The transfer window has closed, but not before Moussa Dembele leapt through it on his way to Lyon after flinging his toys around the training ground.
Manager Rodgers didn’t want to sell him, but the petulant Frenchman left him with little alternative. £20m is winging its way into the clubs account, to sit there with the other money brought in recently, until someone points out to Peter Lawwell that there don’t seem to be too many people in the crowd today…
On the whole, the transfer window was a bit of a let down.
Actually, it was a lot of a let down.
In fact, I don’t think its possible to feel more let down than I did yesterday.
We’ve lost a few players, Dembele, Roberts and Armstrong, of whom it could be said they were good players.
They didn’t start in all the games last season, they didn’t start in quite a few of them, actually..
John McGinley on twitter pointed out..
Games Moussa Dembele didn’t start last season – 33
Games Stuart Armstrong didn’t start last season – 36
Games Patrick Roberts didn’t start last season – 49
Armstrong had pretty much decided last year he wanted away. Fair enough, thats up to him. no secret, no tantrums, and he went with our best wishes.
Roberts was only ever on loan, and although he was the subject of an attempt to make it permanent, it was a sort of half arsed attempt which was always going to be rejected.
Dembele ? He couldn;t get out the door quick enough. For him, the novelty had worn off, and the arrival of Edouard meant he might not be forst pick any more, and thats without Leigh Griffiths taken into consideration.
His ego couldn’t take it, and he reacted in exactly the same way as anyone who’s ego is threatened, and didn;t want to play any more.
He did try to justify his actions with a bit of blamology, claiming Lawwell, rodgers or both had promised him a move and then reneged on that promise, but by then the identity of the villain had been discovered, and resect for him disappeared.
He did try to thank supporters yesterday with the usual template “love you all and thanks ” message, but the damage had been done.
He was a decent player when he wanted to be, and thats about it. but there’s no denying he made the club a few quid, so on balance it was probably worth it.
He claims to have no regrets about how he left Celtic, which means he did. but he’ll forget about us soon, but not before I forget about him.
He joins the list of those who could have been heroes, alongside Paolo di Canio and Pierre van hooijdonk.
And its alongside such luminaries his name shall be henceforth uttered.
Those who came in through the window, some bloke who can’t get a game for Leicester, something they decided within a fortnight of signing him, arrived on loan, and added depth to the defence, which was strange as they never previously needed any help to get deep into stuff.
Brown stuff, usually.
This transfer window, Brendans fifth, has all the aspects of a club downsizing, and perhaps thats the idea.
Out of the champions League ?
Well, that money needs to come from somewhere. And it did.
Although I have a feeling, based on nothing other than intuition, that we may have a new hero…
Something about this one, something about balance in the team being restored.
No evidence, no statistic, just a feeling.
Anyway,we move on, but there has opened up a gap, mainly in trust, between those who run the club and those who support it.
It will not take much for that gap to become a chasm.
Speaking of gaps that are actually chasms, Optimistic FC are at Celtic Park today, and as usual, they have got their dander up.
They always do ahead of their first real spanking.
Somehow, the media are hyping up their fantastic start, whilst celtic are in crisis, and therefore the two teams are evenly matched .
Their fantastic start that sees them seventh in the table..
| HOME | AWAY | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POS. | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS | |
| 1 | Heart of Midlothian | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
| 2 | Kilmarnock | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 3 | Livingston | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 4 | St. Johnstone | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Celtic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 6 | Hibernian | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Rangers | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 5 |
| 9 | Motherwell | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 4 |
| 10 | Hamilton Academical | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 3 |
| 11 | St. Mirren | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -6 | 3 |
| 12 | Dundee | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 0 |
If you turn up drunk to the ground @CelticFC tomorrow, you won’t get in. Don’t take the chance and miss the game! @celticfc @Rangersfc #CELRAN
However, when games are at Ibrox, you can indulge in sectarian singing, sectarian fighting and of course, sectarian stabbings.
Are they going to seriously stop everyone who has had a beer from going to the game ?
Keep an eye on this story…
What about those tax avoiders who already have a knighthood ?
Speaking of all things dodgy, the Europa League draw put Celtic in with two clubs who have the same owners-or at least sponsors…
Red bull Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg make up the group which also contains Rosenberg ( again) and some are a little confused as to how they can not only compete in the same tournament, but appear in the same group.
The New York Times explains how …
Even the SFA wouldn’t sanction that.
If you don’t count Douglas Park being involved at Hamilton and “rangers “, that is.
On Friday we had this picture…
Caption
Celtic signing policy committee
Ah we done the double treble let’s retire to the BAR.
Brendan will manage with what he’s got.
Today..
