Signing a great backup goalkeeper seldom makes the difference between a successful or unsuccessful season, but things felt differently in season 2020-21. After Fraser Forster left Lennoxtown, where two years ago this week he returned for preseason training, rejecting the chance to remain at Celtic, the club were plunged into turmoil. Travel restrictions make proper scouting and we ended up paying €5m for Vasilis Barkas.
As the season progressed, Vasilis was swapped out for Scott Bain and Conor Hazard. To be fair, the defence was sufficiently dysfunctional to make it difficult to impress as a keeper.
Benjamin Siegrist made a clear impact on the Celtic support two days before his 30th birthday in January, where he denied to would-be champions until Liel Abada’s 89th minute winner. He is now mobile and commanding, enjoying a position that looked unlikely five years ago.
On joining Aston Villa at 20, he was loaned out to four lower and non-league English clubs before escaping to Vaduz in his native Switzerland. After a season, he lost his place at the club. Recovery started a year later with two seasons in the Championship with Dundee United, before promotion and two seasons in the Premiership. Before arriving at United as a 25-year-old, he made 52 appearances in senior football, just 10 more than he made last season alone.
Benjamin got a lot of things wrong in his career before blossoming in his late 20s. He is a lesson to a lot of players, and a lot of scouts.
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Catchin up……@Bigrailroadblues…Yer Alan Whicker travels are ..A…Educational…
B….Olympian gold status and C…A feckin miracle to us oldies……lol
P.S. If i ever have the pleasure of one of your tours………….
Will you carry me home…….
Gentlepubcrawlsareus..
Drambowiecelt, any time mate. All welcome, no exceptions. 👍🍺
Cheers big man….Great to see consec posts ..without sniping…At each other..
A..CQN DOUBLE…
H.H
Oops …Don’t mean us sniping big chap
just various posts seem ……for the throat recently…
H.H
See people talking about the argie leftback being suspended for start if season. I thought international transfers generally go through on 1st of July. That means he already technically misses 2 games for lanus so suspension served and that is if Argentina fa even transfer suspension.
HH
@Steph…wow..pre..pre season anxt… lol
Chill…….We Never stop.
People are talking???? really.
DRAMBOWIECELT
Celtic I kinda a 365 days a year thing lol
Prayers for those surviving in Eastern Afghanistan tonight.
Impacted by the earthquake landslides in one of its remote mountain regions.
God help them
HH
@AT…Good man ….
The Partisan
https://youtu.be/9RYy_8u4blk
Building Up and Tearing England Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB7YrggKNA4
Mornin.
AIPPLE glad you and FB posted to each other.
Told you he was a good lad 👍💚
Good morning all from Govanhill.
Good morning all from another lovely morning in the Garngad
Good luck to anyone trying to get better pay or working conditions.
Go on the rail workers.
Feck these Tory runts.
D :)
Good morning from a very sunny North Staffs – it’s going to be a hot one.
https://www.tiktok.com/@rebelmediaireland/video/7112208194872560902?_t=8TORL02tY1O&_r=1
Who would win a fight between Lynch and dorries. If there is a god …please make it so.
I think the Daily Record is trolling ‘the rangers’ because of the lack of signings, this story is a new low (even for them)
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/local-sport/rangers-sign-celtic-daft-youngster-27302295
(apologies for the link)
So can someone update me on who we have signed exactly ?
Argentine left back ?
Semedo
Seigrist
CCV now fully signed
Have all the above been confirmed ?
Are there any signs re Jota ?
Port Vale at home to Boonie’s Fleetwood on the opening day fixture.
We certainly haven’t signed Semedo , Think CCV & Keeper from United are only 2 announced.
Apparently , Argentinian left back is due in Glasgow today for Medical & subject to that going OK expected to be announced tomorrow,
Think squad are due back in Lennoxtown on Monday,
I reckon Jota will announced then, still need another 3 or 4 , maybe more if we sell anybody.
So can someone update me on who we have signed exactly ?
Argentine left back ? – In Glasgow today to sign.
Semedo – No go. Or a load ‘a ballix as they say.
Seigrist – Signed, sealed and delivered.
CCV now fully signed – Yep.
Are there any signs re Jota ? – Packing his bags at the club tropicano. All roads seem to lead to him signing tomorrow with a view to pre-season training Monday. Unconfirmed.
Plus, consistent rumours:
Souza our preferred CDM still in the mix.
Double-barrelled Man City youth for CH
Soro off to Belgrade on loan
HH
Thanks for updates.
I was trying to work out gossip from fact.
We seem to be going about things fairly well and early compared to our rivals.
Of course in our football backwater we can’t always dictate the pace but it seems we have some structure to what we are doing.
JJ leaving will hopefully have a plan to cover if that becomes a reality.
So important to have cover for Cal Mac imo . These don’t grow on trees. He can’t keep playing with that energy and not break occasionally as he gets older.
How much better shape are we in vs 12 months ago ? Incredible really. Huge credit to those at the helm and esp Ange for this.
From the Herald
CELTIC have released an emphatic message to shareholders on the stock exchange crediting the return of fans and on-field success for “significantly higher” revenue.
Parkhead bosses shared a message on the London Stock Exchange explaining full-year results for the year ending 30 June 2022 will see an increase in revenue in comparison to market expectations.
The statement hailed the results on the park with Celtic picking up the Premier Sports Cup and Scottish Premiership title as well as referencing the return of full capacity crowds.
And due to the market expectations being drawn up during the Covid-19 pandemic, the real figures are expected to dwarf the “understandably more cautious” outlook.
However, the statement also warned player trading will influence the financial performance and with the transfer window open figures are subject to change.
The club will publish the full financial run-down in mid-September following the close of the transfer market.
The stock exchange message read: “Celtic has enjoyed a strong on pitch performance in the 2021/2022 football season and has returned to full capacity spectator attendance following the loosening of the Covid-19 restrictions.
“This means that revenue for the year ended 30 June 2022 will be significantly higher than market expectations, which were formed at a time when the outlook was understandably more cautious as result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Player registration valuations and player trading can and often do materially influence Celtic’s financial performance in addition to revenue.
“In this context the Summer transfer window is now open and the Club intends publish its results for the year ended 30 June 2022 in mid-September 2022 following the closure of the transfer window and in line with its previously recognised timetable.”
How pathetic is The Daily Ranger a baby Celtic Daft signs for Rangers,
If we could get Souza on loan with option to buy next year,and also incorporate Man City having first refusal in future,we could maybe do something there.Belgian club have no say in the matter,he is a City player.If he does star for us,we are quids in.Another big spend deferred for a year.
I see some saying we would need another 4 players in.No idea for where.If Julienn goes,a CH,that’s it,depending on Souza.
7 year old Celtic daft wean signs for them.Record just being the Record.Someone should take his Old Man to one side.
INIQUITOUSIV on 22ND JUNE 2022 8:24 PM
BRRB
Thanks. You are a dead ringer for an old mate of mine, name of Joe Anderson. Uncanny resemblance. So you have a Doppelgänger in the States. One major difference – Joe disnae drink!😊
——————–
he must have a double……………..
TIMBHOY163 on 23RD JUNE 2022 10:03 AM
How pathetic is The Daily Ranger a baby Celtic Daft signs for Rangers,
###
It’s a ‘human interest’ story rather than a football one, and it’s reported as such.
If it’s cringeworthy, unreconstructed pro hun propaganda you’re looking for these days the Herald is where to look.
ernie
Do you think thr Record would have published that ‘human interest’ story had it been a Sevco family`s seven year old boy signing for Celtic?
HOT SMOKED on 23RD JUNE 2022 10:31 AM
In the unlikely event that the hun father had reacted the way this wee boys father did ie with good humour then yes.
…… and `If it’s cringeworthy, unreconstructed pro hun propaganda you’re looking for these days` .
I would suggest there is no need to look. In Scotland, it will expose itself freely from all areas of the Media and the Established mores of this Bonnie Country.
ERNIE LYNCH on 23RD JUNE 2022 10:41 AM
Obviously possible but I have my doubts.
The CQN story “target to jet in” made me laugh.
How will the numpties best us?
Use Bezos’ Blue Origin space craft to fly their targets in?
On the downside …
.. sad to see members of the Celtic family still suffering from an easily curable Daily Record affliction.
Get well soon guys.
The statement to the stock exchange is because our financial results are brilliant up to now but we’re about to spend a packet on players between now and the year end of June 30, meaning we wont be posting a juicy profit, which we otherwise would have.
Exciting news if true, which it almost certainly isn’t.
Coneybhoy 10.18
😂😂
All 3 players we’re linked with are owned by clubs who’s accounting date is 30 June.
(2 of them do, Lanus has an accounting date of 30 Aug)