Celtic duly moved into second place in the league with a 1-0 win up at Tannadice. Anthony Stokes slow motion chipped free kick dropped in off the post while the United keeper stood and watched in admiration. Other than that, it was more or less a run of the mill SPFL game, where the points were more important than the performance.<\/p>\n
Except one performance. Virgil van Dijk, the dutch defender-no lets call him a footballer- because that is what he is. Strong tackling, good positioning, good in the air, good on the ball and off it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Call off \u00a0the search for a centre half. We’ve got one. In fact, with Efe Ambrose settling in already beside him, we have two. \u00a0Derk Boerrigter, the other new bhoy on show yesterday faded a wee bit, but he is just back from injury, so it was good just to get him a run out.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the league, Inverness continued their superb start by defeating Hearts, \u00a0and suddenly the two clubs, who drew last week at Celtic Park, are beginning to put a wee bit of daylight between them and the rest of the pack.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Butchers side may benefit from having no European distraction this year, and if Celtic drop points at the rate they did last time round, then the league might be a little tougher than first thought.<\/p>\n
The transfer window closed last night , and apart from the addition of Max Oberschmidt , an eighteen year old keeper on loan from Die Hard 2.<\/p>\n
The move by the SFA to close the window a couple of days earlier than the rest of Europe has cost Celtic the services of Dutch left back Alexander Buttner, who was about to come on loan for a year, but his club , Manchester Utd won’t release him unless they get Leighton Baines. Which might not happen, but these sort of deals get done on the last day, and then theres a knock on effect all over Europe as money and players get sucked into a chain reaction. a reaction that Scotland will not now be part of.<\/p>\n
The SFA said they closed the window on Saturday because it is a normal working day. A day when they close deals for league sponsors, or when they look for ways to drag the game up a couple of notches to encourage investors. Or when they just send emails to each other with jokes about popes on them. The decision meant that Celtic were forced into a ridiculous scenario of bidding for a player, Lee Tomlin of Peterborough, while he was actually playing. Still, not like the SFA to do something that makes our set up look amatuerish, is it ? Tomlin may not have been the ideal signing, and was slated as a bit tubby on most forums, but three bids for him suggests that Celtic saw something in the fellow that we wanted. So we should have done it earlier, I suppose. Unless the one we really wanted couldn’t give us an answer until Monday…<\/p>\n
Tomlin is a playmaker\/forward, and despite his McCoistlike girth, is highly rated in the midlands, and above all would have annoyed that prat on Talkshite who is forever running down Scottish football whilst choosing to watch Peterborough every week.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Incidentally, Peterborough provide punters who like to bet on teams scoring a certain number of goals in a game. They regularly hit four or more. Tomlin is their playmaker, and it might be worth keeping an eye on him, as there is always the winter break.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Surely, in the interests of all clubs-especially the smaller ones who would benefit from a couple of players desperate to tie up a deal on the last day, the SFA would have grabbed the chance of an extra day. Even if just to put us on a level par with everyone else ?<\/p>\n
So, the window is shut, and Celtic have added seven players, and lost around a dozen.<\/p>\n
Charlie Saiz posted a list in yesterdays comments, and its worth reposting here;<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So far going out\u2026
\n1 Rogne CB
\n3 Wilson CB
\n4 Wanyama DMF
\n5 McCourt LW
\n6 Hooper FW
\n7 Lassad FW
\n8 Miku FW
\n9 Murphy FW
\n10 Bangura FW
\n11 Watt FW<\/p>\n
11 Players off the wage bill.<\/p>\n
and In\u2026\u2026.
\n1 Virgil CB
\n2 Mouyokolo CB
\n3 Biton DMF
\n4 Derk B LW
\n5 Amido FW
\n6 Pukki FW<\/p>\n
As well as Oberschmidt, who is this years goalie from nowhere.<\/p>\n
Now, there is still a danger a club could sneak a cheeky bid in for , say, Izzaguerre, who flung his shirt into the crowd after yesterdays game, or Forster, and leave Celtic with no chance of replacing them.<\/p>\n
Regardless of what anyone at the club says, I’ll wait until Tuesday before I do my sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
Of thoise coming in, van Dijk looks like a player-a hell of a player in fact, Boerrigter too, judging by his demeanour on the pitch. Balde looks like he’ll be number three striker behind Stokes, who has certainly took up the challenge, and Pukki, who, if you look at the comments on yesterdyas diary, Gerrybhoy \u00a0has added the Pukki song, from Schalke fans.<\/p>\n
He had his own song, so I reckon he’ll be fine. Even if the song isn’t. Though it is very, very catchy and will be in your head all day after you hear it. I tried to add it here, but failed. Gerry, if you can , put it in todays comments as well. And Mondays.<\/p>\n
This song, as awful as it is, will catch on.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Unlike Adrian Durhams shows, which although equally irritating, don’t have that addictive hook to make you listen again.<\/p>\n
Bilton, the Israeli , has a ways to go before he is a first teamer, and thats fine, he can take his time earning a place, while Mouyokolo was always going to be a squad player.<\/p>\n
It might not seem it now, but the three first teamers, Boerrigter, van Dijk and Pukki are as good as we can get. Better, even , than we have a right to expect if we listen to the “experts “.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Meantime, Neil Lennon has spoken honestly about the start to the season, and the pressure;<\/p>\n
” NEIL Lennon has bared his soul on the most tortuous seven weeks of his life, spent sitting halfway between heaven and hell\u2019s waiting room.<\/p>\n
The Celtic manager\u2019s emotions have veered wildly between relief, anger and joy in the week that saw his side retake their seat at Europe\u2019s top table in the most dramatic fashion possible.<\/p>\n
With half a dozen games against Barcelona, AC Milan and Ajax to keep Scottish football\u2019s name allied to the elite in the coming four months, the Northern Irishman had a lot to feel proud of as he watched the draw drop from\u00a0Monte Carlo<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday.<\/p>\n But in an insightful sit-down, the 42-year-old revealed the:<\/p>\n MISERY he feels reading fans\u2019 forums and listening to phone-ins deriding his team<\/p>\n STRAIN the summer\u2019s sales put on his relationship with Peter Lawwell and others<\/p>\n EMBARRASSMENT he\u2019d have felt among his coaching peers meeting in Geneva next week if Celtic had failed to qualify<\/p>\n TRUTH behind his \u2018I\u2019ve not had much help\u2019 jibe in his post-match press conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Lennon said: \u201cThe last six or seven weeks, I\u2019ve just been living in a bubble.<\/p>\n