Gary Hooper has scored once in his last 23 appearances for Norwich City, an ultimately meaningless goal as his team lost that day. Prior to that, he scored five in eight in games in which Norwich collected 10 points, while he opened his account for them with a brace in the League Cup against Watford. The latter stages of that 23 game desolate run has been marred by an injury he collected preseason, returning to league duty this month.
This is not the player you or I will recognise. Gary was more than capable of going through a dry patch, but he was an undisputed penalty box finisher, who seemed to perform better, the better the competition. Now he has to sit alongside Jos Hooiveld on the Norwich bench, as his in-form club, with in-form players, occupy a play-off place. Think of that for a moment, Hooper and Hooiveld, largely indistinguishable on form for Norwich.
It’s no surprise that Neil Lennon wanted him at Bolton, he knows Gary is a better player than probably anyone in Norwich realise. Norwich rejected the bid, as they were reluctant to weaken their squad, but already this season is looking unlikely to add much to the end of career Gary Hooper Highlights DVD.
Celtic are already on the case to sign John Guidetti on a permanent deal, he’s looked the part since he first touched the ball in a Celtic shirt, but by contrast, Stefan Scepovic has looked awkward. The early goals didn’t come, he looked short of a game plan and when a header missed the target on Thursday night, one guy behind me bellowed the kind of comment you hope a player looking for confidence doesn’t hear.
I don’t know any more about Stefan than you, but I absolutely know we’ve not seen the best of him, just as Norwich haven’t seen the best of Gary. This guy has the background we want in a new recruit, scoring well in the Spanish second tier and wanted by top tier club.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Celtic player as happy to score as Stefan was against Astra. The finish against Kilmarnock will have built on whatever confidence boost he received. The project is back on course. He needs to continue to find the net, and we need to remember how to support a player as he settles into a new life.
We’ve had a great run of momentum with the help of Magners in recent weeks. The club sponsor have offered a couple of premium match tickets, on the back of which we’ve asked for donations from £1 to Mary’s Meals.
It’s been great to see this in action. We get lots of £1 and £2 donations, but plenty of people chip in with a lot more. It’s been a great way of ensuring prizes are open to everyone.
Today we formally launch the bid to build a fourth school kitchen in Malawi for Mary’s Meals. During 2014 you funded the construction of three kitchens, which feed close to 2000 of the world’s poorest children each day. All of them live below the UN measure of absolute poverty.
Over the last 20 years the number of people living below $1.25 per day has halved. Organisations like Mary’s Meals are making enormous inroads. Those kids aren’t just getting a meal, more of them are able to attend school (up 30%) as they don’t need to work for food. This improves their academic achievements and gives them skills which will be with them throughout their lives, increasing personal, regional and national productivity.
93% of the money raised by Mary’s Meals reaches those on the ground. It costs around $12 to feed a child for an entire year. It’s almost incalculable what your money does.
Magners have kindly offered two debenture hospitality seats for The Celtic Suite, including buffet lunch, for the Inverness game on Saturday, which are available for auction here on ebay. The journey we had last year in building those three kitchens was remarkable, I know we’ll enjoy the new project.
Current bid is £1 to get in quick!
Big thanks to Magners, b.t.w. This help goes a long, long, way.
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gordybhoy64
16:02 on
28 October, 2014
Dexter,
while I agree that the club should pay the living wage,
do you ensure that other areas you spend your money on
such as restaurants,pubs,theatres and so on all pay the minimum wage
__________
Gordy
Yes- where possible I try to spend my money ethically. Probably won’t always achieve that, but whether its Primark’s exploitation of workers, not purchasing goods from certain areas, attempting to support local businesses over multinationals, I try to do my bit.
However, if Celtic really is more than a club (and I believe it to be so), then the custodians of the club should have regard to more than the bottom line. we were founded as a charitable institution and continued as such for many years.
Also, football today is a particularly greedy business. There are shamefully excessive payments to players, agents and administrators and Chief Executives. Football is nothing without the fans. A club business is nothing without the workers at the coalface.
This really isn’t about me, or my alleged negativity (which I deny by the way)- this is fundamentally a moral issue and I for one cannot understand why every single Celtic fan is not singing from the same hymn sheet. Prevarication of the type demonstrated by you and others is what those who don’t wish to pay the LW want.
Pay the living wage now!
HH
Geordie Munro
15:18 on
28 October, 2014
Speaking of hooge shorts….
Did anyone else clock the wee astra guy with the massive shorts on?
————–
Geordie….it was the wee No.6 …..he was booked in the first 10 minutes….probably because of his bad dress………..they later brought a substitute on, who was dressed with similar attire………
Paddy T
Fair play to Ann Budge and Hearts in relation to the living wage proposal, interesting sentence from her that it is line with the values of the Club (Hearts)
I’ve never really understood the argument that if others don’t pay it then why should we, surely that’s not the point? if it’s the right thing to do then do it irrespective of what McDonald’s Cineworld or others stance is, I’ve heard the sum of 500k being mentioned that in itself is a helluva lot of cash, of course it is, but in the grand scheme of things consider how much difference this 500k would make to the take home pay of the lower paid staff at Celtic Park, at this stage there is no legal requirement to pay it, there is though an undeniable moral one if you can afford it, we can and it’s unarguably one of the founding values of Glasgow Celtic FC to help those we can.
As the Nike saying goes….Just Do It.
bgx-PL must know he will get more heat than usual at this AGM,he might agree the LW to try and buy a bit of leeway.HH
twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
Pablophanque was a loss to this site
Babasconi71 was a loss to this blog
There are/were many others
I hope I never see kojos racist fascist drivel ever again. Wise up!
Ballboys my erchie….
Canny beat the wee Ballgirl at the LL end……..anyone see her reaction when the ball dropped into the camera man pit behind the goal…..she just looked at it, then walked away & sat herself back down on her wee stool….Ronny punted a new ball up the park.
Paddy T
IGC
14:45 on
28 October, 2014
I watched the League Cup game against Hertz in the Cock Tavern. I’d never heard of the place but found it on a celticpubs website. Tried phoning them but the number didn’t work. Took me ages to find the pub but got there just in time to see Guidetti’s goal.
There were about 20 Bhoys watching the game. There was also a wedding function on in the main bar at the same time which was a bit unusual.
It was only afterwards that BMCUW told me that pub had been shut. So not sure if it re-opened just for the wedding.
Worth a try.
HH
I thought the Peters “heated driveway” was an in joke that I was missing, but just found out its for real.
Jeese oh.
dontbrattbakkinanger
16:18 on 28 October, 2014
Cineworld is better value.
Just a few of your British pounds to see top, top stars- e.g Scarlett Johansen, wee Kelly Reilly,Gerald Butler, Morgan Freeman,Harrison Ford, Jamie Foxx, Sir Sean Connery.
And you get to sit in the warm and the dry without some f###wit behind you shoutin’ ‘F###sake Johansen! WHAT is your motivation!’ all the way through from the Pearl and Dean to the closin’ credits.
—–
Hear that stuff all the time at the GFT mate. Every time young Scarlett’s in a mediocre filum.
:-)
HH jamesgang
Bada bing….hope your right …
JImtim
JPTaylor@celticfc.co.uk
Speaking of guys that post….i aint saw the guy who posted some good winners (horses)for a while TWISTY i think …hope he aint chucked it….guy gave some great winners..
Covers.
‘The wild rover(live)’ – Stiff Little Fingers.
‘Summertime blues’ – The Who.
HH!!
Margaret McGill
Dont think you will, seems like he’s definitely off. Do you really think he was that racist ?
I thought he and the real racist tsd were one and the same until I was put right on here, never thought he was a fascist but you could be right. Time for me to wise up lol
Dexter,
the first line of my post to you said I think
the club should pay the living wage so its disingenuous
of you to suggest that I don’t.
As I said in my post to MWD I asked you for a particular reason,
If you spend money in an ethical manner fair play to you,
but I wouldn’t withhold money from Celtic for the given reason,
There are fewer lowlights in wee Scarlett’s movie career than there are highlights in the ole Europa League.
Does embdy have a Europa League highlight they’d like to share with the group?
Hearts have won some good PR for their club today.
Celtic now even if they pay the living wage will still be criticised for not doing it sooner. Poor show from the club.
Just get it done Celtic!
LB
Good to see Spivco and Newcastle being linked. The two sets of fans are best described as The Great Illusionists and The Great Dellusionists.
Best cover versions?
Pressure Drop – the specials
God Save the queen – sex pistols!
The only version I’ve ever taken to, funnily enough!
HH jamesgang
Gordy
I was not attempting to be disingenuous and if I came across as such I apologise.
You indicate that the LW issue is not one that would persuade you withold money from the club. Obviously I disagree but you are entitled to your position and I support your entitlement to your viewpoint.
HH
For some mad reason I always liked Devo”s version of “I cant get no satisfaction”…Hh
Cover version…..SID VICIOUS
.MY WAY….brilliant version .of a crap song..
Re. cover versions. I’m with BMCUW’s earlier post. Lulu’s version of “The man who sold the World” is one of the best. Although Nirvana also had a good go at it. Good song.
HH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7RPCFfudmU
I prefer Fine Young Cannibals’ version of Suspicious Minds.
Not an elvis fan. Must confess.
While the great bob marley asked Dixie Deans about The Tic I’ve always thought elvis would be a sticky sympathiser!
HH jamesgang
weeminger-AT
We are just going to have to wait and see what transpires me thinks, it’s all just speculation just now, only time is going to tell.
HH
Dexys ‘Jackie Wilson Said’ or The Five Stairsteps ‘Dear Prudence’…. There’s yer covers…
Tallybhoy,
‘Summertime blues’ – The Who. Fifty years old and still brilliant today!
Yogihughes
Not saying these are the best cover versions ever, but, they are Scottish, and they make me smile… (something about making something good out of a pile of crap)….
Julia and the Doogans doing Katie Perry’s Teenage Dreams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6g5l_nr4Ww
and
Aztec Camera doing Van halen’s Jump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COtZZmWKcRI
I know…. crappy songs, but Julia Doogan has a voice like an angel, and is criminally underappreciated.
bgx
Did you not watch the Godfather?! You dont mess with Frankie….
(I know Paul Anka wrote it…. but no one ever put a horses head in anyone’s bed to get Paul a movie role!)
did I break the blog again?
Or is this one of those ‘colonial ‘ things? I know … when the guy from Canada logs on, nobody answer…. pretend there’s no one here ……
not funny!
Mike in Toronto…what was the horses name….no Google….
Khartoum
Speedway- Genie in a Bottle
BGX ….
I could repeat that film word for word …. hell, just about lived it for a few years. I have an interesting practice!
Bournesouprecipe
How much did the guy pay for it ?
..
Mike in toronto.
.Practice…what do you do?
it’s like living in a 49th parallel universe