Signing players on and off strategy

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Bobby Collins left Celtic in 1958 after nine years’ service.  He’d won the Cup, the Double, the Coronation Cup, and, of course, the 1957 League Cup Final – Hampden in the Sun, Celtic 7, Rangers 1.

He went on to have a great career at Everton and to make a transformational contribution to Leeds United, but he will forever be a team mate of Sean Fallon, Willie Fernie, Bertie Peacock, Neil Mochan and Charles Patrick Tully.  Our thoughts go to his family and friends today.

Over the last year or so we’ve asked the question, how many appearances a player needs to make in a well-scouted league to allow an agile club to discover him, before the hoards arrive and price-away any value in him?

Victor Wanyama made 50 appearances in Belgium before we nabbed him but he was knocking back substantially improved contracts from Celtic after only 30 games (which is a different point); England had already taken notice.  Virgil van Dijk made 62 appearances for Groningen, would we have been able to sign him on the kind of money we did if he’d stayed for another 30-or-so games?  It’s unlikely.

Amido Balde made 27 top flight appearances before arriving here, while Teemu Pukki played 37 times for Schalke – enough to score 8 times but there would have been little game time for Celtic scouts to watch him.

In the summer we concluded that there was a 50-80 game value opportunity.  Below this and you’ll struggle to find a player who has developed sufficiently for our agile scouts to be on the case and to do their work properly.  Above this and any player worth a punt will be packing stands with scouts from all over Europe.

If we’re signing someone without the necessary miles on the clock, he’s a punt and should be considered off strategy.  If we’re singing someone who has been watched by dozens of scouts, chances are, at best, he will be no more than a decent return on our money, there will be no hidden value.

Stefan Johansen has made 67 top flight appearances for Norwegian champions, Stromsgodset.  Enough for him to develop into a player who can attract the most agile to Norway, not enough for him to attract those who seem to use Fifa 14 as their primary recruitment database, so he’s on strategy, as far as our 50-80 game value opportunity theory goes.
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778 Comments

  1. I thought they reapplied to get back in? ……….He was unsuccessful and predicted a grim future for the game following the decision to place Rangers in the bottom tier of Scottish football.

  2. Oh really……..Regan said: “The rules of the game have to be carried out in a fair and consistent manner. You can’t have one rule for one club and another one for another.”

  3. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    tonydonnelly67

     

     

    08:48 on 15 January, 2014

     

     

    THAT is the funniest statement I have EVER read…..

     

     

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

  4. Remind me what was going on at Ibrox the last time we had folk talking about Scottish football needing a strong Rangers? There’s your clue.

  5. TonyD67,

     

     

    Emerge from liquidation?

     

    Impossible as they are still IN liquidation. The process is ongoing.

     

    That is why I content Sevco are a new club because the old club still exist and are being liquidated, a process that is not yet complete. Even when it is complete they cannot emerge from liquidation because they will officially pronounced, deid!

     

     

    EC67

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    WEEMINGER

     

     

    Shooooooorly you’re not suggesting a smidgin of obfuscation over Ibrox/Media House way?

  7. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    EMERGED FROM LIQUIDATION, indeed..? …..someone needs to tell FW WOOLWORTH and BDO that…

     

     

    They make it up as they go along

  8. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    TONY DONNELLY

     

     

    I can only say what I’ve read in the rags,which is that he has passed his medical.

     

     

    Someone suggested yesterday that there may be a hold-up over sell-on clauses.

     

     

    Fingers crossed. A midfielder who can see and execute a killer ball will do for me.

     

     

    PS- when you try to pay yer taxi driver in Sevco shares,make sure it isnae VOGUEPUNTER!

  9. Regan said, “We’ve spoken to Graham in the way you would speak to most of the clubs that have got challenges ahead of them.”

     

     

    Most ? Which club (s ) would be excluded from his contact list ?

  10. TD

     

    He has passed his medical but , as far as I know, has not yet signed.

     

    I would recommend that you dismiss that article from your mind. You know it is ridiculous, I know it is ridiculous and I suspect the ” journalist” who penned it knows it is ridiculous.

     

    Cheerio for now,

     

     

    JJ

  11. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    tonydonnelly67

     

     

    08:39 on 15 January, 2014

     

     

    Hahahahaha….you’re having a ‘field day’ here, Bhoy……and there’s plenty of ammunition…

     

     

    Let’s call this GOBSMACKED DAY…..we should all write to the PM and ask for this to be demmed a Bank Holiday …..hehe

  12. BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS ………FC not PLC

     

    09:00 on

     

    15 January, 2014

     

     

    Let’s join some dots.

     

     

    1) They’ve previously stated that cash was likely to run out around April

     

    2) Graham Wallace has stated since then that the cost base is too high for a top division club, never mind a third teir one

     

    3) The accounts for the purposes of licensing are required by the end of March

     

    4) Stewart Regan starts pleading about the need for a resurgent Rangers.

     

     

    Conclusion – if they aren’t already (I don’t think they quite are yet), they’re likely to be trading while insolvent (at least technically) when those accounts go in and Regan is getting us ready for some rule bending. On the day he launched the new anti-corruption hotline. More irony than a set of clubs for a par 3 challenge.

  13. A Ceiler Gonof Rust Supporting Justice and Freedom for the Dam 5 on

    Regarding Jungle Jim’s 08:35 on 15 January, 2014

     

     

     

    If you have a strong stomach and constitution it’s worth having a look on hun media’s reaction to this article.

     

     

    Take a bucket with you though as you’ll probably puke at some of the responses.

  14. Bmcw

     

     

    I had to leave yesterday and my posts where all out of wack, and you had said something about privacy thingie on my Facebook, could you run it by me again please if you have the time that is, thanks.

  15. Neustadt-Braw

     

    Enjoyed reading the fishy tale -up to a point , because its sad that a great iconic fish is caught for sport. But it was a trulyt epic battle and Georgina must have been quite a woman.

     

    Another point of interest, Lyle the laird of Glendelvine is the sugar magnate of Tate and Lyle fame . Tainted wealth there with the shadow of slavery hanging over him.

  16. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    TONY DONNELLY

     

     

    I remember the comment,though it wasn’t from me,as I’m not on Facebook.

     

     

    Gimme a minute and I will find it for you.

  17. prestonpans bhoys dam justice for the 5 on

    tonydonnelly67

     

     

     

    08:52 on 15 January, 2014

     

     

     

    JJ

     

     

    That whole article just stinks of corruption.

     

     

    Yep that one sentence summed it up perfectly……………………………

  18. A Ceiler Gonof Rust Supporting Justice and Freedom for the Dam 5 on

    Parkheadcumsalford, condolences on the loss of your step mother.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  19. BMCUW

     

     

    Wife still aff the drink yes – nearly 3 months now!

     

     

    Did’nt save any money ‘tho – I drank for two!

     

     

    Talk the morra.

     

     

    HH!!

  20. tonydonnelly67

     

    09:15 on

     

    15 January, 2014

     

     

    In theory no. Hence my use of ‘technically’.

     

     

    What did you think the £113M valuation of Ibrox was about? It was the main way of making their balance sheet look sound. 2.5 times the value of Murrayfield (if I recall correctly) – newer stadium with a much larger footprint on considerably more valuable piece of ground in Edinburgh.

  21. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    TONY DONNELLY

     

     

    Wel,that’s strange!

     

     

    That post seems to have disappeared.

     

     

    Anyway,IIRC correctly,you have to change your settings so that your page is universally acceptable,rather than just for followers.

     

     

    Doubtless someone mor knowledgeable will correct me. I hope.

  22. PCS- sorry to hear your loss.

     

     

    Regan- he just can’t help himself can he? For a man who has been conspicuous by his absence these last 18 months it only takes one clarion call from Ibrox/SMSM and there he is dancing to their tune.

     

    There is certainly trouble afoot.

  23. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........FC not PLC on

    TONY DONNELLY

     

     

    Not for me,big man!

     

     

    I think you need someone with more knowledge of that site than I have.