{"id":15974,"date":"2020-08-22T07:33:30","date_gmt":"2020-08-22T06:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15974"},"modified":"2020-08-22T07:33:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-22T06:33:30","slug":"celtic-diary-saturday-august-22-hiding-in-plain-sight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=15974","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Saturday August 22: Hiding In Plain Sight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tannadice is on the menu for tea time today, as Celtic look to surge up the table towards the European places.\u00a0 A 17: 30 kick off, according to the papers, which is unfortunate as my clock only goes up to 12.<\/p>\n

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Celtic will be without Leigh Griffiths, who is still having trouble with his calf, and Karamoke Dembele isn;t in the squad either, which may mean there’s something in the rumours that he has asked for a move.<\/p>\n

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Griffiths we can safely say will be out on loan as soon as he signs himself off the sick, with Aberdeen potential suitors. He might find his mojo up there, because he isn;t even looking for it in Glasgow.<\/p>\n

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Kris Ajer and Jeremie Frimpong will be waiting to see if they’ve been forgiven for their night out the other wekk, and if they haven’t, it’ll be the Israeli dup of Nir Biton and Hatem Ebn Ahmed who start at the back, with Chris Julien amd Greg Taylor completing the line on front of Vassilis Barkas.<\/p>\n

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Calum MacGregor is certain to start, but will Lennon rest Scott Brown ahead of the European game with Ferencvaros next week ?<\/p>\n

Olivier Ntcham could step in to the role quite easily, or perhaps Lennon will rest Ntcham, allowing Brown to keep his place in the less tense matches ?<\/p>\n

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A lot of speculation has surrounded Brown’s contribution to the team, with those of a statistical bent putting his age, speed and passing completion out there , which in itself may suggest Brown is on a downward curve as he approaches the winter of his career.<\/p>\n

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Ntcham, if not sold this summer, is clearly next in line for the throne, which would then promote Ismael Soro…remember him ?…to the bench.<\/p>\n

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Sometimes you have to trust that the management are aware of the supporters fear.<\/p>\n

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Ryan Christie should start behind Oddsone Edoaurd, with Mo Elyanoussi and James Forrest working the flanks.<\/p>\n

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The use of Nir Biton to stand in for Kris Ajer highlights the need for a centre half or two before the window shuts. Shane duffy has been mentioned, and it does appear that this story has something in it, but thats not stopped Lennon from looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n

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Liam Moore, of Reading was on the list a while back, and he seems to have popped up again this summer.\u00a0 Either this means there’s a genuine interest in him, or the p[apers haven’t got a clue who Celtic are after, and have just put this out there to fill a bit of space.<\/p>\n

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At the pre match press conference yesterday, Lennon said that Griffiths wasn’t going out on loan, Tom Rogic had been the subject of interest from another club..that was all….and that everyone was working away to secure the signings he wanted, whilst all the while keeping his fingers crossed under the table lest he be struck with a thunderbolt from heaven above.<\/p>\n

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Which Celtic will turn up ?<\/p>\n

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The swift , incisive free scoring conquerers of\u00a0 Hamilton and Reykjavik, or the ponderous hungover team who struggled at Kilmarnock?<\/p>\n

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I’ve got no idea, which is why I suppose I’ll have to watch it.<\/p>\n

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There’s a video doing the rounds featuring on loan Celt Keiran Teirney in an interview with someone or other-I couldn’t make out their names as they tended to babble like babies at the start, but when Tierney starts talking, it’s an absorbing interview.<\/p>\n

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He talks freely and frankly about a number of things, and it’s worth a watch, though at an hour and a half long, it perhaps could have done with a bit of editing, especially at the start.<\/p>\n

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I’ve not watched all of it, not yet, and I’m guessing that a number of those in the media haven’t either, but, like me, i suppose, they have to comment…<\/p>\n

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Kieran Tierney is a Celtic hero and any fans who gave him abuse need to take a look at themselves<\/em><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

The left-back has opened up on the vitriol directed at him after leaving for Arsenal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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David McCarthy in the Record found a negative aspect, which has the added bonus of taking a pop at Celtic fans.<\/p>\n

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He quotes Tierney talking about his hip problem, which was outlined in previous diaries…<\/p>\n

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\u201cI gave everything I could and in the end I did myself in with injuries. I\u2019d do it all again, every bit of it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI had hernias and fluid everywhere around the area. But I kept playing and playing. I couldn\u2019t get out of bed. I couldn\u2019t walk but I was still trying to play.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI was taking injections every game, two of them and painkillers. I was done. I had osteitis pubis and it\u2019s a bad thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cJonny Hayes said to me, \u2018My mates have retired with this, it\u2019s really bad\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cTom Rogic had similar problems, he said, \u2018What are you doing, ya idiot? Tell them you can\u2019t play. This is bad\u2019. But I said, \u2018I need to play, I need to play\u2019.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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McCarthy then compares the fans reaction to the reaction when Brendan Rodgers left, sensing a chance to further drive the knife into the support….<\/p>\n

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That was the level of commitment Tierney gave Celtic. And the fans loved him for it until the day he left.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s apprehensive about going back as a fan. Any \u2018supporter\u2019 who contributed to Tierney feeling that way should be taking a long, hard look at himself or herself this morning.<\/em><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve got previous, of course. Brendan Rodgers is a pariah in the eyes of many because he, too, left Parkhead for the Premier League.<\/em><\/p>\n

The circumstances of the manager\u2019s departure to Leicester were different in the sense he was accused of leaving Celtic in the lurch in the February of a season when Eight In A Row was still in doubt.<\/em><\/p>\n

That left a sour taste but should his achievements be airbrushed from history? Not a chance. Rodgers was an unqualified success. Had he left at the end of the season, there would have been less vitriol.<\/em><\/p>\n

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A grown up commentator would have asked the question that sorings immediately to mind…why did Celtic risk the career of a dedicated young man who was plainly suffering from a debilitating problem ?<\/p>\n

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We covered this in the diary when it was happening, and there can be no doubt that Tierney moved because he feared he would not get the chance to earn the sort of money that would set him and his family up for life . He could have woken up one morning and found that he was no longer even able to play football, and in that context a five year loan suits everyone, as he also said Arsenal would give him the rest and treatment needed to make a full recovery.<\/p>\n

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When you think about it like that, it’s impossible to criticise the man.<\/p>\n

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I’ll listen to the rest of the interview later, and maybe he’ll even confirm that he was talked out of a move to Everton the year before and at least then the grief I got for mentioning it will have been worth it.<\/p>\n

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Still, it could be worse.<\/p>\n

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At least Celtic got decent money for Tierney, and its maybe pushed the price for other Scottish based players higher than they would have been previously.<\/p>\n

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Lyndon Dykes will raise \u00a32m for Livingston, and the likes of\u00a0 Aaron Hickey will help keep the lights on at Tynecastle.<\/p>\n

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Then again, some clubs are just taking the piss.<\/p>\n

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Ryan Kent, who may have to be sold by “rangers 2 so they can pay for him…there’s still around \u00a34m to pay to Liverpool, half of which is due now, is on the market for “significantly more ” than Leeds have “offered “, although we have only Steven Gerrards word that there was an offer.<\/p>\n

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Having failed to sell Alfredo Morelos, which is a nuisance as they have already spent the money from is sale, they move on to Kent, who is apparently worth upwards of \u00a310m,<\/p>\n

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Though I’m not sure how they have reached that valuation, presumably the same guy who put the \u00a355 tag on some school jumpers with a badge on it was involved at some level.<\/p>\n

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Add to that the fact that their captian, James Tavernoer Pen has also gone on record as saying he wants to leave, and again there has been a dearth of offers, and yet another disaster is unfolding at Ibrox.<\/p>\n

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One of their policies was to buy players, improve them, and sell them at a profit.<\/p>\n

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So far, the most they have raised is a six figure sum for Greg Docherty, who joined Hull this week.<\/p>\n

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Maybe that explains the merchandise deal with Castore…we hear they were the only ones to offer a deal that Ashley refused to match…and in turn the ridiculously overpriced tat that they are pushing on their support, who in turn are pushing it back to the shop for a refund…this picture is apparently the queue for returns yesterday….<\/p>\n

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

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Ah, wait, no, it’s this one…<\/p>\n

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

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Whilst it’s all a good laugh, its also a sign that businessmen think fans can be taken for everything they’ve got, and they’re being not only allowed to do it, but no one in the media is taking up the consumers case…<\/p>\n

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Then again, if they were to do that, they might have to mention these cases as well….<\/p>\n

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

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Perhaps it would have been better to suspend this season.<\/p>\n

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It’s turning into a bit of a farce, and it’s only August.<\/p>\n

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All we need now is for the SPFL to announce that some shady Arabian\/Russian ? Chinese business magnate is going to sponsor the league.<\/p>\n

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We go back to Thursday for this picture….<\/p>\n

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\"Beat<\/p>\n

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Puggy67<\/em><\/div>\n