Celtic Diary Friday January 10

Celtic stormed to a 3-1 win in the semi final of the Antalya Cup with “new ” strikers Amido Balde and Teemu Pukki both finding the net, with the formers contribution being as spectacular a finish as you will see all season;

Balde goal

The third goal came from Sol Bamba, a defender who once interested celtic, and last night he showed us why that interest fizzled out.

But thats unfair to Pukki and Balde. A while ago I suggested that they had been signed as a duo, and last night revealed evidence that they are certainly worth a run in the team together, and not just a fleeting walk round the park with a few minutes to go.

Now, you may say that its only a friendly, and a meaningless jaunt and all the other negative cliches that come with this sort of fixture and result, but thinking about it for a minute, if the result had been 3-1 to Trabzonspor, there would have been an entirely different level of importance attached to it.

But it wasn’t, and not only was it a good result, the team played well. Ajax or Galatasaray will clash today in the other semi final, and the winners of this game-dubbed “the friendly semi final “, due to the family atmosphere created by each set of fans, and the reputations they have gained as they made friends wherever they went.

I knew something was annoying me about this tournament, but whoever sat down and agreed to competing must surely have thought to ask why Celtic and its fans were considered to be a natural addition to this pair. I blame the Green Brigade, as they are the ones with the drum.

Stefan Johanssen, who plays for Stromgodset, is the subject of a £2m bid from Celtic. He’s a creative central midfielder who is highly rated in his homeland. In fact, they call him the Norwegian Luka Modric, so he should fit in alongside the Egyptian Trezeguet  quite nicely.

On the one hand, supporters are worried about the club losing its identity, it seems any incomers have theirs taken from them before they get here.

And from the Herald, which strangely seems accurate.

” Celtic have also been linked with a move for Stephen Kingsley. The Falkirk full-back is thought to have caught the eye of the chief scout John Park but, as with Johansen, Celtic are not the only club interested in the 19 year-old.

“Clubs from Scotland and England are looking at Stephen,” said Falkirk’s technical director Alex Smith. “There is a lot heavy of interest in him which is understandable. Stephen is a typical modern-day attacking left-back. He is a very good defender who gets forward as well. He is two-footed but has a very educated left foot and he is also exceptional at left centre-back.

“When you look at him Stephen has got to be one of the best left-backs in Scotland and he is getting better all the time.”

Perhaps thats simply just because its not in the Sun, Record or Daily Star.

Worryingly, Tom Rogic looks set to go on loan this window, as he is needed for his country in the World Cup next year.

As far as UI can see, he hasn’t travelled to Turkey, which means he must be going out on loan. As the Turkey trip is to give fringe players a game or two, his omission is ominous.

Australian team boss Ange Postecoglou wants to talk to Neil Lennon about Rogic, as he continues his campaign to get him out of Celtic;

“I’ll get my message across to Neil Lennon, yeah,” he said. “I’m hoping over the coming weeks that a decision is made. Tom is at a fantastic football club but the reality of it is in a World Cup year he needs to be playing so if that means going somewhere else, as a national team manager I’d be much happier with that. I really need players playing and fit around selection time so there’s some pretty big decisions to come up.”

Georgios Samaras could be off to join Trabzonspor, proving that he really is unpopular with someone at Celtic these days.

” Right Georgios, we are all of to Turkey to play Trabzonspor, and you are not coming  because you need to sort out a move. ”

And then, as soon as everyone else gets there , Trabzonspor make their move, and poor Georgios has to get his own ticket.

But, with a £1.7m a year deal on the supposedly on the table, he’ll grin and bear it.

Cutting the diary a bit short today, as I have to be somewhere a long way away later on. Which should be fun.

There are many things that fill a man with dread, but the M6 on a Friday is right up there with illness, famine and a season book in the Copland Road.

We haven’t had a quiz for a while, so heres something to ponder….

Whats the occasion, and who’s the man with the trophy ?