We’re getting to that time of the transfer window when clubs with money and who are either underperforming, or who have silverware in sight, often make desperate decisions.
It is a remarkable statement of the times that three Celtic first team players have attracted interest from English Premier League clubs, at valuations that a year ago would appear eye-watering. It’s just as remarkable that we’ve not locked the suitors in a room until they emptied their wallets.
Seven months into the season, five credible Champions League performances and 27 peerless games in domestic football and our 34-year-old goalkeeper attracts a higher bid than would be achievable by any player at a Scottish club other than Celtic.
Not that I’m agreeing with all this ‘What we have we hold’ business. Every playing asset has a price, to borrow a regular CQN phrase from 2005.
I hear Peter Lawwell was spotted earlier buying tickets for tonight’s showing of T2 Trainspotting for himself, Brendan, Craig, Erik and Moussa. “Unreal” wage offers can turn a player’s head. Better get them to the movies with their phones switched off.
586 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- »
A Ceiler Gonof Rust on 1st February 2017 1:57 am
Deal!
Happy that Between Celtic and big Moussa we managed to totally mash their transfer deadline day pish, and that of the Scottish hun press. Its about time we told these EPL fuds that our talent needs to be bought at the market price, however stupid that market is.
Well done Celtic, Well done Brendan and well done the big chap ripping the pish oota them all on the day trip to London.
Poor show from Red Bull not spending some of their Billions of pounds of dosh on the wee Ibrox Tim.
Iz it coz he eez blik, or is it coz he’s not very good…………………..:_)
Huns can just move along to oblivion.
KITALBA on 1ST FEBRUARY 2017 1:57 AM
Macjay:
Thats me googling again , mate.
:-)
Kit, hope you are well bruv. I still have a wee special bottle for you which I will give you personally when we meet.
Until then, look after yourself and keep on being a mental Tim.
Off to figure out the best way to cut tiles without a tile cutter and the easiest way to tell my boss to piss off and that I’m heading off to one of his clients.
A fun filled day then a night at Paradise.
HH Celtic men and wummin
Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón’.
Gotcha
Non agression pact.
Macjay:
“Non aggression pact.”Germany v Austria – World Cup 82….
And don’t worry about Peter Lawwell, apparently he is sitting up in bed, taking fluids and recovering well after his ‘Damascus Road experience’. He is quoted as saying God had a word in his ear, something about the ‘Lisbon experience’ and how global faith would benefit from a repetition.
A CEILER GONOF RUST:
Who knows, maybe, “Insha Allah”, I might even see you in Lisbon. Maybe.
KITALBA on 1ST FEBRUARY 2017 2:21 AM
I just worry P.L. might leave.
:-)
Our Celtic are generally in good hands , I feel.
Brendan has been the saviour.
MACJAY1:
He has just come back from Damascus, let him rest.
Hot off the Aussie press ( well, maybe during my lunch hour) my thoughts on The Wolf and the window closing. Please share and enjoy.
https://stayinguplateblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/01/window-closes-as-the-wolf-stays-in-paradise-victory-for-brendan/
Macjay:
Do you think there is any truth in the story that the Celtic Trust has presented Peter Lawwell with a pure white shirt from Gesta Romanorum?
If true it might explain a lot.
KITALBA on 1ST FEBRUARY 2017 3:00 AM
I heard it was a toom tabard , mate.
Macjay:
Aye, and some are saying it was a tight fit.
Kit
Nice one.
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/moussa-dembele-tweets-to-tell-celtic-fans-he-s-not-leaving-1-4354320
You got there first.
Congrats , mate.
STAYINGUPLATE on 1ST FEBRUARY 2017 2:45 AM
Hot off the Aussie press ( well, maybe during my lunch hour) my thoughts on The Wolf and the window closing. Please share and enjoy.
https://stayinguplateblog.wordpress.com/2017/02/01/window-closes-as-the-wolf-stays-in-paradise-victory-for-brendan/
Clogher Celt
May Rod Docherty rest in peace.Prayers said in support for you at this time.
HH
Kitalba
I would have atchison on bench again
I think he has the luck bout him
His First touch was a goal and he got fouled for the penalty, hopefully he will get longer run tonight.
I read your view on kris, on coming back from hearts game brendan said he was injured when the reporter asked him bout a loan move.
Hope your keepin the fight up
HH
AN TEARMANN:
No disrespect to the boy but I think Aberdeen are going to go for it and in doing so get physical. I don’t think it would be fair to Jack Aitchison to be subjected to that just yet. I’d be more comfortable with Nadir Çiftçi being put into the mix and maybe earning some of his wages.
God forbid Scott Sinclair gets a sore one when we need him most.
————————————————————————————————————
Martin Hardy The Independent, Thursday 19 July 2012:
Scott & Martin Sinclair: Brothers in arms – a tale of courage
The brothers have both been picked to play football for GB. One is a Premier League star, the other is a Paralympian. Martin Hardy meets an inspirational pair
Scott Sinclair answers quickly. He has to. Beating his brother Martin to the punch is not easy. Scott is the Premier League footballer with the world at his feet. Martin is the older brother; sharp, bright and driven. Eight years ago, Martin was at the top of a slide. Seconds later, he was at the bottom. “Oh, I’m the more proud brother,” says Scott. “Definitely.” And for once, Martin struggles for words.
In most families this would be Scott’s moment. Having moved to Chelsea from Bristol Rovers as a youngster, he was loaned out six times during his five years at Stamford Bridge, starting just five Premier League games for Chelsea in that time. Then came Swansea and 35 goals in two seasons. When Stuart Pearce was formulating a young Olympic squad with the burgeoning talent to go further on the international stage, the name of 23-year-old Scott Sinclair seemed obvious. He was in – only his brother had beaten him to it.
Martin had been playing in a park as a teenager when he came off a slide. “For everything a reason,” he smiles. Hearing that alone should dispel much of any smouldering cynicism that exists for the forthcoming Olympic Games.
It was not an average fall.
The ball and socket had come out of his hip. He was not x-rayed. For two weeks, in agony, his mum and dad stretched him out, believing the initial diagnosis, that it was a pulled ligament.
He paid a huge cost. For the next three years, Martin was confined to a wheelchair. “It was two weeks [before the proper diagnosis],” he says. “I was supposed to have an operation on my hand. When I went into hospital in a wheelchair they decided to x-ray my hip as well.
“I had a hip replacement at 21, so in total I was in and out of hospital for eight years and I was in a wheelchair for three and a half years.”
It is a crushing story. Or at least it could have been. Martin had been born with cerebral palsy but it had not deterred his footballing ambitions. Nor did his fall.
“I was diagnosed at birth but I didn’t really know I had a disability when I broke my hip and my cerebral palsy and my muscle tone took over and my leg went shorter,” he says. “It didn’t help when I was misdiagnosed.
“Now I’ve got a three-inch raise. It’s like a platform so I feel a bit like Buffalo Bill going down the street! I just wanted to play football anyway and now I’ve got the opportunity.”
The professional footballer, the younger brother, puts it into context.
“It must have been so hard for him at the time when he was in the wheelchair and he couldn’t play football and was seeing me and my little brother playing. It kills you to think about what he went through. I don’t think I’ll ever really know mentally how he coped with that, I could only really see it from the outside. I’m just so proud of what he’s done and what he’s been through.”
Scott and his younger brother Jake (17 and now at Southampton), played on, smashing mirrors in the family home of their parents. Martin was determined to play again.
His chance came when Scott was at Plymouth (on loan) and Ian Holloway was in charge. “He said I could have a role coaching football in the summer with football in the community and then that’s when I found out there was a disabled side,” says Martin. “It was a real breakthrough. Not straightaway but a year later it was.”
They still looked to each other for support. “Scott kept me going when times were hard, he kept visiting me in the hospital. He’s a great brother. He’s always there for me, always phoning.”
And Scott’s take on things? “Martin keeps me level headed, he keeps my feet firmly on the floor. If I’m having a hard time, if I’m not scoring, it helps that I realise it’s not all about me. I just have to talk to my brother and he just puts my situation in perspective.With the pressures of football, not scoring seems like the end of the world but one phonecall to my brother puts things in the right place.”
The support worked. As Scott was flourishing in the Premier League at Swansea, an England scout was watching Martin. He was picked for his country. Then came the Olympic call. For three months he goaded Scott.
“I started giving him banter as soon as I was selected in April,” he says. “I kept asking him what it was like to be sweating on a place. But it was a proud moment for the Sinclair family when Scott was selected as well. I never thought I would be in this situation eight years ago when I broke my hip, so it’s a great effort from both of us.”
There are nine and a half days to the start of the Olympics when the Sinclairs tell their story, on the eve of Great Britain’s friendly with Brazil at the Riverside Stadium. They are in the drawing room, in the plush surroundings of Rockliffe Hall, the sumptuous spa hotel that sits next to Middlesbrough’s training ground.
Scott is wearing a taut, white Olympic t-shirt. Martin is sat beside him, in a red, white and blue Olympic tracksuit top. There is occasional, playful teasing from Martin. He hunted out Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs to sit with in the canteen, rather than be next to his brother.
“I’ve seen him enough!”
The poignancy comes from Scott.
“I’m so proud of him. He’s been through so much in his life. Being in a wheelchair for two or three years after breaking his hip and then being misdiagnosed by the doctors was a lot to go through, but he still managed to battle through it. He’s had such a tough time. This is his story. I’m happy to take the second seat here. It’s all about my brother and what he’s been through. I’m just so happy for him. It’s nice for him to take the spotlight and be able to tell his story to everyone.”
Martin adds: “It’s the first time two British brothers have taken part in the Olympics and Paralympics. That makes it more special. Everything happens for a reason. Had I not broken my hip, I probably wouldn’t be in the Team GB Paralympic football team.”
Humbling.
Any Celtic supporter still smarting at the club missing out on specific targets should remember that even the richest clubs in the richest leagues can struggle to finalise deals where the target is happy where he is and his club does not want to sell.
Just ask Chelsea.
Clogher Celt –
Thoughts with you on your sad loss.
Good morning friends and Happy Matchday from a damp and slightly drizzly East Kilbride
All good in the hood at Parkhead.
Well done to all concerned.. Maybe money is not everything afterall.
HH. COYBIG, inta they Sheepies.
Clogher
My sincere condolences on your terribly sad news. May perpetual light shine upon Rod.
I’ve been extremely busy so may well have missed it, however, how genuine was the Dembele to Chelsea story? I know Brendan spoke about Gordon but I’ve not seen anything from either club officially referring to Moussa.
Good morning CQN from a damp, dull and mild East Devon.
Let’s pump the sheep tonight.
Never knew the Chinese transfer market is open to mid February.
Maybe some EPL clubs will get a taste of their own medicine.
HH.
HAMILTONTIM on 1ST FEBRUARY 2017 6:34 AM
This proves nothing either way , but it suggests there was some truth in the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvz8qUf8Qu0
HT –
My thoughts, for what they are worth, are that earlier in the window, Chelsea made an official enquiry about the availability of Moussa. Celtic said he was not for sale. On that basis, I doubt very much if a fee was even discussed.
Later, someone at Celtic, maybe Peter Lawwell, when asked the question, what would it take for Celtic to sell, mentioned £40m.
The media latched onto this figure and began to report it as “Celtic’s asking price”. Yesterday, both Sky Sports and the Daily Mail were very active in pushing the “Dembele to Chelsea” story, with regular updates throughout the day. The reported bid varied from £40m to £34m then £25m as the deadline loomed. One news outlet even went as high as £47m, which says it all really.
I suspect that Chelsea opened deadline day with one last attempt to get Celtic to talk money, but they were again rebuffed and that was that. I don’t believe an official offer was made.
Basically, the media were not only pissing into the wind, they were pissing into the dark.
All just my considered opinion of course.
HAMILTONTIM ..
Italian churnalists have Dembele being Conte’s third choice behind these two –
Domenico Berardi ( Sassuolo )
Andrea Belotti ( Torino ).
Sassuolo publicly said no to Juve , Real Madrid , Chelsea and Arsenal — 25 million euros not being enough .(allegedly )
Torino want at least 50 million for Belotti — fabulous player — there’s a queue – Juve, Bayern , Arsenal , Real Madrid , Barca, Manchester City , Manchester United and Chelsea . The player has publicly stated that he would love to work with Conte.– built like a tank , serious pace . !!!
HAMILTONTIM:
The story originated in France and the journalist who broke the story and Lequipe are standing by their reporting.
Lequipe:
As expected, French striker Moussa Dembélé (20) will finish the season at Celtic Glasgow, despite a big offer from Chelsea.
As we told you earlier on Tuesday , Chelsea was strongly interested in the coming winter the French international striker hopes Celtic Glasgow Moussa Dembélé, under contract until 2020. The Blues have made an offer of 40 million Books(sic ?) (46.7 million euros) to try to convince the Scottish club, but the latter refused. Dembélé did not want to leave either. Passed by the PSG training center, the 20-year-old, who scored 20 goals and 5 assists in all competitions this season, will finish with Brendan Rodgers.
As a reminder, Dembélé had joined Celtic this summer after leaving Fulham. The Scottish club had only paid the training allowances to the Cottagers (0.5 M €).
Did it actually happen…. it is academic for the next few months.
It has often been said that it is unwise to predict the future, however I think that there is going to be goals galore in tonight’s game.
The Sheep are going to be dangerous on the attack with McGinn,Rooney, Jack and Hayes.
Celtic as we all know are arguably one of the most potent attacking teams in the British Isles, with or without LG and Moussa in the first eleven.
We need to play at between 85 – 100% on form to win this game comfortably.
Also I would like to think that Ryan Christie won’t be permitted to play against us.
Should be a great game of football hopefully.
HH.
Macjay/AT/SOT/Kit
Thanks lads. My reading of the situation is that really there’s been nothing of any substance to this unlike the Gordon to Chelsea story which was a genuine bid.
16 Roads –
Ryan Christie is not available for Aberdeen tonight under the terms of his loan contract.
La Mousse
http://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/news/antonio-conte-blunt-response-asked-12537507
In nineteen hundred and eighty six
There’s not much for a chippie or swinging a pick
And you can’t live on love,on love alone
So ya sail cross the ocean,away cross the foam.
To where you’re a Paddy,a Biddy or a Mick
Good for nothing but stacking a brick
And your best mate’s a spade and he carries a hod
Two work horses heavily shod.
Oh I’m missing you
I’d give all for the price of a flight
Oh I’m missing you
Under Piccadilly’s neon.
Who did you murder,are you a spy?
I’m just fond of a drink helps me laugh,helps me cry
So I just drink red biddy for a permanent high
I laugh a lot less and I’ll cry till I die.
All ye young people now take my advice
Before crossing the ocean you’d better think twice
Cause you can’t live without love, without love alone
The proof is round London in the nobody zone.
Where the summer is fine,but the winter’s a fridge
Wrapped up in old cardboard under Charing Cross Bridge
And I’ll never go home now because of the shame
Of a misfit’s reflection in a shop window pane.
Moore Christy.
Marvellous.
HH.
La Efe.
http://owngoalnigeria.com/2017/02/01/scottish-fa-efe-ambrose-confirms-move-to-blackburn-rovers-is-done-but-subject-to-approval/