Steven Fletcher, the injury prone over priced Scotland forward says he almost signed for Celtic-and he still might.
“There has been talk a fair few times but it’s never actually happened.
“It did get close. When I was frustrated with injuries and not playing, I sometimes thought this is home for me and I want to come back.
“Of course I do want to come home, it just depends when.”
Well, he’d be company for James Forrest on those long days in the treatment room.
We don’t need any more strikers, not yet anyway, and so all of the available funds must be channeled into securing Swedish forward John Guidetti. Apparently, although he says money isn’t important, it appears it is.
When guidetti was looking round for a club to go on loan to, several Dutch clubs were interested in taking him on. The most prominent of these, and the likeliest to succeed were Feyenoord, where he had enjoyed a fruitful spell a few years ago. Except Guidetti was on four times the average salary at the Rotterdam club, and Manchester City, aware of the Financial Fair Play rules, wouldn’t subsidise his wage as much as Celtic would. When the time comes for Guidetti to make his mind up, it seems Dutch teams can’t afford him.
Now that he’s in Glasgow, and clearly enjoying every minute of it, it looks like he won’t prove to be too expensive to sign on a bosman in January, because thats when the deal needs to be done. If Celtic get past the group stages in the Europa Laeague, Guidetti could make a name for himself, and then other offers will be on the table. As it stands just now, English clubs will look at how Gary hooper has handled EPL defences, and all but the lower ranked sides, who will be battling relegation, will look elsewhere.
But then again, theres no transfer fee….just, for the EPL sides at least, a minimal development fee.
Hopefully, Guidetti will decide his immediate future is in Glasgow. After all, if you want to be loved and earn a very decent wage whilst winning medals then Parkhead is the place to be.
Stefan Johansen is a happy chappie this morning. He’s just been named the Best Norwegian Player of 2014, beating off stiff opposition from, er, some other Norwegian players.
This is the rather impressive trophy, a golden football with a little man with a camera emblazoned on it.
He’d only popped in for a pint, and found a guy hovering by the toilets with the prize, in a sort of “this is your life “surprise .
Johansen was pleased.
It feels really good to get this price. It is something I am very proud of, he said, shortly before punching his interpreter in the face.
Speaking of balls, you have to feel for this rather unfortunately named Welsh Rugby player…
Will they have a forward line of Roberts Biggar Ballsack ?
Back to the game with the correctly shaped balls, and Crystal Palace are apparently going to bid £5m for Celtic captain Scott Brown, as newspapers desperately try to find something to write about. ( They should just search twitter for rude names ) . Interestingly, that would give Palace a midfield containing ex-Celt Joe Ledley, nearly Celt James McArthur and too wee to be a Celt Barry Bannan.
Brown, though is a bit of a homebird, and doesn’t fancy the bright lights and glamour of the EPL, and ,er, Crystal Palace.
The EPL. Where clubs make money, where players make money and where agents take a piece off both.
Martin O’Neill, now Ireland manager and returning to Celtic Park for Fridays clash with Scotland, reckons if Celtic were in the EPL, they would get 85,000 at home games.
“I had a great time at Celtic,” O’Neill said in Beaconsfield last week, celebrating his first anniversary in the job. “They are a fantastic football club, one of the greatest in the world, and if there was a united Premier League they could build an extra tier and still fill 85,000 every home game.
Thanks, but no thanks. The novelty would soon wear off, and anyway, could we do it on a wet Wednesday in Stoke. No, but then neither can Stoke.
Two former Celts landed two new managerial jobs yesterday, making it a total of three over the last week or so.
Henrik Larsson left Falkenburg to go to Helsingborgs, moving very quickly before Peter Lawwell could get hold of him, Davie Moyes went to Real Sociedad, promising to learn a new language in the process, to add to the strange dialect he already speaks, and Alan Thompson took over at Blackpool.
Thompson has always played down stories of his fondness for the drink, and if every problem is an opportunity, then north west holiday town blackpool offers several opportunities.
Good luck to all three.
Aberdeens Evening Express tells us that four people have been arrested after the game between the dons and the hoops on Sunday, after singing and shouting disrupted the silence for Remembrance Sunday. The report, which is not in the least bit balanced, says;
FOUR people have been charged following Aberdeen FC’s heated clash with Celtic at Pittodrie.
Two further arrests were also made including a Celtic fan who allegedly breached their bail conditions, and a Dons fan.
And only one other fan was ejected from the ground before the game.
Celtic won 2-1 against the Dons. Match commander Innes Walker said: “The minute’s silence was shared by the overwhelming majority of fans at Pittodrie, however, police were aware of some disruption during the minute’s silence.”
Charged with what ? Its not an offence, as far as I’m aware, to disrupt a period of silence . Well, not yet , anyway.
The paper doesn’t tell us, but we can guess it will be the “behaviour likely to cause distress ” clause, which pretty much covers everything.
Theres no mention of what the Dons fan did. Not surprisingly.
Anyone who still has pals who claim that Sevco Scotland, currently playing in the forst division as Rangers are in fact the same club-I know, you’d think they’d have accepted it by now and moved on-could do worse than show them this little snippet, from when the English FA intervened when A Rangers player decided not to join the new club;
Rangers , of course, didn’t receive SFA membership. The new lot did.
Ibrox has often been accused of housing a neo Nazi support, with several instances of raised arm salutes being captured on film and in stills.
The mystery as to how they went down that path, and chose that salute may well have been solved, thanks to this picture, taken in 1936;
Whats the event ?
Don’t worry, they’ve taken it down now, and its tucked away in a wee room somewhere in the bowels of the old stadium.
The Peter McCloy somersault prompted some good answers yesterday, but thats enough mirth for this week. Who is collecting what trophy here ?
Finally, thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Celt Sammy Wilson, who has passed away
Sammy joined Celtic in May 1957, and will be remembered as the first goalscorer in the 7-1 rout of Rangers in October of that year.
May he rest in peace.
Fletcher was needed in 2009(big boob from Lawwell there),but
he is not needed now.I agree,Ralph,Super Guidetti has to sign a pre-contract in January.
What is it with the laptop loyal,so Broony is also a 5M target,like Guidetti.They are hurting big time,with Sevco,where they are,they are trying to sell our best players.
I read a piece of pish,from Scott McDermott on Sunday.I don’t buy the daily dump,but the mrs got a sunday mail,much to my chagrin.He is a bluenose,McDermott,trying to make a non-story
out of Gordon and sally.Tell’s us sevco are devastating.And the one that irked me most,called Scepovic a ‘ misfit ‘,Celtic should ban this cretin !
Please not Steven Fletcher but Darren Fletcher. Celtic would do very well to recruit the Man Utd & Scotland midfielder. He would have a lot to offer in the SPL and would be a steadying mature influence in midfield. Celtic need that type of player more than they do a striker at the moment. I’d check out a loan del for Darren in January and go from there. He won’t be ‘cup-tied’ for Europe. He is not and will not get much game time under Van Gal and is reputedly Celtic minded, whatever that means. Doesn’t matter he’d be a good acquisition if we can get him.
” Celtic minded ” simply means an individual or group have Celtic in their mindset and in their heart,also to be Celtic minded could simply be someone who prefers the club over others or is simply just a Celtic fan.
This is my opinion only, but an opinion shared by many Celtic fans I would have thought?
You could maybe drop the ” whatever that means ” bit, wee bit Zombiesque for me.
That looks like Tait’s Tower, so the 1937 Empire Exhibition Cup win.
sorry 1938
I think it is the Empire Exibition Trophy !
Scotland vs Germany circa 1936. I think Jimmy Delaney scored for Scoland that day…. Willie Lyon receiving Empire ExhibitionTrophy at Ibrox in 1938, and neither of the Celtic players in the photograph was Scottish. Is Donnelly the only one living of the 7-1 team?.
I remember Sammy Wilson from when he used to own the Kincraig Arms Hotel near Alness in Ross-Shire. I was working at the Invergordon Aluminium Smelter and the Kincraig was my local.
I used to spend a few happy hours talking to Sammy who was always behind the bar, we discussed the world at large, what a nice man he was.
God bless you Sammy Wilson.
” Wilson, Mochan and McPhail, Willie FERNIE scored as well, as Celtic fucked the Rangers ( original) 7-1″
I don’t think I’d be able to walk that night!
Still a domestic European record!
why slag Stephen Fletcher for wanting to play for celtic? Article way to negative. No need for cheap shots. I’d say good on the lad for wanting to play for us. He’s a tim at heart. He destroyed crystal palace last week, on his day he’s as good as any top epl player. It’s good to here a well respected top professional saying what a top club celtic are. Good on him. He’s out there sticking up for the club. Lay off the lad. Cheer up author it’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice.
Hail Hail