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Celtic Diary Saturday June 22

“Celtic are delighted to announce that defender Virgil van Dijk has joined the club from FC Groningen. The Dutch under 21 international has signed a four year deal with the Scottish Champions and he becomes the latest player to join Neil Lennons squad during the close season following the arrival of striker Amido Balde from Portuguese side , Vitoria Guimares. ”

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Any excuse, really.

That declaration from the official club site was followed by some words from the well spoken defender himself.

“Celtic is the biggest club in Scotland and they also play in the Champions League. Theyre a fantastic club and when Celtic came in for me I was so excited. Everything here is good so I can’t wait to get started. I hope to play many games for my country in the future but first of all I want to make things happen here. I’m a strong defender and I’m good in the air, but I also like to play football on the ground, and I hope that we’ll do even better than last season. ”

He also added that the history of the clubs and the fans were a major factor in his choice, which whilst he sounded earnest, you cannot help but feel theres a folder at Celtic Park containing all these statements ready to be read out.

Not to be outdone, Rangers (well, thats who they think they are, ) announced a press conference to show off their new signing, Jon Daly…..

So, thats the second big player, if not big name , to join the club as the manager swiftly and quietly, without fuss, goes about his business. Significantly, theres been no mention that the Dutchman will be the last to be recruited, and if rumours are to be believed, the South American , the goalie, and the winger are still to come. (Note, use of the word “goalie” is not referring to an ex player of the now defunct Rangers FC , 1872-2012. Well, not that one , anyway. )

Victor Wanyama , quoted in the Sun, says he knows that Celtic have accepted a bid from Southampton, but there is a long way to go before he would consider himself a “saint “. So, he knows the nicknames of all the English sides..

The article also mentions he has a year left on his current Celtic deal, which kind of throws any hint of credibility out of the window.  Offers were always going to come in. Wanyama may have decided he is going, but to sell so early in the window for so low a price to so low a club would be folly.

Meanwhile, and almost completely under the radar, Steve Davis, boss of Cheshire side Crewe Alexandra is looking to link up with Celtic to take players on loan. And hopefully give us their captain Luke Murphy, even if we have to loan him back to them. Davis , speaking in the Crewe Chronicle, which is probably why no-one noticed it, said;

“We have secured a prctice game against Celtic at their training ground and that will be a great day for us and a great experience for the players. Neil has done a fantastic job up there. They narrowly missed out on a treble and had a great run in the champions league so it will be a great experience for our players to face players of that calibre. It will also be nice to catch up with Neil. He came to a couple of our games last season but I never really had a chance to chat, so I’m looking forward to that. I’ve always tried to forge links with top clubs because they can help us out with loan players. ”

Crewe have an excellent academy structure, and have brought several top players into the game, such as David Platt, Robbie Savage, and , er, Neil Lennon. Any link would be a superb move, especially to help develop our youngsters.

The Daily Record has apologised for getting the salary of Campbell Ogilvie wrong. Apparently he’s not on £280,000 a year after all. Its just £20,000, plus car, travel, lunch, petrol, accomodation, bonus etc. Interestingly , an SFA release referred to it as the “Presidents salary ” not  “Ogilvies wages “, prompting cynics to wonder if the words were chosen for a reason. Salary, of course, doesn’t include “extras ”

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Its becoming an obsession now.

Of course, there is no suggestion of any involvement of ladies in any expense accounts at the SFA. If there was, I would be filling in my application form instead of typing this rubbish.

Kilmarnock have escaped punishment from the SFA after failing to keep former manager Kenny Shiels on his lead when he was outside. Obviously, now he has been “mutually consented “, there is no need for any further action. Lawwell, who controls the SFA, UEFA, FIFA and the United Nations Security Council, decided that flinging the former boss onto the dole was punishment enough. Worse for Shiels, he’s been linked with the post at Sevco, depending of course if the new club doesn’t go the way of the old one before long.

Actually, it might all end sooner rather than later, Ally McCoist is believed to be planning a parachute jump for charity, and if  thats true, its worth remembering the last time anything that bloody  big hit the earth it wiped the dinosaurs out.

Hearts, £25m in debt to Lithuanian companies UBIG and Ukio Bankos have announced that Ryan Stevenson and Jamie MacDonald have agreed to take pay cuts to help the stricken club. Manager Gary Locke described it as a bit of “positive news ” whilst defender Stevenson said “anything as long as they don’t try to sell me to Sevco again. ”

Supporters have began to take up season books, whilst a number of property developers have been seen walking up Gorgie Road with tape measures and shovels.

Theres a game today-a legends match at Oriel Park where Dundalks 2002 FAI Cup winning side will face a Celtic Legends side including Tommy Boyd, Alan Stubbs, Tommy Johnson , Bobby Petta and er, Regi Blinker.

Regi Blinker. Perhaps thats what the advert meant when it said there will be face painting and “balloons ”

The full Celtic squad is MacKnight, Vata, Stubbs David Elliott, Boyd, Joe Miller, Johnson , Brian O’Neill, Petta, Blinker, van Hooijdonk.

Sounds actually like fun. And you get to watch Allen MacKnight without putting your hands across your face.

Jimmy Johnstone was the man who was thankful to display his talents at Celtic, though not as thankful as we were to witness it. Not, as scholzybhoy said , Vidar Riseth.  Surprisingly. Or even Owen Archdeacon. Perhaps not so surprisingly.

Which player added these words to a statement beginning with his name ?

” ——– ———- of Arsenal? It just didn’t sound right. ”

 

PS-met my new neighbour this morning, as he was removing the For Sale sign from his garden.

“Hi, I’m Billy, ” he said.

“Hi, I’m Ralph. Er, Can I use that sign if you’re done with it ? ”

 

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Halfie
10 years ago

jimmy McGrory

Marytn
10 years ago

Charlie nicholas

Marytn
10 years ago

Martin hayes

10 years ago

Enjoy the new neighbour, i always find playing ” ROAMING IN THE GLOMING ” is always an ice-breaker, or starts a big stramash. Hail Hail, GOD BLESS THE CELTIC+

DKeano1888
10 years ago

David Moyes?

chuck
10 years ago

Billy McNeil

Krislowe
10 years ago

“..McCoist is believed to be planning a parachute jump for charity, and if thats true, its worth remembering the last time anything that bloody big hit the earth it wiped the dinosaurs out”

hahaha that was one of funniest lines ever on here (hardly a ringing endorsement mind!)

Bravo Ralph

gary
10 years ago

Jimmy mcgrory

Brian Murray
10 years ago

JAMES EDWARD McGRORY……….. or van persie? I’ll stick with my first answer.

Pensionerbhoy
10 years ago

Ralph

Was tied up all day yesterday – that bl***y wife knows how to do a tight knot.

Nice to see we are doing what looks like “good business”. It’s more than can be said for Magners and Regan. Is Victor aiming to be the first ever international star to hit rock bottom in the fastest time? Southampton? God, remove one sod and it’s in the Channel. As for Celtic, they should feel a moral obligation to protect the young – and get a decent price, of course.

Listen, if we tear enough strips off teams in the CL, we will be down to 5 stripes again in no time.

No doubt about the quote and this is before reading today’s diary. The Wee Man knew exactly what he was saying. Like Tommy, he understood the privilege he had been given. We too should remember ours in spite of being screwed, facing bias, coping with injustice or even “kettleing”.

Now to the day’s!

How many times do I need to warn you against using that photo of the wife, Ralph. And how do you see in our bedroom windy?

I mentioned Victor above and would just add that he must have been sleeping when he flew over Southampton. Even from the sky it is obviously not the place for progression. A visit to St. Mary’s (many a prayer for survival said there) could quite easily be confused with a tour of the docks given the amount of old tugs hanging about. Talking of flying and old tugs, sorry tubs, I hear Australia is on red alert in preparation for a mystery appearance. Good God, what if it had been a bungee jump. We think the weather’s bad now! Imagine that hitting a cloud or a planet.

SFA (Sure Fired Abysmal) salaries + extras = EBT (Embezzlement By Treachery). And the band plays on as do the administrations and liquidations. And I see that wife of mine has been doing business there and me not getting a penny, nor extras – like a car.

Good luck to the auld yins at Oriel Park. Some great memories in those names and even though Regi Perrin is back, I am sure there will be less calamities than in his previous performances if he just does nothing. Oh, that was the problem last time, wasn’t it?

The quiz obviously refers to someone who did not go to Arsenal so it isn’t Nicholas. McGrory sounds a good shout yet it sounds like someone who came to Celtic in preference to the Gunners so I will take a wild guess and go for Chris Sutton.

H H

Frank McGaaaaarvey
10 years ago

Jan Vennegoor Of Hesselink of Arsenal? That definitely don’t sound right.

Delighted to see big Virgil sign on. A ball-playing centre-half who is good the air, strong in the tackle and will only get better and become more valuable over time? Are u sure we didn’t sign Jon Daly?

Charlie Saiz
10 years ago

The greatest finisher in British Football of all time….

Charlie Saiz
10 years ago

Jimmy McGrory is the greatest conversation killer in the history of Old Firm rivalry.
Honestly no matter the conversation or heated debate just simply slip in…Jimmy McGrory 550 and leave it there.

No comebacks no we arra peepelz or 54 and demented..just stunned silence…

Try it out works a treat on Twitter.

charlie
10 years ago

the bhoy from millburn street

charlie
10 years ago

or one of them

10 years ago

Jimmy McGrory – supposedly the Celtic chairman set up the deal and he only managed to persuade Jimmy to go to London by claiming it was just a stop off on their way to Lourdes.
p.s. only 7 scotland caps & 6 goals scored – not that there was ever any question of an SFA bias!
a bit off topic, but,
Lisbon Lions Scotland caps:-

Ronnie Simpson(5 caps)
Jim Craig(1 cap)
Tommy Gemmell (18 caps)
Bobby Murdoch(12 caps)
Billy Mcneill:(29 caps)
John Clark (4 caps)
Jimmy Johnstone(23 caps)
William Wallace (7 caps)
Stevie Chalmers (5 caps)
Bertie Auld (3 caps)
Bobby Lennox (10 caps)

of course, at the time, Scotland were the best team on the planet, so you can understand why the likes of Bobby Murdoch was overlooked so many times. I’m Scottish and follow the national team, but still find it hard to understand why a nation with so few genuinely great players would overlook so many just because of the club they played for.

Pensionerbhoy
10 years ago
Reply to  andy docherty

Andy

I don’t. I know exactly why.

Excellent stuff on McGrory.

H H

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