SENTINELCELTS

No, myself and Bobby have not morphed into Mulder and Scully as much as I liked the show, but sometimes it’s interesting to have a butchers at how our ex players got along. Or at least I think so.
So with that in mind,,,

Thomas Rogne is a player who brings a smile to my face, I enjoyed his time in the Hoops. How he can still pull on a jersey is beyond me, I recall he was a treatment room special but there you go. He had decent pace and a very good sweeping tackle, and Scandinavians can handle the local climate nae bother.

He coulda become the mainstay of our defense, but his body failed him time and time again, so much so that at one stage it was thought he just wasnt cut out to be a professional football player.

Wrong. He’s still playing at the tender age of 31 for Apollon Smyrnis.
Okay they aren’t exactly giants but he still managed 60 plus games for both Gothenburg and Lech Poznan after leaving Celtic so at least the chap managed to eke a decent career out of the game (still is) despite any injury woes.
I believe it’s fair to state he warmed the treatment table more than the Tims hearts, but no hard feelings.

One player who never got much of a chance to warm the Tims hearts was Miku, despite starting upfront for the famous Barca victory. I believe he got the nod due to having performed well against that particular defense before, and he had a good game that night before his replacement stole the limelight.

He’s currently playing in Spain’s third division with Deportivo la Corina, I recall they were a solid Primera Division team but financial woes hit (or lack of governance failed them).

Another former Celtic striker, only 32 years young, is currently gracing the Cyrpriot league with just under one goal every three games (7 in 22) according to Wiki.
During the 13/14 season he banged in 23 goals in 39 appearances for Sporting Gijon yet despite those great figures Stefan Scepovic hardly got a look in whilst playing in Glasgow the following campaign. 19 games with four goals during his spell with the club tells me he wasnt rated or suited the system. Or given much of a chance.
Very typical of the time, I thought he was a good player, and I wasn’t alone in that, our old friend TET was a fan of his. He’s the ultimate journeyman player, having graced 18 clubs in his career so far, in many far flung places.

Speaking of Spain, can you believe our old right back Saidy Janko is playing there, Segundo Division for Real Valladolid!
We took a punt on him probably on the strength of being good enough to gain a contract with Manchester United, and discovered he wasn’t for us. Infact most of his employers discovered that, he never really settled anywhere.

One player who did settle down post Glasgow life was a certain Tyler Blackett. Another Manchester United graduate, he gave four solid years to Reading post Celtic amassing 110 appearances.
I can’t say he wowed me during his stint, infact I can’t recall any of his three games for our club, but Peter was a total sucker for a EPL reject, so snapped up on loan for a season he was.
He was also Drain. Money. Down.

It’s often stated that the only way after Celtic is downwards, and it’s fair to say none of the quintet mentioned above played for bigger clubs after departure, but we know there’s exceptions to the rule ala Henrik.
Come to think of it, he was an exception to most rules, and it’s fitting he lifted the big cup with Barca.

Most of the above were simply too raw to make a major impact at the club, which feels strange given that Liel and Jota are barely out of nappies yet setting the heather on fire. They were, in the main, squad fillers at a time first team ready players were asked for, and therefore they tended to flop when handed the opportunity. Of course Lenny wasn’t in a position of strength, couldn’t or wouldn’t say no to more bodies, but not worldly enough to have his own targets.
That’s why they are mere ex’s, not former legends or even stalwarts.
That’s why changing tact, and buying players the manager knows or has deemed of sufficient quality seems such a breath of fresh air, when as a matter of fact it should be simple business practice.

The above punts are now remnants of a bygone era, millions wasted not to mention the time involved, but they donned the world famous hoops, and now have pictures and probably stories for the grandkids.
They lived the dream, even if they didn’t fit the team.

By Mahe.