The arrival of Matthew Sean O‘Riley (surely, nominative determinism at work), our fifth signing of the window, looks like another incredible bit of business by Celtic. Like Moussa Dembele, he signed senior forms with Fulham as a 16-year-old. Whereas Moussa experienced regular first team football in his third season there, Matt found opportunities rare, so declined a three year contract in 2020 and left the club.
That contract offered the then 19-year-old financial security. Instead, he went looking for first team football elsewhere and was without a club for six months. He spent the time training with MK Dons, whom he eventually joined in January last year.
This is a remarkable example of singlemindedness, I cannot recall anyone else in the game going without money in the hope that they better their long-term prospects. At the time he would have been asked, “What if you get injured?” It was a risk that had a significant probability of not paying off.
I love this attitude. Matt will enjoy life at Celtic, but be clear, he is here because we have made him a career enhancing offer – not a career ceiling. Like so many before him, he will want it all in the EPL one day, which is actually a good thing.
MK Dons fans and EFL analysis rave about his abilities. He has been a star there and was destined to go higher soon. Dons confirmed we relieved them of his services due to a buy-out clause (I expect the same is true of this month’s Japanese imports), reportedly £1.5m.
Michael Nicholson is playing a blinder in his first transfer window.
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Quite the week!
Welcome to the Celtic Matt O’Riley.
HH from a baltic Kentucky.
Praying for mea culpa and his family at this terrible time. Y.N.W.A
Morning y’all – a balmy 1C in Texas.
Loving it!
Another quality signing – onwards and upwards.
Thoughts to Mea Culpa and his family.
Wonder if Ange has one more signing, maybe 2, up his sleeve?, or Michael Nicholson’s sleeve, :)) por cierto
MEA CULPA:
Best wishes, thoughts and prayers to you and yours, por cierto
Thoughts with Old Tim and Mea Culpa. Prayer said to Blessed Carlo Acutis for both of them that things will get better for them soon.
Jan 12th, Ange, happy with his lot.
“As we speak right now, there are no other offers or people I have spoken to,” he said.
“So the 20 names that come out tomorrow are all lies or fabrications. Or they’re from people at home bored and Googling names and throwing them up there, or agents trying to get a little more value for their clients. I can’t be any clearer than that, and what I won’t do is lie.
“There’s no one else we’re talking to, there’s no other offers, no one else I’m showing interest in. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”
Did he let you know? I’m in the huff, no one called me :)
Best wishes to Mea Culpa and family. I hope the recovery is a good one.
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Good luck to MC
The shameless huns have complained to the SFA about Clancy on Wednesday, i wonder if they will mention McGregor’s penalty incident? Make no mistake, they are bricking it,and this is a warning shot to all referees, to get in line,and support the Establishment Klub.
Thoughts with Mea Culpa 🙏
SMSM M.O.
Sshh, Whisper it …
“Celtic have signed 5 players this window”.
Sshh, don’t even dare whispering it …
“Financial trouble brewing at Sevco”
Couple of things I was pleased about the signing….more than a few clubs were after him …his height……supporters of MK Don’s really do like him………oh and I quite like his name 😂😂
Prayers and thoughts with Mea Culpa and his family.
HH
BGFC
Genuine question …
Anyone on here know the date ….
…. a Sevco player was last shown a red card (on the field of play) ..
.. by a Scottish referee who wasn’t Clancy?
Bada
They should be told to sling it, look at what Celtic has faced over the years Dallas, Dougal, Syme, Thompson,Beaton Madden, Collum who gave a penalty he didnt see but heard Broadfoot shout for it and he gave it, I could go on, refereeing is a sess pit, needs gutted and an external contractor brought in to supply train and supervise refereeing here.
https://youtu.be/4_CBMV79xW4
Matt’s first interview
Thoughts with Oldtim & Mea Culpa.
CHAIRBHOY on 21ST JANUARY 2022 5:40 AM
Donald Findlay QC took an appeal to the High Court over convictions re the singing of the Billy boys. To determine whether the singing was an example of sectarianism the Court implemented an objective 2 stage test: (btw it’s a long time since I read this so please forgive my clunky paraphrasing)
1) was the song about a relevant section of the community? – the Court found that yes the the term Fenian referred to the Catholic/ Irish Catholic section of the community; and
2) was their evidence that this section of the community was being treated as inferior- here the Court found that the words “up to out knees in Fenian blood, surrender or you’ll die” was evidence of one section of the community treating the Catholic community as inferior, telling them to do as they were told or face the consequences.
Therefore, sectarianism can be seen to be the belief that 1 section of the community, its customs, beliefs and pratices, is inherently inferior to those of another section of the community.
Furthermore, sectarianism is the belief that an individual from that section of the community can have their measure taken simply through their membership of that section of the community, the customs they follow, the beliefs they hold and the practices they observe.
Sectarianism denies that individual their humanity. It means that when determining a person’s worth, the section of the community where they come from is always seen as more important than who they are. Eg the name of the primary school they attended Vs the grades they achieved at school.
Also the number of retrospective red cards issued to Huns shows there is an issue with on field decision making by officials.
P67 — old habits die hard.
Bigging up the guy with the CEO badge.
Real class doesn’t need smoke blown up his erse.
A CEO who lets other people do their job is what we need.
Not a control freak / kid on polymath who wants to do everything.
If MN scouted / chased / convinced AP that MO’R was the real deal then when will he get around to doing his day job — reading the Ladybird book of Business Growth?
The new guy is different from the old old guy — there are not too many second rater’s as second rate as the second rate property bean counter who got to run a football club.
.
Then — maybe — you will eventually get with the programme.
MN is letting AP do all the talking — that is a huge step forward.
The Board of Rangers may be making a rod for their own back re complaining about Clancy. I’m pretty sure the referee community is a close-knit one and will be angered at the way they continually complain over referees, especially the leeway some refs have given them in the past, por cierto.
GaryGillespieshamstring
21ST JANUARY 2022 12:37 PM
Also the number of retrospective red cards issued to Huns shows there is an issue with on field decision making by officials
———
I tried to find last years figures for retrospective red cards to see if Celtic had more opponents sent off retrospectively than any other team but there was nothing on the sfa or spfl websites
Thoughts with Mea Culpa and his family
Mea Culpa
Hope you can make a quick and full recovery
Will keep you in our thoughts and prayers for such
Always careful about judging a player from short clips, but from what I have seen I am really encouraged.
Got a modern-player look about him – can take the ball in tight areas. But what I really like is the way he gets the ball forward quickly. When you are playing against defensive teams you need to make the most of the transition opportunities you get and it has been a bit of a weakness at times.
Also like the way he switches play from one side to the other. Again, when you are playing against deep-defending teams you have to stretch them.
Not sure exactly where he gets into the team – probably Turnbull’s place but then we have Hatate coming in too. And if anything we are still lacking an Armstrong-type midfielder that can make the breaking runs into the box.
Anyway, plenty options now.
Ange is playing a blinder in this window. Considering the mess he inherited…..
YB @ 12.47
Keep plugging away.
I think that Ludge MIB and the TFOD2.1 booster club have only just realised how powerful the data can be when it comes to looking for patterns of bias in the SPL.
The SPL MIB cohort are not very good at their job — so mistakes will happen all across the patch.
Every SPL has a hard done to storyline.
However the SPL MIB cohort are very pro one team and very anti another.
The data when analysed will show this up clearly.
They have now woken up to this.
They will get more sleekit.
https://twitter.com/chris_sutton73/status/1484496489103642628?t=ZTXhSASgMwZo_Dk5pGyM-w&s=08
All the very best Mea Culpa.
Big Jimmy hope you are well. Don’t take up that offer of playing football with D66. The Garngad ruffian plays with spiked studs, knuckle duster and unwashed oxters. Apologies, that was Terry Hurlock.
TOM ROGIC,
Tom Mc Laughlin has been called up to the Australia squad.
PARKHEADCUMSALFORD on 21ST JANUARY 2022 10:30 AM
Just learned from Mea Culpa’s wife that he has had a serious stroke.
Will light a candle on way home tonight for Mrs Mea Culpa,I hope their family stay strong at this sad time.
God bless
HH
Firstly Mea Cupla, OldTIm and many others. Hope and pray things get better.
I suspect that Tam’s underpar performance against Hibs without a plan B on the bench prompted us to move on Matt O’ and he did say we arrived late and clearly decisively with a big dose of Ange schmoozing in the process.
What to do tomorrow ? Rest players for Hearts and/or get the new fellas up to speed….should be an interesting line up.
HH
Mea Culpa. Apologies for the typo.
HH
“Financial trouble brewing at Sevco” – when was it not do?
However when Robertson extols the virtue of £100m investment to secure one honour in ten years, then we should realise the lengths that Ibrox will go to – on the park must be our overriding concern.
If the ‘Ibrox brand’ can summon up £100m investment during the leanest and most humiliating period in its history, then we should understand what we are up against….where would Celtic lay its hands on that kind of money in adversity?
All clubs have a downturn from time to time, Celtic is no exception, although last season was as surprising as it was painful. However if we can recover this season and/or next, it will be because of our inherent financial strength over many years, and not reliant on the issuing of “confetti shares’ to a seemingly endless queue of ‘well-heeled’ supporters.
Those who criticise, with some justification, how Celtic is run, would do well to factor this in.
Sorry – “when was it not so”….
I was thinking,our front 3 could really benefit from our new Bhoy.How many times have we watched Kyoto,make runs,and instead of trying to find him,we go square,chance gone.Now with Jota back,an Maeda hopefully flying on the left or right,the targets will be there for a player,who Steve Evans,Celtic mad manager of Gillingham,says could land the ball on a Mushroom from 70 yards to get the ball to them earlier.
I think Ange got him in quickly,to replace Rogic while absent.Think he will play against Mini and Uber Huns..
Thoughts with Mea Culpa . 🙏