News that the sun is setting on Amido Balde’s Celtic career will be welcomed far and wide. His arrival on the back of a few YouTube clips and what now appears to have been a Portuguese marketing scam is a salutary lesson on how easy it is to expire transfer and wage budget, while incurring the even greater cost of poor recruits – Champions League failure.
We will never get them all right, but the processes Celtic went through to recruit a striker in the summers of 2012 (Lassad, Miku), 2013 (Balde, Pukki) and 2014 (Guidetti, Scepovic) are worth some urgent revision. None were able to hold down a regular place in the team.
In mitigation, it’s easier to recruit a keeper or a defender (which we’ve done very well at recently) than a striker, but there will be lessons to learn from those six signings. Quickly, I hope.
On the positive side, all of the aforementioned arrived with a degree of realism attached. I noticed this morning: “Wabara really is in the mould of Barcelona great Dani Alves”. This isn’t fun anymore. Honest football fans (many are) are being treated like simpletons.
It’s like that Steve Carell movie, Dinner for Schmucks, where Paul Rudd doesn’t have the stomach to laugh at absurdly unfortunate guests. Better they are put out of their misery than dragged through an ignominious humiliation before inevitably emptying their pockets at the alter of a Sports Direct retail contract.
681 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 18
- »
THE EXILED TIM
FFS,you’ve been on here long enough not to fall for the AWE NAWed article.
Disappointed,mate. But between you it gave me a good giggle.
Paul,
nothing can be learned quickly regarding sourcing strikers. That ship has sailed. The list is long and makes painful reading. And I don’t think there is any one factor in our failure here.
I saw Miku perform more than adequately in the Copa America. He IS a reasonable football player. Wrong type/place?
Pukki, I thought might come back and get fitter and faster under RD. Not to be.
Some of the others, I hate to say, are simply not footballers. We got horribly done on Bangura and Balde.
I think the thing that sets strikers apart, is that, while football is very much a team game, scoring goals is a personality thing. No matter how good the cross is, the forward needs to have already decided before it leaves the team mates boot. He needs to want that goal more than anything.
The other truism here, is that we don’t have the luxury of giving strikers time to settle,
Regardless of all these excuses, we really need to do better on this front. Some safer bets perhaps. Pay a million for a 21 year old who has a bit of a CV, rather than paying tuppence for a kid and hoping he is another Henrick….?
I don’t know. But it is abundantly clear. Our investment in strikers has been an abject failure. When we are talking about selling Pukki for a fraction of what we paid, and calling it ‘good business’, it is clear that we haven;’t a clue about what we are doing on the striking front.
Maybe we need to shop closer to home……..
Aye, the mind boggles so it does :-)
HH
….pfayr supports weeoscar
13:31 on 29 June, 2015
Just read Phils article
Why do Sevconians equate criticism of their club with some form of sectarian bigotry
—-
So that their sectarian bigotry will be seen as a balance… Bad as each other blah blah blah
I always had size 7 feet but was shocked when my feet got bigger, and I now have size 8 feet these days. I have two choices when buying socks size 4 up to 7 and size 7 to 11 but if I buy the latter the socks always flop around a few inches beyond my toes and I feel like a bliddy circus clown.
Conversely the smaller option nearly kill my trapped plates of meat, the heels wear out in a day, and/or my big toe makes a hole in the left and right.
It never used to be like this did it?
BobbyM
Tis quality :-)
HH
Stop signing stinkaroos
Simples csc
proudbhoy
13:26 on 29 June, 2015
Adams is too full of himself to move over for Pearse Doherty .
Should have happened couple years ago.
…….
It’s coming pal.
A good,yo
A good smart Glaswegian too.;-)
Oops.Wee mess up there.
papajoe55
Welcome to the mad hooooose
HH
THE EXILED TIM
13:29 on
29 June, 2015
Oh Dearie Me.
Keith Jackshun at his brilliant best.
As Wimbledon fortnight gets under way in sweltering London today a nations hopes once again rest with Andy Murray.
This man from Dunblane is a serious contender for the coveted crown this year but there are still some in this country that refused to give him the credit he deserves.
No matter to him though. Murray knows his worth and better still he has a thick enough skin to withstand the doubts that still remain.
When he walks out tomorrow on his beloved centre court we will be watching true sporting greatness.
At 28 he is nearing the peak of his powers and it would be a brave man that would bet against him winning his second Wimbledon title.
Of course if Murray needed any inspiration, he need only cast his eyes north towards Ibrox where Mark Warburton is busy wielding his own magic wand.
The former city trader has been quietly going about his business but may just be about to unleash a side every bit as potent as a Murray backhand return.
With Danny Wilson and Rob Kiernan already clad in light blue and the promise of more quality to come the former high flying banker is clearly following the sage advice afforded him by Walter Smith – assemble a team first of all.
Murray of course has his own coaching team behind him but he could do worse than pick up the phone to Warburton, who knows a thing or two about pressure having worked in the city.
The two of them could trade ideas as thrilling as any rally Murray has engaged in over his career.
Warburton has arrived at Ibrox with fresh ideas and a wind of change is blowing through the gates at Murray Park as innovative as anything Murray can conjure up from the baseline he prowls with such menace.
Of course others stand in Murray’s way as he launches his latest bid for another Grand Slam. The names of Federer and Djokovic in particular must cause the Scot to break out in cold sweats.
These are giants of the modern game but I’m sure if Murray lifts the phone over the next few days and reaches out Warburton can tell him something about overcoming obstacles in his path.
The former Brentford chief outlined his plans for the coming season to his staff only the other day and perhaps he could transmit some of these ideas to Andy Murray, who could absorb them like he does the most vicious of serves from an opponent.
This Wimbledon fortnight promises much. That the Petrofac Training Cup draw takes place on the opening day only adds to the undoubted thrill.
———————————————————————————
Desperate altogether. I’m sure Andy Murray’s PR people will be boaking at this. Jackson is soiling their brand with AyeBrokes toxicity.
BTW – previous article – very interesting – where did john Jones stuff come from?
Jude2005……
Prayers said for you and your family.
Rest in peace George and Dave.
bournesouprecipe
13:38 on
29 June, 2015
I always had size 7 feet but was shocked when my feet got bigger, and I now have size 8 feet these days. I have two choices when buying socks size 4 up to 7 and size 7 to 11 but if I buy the latter the socks always flop around a few inches beyond my toes and I feel like a bliddy circus clown.
Conversely the smaller option nearly kill my trapped plates of meat, the heels wear out in a day, and/or my big toe makes a hole in the left and right.
It never used to be like this did it?
Oh dear and some of us thought we had problems…..:-))
Knit your own socks ……..:-)))
HH
bournesockrecipe
Warburton seemed a good choice fir Sevco manager…on any view he did well at Brentford
However , there are plenty of jobs going in football management and coaching ….he didn’t appear to be considered for any other posts ..I find that strange
NatKnow
They come from here.
McMurdoe’s blog.
https://rangerssupportersloyal.wordpress.com/
HH
It’s no surprise we have struggled with strikers.
As Paul has stated many times we have a brief window were we can scout a player adequately before the big fish come in.
The difference with success stories like Emilio, Wanyama, Johansen etc are the scouting department are judging these guys subjectively.
They will be looking for all different types of attributes.
Control, technique, vision, awareness.
Enough of these skills and you might have a player in there.
And one that nobody else is paying too much attention to.
There is no such subtleness when it comes to scouting a striker.
It’s the numbers that matter.If you’ve scored goals you’re in demand.
And if you’re in demand, it’s going to cost.
It’s hard to get a 20+ goal forward under the radar.
Unless you reduce the quality of league that you are looking in.
Which then increases the risk of buying a dud.
We can’t afford to buy someone who has already proven they can score goals at a decent level. Or really we can’t afford to get it wrong.
Imagine if we’d paid £7 Million on Finnbogason and he failed? What next?
Unfortunately this might explain the non scoring strikers we have become accustomed to buying. Not sure what the solution is.
bournesouprecipe
on a serious note M&S do mens socks 8- 9.5 if its any help :-)))
HH
THE EXILED TIM,
Shooooooorly that article from Jackson has to be a wind up?.Shooooooooorly.
If it is genuine,oh dear God,what really is in store for us in the weeks ahead?.
It’s been Awe Nawed :-)
HH
Good tho, caught a few out :-)
HH
You would think that with Dani Alves getting on a bit, Barca would jump at the chance to sign a ready made and seamless replacement.
Mibbe they don’t scout Doncaster games………….
…pf..
Sevco swooped in before anyone else know he was available, shirly :)
Ole Novak cruises through and takes the first set at Wimbers.
THE EXILED TIM
13:52 on
29 June, 2015
Good tho, caught a few out :-)
HH
:-))
some of us tried to look it up :-((
HH
Condolences with Irene
David and George RIP
Thoughts and prayers with the loved one of the dearly departed.
So many people using Finnboggason as an example of how strikers can fail,as if to say ,”See we told you Celtic should not buy him”,.The guy was a fantastic striker playing the lone role in Holland,a far better league than we have.His move to Spain never worked out.Could have been for a million reasons.One of the best strikers on the planet,Falcao,failed at Man U.
If there is such a thing as a sure bet,I would jump at the odds on Alfie scoring a barrowload for Celtic now under RD.He played the lone striker brilliantly for Herenveen,who used to hit like lightning on the break.
We will have to be very ,very,lucky to find any kind of quality striker in our price league.
I see some on here saying bring in some kids from the reserves.Dear God,the same people who are demanding we qualify for the CL.
We have to up the budget for quality,or else we will continue the same trend.If you put together the money we have squandered on duffers,it would have bought us real quality.
TET
Shows the dreadful standard of Scottish Sports Journalism that most on here were prepared to believe it
EL MADRIGAL
There have been occasions when a non-scoring striker has been a success.
Played in the wrong position or in a system which didn’t suit.
Brian McClair,despite his hat-trick against the huns and two including the winner against us in quick succession was mainly played in midfield by Motherwell.
Henrik was wasted at Feyenoord,he’ll mend them. That’s payback for 1970 if ever there was.
Chris Sutton,one goal in a decent Chelsea side,Hartson burnt out and failing medicals.
I can see the project in every one of them. I can see the prospect of success.
But I canny see any prospect of success in the vast majority of our strikers signed since JVOH.
That’s a fella who scored at Old Trafford in the CL,and many more besides. League-winning goals when we needed them.
£3m.
Think of the pyooor garbage that has cost that much and more since.
….PFayr supports WeeOscar
14:02 on
29 June, 2015
TET
Shows the dreadful standard of Scottish Sports Journalism that most on here were prepared to believe it
Exactly.99% of it was not that far from what you would expect.It was the mention of the Petrofac Cup that twigged me.Until then,just the norm.
Jude
Condolences on your loss
If signing strikers is always going to be a gamble, why not reduce the odds and sign Cifti, at least we are all aware of what we will get – OK a bit(e) of a maverick- but he Will play at least twenty games – we could do, and have done, much much worse.
BMCUW…
Venegoor should be what we are aiming for though I don’t know how possible that is even though that was only a few years ago.
Proven quality in a good league over a number of years.
£3M makes sense. And he delivered.
The thing is we would never have paid £7 Million for him. Because even though he would still be a great player for us the risk would have been too high.
Dena et all
Sorry, but as PF said, it was 100% believable :-)
Aff oot to the town, Lidl here we come, no looking forward to it, it’s hitting 40 deg, and will get a tad hotter in the coming hours..
HH
Jude 2005,
Truly numbing for your family.
Thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Jude
thoughts and prayers for you and your family mhate. Just ready to board a flight to Turkey with my family and thought I’d check fot signings.
Perspective Csc
jude2005
condolences for you loss
We used to sign proven strikers; they scored goals…
shockerooniCsc