Transfer Deadline Day is now part of our sport. To get through it successfully requires research, money and experience. It’s a new kind of football tactics which can determine the outcome of a season every bit as much as zonal marking.
If you encounter someone say “Just go out and sign him”, mark their card. From what I hear Celtic are working on deals in an End of Days-style market this week. The domestic business (Ryan Christie) has been straightforward. All other deals, and I’m sure more will happen, are going through some sort of torture.
Croatian central defender Jozo Simunovic is in town and I expect the intent is there from all parties to conclude a deal today, but we’re 12 hours away from the window closing and six away from the English deadline, so the range of possibilities on how today pans out is almost endless.
That’s it for now. Sit tight and try to get some work done this afternoon. More when I have it.
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Catman,
That’s cat man.
Árd Macha
the long wait is over
The Simunovicdeal was probably dependent on VVD yes.
I don’t think that the Christie and Blackett deals would have any impact on the Malmo tie.
As for a striker? It’s hard to say. It seems to be that we are in the loan market and are looking at players who are surplus to requirements elsewhere like Michu.
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2015 1:59 PM
Challs says he hasn’t a scooby ,why Polis Scotland want to talk to him……….embdae help the guy out………..?
winning captains said he had been impersonating an otter….passing himself of as beavers and such like …I think its utterly braw…….
braw
BMCUWP
The whole Sevco business sticks in ma craw :-)))
Can we assume the uncertainty over the Simunovic signing is simply due to it being dependant on Virgils move being confirmed, or are there more complications?
HH
Adrian Durham is such a blatant wind up merchant, no attempt at banter or humour, just an in your face take that wind up merchant – with an anti Celtic agenda. As such of course he has zero credibility so anything he says I dismiss as being utter rubbish, which it always is. Would love to know why he hates us so much, I’m assuming he’s simply just another currant bun with access to the internet and an I hate Celtic agenda.
Don’t think we’ll be signing any centre backs before PL is certain VvD is definitely off.
Rock Tree Bhoy
He provokes teams with big and passionate supports. He is actually a reasonably clever guy but works as a professional troll for a living.
Paul Brennan @CQN 43s44 seconds ago
ZALUSKA JOINS BUNDESLIGA SIDE DARMSTADT http://dlvr.it/C1z4rs
Simunovic needs international clearance
The ole ‘Lawell’ dormant ‘Celtic Supporters’ looking at the clock, tapping their feet, keyboard fingers itching.
simunovic deal is done…just awaiting work permit
hebcelt on 1st September 2015 1:11 pm
For further context –
PL salary has risen by about 25% over a 5 year period. Lawwell has at the same toime opposed living wage for our poorest paid emplyees……hence my utter disdain for him.
Scotzine @scotzine 2m2 minutes ago
Cops are to question Imran Ahmad and administrator Paul Clark after detaining Charles Green and David Whitehouse.
Starry .. Green and White house :-)))
Timalloy,
Why? Is he a feckin airplane?? :))
HH
English clubs break through the £800,000,000m transfer fees this window . (Think about that for a moment)
charlie nick calls it “creative:
HT,
Like someone riddled with jealousy and begrudgery are going to admit it. Aye, right.
On a more serious point.
The corruption of this once influential blog by the pervasive ads and buy now tat, is making it a not very comfortable site to visit.
Paul, or whoever is running the show, cut back to where you started and if merited, we will subscribe to the costs.
What you have now is a cluttered bazaar.
It’s a shame.
Rev Davie hay,
But he’s Croatian!!??
LEFTCLICKTIC
£135m in VAT,so everyone’s a winner…
Wonder when plod will speak to moonbeams Murray about the
selling of the carcass
“Barlinnie’s Green and Whyte!”
Does the Europa League registration deadline not fall before the Scottish transfer deadline? Is that not why Guidetti was ineligible for the group stages last year?
timaloy29 on 1st September 2015 2:19 pm
“professional troll” – very apt description – but way too kind!
SSN Van Dinkins signs for Southampton
I’ll believe Simunovic is one of ours when the ink is dry on his work permit. I still fear this is one of the Board’s mirror tricks to cover Van Dijk’s exit. I hope I’m wrong, but if the message is “sorry, we couldn’t get the work permit” it won’t be a shock.
Perhaps my monicker should be “Doubting Thomas”?!
Virgil signing confirmed.
Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland now
Southampton sign Virgil Van Dijk for £11.5m with a 15% sell on clause
Van dijk!
Is it really true?
I hear Paul is taking his wife out for dinner tonight
At the Number 7 lounge.
Followed by a romantic moonlit champagne behind the barriers in the car park meeting the new signings after Paul the Tim has been photographed with them.
Lucky lady :-)
Happy Anniversary to put host and his obviously patient and understanding better half.
Why does the Big Croatian need a work permit if Croatia is in the E:U. or is it some SFA bollocks??
I really couldn’t care less what anyone else’s salary is – the only salary that matters to me is the one I make.
“PL salary has risen by about 25% over a 5 year period.”
Cultsbhoy,
About 15%.
Thankfully you have cockall to do with the accounts of my club :)
Geordie
meant international clearance from croation FA rather than WP
as more than 1 party involved with his reg apparently.
Sky Sports Scotland @ScotlandSky now7 seconds ago
BREAKING: Sky Sources- @celticfc defender Eoghan O’Connell close to completing loan move to @OfficialOAFC
Another one out the door
Good Afternoon,
Yesterday I highlighted that there was a need for some different thinking by the board of Celtic PLC, The SFA and indeed by all of us as fans, when it comes to European football, deadline day signings and the general order of things.
In furtherance of those thoughts let me pose a question:
What is a European Superclub?
Well before anyone answers that with a heartfelt but logical response, let me tell you what the statistics suggest the answer should be.
A European Superclub is a club that must come from the leagues of Spain, Italy, Germany or England,
Taking last years results into account, then current figures suggest that the odds of a country other than these four nations producing a champions league finalist is now 1 in 9. In other words, once in every nine finals will a team who plays their football outwith those counties be in the final.
When you look at the Champions League Group stages, the same teams appear in those group stages almost 70% of the time each year. 5 years ago, the statistics showed that the same teams appeared in the group stages over successive years roughly 38% of the time but in the last 3 years or so that has steadily increased to nearly 70%.
There is an excellent article on the rise of the Superclubs and the statistical consequences to be found here
http://www.thetacticsroom.com/articles/2014/12/17/european-football-is-and-will-continue-to-conform-to-the-needs-of-its-super-clubs
and there are numerous other articles by respected journalists who have started to point out the sameness, inevitability and predictability of UEFA run European competition.
However, all of this is only a backdrop to my main point.
Last night I was listening to the radio in the wee small hours when I heard the BBC presenter Rhod Sharp ( a good Perthshire man ) interviewing one of the leading football agents who does business on behalf of players across Europe and beyond.
The agent concerned was asked about the “unfair” rise of the Superclubs and agreed that UEFA was quite deliberately moving in a direction of pandering to the notion of Superclubs and that in due course the need for an absolutely elite European competition which featured only these clubs was inevitable — especially if we get to the stage where there are group stage qualifiers from Turkishtan, Azerbaijan, Moldova or similar countries.
Basically, said the agent, UEFA is primarily for the big boys who will get richer and richer and there will be very little “trickle down” effect for the other clubs.
While many of those other clubs will have famous names and glorious footballing histories, they will not be in the same financial league as the elite and will, in all truth, be selling clubs for those teams from the bigger leagues — and by the way he did not mean the Superclubs he simply meant the teams from their leagues.
Clubs like Ajax, Porto, Benfica, Monaco and yes Celtic would merely be feeder clubs for the elite and the clubs that share a national league with the elite.
However, an even more interesting observation was the non footballing commercial consequences of this footballing elitism and the role of Government.
Basically, it was pointed out that Barcelona FC, Real Madrid FC, Bayern Munich, and even the English clubs draw significant tourism revenue whether they are playing a match or not. They are a significant contributor to “destinational” travel income.
The commentator pointed out that even around the Etihad in Manchester there were now significant commercial and tourism developments and that these, together with the area around Old Trafford, made significant contribution in terms of local jobs, taxes and general revenue. The credit for such local wealth is to be taken by Manchester City and Utd.
Accordingly, the elite football clubs and the organisation that govern them, are welcomed by National Government to just keep on rolling.
The same applies to the TV companies and of course to the Football Associations who represent these clubs at European and International level. Those same Associations preside over leagues that are predictably won by one of the elite ( although the Italians may have taken their eye off the ball this term ) however the other clubs in their leagues continue to become predictably richer and so they all go along with it and never complain. The best coaches and players flow into their leagues, gain higher wages, and so what is there to complain about?
Where does this leave Celtic?
Well, to be honset the answer is on the sidelines.
There is a growing clamour for the Champions of every league to be given European recognition and this is where there must be greater representation at European level through the SFA and the Scottish Government to be honest.
Further, following the mass exodus to Seville, for a number of season the big cities in Europe were desperate for Celtic to be drawn out of the hat with their local team because Celtic brought a big travelling support which meant Euros in the local pocket.
However trips to the likes of Qarabag ( with no disrespect intended to their team or their country ) are not going to see thousands of Celtic fans jump on a plane.
A strong Celtic team in Europe is of interest to those who are interested in the money in European football because of the support – and that is a fact. Those who are interested include Governments, local authorities, international hotel chains, airlines and so on.
Remember that European football travel was invented by the fans of Celtic Football Club and has been redefined by them in this millenium.
However, with the way things are we will very quickly be in athe position that we can never again compete with many European based sides when it comes to money – and in that regard to you have to stretch the big four leads to include clubs in France, Holland, Portugal, Turkey and possibly Austria and other nations as well. Accordingly we will be absent from the great treks across Europe in support of a team in the top flight unless things change.
Celtic PLC as a business has to read these runes and recognise this challenge which I fully accept is outwith their control. There is a need to make Celtic park itself a far more inspiring destinational venue so that the increasing number of visitors to Scotland ( and there are real signs of growth in that sector ) have something to go and see other than a great big stadium and a portacabin like superstore.
Celtic have to enter the tourist industry and set their stall out as a football and cultural attraction so attracting revenue and brand awareness opportunities which do not currently exist but should.
Non footballing fans go to the Nou Camp and the Allianz for a look and to visit their interactive exhibitions and attractions.
I am not saying that the east end of Glasgow should be become Disney World but Celtic could do with searching for business partners and an association of others who could do somethng with the potential that lies around the ground itself.
Outside the Emirates there is a whole boarded section that proclaims that there will be new restaurants and attractions. I will be dead and buried before that happens unless someone shows a degree of entrepreneurial flair and anchors those potential sites with a major attraction.
Running a football club – at least a football club which has European ambitions – means more than just balancing the books and scouting for players.
If you want to be serious about this then you need to unleash the “eat what you kill” business types within your ranks or recruit some pretty damn quick and have them look not at what you are doing but at what you are not doing in terms of business.
Again I stress that I am not for burning money or for David Murray like accounting and business planning.
However, I am for saying that we have shareholders who have the ability, talent, access to money, internet and interactive experience to actually develop brand Celtic beyond football and Celtic mugs with a view to clearly helping the football AND the business of football.
Yet we appear static, stagnant, lacking imagination and the business word of the decade …. innovation!
I will end with the same mantra as yesterday:
Such a communal entrepreneurial, innovative and business spirit does not exist within Scottish Football and never has.
Scottish Football is run by a set of business pigmies and cavemen who lack genuine imagination, advocacy skills in a business setting and who have no idea how to change the current never ending slide to the lower leagues of European Football.
Cheerio Virgil.
Quality player. All the best to ye.
HH
TGBS
11.00pm for Europa deadline
Rt rev,
I’m sure it’ll be simply a case of crossing the t’s and dotting the lower case j’s.
Waynesworld2 csc