{"id":7304,"date":"2015-06-19T10:35:09","date_gmt":"2015-06-19T09:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7304"},"modified":"2015-06-19T10:35:09","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T09:35:09","slug":"celtic-diary-friday-june-19-squad-freshening-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7304","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Friday June 19: Squad Freshening Begins"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Lets start with some words from a man who turns fifty this week. People who are going to turn fifty in 2015 are always worth listening to…<\/p>\n

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They said I was a \u2018gift from God\u2019<\/h1>\n

but it was the opposite \u2013 Celtic was a gift from God to me.<\/h1>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Lubomir Moravcik, the man Hugh Keevins once described as “the unknown Lubomir Moravcik” ( who at the time had 76 caps for Czechoslovakia, despite a few lay offs due to injury ) \u00a0has been talking to the Evening Times.<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, the times hack who wrote this, the unknown Ken McNab, also describes moravcik as ” the unknown “, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here, and accept this as a wee dig at Radio clydes voice of alzheimers.<\/p>\n

Anyway, who cares what the writer-or this one, for that matter, says, when Lubo is speaking ?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think turning 50 is a magic moment, a special occasion . I will be halfway towards 100.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I don\u2019t expect to be here for another 50 years but you never know. Maybe!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Perhaps not. but you can guarantee in fifty years time there will be people still talking about him. They say we never truly die until the last person still alive mentions our name, and if that is the case, then Moravcik has a few more years left yet.<\/p>\n

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“It will be a time to think about nice moments from the past and hope for some good times in the future.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy favourite time, my most special time, was at Celtic. I spent more than three and a half years there and I couldn\u2019t have asked for more. People appreciated me and, maybe, some fans even loved me. They said I was a \u2018gift from God\u2019 but it was the opposite \u2013 Celtic was a gift from God to me.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCeltic is unique. I left the club in 2002 but I haven\u2019t been forgotten. When I am on holiday in Spain, playing golf, the Celtic supporters approach me and ask for a photo or to talk about Celtic. It still amazes me.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Fairly obviously, though, there was a prompt from the interviewer….after all, we can’t have a wander down Nostalgia Lane in all it’s glory without somehow bringing the dead into it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI was very lucky to play in an era both Celtic and Rangers were strong and the competition between the two was fierce. It is different now.<\/em><\/div>\n

“I don\u2019t want this to sound insulting to Scottish football or to Celtic or to any other team but, without Rangers, it has been a little bit boring. Scottish football needs strong competition, Celtic needs to be tested every week.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

But that’s to be expected these days. There’s already a t shirt being made with the headline quote on it, and that’s a fitting phrase for one of the clubs great players, who with those words may just have elevated himself to a legend.<\/p>\n

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Anything else in the papers ? A copy of the Rangers crest, for instance ? Cracked or uncracked ? Bondibrian pointed this out in yesterdays replies, so if you can help, if you spot one of these rare images, let us know.<\/p>\n

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Maybe they have just missed the point, or maybe they are genuinely so far removed from a section of their readership, but the Record has hit a new low today.<\/p>\n

Maybe it’s because they are PR driven. Perhaps the agents of Ikeche anya and Steven Fletcher are trying to get celtic to pay big money for two at best journeyman players.<\/p>\n

But . yet again, it all seems a little negative…<\/p>\n

Celtic should break the bank to land Ikechi Anya and Steven Fletcher, says Stilian Petrov<\/h1>\n

Petrov \u2013 who spent seven years at Parkhead \u2013 believes his old club should push the boat out in their pursuit of the two Scotland team-mates with the pressure on to reach the group stage of Europe\u2019s premier competition. \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Or, at least, he believes that he should believe that.<\/p>\n

Petrov said;<\/p>\n

\u201cI read that Anya and Fletcher were potential Celtic targets but that money could be an issue. But a team like Celtic should always have two or three big names, really big stars. \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Absolutely. Quite what that has to do with Fletcher and Anya, however…<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes you need to go and pay a bit more money, bring in more quality and make sure you\u2019re going to get value.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you paid \u00a34m for Anya and whatever Fletcher costs then qualifying for the Champions League would virtually pay for that.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, but qualifying for the champions League without wasting over \u00a34m on Fletcher and Anya would mean we would have money to spend on, er, quality players.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou wouldn\u2019t mind paying a lot of money to have Fletcher as your main striker.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Yes . I would.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnya has electric pace and a lot of teams in modern football want that.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Except Watford, who have him and are happy to let him go. Anya is a decent squad player, cover for Izaguirre. That’s all.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have watched a lot of Anya and find him a very exciting and lively player. He could make a big difference to Celtic because they haven\u2019t had that type of player for a while now.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a talent who could really lift the quality of the team.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Which team ? Celtic ? because he certainly hasn’t made a great deal of difference to Watford.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has made a big impression playing for Scotland since he broke into the national team and you can see how much Gordon Strachan likes him. Gordon said he was surprised no club from the English Premier League had signed Anya and he has seen a lot in football so he must really see something special. I\u2019m on the same page as Gordon.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf it is correct that Watford are looking for \u00a34m for him then rather than say it\u2019s too much I would go the other way and say that in today\u2019s market it is not a lot of money for a player of his quality.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Or, we could examine the facts, and say it is.<\/p>\n

Fletcher\u2019s goalscoring record really speaks for itself.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, at least we agree on something….<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Celtic managed to get him it would be a major signing. He would score goals without a doubt and he\u2019s one the Celtic fans would love.<\/em><\/p>\n

Three statements there, every \u00a0single one of them misses the target in a way only Steven Fletcher himself has proved he can.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t necessarily agree that a player should drop their wage demands to fit the club.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf a club sign a player they are bringing him in to score goals, win games and get them into the Champions League.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cEven if they sign Fletcher and pay a lot of money in wages I don\u2019t think his pay packet will be a problem if he scores enough goals to get them into the Champions League.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Fletcher has no european pedigree in goalscoring. Come to think of it, we can leave out the word “European ” there, it’s not needed to make the same point.<\/p>\n

Maybe we’ve been wrong all along.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it wasn’t a bias promoting the Murray years of reckless spending.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the hacks genuinely believe that spending money is the way to win games. Then again, that would explain why they haven’t a clue when it comes to talking about tactics, motivation, \u00a0coaching and sports science.<\/p>\n

Fucking idiots.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

When Petrov first came to Scotland , it’s said he had trouble with the language. Let’s assume something went missing in the translation during that interview as well.<\/p>\n

Teemu Pukki will seal the deal and go to Brondby next week. Celtic will receive around half a million for his services, which will be aded to a similar sum handed to the club in loan fees.<\/p>\n

The official website, announcing the move , said;<\/p>\n

\u00a0The striker made 37 appearances in total for the Hoops, scoring nine goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We wish him well.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Steven Fletcher scored five for Sunderland last season. Just saying.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lukasz Zaluska is away as well. After six years of playing second fiddle to probably the best three keepers we’ve had in living memory, he’s decided to move on.<\/p>\n

\u00a0He had a lot of unfair criticism during his time at Celtic, and only really got a run in the side when Fraser Forster was at Newcastle while negotiations went on to secure the big englishman permanently, and he didn’t do too badly.<\/p>\n

\u00a0When you think of Zaluska’s time at Celtic, think of how difficult it is for an outfield player to settle into the side, and think of how hard it is for a keeper to come in, often with little notice, and take charge of a defence.<\/p>\n

We wish him well.<\/p>\n

Youngsters Paul George and Marcus Fraser have moved on as well. They were unlucky with injuries when it looked like they may have had a chance, and will be served better by dropping down a level at this stage in their careers.<\/p>\n

We wish them well.<\/p>\n

For those two, and others who will move on this summer, there’s some words from Lubomir moravcik which may offer encouragement;<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAs an 18-year-old I was playing in the third tier of Slovakian footballI didn\u2019t know the exact direction I was going to take. There were no guarantees I was going to make a living from professional football. At that stage, life wasn\u2019t clear.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I listened to my coaches and worked hard, made sure my left foot became as strong as my right foot. I got a bit of luck, and worked my way up to play for St Etienne, Bastia, Duisburg, Celtic and my country. I\u2019ve realised many, many dreams.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

It appears that Stefan Scepovic wants to fight for his place in the team;<\/p>\n

“I told the coaches and club that they can count on me. I’m not moving anywhere” \u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

He’s in Belgrade today, doing a Q and A with the Serbia CSC;<\/p>\n

\"Embedded<\/p>\n

There’s an attitude within the club that is going to see us “punching above our weight ” in Europe next season.<\/p>\n

Wait and see.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

At noon today , the fixture list for next season is released, and at noon on monday, the revised fixture list, for tv, will be released, with alterations on a monthly basis.<\/p>\n

Probably best not to rely on it.<\/p>\n

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It appears that something else you can’t rely on is the caption competition, which somehow disappeared off the page yesterday.<\/p>\n

So, here it is again;<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, former drug addict and all round heid the ba’ Diego maradona has finally completed his rehab, and is now firmly entrenched in reality.<\/p>\n

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to give you something else to think about, what ground is this ?<\/p>\n

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\u00a0The Diary may not appear over the weekend. I’m away to Dunoon again in the morning and won’t be back until late sunday.<\/p>\n

But then again, who knows ?<\/p>\n

I don’t. That’s pretty clear.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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