They just need to do it
Chris Sutton has been called many things since opting for his current roles. I personally don’t find him very insightful or a great tactical brain, and see his style as calling it as it is, without any gloss applied, which is rare in broadcasting, very rare. Infact it makes you wonder why he was allowed to slip through the net, but hindsight shows that no real damage was done by a Tim with a mic when BT where in charge.
Big Sutty will no longer host the nationwide games as his BT lost the contract, but he may well end up hosting the Celtic Virtual Season Ticket so his face might not be completely lost to us.
Unfortunately he did accept a column at the Record, again only he would know why he would possibly do that. How many read the rag I wouldnt have a clue, but I’ve no doubt the numbers are going down, they are across the board. The number of newspapers actually seeking and performing investigative duties are miniscule, tabloids are merely spin, hype, gossip and advertising revenue now. They have little to offer us in the way of news anymore which can be found for free and in greater depth online, but the rags do still have one big juicy carrot, opinion columns.
The Opinion Column can become unmissable if the correct writer is selected, and of course the opposite is also true. The Record may have signed him on the back of his regular BT controversies, and giving him inches would not have been a very popular decision with many of the readership, but fact is Chris still has a mainstream platform to preach from.
It seems that like many on here he wasn’t quite happy with the pre-season, and having lost five players with one back on loan, he sees trouble ahead so has called for the club to issue funds and strengthen before we once again go out and compete on four fronts.
While some asked for patience, the ex-player had no such qualms.
Unlike a bampot its not so easy to write him off as a hot water merchant who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Of course his points have been discussed here ,, he echoed that we are only one Julien or Odsonne injury away from crisis, they need backups. And that we don’t have a first choice keeper with the season less than two weeks away from starting.
That there’s huge areas of concern or Neil needs a huge slice of luck.
I’m delighted there’s at least one voice speaking sense out there in medialand.
“ Everybody can see what needs to be done, they just need to do it ” is clearly aimed at the board to deliver the help mentioned.
The help everyone agrees we will need over the course of the season fighting on four fronts.
Roughly half our entire squad look unfancied or deemed not ready by the manager, judging on his selections and words. Neil doesnt take flak for this as its not his fault, but it is his name that will forever be remembered alongside this historic tenth campaign.
The next few acquisitions could and should lay a marker down to the rest stating we mean to keep our title, and with full season ticket price and take up, plus the kit deal, allied with the streamlining that has taken place, there is zero excuse.
More projects would be an insult to us all, especially Neil.
As Chris says they just need to do it,,and they actually do need to this time with so much riding on it.
They need to give Lenny all the tools for the job.
Showing some intent in the transfer market right now would wipe the smile off many a face.
Strengthen the spine with a bit of quality and lets take this league.
Over to you PLC.
The above is by Mahe.
sentinelcelts@gmail.com
MAHE
Ah,well. Back to the drawing board for my article tomorrow! Although I wouldn’t have thought to have included The Evil Genius’ comments on the matter,I’m in complete agreement with you-and him.
The board absolutely must get the chequebook out this season. We have glaring deficiencies in too many areas,and our back-up for virtually all of them is simply not up to scratch.
JIMTIM wrote a very good post on that subject in the comments on the last article,and FAN-A-TIC amongst others didn’t hold back with their opinions either. We need an upgrade in a number of positions. You know it,I know it,we all bloody know it.
The board cannot,must not,ignore this. It might not be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to ten-after all,some of us remember the last time we went for ten,and I certainly remember the huns blowing their attempt. They cannot and must not use any excuse available for not spending in the necessary areas. We WILL have taken a huge financial hit-although I still say that if there was no-or insufficient-Business Interruption Insurance then someone needs bulleted out the door pronto-but there was plenty in the bank beforehand.
And the hotel,museum etc are all back in the planning,so don’t fob us off wi crap about being skint. Get the ten done then watch the money rolling in from the replica shirts,etc.
The fans will NOT forgive anyone that they hold responsible for failure next season. Certain people might do well to remember that.
As an aside re Business Interruption Insurance,any payout is unlikely to be included in the annual accounts to 30 June. There should however be a mention of it,as they will have some idea of how much any claim to that date is worth.
It will be interesting to see if it is mentioned. I suspect that the board will refuse to do so,and only declare the headline losses during the near-four month by then lockdown. And then,as I said,use that as a basis for austerity. And an excuse for sitting on their hands in this most critical of all seasons.
I don’t disagree with many of the points other posters have made regarding signings but surely Lawwell and the ” custodians”, stop laughing at the back, understand exactly what’s at stake here? The finances generated by winning ten titles would be massive in terms of the club. I keep repeating the same oul mantra, if they feck it up with lack of finances for the team, there will be an absolute uproar from us as supporters that will have serious consequences for all of them. They have to get this right.
MORNING ALL and JIM, noticed jim was still up at 2-30 this morning thats because he bought the original boxed set of coronation street from 1960 t0 1980 with ena sharples and maggie caldwell you dont mess with them?so it will be mid october before jim finishes watching it? back to the football, MAHE always loved big sutty tells it as it is, and he despises the govan mob as well?BOBBY, if the board dont give lenny some money to strengthen, and we dont win the 10 they will never be forgiven?
NOELSKYTROT,BIGPACKY
There will be nowhere to hide for them. They must realise that. This season is as important to them as it is to us.
Though it sure doesn’t look that way at the moment.
Morning all from a drookit Renfrew! I hope this finds you well.
BMCUWP – got your mail, will reply later. Cheers for passing the deets on!
Garry – text or call, I’m working today but I’ve left the wee man instructions to get into the loft and find the books..as soon as I have them I’ll get them to you>
Mahe – nae time to read your article yet…sorry!! Will catch it later.
A FUNDRAISER for Celtic legend Billy McNeill to get a statue erected in his hometown has smashed its £70K target.
The Billy McNeill Commemoration Committee launched their campaign for a statue of Cesar to go up in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, following his death last year.
I think we are all in agreement at this stage of the Transfer cycle. We have lost Gordon and Forster so we are operating with 3rd and 4th choice keepers , who happen to be talented, but we are still, clearly, one experienced keeper light. This will be rectified.
We have 4 main players who are targets in the transfer window (Edouard, N’tcham, Ajer and Christie). Who knows- someone might even come sniffing for McGregor, Frimpong or Forrest, now that EPL has nearly finished last season. I have no doubt we have identified possible replacements but we are not in charge of our recruitment timeline, if it is dependent upon transfers out in some cases (please note that important word -“some”)
We are in a similar position with strikers as we are with goalies. Griffiths, our back-up, has to be counted as out of consideration, at least, for the start of our campaign. Neither Aitchison nor Bayo have appeared in practice matches and look to be well out of the picture. Klimala has trained hard and is willing and eager, but he is an off the shoulder speed striker suited to a counter attacking team; we need someone who can also work back to goal, hold up and bring midfielders into play. So far, that is not a strong part of his skillset. In short, he has not yet proven to be a ready back up for Eddy. Still hope he has something else to show.
I would be astounded if a decent value and experienced keeper and striker are not being sought. I will also be astounded if we do not recruit a CB, even if Kris Ajer is not sold yet. I think there is a fair chance, Boli will be sold off at a loss, but the possible replacement, Hickey, will be a “project” like Taylor, I suspect.
We are well served in midfield and can cover an N’tcham departure, though I’d rather not, with ELyanoussi back and Robertson ready to be trusted from the bench. We will probably have to play hard ball with Christie and McGregor if there are clubs sniffing, and hold them to their contracts for this important year, as we cannot rebuild our midfield at the same time as we have a new defence and a new striking back up force.
In my mind, they are all projects, including Chris Julien last year, until they prove themselves with Celtic. We have seen too many “first team ready” players like Ian Wright, Freddie Lljungberg, Derk Boerigter, Magnus Hedman, Dmitri Kharine, Rafael Scheidt and big Comperr to believe that, if they were first teasers in a big league, they’ll walk into ours.
BTW- I think Big Sutton does deliver an occasional tactical and technical insight in some games. He plays up to the shock jock suff too much (Steven Craigen is an easy wind-up) and he has a terrible tendency to pile on to a popular team scapegoat, like Efe, but, surprisingly, not James Forrest whom he rates. Roy Keane suffers in the same way as his cleric angry man act gets in the way of seeing the sense he talks (sometimes)
Something to remember……the transfer window closes Oct.5th.Other than a GK Celtic could huff and puff to Oct.5th.
I hope not.
SFTB
I am in agreement with your assessment of where we are and what we need mostly. I’m afraid we differ on that you trust the board to hold on to players and sign new players and I think they’ll sell who they can and sign cheap replacements. We signed Eddie for big money and got class. We need that level again in CB and holding mid to help with the ten. We also need a goalkeeper of similar stature to FF. That is a lot of money but we’ve also wasted a lot of money on projects like kouassi, shved, bayo et al. Throwing mud at the wall and seeing what sticks is not a recruitment strategy but it seems our board think it works great. As mahe says we have plenty of money relative to a lot of clubs and we need to spend it on first team ready players. Anything else is dereliction of duty in my opinion.
AFTERNOON ALL and JIM, ATOB, dont hold your breath on peter releasing any money, ive heard he needs it for his new indoor swimming pool?
now this is not a conspiracy theory, but did you see the dook of edinburgh on the news last night, FFS he looks younger than me ?ive often thought the royals have some sort of elixir of life that only they possess, just a pity they didnae give it tae charlie ?
Afternoon all & Packy.
Coronation St.? LOL You know me better than that Packy! 🙂
One old programme from the 60s I did watch last night was The Fugitive. I remember watching it every week back then Good as it was I began to get fed up with it in the third series. i think they spun it out too much. i read up on David Janssen, the star. He died at the age of 48! Apparently he was a very hard drinker & smoker. 80 cigs a day! My god he must have been smoking in his sleep!
@ STFB
We have seen too many “first team ready” players like Ian w, Freddie Lljungberg, Derk Boerigter, Magnus Hedman, Dmitri Kharine, Rafael Scheidt and big Compper to believe that, if they were first teasers in a big league, they’ll walk into ours.
Bit of a disingenuous argument re above. Wright, Lljungberg and Compper were all at the end of their careers- 33+ and brought if for little or no money. Scheidt and Boerrigter are obvious exceptions as they were bought as first team players and failed.
In recent times (from MON onwards) our big money signings have generally been on the money. Certainly of late, Eddy, Sinclair, Ntcham, Jullien have all be worth it and have either been player of the season or in contention. When compared to the amount of smaller signings that are hit and miss, you would hope that we are moving towards a higher fee, lower volume model, but I somehow doubt that!
More generally, does anyone wonder what our £59m staff wage bill goes towards? It isn’t broken down but what amount of that do we think is being spent on the first team or footballing operations? 25%, 50%, 75%?
HI JIM, yes the fugitive and the one armed man, good god we must be getting old? loved david janssen terrific actor, yes died way too young.
How did the funeral go?
JIM, the funeral is at 3-30, joan and her sister barbera left at 2-30 .?
Off oot, catch you later.
hope your not going to the beer garden, its p—–g down here?
Garry, one for you.
Delaney’s Lounge is a new Sports Bar in Benalmádena. It’s named after my Gran, Margaret Delaney and her uncle Jimmy Delaney who played for Celtic and Man Utd. There’s plenty seating area inside and a fantastic terrace. Children welcome. We will be showing every Celtic game + more
Received virtual season ticket pass in an email this morning.
All we need is actual football players & we are good to go ?✌
SFTB,
“I would be astounded if a decent value and experienced keeper and striker are not being sought.”
I would be astounded if a decent quality and experienced keeper and striker are not being sought.
Fixed that for you.
We should throw value out the window for once. Not looking too smart letting go of Johnny and Jozo tbh
I don’t see why we would gamble on newbies settling, rather than the devil we know.
The keeper situation, I’m not gonna throw blame around as it can and does happen and of all positions it should be the easiest to fix.
I think we get the three in, it’s the quality I worry about.
Hail Hail
Rolling Stone
I’ll grant that Ian Wright at 36 was past it when he came to us but he did go on to play for Burnley and win promotion with them. Comperr was only 32, which is not old age for a CB, and Ljungberg was 33 and played for 4 or 5 clubs after us.
There is a relation between transfer fee and ability but the size of fee does not guarantee the player will be Celtic first team ready. We did pay £9m for Eddy but we cannot pay £9m for everybody. We look like missing out on the interesting player Ivan Toney because someone is willing to shell out £10m plus on him (that level of outlay for that League One proven level of player must cause us all some concern)
ATOB- most of the recruitment will remain within the boundaries we have lived with through 9iar. I expect there will be a splash out to try to improve our chances of the Ten but it won’t be an Eddy level spend on every position. There is value (I know Mahe does not like the word but we are Asda not Waitrose) to be got in seeking loans from the hordes of expensive reserves in the big clubs. We were in for Daniel Podence, who was not getting a game at Wolves , but Nuno Santo played him in this recent hectic spell and the fans have seen he is a player so he won’t be allowed to come now. I have not seen the player Albian Ajeti at West Ham, who seems to be next on the radar, but he managed 29 goals in 58 games with Basle before the Hammers paid £8m for him and he has not scored in 9 games for them, so he might be allowed to go. I’d favour a loan over a buy here.
Mahe- I would have kept Jonny too, as I am really unsure about Boli (good enough winger) and Taylor (small and slow but pretty steady) and fear Hickey is a slow football playing type rather than a positional -minded defender. I am content to see Craig Gordon go- he served us well and we will get a replacement.
It’s gonna be fun.
Highly anxious fun but fun, nonetheless.
Pre-season Sevco will have done their bit to raise the anxiety but it don’t count till it counts.
JIM if your about, joan just got back from the funeral with a little booklet of jans life, entrance music over the rainbow, welcome and introduction, john williams celebrant, and finally closing music andrea bocelli and sarah brightman, time to say goodbye, good job i was not there i would have been in floods of tears never mind joan, sad very very sad,
Reading through ….Some random thoughts….
Do pre-season games mean anything?
For me, everything counts… it is just a question of how much it counts.
Does losing a pre-season game to PSG count as much as losing to them in the CL? I would suggest not.
But, getting rag-dolled by PSG cannot be good for anyone’s confidence… particularly a defence that, without The Wall, behind them, seems less confident to begin with.
and if we spend most of our games trying to break down massed scottish defences, how does playing a game where we only touch the ball for throw-ins help?
There are a few posters who are fond of saying that we need to support the team.. that booing only hurts their confidence …. wouldn’t the same be said for the management who are putting our midgets up against the giants of PSG, who were having their last warm up before a cup final? Shouldn’t the club do its job by finding a suitable level of opposition?
Further, even if you see this as simply practice (which, for the reasons, above, I dont), I subscribe to the ‘practice the way you intend to play’ school. Playing a game of football where we hardly touched the ball (except for a spell in the second half of the first half, where we looked a bit better)… how does that help? If we wanted to improve fitness … fun fartleks for 90 minutes would surely do as much, if not more, and wouldn’t dent the players’ confidence.
I like what I am hearing of KT at Arsenal. Apparently, other players were upset that he was 100% in training all the time … (assuming he is over the ‘overuse ‘ injuries which seemed to plague him when he was here)…. I just dont sense that hunger from Celtic at the moment ….
As for the Board wasting our money … If we dont want the Board to waste our money…. dont give it to them unless and until they show us that they are serious about spending it wisely. As I have said, I dont think they are ….
Packy, i love you and Joan,
JIM, CHEERS, DITTO,?
SFTB
You say fun I say a Titanic tussle.
I have two very intelligent friends who both think the opposite of this season.
One believes the ten will never be allowed as it could smash the Old Firm model.
One believes to accept new Rangers we were granted the holy grail, ten in a row.
I’m very curious who shall prevail.
Hail Hail
Mahe
“I have two highly intelligent AND DEVILISHLY HANDSOME friends …”
Fixed that for you
🙂
This comment is not yet available in your area.
MIT,
While I get your point about playing top quality now, in boxing the sparring partners aren’t all dummies there to get knocked out.
Some are there to show you have work to do, to point out flaws, to impress upon the boxer that they have a ways to go.
Handing out a whipping might make Tims happier, but I doubt we learn much from beating Derry or Dundalk.
The humbling we just got will teach much more than whipping a 5th tier side imo.
Hail Hail
Siesta time
Mahe
I’m not suggesting that we play whipping boys. But, neither do I see much to be gained from being PSG’s whipping boys.
For this time, I can see that, due to Covid, options may have been limited. If we wanted to play Nice, we may have had to take PSG as well. So, I can understand this one …
And I dont mind getting my ass kicked by better teams, if I genuinely thought they were learning something …if, for example, we were putting into practice something new we had been working on in practice… a new system, or a new formation … maybe, 5 across the back, or something that might assist us if/when we get drawn against a big gun in Europe later …but I didnt see much to take from that session …
honestly, I really cant figure out who they spend all week doing in training …. it is pretty much the same thing over and over …
I have watched our friendlies, and I have watched the zombies’ friendlies (keep your friends close, and your enemies closer)… and to my eye, we have a few players who are vastly superior to theirs, but they seem to have a game plan, and are playing at a pace, that we dont.
I think their squad is pretty thin, and if they get any injuries (I haven’t heard how Defoe is), they could struggle… but, right now, I wouldn’t bet on Celtic to beat them ….
we seem to play the same, aimless, football regardless of who we are playing … ‘give it to Forrest, and let him do his magic’ or ‘give it Edouard, and let him do his magic’… which might (clearly, it has) work against the dross of the SPL, but, when the zombies died, the club’s unoffical spokesperson told us that the zombies would never be seen, except through the rear view mirror…
but, one good season in Europe for them, (and they look more suited for Europe than we do), and we will have largely thrown away the financial advantage that we were supposed to have built up over the past generation of domination…
BP
Don’t worry, certainly won’t be holding my breath.
SFTB,
Fair enough we can’t spend Eddie money in every position but why spend £9m on a guy and surround him with players no where near the same class. This results in him becoming frustrated and not meeting his own personal goals ie qualifying for the champions league and ergo looking to move on. Did you see how angry he was after Cluj? Or Copenhagen?
Spend some decent money and give Eddie a better chance of CL qualification then he might stay. He certainly won’t sign a new deal till we are in the champions league and if we aren’t he’ll have to leave in my opinion. There is no way PL will let him get down to his last year. So we could find ourselves looking around for a first pick striker in September when some quality spending just now could head off the whole problem at the pass.
From Daily Record
St Mirren are at the centre of a fresh coronavirus outbreak Record Sport can reveal.
The Scottish government has been informed that the Paisley club has returned several positive Covid-19 tests in the last 24 hours.
Safety measures have now been implemented to shut the club down while further testing is carried out.
They were identified by a strict testing regime which has ben implemented across the Scottish Premiership as clubs prepare for the season to kick-off on August 1.
Under the regulations clubs must test players at least once per week, with any player who tests positive forced to isolate from the squad.
From BBC
7 of St Mirren’s backroom team have tested positive for Corona virus. Club now locking down until more tests can be carried out. No players have so far tested positive.
SFFL statement.
The Joint Response Group has been notified that St Mirren Football Club has today returned seven positive tests for COVID-19.
We immediately contacted the Scottish Government and the office of the Clinical Director for Scotland to relay this information.
As a consequence, St Mirren’s planned friendly match at home to St Johnstone, scheduled to take place on Saturday 25 July, has been cancelled.
In light of this and other recent events, the JRG hereby notifies Scottish Premiership clubs that with immediate effect they must revert to twice-weekly testing protocols until further notice.
Garry, if you’re lurking, I’ve got the JAMC book looked out, cannae find the Alan McGee one tho…some bassa must’ve borrowed it and no returned it! I’m no working tomorrow now but I will be taking a run out to Clydebank to see a job so if it suits I could hook up with you somewhere sometime…in summertime!!
Mahe
I think both views are evidence of the paranoia that football supporters bring to the game.
There was no behind closed doors deal to grant us a 10iar. Sevco, playing out of div. 3 were in no position to grant us any title in the first 3 (four, as it turned out) years. You cannot persuade 6 different Sevco squads managed by 6 different managers to agree to throw points, without some dissident whistleblowing the fact.
And the idea that this year’s Celtic squad of professional athletes are going to throw matches so Sevco fans don’t suffer the 10 is equally risible. Can you imagine Neil telling Scott Brown that “today will not be our day!” or telling our goalie to give them 2 penalty shouts. I know that some will assert that PL or DD won’t adequately support a tilt at the 10, and they’ll get accused, if we lose it, regardless of whether there was a splurge or not, but they are not going to weaken the squad to make the race tighter.
That sort of Q Anon conspiracy theorising leads you down a dark road of asserting that it is Celtic money that is keeping Sevco afloat. It beggars my belief, anyway.
Of course, there may be an establishment backlash involving refs; we saw one before clearly with Rev. McCurry. Unless it goes back to that level, we have survived everything that refs have thrown at us for 9 years and can do so again. Some of it is exaggerated anyway and Sevco fans have bought and nourished the old paranoia that we had when we were a losing outfit. TV coverage has helped to make this less blatant.
I have spoken before of the forfeit I had to suffer, of going to John Beaton’s favourite bar, if Celtic lost an O** F*** match back in the 90’s. My Rangers-supporting team-mates, and a couple of them were rabid when I was not in their company, just stopped thinking we were a threat in the 90’s. They did not consider us any sort of benchmark and right up to season 97/98, all their talk was of how they would make the jump to European relevance as they were convinced, and they had some great European scalps back then, that they were on the brink of leaving Scottish football behind. They thought Tommy Burns’s good year was our last throw of the dice and were not scared at all of Wim’s team as they headed for their 10.
In many ways, we mugged them that season. They had a complacency that I do not see or feel around CP.
Yes, we can still get mugged. But, if we do, it will be by an even better squad and team performance than they showed last year. They may be capable of it but I think we are capable of gearing up for a momentous 10 with a less aged and leg weary squad than was the Rangers team of 97/98.
We might still lose but it is still too early in the transfer window for the angst to rise too far or too fast. This is a long haul campaign. The league won’t be lost even if we lose to them in our first Derby match. The league won’t be won or lost by Christmas.
So, a momentous tussle can be great fun.
But only if you win it.
I remember the look on my Rangers supporters mates faces when they had to congratulate their Celtic supporting team mates, through gritted teeth. I am not saying it made up for 9 years of hurt but it was a glorious and memorable moment, nonetheless.
McCaff
Yer some kid. I will be in Clydebank all day tomorrow. Anytime suits me to meet you thanks. Anytime, anyplace, anywhere! ??
I see Andrew Gutman’s Cincinnati qualified form their MLS group last night after beating NY Red Bulls. Bring him home!
GARRY
Gonna start calling you the Martini Kid.
SFTB
Fat chance of him getting a work permit,I reckon. Someone didn’t do their homework on those deals.
MiT
Was the lad we are or were interested in Turnbull of Motherwell playing against the new club ?
BMCUWP
A wee quiet word with Greg Berhalter to give him a cap- then he can come. Worked with Rafael
P.S.I see we are trying for a closed door match with Hibs on Monday
BMCUW
Hahaha. Probably my favourite childhood TV advert. ?
You have to wonder how the EPL and Championship managed to keep their players free of COVID over the last 3 to 4 weeks and avoid large scale quarantines but we can’t get through pre-season
Testing on the cheap?
Sftb,
“I think both views are evidence of the paranoia that football supporters bring to the game”
I think it’s a terrible indictment of Scottish football. In fact I am amazed at the level of support shown recently, after it’s been shown to be a farce. For well known folk to call on a football league to have a process of truth and reconciliation is staggering. Staggering that the league still exists at all, and staggering that the nations sport became so bent it needs to reconcile itself with a section of fans.
And some fans will incredibly still introduce their heirs to this ‘sport’.
But yet one view must be right. I’m not talking a verbal agreement here, I’m talking actions.
If we really want the ten would we have a second or third rate manager with a squad needs strengthened? I suggest not.
A good manager with sizeable spend cements it.
One theory is that the PLC felt betrayed by events across the city as they seen it as a debt dump when some of the main faces returned post liquidation.
In this situation, think what would get right up them? What would be sweet revenge?
Lenny lifting ten has got to be stuff of nightmares for some blues.
That’s one rumour why he is here and envelopes weren’t opened.
He can ram it up them, we have revenge.
For a team that brought in a shit ton of talented youth, I don’t see why we got a gaffer that doesn’t go that route. Or bought youth knowing he is coming. It doesn’t add up.
No matter what, I’m glad we are were we are, and will be glad to get this over and done with to see how the dust settles. The next couple years determine my future with that team.
Sorry for the extra pressure bhoys 😉
Hail Hail