{"id":8388,"date":"2016-01-05T09:21:08","date_gmt":"2016-01-05T09:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=8388"},"modified":"2016-01-05T09:21:08","modified_gmt":"2016-01-05T09:21:08","slug":"celtic-diary-tuesday-january-5-theres-no-pleasing-some-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=8388","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Tuesday January 5: There’s No Pleasing Some People"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ronny Deila has been out in spain, apparently looking at centre half Aleksandr Pantic. He’s currently on on at Eibar from Villareal, and he helped the Yorkshire ex-pats old boys club to a 4-0 win at Real Betis.<\/p>\n

You didn’t know that Eibar was originally pronounced Ee-bar and the original name included the word gum in it, did you ?<\/p>\n

Every day’s a school day.<\/p>\n

What does concern me, and should concern the rest of us is how we appear to have become interested in him….as he shares the same agent as Croatian Jozo Simunovic.<\/p>\n

And herein lies a major problem, which we have been aware of, and is probably the reason we end up with so many diddies.<\/p>\n

Surely there has to be more to our scouting network than ringing an agent up and asking if he has any more players on his books that could do a job for us?<\/p>\n

Where are all the guys who spent their weeknights watching youngsters on red ash pitches ?<\/p>\n

Look, if they even meet me halfway on the fares. I’ll pop out to rio for a couple of weeks and see if there’s any future Ronaldo’s-the fat one, not the one who thinks he’s made of chocolate-playing five-elevensies on the beach.<\/p>\n

From this particular rant, you may have noticed that my thoughts are that our current scouting system isn’t working. And hasn’t been for some time. Still, at least the manager has been out to see this one, presumably at his own insistence, and if he’s as good as the majority of the players that have landed at Celtic in the last five or six years, we can safely say he won’t be coming.<\/p>\n

No matter how good he looks on video.<\/p>\n

A “source ” close to the club<\/p>\n

\"laughter\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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told the Daily Record;<\/p>\n

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\u201cPantic has been on Celtic\u2019s list for some time and there are a lot of options under consideration.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut obviously when the manager goes out of his way to check on the player in person it\u2019s a clear indication of the level of interest.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf Ronny has decided this is the guy he needs to fix his defence then it makes sense to bring him in this month so he can strike up a relationship with Simunovic.\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m afraid it’s more likely he’s sick of being landed with people signed on the strength of agents recommendation and has decided he wants a look fir himself.<\/p>\n

We all know what happens when the scout -or agent-is no good at his job, and\/or fails to understand what he’s supposed to be doing.<\/p>\n

Just thirty or so years later-boom-no club !<\/p>\n

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So you can’t be too careful.<\/p>\n

But then again, maybe I’m being a little harsh on the Serbian, as you cannot always judge a book by his cover where sportsmen are concerned, as there may be more to them that meets the eye.<\/p>\n

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A wee \u00a0bit of team news ahead of Saturdays crucial season defining trip to Stranraer is that Logan Bailly will start for the first team, giving Craig Gordon a much needed rest.<\/p>\n

Gordon has been impressed with Bailly in training, and said of his rival for the number one shirt;<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cHe\u2019s a typical European keeper in that he\u2019s very quick and lively around his goalmouth. I\u2019ve been very impressed.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Quick and lively in his box ? Thats not always the case with continental keepers.<\/p>\n

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If its not bad enough the old boys network in the Scottish press are on Ronny’s back, aided and abetted by deflection seeking journalists, Sky sports are on his case…<\/p>\n

Celtic fans want change<\/h1>\n

I already changed, dumping the however much it was subscription to fund the purchase of Celtics better players, and if you haven’t yet, then do it now.<\/p>\n

Apparently, one of their reporters contacted Edinburgh Leith CSC when they were putting together this particular advertisement for on line streaming.<\/p>\n

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I don’t know who the representative of the Leith CSC is, but when they start looking for nominations the next time there is a statue commissioned for the Celtic way, he or she is getting my vote.<\/p>\n

They will keep running with their stories, they will try to whip up their agenda wherever possible, and if thats what you want, then go read their papers, watch their channels and swallow their horseshit.<\/p>\n

Like this from Andy Walker, on the old two up front routine, in the National, still Scotlands only single figure circulation newspaper. Which given the opposition, is some achievement.<\/p>\n

Football: Andy Walker tells Ronny Deila to try a double act<\/h1>\n

\u201cHe could shake it up a bit,\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCeltic are renowned for their striking partnerships down through the years.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI played in one myself with Frank McAvennie, who was a terrific player. Larsson and Sutton were here not so long ago.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI think Nadir Ciftci, if Leigh Griffiths is injured, certainly needs a bit of help. He\u2019s not the type of striker who can play up front on his own.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cLeigh Griffiths has been terrific but is not quite 100 per cent fit at the moment although [he was] still able to come on at the weekend and score the all-important winner.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSo I think the supporters would like to see some flexibility from the manager in the way that he plays.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at the amount of money Celtic spent getting the likes of Boerrigter and Scepovic in, that\u2019s the best part of \u00a35 million,\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Which is offset against the transfers of Forster, van Dijk and Wanyama, and thats just the ones who went to Southampton. You know, to further their careers with medals and European champions league football.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Celtic spend that type of money, you expect to see a bit of evidence on the park that they are improving but those two players on the park have done absolutely nothing. Certainly the recruitment can improve.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Especially if you don’t mention the ones who were successful, and were sold on for a massive profit, largely because they wanted to go.<\/p>\n

Celtic moved three points clear at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership on Saturday but Walker feels that seeming eminence is disguising problems.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last half hour I\u2019ve spoken to half a dozen Celtic supporters, every one of them unhappy with the product they see on the park,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

And probably nearly all ex players gurgling through a bowl of soup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think you can kid thousands of Celtic supporters and what they want to see is a better product on the park and more entertainment.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Fair jump that, Andy , from half a dozen to thousands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great time to be a Celtic manager because it\u2019s pretty much a one-horse race for the title and as yet Ronny Deila, while continuing to say there that improvement has been made, I don\u2019t think the supporters can see it on the park.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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With Hugh Keevins ready to be put out to pasture,( I’m guessing that as his recent ramblings seem to be wild even by his own , er, high, standards ) \u00a0theres a nice little earner over at Radio Clyde soon to become vacant, so don’t be surprised to hear more absurd declarations \u00a0from people , who whilst entitled to their opinions, should try to at least make sure they are their own opinions, and not delivered in the hope of a pat on the head, a quick “good bhoy ” and a wee treat flung in their direction.<\/p>\n

Whether Deila takes Walker\u2019s advice and goes back to the days of a double attacking force against opposition they should be able to overwhelm remains to be seen.<\/em><\/p>\n

I’d be pretty pissed off at this last line, not Walkers, but the authors, Neil Faskin, if i were a Partick fan-or any other fan, because Partick, to their credit, made a game of it, and showed why they’d only lost once in their previous ten outings.<\/p>\n

Whilst some on here would disagree with me, the other Scottish sides are getting , if not better, than certainly more competitivem as they now don’t think-on the whole-its worth parking the bus against Celtic, as they might as well have a go.<\/p>\n

Not just because they think they can win, although that may be a part of it, but because their mentality has changed since the world ended on Armageddon day, and there was a realistic chance of them winning cups and getting a shot at European football, when all clubs were forced to live within their means and not employ creative accounting.<\/p>\n

Celtic should still be dominant, but a biiger budget isn’t going to guarantee it, no matter who we buy or sell.<\/p>\n

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Anyway, back to our expoert media, and lets circle the wagons and keep these idiots \u00a0at arms length.<\/p>\n

Things aren’t brilliant. We know that. Ronny , Johnny and John know that. Let them get on with sorting it.<\/p>\n

We’ve lost more or less a full team since last summer, either through transfers or injury. That is how it is, and that is what they must deal with.<\/p>\n

Maybe there really is no pleasing some people.<\/p>\n

Are there really supporters out there worried that the possible entrance of a basket of assets to the top table next season will influence Celtics thinking ?<\/p>\n

Do we need to worry about this sort of signing…<\/p>\n

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You’ll notice that all of their signings are short term.<\/p>\n

If i was one of those intrepid sports reporters who kept fans informed and educated about the game, i’d be asking if the short term contracts are because they cannot offer a longer deal due to current financial a, which would be a little like writing a cheque you know is going to bounce ?<\/p>\n

But, I’m not, so I won’t.<\/p>\n

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Ach, away from all that nonsense, and back to a time when life was much simpler, apart from starvation, disease, poverty, war, and, oh hang on…<\/p>\n

Lets leave it at just a look at our past, with this extract from an article about ….well, read it.<\/p>\n

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Then again, maybe the future might be okay after all…<\/p>\n

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Now, a caption competition<\/p>\n

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