What a rascal that Neil Lennon is, laughing off interest in Amido Balde while leading us all down the Kevin Doyle road last week, then Amido pitches up at Celtic Park, complete with obligatory Celtic scarf, before heading for some scans and time plugged -up with on the running machine today.
Amido’s road to Celtic Park has not been straight. He was released by Sporting Lisbon last year without kicking a ball for them, but he has spent a year in a competitive league playing against some Champions League defences, so Celtic will have a fair idea of what kind of player he is.
Does he have the technique? Does he have the physique? Does he have the temperament? John Park and the scouts will have given Neil Lennon lots of information on these elements of Amido, so there should be no surprises.
This is even more true of Balde than of last season’s twin striking signings, Lassad and Miku (trivia question of the future, Who led the line for Celtic when they beat Barcelona in 2012?). Both arrived in the final days of the window, with options expiring all around and beggars choosing.
As always, the most important hope for any transfer window is that the manager and scouts get their first choices. That assured, we’ll do alright.
11 June and first piece of transfer speculation. Held the tide as long as I could.
We have a special Father’s Day offer for the Willie Wallace book. Order between now and Thursday morning and we’ll include a Father’s Day card, complete with your own message. See the big graphic to the right..
You can choose from two cards, see explanation and choices here, one with Tony Watt after scoring against some Spanish lot, the other with Billy McNeill receiving some trophy or other.
Click on the button below, enter the text you would like to appear in the middle of the card, and Tony will post your book off in time for Father’s Day.
By common consent, the latest CQN Magazine has been voted the best yet.
For a proper read of the magazine cick here. Use the navigation buttons at the bottom to flick through pages or zoom in.
Order Heart of a Lion with your personalised Father’s Day card here:
[calameo code=0003901713852289beccb lang=en page=1 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
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Ah Come on, An Dun have you ever been around when the press and celebrity’s meet. You can be sure someone handed him the scarf and asked him to kiss it for a photo opportunity. What was the kid to do, if he refused, what kind of Headline would that have given The Daily Rag.
Bbzzzźzzzzzzz
Currently soaking up the sights and sounds and general atmosphere of Polmadie Rd.
HH
Mon the new Bobo..
Bada
I think it was sarcasm CSC
bournesouprecipe
Blinkin’ flip,you just made Swindon sound like a Paradise.
Watch out for the speed cameras….
I’ve said before that I’m not convinced by the clamour for a big, bulky centre forward.
Prior to MON and the signings of Hartson and Sutton the only player in this mould that I recall from watching Celtic was Rambo McInally and he only acted as a deputy when either Chalky or Le Petit Merde were injured.
Often our problem as I’ve seen it is that we’re fat too slow getting the ball into the box and when we do the players in there show no REAL desire to get on the end of the cross.
The cup final this year was evidence enough that if you put in a quality early delivery (Stokes) and you have an attacker who displays the willingness to attack the ball (Hooper) then there is no requirement for an eighteen foot lump!
I understand that this doesn’t address the need for someone with strength to hold the ball up, especially away from home in Europe, and allow others to be brought into play.
However, step forward Sammi.
Personally I’d like money to be spent on a midfielder with the ability to create opportunities with one pass.
What would you pay for this striker given his stats
Years
Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2011
Newcastle United 80 (31)
2007–2008
→ Preston North End (loan) 11 (1)
2011–
Liverpool 44 (6)
2012–
→ West Ham United (loan) 24 (7)
gsu
Just a reminder that Willie Wallace will be available for book signings at the Celtic store on Argyle Street on Thursday evening from 5.30-7.30pm – a signed copy of Heart of a Lion is a perfect gift for Father’s Day!
Then we are heading down to Greenock to the Celtic Supporters Club for a CQN Q&A featuring Willie Wallace and his co-author Brogan Rogan Trevino & Hogan. If you are envious of the golfers the next day, why not come down to Greenock and enjoy the chat?
Willie will be signing books there too.
Fair enough CorkCelt, I’m perhaps being a bit prickly.
I agree with Hamiltontim, I don’t think we were crying out for a big target man. I think most of us commented during the season that we really needed a creative midfielder.
I think now there may be a tendency for Celtic to go long which won’t promote the type of football we want to see at Celtic Park.
HAMILTON TIM
Create an opportunity with one pass?
Get the the green-tinted glasses off!
Best pass I ever saw,IMO,The Maestro to Chris Morris in The Centenary Season.
Though I have to say,Chris Morris’ pass to Frankiebhoy was a peach anaw……
@PeteLawwell: After Kenny Shiels comments about Celtic running Scottish Football, I couldn’t risk him blowing my cover.
So I sacked him from Kilmarnock.
BMCUW
It’s exactly that type of pass that I’m talking about. A ball that forces the opposition to turn and face their own goal and only requires one touch from the player receiving it regardless of whether they are passing or having a shot at goal.
Oh for a Paul McStay :-)
Paul67. My book arrived safe, sound and signed. Thanks a million.
Missus is a bit annoyed that he used a permanent marker on the kindle :oP
DR Headline tomorrow
Lennon misleads/lies to his own fans again…..
Meanwhile Alistair wipes tears from orphans..
SuperAllyCSC
Just read back and saw the comment about St Gallen or St Gall as he also known. He was a disciple of St Columbanus not St Columba. He was left behind in Switzerland to continue the good work while Columbanus went off to Bobbio in Italy. Know this from a great fanatical Celtic fan from Venigone Inferiore near Milan. He is an expert on St Columbanus. Said friend went to see us when he was a wee lad in Milan and has been Celtic daft since. The sort of guy who sits in Italy watching Celtic games with his Celtic scarf draped over the TV.
Incidentally the President of Ireland or a senior government official attends the saint’s feast day every year in Bobbio when Mass is said in the church where the saint’s tomb is to be found.
Harry Brady @HarryBradyCU 10m
You can’t dodge taxes and get a Euro license…In the rest of Europe at least
http://ow.ly/lUVxy
jc2
Earlier you were asking about tickets for the Liverpool game in Dublin. I believe that they are currently available to season tickets but not through the online booking system.
Modern big and bulky is wee and thin compared with ole Johnny Divers.
BSR-I need a holiday.
Bada
Fingers on buzzers CSC
ht
CHEERS sounds like what my mate was experiencing.
Paul67
A good take on significance of Amido Balde. top target signed in good time – I wonder if our top salary band has been raised slightly this term?
Also appreciate reminder of Tony Watt’s goal against that Catalan (sic?) mob :-) watched that one from 101 with my son – already an iconic memory that will live in my heart for the rest of my days.
Nearlygreetincsc
Hello – here is a tale of Scotland’s finest from the weekend.
My brother was presented with an on the spot fine for having an open can in the lobby of the block he lives in, as the two young coppers deemed this a public area. He was on his way to the bins, as it was flat.
Any legal eagles have a view on whether this will get laughed out of court if he doesn’t bother paying?
He was not in any Celtic regalia, this was just pettiness in the nth degree by plod.
weeminger
I’ve heard of pettiness but those cops must really have fcuk all else to do! I despair sometimes.
Marti
Weeminger
FFS!
Those two dafties should be charged with wasting police time.
Warrant out for Craig Whyte.
A fine example of MSM sensational headlines about what is essentially a non story.
I was standing beside a copper yesterday in Tesco’s, he had 5 stars tattooed on his forearm.
Surprised this is permitted
weeminger
I got pulled by the cops in Edinburgh on Sunday morning. They were looking for drink drivers but didn’t produce a breath test. They then nit picked at everything rom where my phone was (in the wee bit next to the gear stick) to how clean my windscreen was. Do they not have anything better for these guys to be doing?
LB
Good Afternoon,
19 years ago tomorrow a series of events took place which changed the public opinion of American society forever– and revealed a deep divide in the land of the free.
There were leaks, lies and legal tactics all designed to manipulate the truth which lead one commentator to condemn the whole circus and rely instead on the advice of Mark Twain.
The same could be said of Scottish Football.
http://wp.me/p1G95H-WS
The SFA, O.J. Simpson– and never the Twain shall meet.
Pod I
15:15 on
11 June, 2013
Were they definitely their 5 stars? I’d find that odd, but stars have various degrees of significance in tattooing, although I thought on duty officers were meant to keep them covered anyway.
Folks,wee tales of coppers behaving like the tossers we know they can be are precisely why yer average person in the street has lost faith in them.
I actually feel sorry for the good guys on the force-and we have all had occasion to meet such,I reckon-as they are tarred with the same brush.
It’s not their fault they are tarred with that brush,but it isn’t ours either.
Sadly it seems that the good guys are vastly outnumbered.
QuadBhoy
You seem to have better inside information than even Charlotte, I am impressed – NOT!
Neil wanted a big centre forward end off. Hope big Balde works oot for him. Would like the players that want away sold asap so the money can be spent wisley. Can see these players getting us knocked out of Champions league as there heart won’t be in it.
BRT&H
Might just be me,but,new article not coming up mate.hh
BRT&H
Have you erred in the spelling of your link?
Coming up not found….
Obligatory weesmileything.
connaire12
That’s the fella, I was quoting from memory, not a great idea, I would love to visit Bobbio one day…
BRT&H
Up noo mhate..http://broganrogantrevinoandhogan.wordpress.com/2013/06/