transfer window

[JimboH]

That's fckn deep ma mhan..

FFS, Iread that as ‘the pair are continually ironing’….whit their differences?

 

[Frank Owen]

We are always 2 or 3 players away from being a right good team. We have been saying that since BR first stint....it never happens.

I've been saying that for most of my time indulging my incurable Celtic addiction, Lubo. But feck it, it has been fun!

 

[BarrowfieldBhoy]

50, I know that it's a case of pissing against the wind, when it comes to moaning about it now.
I understand that most fans that moan about the board will be labelled as the fans that will moan about the board no matter what...and I get that some fans will say "we've supported Celtic long enough to know what the board are like" and tell everyone to just get on with it...
But to me, this window makes no sense.
Less so than the windows that we fill the team with dross. It has been a massive own goal on our part, IMO.
The whole season has been about building something special...and up until last week...it was all going to plan. Cup in the bag, miles ahead in the league, qualified for Europe.
Happy team, happy manager and board working together.
All of a sudden, we are a striker down, our manager has been left with egg on his face by a board who, up until last night, our manager seemed to think was going to come through for him. Now, he's sitting in front of a press having to tell them that there has been mistakes made and he's not blaming anyone.....you better believe they will have a field day with that statement.
We don't care what the media say...but the fact is, they can and have, in the past, whipped up enough negativity around our club to effect some fans and the players. And our own board has given them that opportunity.

Feel sympathy for BR. He was the guy who had to sit in front of the media and try to paper over the incompetence of the board in handling this window. In his shoes I would have been tempted to say…I don’t know, wasn’t involved in the negotiations, why don’t you ask Lawwell/Nicholson? From my viewpoint it looks like they threw him under the bus. Would love to see their reaction if he did the same.

 

[JimboH]

Wonder if the GB or Bhoys will come up with a Schlup song

Sloop-JohnB Minnie’s aye, Minnie’s naw

 

[Espiritosanto]

The big moustachio cunt must feel like a right fanny,,keeps having to tell lawell to stay the fuck out of things only for him to ignore the orders??…time Teflon pete got put firmly in his place…..

 

[Winter]

Celtic held all the cards, where Kyogo was concerned. We had him on a long contract. I'm not mad about Kyogo leaving. Yes, he was our best striker, but he is 30 years old and he was no where near the levels under BR as he was for Ange.
Conversations were going on between Rennes and Celtic, obviously. If we did our business better, we could have told Kyogo and Rennes that a deal would be done as soon as we had someone in the door. That would have been fine.
The moment we let Kyogo leave....we instantly made our hand weaker for future negotiations.
We have royally fucked up. Our board have weakened the team and probably annoyed BR.
If they weren't willing to pay a bit more for the managers targets....they shouldn't have sold one of his strikers...regardless of how much he wanted away.

Aye I agree with that , except selling a wantaway part I'm not so keen on keeping any not since Rodgers#1.
Usually leads to some resentment and the downing of tools, whether kyogo would've been that way idk his body language did change but he couldn't be faulted for effort.
I'm just guessing but I wouldn't be surprised if there's been some fallout behind the scenes with Kyogo and someone, there feels like there's more to it than we know.
Even Celtic's 'tribute' was a 30 second sped up clip like something off YouTube shorts.
Rodgers speaking about him in the radio clip is a bit cryptic as well I thought.
Kyogos hardly been complimentary about the game here either, I've heard some say " disrespectful " even.
A Tim with a conspiracy theory whit next?

 

[Jim1967]

Celtic ( Transfer gurus....) not.....
Caught short once again......
Must be saving all that cash in the bank for.......

HH

 

[Jim1967]

If as Brendan has stated on numerous occasions they knew Kyogo wanted to leave for a while ......

Then why did they not secure and pay what was needed for a younger top striker to come in....??

HH

 

[Vigobhoy]

Who gives a fuck whether he was on the plane or not in all honesty.
Celtic fans wanted players, they don't give a fuck who does or does not buy them.

IF ONLY what Celtic fans wanted... had any bearing on decisions made at Celtic

 

[Vigobhoy]

Aye of course............the shoop shoop song.

or Sclepp, schleppin along...,.,,,

 

[Yorkshire_Bhoy]

It is my believe that the board have refused to be held to ransom, over the price of targets. They have decided not to pay,in their opinion, over the odds for players. Should we go on and win the league(or the treble) this transfer window will be forgotten.

Yet they paid £9m for Idah and £11m for Engles because they got themselves backed into a corner in the Summer - and as much as I fancy both of them as players and future transfer bait, I think we overpaid for them slightly?

Is that because the board are obsessed with making the 'sell' before they 'buy'? Are they just not very good at getting the process started early enough (i.e. start planning from the window before)? Are they really not the best people for the job?

I can't remember a window that wasn't, in mine and many opinions, sub-optimal.

So I won't be forgetting if we win a treble I'm afraid. It's a case of thinking how much further we could have been ahead domestically, and maybe how much further we could have gone in Europe.

And the second you start accepting second best, is the moment that you giving those chasing you a chink of light. Like other businesses, football clubs are either moving forwards, or moving backwards - there is no standing still!

 

[Yorkshire_Bhoy]

Feel sympathy for BR. He was the guy who had to sit in front of the media and try to paper over the incompetence of the board in handling this window. In his shoes I would have been tempted to say…I don’t know, wasn’t involved in the negotiations, why don’t you ask Lawwell/Nicholson? From my viewpoint it looks like they threw him under the bus. Would love to see their reaction if he did the same.

For once, I'm going to mount a slight defence of the board! Yes, really!

I don't feel they threw BR 'under a bus' - that's a bit too harsh a description.

BR is a big boy and he knows how to play the game. He is going to put a positive spin on it along the lines of "three great strikers... Adam in form...Daizen plays there for his country... the lad Kenny knows where the goal is... blah, blah, blah".

Would he, and I, have liked another proven goal scorer at senior level? Yes we would, and that's what we should have got - even if only a 'rent' for 6 months.

That said, Managers care not a jot about money - they'd spend it all on players that may, or may not, do a job just to win the next match. And, as they are not going to be at club forever, they don't care if the club goes pop 10 years down the line. When the owners/board take the same approach, along with the manager, it doesn't end well. Sound familiar?

So it's the extent to which the board backs the manager where there is wriggle room. I don't think our board have tried hard enough, or they haven't given us a clue how hard they have tried, given our rosy financial position.

 

[Lubos left peg]

For once, I'm going to mount a slight defence of the board! Yes, really!

I don't feel they threw BR 'under a bus' - that's a bit too harsh a description.

BR is a big boy and he knows how to play the game. He is going to put a positive spin on it along the lines of "three great strikers... Adam in form...Daizen plays there for his country... the lad Kenny knows where the goal is... blah, blah, blah".

Would he, and I, have liked another proven goal scorer at senior level? Yes we would, and that's what we should have got - even if only a 'rent' for 6 months.

That said, Managers care not a jot about money - they'd spend it all on players that may, or may not, do a job just to win the next match. And, as they are not going to be at club forever, they don't care if the club goes pop 10 years down the line. When the owners/board take the same approach, along with the manager, it doesn't end well. Sound familiar?

So it's the extent to which the board backs the manager where there is wriggle room. I don't think our board have tried hard enough, or they haven't given us a clue how hard they have tried, given our rosy financial position.

I don't, for one second, believe BR put a positive spin on it.
He is a very intelligent man and chooses his words wisely.
He made sure he let everyone know he was "choosing" to stay positive. He could have said he WAS positive about things....but he let us know it was something that he was CHOOSING to do. In other words....he pissed off but he's going to his best not to show it, but he still wanted everyone to know he wasn't happy.
He also made the same statement that he did in August, regarding our tranfer policy and how it needs to be fixed. He's letting everyone know that it's still not fixed and he still isn't happy with it.
I wouldn't blame him if he walked at the end of the season. This board has no ambition or desire to match his own ambitions.

 

[Imatim]

It's the boards lack of forward planning that allowed them to be held to random. Ofcourse a selling team is going to up their price if the buying team has just sold their best striker for £10 million. It makes no sense.
And you're right. Some happy clapping fans will forget this window...they are the same fans that didn't mind Bitton taking to the field in the CB position in the qualifiers.
But....and here is a thought....what if we don't win the league or the cup. What if Idah loses form, like he has most of the season...or gets injured....or what if both him and Maeda get injured?
Plans should have been in place to replace Kyogo. I'm stunned that some fans don't see it this way.
And even worse!! The board didn't even get a short term replacement in, simply to help Idah out!! They haven't even bothered their arses to pretend to help the manager or team out....at least last January the brought in Idah as a panic loan in the last minutes....

It could have been better no doubt.

The thing is, we moan about not giving our young players a chance.

So what if, considering the inflated transfer amount we were being told to pony up, the decision was made that with Idah, Maeda and young Kenny all able to play up top we have enough cover to see the season out, and we will revisit the Norwegian boy next transfer window. Just a thought…

 

[POD]

It could have been better no doubt.

The thing is, we moan about not giving our young players a chance.

So what if, considering the inflated transfer amount we were being told to pony up, the decision was made that with Idah, Maeda and young Kenny all able to play up top we have enough cover to see the season out, and we will revisit the Norwegian boy next transfer window. Just a thought…

Hopefully, my final post on the transfer window. I just want to get on with things now. Honours still to be won. And undoubtedly, for me, plenty of performance related whinging still to be done!

I am convinced, the board took a conscious decision not to get a striker in at the prices quoted, based upon our now healthy league position. But the problem with this approach is, as has been pointed put before, it only takes injuries or loss of form from our forwards to create serious problems. Firstly, putting at risk a potential treble. Secondly, it means we have to go through the same sorry rigmarole in the Summer. And will end up being quoted and paying the same prices anyway, if not more. Thirdly, the delay means, the incoming players are not bedded in with their team mates, for the crucial CL qualifiers. So a huge footballing opportunity has been missed to prepare properly, with a fairly settled team for two huge qualifying matches. For which victory in, is worth probably in excess of £40 million to the club. It is a lack of strategic thinking and forward planning. It seems madness to me.

 

[Gary67]

Brondby chairman says that it was always their intention to keep Kvistgaarden until the end of the season and the player and his agent were on board with that. He said they did have bids, as late as the last 2 days of the window, but they never met their 100m Danish Kroner valuation (£11m). Sounds like they are prepared to let him leave in the summer, the fee will depend on how he does in the last 4 months of the season, obviously it won't be less than £11m.

 

[Imatim]

50, I know that it's a case of pissing against the wind, when it comes to moaning about it now.
I understand that most fans that moan about the board will be labelled as the fans that will moan about the board no matter what...and I get that some fans will say "we've supported Celtic long enough to know what the board are like" and tell everyone to just get on with it...
But to me, this window makes no sense.
Less so than the windows that we fill the team with dross. It has been a massive own goal on our part, IMO.
The whole season has been about building something special...and up until last week...it was all going to plan. Cup in the bag, miles ahead in the league, qualified for Europe.
Happy team, happy manager and board working together.
All of a sudden, we are a striker down, our manager has been left with egg on his face by a board who, up until last night, our manager seemed to think was going to come through for him. Now, he's sitting in front of a press having to tell them that there has been mistakes made and he's not blaming anyone.....you better believe they will have a field day with that statement.
We don't care what the media say...but the fact is, they can and have, in the past, whipped up enough negativity around our club to effect some fans and the players. And our own board has given them that opportunity.

The SMSM don’t need any encouragement though, do they? They always go after all things Celtic, they always have, and always will.

The unfortunate thing is some of our Support buy in to their insidious narrative.

The last thing the SMSM and their acolytes want is a united Celtic. So they endeavour to destabilise us and create division among us at every opportunity. We are not immune to it on here either.

I don’t think we had much choice in letting KYOGO move on. He obviously had been agitating for a move for months. A move was on the cards from the moment he changed agents in my view.

As to bringing in a replacement, I suspect there are not too many strikers available out there that fits the manager’s criteria of - pace, power and technique - that is within our price range.

The asking price of £13M is obviously a fee we are not prepared to pay. If anyone knows of such a player in the circa £9M price range we are obviously looking to max out on, that measures up to what the manager wants, then it would be good to know who it is. Anyone?

Along with everyone else, I wish we could have closed the deal on our principal striking target. Were there justifiable reasons that we didn’t? Who knows for sure?…

 

[POD]

Brondby chairman says that it was always their intention to keep Kvistgaarden until the end of the season and the player and his agent were on board with that. He said they did have bids, as late as the last 2 days of the window, but they never met their 100m Danish Kroner valuation (£11m). Sounds like they are prepared to let him leave in the summer, the fee will depend on how he does in the last 4 months of the season, obviously it won't be less than £11m.

I an sick of hearing his name. For me, it is time to drop our interest in him, and move on. Let somebody else pay it. See if Brondby get it before he becomes cheesed off with their approach. I'm too long in the tooth now, and have seen this same movie too many times before. With many of the players achieving nothing more than mediocre obscurity.

 

[50 Shades of Green]

50, I know that it's a case of pissing against the wind, when it comes to moaning about it now.
I understand that most fans that moan about the board will be labelled as the fans that will moan about the board no matter what...and I get that some fans will say "we've supported Celtic long enough to know what the board are like" and tell everyone to just get on with it...
But to me, this window makes no sense.
Less so than the windows that we fill the team with dross. It has been a massive own goal on our part, IMO.
The whole season has been about building something special...and up until last week...it was all going to plan. Cup in the bag, miles ahead in the league, qualified for Europe.
Happy team, happy manager and board working together.
All of a sudden, we are a striker down, our manager has been left with egg on his face by a board who, up until last night, our manager seemed to think was going to come through for him. Now, he's sitting in front of a press having to tell them that there has been mistakes made and he's not blaming anyone.....you better believe they will have a field day with that statement.
We don't care what the media say...but the fact is, they can and have, in the past, whipped up enough negativity around our club to effect some fans and the players. And our own board has given them that opportunity.

Finally got a chance to get back to you Lubo...

In the transfer window and most other things other than hard cash, Celtic supporters are pishing in the wind against this and all previous boards... Were though I will back them ever so slightly is the over paying for players that they reckon have been bumped up in price... Its the name of the game, I get that, but you have 2 choices in that situation as your well aware, what bugs me really is the constant repetitive moaning... Its monotonous we have have the tree guy and a few others... The way I look at it is... If you cant enjoy being a fan atm, then you never will imho.. Yea in an ideal world etc.. But it aint one is it... If Brendan goes we will replace him, personally I think and hope he stays and builds in the summer some more

 

[Bridie Bhoy]

I don't get all this talk of the club "being held to ransom" over transfer fees. Those are the values that a club puts on their contracted players to cash in on their assets and be able to replace with someone of a similar or potential similar quality. This is exactly what we do (or should at least) and is what Pedro has made a name for himself for being brilliant at.

I'm sure fans of other clubs think that paying £10m for a 30 year old off-form foreigner is overpaying slightly. Or nearly £30m for O'Riley, or £2.5m for Christie who was a free agent 4 months later, or £15m for French Eddy, £13m for Ajer, £4m for Klimala, £5m for Bernabei, £3m+ for Mikey J, £26m for Jota, £7m for Abada, etc, etc. Some of these clubs ended up paying far too much and some got bargains.

If that is the going rate for these players in this day in age then that is what you have to pay. But if you only appear to have a very short list of specific targets with no back-up options, then you had better have a good idea of what it will take in the way of a financial package to entice that player to Celtic and that the selling club will fin acceptable. And if you do this early enough only to find out that these have changed to such an extent that we do not believe that they offer value for money, then you move onto the next realistic targets which are affordable and fit the manager's requirements. This becomes extremely hard to do if you only start looking in the very last few days of the window.

Our preparations for the next transfer window should start as soon as the previous one slams shut. I do not understand what our highly paid full-time recruitment team have been doing since September as we only signed two ex-Celts and got knocked back for a striker that we have enquired about in the previous two windows (so going back to the disastrous Mark Lawwell era). Then chucking in last minute panicky bids for whoever might (and weren't) available. I just don't think it is how a professional business should be working and just constantly building ups its massive cash reserves while not trying to move onto the next level.