As the football operation at Celtic enjoys its first break since returning to training in June, focus at the club moves to recruitment. Celtic have been busy renewing contracts throughout the first half of the season, the notable exceptions being Dedryck Boyata and Scott Brown, but reinforcements are needed ahead of the Champions League qualification games, if not the second half of the season.
The biggest area of concern is central defence. Filip Benkovic will (probably) return to Leicester City in June, while Dedryck Boyata will hope to cash-in on last summer’s World Cup appearances before he produces too many like those at Ibrox on Saturday. The Marvin Compper experiment was over before it began, while Jack Hendry has dropped to fifth choice and the fitness status of Jozo Simunovic has to be assessed on a minute-by-minute basis.
That leaves Kristoffer Ajer (20) as the only reliable option for a position that cost us dearly against AEK in August.
There is work to do elsewhere. Right back needs strengthened, we are crucially short of headcount in the striker department and there’s a reasonable chance Scott Brown will move on this summer, but while moves are underway to cover some of these gaps, I would forgo all other positions to get central defence sorted out this month, despite the fact that right now it is the most settled of the positions discussed.
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‘Gers’ have spent the first three days preparing to ‘swoop’ for Charlie Adam
SOUTH OF TUNIS
This consolidation does not make sense if straight profit from these purchases was the goal.
Media revenue is declining rapidly.
Even tv advertising revenue is on a downward trajectory and most newspapers lose money.
But if their purchase is used to create the financial climate for corporations and political agendas that further this then it’s money well spent.
The demonization of trade unions was easy for them and the disparity in wage structure’s are the outcome.
Where the planet is today is the result of a planned strategy.
We’ve got
Go Sober for October
November for growing Beards
and Flowers for the month of May
I feel like instituting CQN abstention for June, August and January because we all go a little mad and forget the reasons the blog was established.
We have various representations of the “What happened to the Seville money?” argument going on today. We have learned little.
I sometimes wonder, on reading posts, if some of you are super high achievers in your careers because you seem to see no reasonable barriers to making easy successful football signings.
It’s as simples as Meerkats in the simplistic world of hindsight.
Every signing a guaranteed winner. Every million overspent will be paid back in Eurobillions due to guaranteed success. Every player will want to come and every club will be happy to sell without even weighing alternatives.
It’s the Big Rock Candy Mountain csc
M6BHOY
I can’t see it, to be honest.
Lawwell is paid an obscene amount to deal with matters such as this.
This is Lawwell’s decision.
When Brendan was raging in the summer with the failed transfer moves, it was Lawwell he was aiming at, not Desmond.
Lawwell also briefed Chris McLaughlin about how unhappy the board were with Brendan for letting the cat out of the bag…why would Lawwell do that if it wasn’t his fault, and why would Brendan take aim at Lawwell if he knew that Desmond was to blame?
Remember that Lenny left because of Lawwell not backing him in the transfer market, after bring in multi millions in player sales.
Lenny didn’t blame Desmond. he blamed Lawwell.
Paul 67
I don’t think you realise the seriousness of what you post.
Because you run a successful blog, people read your opinions.
Lawwell has already had demonstrations against him this season.
If, as I suspect, he has gotten you to post what you did today and the real problem positions are not upgraded significantly and we end up blowing the league, I can assure you that he will not get away with it like he did in the Willo Flood window.
The fans won’t accept it.
He may try to tough it out, however speaking to loads of fellow tims,after the disgrace of the summer window, he is in the last chance saloon with this window.
M6BHOY on 3RD JANUARY 2019 12:43 PM
I find it hard to believe Peter Lawwell and the Board don’t have the authority to approve signing players of relatively low value. If we are appointing a Manager or making a significant signing I would imagine Desmond is given the heads up at least. However for your everyday transaction including signing players for a few million or less, I seriously doubt Desmond needs to be consulted.
Morelos in the clear to carry on
No surprise, no further action for Moelos,
It has been deemed that Beaton saw all incidents, so no retrospective action can be taken.
Hail Hail
Overseas Bhoy
“I thought you had to win the league before thinking abut “reinforcements for the Champions League Qualifiers” – typical arrogance that typifies why we wont win the League this yea”
Do you think that we should NOT be planning for possible Champions League qualification and just wait until the league is secured beyond doubt before thinking about it?
How would such lack of forward planning go down with you and other malcontents? You’ll be the first on to accuse them of daydreaming for the sin of what you are now calling arrogance.
You have to scout ahead and have your list ready for the windows but that is the easiest step in a long and arduous process of actually landing them.
Until one week ago I did not know that a guy called Vakoun Issouf Bayo walked the earth, let alone played professional football so not qualified to comment on his value.
I do have a mate selling a second hand car for £5000 but I am sure he could be persuaded to accept £7000.
Re: Morales – quelle surprise.
Hail hail
JIMMYNOTPAUL on 3RD JANUARY 2019 1:41 PM
No surprise, no further action for Moelos,
It has been deemed that Beaton saw all incidents, so no retrospective action can be taken.
***
Yet, according to the BBC: “In cases of unseen offences of serious foul play and violent conduct, the match referee is no longer asked to provide a statement of opinion.”
So how did the panel know the ref saw them?
i think ill just go about being a bit daft sometimes, see how far that gets me………………………
The gnashing of teeth is weeks away, and whilst not a fan of PL and how he runs or ruins the first team squad, he should at least have till then.
It would be good to get players in asap, get them used to us quicker, but apparently these things take time.
Maybe P67’s article is saying more than it reads, maybe we have a RB lined up for the summer???? or am i still to full of the christmas spirit?
If Paul67 is the voice for Peter Lawell then today’s blog should leave us afraid.
The arrogance of talking about Champions league when we are in a dogfight for the spl and by no means guaranteed to win it.
Is it delusion or deflection?
We have the resources to strengthen the weaknesses in our squad so not to address would be criminal and contemptuous.
Our history in transfer windows under our overpaid CEO suggests we may be let down again.
I hope to be wrong and Brendan is properly backed.
too full
I guess it was Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell who got the compliance officer to declare Morelos not guilty.
After all, they would not want Sevco to miss out on their transfer profits for him as it helps to keep this O** F*** strategy going.
Dead easy this make-up stuff is.
SFTB very droll indeed though i suspect there is some truth in the o** F*** strategy, as heinous as that sounds
Hmmmmm as the founder of this blog used to say.
I don’t know if CQN is used by Pistol Pete as a conduit but articles like this don’t inspire me with confidence.
Yes, we need centre backs. But we also need a right back and a striker. Preferably two strikers.
I’d make a case for another creative winger too.
The team needs these players not just because we are short in those specific positions but because the team needs some new life and energy injected in to it.
I suspect CQN admins will be on their own in thinking a January that brings us only central defenders will be a good window.
The rest of us will be p:::::: off.
It won’t surprise amany on here that Morelos will face no action for 3 desperate red card offences in any other European league.
Celtic need to buy this window and pull away. If we go into April in a league race the level of cheating we will come up against will be on another level altogether.
I am very angry
I suspect we will all come around to Kev.’s way of thinking sooner rather than later…
The fix is definitely in at the SFA, very similar to the honest mistakes season after the Morelos decision.
An absolute disgrace.
Paul67
This is Lawwell’s chance to start earning his obscene income from the club.
Come out against the SFA on this.
Not just a statement on the website, but go to the media and see how far he can take it.
What he should be doing with res12.
This can’t be allowed to rest.
Fan-A-Tic
Why is it arrogance to talk about us winning the league but not arrogance to tell us we will lose the league?
Don’t you have to prepare your planning for both being in the CL qualifiers and not. There is a lot of overlap involved as we started our CL qualifiers on 10th July and Sevco & Hibs started Europa qualifications 2 days later. Even Aberdeen only got to the 26th July before they started.
Is it really arrogance to expect us to finish in the top 4 of the SPFL? The pre-planning is necessary for all top 4 teams.
If Morelos keep getting away with it then it’s a matter of time until someone takes matters in hand on the park.
Sometimes a red card may well be worth it. A smart team might take a succession of yellow cards in meting out the ‘justice’ that the SFA are unwilling to do.
63 Bhoy
I suspect you are wrong.
63BHOY on 3RD JANUARY 2019 1:54 PM
I suspect we will all come around to Kev.’s way of thinking sooner rather than later…
===========
Anyone else trying to imagine the set of circumstances that will lead us to all end up agreeing that Mark McGhee is the man for the Celtic job…
HH
Somebody on here earlier predicting what he would predict in February if Celtic failed to comply with his demands.
This is the stuff of hubris and it reeks of entitlement.
Morales outcome as expected.
Just to help legitimately enraged Celts understand the process.
1. Unanimity required – that means three ex refs, sitting separately in their underpants at their laptops watching BBC Online footage all have to say ‘yeah’.
2. I have it on reasonable (but not iron clad) authority, that the pool of ex refs is very small – single figures – and two of this pool have a serious beef with Celtic to such an extent that they will NEVER sanction a Sevco player.
With those short odds you get this kind of outcome almost all of the time.
Hail hail
63BHOY @ 1:54 PM,
Why Not?! We all know now, that Neganon was right all along;)
Hail Hail
M6BHOY
Meant to also add that Desmond met with Brendan and Lawwell for the two of them to sort out their differences over the shambles of the summer window.
Why would that be the case if the orders on spend were coming from Desmond?
I see the festive cheer has deserted CQN already.
Wit r use awe moaning about CH ‘S fur, McKenna and Biton ( he’s been OOT that long I canny remember if its wan or 2 T’S ) will be our 2 Ch’s v Valencia. Unless Nir is gubbed then Ajer will step in.
Its guys to put the baw in the pokey we need.
H.H
I see Darryl Murphy scored again.
Just saying.
Somewhere within CQN archives, I predicted that we would not be allowed to achieve TIAR. This season’s events and today’s Morales decision have proved me 100% correct. Clearly, there is little we can do about the corruption and cheating inside the corridors of power of Scottish football because these guys are ingrained into the very fabric of the SFA/SPFL.
However, we don’t help ourselves by having the most cowardly, spineless shower of chancers inside our own boardroom. The professional game in Scotland is no more credible than WWE wrestling. Anyone who pays to watch any game in Scotland including those at CP, is being taken for a ride. Time to wake up guys and at least stop going to SFA cup matches. As long as you keep on paying, they’ll keep on cheatin’.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 3RD JANUARY 2019 1:59 PM
Morales outcome as expected.
BTB.
It didn’t, even, get that far.
Beaton was deemed to have viewed all the incidents, therefore nothing was referred to any panel.
It does beg the question, what will happen to Beaton for being so inefficient?
I think we all know the answer his paymasters were delighted with his performance.
Hail Hail
I WANT IT NOW-
https://youtu.be/5wAlQf4WdiE
traditionalist88 on 3rd January 2019 1:59 pm
Anyone else trying to imagine the set of circumstances that will lead us to all end up agreeing that Mark McGhee is the man for the Celtic job…
_______________________________________________________________
At one point Mark looked as if he just might be the real deal. But those days are gone.
Kev also used to tout McNee for some kind of indeterminate role at Celtic.
Now McNee was the Celtic haters’ Celtic hater. He revelled in every misfortune which befell our club and he pursued Billy McNeill and Roy Aitken with a vindictiveness seldom seen in even in the Sottish press.
HH
If the entirely predictable decision at Hampden does not alert Celtic to the need to move quickly and get players in to give the team the best possible chance to blow the opposition away nothing will.
At Pittodrie Aberdeen got a penalty for nothing in a difficult week for Celtic.
Then we had the referee at Ibrox seeing things and letting them go – now confirmed by the decision.
Celtic will get next to nothing from anyone in authority from here on in – we all know it and it is now about countering it.
If you score enough goals, the ref doesn’t matter – then sign some goalscorers to help OE.
FRITZSONG on 3RD JANUARY 2019 2:10 PM
Yeah, long gone alright – I think he started his managerial career in the early 90s and was most recently sacked by Barnet. No problem for our Kev tho!
HH
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 3RD JANUARY 2019 1:56 PM
Fan-A-Tic
Why is it arrogance to talk about us winning the league but not arrogance to tell us we will lose the league?
(Because to play in it you have to qualify by winning your league.
Where did i say we will lose the league?)
Don’t you have to prepare your planning for both being in the CL qualifiers and not. There is a lot of overlap involved as we started our CL qualifiers on 10th July and Sevco & Hibs started Europa qualifications 2 days later. Even Aberdeen only got to the 26th July before they started.
(Of course yo have to prepare.And see below where i state this in my post.)
I said
We have the resources to strengthen the weaknesses in our squad so not to address would be criminal and contemptuous.
Is it really arrogance to expect us to finish in the top 4 of the SPFL? The pre-planning is necessary for all top 4 teams.
(Comparing our pre -planning to other teams with the vast financial disparity in finances?I would hope not.
I never once mentioned finishing in just the top 4 but did say it was arrogant to assume we would win the league.)
overseasbhoy@1:32pm
totally agree.
by the way what does banlier do, is he not pl boss.