Oft-triangulated Georgios

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It’s good to be back.  A power outage at our datacentre on Saturday caused servers to crash and subsequent database problems.  Our thanks to Andrew in Belfast for his invaluable help, again…

Trying hard to ignore speculation of various players coming our way, plenty of time for that later in the month, although I will add a note of caution.  The fact that a journalist gets confirmation from Neil Lennon that he is able to sign a £6m player does not constitute a promise to do so.  It’s little more than bait, for those who still read such sources.

I’ve heard nothing but good things over the years about Georgios Samaras.  He is a player who flourishes on confidence, and support, and does so most often at the highest level.  In Europe he is Celtic’s out-ball, a player capable of bringing others into the game, turning defence into attack.  It is at this rarefied atmosphere that his goal-scoring has also been most effective.  Ironically his style is less effective in the SPFL, where Celtic spend far less time 80 yards from goal.

A considerable reason for the low return in the Champions League this season was that everyone knew how reliant we’d become on Georgios.  He was heavily marked; by the time the ball got to his feet, three opponents triangulated around him.

It’s no surprise he has offers from Spain, and no doubt elsewhere, to consider. If he leaves I hope his lasting memories will be cheers of support, not his harsher experiences.

Definition of poor IT planning: datacentres who host their Status page at their own datacentre. “We’re down, but you can’t read this, because we’re down.”
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763 Comments

  1. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    Anyone read Chris Sutton’s book, Paradise and Beyond ?

     

    One of my boys bought it for my Christmas. His animosity towards the Deadclub is tangible and I’ve just read this wee bit (4 or 5 times) on Deceased:

     

     

    “For all the quality they had at that time, they were powerless to stop us thrashing them 6-2. I know I’ve mentioned this game before ( he actually mentions it several times before in the book) but it feels good to mention it again”

     

  2. Celticrollercoaster supports the Dambhoys on

    pedro67

     

     

    Long time no see :-)

     

     

    I hear that there is a CQN beer day forming for Feb 8 after the Aberdeen cup game. Plenty of time to sort the pass :-)

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  3. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    Man U fans celebrating continental style at tonights game. Thats letting off flares to you and me.

  4. TBJ Praying for Oscar Knox on

    Doc

     

     

    Im confused..

     

     

    When Rangers died the newco named themselves The Rangers

     

     

    So how does The Doc evolve from Doc… are you a zombie :(

  5. KK

     

     

    You don’t post much, but when you do, it seems that you think about what you are saying.

     

     

    I sometimes wish I did the same >}

     

     

    Hate is a terrible affliction, huns, they have given me bother in the past, do I hate them ? yes and no, what I do know is, I hate them for making me hate them, if that makes me a bad person so be it.

     

     

    HH

  6. Celticrollercoaster supports the Dambhoys on

    TBJ Praying for Oscar Knox

     

    23:11 on

     

    7 January, 2014

     

     

    Can you not remember, that he died of embarrassment, as ACGR walked up his street one Sunday morning in his Celtic onesie. What would the neighbours say:-)

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  7. celticrollercoaster supports the dambhoys

     

     

    23:09 on 7 January, 2014

     

     

    pedro67Long time no see :-)I hear that there is a CQN beer day forming for Feb 8 after the Aberdeen cup game. Plenty of time to sort the pass :-)HH

     

    ————————————————

     

    Am in

     

     

    Ayrshire is Green and White

     

     

    HH

  8. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    Kilbowie Kelt

     

     

    I think you are castigating someone’s choice of descriptor, whilst applying your own to the situation.

  9. Delaneys Dunky on

    KK

     

     

    Your stance is admirable. I am trying to reach a level of non hatred for them. Maybe one day?

  10. MANCHESTER CITY and Arsenal are weighing up bids for £10million-rated Celtic centre-back Virgil van Dijk

     

    Both clubs have sent scouts to monitor the impressive form of the Dutchman this season.

     

     

    The Hoops signed van Dijk for just £1.6m from Groningen last summer and have put him on a long deal.

     

     

    He is contracted to three more seasons with them, with an option for another year. The 22-year-old’s form has impressed Celtic manager Neil Lennon so much that he expects a call to come from Netherlands counterpart Louis van Gaal.

     

     

    Lennon said: “It’s inevitable, if he keeps going and progressing the way he is, that he’ll become a Dutch international. He makes it look easy. People seem to think he has a laid-back attitude, but his work ethic is very high and he’s a kid who wants to get better.

     

     

    “I’d like to think Virgil would get a chance with his country.”

     

     

    Van Dijk has made 29 appearances for Celtic this season, scoring three goals.

     

     

    But he fears he will miss out on his nation’s World Cup squad, and said: “I have never been invited so I think the chances are not so big for me.

     

     

    “That’s unfortunate but I have to move on, keep playing good games and maybe, you never know, the chance will come.”

  11. the exiled tim-free the dam 5

     

     

    23:24 on 7 January, 2014

     

     

    The big man us strolling through games up here, must be dying to test himself against better opposition unfortunately for us HH

  12. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    hun skelper

     

     

     

    High Court injunction to stop a story coming out yesterday!!

  13. hun skelper

     

     

    Twitter and the blogs are awash with rumours about laundering at sevco, they have been at it for some time I reckon, what with all the freebie tickets and the like, mega crowds, when in fact there are not mega crowds, easy enough to wash cash, allegedly >}

     

     

    HH

  14. the exiled tim-free the dam 5

     

     

    23:29 on 7 January, 2014

     

     

    Sorry I heard about it yesterday HH

  15. Steady chaps!

     

     

    Virgil is not for go!

     

     

    Relax.. International Rescue remains in Tracey Island!

  16. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/

     

    23:30 on 7 January, 2014

     

    Celtic 20s beat Hamilton 3-1 None of the 16s got on. Sack the bored!!

     

     

    Joe Thomson started and scored, sure he’ still 16

  17. Jude…..

     

     

    I got barred from TSFM for alluding to money laundering in Govan,about 9 months ago,when it became obvious even to me what was going on.

     

     

    Ffs don’t post this in there or the Politburo financial intellectuals, on there, will spit their Earl Grey tea all over their keyboards.Their latest hobby horse is sticking it to the Huddleboard.

     

     

    The dam will break on this injunction soon and someone will have the cojones to print it this time.

  18. TET

     

     

    VVD cup-tied for CL – neither side have a remote chance of winning the CL.

     

     

    Can’t see either side signing a ‘novice’ (no matter his potential) and risking him lose (1) their top of EPL position and (2) dispossessing Ferdinand/ Vidic when their side look likely to miss out on a top 4 position.

     

     

    I smell a ‘jackonory’ deflection!

  19. Regarding big Virgil….

     

     

    Hope he stops with Celtic for at least another 18 months.

     

     

    Think Boumsong….he strolled it in SPL for 6 months and was recently voted into an EPL worst ever 11 he was that bad….then struggled in Serie B with relegated Juve.in short he was crap outside of SPL and Souness got well rewarded for signing him from Deadclub….The whole deal was stinkingly corrupt even by their standards.

     

     

    Virgil is still raw and needs time.