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.
[calameo code=0003901713852289beccb lang=en page=92 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
983 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- ...
- 26
- »
Phylis/rwe..,
Your correct, I sit corrected, the CST are looking for living wage, £7.45 an hour greedy bassas, should have checked my numbers £6.19 is plenty for a charitable organisation such as ours
NASAVoyager2@NASAVoyager29m
For those born since we left: you struggle w 1GB RAM & 64GB iPhones, while we’re still running strong on 16kB & 64MB of 8-track tape memory!
Kojo. Your standard for footballers should be adopted through out the game makes sense to me. H.H.
Ozil to Man Utd?
Kaka to Milan?
Just seen the FB page photos of Teemu Pukki at the TO yesterday meeting the fans :))
Re Minimum Wage
My understanding is all employees of Celtic get paid at least the minimum wage (£6.19ph) the Celtic Trust are requesting that Celtic become the 1st club to sign up to the Living Wage, which is currently £7.45 per hour.
This should be done instantly by Celtic with no need for a motion to raised at agm.
Again, my understanding is there is no employees of Celtic being paid less than minimum wage – that would be illegal.
The Living Wage is an excellent initiative and as someone who employees a few people in the low pay category, I’m proud my wee company bucks the trend in the sector I operate by always paying the Living Wage. Celtic should do likewise.
hh
bjmac
tbj praying for oscar knox
19:11 on 1 September, 2013.
Will do jinky. Just need canamalar to get back to me.
Is dan the man going to goa with you?
Tell him to give me a bell when he’s back. Time we had a blow out.
Sipsin @ 17;45
….. the creation of the celtic triangle is obviously being equated for. Still first and foremost it’s the team on the park that will determine the bank balance. All most fans wanted was a high profile signing (a bum off the seat when he gets possession) The board failed the fans in this.
Absolutely, all Companies have their priorities, Celtic are a Football Club but if they can improve the environment around Parkhead and they can continue Br Walfrid’s vision, that should be a given.
Yet you are correct, at the end of the day it’s playing Football the Glasgow Celtic way, it’s success on the pitch that makes all the other stuff possible.
I posted a few weeks ago after the Dublin Decider that if Celtic played Liverpool in Dublin in the wake of Seville half that crowd would be Green & White, the fact was we had to look at a blanket of Red, speckled in Green and White.
Success on the field is first and foremost what it’s all about, Celtic have a chance once again to show ambition.
Stein had no right to nine in a row, no right to manage the first British Club to win the European Cup, no right at all.
Yet he made it so.
You feel some of our custonians are just waiting for the the return of the Hatefest and the money it de-generates.
Rather than looking at the fact that we’re not playing TFOD six times a year, we’re playing…
Barcalona twice…
AC Milan twice…
Ajax twice…
We can’t monetise THAT????
Hail Hail
bjmac,
Good to see a company that invests in people rather than margins
hail hail
TBJ
I’m in there with you. Let me know how to acquire these shares and I will buy. How you anyhoo??? :))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar
the players going out were unavoidable, agree with your assessment on ones coming in though i think Biton might be a great bit of business. Hooper only came on at home to Benfica midway through 2nd half and he made a massive difference to our threat. Think we are in as good a shape as we could be in the circumstances.
Said on here a wee while ago that, if we let a young lhad go out on loan, it should be to a Belgian club. Looks like we have high hopes for Watt, if he grows up. I hope he likes his frites met.
Off oot to walk the dugs. Shortly guys. :))
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar
stevebhoy
18:48 on 1 September, 2013
You talk a lot of sense in your post. It is depressing to read people baying for the moon, time and time again . By that, I mean the ‘Get Messi Noo !’ brigade. It is probably a good thing for us to have ambitious fans. But the absence of realism is often quite staggering. Celtic don’t have a fraction of the resources of Man Utd.. More to the point we don’t have a fraction of the resources of Hull, Cardiff, Crystal Palace or West Ham.
Finally, and off topic, it’s not the minimum wage Celtic should be paying, it’s the living wage. And if we’re not it’s a scandal.
Snake P
“…Yesterday there were much endeavour with little cutting edge. How many might we have won by yesterday with Hooper up there?
Hypothetical I know but we have no strikers who header the ball with regularity and only Stokes has a record of consistent goal scoring.”
——
Hooper heading goals – aye
Thought that was why he was punted
No Ariel threat there- ever!!
Hope he enjoys the relegation battle at Norwich
Nae offence to a decent Celt but never a great one –
we all move on like before CSC
HH
Parkheadcumsalford
Think you are totally correct. Just as long as Tony stays clear of the Belgain attractions that Aw naw highlighted :-)
Watched a good bit of the epl games today. Saw nothing that celtic would be over awed by.
Over all it was poor fare. Some talented players but united and arsenal will do well to go any further than last 8 in the CL (draw depending)
Gareth Bale will be making around £34.00 per minute, at the ole Royal Madrid.
Allegedly CSC
I said i would reserve judgement on transfer strategy until today.
We got centre halfs, midfielders snd strikers.
Thats what we asked for.
Good enough? Tell you in january.
I am reasonably happy with business to date.
stairheedrammy says cmon oscar @ 18:54
I’m guessing that you may have the original certificates for the shares issued when Fergus turned to the fans for backing. If that is correct then you really have 1250 and 500 respectively as they were split, although new certificates were not issued.
Computershare hold the share register:
http://www-uk.computershare.com/contactus/default.asp?bhjs=1&fla=0
Re Tony Watt -i think recent history is against him -can anyone name a player we have loaned out that came back to command a first team spot.
probablyregretthequestionCSC
Bournesoup- the whole thing is scandalous. €100 million? He aint that good. And i think it will end badly.
Imaginr he does a cruciate in his first training session. Its crazy.
weefra
hope this gives you and mrs weefra a chuckle at this tough time for you
http://www.blameitonthevoices.com/2009/03/chicken-sunglasses.html
tell me you have these
HH
malone
You one of those guys who play chess by post?
Get a move on….you’ve been here from black Sunday? must have missed
you’re post.
Good article Paul.
Enjoyed reading it.
I wonder if Kojo’s favourite Lisbon Lion,.. Big Willie Gemmell, would satisfy all those conditions that our favourite hypocrite now tells us would be his benchmark if he was king & Celtic chief scout.
16 roads – Wee Oscar the Celtic warrior.
18:56 on 1 September, 2013
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.
______________________________
I can see your thinking and Left Right switcharoo to Tam Logic.
Juve will be serious contenders this season IMO, I also think the Celtic will bloody a few noses. Teams get better and better when they are developed, Neil is developing this team just Fine.
Hail Hail
And if you can, let olde acgr know that, if he can, order a room for moi as well.
Aidan is playing at home the next day, and I dinnae want to be constricted by Trains, for a hootenanny.
It will be the first game I ever miss, if I miss it but, IMO, these events are special.
BSR
Gareth Bale will earn more between now and Christmas – than CFC will take in gate receipts for 3 x CL Group Stage games!
RobertTressell
£20,000 a day whilst he’s asleep.
I blame Barcelona CSC
Since the start of this season I have been watching EPL games on TV instead of Celtic games. Entirely unimpressed so far. The gap between Bayern and Chelsea and Bayern and Man City is very noticeable indeed. Two of Englands best.
The EPL also suffers from poor officiating. The wife and bhoy have remarked that more moaning goes on when watching the EPL as compared to watching Celtic. Which surprised me.
So my viewing priorities this year will be
Celtic in Europe
Bundesliga
Primera
And Serie A ….which I feel will make a comeback. How desperate will UEFA be to get an Italian team back to the top of the CL this year ? Watch this space.
HH
TBJ / Weefra, I’ve used this broker and it was a very simple process.
Hargreave & Lansdown Asset Management Ltd.
Tel: 0117 900 9000
http://www.hl.co.uk/
HH
praecepta
He could buy two Fredo’s every second?
I blame Peter Lawell
VP
Do you think I’m waiting by the computer (phone actually) to respond to you. Got better things to do. Away you go and have a bevy, gee us peace from yer…
Saltires…,
When the big ghuy Balde rose to meet a decent cross I was very pleased we have found someone who can jump up and meet the ball instead of the usual jump down :o)
Just need to work on direction and I think he’s got that in him, I expect to see him bang in a few with the mapper this season.
Where did the Bale money go
100 million seems a huge gamble on any player.
But not so much if your government has a history of bailing you out ?
In a country where so many people are unemployed that salary would put many to work.
Nothing against Bale as he is entitled to maximize his talent and reap the rewards.
Surely this model is not sustainable in its present form?
European leagues may come sooner than expected.
the_huddle
Spurs has already spent it
Malone
Have a bevvy??????? I’m getting a bad rep on here.You’re the third person
to say that,though the other two were funnier.
All the best mate ..cin cin.