Celtic Banter Archive September 02 2013

02 Sep 2013 21:37:37
We thought Thomas Cook used to rip us off, well the new travel partner is Thomson and they are charging £335pp for a day trip, flights and transfer to Milan. Ticket to be charged on top of this. Can't Agree

This is the way of the world now and I don't agree with it but what a small price to pay when we once again we make Europe stand up and say wow I didn't see that coming. mark

02 Sep 2013 20:23:41
Hi ed, might be a silly question but I see on tv that sevco have registered nicky law today, is that not the same as a transfer? didn't all players need to be registered by sat night? {Ed007's Note - Law was a free agent.}

02 Sep 2013 19:46:37
Marius Zaliukas? I know it stinks of desperation but we are pretty desperate for defensive cover. Stevie

Don't think that's not such a bad shout .is he free?
Cha67

02 Sep 2013 18:39:45
Mathew Upson any1, wages maybe high {Ed007's Note - He has signed for Brighton.}

Oh we'll ha, surely there's a young centre half coming through in the mould of Kennedy or McManus a Scottish bhoy that ain't scared to go in where it hurts

02 Sep 2013 18:11:29
God it's international week . The most mind numbing waste of time ever . Internationals should be played on Wed so we can get back to the real stuff on a Saturday . DH

Hate International Football and just hope we don't pick up any injuries.
It's nearly a fortnight 'til we play Hearts and we needed to get some momentum going and give the new signings time to settle before the CL games.

JJ

02 Sep 2013 15:38:06
Does anyone know if the Charity match will be televised live on Sunday.

Tommytic

Aw get to it miserable ar$e LOL
Tambhoy

02 Sep 2013 15:02:31
If there's a chance Forster might leave then we can kill 2 birds with one stone, goalkeeper and striker.

Step forward Mladan Petric! A chap who has a decent goalscoring record and very "streetwise" on the European scene.
But is addition, read this and you'll see he can compete between the posts too:

"In the final moments of Basel's UEFA Cup group-stage match versus AS Nancy-Lorraine on 23 November 2006, Petrić was installed in goal after Basel's keeper Franco Costanzo was sent off for a foul on Nancy's Issiar Dia and the team had already made all three substitutions. The foul resulted in a penalty kick that gave Nancy the final chance for an away victory, but Petrić was able to make a save and stopped the penalty kick taken by Mickaël Chrétien, helping his team to drive home one point with a 2–2 draw."

Not bad, eh? lol

Hail Hail
ChrisBhoy

02 Sep 2013 14:07:58
Rumour has it Celtic are a selling club!.

Fact not rumour. I've taken my time digesting what all this transfer window mayhem has been all about.

Firstly we sold the spine of our team before we achieved CL qualification, big mistake, we barely made it through. There were a lot of squeaky bums around paradise last week worrying.

I think we can all agree that from now on we will lose one, two or possibly even three of our best players in each summer transfer window and these players will be replaced with "potential stars". The board have shown their hand, Celtic FC as a team are regressing and it is acceptable to those at the top table

Can we take positives from this window. Yes we can.

1) We made huge profit on the sale of 3 players.
2) We eventually got rid of bench warmers like mcCourt et al.
3) We have freed up huge amounts in the monthly payroll (maybe Ed 007 can hazard a guess at what wages we have saved).
4) We didn't panic buy at the last day like Miku, lassad etc.

Negatives:-

1) we failed to secure any of our top targets.
2) We lost our 3 best players.
3) We took a huge gamble selling before we had CL qualification in the bag.
4) Our manager has remained stump as regards our lack of a marquee/top target signing.
5) We have struggled to beat ICT and just barely beat Dundee Utd. Now our stars are paid more per week that most of these lesser teams earn in a month.
6) There is no one in the current Celtic squad to excite the crowd.
7) WE are in the CL group of death and we mightn't even make it into the EL after Christmas.
8) The board have shown that they don't give a flying **** about what the fans think or want.

So where do we go?. I think it is high time we showed the board of Celtic PLC that we the supporters are Celtic not them. We are. The ordinary Joe Soap who's arse fills the parkhead seats. We laughed at the Sevco's fans when they were warned about Charles Green and Craig Whyte. We derided them for their lack of a coordinated fan based action group and now look where they are.

Plan of Action:-

We must channel our Anger and disappointment at the board without effecting the team. I suggest we boycott all contact with Celtic on a given day, that includes all phone calls, emails, super store or online purchases for one day. We must do this in a co-ordinated fashion. It's high time we took back the ownership of Celtic football Club from the PLC. You can have your share price, balance sheet and profit and loss account but without us you have nothing.

I'll get dogs abuse for this I know, I'll be called a sevconian, not a true supporter etc, but the rot has to stop, as the manis street preachers sing, "if you tolerate this then your children will be next".

No one is asking for miracles, we just want a happy medium, a football team that is progressing and we want respect from PL and the board.

I don't know about your children being next but if you ain't a deady its time to take me away

(good news for you is that your grandkids will be Celtic supporters

Dannybhoy

You have stated a few things other people have raised in the last 48 hours and they got snash and criticism too, so don't worry.
The poll set up by Ed007 regarding the transfer activity currently shows 71% of fans are not happy with our dealings so you are not alone and I would think Neil Lennon would have been one of the 71% if you listen to his interviews.
I obviously do not know all the ins and outs of our bids over the past few weeks but a few of the players tipped to join never materialised for one reason or another and the windae is shut!
However. we have to wait and see how the new additions to the team performs domestically and in the CL and then decide the merits or folly?

JJ

I'm getting tired of this fashionable "spine of the team" term. It's an absolute nonsense. Sick of hearing it. Guess we're a squad with several spines then. What if Forster, effe, broony and stokes had been sold? Would that be a spine?
Selling a guy from forward midfield and defence is more clever than selling three from the same position. Three forwards, three defenders, so get a grip.
We sold three and brought in six.

I think we all need to calm down! Very few players remain with a club long term anymore so stop bemoaning the fact that we are a selling club and start celebrating the fact that we don't lose our top players to english clubs for a pittance anymore and remember when you are slagging the board that a lot of these guys put their money where their mouths are to a far greater extent than a lot of us can, as for boycotting anything to do with my club - get lost! Faithful through and through! cb

1. The Players we sold wanted to leave.
2. We tried very hard to sign players and several knocked us back.
3. We have a wage structure we won't break. (Quite Rightly IMHO).
4. Throughout our History, Expensive players haven't worked in many occasions - Bellamy; Keane; Graveson; Stuart Slater etc etc.
5. you need to give a player at least Six months before you decide if they are any use - how people can slate Balde an Myakolo already is beyond me.
6. We are still recovering from Mowbary in Financial terms. To a certain extent Martin O'Neill.
7. We spent £10 Million.
8. Finaboggson didn't sign get over it!!!

In my opinion, considering all the parameters involved, it was a pretty good transfer window and we are in no way being ripped off by the board.

HH

Well put HH. You summed that up well. Its time to forget who we didn't get and give our support to those we have. If the squads a bit light, hopefully Chalmers. Fraser. Twardzik etc. can pad it out a bit. Jonbhoy

Thanks for the replies lads (exc Dannybhoy), I think we've been too calm, that's our problem, we have lots of broken promises from the board, look at the players who we have missed out on, Fletcher, Bellamy, Rhodes, La Fondre, Long etc. The list goes on. We can say the board tried, but how hard did they try. We are celtic, we are an institution, Outside of financial rewards what more could a player want for (ok maybe a better standard league). We need a goal machine for Europe, maybe we have one already, maybe AF would have been a flop but is it not better to try and fail than not try at all. I never said the board were ripping us off, they take us for granted though. I realise that the millionaire shareholders have put their hands in their pockets but that does not make them any greater than the fan who begs borrows and steals for his season book money. How many of them board members stood in the Jungle. How many supported as Rangers cheated to nine in a row? I want a hell of a lot more from the Club than we are getting. No one fears coming to Celtic park anymore. ICT, Aberdeen, Ross County they all fancy their chances. I do agree with a lot of your replies I just don't have a solution to the current impasse. Maybe I've been spoiled seeing Tommy Burns, Paul McStay, John Collins, Stubbs, Di Canio, Cadette, PVH, the King, Lubo, Petrov etc play. There's no one in the current squad that excites the crowd anymore.

Well your a complete joke badbhoy for you are a servco and are just trying to rally people which your own fans can't. We have the best board and club in the buisness and just because you say some facts to try and prove your a tic is nothing. To say no one fears coming to Celtic park is sooooo off the mark and shows you know nothing as the top clubs in Europe(cl for you fans that don't know the competition) fear coming to paradise as many have said that. Not even a nice try for no one listens to you and you thoughts are of no importance and of a complete joke! So go on to something else and make up a new name to agree with yourself.

@7 You see Badbhoy it's what is called supporting the team, good or bad, we have spent in the region of £10 million in this window, I am 61 year's old and can remember what it was like before my hero Jock Stein came believe me those time's were hard to take but I and many like me were there, why because we love the Celtic, alway's have alway's will. When I read your post I was going to tell you to take your face for a $hite,
but it appear's to me you just need a cuddle. Hail Hail
Tambhoy

02 Sep 2013 13:31:12
Hello there people I am a Milan supporter who lives in Scotland and I was wondering if Celtic would sell away tickets to away fans at their own office. What price would it be for 2 tickets. I can't find it anywhere. tried to call ticket desk and all lines were busy. If anybody could let me know I would appreciate it. Tough gropu for Celtic but it is a tough group for Milan as well. Thanks guys.

02 Sep 2013 18:07:50
The club should keep a few away tickets at the club. They are obliged to give 2500 tickets to Milan I think. Phone the ticket office. I think they would be 45 circa

02 Sep 2013 12:54:31
Reading some comments this week on this site has been a bit worrying in terms of fans having an almost thirst for the board to spend IMO ridiculous amounts of money we don't need to spend. We talk about rangers over spending for the lower leagues but forget we have spent another 10million to compete in the scottish premiership. I know we have Europe and its important we don't get embarrassed but look it may only be 6 games we are talking about and big transfers don't always buy you results in Europe, just ask man city about that. Stick with the players we have bought and forget the ones we didn't. Lots of you will tell me we have sold big players for big transfer fees so we should spend big but what happens if we buy more ready made players and teams pick them off after a season and we need to replace them and get even better calibre, even bigger transfer fees etc. That mindset is a slippery slope to bad financial management and following the rangers way of chasing something we cannot sustain in our country. We must continue to buy young and raw talent from all corners if the globe at low values and work with them for x amount of years with the goal of turning over huge profit on resale. Maybe we should take our own advice about not chasing lions.

Right on OP! agree 100%

No one's demanding a £10m-plus signing. No one's demanding we spend our income. All we ask is one signing to show intent and lift morale within the support (and squad based on Commons comments) - I think Alfie Finn would have provided this.

To say spending £10m when we brought in roughly £60m with another £15m-plus in the kitty is far from "a slippery slope to bad financial managerment" in my opinion!

HamiltonBhoy

When you put it like that. "10million to compete in the scottish premiership" it does seem OTT

A lot of my frustration stemmed from us selling three top players before we had even qualified for the CL - a tournament that we apparently need to be in the group stages every year to balance the books. The road to qualification was too close for comfort and our manager said it was his best achievement in football so take from that what you will.
I think he was stating he conjured up a mini miracle considering his hands were tied behind his back.
The Board do take liberties with Lennon compared to other managers and you can see his frustration at having his CL squad of last season dismantled and being left without a 25/30 goal striker for the first time.
We are paranoid about finances and debt management but if we keep selling our best players and replacing them with unknown youngsters it will eventually be our undoing financially.
Yes we have discovered some fine talent, but we have also landed a few bingers.

JJ

There's not many teams in the world that will pay close to 10m on players competing in a league that's prize money is less

02 Sep 2013 12:29:45
Hi guys not posted I while. Just wondering if anyone could post a list of actual transfers in and out please
ParadiseAndy

IN: Balde, Virgil, Mouyokolo, Boerrigter, Biton, Pukki, Oberschmidt (loan).

OUT: Lassad, Murphy, Rogne, Wanyama, Keatings, Thomson, Hooper, McGregor (loan), Wilson, Irvine (loan), McCourt + Watt (loan).

HamiltonBhoy

OK upon posting I noticed someone already has done this. He's a bit of a donkey for slating the players imho I'd give them time to gel and my full support
ParadiseAndy.

Let's just clear things up here. It was myself who posted.

It's a mix of personal opinion based on the first 3 or 4 games we've seen of the players and/or what I've heard or read on different message boards, social networking sites, in the pub discussion, etc.

Balde: Raw - Lennon's words, not mine.
Virgl: Mixed reviews, more a MF than DF - What I've seen of him and what I've heard/read.
Mouyokolo: Not even SPFL standard - Looked off pace in both SPFL + Europe, again what I've seen and what I've read.
Boerrigter: 2 starts, off injured both games - Fact.
Biton + Pukki: Judgement reserved - Until we see them play it's a no comment.

I don't think that's a harsh criticism given there really. I'll review my opinion over the next month again.

HamiltonBhoy

02 Sep 2013 12:24:15
I posted a message the other day regarding Lennon feeling let down by the board from this transfer window. I just came across an interesting piece on the news now page in which Lenny mentions the tension between him and the board regarding qualifying for the champions league and his transfer targets. At the end of it he explains when any manager loses his star striker he wants to replace him with a 25 goal experienced forward not always potential! I like all Celtic fans want pukki to be a success I really feel the management wanted more in to really push on in the group stage. Hail hail

02 Sep 2013 09:28:20
Ed, Why do you think that Tony Watt has been sent out on loan. I feel that we need him. JK {Ed007's Note - He will have been sent out on loan as far away from the Glasgow goldfish bowl as possible. It will allow him to get his head down and concentrate on his football.}

It will give the boy Atajic a chance of a few more games hopefully.mark

It's a shame he started to believe his own publicity and thought he was a 'made man'. In my opinion we could do with a pacey striker to change a game and he could have done a job if he wasn't as fond of the 'socialising'.

JJ

Watt's interest in socialising and his "look at me, aren't I a great fella" attitude are the scourge of young footballers.
Part of the problem is they are surrounded by hangers-on who tell them they're great, they read the papers which tell the whole world they're great and they look in the mirror and think they're great themselves, and all because they do one or two things on the pitch that are particularly good.
A club and it's coaches can only do so much to keep them on the right road but the truth is that some of them are flawed, just like the rest of us, and they may never get over their own hype.
Watt has the ability to be very good but it will only happen if he can control his behaviour. No-one can do that for him. If he doesn't sort himself out then he'll join a long list of players who have fallen by the wayside.
Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States once said, "the world is full of educated derelicts." The football world is no different. There are many young players who have the technical ability to be great but they lack the mental ability to allow it to happen.

Hail Hail
ChrisBhoy

02 Sep 2013 00:51:23
Ed007 -noticed on Banter 3 (31st) a comment regarding nutty Walt getting carried down staircase etc. I saw the name Tiny tim. Not me as I am TinyTim (one word two caps). Sometimes can't sign in from iPad when in Singapore. Great site though, keep up good work. TinyTim {Ed007's Note - Sorry about that mate. If you can't log in just use your e-mail tag and I will know it is genuinely you.}

02 Sep 2013 10:28:03
Right let's look at it. I reckon van Dijk will turn out to be better than Wilson. Pukki going by minutes on the park has a goal ratio similar to Hooper and in a superior league. And if Biton turns out well then that's Wanyama taken care of. Hopefully it all pans out and it'll be the last 16 again.
KennyBhoy77

I think the players brought in were nowhere near Lennon's wish list and we have sold 3 experienced CL performers and brought in a bit of a 'lucky dip' ensemble.
Balde looks like a taller Bangura and Mouyokolo is unproven after injury.
Biton is unknown to me so I don't have anything to go on; - as for replacing Vic - he doesn't have the physique.
Van Diyk and Boetigher should be fine apart from the big forwards injury problems and Pukki should be the best of all with what I have read.
The squad is now complete unless we pick up a free agent? So they have 2 weeks or so to get settle in before our next game and then we will see?

JJ

02 Sep 2013 09:42:06
Before celtic signed them, nobody had heard of wanyama, Hooper, Wilson and actually 99% of the players we ever had. So nobody has heard of the 6 New players, coming to celtic can make a player so let's see what happens. So far so good I'd say.
Yorkiebhoy

Goes the same for Bangura, Juarez, Lassad, Gershon and Miku. Unknown players are hit and miss and so far Balde is shaping up to be a 'miss' - pun intended. But I sincerely hope the others really establish themselves and become part of a successful team.

JJ

Good reply to all the negativity going on. We have to be realistic, a lot of the players we went for did not want to play in SPL, nothing against Celtic or our management group including PL and the money was probably good. The CL games were not enough to entice them. We still made some moves and what's done, is done so let's move on and get behind the players in the hoops now.

02 Sep 2013 09:45:25
So that's the window well and truly shut.

IN: Amido Balde (raw), Virgil (mixed reviews, looks more a MF than DF), Mouyokolo (not even SPFL standard), Boerrigter (2 starts, off injured both games), Biton + Pukki (judgement reserved).

OUT: Lassad, Murphy, Rogne, Wanyama, Keatings, Thomson, Hooper, McGregor, Wilson, Irvine, McCourt + Watt.

I really struggle to see how anyone can say we've strengthened. It's beyond me! We're short in goals if Forster leaves today/tonight, we needed an experienced CB - not one for the future and a person, we needed competition for Izzy @ LB, we've got a basement bargain replacement for Vic and two strikers we spent £4.8m on rather than the one every fan wanted.

Overall a poor transfer window, which is becoming the norm for Celtic. The only winner here is the bank balance - £20m-plus in transfers, last year's CL money, this year's CL money, ST sales, new merch sales, etc.

Surely I'm not the only fan who feels this way?!

HamiltonBhoy

I would not class you as a fan at all with your negative views, for christ sake give the new guys a chance.

As for the players out how many of them (apart from the big 2) where regulars?

Wages freed squad improved in the big league again and all you can go on about is the bad things

Faithful through and through
Dannybhoy

Why would you not class me as a fan DannyBhoy? Because you don't agree with my opinion of the transfer window?

As for regulars, 3 - possibly 4. Wilson, Wanyama + Hooper were 3 of the first names on the team sheet. I'd also class Rogne as a regular as well considering he played around 20 times last season.

I will be supporting Celtic whether the signings are there or not, albeit I won't be giving them another penny for merch. However, I feel we've been let down in this transfer, and it's not for the first time, nor will it be the last under the current regime.

HamiltonBhoy

I will give you the 3 (rogne was made of glass so I don't count him)

Cant argue with my point about the rest and the wages that freed

Maybe I was a bit strong about calling you a fan but I am getting pissed off with all the negative comments on here

Come back in a couple of months when the new signings have bedded in and give me your opinion then and I will take it more seriously

Dannybhoy