{"id":5619,"date":"2014-09-02T10:45:15","date_gmt":"2014-09-02T09:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=5619"},"modified":"2014-09-02T10:45:15","modified_gmt":"2014-09-02T09:45:15","slug":"celtic-diary-tuesday-september-2-failing-to-plan-planning-to-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=5619","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Tuesday September 2 : Failing to Plan, Planning to Fail."},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0“Monday is the last day, we are going to get the players in that we want and get to work with them.<\/em><\/p>\n

“With the window closing we will know the group that we have to work with, we will bring in competition with new blood coming into the team, we will be stronger after the window than before.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Ronny Deila, showing that there are still perhaps one or two issues with his command of the English language.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The transfer window is now closed, and Virgil van Dijk, who had at least one hand on the sill in an attempt to get out, will now be sporting a couple of band aids on his fingers. Lawwell , according to twitter, turned down at least two-and possibly three -clubs who had all offered over \u00a310m.<\/p>\n

\u00a0So, at least he stuck to his guns on that one, but you still get the feeling he’ll wake up this morning with a hangover and tell his wife over breakfast that he’s sorry for coming in late, only had a couple,\u00a0and hopes he didn’t do anything stupid last night….<\/p>\n

Hah!<\/p>\n

Wait until he puts his card in the ATM and notices a cash transfer of \u00a32.4m !<\/p>\n

He’ll have kittens!<\/p>\n

\u00a0Seriously, though, well done to Celtic for telling van Dijk he’s \u00a0not going anywhere, and its nice to see a club making a player honour at least some of the contract he was more than happy to sign twelve months ago.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Of course, had he been sold there may have been one or two pitchforks on the car park this evening, but credit where credits due. He’s still here, and now maybe the defence can settle a wee bit and play like they are all on the same team.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The manager also said that no-one else would be leaving.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Again, something must have been lost in the translation.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Teemu Pukki, Amido Balde , Holmbert Fridjonsson, Bahrudin Atajic Dylan McGeouch,\u00a0and Jackson Irvine hired a seven seater and were dropped off at various clubs throughout Europe, except Atajic who is still driving \u00a0the motor and looking for a place to play.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Added to the loss of Tony Watt, Denny Johnstone \u00a0and Georgios Samaras, thats a hell of a lot of forwards leaving, and perhaps the guy who scouted most of them should be called in to the office this morning and asked what the hell he was thinking.<\/p>\n

And then someone at the club could tell us. And he could also tell us why we could have been down to just two strikers. One of which doesn’t specialise in scoring goals.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Because, that \u00a0left us at tea time yesterday with just Leigh Griffiths, Anthony Stokes and a host of pending court appearances between the two. \u00a0You can already see the potential problem. Then Stefan Scepovic found out that he couldn’t sign for Getafe, which is the name of the Spanish club he was going to, and not the instructions on the letter he got from them while he was waiting to sign on the dotted line. He all of a sudden remembered that Celtic were his favourite Subbuteo team, and while he was growing up in Serbia he got a Celtic top from his Dad, who scored in the famous 5-4 game in 1989, and told him that one day he would like to play in front of that wonderful crowd, \u00a0and so on, and so forth…<\/p>\n

\u00a0Which was a stroke of luck for Lawwell, who by now was reduced to scouring the public parks looking for anyone who had a pair of boots and could kick a ball without falling on his arse.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Actually, though,he did rather better than that. \u00a0He remembered \u00a0John Guidetti, now in the last year of his contract at Manchester City, and so far down the pecking order there he has to carry a Panini album with his picture in it to convince the Security at their training ground that he actually plays for them. Guidetti was asked to come to Glasgow and join on a season long loan, a nifty way of avoiding buying him, and ensuring if he does well at least we won’t have to pay for him.<\/p>\n

\u00a0But then Manchester city didn’t get the paperwork done, and it all went wrong. Celtic will \u00a0appeal to UEFA , the deal was done at our \u00a0end, and it was the English club who wouldn’t sign the release papers, so the deal could go through anyway.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Marvellous.<\/p>\n

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Whoop whoop.<\/p>\n

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Whoever is in charge of transfer strategy should himself be transferred this morning. With a boot firmly up his arse.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Had Scepovic not done another u-turn ( lets hope he’s equally mobile and flexible in the penalty area ), we would have lost six strikers and not replaced a single one of them. \u00a0We didn’t even put in an offer for the \u00a0purple sex toy being brandished at Sky Sports reporters during a live report would have at least \u00a0given us some penetration up front.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Perhaps we will hear all about the ones who got away, for the usual reasons, but the way the club has handled this opportunity to “come out of the window stronger than when we went in ” is inexcusable.<\/p>\n

\u00a0A couple of texts were intercepted, at the same time Jennifer Lawrence found out she should have stuck to a Polaroid, and they can be published today… The texts , not the Lawrence naked photos, which are a shameful breach of privacy, and too dark to really see anything. ( The body of the guy who released those pictures was found yesterday. He’d been high fived to death )<\/p>\n

” You do know the transfer window shuts today FFS ? ”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“OMG Thought that was next week. My Bad. LOL ” \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0So, along with Tonev, whose mother keeps looking out of the window in their flat and saying that she is not going out there, and neither is any son of mine, Wakaso, Berget and Denaayar, thats your lot.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Forgive me if I feel a little uninspired.<\/p>\n

\u00a0I cannot be the only person who feels a tiny bit let down.<\/p>\n

\u00a0But, at least it means that Deila can work with what we have. And he’s got a week or two to revise the strategy thsat clearly isn’t working at the moment.<\/p>\n

Kris Commons will get his new contract, on a reported \u00a34,000 a week pay cut.<\/p>\n

\u00a0So, the clubs top scorer is rewarded with a drop in pay ?<\/p>\n

Tell me again why Celtic find it difficult to tempt players to Glasgow ? Because it’s not just the weather.<\/p>\n

Away from yesterdays fairly exciting but ultimately disappointing transfer kerfuffle, Celtic and St. Johnstone have both been fined for supporters waving Palestinian flags at recent European games.<\/p>\n

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A UEFA spokesman said: \u201cCeltic and St Johnstone were sanctioned for infringement of Article 16 (2) (e).\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The UEFA Disciplinary Regulations on Order and Security states: \u201cAll associations and clubs are liable for the following inappropriate behaviour on the part of their supporters and may be subject to disciplinary measures and directives.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit any message that is not fit for a sports event, particularly messages that are of a political, ideological, religious or provocative nature will not be tolerated.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Yesterday a St Johnstone spokesman said: \u201cWe\u2019ve been fined 18,000 euros for the display of a Palestinian flag and pro-Palestine chanting at our game with Spartak Trnava by UEFA.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cObviously it\u2019s disappointing that this has happened but we need to see what the actual case is before commenting further.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

A Celtic spokesman said: \u201cWe have asked UEFA for written reasons regarding this decision and at this stage would not be able to comment further.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0There have been comparisons made between Peter Lawwell and Bob Kelly in the way that they run the club. Kelly, of course, famously told UEFA that Celtic would not play a match as a protest to the Soviet invasion of Hungary.<\/p>\n

\u00a0He had principles, and Lawwell should tell UEFA to stick it as well. Perhaps even withdraw from the Europa League and show the world that at least one club still has the balls to stick to its principles…<\/p>\n

\u00a0Especially as Ajax have yet to be fined for their display of the Israeli flag in at one of their games.<\/p>\n

And they seemed to have missed this one, from Barcelona fans. Although I don’t know what game that is from, and if it’s not a UEFA tournament, then it doesn’t count. but at least it means I don’t have to reproduce the Israeli flag to make a point.<\/p>\n

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One of lifes great mysteries appears to have been solved-thanks to GaryBhoy on twitter, who found this…<\/p>\n

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\u00a0By the way, if you fancy buying a football club, theres one going cheap, according to the Herald…<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Thanks to Angela Haggerty on twitter for drawing our attention to this fabulous money making opportunity.<\/p>\n

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Yesterday, we showed a picture of the Centenary Dinner , taken back in the days when the club was so skint we didn’t even have a colour camera.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Things are better now, but we don’t have too many players worth photographing.<\/p>\n

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Lisbon Lion on twitter posted this photo. what game is being referred to ?<\/p>\n

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