,if you have a spare half hour take a look for yourself ☘️☘️
Clear that Italian clubs have to work harder / move earlier to secure talent …
… given they cannot compete with EPL.
One question springs to mind …
What has changed to (fairly suddenly) make young Scottish players more attractive raw material to foreign clubs?
TIMBHOY163 on 12TH JULY 2022 2:05 PM
I’ve got some with the rose tint option. You should try some, life becomes instantly more enjoyable
Stx2 @ The impossible question / Improving the 67 LL’s?
I have asked this before and the limited response was that PC would not have gotten a game.
My thoughts are that this was an overly simplistic response and fails to see the full picture
The one question that I can’t find an answer to is the Genesis question:
Did BC / BA / PC along with BE and BP ever play in the one team in or around 1958?
Regarding the long road to Lisbon — BC / BA / PC all left the club as the promise of 1957 dissolved into the shambles of the early 60’s.
BC / 1931 — leaves in 1958.
BA / 1938 — leaves in 1961.
PC / 1939 — leaves in 1963.
BM / 1944 — makes the first team in 62/63
BC left to make a good Everton team better — and was seen to have failed and was moved on to a 2nd rate LU where he made things happen.
BA leaves under a cloud — having made his name as a LW.
PC leaves under a cloud? — memory suggests he was pushed.
BA comes back in 1965 to play Left MF.
BM now playing deeper as Right MF.
67 ECF — we play 4 – 2 – 4
Playing one out and out winger along with BL as a winger / goal threat.
Consequently if PC was still in the squad — he would have made us better / more resilient as a 4 – 3 – 3.
In the 68/69 EC QF home defeat to Milan we seemed to have played JB in the MF instead of BA.
Lasted 45 minutes and then they were swapped as we chased the game.
69/70 EC SF against LU team fashioned in memory of the 12 year gone BC — we play 4 – 3 – 3 in both legs with GC moving up from reserve team sweeper to first team MF’er.
70 ECF against Feyenoord and allegedly the whole of the Dutch chemical industry we revert to 4 – 2 – 4 and lose in ET after being heavy favourites.
Consequently to me PC was a huge loss.
I think he would have made the 67 team — at the expense of BL or WW.
Early 70’s viewpoint / fading memories / chat from my father’s generation..
BM on his game was different class — 1970 and aged 26 he had started to decline.
PC was the only person who had left P/head and did well / possibly did better.
BC never talked about — only ever mentioned later for his Size 3 boots.
Currently digging a trench for the incoming.
Seems like the Huns new wunderbar, super dooper kid ‘snubbed’ Celtic on his way to the Bigotdome…
Full set today…
Swooped, stole, snubbed, superstar status……
It’s made der huns happy on the 12th and that’s the main thing I guess.
Fast, clueless and 2 assists in 66 games.
HH
AN TEARMANN
“RE Charlie Gallagher rip”
————————————-
With Tully, Lubo and Naka, 4 of the best corner kick takers we were ever privileged to see.
My thought for the day and final word on the matter: I’m buying some sunglasses at the moment, why do we need so much choice on the colour of lenses?
I mean, what difference does it make?
BIG WAVY
Are you talking about Matondo? I think he scored 10 in 27 last season. So not too shabby.
Popped out for an hour in the garden came back in England 59 for 7 😨
Matondo improves them and further strengthens their attacking options and speed in the team. They are far stronger than last season.
Meanwhile, over at Celtic park – it smells like same old same old. Physical players should have been identified and signed by now!
We still have time of course, but it feels like same old Celtic. Linked with players, negotiations drag on and other teams step in.
Time to make a statement Celtic – As it stands Rangers are the stronger side!
Good afternoon all from Paddy Neesons. I shall be attending the match on Saturday thanks to that fine young chap Coneybhoy. All invited to have a pint in any hostelry that will allow me in. Or Big Jimmy. 👍
Tuesday afternoon and the Oval is packed – does no-one go to work down there.
INIQUITOUSIV on 12TH JULY 2022 2:19 PM
BIG WAVY
Are you talking about Matondo? I think he scored 10 in 27 last season. So not too shabby.
—
Flurry of goals at the end of the season with nothing to play for. Long stretches without a goal. 2 assists all season for a guy on the wing mostly.
Fast & headless is the feedback.
HH
Rangers are not stronger, mostly they are a year older.
Hold yer nerve csc
Statements are for Huns.
Or as I like to call them, the Joe Aribo-less Rangers….
Best player gone. Fact.
HH
BIG JIMMY
Have emailed you bud, por cierto
From James Forrest , Celtic blog
But Matondo is not an £11 million player anymore. Although he was.
He’s now a £2 million player, which is what Ibrox paid for him. If he ever was worth £11 million, that means his value has collapsed to one fifth of what it was. That’s not a player making progress but a footballer who has gone decisively backwards.
Olly Burke was a £15m player when he came to us.
Olly was rapid but ultimately he was also Schiedt.
HH
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Celtic_park_panorama_1906.jpg
Colak,or whatever his name is,scored 2 goals in 15 games last season.To say they are stronger,after losing their best player,and making a couple of signings,no one really knows,is Ibrox News,nonsense.I am not looking at this with green specs,I think no matter they will run us close,as they are better than the rest,but to say they are stronger than us,really?
Some being totally led by the media.They mention a player ,probably unknown to Celtic,or if known of no interest,then when someone buys him,it’s same old dithering Celtic.When we make bid,then take notice.
Possibly oldest known picture of Original Celtic Park, showing the front door, Blackburn Rovers, Oct 1889.
https://wikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com/EbEuPl9TBYggKD7d5wZZRA312274
https://wikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com/790bf6fc4e67a9047605c6a7de964b33
We had a really good look at Matondo,and said no thanks.
I expect our Japanese Bhoys to really kick on this season.
For me a CH and a bit of midfield muscle would be nice.
I see we are in that silly season where we believe Celtic need to swoop more and dither less. Ditch the biscuit tin, pay “them” what they want and just take a bath on selling our duds.
Anyone who thinks Sevco have handled transfer business better than us, needs to read a few Sevco fan sites. You’ll quickly see that their fans don’t share our estimation of their prowess.
STEBHOY
We still have not improved our starting 11 from last season.
Although we still have 6 weeks left 9f transfer window.
I wouldn’t hold my breath
Rabi Matondo’s thought for the day:
If you sell Joe Aribo and replace him with a player of lesser ability do you end up with an improved starting 11?
ST TAMS on 12TH JULY 2022 3:14 PM
STEBHOY
We still have not improved our starting 11 from last season.
Bernabei not count?
St Tams,
Half-full from me:
Japanese fellas got a much needed break.
We kept the core of a rapidly assembled team from last year. The best team in the league.
Bought a very decent GK back-up.
Upgraded LB and provided competition for GT.
Got to bed in without distressed Euro games.
We’re in the market for a big CDM, CH quality and another forward. We have 6 weeks to source and pretty confident we will do so before Glasgow Derbies and Champions league games are played.
Patience fella…
Ange has proven how deliberate he is in terms of the type of player he wants. That will take time.
Would rather that than early distressed hires or overinflated purchases.
HH
Why oh why oh why oh why oh why
haven’t we signed a centre back or painted the stadium.
Ange said he was looking at signing two or three more but they had to be right for the club. I take that to mean he won’t be signing someone for the sake of it. This could mean we only get one or two more in or none at all. I reckon he deserves our patience.
or got the jet hose out
Don’t understand people saying we have not got stronger.Its not just buying players in.We have Kyogo,who missed almost half a season,best striker in Scotland.We have Gio,missed almost half a season,finished with 20 goals.Jota who will be better.Abada,a wee guy we would have expected to be one for the future,scoring 14 goals and a load of assists.Two wingers who scored around 25 goals.
Then we have our Japanese bhoys.First season,different culture,and all that brings.Just played a full season in Japan.You better believe they will be better.O Riley,same.Now settled in.Lost Turnbull for a large chunk of the season,now fully fit.Defence,have had a season together,and we now have cover at LB.
Will we be better?I am 100% convinced we will.Still 6 weeks to go of the window.
Improvement does not come from new bling alone. Young players who are one year near their prime years improve.Players in their prime can improve with one more year’s game experience. But players over 32 are starting to reach their declining years. Over 34- they are definitely declining.
The Celtic squad has 5 players over 30- (Joe Hart- 35, James Forrest & James McCarthy-31, and Scott Bain & Siegrist as 30. No-one, not even Hart, has reached their declining years yet (my 34 year estimate was for outfield players)
Sevco have 6 over 30’s. (McGregor- 40, Davis-37, McGlaughlin-34, Arfield-33, Jack & Tavpen- 30) but only 3 of them – goalie, Davis & Arfield are clearly deteriorating.
They have 4 new arrivals- Colak, Lawrence, Souttar & Matondo but have lost Aribo, Itten & Balogun-
I see now clear winner in any subjectively assessed pre-season transfer competition. I will leave my judgements until both teams have played a dozen or so competitive games
We have added Bernabei & Siegrist but have lost Rogic & Bitton (I don’t count Barkas as a loss).
I fail to see a clear winner or loser as determined by the Pre-Season Bling Index.
As usual, the real winners will earn it on the pitch over the course of 38 or so matches.
I am neither scared nor impressed with pre-season Sevco, nor am I convinced by pre-season Celtic, even though I am pleased with our dealings thus far (still hi=//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////…………………………………………………….é
Mooy would do for me.Quick,clever,can tackle.Super fit.
Well, I suppose it is an improvement in the levels of pessimism that we do not have so many actually writing off the season before a ball is kicked. This time, we just have a few who have surmised that Sevco have done better than us on the new bling front.
To say we aren’t stronger than last season is saying that none of our players have developed or improved – if that’s the case big Ange and co are failing in that respect.
Transfer Style Guide
18) If Rainjurz FC sign a player who has at any point of their career – been watched by any member of the Celtic Park staff (including Superstore employees, programme sellers and outsourced catering workers) then they will have ‘sensationally snatched’ the said player ‘ from under the nose of the Parkhead club’.
Who would win the the strongest team pre-season cup 😜