{"id":7330,"date":"2015-06-25T10:27:45","date_gmt":"2015-06-25T09:27:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7330"},"modified":"2015-06-25T10:27:45","modified_gmt":"2015-06-25T09:27:45","slug":"celtic-diary-thursday-june-25-ronnys-message-to-the-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=7330","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Thursday June 25: Ronny’s Message To The Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite what seemed to be a blast of common sense from Ronny Deila, and another indication that he is playing his cards close to his chest regarding possible transfers, the Mail has to report it as ;<\/p>\n

Ronny Deila has to operate in bargain basement but declares quality still the key for Celtic<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

What Ronny actually said was;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018To pay \u00a35million or \u00a36m,I don\u2019t think that will happen. If we get in the Champions League and we earn money over time then of course things can be changed.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, you don’t go shopping shouting about how much you have to spend, that would be silly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018But now it\u2019s more important to find the right player in the category we can afford. It\u2019s not \u00a35m or \u00a36m we are talking about. Because you are talking about what kind of salary a player like that will have.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Are they going to ruin the whole structure in the club? There has to be some correlation between salary and transfer fee as well.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/em>And if a structure is in place , you don’t upset it by bringing in someone who may cause resentment in the ranks. It’s not worth the hassle.\u00a0
\n<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

So you let the players you want to keep know that they will be given a chance;<\/p>\n

\u2018We have said all the time that we are looking for different options up front, We shall see. But then the whole of Europe is chasing strikers. We are satisfied that we have good strikers in the squad. If we can see a striker than can make a difference and is affordable, then we will look at it.\u2019<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jelle Vossen , the Belgian striker from Genk, has been mentioned in the press as a possible \u00a32m signing. Deila didn’t pour cold water on it, but certainly held the jug over it, tilted slightly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018He is one of many names which have been mentioned.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018It is important now I keep focus on the team and not comment on every name because that is going to take a lot of time. It is not fair for the clubs either.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018I am looking for quality. What is quality? That\u2019s for you to find out.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n


\nWell, as long as he knows, I’m happy. He certainly knows what he wants to do, and has a different outlook on signing someone just because he can. Which is no bad thing, given the donkeys that have been brought to the club as panic buys.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018I am very happy with the squad We got in (Dedryck) Boyata and that was a good signing, someone we needed because we lost Jason Denayer.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

He didn’t hang about there, so there is a feeling that there is a plan in place, which is a novel and refreshing way to do things at Celtic.<\/p>\n

\u2018I am happy to get Boyata He was my priority signing, the player we always wanted. Again, I would rather have one and save energy and money, rather than just taking in players. They would need to be quality.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018And it is hard to find players better than we already have. We are looking but, again, to keep players is the most important thing. He would need to be a first-team player, not just someone to add to the squad.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\u2018Do I expect to strengthen? You never know. My message is that the most important thing is consistency. You will never see five, six or seven signings by Celtic this year. I don\u2019t think that would be right.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018We need to make the squad smaller. If we do add players then they have to be those who will make a difference, or young players we can develop over time.\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

One wonders if Saidy Janko is a young player to develop, or will he make a difference to the squad. The word on the street is that he will be joining from Manchester United.<\/p>\n

Janko joined Manchester Utd in 2013, but hasn’t made the grade, he spent the last few months on loan at Bolton, where he didn’t make the grade either.<\/p>\n

\u00a0A right back first, but with the flexibility to play further forward he sounds like he has potential, but we’re not exactly short of right backs. Unless Adam Matthews, as his body language seems to indicate, wants away this summer. He has a year left on his contract, and Welsh players tend to be offloaded before they can go for nothing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Darnell Fisher must be wondering who he has upset.<\/p>\n

Ronny also re-iterated what we already knew regarding Virgil van Dijk;<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI speak a lot to Virgil. I have control of the situation. He knows what I want and how we are going to do things. I also know what he is thinking.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cVirgil is looking forward to next season with Celtic and is going to stay here for the qualifiers.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a top player and if he signs for somebody it should be a big club. If not he should stay here.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Which , as we said in an earlier diary, would explain why a number of clubs have dropped out of the race to sign him. If, heaven forbid, Celtic fail in the qualifiers, that will change, but for now, he’s a Celt.<\/p>\n

Another Celt who is staying, and is a big part of ronny’s plans, is James Forrest. There was talk of a “swoop ” or a “raid” from Neil lennon at bolton, but Ronny seemed surprised by this.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy go to Bolton? He\u2019s at Celtic.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything. James is a very important player and we want to keep him here.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s now getting to a level where we can start working to get him better. He has been free of injury for six months now, he\u2019s getting more and more consistency in his play and we expect more from him this season than last because of all the injuries.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a big season not just for him but for everybody. I\u2019m delighted for him because he is such a good boy, it\u2019s good working with him.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very sorry for him coming in and out for four years now. Hopefully he can continue with his consistency and everyone knows what potential he has.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut we don\u2019t want to talk about potential, we want to talk about performances. We are going to work to get James up to the level he can reach.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

On the qualifiers, Ronny also mentioned how much better it is not to be traipsing around the world this summer, a sure indication that he does have an opinion that is listened to by the PLC board;<\/p>\n

\u2018To stay here in an environment we know, sleeping in your own bed and preparing well, that is vital. We also have good opponents so I am happy with that. The whole pre-season looks good, starting with Den Bosch, then Dukla Prague, and then we have a very hard game against Real Sociedad.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018Then the Champions League and then we go to Spain one time, and we have Rennes here. So we have good opponents and I think it is a good build-up to the season.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018I want to get to the Champions League as much as you or the players. That\u2019s the target and I know we have a chance to do it.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018I really believe we can make it this season. I will be very disappointed if we don\u2019t do it. This year I really, really feel the responsibility to try to get the team into the Champions League.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n

The last line there could be an indication that he is feeling the pressure. He knows how it feels not to succeed at this stage, so we can be confident he will know how to avoid it this time round. At least this time all the players will be onside.<\/p>\n

Just keep Scott Brown fit. That will make a huge difference. There’s no doubt he would have made a difference in the Legia and Maribor \u00a0games . In fact, just have a look at the line up for the home leg against Maribor, which Celtic lost 1-0;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n