I expected to be busy today, with a large transfer window piece in mind, but a bout with the flu has turned into an ear infection.
Although I’m having a pretty miserable day, I thought I would do a piece which conveyed my general thoughts prior to something in more detail later on in the week, or over the weekend.
I’m happy. That sums it up nicely.
I’m happy because Celtic is a happy place to be at the moment.
The malcontents and the divisive influences and the players who would rather be somewhere else are now. The footballers who wanted away are gone, and we’ve got a dozen new players who voluntarily signed on for Ange and our future.
This is what we’ve been missing for a while now.
The sense of a club in listless drift is gone. We have a manager who knows exactly what he wants and is determined to forge this team in his own image. I’ve said from the start that I don’t intend to be a “net spend” obsessive, I only want to see tangible progress.
That progress is visible, encapsulated last night in the deadline-busting move for Cameron Vickers.
I actually think it’s incredible that we’ve added so many players whilst having a transfer surplus.
If someone had said to me at the start of this window that we’d have signed a former England international keeper, a US international defender, a Swedish international defender, a Croatian international right back, a Republic of Ireland international midfielder, a Japanese striker who reminds us of Henrik, a young Israeli rising star and Holland’s top scorer from last season, not mention a potential Portuguese wonderkid … most of us would have dismissed it as fanciful nonsense, but here were are and on top of it we’d got Scales, Shaw, Lawal and Urhoghide.
No player has left who we didn’t expect to. We got transfer fees for everyone who did, and two of them for the eight figure sums the media confidently predicted we’d never realise. We’ve rebuilt this squad and made a profit … which means there’s more to spend, should the manager require it, when we get to the window in January.
At the same time, young Welsh has turned into a potent centre back, Montgomery has become a fist team player, as has Murray and we’ve witnessed the stunning emergence of Ralston as a genuine part of the squad and a contender for that right back role.
I’ll analyse the full strength of the squad later, but I am excited about the business we’ve done and pleased to see that all the uncertainty has been removed.
We have a big season ahead of us, but every single person at Parkhead wants to be there and is up for the challenge, and that in itself is a sterling turnaround and a big step forward.
Unity and a sense of purpose among the entire squad is absolutely essential for a winning team.
We have now restored these things to a very viable squad.
Bring it on.
.
We eventually got there, glad to see that the 4 poor wee souls who we made sign for us and forced to be here all got their dream moves to bournemouth, palace, brentford and swansea(the day after the window shut because they couldnt get anyone else) and the board made a few pounds to help pad out the dividends this year. But i am looking forward to seeing ange work with the new lot, all on 9 year contracts old jim mclean style but also hoping ange now gets his own support staff in and we kick on and surley win the auto place to champ league as our big rivals lost 2 big players yep kerr and mcann oh and lol sevco seems thst other clubs only wanted to pay for players from scotlands big 2 but gettin your to players out on loan and off the wage bill thats just as good as making the £20m they were needing to see them through
Well ange has got in plenty of players this window now needs to get them all upto his way of playing with the rest of whats left from last seasons pool it will take time so I hope all the fans understand this we can challenge for the leauge,what I watched on sunday both teams where even not all this rubbish celtic well behind the rangers if Eddie had scored it would have been a different result, but he missed and we messed up bad defending again but not all bad progress now and get the defending right from now on midfield still to light weight needs toughing up .
All said and done, satisfactory window. We are stronger in some key positions. Still need a couple in, maybe bosmans can be utilised now. January will see more in. Thing is i feel the atmosphere around Celtic is positive. I’m positive, hope you’re positive too.
So happy to see Edouard and Christie are gone. All too often they let us down in the most important games. They were “at it” and are no loss to the team. Professionals like Scott Brown and Ajer are a much bigger loss and they kept playing for the team until the end. So it was sad to see them go but we wish them all the best for the future. Conversely Edouard and Christie have behaved like spoiled prima donnas, so it’s great to see them out the door. They’ve thrown their last game for Celtic (ironically it was against the sevco) but getting rid of those two and Ntcham will be a massive boost for the team. They were a negative, toxic influence and turned from saviours to saboteurs when they spat their dummies and started costing us important games. They weren’t men enough to honour their contract so good riddance and I hope all three fall flat on their arses and we never see them at Celtic park again.
Well said brother. couldn’t have put it any better myself.
Aye James, the feeling of positivity has returned to Paradise, thankfully and once Ange has had a bit more time, this group of players will ease any Celtic fans minds that are still not convinced. We now have at least 2 new raring to go Ferrari’s, all be it one, Kyogo, is Japanese made, whilst the other, Liel Abada, is an Israeli version of the sports classic.
These two will haunt defences all over Scotland and in Europa Lge too.
I don’t think there’s no pleasing some folks, I know it. So, let them be; It’s just their way.
For me, Our Club is now entering a new phase of playing the Celtic Way or, as we now call it; Angeball.
Good times ahead for All The Celtic Family.