The boss spoke yesterday about the club’s needs in the transfer market, and whilst he did not give us much by way of encouragement for hoping that anything is going to be done quickly he did lay out to us some information which in its own way is very good to hear.
He went over the details, again, of the offer to Rocco Vata, to make him the club’s third choice striker, to bring him through and give him real opportunities. When that offer was spurned and he decided on the move to England, Rodgers was forced to consider other options within the club. He accepts that there are none. We already knew this.
This will be another period where Celtic does not produce a top class goal-scorer from our academy. It’s outrageous. For our whole history we’ve been putting players from our own ranks into the team as potent goal-scorers. Until recently. That is a trend we have to break, and we have to do it in the next couple of years. In the meantime, we sign players.
And that’s what the boss has talked about. He accepts that with Vata having turned the chance down that we will have to go into the transfer market for our third option, bringing in a footballer who knows they are going to have to work hard and take what chances come along. There will be plenty of them. This team will be playing more games than ever in the coming campaign. We will need every good player that we can get.
So, we’re looking for two players up front and not just one, with one as a backup.
I get this. I don’t like it – I’ll be perfectly honest about that; I was hoping for something like the Idah/Miovski twofer and we’re not going to end up with that – but I see the logic. We play with one up front, and Rodgers wants the two top strikers to challenge each other with the third in reserve. I disagree with it and think three quality strikers, but we’re not going to get that.
But at least we have clarity on this. Clarity is important. We know that the boss sees the need to bring in another player in that area – Tommy Conway, as I said already, should be an option for that third striker – and that should inform the thinking going forward.
I’ll tell you though, another question arises from this, and I’ll discuss it in greater detail later on. I’ll ask it for the moment though and it’s this; if we’re going to be signing one main striker to partner or compete with Kyogo, it brings into focus the debate over Adam Idah. Is he really the best we can do here? Is he really the player to progress us in Europe?
More on that subject later on.
If we want a ‘third’ striker that scores for fun in Scotland then why not Shankland (slow or not slow he scores and scores plenty at that)…
If we sign him – The Sevco Huns don’t…
If he’d come that is – But money usually talks as in all walks of life…
In fact why not him and Miovski or this Conway fella…
We certainly have the cash for sure !
There is absolutely zero chance that we were going to have a squad with Kyogo, Idah and Miovski in it. None of those players would accept long periods on the Celtic bench. The best we can hope for is the situation when we had Kyogo banging them in and Giakoumakis waiting to get his turn and taking the chance when it came. Having a promising youngster waiting in the wings is a good idea in my view.
BTW. I see Giakoumakis has left the States and is now playing for a Mexican team. What the hell is the big guy thinking about?
His pockets, which seems to be where his mind is at
Am glad you are going to tackle this one james so i will be able to hold off untill the piece goes live, just one thing though that is giving me hebee jeebies some folks think micky can come up front as that reserve. Please ! When u put up the piece kill that stone dead on arrival
For me, Idah has everything you want and will still have lots of headroom to improve. He’s big, quick, powerful, can take it in, hold it, play off the last man, decent in the air and he’s still young.
What we need to do is say to Norwich ‘how much for him’ and then pay the price or walk away. What we don’t need is this dragging out till the 31st August and we end up with some jobber on loan as it’s ‘all we could get’. Get that shite in the bin.
I remember the glory days of the 3 up front, Henrik, Sutton, and big Hartson, they were great. I think if Brendan was allowed, then he would want 3 top centre forwards, and I think the supporters would certainly be up for that as well. I heard Brendan say that we are working on some things, I’m hoping we start seeing the deals happen, as although we have the luxury of going straight into the champions league proper, we need the new players bedded in as quickly as possible.
20 years ago we had Larsson, we then paid £6 mill for Sutton, then also paid £6 mill for Hartson.
So why can’t we pay for Miovski and Idah now when we have never been so cash rich.
James –
Whereas I agree with the main thrust of your piece, it may be illuminating to look at the prolific scorers from the academy over the past number of years:
Nicholas and McCluskey and maybe Forest.
Among the scoring heroes over the same period have been Larsson, Griffiths, McClair, Hartson, McGarvey, Commons, Edouard, Stokes, Samaras, McAveney, Walker, Sutton, Hooper Dembele etc, etc.
Therefore the main point of your article is entirely correct: we need to sign top scorers.
Your last line sums up my problem with Idah. We need a player who can play in Europe. Can Idah? We don’t know. You saw in the last OF game how Idah wasn’t sharp enough to capitalise on a ricochet and 30 seconds later had a really poor finish for what was a very good chance. He is not the finished article. Secondly – form is temporary, class is permanent. How do we know he is not having a purple patch. So far he has shown Norwich and Celtic ability over 6 months. Prior to that he was fourth choice at Norwich. Will he be as good in 6 months. In my view, the lad at Aberdeen should be the second striker and by all means consider Idah for the third position
Adam Idah was only 1 year and a couple of months old when the last ‘OF’ game took place Henry…
That’s assuming ‘OF’ means that trademark that was used for Celtic v ‘Rangers’ (as they were known as before they died in 2012)…
Sevco will be 12 years old a week today !
The lack of first team ready Scottish strikers is a fact that should make Academy coaches in Scotland feel ashamed, Shankland is the only natural goal scorer born and bred in Scotland during the past 10 years and even he was looked upon as a journeyman striker not so long ago.
As far as our club signing two half decent strikers goes, I hope I’m wrong but I can’t see that happening whilst our board believe the bottom line is more important than our co-efficient in Europe. Our late chairman Desmond White [Accountant] would be proud of them,He bought the original biscuit tin. it’s probably still the same tin as I can’t see Lawwell spending money on a new one.
Change that to the past 5 years, forgot about wee Leigh Griffiths.
Id have Miovski before Idah anyway,I don’t know why we haven’t moved for him.