Strikers and the comfort zone

538

There’s something healthy when the arrival of a new striker, who has yet to trouble the net, has raised the game of an incumbent.  If you talk to footballers they’ll tell you they need to be challenged.  Even most greats hit a comfort zone, where they know they are cherished by manager and fans alike, so that knot in the stomach about where the next contract is coming from never materialises.

Gary Hooper missed this at Celtic.  He was the apple of Neil Lennon’s eye, and clearly top striker at Celtic, but a few seasons in his appetite for the same old challenge seemed to wane.  I’m assured by those who shared a dressing room with Henrik Larsson, this was one area which set the Swede aside.  The accolades meant nothing to him, he wanted every trophy, every record, which perhaps indicates why he captured the Champions League in his mid-30s.

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  1. bournesouprecipe

     

     

    Very good point.

     

     

    It seems to me that class and pedigree should not be dictated by which league the transfer system happens to find you playing in.

     

     

    If EPL clubs had scouted and bought VVD from Eredivisie in the first place maybe the way he’s playing now they’d be happy to pay double figure millions, that is paid across the EPL and even The Championship.

     

     

    It’s time for Celtic to ‘buck the trend’ of low price CL experienced players, and demand more money.

     

    —————

     

    What is this buck the trend? We sold Vic and Fraser for big money, the club did a great job.

  2. IniquitousIV on

    Jamesgang and Lennon’s Passion:

     

     

    I’m sure I’ve read that the main reason that Naka is almost unstoppable with these free kicks, is that he practices by taking about 100 per day.

     

    I’d be curious about how many Charlie, Griff or VVD take.

  3. Think my bhoy has worms…six slice of bread with a tin of soup, then asks me what’s for dinner!

     

     

    A kebab, like it or lump it.

  4. bournesouprecipe on

    the_huddle

     

     

    The prices have subsequently gone up, and so has the EPL football deal – and therefore so should Celtic’s.

     

     

    Some VVD posts are a result of SMSM’s downgrading of the ‘expected fee’, and subsequent discussion of VVD’s worth on CQN.

     

     

    Personally I think the fee will eclipse anything previously, but that’s just my opinion.

  5. bournesouprecipe

     

     

    18:18 on 19 July, 2015

     

     

    the_huddle

     

     

    The prices have subsequently gone up, and so has the EPL football deal – and therefore so should Celtic’s.

     

     

    Some VVD posts are a result of SMSM’s downgrading of the ‘expected fee’, and subsequent discussion of VVD’s worth on CQN.

     

     

    Personally I think the fee will eclipse anything previously, but that’s just my opinion.

     

    ———–

     

    I’ll be surprised (and hopefully wrong) if VVD goes for more than Vic’s fee of £12mill.

  6. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    Dallas

     

     

    Tonev did for us what he had done for Villa…SFA …poor signing

  7. bournesouprecipe on

    “Bradford were desperate to keep Andy Halliday, but financial problems at the West Yorkshire club meant they were unable to offer him terms and despite a late bid from Chelsea, the player was determined to join Rangers.”

     

     

    The Daily Thugs n Thieves csc

  8. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    Sipsini

     

     

    My bhoy is back home after finishing uni …

     

     

    Eating us out of house and home

     

     

    Mrs reckons he costs her £100 pw himself …

  9. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    BSR

     

     

    Financial problems at Bradford

     

     

    They’ve had two stinking cup runs in the last two years

     

     

    Don’t think so …usual hunguffery

  10. iniquitousiv

     

     

    18:13 on 19 July, 2015

     

    Jamesgang and Lennon’s Passion:

     

     

    I’m sure I’ve read that the main reason that Naka is almost unstoppable with these free kicks, is that he practices by taking about 100 per day.

     

    I’d be curious about how many Charlie, Griff or VVD take.

     

     

    ——-

     

     

    I was interested and a wee touch mortified when they had a feature on sky recently where they pitch up at a training ground and some players try to score from corners etc.

     

     

    Was last season. If memory serves Charlie M and Stokes featured.

     

     

    Certainly practice makes – if not perfect – certainly much better. I see it with the wee mhan and keep telling him so.

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  11. Gerryfaethebrig on

    almore

     

     

    18:04 on 19 July, 2015

     

     

    I explained this, some people, even very good Celtic buoys don’t realise the Easter Rising was about Irish people whatever religion they were

  12. If Dunne wins the golf tomorrow he can’t pick up the $1.8mill winners cheque that goes to the player in second (assuming that he’s also not an amateur) :O)

  13. PFayr @18.27

     

     

    My lhad just gone back to London after a week home, despite being at family wedding and T in the Park he still manages to consume more food and electricity than a small town. It’s what they do..

  14. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    PFayr, Tonev was one of our least evffective signings ever.

     

     

    In saying that I think in the Astra game he put in a few decent low crosses but all in all a very minute contribution was made by him on the pitch for us.

     

     

    Henrik’s son scored a cracker for Helsingborgs against AIK this weekend. Good curling shot on his left foot.

  15. ….pfayr…

     

     

    I don’t know where he puts it, as long as he keeps away from my cans…now that will become a problem;)

  16. VP…

     

     

    My kids think I’m having a laugh when I tell them a third of my wages went to my ma when I got paid.

     

     

    I need a crowbar to get a penny out of them..grrrr

  17. sips

     

     

    That’s just the way it is now……..daughter and son in law live with us,supposed to be saving for house,my erse!

     

    Thinking they can outlast us ..more like.

  18. VP…

     

     

    Noo that was funny, reckon my two are waiting for me to snuff it as they will be minted with my pensions.

     

     

    Thinking of putting a lock on my room door;)

  19. When I left home in early seventies I sent a fiver back home each week, was on just over a hundred a month after tax then. Stopped when I got married, not because my wife said so – she had been doing similar for her parents – but because our parents told us not to.

  20. sips

     

     

    PENSION MONEY …….That’ll be the T in the park tickets sorted :O)

  21. Gerryfaethebrig: All I can say is that their fears are completely unfounded. There is never any trouble at Easter parades in Ireland.

  22. the huddle, If Dunne wins to-morrow, he can turn pro and will be knocked down by sponsors, reckon he won’t even miss the prize money.

     

    To a lesser extent it happened to Shane Lowry, he won the Irish Open as an Amateur, think the winning cheque was between 300k/400k, cheque went to second placed Robert Rock.

  23. Sipsini, my older brother did that. I remember him borrowing ten old pennies from me to get a pint.

  24. Sips

     

     

    And now a third of your wage goes on feeding the ‘not so wee’ weans!!!

     

     

    When I come in the house with £20 worth of fruit the wee mhan sees it as tonight’s challenge, not this week’s supply!

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  25. Gerryfaethebrig on

    almore

     

     

    18:52 on 19 July, 2015

     

     

    Trust me I know that, we as a family want to be there…. If I thought for one second there would be trouble my wife & daughter would not be in the vicinity

     

     

    My post was just the perception of others, I try and educate my fellow Celtic fans but so far they don’t trust Cqn or any other internet site (they don’t realise what they are missing) most of the clowns (ma pals) were at Cqn11 !

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