Strikers liniked, the good and the indifferent
Back in the 90s, when we struggled to achieve much, we appeared to have the Midas Touch when it came to signing strikers. The Three Amigos, Henrik and even big Mark(o) made the job look simple. It was keepers and the like we had trouble signing back then.
The litany of strikers who have trudged through Celtic Park in recent seasons provides sharp contrast to earlier times. Scott McDonald, Gary Hooper and Leigh Griffiths are the only strikers with a half decent scoring record since the departure of The Swede 12 years ago. Since then we’ve been home to many and various strays, from Dion Dublin to the Miku-Lassad twins, Kazim-Richards, Cole, Scepovic and Guidetti.
A few of these worked on paper (Scepovic and Guidetti) but the return on our money has been painful.
Getting it right in this department is important for Brendan Rodgers but I’d caution judging too much on what a player looks like on paper. I remember the comments section when McDonald (largely sceptical) and Griffiths (vehemently opposed by many) joined.
There are lessons from elsewhere too. Markus Rosenberg scored 20 goals in five seasons (none in 18 months at West Brom) before pitching up at his first club Malmo and eliminating Ronny Deila’s Celtic. Rosenberg was 32-years-old at the time but Malmo knew what they would get from him.
I’m not particularly inspired by any of the strikers we’re being publicly linked with but I’d take a player the manager knows and trusts can do the job before someone who shakes out of the scouting DVDs.
Chris Sutton Night, Irvine CSC
The Irvine Celtic Supporters’ Club are hosting a Chris Sutton evening on Friday, 24 June, at their social club in the town. Tickets are available for £10 by calling the club (evenings only) on 01294 271967.
If you are from the area, or fancy a good night out in Ayrshire with a Celtic striker who looked good on paper, looked better on the field, and delivered some of our best memories in the last 40 years, get along to see him – and bring your camera.