Vasilios Barkas returns to Celtic Park on Thursday, four and a half years after his last appearance at the ground. That 1-1 draw with Midtjylland was our first home game in front of fans in 16 months, with 9,000 allowed to attend. It was also Vasilios’ only appearance for Celtic in front of a home crowd. The goal conceded led to a curtailment of further chances for the keeper.
He was awful at Celtic but it would be a mistake to assume that is an accurate assessment of his abilities. His reputation blossomed since moving to Utrecht, where he has remained first choice for over three years. He is better than any of us remember and will do his best to demonstrate this on Thursday.
Barkas arrived at Celtic late July 2020, when unnecessary travel was prohibited, including trips to scout a keeper. Fraser Forster had just completed an incredible season and had returned to parent club Southampton, who agreed in principle to a return to Celtic the next season, when they had secured backfill.
Fraser told the club and his pal Craig Gordon he was also keen on a return. As a consequence, Craig, who was out of contract, rejected a Celtic deal and went to Hearts for less than half the money Celtic offered, in order to play first team football. A week later, Southampton got cover and green-lit the deal for Fraser. Fraser, though, thought he had a bite at Chelsea, so backed out. These events lost Celtic a known keeper and cost Craig a lot of money.
No travel, no fresh scouting, where do we go? Barkas played for the AEK Athens team who eliminated Celtic from Champions League qualification two years earlier. The deal was done.
Vasilios arrived in Scotland alone, unable to speak the language and not permitted to socialise. Players were not even allowed to eat together, they had breakfast and lunch in their cars at Lennoxtown. After training, he went home, and cooked and cleaned for himself. If you anything about young footballers, those tasks are not familiar territory. Barkas was one of millions of desperately isolated people that year.
He was not alone suffering this way at Celtic that season. Others – who travelled up from England – fared even worse personally, but there is no hiding place between the sticks and Vasilios was exposed. Celtic adhered scrupulously to the rules that season. This had a cost which not every club was prepared to pay. Some believe rules are too taxing.
I don’t know if he will suffer some mild form of PTSD when he walks out the tunnel on Thursday evening, or if he will rise to the occasion, fortified by his subsequence successes. Best of luck to him, either way.
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How brave to champion the marketplace of ideas by demanding that anyone with a differing opinion simply leave and go build their own marketplace, a philosophy of discourse so fragile it can only survive in a vacuum sealed by its own smugness.
Could some of the Board supporters please tell us why we should support and or trust Nicholson and the rest of the Board.
Please.
Isn’t a pity that none of the Board have ever worn football boots rather than Moccasins.
Vasilios arrived in Scotland alone,unable to speak the language and not permitted to socialise.
Could we not get our money back if he was sold under false pretences?
https://www.skysports.com/football/video/16481/12039354/barkas-samaras-helped-with-celtic-move
I think you are all being a bit unfair on the relevance of today’s blog leader.
Since we have no registered competent fit strikers for Europe we are probably relying on Barkas doing what he always did at Celtic park and throw a couple in.
Keep up with you, no thanks, Get your CV in you might get a job with all that know how.
Some time before Christmas, Burnley 78 also thought Barkas was unable to speak English, until.it was pointed out to him.
AN TEARMANN on 27TH JANUARY 2026 12:45 PM
Section 111
I have never known Paul to change his header.
What do you feel should be talked about?
Go ahead
Write away bout what you think,nothing stopping you writing your view.much as P67 comes in for criticism he won’t curtail your right to say.
HH
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AT
See post @12.22 👍
See what happens when you give an idiot access to ChatGPT.
If there’s enough demand that’s exactly how a properly functioning market works.
SECTION111 on 27TH JANUARY 2026 12:32 PM
When did this blog become Bournemouth Quick News? 🧐
An attempt to show the challenges that Celtic face trying to attract decent keepers.
It’s something a bit different, its pretty boring reading the same stuff 24/7.
Try it, it makes the blog a better place for everyone!
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Funny other teams seem able to buy players without any issues, I’m here to talk Celtic, rather than deflect like some board apologists love to do 😃
Dharma Bam
Good spot…… funny that isn’t it, they’re also on the current ‘Fat Goalies’ case.
How Bizarre CSC
6 days to the window closes. We sit third.
Let’s talk about Barkas…
Quite sure the millions Barkas will earn over the course of his career will soothe any apparent Millennial/Gen Z PTSD…
Now on to the present crickets screeching over the transfer market.
The market theorist who mistakes his own comment section for a bustling free-trade zone, patting himself on the back for the profound insight that people who don’t like your product should just leave, a principle that makes for a truly barren and self-congratulatory conversation. That would suit one who doth dwell among the floaters.
Oh what a season that was: Barkas in goals and he couldn’t catch a cross or stop even the most basic of shots. Duffy a central defender who had the speed of an asthmatic sloth. We had so many players on loan they had their own bus.
As bad as that season was, this one is climbing the charts rapidly.
Paul, you hint there as if some club(s) weren’t playing by the rules. It was often hinted during that season. If the club knows, name them or we could be on the end of league changing decisions further down the line…….. oh wait a minute.
Similar to the time you hinted that a Dunfermline player had came forward to say they were bribed when we lost the league at Rugby Park. What a stink that caused in the corridors of power……
Tontine Tim from earlier,
He is incompetent and would never be a CEO anywhere else in football. The only reason is our CEO is that Lawwell needed a rubber stamp.
Rumours he offered his resignation ( have probably been fabricated so he has the sympathy vote). If you intend to resign , hand in your letter and work your notice ( club would probably place him on garden leave).
We need a new Chairman, CEO and DOF to lift us out of doldrums. Desmond , would prefer he goes to as he is a huge part of the problem.
I find it very difficult to pen poems for Nicholson when I see the industrial scale damage he has allowed to happen as CEO. He is 100% accountable and in any other company would have been fired some time ago. The last thing you do is keep him in place to do even more damage.
That’s how badly run we are —apologies for pointing it out esp with a light hearted joke. I hope I haven’t hurt his feelings— especially when tens of thousands of Celtic fans are in despair at the shambles—including MON !
To be fair to Paul – not that he needs hauners from the likes of me – an article on this transfer window is appropriate for next Tuesday, once the window has closed and business completed.
Aside, it’s interesting that our two singings so far have arrived under the radar of the meeja. It likely suggests that most of what you do read about Celtic’s player trading is the usual made up pish, and the meeja are no better informed that any given bloke down the pub.
In the round, we have two decent additions to the squad and should expect more, whoever they happen to be. I think right centre back and right wing are where we ought to be focussing efforts. That’s simply stating the screamingly obvious though.
Let’s hope we land the players we’re after. I’d say that any hope of sustaining a challenge for the title rests on getting quality players into these positions, and finding some respite for the guys who increasingly look as though they’re out on their feet.
If we beat Utrecht on Thursday we will play maybe 60 matches this season, versus only 44 by Hearts. Add in internationals for many of the squad and that’s a massive advantage Hearts have.
Irrespective of the Utrecht result, we’ll have played 10 midweek matches more than Hearts by the end of the week, plus 6 international fixtures for the likes of Schmeichel, Scales, Tierney, Ralston, Nygren, Maeda and Tounekti. That’s basically 4 months of back-to-back matches, 2 per week.
It’s increasingly looking like the tank is empty. Send three and fourpence, we’re going to a dance.
Barking.
We’re currently 3rd in a 2 horse race & have no strikers available for Thursday. Optimum time for a Barkas article.
Ye cannae kid yersel.
Folks,
Does anyone know how much of our cash reserves is usable (in FSR) in this window?
And on what date does it cease to be spendable?
Thanks in advance,
Weeron.
BSR 12.44
:-))))
Woof Csc.
TBB
I love the ole ‘Re-enforcements for advance’ line.
🤣
Spendable on players…
SECTION111 on 27TH JANUARY 2026 1:04 PM
Funny other teams seem able to buy players without any issues, I’m here to talk Celtic,
There it is, a debate about Celtic and the transfer window as well!
Bournemouth are able to attract a goalkeeper who would be better than Barkas, and having seen him a couple of times better than Kaspar IMO, even though he’s going to be second choice. £16m gets you a better keeper than ours whos happy to go there to sit on the bench.
It’s talking about Celtic, just something to add to this wonderful “marketplace of ideas”
The Huns willing to spend ANOTHER 3 Million on another giant!!!
They must have looked at that FSR rule book laughed like fk and threw it in the Fire
Folk must think we’re daft !!
All this walking a mile in other people’s shoes clearly only applies to board members and their groupies on CQN.
The rest of us Celtic supporters do not merit such consideration, apparently consigned to being scum, oiks, idiots and bedwetters by members of the cult.
Animal Farm Quick News where some are evidently more equal than others.
The deflection is strong today. . . . ..
Rounding the zimmer frames.
Old Chinese proverb…
Before you start a fight with a man, you should walk a mile in his shoes.
That way you’ll be a mile away.
And you’ll have his shoes.
Not happy.
If , Martin does not get any signings, and if he has any self respect, he’d piss off on the second of Feb.
I see we have made an “enquiry” about the Bodo Glimpt guy, cheered me up big time
This shower running our club, couldnt organise a piss up in a brewery
kingLUBO
A smaller squad doesnt sound quite such a good idea right now
Board supporters, please.
Come on. Tell us why we should support/trust Nicholson and the rest of the Board.
Please.
Oh set for £10M transfer ….. Celtic windfall
Kerching CSC
Each unto his own, but a central midfielder and right winger are the priorities for me.
The returnof weeron on 27th January 2026 1:21 pm
I’m at a loss as to how we can be limited from buying players by FSR, when the two clubs we’re competing with for the title have never made a profit and yet continue to spend.
What are the consequences of breaking FSR because neither Hearts or The Rangers seem bothered by it.
It was hinted that Lawwell had a hand in drafting it perhaps that was his parting gift.
Makes even less sense to continually turn a profit.
I think they’re waiting till after Thursday’s game,to buy anyone,or even a loan
‘Great guys they bleed green n white ‘
Brendan of Arabia and brand new £8M contract CSC
Man moves abroad to work,new language shocker……just get on with it,I’m sure the club employ folk to teach foreign players English, he was shite….
.
Would Nicholson’s Gucci loafers last a mile?
Shrugs shoulders.
Celtic40me
The combo of Hatate’s red card and Bernardo’s brain flatulence on Thursday night is an unacknowledged problem.
Against Hearts, we relied on a slowly diminishing CalMac with the irregularly shaped pegs of Engles and Nygren to fill the holes in a midfield that is looking increasingly hollowed out.
One of the tricks MON needs to pull in the coming months is to find a way to get these guys rested and recharged while playing a match every 3 or 4 days.
Might well be that despite a decent sized group of centre mids, he’ll need a signing or two to make it work.
CELTIC40ME on 27TH JANUARY 2026 1:22 PM
SECTION111 on 27TH JANUARY 2026 1:04 PM
Funny other teams seem able to buy players without any issues, I’m here to talk Celtic,
There it is, a debate about Celtic and the transfer window as well!
Bournemouth are able to attract a goalkeeper who would be better than Barkas, and having seen him a couple of times better than Kaspar IMO, even though he’s going to be second choice. £16m gets you a better keeper than ours whos happy to go there to sit on the bench.
It’s talking about Celtic, just something to add to this wonderful “marketplace of ideas”
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Plenty of goalkeepers out there for well under £16m that can be found if a competent scouting and data department are in position – rather than relying on old contacts.
I wonder whose fault it is we have neither in place. Are you willing to debate that? Plenty of value out its a big world!