Celtic FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2011/2012

the realpigiron

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/celtics-ki-sung-yueng-closes-in-on-qpr-switch.18131420

Hope this story is accurate. 7 million for Ki would be a good money to go in search of a striker and maybe a couple of other signings.

eire4

Sad news today for all Celtic fans and indeed all Scottish football fans with the death of Joe McBride at 75. He scored an impressive 86 goals in 94 games for Celtic although his total of only 2 Scotland caps stands out as very odd.

Lawrence1895

eire4 wrote: »

Sad news today for all Celtic fans and indeed all Scottish football fans with the death of Joe McBride at 75. He scored an impressive 86 goals in 94 games for Celtic although his total of only 2 Scotland caps stands out as very odd.

R.I.P. Joe. Thoughts are with family and friends. YNWA

eire4

Celtic looking to get a contract extension done with Anthony Stokes it seems. Good news for me if we can get this done. He has played well in his first 2 years at the club. Plus I feel there is more to come from the Dubliner. So hopefully we can a contract extension taken care of.

PauloMN

Anyone watch the game today? Celtic very rusty, and there's a couple of players there which I think should get their marching orders tbh. Not sure what anyone could have seen in Blackman, he was very poor, and has been pretty poor anytime I have seen him. Commons played and looked unfit, but hopefully he'll quickly get up to speed. Hooper and Murphy had little to do really, we posed little threat going forward.

Not really concerned about the result, more the poor performances of some players, and the fact that we have CL qualifiers fast approaching. I hope for the next friendly we see the bones of the team Lenny intends using for the qualifiers, cause they'll need to get fitness levels up quickly.

Mr_Spaceman

What about the departure of Niall McGinn? Bit surprised he ended up at Aberdeen. Thought he might have been worth a decent run of games this season.

I can't see Paddy McCourt staying for much longer either.

Savage Tyrant

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

What about the departure of Niall McGinn? Bit surprised he ended up at Aberdeen. Thought he might have been worth a decent run of games this season.

I can't see Paddy McCourt staying for much longer either.

Nial could well have got a decent run this season, he'll do well with the sheep I think.
Paddy could get a lot more game time this season. If rumours are true, and I believe a lot of it is, then he's his own worst enemy regarding his fitness. But if the league isn't as competitive this year he could well spend more time on the pitch.

PauloMN

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

What about the departure of Niall McGinn? Bit surprised he ended up at Aberdeen. Thought he might have been worth a decent run of games this season.

I can't see Paddy McCourt staying for much longer either.

I'm not surprised he's gone, he never established himself at Celtic. I wish him luck at Aberdeen, he stuck around long enough at Celtic and it wasn't going to happen. Not quite good enough to cut it, especially in an area where we have good options.

Now if only he were a defender....

the realpigiron

Didn't see it. Playin again on Tuesday. These games are merely about getting fitness levels up. Don't know why he's playing guys like Blackman who have no future at the club. Murphy probably there for the shop window too. Hope this Ki deal goes through quick, so we can get in some signings in time to prep for CL qualifiers.

Broxi_Bear_Eire

Savage Tyrant wrote: »

Mr_Spaceman wrote: »

What about the departure of Niall McGinn? Bit surprised he ended up at Aberdeen. Thought he might have been worth a decent run of games this season.

I can't see Paddy McCourt staying for much longer either.

Nial could well have got a decent run this season, he'll do well with the sheep I think.
Paddy could get a lot more game time this season. If rumours are true, and I believe a lot of it is, then he's his own worst enemy regarding his fitness. But if the league isn't as competitive this year he could well spend more time on the pitch.

If the league isn't as competitive come on there's no chance of it being competitive at all

eire4

PauloMN wrote: »

I'm not surprised he's gone, he never established himself at Celtic. I wish him luck at Aberdeen, he stuck around long enough at Celtic and it wasn't going to happen. Not quite good enough to cut it, especially in an area where we have good options.

Now if only he were a defender....

I think you make a good point there. We have quite a few options and some real quality in the wide midfield spots. McGinn's a good solid player who will do well at Aberdeen but hard to see how he would have broken into our side.

eire4

Celtic playing their final game of the German pre season tour against Aalen. Looks like Lennon will be getting as many players game time as possible.

Savage Tyrant

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

If the league isn't as competitive come on there's no chance of it being competitive at all

I didn't want to be presumptuous. :P

PauloMN

eire4 wrote: »

Celtic playing their final game of the German pre season tour against Aalen. Looks like Lennon will be getting as many players game time as possible.

1-2 to Celtic in the end, Hooper and Stokes I think. Anyone see it? Was it any better than the cack served up on Sunday? Can't have been any worse I suppose. Not that friendlies are that important, but glad to get a couple of goals in. CL qualifiers approaching fast!

the realpigiron

PauloMN wrote: »

1-2 to Celtic in the end, Hooper and Stokes I think. Anyone see it? Was it any better than the cack served up on Sunday? Can't have been any worse I suppose. Not that friendlies are that important, but glad to get a couple of goals in. CL qualifiers approaching fast!

There was no stream at all for this, wasn't televised in Germany. Good to get a win and some goals on the board, play Ajax next.

Lawrence1895

They had a stream on a local radio station...which didn't work, some technical difficulties. But the Live Ticker on Aalen's website was funny. Kris Commons was substituted twice, they called Gary Hooper 'Gary Wooper', and it was 'Antony' Stokes :pac:

PauloMN

Lars1916 wrote: »

They had a stream on a local radio station...which didn't work, some technical difficulties. But the Live Ticker on Aalen's website was funny. Kris Commons was substituted twice, they called Gary Hooper 'Gary Wooper', and it was 'Antony' Stokes :pac:

They probably thought Commons was two players. :pac: I think he's a bit of weight on him again, although he was one of the better players on Sunday v Kickers.

BTW Mods - when do we get our shiny new thread? :cool:

Lawrence1895

PauloMN wrote: »

They probably thought Commons was two players. :pac: I think he's a bit of weight on him again, although he was one of the better players on Sunday v Kickers.

BTW Mods - when do we get our shiny new thread? :cool:

In Green and Whyte background colours?

Dempsey

Group One

Seeded teams

RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
FC BATE Borisov (BLR)/FK Vardar (MKD)
F91 Dudelange (LUX)/FC Salzburg (AUT)
CFR 1907 Cluj (ROU)
The New Saints FC (WAL)/Helsingborgs IF (SWE)

Unseeded teams

KS Skenderbeu (ALB)/Debreceni VSC (HUN)
NK Maribor (SVN)/FK Zeljeznicar (BIH)
FC Slovan Liberec (CZE)/FC Shakter Karagandy (KAZ)
FK Buducnost Podgorica (MNE)/WKS Slask Wroclaw (POL)
Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL)/FK Ekranas (LTU)

Group Two

Seeded teams

FC Flora Tallin (EST)/FC Basel 1893 (SUI) Celtic FC
PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL)/GNK Dinamo (CRO)
MSK Zilina (SVK)/Hapoel Kiryat Shmona FC (ISR)
Valletta FC (MLT)/FK Partizan (SRB)

Unseeded

Ulisses FC (ARM/FC Sheriff (MDA)
Molde FK (NOR)/FK Ventspils (LVA)
HJK Helsinki (FIN)/KR (ISL)
AEL Limassol FC (CYP)/Linfield (NIR)
Neftci PFK (AZE)/FC Zestafoni (GEO)

Celtic are in "Group 2" of the draw. I think its a fairly even split in terms of the quality of the unseeded teams, there are a few you'd like to get and avoid in both. I'd like to get Linfield, a right match to start the season with and not much travelling involved for the players!

Pompey Magnus

It won't be Linfield, they lost by 3 to AEL in the first leg.

Dempsey

Pompey Magnus wrote: »

It won't be Linfield, they lost by 3 to AEL in the first leg.

Ya never know, christmas has been coming early all year :pac:

lubo_moravcik

Can't wait for the new season kicking off properly.

the realpigiron

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/7913626/McFadden-would-talk-to-Hoops

James McFadden making himself available for a switch to Celtic. McFadden is without a club since being freed by Everton. He wasn't a bad player but injuries have taken a toll on him. Would he be worth taking on a pay for play basis maybe.

Dempsey

the realpigiron wrote: »

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12691/7913626/McFadden-would-talk-to-Hoops

James McFadden making himself available for a switch to Celtic. McFadden is without a club since being freed by Everton. He wasn't a bad player but injuries have taken a toll on him. Would he be worth taking on a pay for play basis maybe.

Only if he's the last option on the list and we can agree a pay as you play deal would I be happy with him signing. I cant see him holding down a 1st team place bar long term injuries.

lubo_moravcik

Dempsey wrote: »

Celtic are in "Group 2" of the draw. I think its a fairly even split in terms of the quality of the unseeded teams, there are a few you'd like to get and avoid in both. I'd like to get Linfield, a right match to start the season with and not much travelling involved for the players!

What was their score last night?

Dempsey

3-0 to AEL in Cyprus

PauloMN

Celtic drawn against either HJK Helsinki or KR Reykjavík for CL qualifier. Given that Helsinki are 7-0 up after the first leg v KR, I guess it'll be them!

Home leg first.

Jelle1880

Helsinki are well underway into their season and currently second, Celtic would do well to not underestimate them.

the realpigiron

Celtic wont be underestimating anyone

PauloMN

I don't think Celtic would underestimate anyone in Europe, given our record recently.

One of their strikers, Juho Makela was with Hearts for 3 years, have to admit I don't remember him.

Their season runs from April, so undoubtedly that will help them. We'll need to get a convincing result in the first leg at Parkhead. Play as we can and we should be able to get through this tie. We really need to work on controlling the game in the early stages though. Conceding goals in the first few minutes completely throws the game plan.

Dempsey

2nd toughest team in the draw, made tougher by the fact that Celtic's pre season has been sluggish so far. HJK are 2nd in the Veikkausliiga and unbeaten at home but the top 3 teams are unbeaten at home 17 games in. They are by far and away Finlands most successful team so they arent a "happy to be here" type team. They want European Football for the same reasons we do.

As for that Juho Makela, didnt really settle at Hearts, loaned out for most of the time, managed 5 goals in 23 games for Hearts. They signed him from HJK and when released from Hearts rejoined HJK, had a spell at Sydney FC after topping the scoring charts in Finland, only managed 3 in 16 games, and rejoined HJK again. He has a very good record with HJK in his 3 spells at the club with a 1 goal every 2 games.

the realpigiron

Is there another qualifying round after this one? Helsinki will be tough but Celtic should start favourites.

Dempsey

Yep, another round after this

the realpigiron

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2012/07/20/celtic-boss-neil-lennon-we-won-t-sign-any-more-players-until-we-know-whether-we-re-in-the-champions-league-86908-23910390/

No signings unless we qualify for the CL. Celtic should've taken the 6 million offered by Rubin Kazan for Ki and invested it, hopefully they'll be back with another offer soon.

Holding out for qualifying for the CL Group Stages with only a few days left in the transfer window, even if we do qualify, is a huge gamble.

Dempsey

I had a feeling that Celtic were holding out for things to happen before making their move. The likes of Henriksen is just waiting for offers to move. I suppose this is Celtic cutting their cloth accordingly even if we got rid of alot of deadwood. I think we are good enough to beat anyone in the qualifiers as is but by the time we are qualified all our best options will probably be gone.

the realpigiron

Dempsey wrote: »

I had a feeling that Celtic were holding out for things to happen before making their move. The likes of Henriksen is just waiting for offers to move. I suppose this is Celtic cutting their cloth accordingly even if we got rid of alot of deadwood. I think we are good enough to beat anyone in the qualifiers as is but by the time we are qualified all our best options will probably be gone.

A lot of money will be lost in the short term with the absence of the other lot via TV revenue and attendances. I suppose the money men at the club are being prudent. Still it's the usual form for Celtic in recent years to not gamble and speculate to accumulate, so in that sense the absence of the other lot makes little difference in this regard.

Celtic's current squad should be good enough to qualify for the CL via the route that's ahead of them. The Europa League campaign in a tough group last season should stand to them.

Still, as you say, what will be left in the market if Celtic wait to (hopefully) qualify first. If someone buys Ki, I presume they'll spend that immediately. Lennon could be doing his best to keep his cards close to his chest.

RoryMac

Shocking stuff in our friendly game vs Ajax, 3 down after 26 mins. Hope our search for a defender isn't reliant on Champ Lge qualification cause we're miles off qualifying on this showing.

Dempsey

Maybe it will get Lawwell to take the finger out.

Dempsey

Celtic are getting a nice lesson in dont give away the ball cheaply here. How we are pressing them in possession is very poor

the realpigiron

Just tuned in to this now, 3-0 down ffs. Don't think he can play Hooper and Stokes together away from home in Europe, that's why we need a strong target man who can hold the ball up and bring midfielders into the game. Samaras can't do this job either.

PauloMN

4-0, penalty and Mulgrew off for a handball lol!!!

Sounds like a normal day at the office for Celtic in Europe then!!

No point looking to Lawwell for players, simply not going to happen, until we qualify for the CL, which also doesn't look likely tbh. Can't afford to bring in CL quality players unless we are qualifying to pay for them, catch 22 unfortunately.

Whatever about needing new players, this is shocking from our existing squad. No excuses to be so poor and sloppy in possession.

the realpigiron

Charlie sent off for deliberate handball. This game can't end quick enough for Celtic now. Right it off as a bad day, and try to get some form going for the CL qualifier. Lenny needs to learn lessons on how to set the team up in away games in Europe from this.

PauloMN

Sorted now. Murphy and Bangura leading the line!

Dempsey

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2012/07/24/friendlies-mean-nothing-celtic-had-a-great-pre-season-under-tony-mowbray-and-look-what-happened-says-mark-wilson-86908-23911984/

Friendlies mean nothing - Celtic had a great pre-season under Tony Mowbray and look what happened, says Mark Wilson

I hope he's right but performances have been very lethargic even if the tactics/team selections used by Lennon were experimental.

Dempsey

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2012/07/24/friendlies-mean-nothing-celtic-had-a-great-pre-season-under-tony-mowbray-and-look-what-happened-says-mark-wilson-86908-23911984/

Friendlies mean nothing - Celtic had a great pre-season under Tony Mowbray and look what happened, says Mark Wilson

I hope he's right but performances have been very lethargic even if the tactics/team selections used by Lennon were experimental.

Lawrence1895

Dempsey wrote: »

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/2012/07/24/friendlies-mean-nothing-celtic-had-a-great-pre-season-under-tony-mowbray-and-look-what-happened-says-mark-wilson-86908-23911984/

Friendlies mean nothing - Celtic had a great pre-season under Tony Mowbray and look what happened, says Mark Wilson

I hope he's right but performances have been very lethargic even if the tactics/team selections used by Lennon were experimental.

But being 'lethargic' could also be a sign of players, who don't want to risk an injury

the realpigiron

Hasn't been a bad game so far. Paddy McCourt looking dangerous

Lawrence1895

I hope, Zaluska will be alright. That looked nasty

PauloMN

Zaluska off injured with a cut eye.

The black socks are honking I have to say, don't like them at all.

Lenny off watching Helsinki 2nd leg to get the low down.

the realpigiron

PauloMN wrote: »

Zaluska off injured with a cut eye.

The black socks are honking I have to say, don't like them at all.

Lenny off watching Helsinki 2nd leg to get the low down.

Like the new strip though more Hoops the better.