08 Jul 2015 13:51:29
ED
Can you answer third question please. I'm really keen to understand your view on this subject matter.
Do you believe that the power brokers at Celtic Park see Celtic in the ECL Group? Do you think they manage the club's financial resources accordingly, IE in support of ECL qualification or do you think they (privately) have lower expectations.
Obviously ECL qualification is fun, but is it a good idea to qualify marginally only to become lambs to the slaughter? I love the idea of ECL qualification and a packed Celtic park on a Wednesday night can be spellbinding, but I have been of the view for some time that we aren't that serious about ECL qualification.hence underwhelming transfer business.
I see the business case for sustainability and keeping one's house in order and not chasing rainbows (at the risk of serious financial peril), but do you think RD will be judged on success (or otherwise) re qualification or will he be judged on player purchases - development and sales and domestic trophy count?
I believe that it will be the latter.over to you ED
{Ed007's Note - I think the that people running our club show a distinct lack of ambition when it comes to Europe and fans have bought into the small club mentality they spin about how we should be grateful to even be in the CL qualifiers.
A club our size with our finances should be looking at either qualifying for the last 16 of the CL or finishing third and dropping down to the EL for an extended run in that. One way or another the realistic aim should be European football after the turn of the year but if Ciftci is the calibre of player we're targeting to play up front I think we'll struggle to make the group stages.
Winning the domestic trophies is our bread and butter and must always be our priority so me personally will judge RD on that, like managers before him he's got one hand tied behind his back when it comes to Europe and it's Perdo that's doing the tying. How far down the list of targets do you think Ciftci is 5th or 6th?
08 Jul 2015 18:27:04
I don't think Ciftci is far down the list of targets, perhaps number 2 after Vossen. We bid for Vossen, did we bid for anyone else? I think the decision to go after Ciftci is down to a combination how well Armstrong and GMS have done and how shockingly strikers bought from overseas have performed in recent years. As stated our bread and butter every year is domestic matters so we need to buy players who we know can handle it physically
{Ed007's Note - How about Sean Dillon or John Souttar to replace VvD? Dillon's Irish so that ticks one of the boxes already and practically guarantees he'd be a success at CFC, we could maybe sell Biton and buy Paul Paton.
After all, look at the how well Armstrong and GMS have done.}
08 Jul 2015 19:13:40
Hardly. I meant it from the point of view of them being big talents in Scotland who earned the right to move to us and have done the job so far unlike many of our foreign signings recently. Ciftci has performed well and is EXACTLY the type of striker we are looking for, more so than any of the other strikers we've been linked with. I'd have preferred Hooper or Vossen but they don't have the same skillset as Ciftci who is more suited to playing up front on his own than those 2. Plus he offers something completely different to Griffiths and Scepovic. Out of interest who do want us to sign instead of Ciftci?
{Ed007's Note - I can't recall you being on here saying Ciftci is EXACTLY the type of striker we need last season, it's the usual guff from some supporters who need to find some excuse for the garbage we sign, give them a chance, wait and see blah blah. I'd rather we didn't sign anyone than sign Ciftci, what about Kris Boyd?}
08 Jul 2015 19:31:24
Certainly agree with the PL brainwash idea. Our ambition and my ambition are two different things. But there's too many just happy to go along with it. I'm fairly happy with the way our club os being run but managers do have their hands tied. When I think there is no need.
Unless anybody has heard different it would actually appear as if Vossen was our no1 target and Ciftci no2. I was hoping for better than both to be honest. Is that as far as our net stretches?
I'm not sure how much our squad has improved, if at all, so far this window.
Janko looks a cracking prospect and a shrewd bosman, but we sold Matthews for £2m and i'm guessing he was on a higher wage.
We've replaced Zaluska. Hopefully Bailly can be an improvement in the GK department.
Boyata. Decent pedigree no doubt but better than Denayer? Man City don't seem to think so and he'll do well to replicate Denayer's first season.
Ciftci or Guidetti? Guidetti for me actually.
We've also freed up Pukki, Balde, Fridjonsson. Sent several players out on loan. Not paying Wakaso and Tonev anymore.
As far as I can see there's plenty room for further investment. And that's just off player dealings. Couple in new sponsorship deals, prospect of increased CL money with what we should be paying out anyway and I am expecting some significant moves. No, demanding.
I was about done with our moneymen. RDs appointment put them right back in my goodbooks. Last summer was a bit of a scramble. Signing players without a manager, 'emergency' loans etc. Getting GMS and Armstrong in jan was good business. I'll say that. But this summer for me was wanting to be a big one. RDs playing style deserves as much quality as we can afford. So why don't we do it?
08 Jul 2015 20:19:58
I was on here a couple of weeks ago saying Ciftci would be a good signing for us and that he was in the Diego Costa mould (obviously not as talented) which is exactly what we need. I always give players a chance as any player who pulls on the green and white hoops should be backed by all Celtic supporters. I prefer to give them a chance on the park before making a judgement and if they perform above my expectations I'll be delighted. Something that seems lost on some Celtic fans who pre judge a player before they've even stepped onto the park and never change their opinions of them no matter how they perform
08 Jul 2015 20:26:44
The difference between winning the SPFL and going qualifying for the CL is what? £10-12m. (before wages)
2 or 3 really good high quality players. We qualify we get more prize money.
Is it really that much to ask that we give it a go? or could we attract the caliber of player required
08 Jul 2015 21:26:04
If the Cifti signing is one of their main targets then in my opinion the board are not really serious about Europe.
I can't for the life of me see how signing a centre forward from a mid table SPL team is suddenly going to transform us into a team capable of qualifying for Europe, let alone holding our own.
The last couple of years has shown that as soon as Celtic come up against teams from outside Scotland, we struggle, even Dukla Prague hit 5 past us.
Ronny may be great at spotting and developing young players, but that doesn't mean we can't get in a bit more quality from time to time.
I don't want us to be just an academy for players to learn their skills before moving to England, I want us to benefit from the work we put into these youngsters, but I want to see the benefits on the park, and not on the balance sheet.
I accept I will probably be shouted down for being unrealistic, and I know we can't throw silly money around, but all I want is for the board to give the manager a chance to improve things slightly year on year, not to go backwards then forward to where we started from.
08 Jul 2015 20:48:04
Like I've said on here before,Lawell to me is ruining all the good work he's done for us over the past few years! Especially the Lennon and deila years! The standard of player and spending has went down every season,while he tries to maintain we're a CL club and we can spend millions on players! Utter crap as far as I'm concerned.CL don't buy strikers for 1-2 million and expect to actually do something in it! I used to think that all he wanted was to get in the CL to coin In the money,now I don't even think he wants us there at all! Do they really think we're giving ourselves the best possible chance with a main striker force of ciftci scepovic and griffiths! I like we griff and he's done well in the SPL,but remember he was close to be shipped out in January! How many wasted millions on mediocre strikers do we have to spend for the penny to drop? I just hate the way my clubs going in recent years! Struggling to match bids from English league 1 clubs! It's just not good enough! If we go out of the CL again this season who on here thinks Lawells times up? What u think ED?
{Ed007's Note - There's not much I can add to that.}
08 Jul 2015 21:45:21
agree gerryc
08 Jul 2015 21:58:52
gerryc: spot on mate, we have moved from being CELTIC, to almost a feeder club to any EPL.
I totally get they have bucket loads of money to throw at average players, but FFS we are Celtic and our history should pull players.
to many want the big bucks and the easy route.
I understand we have to work within our budgets but at least let's spend a few bob over 1 or 2 seasons and get us back to the big CL nights at CP.