Brendan Rodgers has settled into a regular starting 11 for his important games. If you take Kasper Schmeichel out, who at 38-years-old is an outlier, there is a significant consistency in the outfield players’ ages.
Johnston, Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Hatate, Taylor and Maeda are all either 26 or 27. Kyogo (29) and McGregor (31) are the senior outfield players. Kuhn is 24, leaving 21-year-old Arne Engels the other outlier.
There are a couple of things to unpick from this. The first 11 are as close to their physical peak as you are ever likely to find in a team; there is not much more in the way of development Brendan will be able to squeeze out of them.
Arne Engels is so much younger than the rest of the team he will have more than just Scottish idioms to cope with as he adjusts to life at Celtic. Expect variances in form as he matures. In fact, if he successfully follows Nicolas Kuhn’s development path, expect it for years.
Only Kuhn and Engels fall into the ‘development’ category. That’s a problem for the manager two years from now – Brendan or otherwise. Recruitment is the front end of the football success process. The player development pathway comes next. Development imposes a tax on current results, but taxes are worth paying – ask David Murray.
Paulo Bernardo and Yang are both 22 and on the bench most games. They might step up, but we are highly unlikely to see Adam Idah (23) appreciate in value. Arne’s ticket price also makes the value appreciation strategy more difficult.
Recruitment and development work today determines results two years out. The 2025 transfer windows will tell us lots about where we will be in the medium term.
146 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- »
One more sleep before the top of the table clash.
Made it through Monday. On to game day eve.
HH!
Celtic…well done Deniabhoy
HH
Saint Stivs on 3rd December 2024 11:58 am
who actually owns the velodrome, and could we lease/rent it on matchdays ?
not as murky as over valuing old tedmcminn hoose for loans arrangement (c AT) but still a covaluted way to raise funds, complicated and gives you long term financial liabilites to pay off the workers calims (rightly imho).
i wonder if celtic plc have allready asked for use of the facility, and the “city property ltd) if we could rent it, seems pretty obvious to me,
———————-
Glasgow sells velodrome to fund £500m equal pay claims
11 February 2019 By Tom de Castella
Glasgow City Council has agreed to sell off arts and sporting venues to fund £500m equal pay claims
Glasgow City Council has agreed to sell off flagship venues, including its Commonwealth Games velodrome, to raise £500m for equal pay claims made by thousands of female employees.
The council’s city administration committee gave officers the go-ahead to use property assets – mainly sporting facilities and arts venues – to secure loans meeting the cost of settling pay claims.
It means that workers should receive details of their compensation entitlements over the next few months with payments starting in the summer.
The sell-off echoes Birmingham City Council’s sale of the National Exhibition Centre and other venues in 2015 for £307m to the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group.
Under Glasgow’s plan, the council will sell a portfolio of operational buildings to City Property Glasgow Investments LLP, an arm’s length company owned by the council. The council will take out long-term loans against the value of the venues. City Property will then lease them back to the council at a commercial rate.
The arrangement means the buildings remain in the city’s ownership and users “will not see any difference in how they access them on a day-to-day basis”, the council says.
WIth Glasgow holding the Commonwealth Games again in summer 2026, the velodrome will be key for producing homegrown medallists. Don’t know if Celtic Park will be hosting the royals again . . .
DeniaBhoy on 3rd December 2024 12:09 pm
WIth Glasgow holding the Commonwealth Games again in summer 2026, the velodrome will be key for producing homegrown medallists. Don’t know if Celtic Park will be hosting the royals again . . .
————–
the downsized games will have only 10 sports, but does include track cycling at the arena.
speculation that there will be no seperated stadium opening and closing events, ruling out celtic park, so potentially hampden where the athletics will be held.
P67, there’s not that much difference between BR’s preferences for mid-20s types and, say, Ange’s.
I also note that Auston, Paolo, Luke, Kuhn and Scalesy have all got more consistent under Brendan (and there’s more to come from all four of them to my mind).
Ange’s ‘successes’ were Kyogo, Maeda, Juranovic, CCV, Giakoumakis, Reo, Big Joe, Carl, Kyogo and Aaron Mooy.
Mid-20s players all of them. Only two feature in today’s best team.
And we’re always reminded Ange worked hand-in-glove (puppet) with recruitment master, Master Lawwell.
Ange’s not-quites were largely the younger picks like Bernie, Liel, Oh Hyeong Gyu, Urhogide and Jonny Kenny.
If Ange and Brendan both saw a need to buy guys more oven-ready than spring chickens, what’s the point of the article? I mean, we’ll always be trying to strike a balance between yoof and experience.
Given our results and form, can’t we just enjoy the present and keep planning to improve for the future?
Adam Idah probably already doubled in value since he signed for us, there’s nothing maybe about Paulo Bernardo, another snip. Even if Yang doesn’t make it at Celtic, we’ll double what we paid.
scrub that, it is not even hampden, the athletics will be at scotstoun.
thats some comedown that.
Idah’s goals at the end of last season won us the league and got us into the Champions League. He has already paid for himself, comfortably.
and won us the Cup.
Perhaps we’re doing well (so far) this season *because* we have a core of players approaching their prime years, with a couple more who are at the peak of the Experience/Conditioning curve.
Meantime we seem to have Scales, Sinisalo, Engels, Yang, Idah, Kuhn and Bernardo in the development process, presumably having written down the prospective value of Nawrocki, Holm, Palma, Kwon, Bernabei, Kenny, Lagerbielke, Tilio and others meantime.
There’s a touch of the ‘sky-is-falling-down’ about your leader Paul. We seem to be doing OK at the moment on all fronts. Rinse and repeat please.
Basically: What Quadrophenian said.
Additional emails been sent out for Cup Final tickets, if successful, available online from 2pm
Apols. Aaroy and Joe were over 30 when Ange signed them. Turned out no too bad.
Tomoki was 25 on signing.
Matty O’R was the outlier success at just 21yrs signing.
As we enter another window our key challenge should be our in house player development.
Our agenda of going to developing football nations to sign players at 21/23 has been s mixed bag, and for every Hatate there are 3 or 4 Sorros, Klimalas etc.
It’s also worth pointing out that our success in Japan with Hatate was based on the manager’s insight.
So, instead of trying to unearth the next below the radar country of talent, what about reviewing our inhouse youth development?
For the price of a couple of Tillios, we could probably buy a league one or league two club, and use it to develop our own talent,
It’s no guarantee of success, but it’s more likely to produce decent players than sending guys to play against the lowland league clubs.
Quadro,
Trusty had very high stats in England.Most headed clearances,blocks,tackles,etc.Probably mainly due to the amount of defending his team had to do.Still,great experience.
We got a bargain there.
Scales is better by the week.We are blessed at the moment.
Now just get Jota back to give us our extra winger.Seems he could leave.
I had to be the first to say it 😇😇
Clash,
Just loan them out.
I would have Odin at the Dons or Hibs in January.Cummings at Falkirk.We are a bit slows,all of a sudden at this.
TBB –
‘There’s a touch of the ‘sky-is-falling-down’ about your leader Paul.’ – Read that way to me a bit too.
TB –
‘We are blessed at the moment.’ – Was thinking exactly that after the County game.
As for Jota; I’m assuming his post-Saudi and Ligue Un wages might be beyond our budget; the modern pro mostly plays for his wallet not for his heart.
TURKEYBHOY on 3RD DECEMBER 2024 12:27 PM
On Trusty – his best game in the hoops was vs Atalanta where his backs to wall defending experience really stood out.
He’s starting to look that good consistently as well.
Re. the Commy Games, the athletics is to hosted at Scotstoun.
If Kuhn goes in the summer, Jota will have done his 2 years in Saudi, which means he can get his money out tax free,easy this transfer business…..
Paul is correct…Having mature players at the peak of their career is no good.They grow old and we can’t sell them
We need young projects from Korea or English League One academies and maybe League of Ireland or East European or Scandinavian leagues…Bring back Mark Lawwell, get rid of Rodgers
Not a celticky christmas carol – 2024
act 1 , scene 1,
action –
Granda Joe, Granda Joe, i had a dream last night that you and me got to go see Celtic with our new season tickets.
Did ye Timothea, well thast just incredible , cos I had the very same dream.
Tell me granda joe, tell me,
Och, well Little Timmy, you know its just a dream, we will never be able to get a season ticket, thats for people who already own them and can afford to buy them again, and any way, there is a waiting list to buy one.
Granda Joe, i have an idea, lets join the waiting list.
Och well, Timmy, there is many many thousands of people like us, already on the waiting list that you cant even get on it now, not for all the tea in china,
Whits tea got to do with it granda, whit does it mean you cant join it, thats just daft, there must be a way, if we joined now where would be be in the list, how many is there in the que ?
Timmy, listen, they willnae tell us.
Och granda joe, can we just go to a match then over christmas.
Tim, they are all sold out, ah canny even get on the website fast enough.
Och granda joe, have you tried a ticket exchange, maybe sumby who is away on holiday, or at a family wedding, or just too cauld to go, might put their tickets up there.
Naw t, celtic doesnt do these sort of things.
Granda Joe, thats no very celticky, surely celtic want celtic supporters like me and you to be able to see celtic sometime, somewhere, somehow,
timothea dont start crying again, there will be other christmases.
Now, here is an idea, lets look at this email, if we cant get to be at celtic park, then celtic park can come to us, Your very own celtic grass with a certificate to prove it, in a virtual world
you mean like my other granda billys debenture seat ?
nawe thats different, that really doesnt exist, i have an idea. i will use the winter fuel allowance to pay for it .
och wait a minute
granda joe, its ok, granda, i will get something else
little timmy you are nearly 26 now, its time to let go of these childish dreams.
closing scene, the little griff elf falls off the edge of the mantle.
scene 2 act 2.
Timothea is sat huddled over the small stoll in the corner with the giant tv.
Why are you crying T, dont cry, what is it, whats wrong,
Joe looks over her shoulder …………..
you lied to me granda joe, you told me it was a sell out, but look at all them empty seats ………
Our so-called unbalanced approach to recruitment gave us this first team against Brugge:
Schmeichel – 38
AJ -26 – contract until 2029
CCV – 26 – 2029
Trusty – 26 – 2029
Taylor – 27 – summer 2025
Calmac – 31 – 2028
Arne -21 – 2028
Reo – 27 – 2028
Kuhn – 25 in a month – 2029
Kyogo – 29 – 2027
Maeda – 27 – 2027
Our best team for a long time, all bar Arne and Nic are in their peak years, with no prospect of big profit sales. Almost all are tied to Celtic for the foreseeable future. Committed to being with us in their best years
Its pretty simple, to build on the foundations we have in the team – a starting 11 full of experienced winning Celtic players at their peak – and to make full use of Brendans excellent managerial skills we must concentrate on finding players who can become CL standard players to either stay into their peak years or develop and move on to bigger better leagues for big profits.
The evidence is staring us all in the face.
i am quite interested in the stock of good upcoming north americans, of which we now have 3.
Who is left back for the canadians, is he as good as AJ, are there others across the pond ready for a step up before thy host the world cup.
Stivs
Sounds like a Tarantino movie 🤪🤔😄
Our best team for a long time, all bar Arne and Nic are in their peak years, with no prospect of big profit sales. Almost all are tied to Celtic for the foreseeable future. Committed to being with us in their best years
—————
there is the other side of the coin on that, sure we extend their contracts, and the player earns more and our wagew bill goes up.
but under fsr we have the 70% cap on wages, so imho, this will neccesitate a sale, and longer contracts here just means they go for higher fees.
eratic on 3rd December 2024 1:13 pm
Stivs
Sounds like a Tarantino movie 🤪🤔😄
—————
tony roper has turned down the part of granda joe and instead Harvey Keitel is doing it.
Celtic supporters Q/A
Top two targets, one pacy winger and one other position unspecified.
Brendan Rodgers
My ass may be dumb, but I ain’t no dumbass 😂🤪
bournesouprecipe on 3rd December 2024 1:22 pm
Celtic supporters Q/A
Top two targets, one pacy winger and one other position unspecified.
Brendan Rodgers
————
another year extension for jamesie suprised me a little – 19 matches of some gametime, 5 assists no goals.
TURKEYBHOY on 3RD DECEMBER 2024 12:27 PM
Jota wont come back – even if we could afford him he’s done his time in Scotland.
It took us 6 months to find his replacement and another six months for him come good but Kuhns already a more effective player in the CL than Jota ever was, so we need to look for more like him.
Saint Stivs on 3rd December 2024 1:12 pm
i am quite interested in the stock of good upcoming north americans, of which we now have 3.
Who is left back for the canadians, is he as good as AJ, are there others across the pond ready for a step up before thy host the world cup.
His name is Alphonso Davies. He plays for Bayern Munch…..
Weeron
Why don’t we buy the rainjurz and use them as a development team, just a thought !!!!
Their new theme song is Riding Along on the Crest of a Slump.
On other matters, couldn’t help notice the financials of the Arms Industry, Only £ 600 billion profit, and they say , war does not pay, yes indeed.
Enjoy Celtic
KINGLuBO
Aberdeen GK out for 6 weeks,2nd place a problem now
It feels like we’re well covered in almost every position except for Calmacs, which is a little worrying given how important that role is. Matt O’Riley was able to fill in seamlessly in Scotland but to do it in the CL as effectively as Calmac takes special skills.
I also thought we looked exposed against Brugge in midfield in a way we’ve been before against that sort of opposition. They were quicker, more athletic. Its a big ask to find someone like that, hopefully Arne and Bernardo can develop into that sort of player but I hope we’re looking at players in that position who can learn from Calmac and play in the less important games – it looks like theres going to be plenty of those after January