Transfer Deadline Day Preview: Cool heads in the chaos

Today, Tuesday 30th August, has been a whirlwind of rumours, bids, done deals and more rumours in the world of football. Celtic haven't been immune to this, the day beginning with the prospect of four changes to the squad before day's end. As it turned out there was only one, Mohammed Bangura joined the club from AIK in Sweden for a reported fee of £2.2m on a four-year deal. It's the type of distraction most managers hate even if they manage to pick up a bargain or get rid of players clogging up overburdened squads. In fact, there have been calls recently from managers in the Scottish Leagues to the top of the English Leagues to ensure the transfer window shuts before competitive action begins and it's likely the subject will come up at a meeting of top coaches in Nyon later this week. For the fan its a fairly exciting and fairly frustrating time that can bring knots to stomachs or good moods to the fore.

Overnight it was reported in The Scottish Sun that Georgios Samaras and Shaun Maloney were moving on, to be replaced by two strikers, one of them was Bangura. The other was Maritimo striker Baba Diawara who appeared to be on the verge of joining until early afternoon when word came through from Portugal that he wouldn't be signing for Celtic in this window due to 'visa issues'. At face value it seemed to be just too late to sign the Senegalese player but STV later reported that Celtic hadn't even applied for a working visa for Diawara which suggests that only one striker was ever going to come in. Celtic apparently had two deals running simultaneously, if the Bangura fell through, Diawara would have signed. It's a pretty smooth way to operate in what can be a frantic and unpredictable couple of days. Neither Samaras or Maloney have left the club but Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has spoken in the media confirming talks will continue over a Maloney move tomorrow. Samaras looks likely to join a new club as well with Sunderland and St.Etienne sniffing about the Greek today, though nothing more than rumour has been reported at the moment.

This is the current situation as of 18:39 but new rumours and developments are happening on an almost hourly basis and going into tomorrow anything can happen. It's my belief that Celtic are still actively trying to sign a player or two, hopefully defenders. As I'm typing this Liam Ridgewell has handed in a transfer request to Birmingham which has been rejected, Celtic have been linked with the versatile defender for a number of weeks. No more news has emerged about taking Paul Dixon, a left back, from Dundee United who have said tonight there's been no approach from Celtic. There has also been messageboard rumour of Dynamo Kiev left back Badr El Kaddouri joining. Alongside this there's always the prospect of a shock 'big name' arriving at Celtic Park, most likely on loan. As tiresome as this particular rumour can be, as long as Craig Bellamy hasn't found a club for the season, speculation will be rife among the Celtic community about where he will end up. All the names aside, we need defenders now as a priority even if another attacking option would be a nice luxury.

And who could leave the club, Samaras and Maloney aside? Will Morten Rasmussen and Jos Hooiveld be reunited with Tony Mowbray at Middlesborough or find their back to mainland Europe? Is Paddy McCourt surplus to requirements or looking for regular starts? Will we manage to hang on to our better players such as Kayal, Hooper and Ki? As it stands we have a squad of 27 players, youngsters excluded. I expect us to have the same number at close of business tomorrow but there is still time for a turnaround of faces. Celtic appear to have been waiting until the last week of the window to do the majority of business, taking advantage of time running out to squeeze maximum value out of deals both out and in. Neil Lennon said Bangura was being tracked by the club for almost a year so you could conclude that panic doesn't seem to be setting in at Parkhead, deals will only be concluded for players we have done homework on. I for one am looking forward to a busy, ridiculous day of anything goes hearsay and action. Who could forget Robbie Keane getting on a plane to Glasgow in January 2010? It was one of the most dramatic transfers we've seen at the club and completely out of the blue. I say again, anything can happen.

You can follow my twitter account @fritzagrandold in the closing hours for live updates, retweets and rumours from all over the internet. I can't claim to have any insider info whatsoever but will helpfully collate anything going.

Match report: St.Mirren 0 - 2 Celtic - Redemption begins.

The last week and a half has been hard going as a Celtic fan. For many of us it was back to square one after such impressive form from the team since January. Celtic Football Club have a lot to do to convince the support that they are worthy of praise, adoration and indeed, the high wages. Today's match against St.Mirren was the beginning of that journey for Neil Lennon and his players and while not terribly convincing in terms of attractive, dominating football many will feel relief at picking up another three points.

The game began in a satisfying way for Celtic, in the sixth minute Stokes and Hooper combined with a clever one-two and Hooper slotted home to make it 1-0. Only a few minutes later Hooper capitalised on a St.Mirren defensive error to slip in one on one with keeper Craig Samson, placing the ball into the corner of the net. These goals were after a horrendous decision from referee Willie Collum, who ruled an Anthony Stokes goal invalid for a seemingly invisible foul on the St.Mirren defender he nicked the ball off, one for the Stokes first goal scorer betters to lose sleep over. So far, so good for Celtic however it wasn't to be plain sailing as the match grew older. Paul McGowan passed a flat footed Kelvin Wilson and forced a fantastic save from Fraser Forster shortly after. For a period St.Mirren controlled possession and looked to find joy in the final third of the pitch, fortunately though they failed to create another clear cut chance before half-time.

In the second half Nigel Hasselbaink continued to use his pace to give the Celtic defence problems but St.Mirren never really looked like scoring despite forcing a number of corners. Forster though was again brought into action when a low shot deflected off of Kayal and the Englishman impressed again with a reaction save. Kelvin Wilson almost had a horror moment when he misjudged a header back to Forster and the ball narrowly slipped wide of the post, he wasn't having a great game. At the other end Celtic managed to get in behind the defence on a few occasions with Ki, Forrest and Stokes all going close to finishing the game off, Craig Samson though was having an even better game than Forster. It was Forrest in fact who looked the most threatening Celtic player in the latter stages of the game as the game petered out to a welcome three points and clean sheet.

Substitutions were again lacking from Neil Lennon until very late into the game. In the second half the Celtic players, notably Scott Brown and Ki looked very tired and St.Mirren were consistently breaking past the midfield into the final third. It seemed at this point, around 60-70 minutes that substitutions were most definitely needed to see the game out more convincingly but a sub wasn't forthcoming until the 85th minute when Ledley replaced Ki. No damage was done but it again is a sign that Lennon is reluctant to change anything on the pitch in a pro-active way.

Three points and a clean sheet is a welcome result of any game Celtic play but even more so after such a dreadful week. How important it is to have Gary Hooper back, fit and looking sharp in a game where we were otherwise wasteful in front of goal. Celtic played 90 minutes with ten men away in Europe on Thursday night and most of those players played again this lunchtime. It was a good result under these circumstances and hopefully the impressive individual & team performances will follow later. There is now an international break with our next game not until 10th September against in form Motherwell at Celtic Park. By that time I hope we are energised further by one or two signings before the end of the transfer window. There is still insecurity that Celtic are not the finished product capable of taking the title off of Rangers.

Match report: FC Sion 3 - 1 Celtic - Brutal realities crush us again.

Match preview: FC Sion vs Celtic FC (Agg: 0-0)

Celtic travel to Switzerland with fan morale in the balance. It's often said football is a fickle world but most clubs would surely be baffled by the schizophrenic nature of the Celtic support. Coming off the high of beating one of the better teams in Scotland 5-1 there was a bitter end to that week, first drawing 0-0 with FC Sion and only a few days later getting beat by a team who had previously not scored a goal this season, St.Johnstone. Suddenly our team became dissected to the nth degree on fan messageboards, supporter's buses, social networking sites and radio phone-ins, they were largely slated. As an example, the reaction to news that Scott Brown was signing a new contract suddenly seemed a heavy blow when only a week earlier most seemed primed for a good season from the captain. Add to this a feeling of bemusement at the lack of activity in the transfer market and it leads to a caustic atmosphere in a week which is pure pressure for the team as it is.

Whichever way fan morale sits right now, Thursday's game is a must win (or in fact a must score draw). This is not because of how the fans would react but simply how beneficial European football would be to Celtic Football Club this year. Financially it'd be a welcome boost to finances which at a base level encourage mediocrity within the team and which strangle any ambition the board may or may not have. On the pitch it would be a good test for players showing glimpses of a higher quality that we've not seen at Celtic Park for years. For Neil Lennon, it provides another platform to improve as a coach, manager, tactician. On top of all this, if it doesn't go our way then the board, the manager and the team will be under fire (and rightly so) going forward until they deliver a big result again, the first oppurtunity most likely the Rangers game at Ibrox .

It's easy to feel defeated already, Celtic's away record Europe is pitiful. Sion fans on their messageboards even commented that the next day in Glasgow, the Celtic fans they came across the previous day so jovial and buoyant were quiet and reserved on Friday, perhaps already seeing the future, thumped in Europe again. However, I saw enough on Thursday night that proved to me FC Sion are there for the taking. Of course it's hard to judge a team on one viewing when they are playing away in Europe, they gave us plenty of space to play football and only broke forward when our midfield and full backs pushed forward. They might be a completely different proposition tomorrow, for starters they won't give us as much respect. This is both a positive and a negative. On the upside, it should open up space for Celtic to penetrate the defence that was so organised and difficult to break down last Thursday. The downside? Well it's simply that our defence is absolutely atrocious on the back foot & under pressure. We fell apart last year in Utrecht in difficult circumstances and Daniel Majstorovic rolled back that clock on Sunday against St.Johnstone when the stands were bursting with frustration. At one point he seemed to be receiving the ball and with no Saints players within 5 or 10 yards would launch it out for a throw in. It will be a difficult opening period Stade Tourbillon in front of fans eager and baying for the blood of a giant club on their doorstep that don't look great shakes playing wise. If we make it to half-time without conceding then I would put money on us making it through.



The news this morning that Biram Kayal, Kelvin Wilson and Gary Hooper travelled with the squad to Switzerland is a massive boost. It shouldn't be forgotten that one of the biggest reasons for poor results this week was was that we were missing our key players in key positions and everyone would feel a sense of relief and hope if even one or two of this trio make it in time for the match. Regardless, FC Sion are there to be beat. I believe we CAN beat them and I think if nothing else, Neil Lennon provides the team with a belief they can win every game. Hopefully away from the boiling pot of emotion that is Celtic Park the team can focus, pull together and give us a result a club of our size would be proud of away in Europe.

Why Celtic are right to appeal Lennon's ban.

Today, Neil Lennon received an extension on his initial two match touchline ban for 'excessive misconduct' at Tynecastle in the 2-0 defeat to Hearts earlier this season. I don't think it's right to defend Lennon's actions that night too much other than to say these heat of the moment confrontations happen at football matches regularly, in Scotland and around the world. In my opinion he did go a bit over the top, regardless of the poor refereeing that saw us lose a man and a penalty oppurtunity. However, what is unacceptable is not only the SFA's structure in place to discipline the people involved in these incidents but also the heavy handed nature of the ban Neil Lennon has had imposed on him. Celtic are one hundred percent correct to say the ban is unprecedented in Scottish football.

Lennon's six match ban is made up of an automatic 2 match ban for being dismissed at Tynecastle (appealed against today and lost) and an additional 4 match ban for 'excessive misconduct' (metered out for the first time today). It's accurate that two managers have previously had four match bans for 'excessive misconduct', being Rangers manager Walter Smith & and then Ross County boss Derek Adams, but the nature of both bans are quite different. Smith received his after a 0-0 game versus Kilmarnock, arguing with the officials after incorrectly believing Kilmarnock players were trying to get Rangers players sent off. However this was only because he had a previous touchline ban suspended from the previous year when he lost his fabled dignity and went rather ballistic at both Mixu Paatelainen and the SFA officials in a Rangers vs. Hibs match at Ibrox. Likewise, Adams, receiving a 4 match ban after an altercation with a referee in a Ross County reserve game also had previous, receiving a 2 match ban in a match against St. Johnstone the season before. The question that has to be asked is why Neil Lennon is receiving a disproportionate ban compared to previous punishments dished out by the SFA?

In fact, the Adams case is a good example why these multiple match bans highlight the pettiness and regressive nature of the SFA. He eventually got his ban extended to 18 games following other minor misdemeanours, effectively ruling him out for almost half a season of games. Instead of sitting down with Adams and discussing the approach he had with the officials, why he had it and how to move forward for the good of Scottish football they chose to repeatedly treat him like a child stealing sweeties from a shop. It's in my opinion that in the Lennon situation, the SFA are similarly sending out a message to Celtic and Lennon about other issues you may have heard about in Scottish football recently, in a ridiculously childish and bitter manner. It drags Scottish football further into the mire, to save face while also protecting a cabal of reactionary and incompetent officials.

Thankfully Celtic FC appear to be proactive with the issue, releasing a strongly worded statement today in defence of Lennon. In it they announce an intention to appeal the ban. Luckily the appeal process for these matters is slightly more favourable and doesn't solely consist of Highland League officials and chairmen of other SPL clubs sticking the knife in. Celtic's solicitors will be present and one can only imagine a robust and incisive argument will be made on behalf of Neil Lennon. No-one is excusing Neil Lennon's behaviour at Tynecastle but punishment must be fair and logical. My gut feeling is that the recent verbal sparring between Celtic and the SFA is about to reach new levels and that the fight has only just begun, time will tell.

Celtic players at the big dance.

There is no escaping the World Cup. It is actually a dirty little secret of mine that I highly enjoy the Summer break of football where there is nothing to worry about, no disastrous losses to pick over, no words and interviews and fans forums to pore over. Of course the wins make this all worthwhile but it's to the benefit of myself and my relationships with those around me that I can take a break from it all and not let it consume my life! But alas, the grandest prize in football is upon us and in full swing. Aside from the dazzling football (er, or not, as the case may be for the last week) it is always in every club fans mind to look out for players or ex-players playing for their nation on the biggest stage of them all. As the first round of matches is officially over I thought it would be worthwhile to have a look at current and ex-Celts in the context of their squads and what role they might play at the finals.



There are six such players at the World Cup. Of these six there's two you would say are strictly on the fringes of both teams starting XI's and they were both perplexing at points over the 2009/10 Scottish season, those being Landry N'Guemo and Edson Braafheid who play for Cameroon and The Netherlands. The inclusion of Braafheid in the highly talented Dutch squad seems completely insane if I'm being perfectly honest. I don't rate him as a Celtic player, never mind a Holland player. Thankfully for Oranje fans he is strictly back-up for the seemingly eternal ex-Rangers player Gio Van Bronckhorst. As such he is unlikely to feature much if at all over the course of the tournament. N'Guemo is a more permanent fixture in the Cameroon squad with 20 caps to his name but likely to play a similar back-up role to the strong, athletic and skillful Indomitable Lions midfield. Although with Paul Le Guen providing some nonsensical tactical decisions against Japan we may see him, it's anyone's guess. I would hazard a guess that we WILL see him at some point, so keep an eye out for Cameroon line-ups and if you're really interested waiting an hour or so for the substitutions.

Georgios Samaras quite frankly put in a performance of Ross County proportions in Greece's opener with South Korea. If you didn't see it, feel lucky because it was genuinely infuriating, embarassing and at points hilarious. We all know that sometimes the bold Greek can put in a performance and provide a bit of magic for his team that placates the niggling doubts about him in the back of your mind. We also know that when bereft of confidence and form he can be one of the worst players around, by running in what seems like slow motion and completely disrupting attacking phases by passing from the opponent's penalty box back to the halfway line. Sadly for him, us and a whole nation of football fans his path was laid on the latter. It remains to be seen whether he'll be used in Greece's remaining games, his substitute replacement Dimitrios Salpingidas livened the Greeks up when he came on and may be used instead of Samaras in future.

Ex-Celt Chris Killen is a key member of the New Zealand squad. He celebrated a quite fantastic point for the All Whites against Slovakia on Tuesday. He is one of only a handful of players for New Zealand to play their professional football beyond his homeland or Austrailia. He has 11 goals in 32 appearences for the small nation (including 2 against Italy and 4 against.... Papua New Guinea) and is likely to feature in every game in the tournament they play. I for one am rooting for the 'plucky underdogs' in their quest to maybe get another point or the golden ticket of three. I am of course hoping the big man can maybe use his head to get a goal. He did miss a sitter in the opening minutes against Slovakia sadly.


One young Celtic talent put in a very impressive performance against Greece in South Korea's opener. Ki Sung-Yong set up the Asians first goal of the competition with a delicious delivery into the box from a free-kick which outfoxed the desperate Greek defence and connected with a waiting team-mate at the back post. He then proceeded to be a large part of one of the most impressive performances by a team in the opening games. He was able to effectively retain possession and link most of Korea's play between defence and midfield. It was efficient and precise and it left many Celtic fans hopeful of his potential after a series of mixed bag performances in the Hoops. It is likely he will be part of subsequent starting XI's for the Taegeuk Warriors so if you weren't planning to, you should tune in and watch the 21 year old.

Samurai Blue Shunsuke Nakamura performed a starring role in each season he was with Celtic, consistently being our best player for a number of years. Sadly he sat on the bench for Japan's opener against Cameroon and never featured in the match at all. This was due to below par fitness and match sharpness after a fairly lengthy injury which put him on the sidelines for most of run up to the World Cup. He did feature for half an hour in Japan's last warm up game but apparently was deemed not worth risking against Cameroon. Japan head coach Takeshi Okada hinted to the press that Naka would be a 'super-sub' at the tournament, coming on to the pitch when they were struggling or losing, needing an injection of creativity and a perfect foot for set pieces. I hope we see the wee man at some stage, I haven't seen him play a game since leaving Celtic and unlikely will unless he is featured.

In the future it is likely I will provide my own list of scouted players from the World Cup that perhaps Celtic may be able to attract in the near future. Until then keep enjoying the tournament and hope for more 3-3 thrillers instead of 0-0 shutouts! Oh, and Celtic signings!

Supporting Neil Lennon is all we can do.

There's no doubting, looking at it with strictly logical and pragmatic eyes, the Neil Lennon appointment looks at best a massive gamble and at worst an imminent disaster. However it will be spun by Celtic, to any football fan outwith Celtic it is a curious decision. The precedent for a rookie manager being appointed at a club the size of Celtic and being successful is limited. Moreso on the back of two disastrous footballing seasons provoking a need for massive squad upheaval and against a veteran manager who domestically is one of the most successful in your bitter rival's history.

A myth has often been propogated by sections of our support in the last few years that any manager worth their salt could come in a sweep up the rotten remains of Rangers Football Club, propelling Celtic into a new era of domination while Rangers scrabble around trying to fight it out for third or fourth place. This isn't true. You cannot underestimate Rangers FC. There can be no mistake, Neil Lennon's task next year is massive. It is harder than John Barnes', Martin O'Neill's, Gordon Strachan's and Tony Mowbray's job was coming into the club.

This isn't to say Lennon has no redeeming qualities at all to be a successful Celtic manager, it's just that they are either wishful thinking or speculation. For example we have to hope the 8 game league unbeaten streak is a sign of things to come rather than the Semi-Final disaster at Hampden. We have to hope the words Lennon spoke on the radio to Chick Young in the wake of said disaster were the words to carry us forward and not the words of an unburdened man shooting from the hip because he could. We have to hope Neil Lennon, a winner on the park in the peak of his career, can somehow transfer that mentality to a squad of players who at times, if we're being honest, just look like they can't be bothered.



For a squad needing major surgery, it seems odd a manager would be appointed who is entirely untested in the transfer market. We are venturing into the unknown here, little can be written about or speculated about how successful or not Lennon will be in this aspect. All we know that either the powers that be at Celtic have been wowed and won over by Lennon's thinking in all areas of the team and club, or they are throwing their dice into the dark and hoping for sixes.

One thing Neil Lennon will excel with is handling the press. It's no secret he has friends within the Scottish sports media. I have been very impressed with the way he has handled the scrutiny so far. There should be no question that he has the mentality and strength to deal with them if an occasion arises where they turn on him, which when dealing with the fickle Scottish sports media there's a high chance of. Though as much as this seemed like the main talking when Mowbray was in charge, it isn't as big an aspect of being a successful Celtic manager as most newpapers would like you to believe, Mowbray let them walk all over him, Lennon won't.



It is also worth noting that although Lennon is vastly inexperienced in being a football manager, I can think of very few people available for the role that has the rich depth of experience he has of Celtic Football Club and all that goes with it, being the fans, the history and the passion. He was a player for seven years, a captain for two. He has watched Gordon Strachan win trophies and he has watched him going wrong in the eyes of many fans. He was there when Tony Mowbray made a multitude of mistakes, when he lost the dressing room and the respect of the Celtic fans. If he can go halfway towards learning from their mistakes, it's halfway to where we need to be.

At the time of writing, it is still unclear whether Stuart Baxter is going to be employed in some sort of mentoring role for Lennon. In a way I don't think it matters too much, I have little belief he will have much say on the day to day decisions and I'm confident he will strictly be moral/technical support for decisions Neil makes. One thing obvious is the ties he has with a footballing market Celtic would do well to tap, Scandinavia. Whether this is the beginning of some sort of formal partnership with sections of Scandinavian football remains to be seen. That would go some way to making some sort of sense of a truly bizarre appointment in Baxter.


In my opinion, although it will be very hard for some not to feel initially negative or at least let down about the hand we've been dealt with this appointment, going forward the most important thing we as fans can do is to ensure we don't fall into the easy trap of being negative for the sakes of being negative. It is most important to support Neil Lennon, Celtic manager. It would be dangerous to condemn the decision from the start. If the fans can bring a feelgood factor back to the ground, if we can hope and believe and be positive about the appointment it will most definitely help the whole club. There ARE chinks of light coming from Neil Lennon and we can only judge his appointment truly with time and hindsight. Until then he needs our backing because it's the only constructive action we can take right now.