I was asked to contribute a piece on John Guidetti to a German magazine last month. John was on his way to winning the European U21 Championships with Sweden, while being every inch the football personality. The German publisher wanted to know why Celtic, Stoke and Manchester City had decided against re-employing a striker with a flattering pedigree.
During last season it looked like John was destined for the English lower leagues, or perhaps one of the resting homes in Turkey, but a few weeks at a tournament later he’s won himself a five year deal with Celta de Vigo.
Guidetti is a better player than he looked at Celtic last season. We don’t play a system which lends itself to a classic, British style, penalty box striker, which is what John is, but would you give him a five year contract to play in La Liga? Of course not. You’ve watched the player way more than Celta’s scouts and you know better than they do.
This is the truism in scouting, people who watch a player week-in, week-out, know vastly more than a scout who only gets to see a month’s games, or a handful of games across the season, or worse, a selection of DVDs provided by the agent, or TV highlights.
What’s made John Guidetti is his outlier season, 2011-12, when on loan at Feyenoord he smacked home an astonishing 20 goals in 23 games. Without that season, the Celta scouts wouldn’t even know his name. Maybe the serious illness he subsequently suffered robbed him of his mojo, maybe he’s a pound or two heavier than his fighting weight, but my money’s on Vigo suffering buyers regret soon enough.
The best of luck to John in Galicia, but I suspect he’ll be available for loan this time next year.
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Hoopy birthday Oldtim!!!
HH jamesgang
Good luck to the lhads in court today. They were well supported at the recent AICSC charity dinner.
Happy birdie to you, happy birdie to you……
Happy birdie, dear Oldtim………………………..
Happy biiiirdie tooooooo .yoouuuuuu !!!!!!!!!!
BMCUWP apart from winding everyone up,turning peoples lives upside down what result ?Doubt anyone without rocks in their head think this has any worth. It will go sooner or later hopefully sooner.
JG…no apols necessary bud.. kpi’s justify expense/existence.
When does our new striker have his hearing? Seems odd that it’s taken so long – when it comes to punishment the authorities are usually pretty quick to get together for a hearing
gordon_j backing neil lennon
09:48 on 13 July, 2015
Next Monday
Our last striker partnership was Mcdonald and van hesselink
After that strikergate started and we were unable to start two strikers consistently due to peter lawell failings
Why not try Griffiths and Cufti upfront ?
Gary67,
Thanks. I’m guessing it will be a lengthy ban
Happy Birthday, OldTim.
Sorry to get involved in politics. Sadly, Harriet Harman is only doing what Blair and Brown saw as necessary for Labour to get elected in England and that is to appeal to Middle England. They are essentially conservative (as is Middle Scotland, by the bye). There is no way any out and out republican socialist party would be returned in either country.
Happy Birthday, OldTim
Hope you have a good day .
HH
jamesgang
08:50 on 13 July, 2015
HT
All the best for the young folk dragged into court today.
Sticks in ma craw to listen to police Scotland union rep on radio shortbread defending their failure to respond to crash on M9 due to lack of resources.
HH jamesgang
I listened to that nut sack this AM as well, made me squirm, man did he love listening to himself talking, one caller was bang on, SNP need to do some thing about this police force, after all they created the monster, police Scotland, not fit for purpose, liars every one of them
…a happy birthday to all Celtic Supporters, everywhere!
HH.
Morning all.
All the very best to the young bhoys up in court today.
And a happy hoopy birthday to OLDTIM.
HH!!
Just catching up
Thought with the 7 today in court today as a direct result of a flawed policy aimed at evening up the arrest numbers .
They will never walk alone
Getting rid of House & Grahame would be a start.
TONYDONNELLY67
Sadly,it ain’t just Scottish police who like to stitch people up.
Here’s what happens in Liverpool if you want to help a homeless person.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/teenager-handcuffed-police-after-giving-9640333
John McGinn potentially off to Houston? What a shame.
Wish him the best but we ought to have had a punt on him. Put him out on loan.
Oldtim
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPY Birthday to a fine Bhoy :)))
——
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon
Sure I seen it was the 20th July for Ciftcis hearing.
Parkheadcumsalford
08:36 on
13 July, 2015
Morning all.
Wet as usual down here.
Any good news to lift the gloom?
Yes.Law of the Hun has told us all that the free transfers,non league players,youths,added to the dross that remained from last year will be playing”Total Football”this season.
Made my morning,I can tell you.
Tom Devine
Talking at debate on OBFA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiEMBR7uwek
” why did the legal officers wish to extend this into other areas”
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers
As I said liars, every one of them.
Highlights of a recent match in English third tier. Genuinely brilliant.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xs0vnMril98
Just back from holidays to find we’ve signed Ciftci.Wasn’t too keen on him coming but he’s one of us now.Also noticed a distinct lack of Oldco tops doing the rounds.We were on a cruise which had a large number of Scots on it with plenty of Celtic tops on show but only one Oldco and that chap was either badly sun burned or embarrassed wearing it.
Best laugh I’ve had in ages reading back and noticing Sydneytim blaming Celtic’s lone striker tactics on Peter Lawell. We all know you’re not Peters biggest fan Syd, but for crying out loud I thought a serial yap like yourself could come up with something better than this!
Ronny should go to town with this shower he says no such thing this article suggests!! This could even be construed as interference
http://m.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport/13409169.Celtic_boss_Ronny_Deila_urges_SFA_disciplinary_panel_to_go_softly_softly_on_Ciftci_over_biting_rap/
MURDOCHAULDANDHAY
That reporter should have joined the police(!)
Not surprising that SMSM have turned their attention quickly to ‘Controversial Ciftci’ and his imminent ‘ban’. You don’t have to be paranoid in this country, but even kangaroo SFA courts have to find the man ‘guilty’ before we get to the length of any ban.
Shirley? csc
Been off the grid for a few days and catching up. What’s this about the new Danny Alves NOT signing for sevco? Did he take a swatch at the true state of that mob and leg it, or did sevco just not offer him a deal? Hmmmmmm….. I think sevco are close to the edge. Here’s hoping they fall over it like their predecessors.
Belfastcelt. Eh? Lost me there
Was it not PL who started this striker project guff
Was it not peter Lawell that did not add a striker to play alongside hooper
Was it not PL that refused funds to NL to replace our only striker when hooper left , but instead went project mad ( pukki Balde )
Celtic in recently memory always had 2 goal scoring strikers( apart from the biggens time )
The only reason we went to one up front was we didn’t have two
Sick bitch
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-runner-lynsey-sharp-slammed-6056369
A young Tottenham Ladies side beat the Rainjurs 3-2 behind closed doors at Hotspur Way
The Daily Hotspur 10/7/15
TAURANGABHOY 0946
Sorry,somehow missed your post.
When I described it as perfect,I didn’t mean to suggest that was my opinion of it. It’s perfect in that it achieves its purposes,and matches the intentions and ambitions of its designers.
Some wanted Celtic fans to be seen to be breaking the law just as much as Rangers fans did,so changing the law was a doozie.
Some wanted to put us in our place for various reasons. Some simply wanted to further their own branch of the establishment. And combinations of the three.
Perfect. And they’ve got away with it. Ever read history books-that’s the second time I’ve written something that looks patronising in print,again not my intention-and wondered how people or governments got away wi the outrageous?
It’s happening here and now,mate. And it’s a disgrace.
Just checked pre season results on the bbcwebsite.
Mjallby 1 Notts Forest 1
Forest couldn’t beat our mam mountain former player and assistant manager.
Mjallby’s son is called Tim .
Hooooopy Birthday OldTim.
For the kids in court today, may justice prevail.
SydneyTim, that’s funny.
My friends in Celtic,
Best wishes to the 7 today, and hopefully justice will prevail.
We have spoken many times about the obscenity that is the OB act, but I still cannot fathom why it was needed or introduced. The only answer I can come up with apart from” evening up the score” is control. Centralised control and power.
I am no legal eagle, however the existing breach of the peace law can cover practically every scinerio that can be envisaged.
Why ?
HH.
RobinBhoy
Not the 1st time she has shown herself up,