Everyone knows that I rate Bojan Miovski. I was pleased when we were linked with him before January, and think a new transfer record between Scottish clubs would not be a crazy price to pay for a player who has everything and could give us years of good service upfront. He is young, plays for his country and scores goals in big games.
Last night, just days after bagging one against us, he scored against the Ibrox club. He’s scored a few against them now, and he seems to enjoy it. Put that man in a Celtic shirt and he’ll be scoring against them for a long time to come, and against every other side in this league as well. But that raises an unfortunate question; have we quite literally missed our “window”?
The time to make a move for this guy was last month. Early last month. But of course, that’s not the way Celtic work. We prefer to wait until the last available minute before we do anything, an idiotic policy which has cost us time and time again. Aberdeen was a team on its knees. The time to strike was 1 January. Why 1 January?
It was early enough in the window to give Aberdeen time to dicker over the fee, but ultimately to let them go out and spend the money on a replacement.
The longer you leave something like that, the higher the premium or the lower your chances of getting a deal done. Aberdeen probably would not have sold him halfway through. They certainly would not have sold him on the final day just to bank the cash, as we did with Moussa Dembele in the last summer of Rodgers’ first tenure.
Now, if we go in during the summer, we’re likely to find other interested parties and some of them are going to want him more than this board will allow Rodgers to spend on him, provided, that is, that Rodgers even wants him. But why wouldn’t he? It’s obvious that this big guy is class and would dramatically improve the makeup of our squad.
But there is next to no chance that if we’re in the bidding that we will find ourselves bidding alone. Which is a great shame, as if we gave him the stage of the Champions League to strut his stuff on this guy could really go on to net big, big money somewhere down the line.
The thing is, I suspect English clubs are going to be all over this guy, and if not them then teams from Italy, who are all scouting Scotland now after some high-profile success stories. There is very little chance – I would say none – that we’re going to have a clear field.
We keep on hearing the same mantra from those who defend the strategy; that what we do depends on spotting players early, before they are on the radar of the EPL sides or those from top five leagues. You have to wonder how these geniuses ever missed this guy in the first place, and that’s bad enough, but that we failed to move early enough when it was obvious what we had right on our doorstep … that’s really poor, that’s real failure.
Of course, it might well be that we decide to go for it anyway. That, in itself, would be a real admission of defeat at this point but I would welcome it anyway if it got us his signature. But the “Celtic premium” will be huge come the summer, as who knows better than a club right on our own doorstep that we need quality and have the cash to pay for it?
Our window was the last one. What a disaster it turned out. We will regret not moving for this guy, early enough that the business might have been done. We’ve missed our moment, I think.
Celtic never misses and opportunity as Celtic and Rogers never wanted him, yes he is a good player but its not the striker we need. We clearly need height and power and thats what was looked at. Scoring goals for Aberdeen not the same as scoring goals for Celtic against on most occasions 8 defenders. Like his goal against Celtic which was great but you rarely get those breakaway chances at Celtic.
He’s 6ft 2 is he not?
If Miovski is as good as people are making out (I don’t know enough to be able to make that sort of statement), then what about Kyogo? He’s not the type of player you can have sitting on the bench week in week out if Miovksi was doing the business. I am guessing Rodgers wouldn’t have them playing in the same starting 11. So it would pose a problem that causes a problem we just don’t need.
What I would MUCH rather see is Rodgers actually play a system that allows the ball to be played to Kyogo a lot faster as that’s what he feeds off. It’s better for the fans as we love seeing him lash the ball in whilst the opposition defence try to figure out what is going on. Think about that goal at Ibrox at the start of the season. Chance, bang, goal. That’s Kyogo. That’s Celtic when we’re on it.
The solution is not to spend millions on a player to see if he fits in with Rodgers ponderous style of play. The solution is for Rodgers to wake up and put a rocket up our midfield to get the ball forward quicker.
We ain’t got a hope in hell of getting this guy now,he’s going to EPL or Europe,how did Rodgers not suss out this player and pressure his big golf mate desmond to pay for him, Celtic way of operating is a disgrace, very strong action is needed to get shot of this board.if we win the league we will still maintain our strategy of keeping all the riches from Europe but we will not strengthen to try and make a go of it in Europe,we will be horsed out Europe just as we were this season because Celtic have never speculated to accumlate,the board is still biscuit tin mentality,beware if sevco win the league because they’re CL money will be used to further strengthen them.Here,s hoping we can beat Hibs tonight if not that will be a major setback.
Warnock will be gibbering about him to the English football media for the next 3 months. He’ll be out of our ‘Poundland’ price range by the summer. You can forget about ever seeing him in a Celtic shirt, unless it’s in 10 years time and he’s looking for pension fund boost. Our strategy dictates that over a period of a few years we will waste £20m on a whole batch of useless strikers like Bangura, Scepovic, Pukki, Klimala, Bayo, Ciftci, Berget or Brozek in the hope that one turns out to be the next Dembele so they can flog him, rather than spend £8m on a sure-thing. That’s what happens when you leave the accountants in charge of the football department. They have no real vision or understanding, and when they try to be imaginative they are delusional, as I think that striker list demonstrates.
An excellent point there Captain…
You can bet your bottom dollar that if Sevco win this title they will try their damdast to capture him –
They may or may not get him as Aberdeen detest them big time…
But at least they will try !
Keep driving in those nails James. Keep telling us of the Board’s failures or the scouting department’s. We need a clear out. Writers like you have two roles (1) informing the public – maybe it leads to nothing more than a more disgruntled support (2) revealing an outstanding fact or event that changes everything e.g. corruption of some kind that creates such a furore that change would be inevitable. Problem is that lot operate in secrecy and on the basis of ‘loyalty’ and it’s hard to know anything for sure. We need a whistleblower or an insider to reveal what really goes on.
Ronaldo couldn’t sore goals in the team..
Correct ,that was the Aberdeen boss bigging him up and saying they don’t have his type in the epl never mind scotland ,imo we missed the boat big time ,I think he will fetch 12 m +.
He cost us two points. How much money will that cost us if we become second in the league?
Miovski is suddenly the name on most lips but he wasn’t before the window; that was Shankland and I’m very glad we didn’t go for him. Miovski is the one that I believe would have suited Rodgers style best but I do accept the comments that scoring for Aberdeen on breakaways is a completely different challenge from playing for Celtic against ten defensive farmers booting the ten bells out of Kyogo.
It’s done now and that window of opportunity has gone but BR does need to find a way of getting our bhoys on the wings and in midfield to utilise Kyogo’s strengths and perhaps put the ball in the net themselves more. That includes penalties. To miss the amount we do is not only passing gifts away but it’s simply unprofessional and players being shit at their job. I’ll settle for 4 or 5 tonight. Time to increase the points and that goal difference me thinks and that time is now. HH