Ledley was a much better player than some give him credit for, and he will be missed. The club decided that the \u00a32.5m was too much to lose if Ledley decided to stay and run his contract down, as he had done with his boyhood favourites Cardiff City. Its not difficult to see that if he had done that to the club he loved, he would have had no hesitation in doing it to Celtic. So, Lawwell made his decision, and Ledley was told that he could go.<\/p>\n
Better than letting him go for free, and at the end of the season when they run the accounts book up the flagpole for us all to cheer and admire, then we will perhaps see it their way.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But for me, all the money that comes in via the champions League-which is our main source of revenue these days- is down to key players, such as Ledley, and before him Wanyama and Hooper, so when it comes to new contracts, they should be amply rewarded, not at ridiculous EPL levels, but somewhere inbetween, and then they might even stay.<\/p>\n
Then we can build a stable, successful and experienced team at the top level. Like we used to have.<\/p>\n
If the stories are true, then Ledley was being asked to take a pay cut, as indeed is Georgios Samaras. Frankly, if thats the case, then they should have stayed ( Samaras has ) and milked the club for every penny, because if I played for a club, or worked for a company that was telling the world how financially well off they were-better than ever before-and then asking me to take a pay cut, then it wouldn’t take me long to formulate a full and coherent response.<\/p>\n
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Not entirely sure if I’d want to play for Crystal Palace and Tony Pulis , though. Still, it’ll develop his upper body strength.<\/p>\n
Its easy to forget , amongst the last day pandemonium, that Celtic have signed what looks like a very decent replacement in Stefan Johansen, but again , theres a bit of a gamble involved, and if Ledley wanted to stay, then we could have pushed the boat out a bit to meet his requirements. We know his capabilities, whereas Johansen could become another Bangura. Or Lassad. Or Miku. Or, bloody hell, I could go on forever here…<\/p>\n
Heres hoping he won’t , though. The same goes to Leigh Griffiths, the debonair acquisition from Wolverhampton, who couldn’t get up the road quick enough to sign yetserday, once the midland side accepted a bid of around \u00a3800,000.<\/p>\n
Co-incidentally, thats exactly how much it costs to run the traffic lights on the one way system in Wolverhampton town centre. The only system of its kind in Britain where if you miss a light you have to go back to the beginning and start again.<\/p>\n
Griffiths can’t wait to get started in Glasgow, and he’s looking forward to the football as well.<\/p>\n
He comes with a reputation of having off the field baggage, and its up to Neil Lennon to deal with that. but has he already dropped the ball ?<\/p>\n
Heres Griffiths arriving at Celtic Park yesterday;<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
and here he is leaving;<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And heres the the guy who asked him where he got that bag from;<\/p>\n
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You know what ? Its great to have someone with a bit of character at the club. Someone that the kids can identify with. Griffiths comes across as likeable and honest, and he spoke of Lennons wee word with him before he joined;<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good chat we had and he told me what is expected of me as a Celtic player, saying I can\u2019t do anything wrong or people will pick up on it.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it\u2019s just about keeping my head down and working hard to try to prove wrong the people who say I\u2019m not good enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody has a past. I just want people to concentrate on what I do playing for Celtic and forget about everything else. I want to be judged on what I do on the pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you speak to any of the people who have played with me or been around me they will tell you I am not a bad lad.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes I have been daft in the past but when I come to training I do my work, get on with things then go home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a massive deal but I have no doubt I can handle that and take the pressure that comes with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of pressure in my last year at Hibs to fill the boots of Garry O\u2019Connor and I managed to take that in my stride. So, hopefully, I can do the same here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy agent phoned me in December and said Celtic could be interested in January. I have been counting down the days since.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil the first bid goes in you are never sure if it is going to happen. It was all talk until then. But as soon as Celtic made the first bid I wanted it to go through.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo bids were rejected but my heart was set on it because you want to play at the highest level you can.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have watched the Champions League nights on the TV and there is no better place to play. That is where I want to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t playing at Wolves so I wasn\u2019t happy. But I\u2019m leaving a good club to join an even bigger club in Celtic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know what it takes to become a Celtic player. I had a great season last year at Hibs then I went down back the road and started scoring goals as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did it last season for Hibs and have done it for Wolves so I am just thankful to get my chance here and hopefully I can prove I am a good signing and start scoring goals for fun.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was confident last season when I was creating most of the chances on my own but at Celtic they are always going to create chances<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to get on the end of them and put them in the net.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an unbeaten run to maintain and a big Scottish Cup tie against Aberdeen coming up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully we can go on and win the league and cup Double.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, though, I need to break into the team and that will be tough but I am confident I can do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy message to the fans is I\u2019m looking forward to playing, scoring and winning plenty of trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neil Lennon agreed;<\/p>\n
\u201cI like gallus players and he\u2019s certainly got that nature on the pitch, although I don\u2019t think he\u2019s
\nill-disciplined or anything like that when he plays.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving spoken to him you get a different perception of people sometimes. He actually seems quite a quiet boy away from the pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeigh knows the responsibilities involved in coming here. He\u2019s just got to mind himself away from the park and we\u2019ll do all we can to help him with that as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to him about his responsibilities as a Celtic player and to be wary of things away from the park. He\u2019s got to get used to the intensity of playing for Celtic and the public perception of him but I don\u2019t think people should judge him on his past. Just judge him on his football ability.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not a bad boy, he just needs to change people\u2019s views and he can do that through his football.\u201d<\/p>\n
We haven’t had a gallus player since Charlie Nicholas, so heres hoping we’ve got one now.<\/p>\n
He’s not an expensive foreigner, with a name like a scrabble hand. He’s not a big name from the south coming up to supplement his pension. Nor, indeed is he a youngster who will freeze in the bright lights of a big city.<\/p>\n
No, he’s Leigh Griffiths, of Celtic.<\/p>\n
And I think we are going to like him.<\/p>\n
( PS , Peter, I will accept either cash or cheque. The author reserves the right to change his mind at any moment without notice )<\/p>\n
He might even end up as part of a club and country partnership with Tony Watt, if , as hoped , the errant forward returns from Belgium all grown up and sensible, but thats for another day…<\/p>\n
Yesterday was a busy one at the club, and also for reporters up and down the country, who told unashamedly inaccurate stories about moves that were on, off and then on again. Scurrilous nonsense designed just to get people to pay attention to them. Serves you right really, for paying them any attention, when we’ve got the ever reliable and trusted Rumour Mill on here, for all your gossip needs.<\/p>\n
( You’d be surprised how much of that is actually true. Come to think of it, you’d be surprised if any of it was true. )<\/p>\n
One story that had us on edge yesterday concerned Efe Ambrose, one half of the best double act at Celtic Park since Jock Stein and Sean Fallon, who according to SSN, was signing for Fulham…<\/p>\n
The story then disappeared, only to emerge again at tea-time , with Ambrose “moving to England “, and then -nothing.<\/p>\n
There were also rumours that Lee Wallace might come in, enhanced when the ever sharp Tommy In Glasgow rang Ally McCoist to enquire, on behalf of Scunthorpe, about Wallace, and was told to ring Ibrox. Meaning that they were ready to listen to anyone.<\/p>\n
Georgios Samaras was the subject of late interest from Marseille, and Fraser Forster was wanted at Arsenal, but they’ve decided to leave that until the summer.<\/p>\n
So my mate says, and he should know. He watches all their games on the telly, and has a new strip every year, not the current one, he’s a year behind because its cheaper.<\/p>\n
And it got more ridiculous.<\/p>\n
But nothing more ridiculous than this story, an old one dredged up by STV, who have a partnership with the new Rangers club to promote them-fair enough, that must be like trying to sell chips outside weightwatchers-in a crass attempt to score points against Celtic. Presumably the editor behind it was in a huff, because a big boy called Timmy stole his dinner money on the way to school.<\/p>\n
Mohamed Bangura ‘will be a legend like Henrik Larsson’ at Celtic<\/h1>\n
Presumably this was to deflect from the lack of activity down Govan way, wher eapart from a mysterious bid from Nottingham forest, no-one seemed to want any of Scotlands second highest players…<\/p>\n
Which is a good thing if you are one of those players, earning an awful lot for a doing awfully little , er awfully. But a bad thing if you are running a business that needs to raise a bit of cash quickly.<\/p>\n
Or maybe there was another deflection…<\/p>\n
McMurdo – Sandy Easdale Speaks Out<\/h1>\n
Bill McMurdo, son of Bill McMurdo, and big fan of, er, Bill McMurdo, has been talking to Sandy Easdale, who has a significant share in New Rangers..<\/p>\n
The claim by Whyte that his ownership of the club \u201cabsolutely extends to Ibrox site, the training ground, the players, the entire entity as it stands\u201d has drawn a withering response from Sandy Easdale.<\/p>\n
Speaking exclusively to this blog, Easdale hit out at Rangers\u2019 former owner: \u201cCraig Whyte is mad. Is he not aware that everyone with a share has more claim to RFC assets than he does?\u201d<\/p>\n
Easdale revealed that the club have been aware for a while that Whyte has been rattling around media outlets, trying to get support for his outlandish claims.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s like a big kid,\u201d Easdale went on to say. \u201cIt\u2019s like if he can\u2019t have Rangers then all he wants is to try to ruin things for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whyte was famously outwitted and outmanoeuvred by Charles Green and Imran Ahmad when they acquired the club but Easdale believes that Whyte should accept this and move on, especially given that he has nothing to do with the present regime.<\/p>\n
Easdale claims he has never met or had dealings with Whyte and that if Whyte turned up he would personally escort him off the premises.<\/p>\n
\u201c I have never met or spoke to the man but I personally would throw him down the marble stair case if he ever turned up at Ibrox.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rangers fans will certainly be cheering this last statement.<\/p>\n
( Those who can remember how to cheer anything, that is..)<\/p>\n
Actually, someone on the Follow Follow site summed this up better than anyone;<\/p>\n
That’s how low weve sunk ,when one of the brothers Grimm uses wrestlemania language to win popularity,Bill Struth would turn in his grave .\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Happily for Struth, if he turns around, he might see them excavating a new plot for the new club.<\/p>\n
Enough of them, and back to our own club, and the mayor of amsterdam has been biding his time, before unleashing a volley of criticism at the Celtic fans who tore up his city during a coup,ke of days of rioting , pilllaging and crossing the road before the wee man turned green when we popped over there last year<\/p>\n
‘Dronken Celtic-fans oorzaak voetbalgeweld’<\/h1>\n
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The rest of the article is here, but you get the drift of it from the picture and the headline.<\/p>\n
dutch article<\/a><\/p>\n And you can complain about it by sending an email here;<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"Ally](\"http:\/\/i1.dailyrecord.co.uk\/incoming\/article3042276.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/JS31424859-3042276.jpg\")
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