Success in football is determined by a number of matters: the ability of the manager, players performing at the right level, injuries and sheer luck, and in Scotland, a club’s determination to influence officials with an exaggerated sense of grievance. Apparently.
But transfer business has an even greater impact than dodgy penalties. This is one area Celtic need to get right over the next two windows. Our performance, not just in the summer window, but across our last three transfer windows has been poor. There is often a lag in outcomes before the impact of a window is felt. The £32m spent in the summer of 2024 failed to see many minutes on the pitch a year later, during Champions League qualification, for example.
The CIES Football Observatory published their survey of the “world’s smartest clubs on the transfer market since January 2021”. Tony Bloom has two clubs in the top 10: Brighton (2nd) and Union SG (8th); I’m sure he didn’t bet on that outcome (my Tony Bloom man-crush has faded a little this week).
The top 20 has some lessons for us: Atalanta, Napoli, Bologna, Udinese and Lecce, demonstrate how well the medium-to-small Italian clubs have figured out how to progress. Is it surprising so many young Scottish players have bounced after moving there?
Benfica are there, as are Feyenoord, but not Ajax. The Amsterdamers beat Celtic to the signing of €12m striker Kasper Dolberg in the summer, which traumatised many of us. Dolberg has returned one goal in all competitions since, a consolation in a defeat to Excelsior. Not that the lad’s had much of a chance, his only appearances have been off the bench.
The Ajax-Dolberg-Celtic tale says so much about where we were in the summer. Unable to attract a player who cannot get a game at a team woefully underperforming this season. There are so many reasons why we should not have wasted time on this exercise, it scarcely needs explaining.
Celtic are 19th in the table, between Manchester City and Leipzig. How can that be? I hear you ask. The lag works both ways. Analysis of Celtic still benefits from earlier signings, up until that of Nicolas Kuhn in January 2024, who left the premises this summer. The full impact of the subsequent windows has not shown up yet.
Being “smartest” in the transfer window does not guarantee success, but it’ll outperform being thick, no matter how good your ‘exaggerated sense of grievance’ game is.
Looking in from the outside, it’s easy to say, ‘be more like Bloom’ (although not with that other stuff), but as many observers will note, getting this right is not easy. What is easy, is to stick to the data. Recognise what succeeds and what fails and always back your winning hand. A lack of observance of this principle in football is quite astonishing.
Postscript: I looked down the list and eventually found Aberdeen, but after continuous scrolling I ran out of patience trying to find another Scottish club. Looks like Bloom’s magic touch has yet to hit Hearts.
388 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- »
BIGJIMMY
Thank you for bestowing the honour of being a chump, appreciated.
Remember, we are ALL Celtic fans through and through are we not and, we all, as human beings have opinions to which we are entitled.
I have been with CQN since the very start and over the time I have seen a good few people “chased off” for daring to offer an opinion that is different. KOJO and The Singing Detective are just two and I personally enjoyed their input without always agreeing.
For the sake of your health lighten up and simply pass by those comments with which you disagree, ok. You will feel much better.
On occasions I feel you are a dictator, my way or the highway, maybe we should call you Wee Vlad instead !!
Honestly, i wish you the best to you and yours.
Remember, we all love CELTIC , surely that is all that matters.
kingLUBO
” KINGLUBO on 6th December 2025 11:33 am
Remember, we all love CELTIC , surely that is all that matters.”
I have read that quite often on here but I am in strong disagreement.
A horrible person who supports Celtic is still a horrible person.
The discussion / opinions often come down to personal opinions and ego.
Some individuals here seem unable to admit being incorrect. Rather than reconsider, they intensify their commitment to flawed assumptions, often invoking past credentials, such as “when I was CEO of…” in a strained effort to lend weight to misguided claims. Schoolyard stuff.
It’s almost entertaining to watch them sifting for data that appears to support their preconceived views.
After all, if you search determinedly enough to confirm a particular narrative, you can nearly always find something to fit it.
Vinniethedog @ 6:27 pm,
Relatively speaking the 2024 window was very good – it has to be relative with Celtic Board involved…
Not peak Ange, but still good, we had issues at Goalkeeper with Hart retiring and love struck romeo on the way out.
We had issues in midfield with BR selling Matt O’Riley for a record fee, we could make Paulo permanent but needed more quality and more squad players.
We needed a centre forward and Idah did us a grand job on his six month loan.
Brendan Rodgers had brought in Nic Kuhn in January, so we were okay for wingers.
We got in seven players and some loanees.
Schmicheal
Sinisalo
Bernardo
Trusty
Engels
Idah
McCowan
Circa 30 mn for seven first team players, that’s less tham 4.5 mn on average.
Now, of course some like to moan about Arne, Auston and Adam costing an arm and a leg yet consider this – we got three first team players for 25 mn.
If we hadn’t have signed them that money would be in the bank…
A reminder from the Celtic Board’s statement from the 6th Sept…
“Importantly, the Club’s cash reserves are not relevant to the assessment of this de facto spending cap for the purposes of the UEFA regulations.”
Of course by spending the money, it means that any sales of the players are classified as football income and can be used as football revenue.
These players all played their part in what was our best season in years.
Hail Hail
Hot Smoked on 6th December 2025 11:52 am
A horrible person who supports Celtic is still a horrible person.
=====================================
Yep. You’ll find them in the stands and you’ll find them on the blogs .
Increasingly so , unfortunately.
Glendalystonsils.
Yup they are in the stands but they pays their monies to see Celtic
There are a lot on the blogs who pay their monies.
to see Celtic.
There is in my opinion a lot of opinionated snipers as bloggers who have upped the ante on shouting at their tellies.
They pay no monies,dont contribute to the club,and appear to think as a telly watchin Celtic the have an equal say as say someone paying £1k to £4k a season.Do one with that imo
HH
Worth looking at the summer 2024 window and our recent win in Rotterdam…
Schmicheal – Played
Sinisalo – Reserve Keeper
Bernardo – Came on as Sub
Trusty – Started
Engels – Started
Idah – Sold
McCowan – Started.
Hail Hail
If we are going down this route and if opinions are measured by money spent, then a sponsor’s voice matters more than any fan’s, and Celtic becomes a product, not a club.
Again, playground stuff, giving the “When i was a CEO…” a run for it’s money.
AnT karrect
Pendants…I’ll leave that one dangling for the pedants.
“A horrible person who supports Celtic is still a horrible person”
I agree with this, though it depends how and by whom we define ‘horrible’
Someone who tries to compare Dermott Desmond with Hitler and Hess?
The new guy seems quite “hands on”.
Lennoxtown Unfiltered
https://youtu.be/hBRKbUkapus?si=CkFdU-DE9INiez57
Again, these are just opinions.
Everything is about opinions. Some people don’t like differing opinions, and that’s fine.
In the free society we live in today, a freedom bequeathed to us by the much-maligned Russian Army, which beat the Nazis back to Berlin (people have short memories) we can compare who we like to what we like.
If Hitler or Hess were compared to Brendan Rodgers, I’m sure you would have been delighted.
As I said, it’s all about opinions.
Anyone seen Andrew Smith or Ernie Lynch lately?
HH
a WISER MAN THAN ME ONCE SAID
I have no desire to fit in.
No plans to walk with the crowd.
I have my own mind, heart and soul
And it has taken me years to realise how important that is
kingLUBO
Ah mean:
The worst move that wee fly man Fergus McCann ever made was adding 30,000 EXTRA milking cows or so called fans on top of the die/hard/Jungle/Driven/Fan/Base/Rebels who got replaced by Celtic View brainwashed, teachers pets, sooky-in with the clique-pile-on-types of empty heids, sweetie wives, grassing, snitching, backstabbing, voters of:
Cancel culture enthusiasts!
Covid vaccine genocide enthusiasts!
Countless £BILLIONS of innocent Scottish tax payers monies oot the back door to ASSIST Isreal Genocide sleekits!
whilst crying crocodile tears for Palestine! WHAT?
BLM-Money-Laundering-Take-the-knee-suckers!
Haters of ‘REAL’ Irish Nationalists!
Old Firm same club lie cover uppers, Soulled out for £49!
Clowns who give the board £1,000 per season to throw Tangerines at the SAME board!
Because of the whining Rodgers Transfer Window like a broken clock twice a year Jekyll & Hyde pishfest!
Imagine paying £1,000 per season to be pissed upon inside that tent? lol
As soon as you CLICK on the button to transfer £1,000 from your account into the bonus bonanza column on the balance sheet, a screen warning VIDEO CLIP should pop-up of the Jungle pointing their fingers at you singing:
“OOOH SPOT THE LOONY, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, SPOT, THE LOONY!”
What a time to be alive.
HH
oot.
Hot Smoked on 6th December 2025 10:58 am
Some of my fellow Glaswegians ( and others) might enjoy this wee bit of nostalgia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXk_hZPe9IA
……………………………………………………..
Thank you very much for that! Really got a lot out of watching it.
https://youtu.be/a171rR6qRrY?si=tuLOW5ECJc90QEIJ
No racist is an Irish nationalist
The shitebag pishtriots were nowhere to be seen.when all was goin down
Again kev racist all Israeli defence contracts are from Genocide central in Downing St.
20 years of non attendance turns you into a vermin racist.
Should you not be in Falkirk with your fellow mutant racists?
Oh that might mean leaving Blant’r!! come to think of it..
The symbol of the union in Scotland shat-oot and into wee kev racists head,only in Blant’r do you tread on shite knowingly is that it? And Celtic are to stand on that shite..no jobbies here Kev your hun friends,stood idly by and you want Celtic to comment.
Villa v Arsenal, great game.
Bigrailroadblues @ 2:13 pm,
Truth…
…I may have to celebrate.
Hail Hail
Think Emery would have been a good shout for Manager…
Hail Hail
BRRB – great game it is. Made better by not having to listen to McCoist on commentary duties
Has anyone seen the mythical “Celtic supporter who want Celtic to lose” ?
If you do please let me know.
Otherwise I’ll ignore the obsessed.
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 6TH DECEMBER 2025 1:21 PM
The new guy seems quite “hands on”.
https://youtu.be/hBRKbUkapus?si=CkFdU-DE9INiez57
I agree and the vibe looks OK – he doesn’t seem the type that will turn folks off.
(not meant as a dig, but know that I think about it….)
Wow
Villa win at the death!
Very late winner for Villa.
Really great game.
Both teams went for it.
It was a great watch. High tempo attacking play by both teams. I think the day of the slow passing game has gone at the highest level.
Chairbhoy 2.17
That’s my job young fella. 🧐
Kelvinbhoy 2.19
I enjoyed the noise of the supporters without having to listen to that hun clown 🤡.
ChairBhoy @ 2:19 pm
Think Emery would have been a good shout for Manager…
—————————————————————
No sh!t, Sherlock!
I’ll raise you, and suggest that Guardiola would have been a good shout also…
🤦♂️
HH
Call me Gerry @ 2:51 pm,
Naw – too much possession football for me;)
Hail Hail
Met a girl in a pub,she said Come outside and I’ll show you a good time”I went her and she ran 100 metres in 9.98 seconds.
Bhoyjoebelfast
The ol ones are the best:-)))
I missed the answer to your poser a few days ago linking 6th May 1970 and ??sep81
Can you give your answer again my friend.
HH
As good as Arsenal have been, (unbeaten in 18 games in all tournaments) Aston Villa are only three points behind them in the EPL. Point being they do not hand out League Titles early December.
This time last week we were five points behind Hearts and yet by 5pm tomorrow we could be three points in front at the top of the SPL with a game in hand. Thank you Martin, Shaun, Mark, Gavin, Mick et al. Not to mention all the players who have dug deep to get us there, into the LC Final, and put us back in the EL.
To beat Hearts, who have only lost one league game in fifteen, in his first game in charge would give Wilfried and his coaching staff such a boost, and will keep our momentum going. We are not a great team, but for now at least there is a great spirit in the squad and that is worth its’ weight in gold. Give you an example, Australia’s cricket eleven have been described as their “second string”, and yet against England though no player scored over 80, every player contributed at the bat, and they put together 511 runs. And went on to bowl well into the bargain. Great team spirit. Hope to see us use 14-15 players tomorrow on a wet Glasgow pitch. And win.
SingingInTheRainCSC
I gotta be honest paul67 , Tony Bloom scares me!
We’ve never faced anything like him. Our main competitors are a basket case, they are incapable of developing and organisation. They are a decades long shambles.
Bloom however is in it for the long term.
A good pal is an amateur poker player – he sees the world differently; so will Tony Bloom.