It was revealing that days ahead of the international break, the subject of the January transfer window tripped off Ange Postecoglou tongue. It is as though he spent much of the previous week planning ahead.
When you manage a team that competes in Europe your availability to scout players in person is very limited. Most of the work is delegated out, supplemented by TV coverage, but the latter will only ever tell part of the story.
Club managers have been known to take in eight games over an international break. With travel restrictions still in place, Ange is unlikely to see anything like this amount of action, but if he is going to spend some of our money in January, he will want to make the most of the break in Celtic action this month and next.
I’m in the glass half full camp and expect us to improve as the season progresses, but the squad is perilously thin in places. Reinforcements in January will be crucial for whoever wins the league. This is an important fortnight for Ange and his scouts.
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BRIAN F
I don’t agree with that.
But not as first pick, good back up, like Montgomery and Ralston
If we’re not going to play the best left back at club(Bolingoli). We need to get a better one in.
Squirrel King @ 1.55
Cars are full of chips — you don’t say …
The issue for Big Auto is the cheap commodity stuff they use is on the slide.
They don’t have the machines that make the machines that make the chips any more.
The cost of cars is going through the roof at the moment.
And to buy one you have to find one.
Plus its getting worse.
Interesting times.
ZD @ 1.24
Good to hear that the old National plant is still in business.
A pal got his start in Chip sales with that plant back in the late 80’s.
Never had the public profile of IBM but has obviously plugged away over the years.
He’s never a left back in a million years.should never have been bought in the first place.a liability
MADMITCH on 7TH OCTOBER 2021 1:52 PM
Linwood hangs over us like Banquo’s ghost.
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Does that mean that we can say that our current Lady Macbeth has blood on her hands for failing to get a couple of boats in the water ?
SAINT STIVS on 7TH OCTOBER 2021 1:55 PM
Also impacted gaming machines, and hand held devices.
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That is very true SS. My youngest wanted the new Xbox last Christmas and has no chance of even getting one this Christmas.
I am not on the GT bus — he is half finished at best.
I am however at the GT bus stop waiting for him to up his game / find some speed / think.
Just how much did we pay for him?
He has the look of a local PL punt at £1mill plus.
JD @ 2.20
Yes — she is more than guilty regarding the two ships in build.
She is also very much more than guilty for the two that have recently got away.
She is hopeless and her crew are useless.
We are now a global laughing stock regarding merchant shipbuilding.
So our recruitment and scouting department consists of “Ange and his scouts” ?
Just who are these scouts and who sourced and pays for them?
Or is it all part of the board strategy to get ready for a disastrous season by blaming Ange for everything?
This would also suggest that Ange is responsible for Starfelt and McCarthy in which case can we trust him with more money?
As ever the actions of Celtic and our board remain opaque to the fans who pay the bills. Not another penny.
JIMDOM on 7TH OCTOBER 2021 1:19 PM
Intel still has a strong presence in Ireland (Leixlip) and it’s a great pity that Scotland cannot attract, and retain, high value jobs in this industry. The site that Amazon currently occupy in Dunfermline was at one time earmarked for a major plant (can’t remember name of the manufacturer).
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I live beside Intel in Leixlip and it has been an absolute boon for the local economy and infrastructure/amenities.
I’ve met a few Scottish lads when watching Celtic games in the pub who came over to help set up the plant and then stayed.
PS Intel have expanded massively recently and still are (big covid breakout, including my house recently due to builders with no masks shopping in Spar at lunch which spread to the schoolkids doing the same). They did get some plans held up due to a local eccentric who lives alone on the ramshackle family farm. There is a documentary about him winning his court case to avoid CPO
Midfield.
I know that Willie McStay and Tosh McKinley were involved in the scouting set up. I know of a few scouts who were involved but aren’t well known names. I could never understand why we had a Head of Scouting and a Head of Recruitment.
I think we also have Analysts who produce stats on the candidates
We need to come off the pitch after the game on Jan 2 still no more than six points behind. Then, with 48 points still to play for, we will find out if the board really want this league title or not. And the rich reward that comes with it.
Will they pay for a couple of guys of proven quality ? Not young projects or has-been retirement plans, but game changing quality.
TIMMY7_NOTED
More a case of the guy lying on the beach orchestrating the scouts.
As Tosh Mckinlay said, ” I don’t have a boss”
Shambles of a football club
Intel in the 26 counties has more to do with the tax gymnastics that are allowed locally rather than the quality of the workforce or the quality of the infrastructure.
The unwritten rule seems to be that to make the most of the tax opportunities you need to employ people locally.
An economy based on the stealing the food out of the mouths of poor children has a certain horrible black irony given the history of the island.
Hopefully they haven’t built the factory out of local materials — specifically breeze blocks.
The scouts should be briefed by the manager as to what type of player that he wishes.
can anyone enlighten us on who these scouts are?
MM
It does employ locally (Intel) but also around Leinster area, hence the racetrack near my house at clocking off. There are also a lot of folks from other plants like the US, EU and Israel who come for fixed tersm.
This has bred another economy where people buy a new house but keep the old one on my estate and rent it out to Intel long term
PS the Irish tax rate is being debated by Gov right now due to the international pressure to set a minimum
Dundee United and Hearts have each conceded one goal fewer than we have whilst St Johnstone and Sevco have conceded the same. The others, obviously, have all conceded more.
Inasmuch as everything is relative, with whom are we being compared when many supporters talk of how terrible our defence is?
Is the MSSM a major factor in people`s thinking on this matter?
PS I know our defence makes mistakes but so do the defences of all the other teams. Why is ours singled out so much?
Coneybhoy,
Sorry to split hairs but it is not the Irish tax rate, but the tax on corporations. The EU want everyone in line.
HH
CB @ 3.32
I think Intel came for the cheap EU labour and then stayed for the tax advantages.
By all accounts it is a huge undertaking and has been expanded / rebuilt a number of times.
Given the failure of “Silicon Glen” to renew over time after a good start there may be lessons to be learned from the longevity of Intel in the 26 counties — regional technical colleges attracting some very bright folk on a regular basis might be one.
However the whole tax jungle is a rich man’s feast that shames the country.
Tiger economy my erse — just providing a home to mobile capital.
The GDP vs GNP story / nightmare tells you all you need to know.
YOGIHUGHES on 7TH OCTOBER 2021 3:42 PM
Coneybhoy,
Sorry to split hairs but it is not the Irish tax rate, but the tax on corporations. The EU want everyone in line.
HH
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Aye, it’s the corpy tax at 12.5% I meant. i don’t like to think about, never mind type about my personal tax level (Indy voters take note though as it could happen in Scotland. 32 county debate is also interesting from the potential tax rises for 26 counties to pay for the financial sink hole in 6 counties vs loss of NHS for the 6 counties. Heart vs head)
MM
The tax attracts but over time the local talent rises (as you say about the colleges). I nip in to the local school every 2 years to do careers night. I push the idea of alternate routes to the same job/salary – uni/apprenticeship/technical colleges. The latter are very good here, as is education broadly (which is not fully free in any school)
In my industry, the tax was a huge reason to bring in foreign cash but now it is the 3 planks of tax, people and bi-lateral laws which keeps it here (was invented here too)
Ps
The huge Intel site is practically invisible from the road until you get to the big gates – very clever environmentally; set low and tree lined. Same as the Derby County training centre near my old hoose. That might get sold soon
Coneybhoy,
Take the money from the TD’s, Landowners, renters etc. and everyone will be fine!
HH
https://celtsarehere.com/sky-sports-latest-celtic-snub/
I’ve had digs at “M.Ross” previously.
Poor guy might be forgiven for thinking I am picking on him
(then again, he might not give a rat’s)
IMHO, this article misses the mark.
Moving forward we should aim to reduce Sly Sports’ influence in Scottish Football.
Sly Sports not covering our away games?
Good. More chance of a 3pm kick off then.
SPFL charging our fans directly via their club TV operations?
Fine. Cuts out Sly Sports middle man.
Obviously, we’ll have some clubs trying to gild the lily in the short term.
If they do, don’t pay for their wares.
Longer term, (if club TV takes off across the 12 clubs) SPFL can regulate pricing in the same way they do for tickets.
Obviously, Sevco don’t understand the concept of symbiosis and will continue to try to screw everyone.
Brian F,
You should be nowhere near a Celtic Blog.
End off.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58832127
so what was it Naismith screamed at Jonny Hayes after a shocking tackle
Greg Taylor IS the best LB at Celtic.
Ange will verify that when he is fit.
Hail Hail
Stay Safe
Brentford and Celtic have had traditionally very different aims, expectations are very different in the two different fanbases (the present manager lost his first 9 games in charge but was never going to lose his job). But within their own particular model they’ve obviously got their scouting right in recent years, so I googled a bit to find out what they are doing that we might do better
I was more interested in the years before last season – they were looking at a similar player to us when the identified Ivan Toney (who?), and they signed one of our players for a lot more money than they’ve been used to paying in the summer, which suggests, perhaps a change in direction.
Interestingly enough the most winningest manager in their entire history is Mark Warburton, and he left at the end of a season in which they achieved their highest league finish in decades. His departure was leaked in February of that season when the team were doing very well.
He fell out with the owner about a change in strategy: “ “I think the manager has to pick the team and have the final say, in my opinion. I think there’s going to be a much greater emphasis on mathematical modelling than currently.”. Strange thing for a successful city trader to rebel against, but in his short time in football he must have gone native.
Benham sounds like a very sharp thinker with a fiercely analytical mind. A physics graduate from Oxford, who started up his own betting company, he’s obviously someone who’s happy when he’s got as much information as possible to help make his decisions:
“It is a phenomenon I see again and again in football. If I want to know how good a player is I want to speak to a person who has seen that player play one hundred times in all conditions. What tends to happen is so many people in football will see that player for forty minutes and decide they are the oracle.”
“If I am looking at a striker I absolutely do not care about his goalscoring record. For me the only thing that is interesting is how the team do collectively, offensively and defensively within the context of an individual’s performance.”
Benham did/does use a version of moneyball – he targeted young players (so they had a greater sell-on value) who had large amounts of talent but weren’t fulfilling it and never looked like they would.
He thinks a player’s potential can’t be judged until he’s played at least 35 games (fewer than Paul’s 60 odd). He won’t sign players because the manager wants them, he bases his decisions on different criteria
What has this to do with Paul’s leader? Maybe not much – until this season Brentfords signing strategy has been based more on other needs than immediate success. We need players who can do a job today, although we still need to keep an eye on player trading. But I think what Brentford have shown is that while the manager might know what sort of player he needs, there are people and systems who can and probably should be finding them before the manager. Particularly when watching players in the flesh is so difficult these days.
Celtic 40…..and Celtic By Numbers……………..
Excellent contributions,
Celtic Quick News….at its best.
HH.
BANKIEBHOY1 on 7TH OCTOBER 2021 4:55 PM
👍
I’m hoping Liam Scales will soon prove to be the best left back at the club. If he goes on to become the best centre back also, that would be great.
Very simple aspiration for January’s transfer window.
Do our homework and sign targeted players who will actually improve the team.
Play said players.
HH.
Greg Taylor?
Reserve at best. Cannot cross a ball and offers little in defence. What’s to like?
Interesting watching the events unfold at Newcastle FC.
New owners and a new board.
Sometimes we really need to be careful what we wish for.
HH.
free kick to rangers and yellow card to johnstone, dangerous play.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FBCJKEQXMAQsJ14?format=jpg&name=900×900
Scottish Football Souvenirs from the Golden Years
@ScottishFrom
·
Sep 29
John Higgins who was part of the Celtic League and Scottish Cup winning side of 1953/54 season. Unfortunately injuries would plague his football career and he retired early from the game in his late 20’s.
@Stephen4_2
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FAcl5RGWYAAYWLI?format=jpg&name=small
SS,
John Higgins was one of my Dad’s favourite players.
GREENPINATA on 7TH OCTOBER 2021 6:18
Politics aside, I can’t see there’s any way this won’t be hilarious. I hope it’s not bad news, the Geordies are a proper football bunch and deserve a bit of success.
You wonder what Saudis want out of it.