Today there’s a story that the Japanese central defender Ko Itakura has “snubbed” us to go to the Bundesliga. This is based on garbage the media invented itself, on journalism so lazy that all involved could have done their work from a hammock.
Right from the start it was clear that this was a media confection based on the player being Japanese and that he played with the City Group. It was a classic case of the press putting two and two together and generating the result they wanted rather than writing facts.
And it was always going to end with them making the utterly false claim that the player had somehow turned down a move, or that we hadn’t wanted to pay the money for him. Were we even in the least bit interested in the guy? Were we interested in the English defender Taylor Harwood Bellis, who signed for Burnley just the other day?
He’s another player who’s only link to us comes from a proximity to the City Group.
It’s the same with the defensive midfielder Vicinius.
It’s just bad form. It’s just rank from the hacks, and much of it is designed so that they can write about snubs.
When we were making signings last season we caught them completely cold on all but a handful of occasions. We are said to be progressing with the signing of a forward player, and the hacks have got no idea who that is. They are pushing stories about Ryan Mmaee today, but they have no actual information that he’s the guy we’re interested in.
Likewise, there’s no real proof about any of the other players we’re allegedly trying for.
But certainly we made no actual offer for Itakura.
We might have asked to be kept informed about the situation with Harwood Bellis – in fact, I think we probably did as he fits the profile – but it’s been known for weeks that he was staying in England to play under Kompany.
Let them play their little games.
Let them write this stuff.
Our club is working behind the scenes, and it is more than likely when the next signings come it will be guys the media didn’t even have on the radar until shortly before we got the business done.
Have you read our article on what Celtic needs in this window? Do it here.
How much do you know about our wins over Sevco? Do the quiz and find out!
I may have mentioned this before, but, a few years ago, I used to keep a list of all the players mentioned by the papers as being Celtic targets/linked with Celtic/etc during the transfer windows. There were never less than 30 names on the list and once, almost 50. Very few of the players who did sign for Celtic were actually mentioned before they signed.
My fellow Tims…please, just as a default position, take anything written in the fitba pages of scotland media as being as true as a Boris Johnson denial. It’s all made-up pish nowadays, not that it has ever been a bastion of truth. The clubs don’t need these fuds to get the word out these days now that they all have their own web/social media presence. No need to engage with a shower of narcissistic twats that have mostly never been involved in the game at any decent level, that do nothing but constantly criticise every move….unless it’s that of a particular klub(s) in which case they’ll grovel even as they’re spat upon….clowns.
TL/DR? Do the environment a favour and stop them wasting paper by not buying the SMSM rags.
Not buying the Scottish Media’s 7 Days of Ibrox FanClub / Matchday Rag magazine is great for your well-being.
Helps reduce your blood pressure for a start.
Over 10 years since I’ve bought a Scottish paper. It’s magic.
You can feign ignorance when your workmate/neighbour/ guy doon ra pub starts blabbering oan with a mouthful of the most ridiculous rubbish ever committed to print.
‘Is that right, didn’t know that’ is all you need to say to push them overboard while you retain your dignity, your composure and your sanity while reflecting that you used to hand over your ‘hard earned’ to read that selfsame shoite in the same paper and by the same so called journalists.
Try it.
You won’t regret it.
Typical of the 2012 paper,that I’ve stopped buying it’s just garbage,not even good enough to wipe with,you know what I mean