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Talk Of A Celtic “Succession Plan” For Giakoumakis Is Grossly Premature And Dumb.

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Yesterday, as we all know, The Daily Record’s latest anti-Celtic story appeared, one that suggested that we were going to be forced to sell Giakoumakis in the January window.

Forget the fact that he’s on a long term deal, and forget the fact that as Paul Brennan of CQN has pointed out that the idea that he was given “verbal assurances” of more money instead of his agents getting that in writing is preposterous if we’re being kind to the paper.

Forget those things and focus on this; we have no idea whether any of it is true, whether it’s half true, whether the manger and the player have sorted it out or whether the manager has decided that the player will stay for now regardless of what he wants.

So when the hacks talk about “succession planning” they are using Ange’s words without context of any kind. They have no idea whether such “succession planning” is being carried about because they only have a source telling them contract talks aren’t progressing. Even if that’s true, we’re a long way from either the club and player in conflict.

You’ll notice that the first “succession planning” article suggests that the Korean striker Cho Gue-sung is our target but that we’re likely to miss out on him because of his “World Cup exploits.”

This presumes that no club in Europe was aware of him before this competition started – ridiculous and impossible to believe – or that their scouts are now falling over themselves because they’ve watched him have one good game in this competition.

For the record, I said the other day that I would be surprised if we weren’t looking at players in the South Korean team. But it’s putting two plus two together to make four to suggest that just because this guy scored a couple of goals that he’s on the list.

All the media is doing here is joining dots, dots which might not make the picture they think that they see. One clownish article says that Ange’s comment “foreshadowed” the Giakoumakis revelation; that’s a case of jumping the gun if ever I’ve seen one.

It’s ascribing a meaning to the manager’s words which might be miles from the truth, based on something that right now is only a rumour. To me, Ange was speaking in general terms. I certainly do not believe that he was hinting at specifics. He’s not the sort of man to put that information in the public domain however obliquely.

If the story in The Record yesterday is a stonewall brick bunker, and not full of holes – and the piece itself leaves enough wiggle room to get free from later – and Giakoumakis is off in the January window, and I strongly doubt that by the way, then I’m sure that the club will have someone in mind to take his place, but I doubt it will be the Korean, and it certainly won’t be based merely on two good games in the World Cup.

But for people to start speculating on what “succession planning” may or may not be taking place is premature. For people to simply assume that it’s true and that such things are happening at Celtic right now is plain stupid.

We should wait until we hear from the manager on this, and only then form an opinion on it one way or the other.

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  • Joe Winnie says:

    If GG goes we will miss the physicality he has. Doubt if a wee Korean would be ideal replacement.

  • Alex says:

    I 100% believe that Ange has a succession plan for every player, because he’s a manager who is always looking ahead. That’s not the same as believing that GG is leaving in January because the DR said so.

  • SSMPM says:

    Indeed Damian, Ange was pretty clear on this. However, I haven’t seen a rush of clubs being mentioned as pursuing him either by any of the lying journos in Scotland, so it’s not even a half story from the half-wits.

  • Geoff says:

    The same nod and a wink assurances were supposedly given to the three amigos by Fergus?
    No fan of the man but I remember Bill McMurdo saying Fergus was a hard negotiator but what was agreed went in the contract.
    I would imagine it’s even more watertight in the present day.

  • Kevan McKeown says:

    Simple fact is, it’s even the world cup as a side show tae michael beale mania wi this media here and if they can find somethin negative regardin Celtic, tae spin on top of the hysteria around the latest ‘tactical genius’ they’re wettin their pants over, even better, they’ll grab at it. It’s the usual routine, nae surprises there.

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