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Celtic Diary Wednesday February 1: Wherever He Lays His Hat Is Called Home

With the window now closed on transfers, we can now look at the changes and their implications.

 

With the exception of the Georgios Giakoumakis saga, which still isn’t complete and gives the impression the player and his agents don’t know either what they want or what they are doing.

 

But sooner or later he’ll join Josip Juranovic , Oliver Abildgaard and Mauritz Jenz as memories, fleeting guests in the house of Ange….

 

 

Juranovic has told us why he left for Union Berlin, and not one of the bigger…his words…clubs who were interested. It’s fairly reasonable, in that he wanted a guarantee of first team football in order to keep his place in the Croatia team.

 

Only Berlin gave him that, and that’s why he’s there. Given Ange’s reluctance to offer him the same guarantee, and Tony Ralston constantly improving, it might also explain why he left in the first place.

 

Jenz seems a little unfortunate, given time he might well have developed into a class act. Unfortunately there were two ahead in the queue and then in came Kobiyashi, and having committed to a trip halfway round the world, he would have expected to be in contention.

 

 

As for Abildgaard, he didn’t even hit the ground let alone hit it running. And, as with Jenz, there’s a Japanese player already here to take his place.

 

 

Those two were on loan, and had Ange not secured his primary targets, they would still be here, but as we have Iwata and Kobiyashi in on permanent deals, and they are obviously the managers top targets, then they are surplus to requirements,

 

 

Everybody’s happy, especially me, as it looks like we have a manager who knows what he is doing, and a board prepared to support him.

 

 

It’s also worth noting that Alastair Johnston was here before Juranovic actually left….as opposed to Hyeongyu Oh who is replacing someone who seems to have changed his mind about going but to no avail.

 

Will this sort of professional attitude to business on the pitch catch on ?

The badge on the shoirt is always bigger than the name on the back…..

 

After years of scrambling for loans on the last day while we wait for top targets to see if anything better comes along, we have a manager who asks people if they want to come, and if they don’t, he asks someone else.

 

Before the window opens…..

 

 

There is often much debate about who should be the beneficiary of a statue at Celtic Park, and as far as I’m concerned only one candidate has done enough to get the nod.

 

 

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the statue, like the man, would bear no testicles, as it is surely his lack of balls that led to us bringing in Postecoglou, who will get his own statue when Celtic become the first Asian team to lift the European Cup.

 

 

And speaking of the manager, we seem to have stumbled on one who has become Celtic minded very quickly, or perhaps it’s just a meeting of similar minds.

 

 

His recent statement on other managers who seem to think he’s lucky rather than talented is interesting, as it can be taken at more than face value…..

 

 

I actually don’t mind people saying we have the biggest budget because we have the biggest fan base and we are the biggest club. People forget that that money is on the back of hard-earned supporters who don’t have a lot of money and choose to spend a significant portion of it on this football club.

“My role is not to get their money and stick it in the bank. It’s to get their money and reinvest it in the thing they love. That’s my responsibility and why we do what we do.

“If people are saying we are the biggest club in the land, then I don’t think that’s something we need to be embarrassed about. That’s who we are. 

“I guess my role in that is to maximise that. Just having the money and not spending it wisely would have people saying, ‘They have the biggest budget but they waste it!’. If people are saying we have the biggest budget and are spending it well, then I’m not sure they’re achieving their goal in saying we have some unfair advantage.”

I take that responsibility very seriously.

“We are not spending money we don’t have here. Through our supporters or through our sponsorships or through our player sales, it’s all money that’s hard-earned.

“It’s not just given to us. We don’t just have a benefactor throwing money at us.

 

“So it’s important that that money we have here is spent wisely. I reckon we have done that in the time I’ve been here and we’ll continue to do that.”

 

 

And are things going to plan ?

 

 

what I think is important is looking at our place and what we are doing here. We had some clear strategic objectives in this window and I’m pleased to say, from my perspective anyway, that everything we wanted to get done, got done.

“I think that just shows we’re all aligned.  

 

 

 

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He gives us a sense of responsibility, and even accountability.

 

 

As opposed to some clubs or companies who are irresponsible , with no accounting ability whatsoever.

 

 

 

Which is why I’ll say again, he isn;t going to be tempted away just yet.

 

 

He’s brought a number of players with him on his journey halfway around the world, having first popped over here to assess the lie of the land.

 

 

He’s not going to abandon them for personal wealth or ambition, he would have guaranteed players who have come here because he is here that he will stay, to help them settle and adjust to a new culture.

 

they would not have come without that guarantee.

 

 

As with Ideguchi, they will be given time to settle, and not cast out when, or if, they don’t hit the ground running.

 

 

Our manager has laid down his hat, because he’s home now.

 

You can tell by the invites he’s sent out…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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John A
1 year ago

God bless Ange

Cortes
1 year ago

An excellent piece: many thanks. The statue ideas are stellar.

Kevin
1 year ago

Stay as long as you like Ange. Cracking bloke that suffers no fools.

K

The Cha
1 year ago

In terms of accomplishments, post-Stein, Ange is behind (there’s only 1 King) Billy, Davie (Hay), (the Blessed) Martin, (Saint or sinner) Brendan and level with Wim the Tim.

I would argue that the latter’s achievement was the greater considering he was facing a much stronger and stable foe. The fact that this was built on corruption makes the achievement all the greater.

I get that everyone suffers from recency bias, where no downside is seen on the horizon, only inexorable progress.

I suspect if fans assessed O’Neill and Rodgers after 18 months they would’ve predicted greater success than they achieved, which was significant anyway.

Hopefully, Ange will be around for a few years to come and at the end of it, a meaningful assessment of his place in the ranking of post-Stein managers can be made.

We also can’t assume that he will definitely be around for years to come, as there’s no guarantee (any player relying on it is foolish) and at nearly 60, any chance at an EPL job is likely to be his only one, so his choice will be now or never and, sadly, most managers would go.

I absolutely love his comments on Beale’s ravings, especially putting the fans front and centre. I’m sure the LL will classify it as a bit of banter between the 2 but its the adult in the room schooling the wee boy. It’ll be reminiscent of the journalist who claimed he jousts with Ange, when the latter simply slaps down his pro-Hun nonsense.

I suspect the League Cup Final to be a tight affair but just in case its a repeat of the 8 goal thriller then I hope ‘Lucky 7’ t-shirts are available for the after-game party!

BJF
1 year ago

Simple isn’t it, biggest club, biggest fan base, biggest budget. But a club has to be run properly, every aspect of it not just the team on the pitch. Otherwise they may lose theiry history even your very existence. I know this because ….

An Occasional Contributor
1 year ago

Ange’s comments about targeting u24’s in the Transfer market were very telling methinks.
An absolute coincidence that Lawwell is back at the Club and we’ve gone from signing late 20-30 somethings back to this in 12 months .
Aye total coincidence.
Time will tell if he hangs about long enough to alter the Champions League trajectory since this approach was brought in in 2013.

We’ve gone from Last 16 tae lost 17 since it has.

Funkyy
1 year ago

I’d hate to be stuck in an elevator with you. Why so much doom, gloom and negativity..especially when we won the League last season and are leading the League this season and the manager has imbued a clear fast attacking entertaining style of football that all the players appear to have wholeheartedly bought into?
There is no guarantee that ANY manager of ANY team is gonna stay if some rich Arab or EPL club offers him a king’s ransom to accept managing their team. I’m for enjoying, or better, …savoring…Ange’s Celtic team sweeping up the honours in Scotland while always looking to keep improving and putting the fear of death into the dark side in case their fans turn against them and stop filling seats. They are not the most “loyal” fans…I can remember the time when they were getting 7 or 9 thousand in their stadium. Let them worry. while we enjoy ourselves.

Honest Hoops
1 year ago

Quite simple really…live within your means and financially you will be in a better place…

Mike.
1 year ago

Reading MON’s book “On Days Like These”, and at the same time reading David Potters excellent tome on Jimmy McNemeny – Celtic’s Napoleon. Of the two books it struck me that Celtic authors and historians must always be guided by the stats and the real facts, interjected with player accounts. Ex players and managers autobiography’s are always more enjoyable, mainly because, although they must state names and dates accurately, its always the back -room tittle tattle, boardroom meetings and player dressing room stories that reveal the real truth of what goes on behind the scenes. Player foibles and superstitions like.. left sock on first, last man out the dressing room etc. Its these human characteristics that make them always so enjoyable.

1 year ago

Gerry, you have a platform on Celtic TV. You don`t laugh at the uselessness of the Officials, you need to chastise them, LIVE.

Checking for a free kick, then for an offside. What is next? A goal chopped off for being rude to the referee.

Funkyy
1 year ago
Reply to  portpower

They’ve already have chopped off a few for wearing green and white.

rab wallace
1 year ago

Great article & GG should have known better than to become petulant with Ange he’s the no prisoners type from down under, now if he can just punt James McCarthy to anywhere I would be ever so grateful.

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