{"id":15952,"date":"2020-08-14T09:45:50","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T08:45:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15952"},"modified":"2020-08-14T09:45:50","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T08:45:50","slug":"celtic-diary-friday-august-14-desmond-awakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15952","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Friday August 14: Desmond Awakes ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Albien Aljeti overcame his initial doubts yesterday and joined Celtic for four years, got himself the number ten jersey and gave us the old line about it being the only club for him.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cFor me it was important that the boss and the sporting director Nick Hammond showed me a lot of interest.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was also important for me to feel like I would be an important player if I was going to sign for as big a club as Celtic is.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis was important. But when you have a chance to play for them, with all the tradition they have and the history of this football club and the fans they have, I am happy.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

He even said he’d knocked back Barcelona ..which gave the impression that it was quite recently, but deep down in the story it was when he was wee and the Catalan giants were not on his bus route so his mum put her foot down.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Or something like that.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was thankfully no mention of anything that may have been on the mantelpiece in his bedroom…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Glasgow<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Alright, we get it. He’d rather we dinlt mention that he initially had cold feet about the move, but to be honest, most of us would rather he took time out to have a think about things, and now he’s made his mind up he should hit the ground running.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

His mate Mo Elyannoussi hit the ground running, and perhaps Aljeti will be able to point out to him that running all is fine and dandy, but we need him to be productive as well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One thing that was noticeable from his publcity shot , apart from the obvious badge tugging, was the word ” Adidas ” faintly imprinted on the seats in the stand behind him….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Perhaps more visible here….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

With over \u00a310m spent, and around seven weeks of the transfer window left, coaches at PSG will be concerned they might have to develop their own players at this rate, but we’re assured that Peter hasn’t forgotten them and for all the talk of Ivan Toney , Barry Douglas , Shane Duffy and anyone else who pops up in the papers, thats still where we’ll be going to get our next big thing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Otherwise that jaunt to France would have been a complete waste of time… we just don’t want anyone else to know who we’re after.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which reminds me, they’re a little concerned at the ranch office about stories leaking out about layers, and several false trails have been laid to flush it the mole, where an insider is fed an exclusive to see where it appears, thus identifying the leak.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I’d like to think they’d have made it less obvious, though….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Doesn’t affect us, of course, as we make everything up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shane Duffy is delighted with interest from Celtic, but as he’s rather used to a little bit more in his bank at the end of the month than is on offer here, a loan is probably the best we can hope for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Although he did skip the subbuteo bit, and went straight for the balacalava….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Seven years before Celtic were interested in him, so there’s little doubt he’s been keen for a while….<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Barry Douglas, who is at Leeds but used to be at Wolves, or it might be the other round, has an impressive record and looks set to join Celtic to give the medical staff someone to practice on..lol, practice, medical, see what i did there ?….and if they can actually put him back together, we could have a decent replacement for Bolingoli Boli, who we hear is drafting an apology for his selfish actions that could yet be more effective in stopping ten in a row than anything the SPFL\/SFA could conjure up…though that won’t stop them from trying.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Douglas’s record is comparable to Celtic legends such as Derk Boerrigter and Marvin Comperr, which has thrust him onto the reckoning for a place at the table…or on it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Image\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It’s all about money, and whilst the outlay already this window suggests someone is a little bit pissed off about how the season started..like when some directors sang about sashes and other delightful tunes of tradition…it may just be that all of this was planned all along and things are just ticking along nicely.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Which is why anything else will likely be projects or players who have lost their way a bit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Still, Edoaurd and Dembele were projects, so I’m certainly not downhearted.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And don’t forget, there’s still quite a few youngsters biting at the leash to get their starts in the forst team, ambitious youngsters who came north from English clubs on the promise of being given a shot if they worked hard enough….though sadly, not too many of them are centre halves, so there should be one more established name into the fray, perhaps even in time to join Barkas and Aljeti on the list for next weeks game against Reykjavik.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Elsewhere, and the fallout from the antics of Bolingoli, and others, continues with the SPFL announcing that there will be all sorts of prices to pay not only for reptitions of misdemeanours, but the ones that have already taken place, showing that they still haven;t got a fucking clue what they’re doing, or , indeed , how the world of law works.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Put simply, you can’t actually punish someone for something f it wasn’t a crime when they did it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Their statement yesterday said;<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

The Joint Response Group today outlines a wide range of measures agreed with the Scottish Government\u00a0to reinforce Scottish football\u2019s commitment to public health and adherence to\u00a0protocols.<\/em><\/p>\n

These measures have been approved by the JRG and follow extensive discussions with Scottish Government Ministers and health advisers.<\/em><\/p>\n

They are as follows:<\/em><\/p>\n

ENFORCEMENT<\/em><\/h2>\n

The JRG has worked to ensure that existing rules will be strengthened to include the provision of sanctions for players who do not adhere to COVID-specific football protocols or government public health guidelines. This will encompass recent breaches and further details will be provided tomorrow.<\/em><\/p>\n

EVALUATION<\/em><\/h2>\n

In order to provide government health officials with the necessary confidence that Scottish football can return safely and in accordance with relevant government guidelines and football protocols, the Scottish FA has agreed that the return to training for clubs outwith the SPFL Premiership\u00a0\u2013\u00a0which includes all organised adult football over-18 \u2013 will be delayed until at least 24 August, pending updated government guidance on the 20th. This is to ensure that:<\/em><\/p>\n