For Celtic, summertime business is every bit as important as the more traditional cup finals and league deciders held later in the season. We face qualifers for Champions League or Europa League group stage, which define our financial health and desirability as a potential employer.
The most important achievement was recorded on Wednesday when we qualified for the Champions League, but now we’re there, how prepared will we be?
Seven players left the squad, Daryl Murphy, who had already spent two years out on loan, Thomas Rogne and Paddy McCourt, who rarely saw first team action last season, and Tony Watt, who seems to be less effective than he was in the opening weeks of last season, and is now out on loan.
More importantly, Gary Hooper, Kevlin Wilson and Victor Wanyama all left, three players who were instrumental in our European victories last season.
Hooper is a textbook big game player who scored home and away against Spartak Moscow but he missed the home win over Barcelona and scarcely got a sniff of the ball home and away to Benfica, or in the Camp Nou, where his role as a penalty box poacher was less effective.
Kelvin Wilson had a disappointing first season at Celtic but as last season progressed there was a noticeable rise in appreciation of his talents. He had an exemplary Champions League campaign.
Victor Wanyama was the most effective central midfield player Celtic have had for some considerable time. We saw little of Roy Keane at Celtic but in Wanyama, you could see a player with the potential to go as far in the game. He is young and still has lots to add to his game, concentration, for a start, but we saw him grow from a place on the substitutes’ bench to a £12m player in 18 months.
It surprised a few that Victor (along with Gary) went to a team often found at the wrong end of England’s top flight, but he is still potential. The acclaim he received at Celtic is similar to that bestowed on Liam Miller nine years ago, whose Champions League performances were breath-taking. I still can’t fathom what happened to Miller but I hope Victor continues to improve; if he does, he could appear in the Camp Nou as a home player.
21-year-old Israeli central midfielder Nir Biton looks like a straight replacement for Wanyama. I don’t know enough about any of the new recruits yet to put my name to them but on paper, Nir works. At 6’5” he continues our current tradition of signing players born to shoot hoops, as well as wear them. A trial at Manchester City fell apart amid a diplomatic incident involving his nationality. He was going to make a move to a Champions League team at some point and, for the player, Celtic will look like an excellent option.
There was a moment during THAT game at Fir Park in 2005 when Craig Bellamy tore up the turf with the ball before looking up for someone to accept his cross, only to throw his arms up in frustration that there was no one in the box. Having one fast player is just not effective.
We’ve had pace-merchant James Forrest for a few years but we don’t play a speed-based game to suit his talents. With fellow-sprinter Derk Boerrigter also in the team now one of the things I know Celtic were looking for in a striker was pace, which is what I expect to see from Teemu Pukki.
Much of our Champions League game will be about playing counter-attacking football so we have to recruit for this model.
Teemu has been playing a supporting role for Schalke since they played against him, then signed him, from HJK Helsinki two years ago, but we have not had a striker who could claim a regular starting place in that company in nine years. He is another one who, on paper, works for me.
Amido Balde has been given some protection from too much responsibility and exposure to allow him to settle into the club, city and language, Celtic is a lot different from Vitoria Guimaraes. I heard that, like Wanyama during his first season, he’ll be allowed to settle into life as a Celtic player.
Virgil van Dijk was simply delicious against Dundee United yesterday. He has height, build, speed, can run with the ball and can pass. Build a defence around him. Steven Mouyokolo is one of those gambles managers like to take on players, who were once lauded but have had injury or other blemishes on their record. Most don’t work but we’ll soon find out if Steven has overcome his injury problems.
Derk Boerrigter has skill and pace. He is another one recruited with Champions League football in mind (not to face 10 defenders in the SP), a competition he has already performed well in for Ajax.
The comment was made to me that the players coming in were uninspiring compared to the three key players who left but while I could contest that, there doesn’t seem much point. We recruited Hooper and Wilson from the lower leagues in England, and Wanyama as a teenager from a small Belgian club. It’s not what you know about a player when he signs that counts……..
For years we have been encouraging Celtic to scout better markets and find value. They have been doing this to great effect in recent seasons. The gap between where we were last season and one stage further in the Champions League was enormous. To bridge it will take a while during which time we need to make every pound work.
Enjoy the ride.
Tomorrow we’ll talk money. In short, while I blogged a couple of weeks ago illustrating the circa £17m operational gap we have before Champions League or player trading income (i.e. we are not a rich club), notions that we are anywhere near being a poor club is laughable.
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rothbhoy……points to be had. 7 and Europe after Xmas. 4 from Ajax and a Barca night is needed. :-)
raymac
18:26 on 1 September, 2013.
I’m in total agreement with you on our club paying below or even on par with the minimum wage.
My daughter being a student went for an interview for partime work in a restaurant,she was sixteen at the time and was offered £3.69 an hour.
I was waiting outside and when my daughter told me I felt like knocking the chancer out.
If Ah wuz King.. Ah wud Be the Chief Scout, fur Celtic.
And..Ah wid Show everybuddy.. who wuz Interested. how tae Scout a Player..
and if they wur No Interested,then..
Ah widnae Show ’em..
Wan Damn Thing!
My Method of Scouting a Player
wud go…
Thusly..
Ah widnae Sign A Player ..
if..
He Drank
Ah am Atalking Aboot Alcohol.
Nae Alcohol wid Pass his Lips.. and He wid Swear that he wid Nevah Evah Drink Alcohol.. as long as he Played fur the Celtic .
And Ah widnae Sign a Player..
If he wuz Addicted taeTobacco Products, or Drugs.
n
Ah wid Nevah sign a Player..
If
He Hid .. Tattoos..
Any guy who wants tae stamp Permanent Blemishes oan his Skin,
needs his Heid Looked!
Something ,wid be No Right , with him.. And Ah am no interested in bringing in a Guy who hiz Heid Problems.
Ah Wid Only Sign A Player…
If
He wiz Two-Footed..
( Huh??..ed )
Ach.. Ah Mean .. if he was capable of being Proficient with Either Foot,whilst manipulating a Football.
Nae Half Baked One Fitters… fur Me.. ( Ur ye Listenin’… Joe Ledley?)
An Wid only sign a Player ..
if.
He could Run Like a Linty..
Aye.. Speed, is the Name of the Game.
Yep, sure Ah wid Hiv High Standards..
And, goes withoot saying, but a wull say it ,Anyway
Fur
Ah am a Guy who strongly believes in the Maxim…
“Mens Sano in Copore Sana.”
and Ah,also, Insist oan the worth of a Player Hivin an Upright Character,
and
being Kind tae Animals..and .. Women, and Wee Weans, tae.
and His Mammy and His Daddy,an awe.
Whit aboot.. HIs Mother in Law?
Ach.. Ah wull Gie Him a Break, there.
Fur wan of Them…He kin Be as Nasty as he wants.
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
Gotta Go,Joe.
Seeya
Belgium has better clubs, nicer women …sorry girls, better restaurants, better beer by a few thousand light years and better drugs than you can get in Glasgow …but where Glasgow trumps all of this is by putting vinegar on their pommes de terre. No debate.
I see BVB won ???? Scheisse.
What was the score ?
30000ftCSC
That BT Sport are showing Marseille v Monaco at 8,it could be a good game.
Raymac/the huddle,
The CST have raised a resolution asking the board to pay Celtic staff minimum wage, you’ll find it on their website
neganon2
14:07
… Then there are others desparately trying to deny that NL was having a go at the Board with his “no help” comment. It isnt complicated – he was complaining that new players hadnt come in on time…
As ever, you pick and choose. The day before, and the day after, he specifically absolved the board and PL from those comments. He did, however, specifically condemn ‘pseudo-intellectuals’ on the internet who disparage the club for no good reason. I know for a fact that I am not alone in thinking that he may have had CQN in mind. I was talking to one ex-Celtic manager very recently who supported both manager and club against your attacks. BTW, where were you last week post-Shaktar? Too busy to post?
The club have spent quite a lot of money recently, started quite well in the league, qualified for Europe and ratified a new agreement with the manager. Which bit of that do you think justifies your persistent criticism?
I pointed out to a fellow supporter last year that James Traynor used your exact wording in an attack upon my (our?) club days after you had yet again complained about our progress. What, exactly, would you have our manager, CEO and Board do to satisfy you?
I have not posted for months partly due to work and family pressures, but mainly due to my disaffection with people like you. Last Wednesday I sat in the old Jungle and tried to ignore two clowns who criticised every player and every pass for just over ninety minutes. They only went silent when we (Celtic) scored. Their main targets were Commons, Samaras and Forrest. They had no time for PL or NFL either. I am glad I don’t usually site beside them; there was no pleasure in listening to their bile.
I’m looking forward to yet another European campaign. I will cheer on the players and enjoy the craic. What will you do?
Hail Hail!
Really excited with the new signings. Virgil from the looks of it appears better than Wilson, early days I know but he comes with a good rep, biton and pukki have been brought in to replace vic and hooper, haven’t got a chance to show us how they perform so whilst I’ll not claim that they will surpass vic and hooper I’ll also not claim they can’t replace vic and hooper, I would normal wait to actually see a player play for the celts to make a comment on his ability. So our big three departures have had their positions filled and in addition we have a further three signings, one who looks like he could really entertain on the flanks and can play up front if need be and further reinforcements at the back and up front. Defo happy with the transfer dealings this window.
Sipsini
If they had called her an apprentice it would be £2.68 -wonder if this is a reason for rise in apprenticeships
I dare say opinions over personnel whether they be happy clapper, or mine shafting are of little relevance from here on out. The squad will remain thus for six months, it’s time to back Lenny and the team and give them our vocal and passionate support. Barca, Milan and Ajax all await and thus there could be an argument that the season was already an outstanding success the moment James’s goal went in on Wednesday. I for one am drooling over the group stages and the exposure the Club and fans will receive is immeasurable.
The team most certainly seems set up now for counter attacking football if you take the pace of Teemu, Derk, Sammi and James into consideration, with Izzy and Adam to contribute too.
Another international break looms, lets trust all our Bhoys return to Lennoxtown unscathed.
Minimum wage – Celtic do pay this; if they didn’t it’s illegal.
The original post was about the Living Wage.
If kojo been chief scout there would never have been the Lisbon lions
Even Messi is starting to look jaded, out with our games I watch an unhealthy amount of football and what I’ve seen so far from all the leagues hasn’t been pretty.
I’m going to have to get a life at this rate, very depressing, my excuses for drinking will be severely reduced.
Twitter.
What SFA and sevco are up to is an absolute disgrace the biggest disgrace is getting away with it . People power can change it , corrupt .
good point about the effect DB will have on JF, JF’s been the lone ranger for while
Canamalar- how many shares is £100 of- I have 125 preference shares and 50 ordinary- but have no idea of their worth
16 roads
Re Dublin and Mayo
I said “may the best team win”
You said
WITS – Hahaha! :)
And there is the reason why everybody else is praying for a Mayo victory!
Such arrogance.
—————————————————————————————————–
can you tell me whats arrogant about “may the best team win”
Rogic hasn’t started 2 games in a row yet? Guys need a decent run in the team before they can be assessed.
tallybhoy – any news ?
Istanbulcelt – forgot to press the effin record button, could you give me a shout if it’s on again
PSG definitely have a squad capable of winning the CL,a don’t rate their manager though.
Dortmund have been excellent thus far.
Italian teams are looking strong again.Milan,Napoli and Juve in particular.
I wouldn’t bet against Juventus winning this season’s CL,a big price at 20/1.
Apart from Celtic obviously,Juventus have been the most impressive team that I have seen so fire.
The English teams are dire.
Living in the love…,
I expect everyone is in agreement, we ha e what we have its now our job to make the best and encourage the best.
Hail Hail
Kojo 1844
It’s a fibta club we’re runnin’ , no’ a convent…
:-)
Paul67 et al
Well, there are players being transferred for £30 million that I have never heard of, so it does not bother me if a player arrives at Celtic without my personal seal of approval. As soon as they are signed though I find out as much as I can. Teemu looks a good signing. He has been at a club which was in Pot 2 of the CL draw. He is an International, and scored against Spain, in Spain, last season and is playing against them again on Friday, so plays at good levels. He wants to be at Celtic, as do others that have signed. That is half the battle.
Re Liam Miller. He breathed in too much Helium, went to his head.
canamalar prays Oscar can do it again
18:33 on
1 September, 2013
Agreed they do not give it a thought but I think it is a narrative worth telling.
I’m not buying the short career argument too much. I worked out once that a guy on £30k a year had to work 40 years to earn £1.2m whereas a player on £25k a week could earn £1.3m in ONE year! then there is work after football so I’m not buying it for a good professional.
With regard to other entertainment forms. If its a singer/group they compete with no one and set a price that fans will buy tickets for or will not if they get it wrong. They and they alone are affected by the price.
Now actors have a bit of horse trading to do in that a good actor will recognise the return from having a star actor in the cast and agree to work for less if it guarantees an audience to pay him at a rate he is prepared to accept. Everybody wins.
But in football the supporting actor equivalent wants more just for turning up with and in so doing pushes up the price of admission. even Messi needs opposition :)and that is where the problem arises.
I think a greater understanding of the interdependent nature of the football industry by all in it and watching it, is required to redress some of the imbalances that have arisen. Ithink we are just seeing the consequences of that imbalance which will right itself in time.
* actors also means actresses in case I’m accused of gender bias.
Celtic is a club that is open to all races, religions, people of different classes, political choices and sexual orientation. If you disagree with another Celtic fans opinion you really need to ask yourself ..why am I supporting Celtic when you are so intolerant ?
When did you personally become a green hun ?
What are you doing supporting the bhoys ?
HH
More importantly I may have scraped out of the relegation zone in the CQN Predictor.
Managed to more than triple last weeks offering, which wasn’t difficult.
Come on CRC, shares in my club/company will double in price.
HH
canamalar prays oscar can do it again
18:16 on 1 September, 2013.
I would be more than happy to buy shares that will help you in your pursuit.
If you get my e-mail add from p67 and guide me on how to acquire the shares, I’m with you.HH
Phyllis Dietrichson
18:49 on
1 September, 2013
Minimum wage – Celtic do pay this; if they didn’t it’s illegal.
The original post was about the Living Wage.
……………………………..
In a nutshell why discourse on here goes belly up (sometimes)
HH
Stairheed..,
Preferential about a £1, ordinary shares 57p quoted on here today
hope this is not true about celtic not paying minimum wage…….
this truely would be embarrassing and must be changed immediately!
Wits – Settle yerself down muchacho.
That was said in jest.
I hope that Mayo wipe the floor with yous though,seriously…
GetOffYerHighHorseCSC.
:)
Paul67
I was sold on Teemu the minute I heard Lenny say that he had a good first touch. The time that can buy….
gene’s a bhoy’s name supporting wee oscar
18:49 on 1 September, 2013.
It’s sad what the young of today are being put through and it’s all hidden.
I got my eyes opened up that day. HH
SpursQN should now be in meltdown – 4hrs 50mins bitching time left for them!
Just lost one-nil (to the Arsenal) – spent £108M on players and RM have just announced Bale has just put pen to paper.
There some people on here and on other forums going on about the board ‘shafting ‘ supporters with the signings and not spending £5/6/7m on 1 player, we are in the £1m-£3m bracket when it comes to players guys worth more just won’t entertain Scotland its a football back water at the minute so buying young and hoping they turn into the players we want is how it has to be for now and on that score we are very successful. I for one will give the new guys a chance before righting them off we might just have got a few gems there was one guy going on about pukki being a dud when the bhoy hasn’t even kicked a ball. HH
Sipsini
Let me know how to get a tons worth of shares and im in too
VP… Lowest common denominator.
You still don’t see the point I was making, and that was to support NL.
I’ve been here since Black Sunday – when did you spring up?
This is opening para of CST resolution on a living wage
Resolution (with Supporting Statement) to be proposed at the AGM of Celtic Plc under the terms of the Companies Act
This AGM instructs the PLC board to take all necessary steps to make Celtic Football Club a Living Wage employer by ensuring that all employees are paid a minimum rate of £7.45 per hour and to upgrade this annually in line with the Scottish Living Wage Campaign recommendations. Celtic FC would become the first football club in the UK to do so and will set an example to both sporting employers and the wider business community in the country.
It can be downloaded (Res 2) from here
http://www.celtictrust.net/?func=d_home_article&id=426