correction accepted. hopefully brown will offer something dofferent in our midfield.
Heāll certainly bring pace to the midfield which weāve been badly lacking for much of the season. I hope and expect heāll bring more to the table than that but pace going forward is something weāve been badly missing sometimes this season.
Apparently the back page of todayās Scottish Sun leads in big, bold letters āWalter in for Whittakerā - thatās Hibs full back Stephen by the way. Then down in the corner thereās a little part that says āGers Say No To Brownā. They really are hurting. Brown offers way more than pace too.
Some great quotes from Scott Brown:
āCeltic told me they wanted to build their team around me and a couple of other players - and that was all I needed to hear from them.ā
He said: "Basically, I was told I could speak to Reading and Celtic. I was then also given permission to speak to Middlesbrough but by that time my mind was already made up.
"There was only one team I wanted to play for and Celtic told me everything I wanted to hear.
"I want the chance to test myself against Barcelona, Manchester United and Real Madrid and Iām going to get that chance at Parkhead. What more could I wish for?
"If Iād chosen Reading, Iād probably be fighting a relegation battle next season and then maybe disappearing into the Championship. In two yearsā time, people would have been saying: Remember that lad Scott Brown - whatever happened to him?ā
That pretty much sums up the argument weāve been having on here in relation to Celtic and mid ranking EPL clubs. Why join a Reading or 'Boro when you can play Champions League at Celtic? Very encouraged by everything about this deal.
Huns are really upset over this one. Check this out from one of their sites. Great to see Brown denying that he ever supported Rangers too!
[img width=500 height=625]http://i8.tinypic.com/6820g08.jpg
Anybody know anything about this lad? I donāt to be honest. Strachan hust had a hip op and came to meet him - this would suggest weāre eager to get him. From BreakingNews:
Degen on trial at Celtic
17/05/2007 - 19:17:18
Switzerland midfielder David Degen has been handed a trial by Celtic after being scolded for his lack of effort by Borussia Monchengladbach coach Jos Luhukay.
Borussia let Degen travel to Scotland to train with the SPL champions after Luhukay criticised his attitude and suggested he finds a new club.
Former Basle player Degen, 24, who is only a third of the way into a three-year contract with Borussia, is hoping to impress Celtic manager Gordon Strachan who welcomed him to Glasgow despite being in the recovery stages following a hip operation.
āThe welcome I got from Celtic was extraordinary,ā Degen told Record PM. āThe manager is injured but he still came to see me to say hello.ā
"This felt outstanding. Iād never been treated that way before.
āCeltic is a massive club with a great tradition and, of course, Iām interested in joining.ā
Borussia head coach Luhukay, who took charge in March of the team who have been relegated from the German Bundesliga, last week ordered Degen to train with the clubās U-23 side.
Luhukay accused Degen of being a disruptive influence on team-mates at training, saying: "He was lacking concentration, unprofessional and a nuisance factor.
"He did not show the attitude which you would expect.
"His head has been switched off Borussia and therefore he will train with the U-23 side for the next one-and-a-half weeks, but he will not play.
āHis time has run out. He can go, if the conditions are correct.ā
Donāt know him. There was a Degen lad at Borussia Dortmund who is a full back but it doesnāt seem to be him if this lad went from Basle to Moenchengladbach. I know nothing about him but Moenchengladbach were awful this year so if he wasnāt a star performer for them Iād have my doubts.
Yeah, Iām aware of the other lad. Think heās called ChristopheĀ® Degen. Itās rare enough a trialist gets taken on so weāll just wait and see.
Checked it there - heās Phillip Degen and theyāre twins.
From the admin of Celtic Minded - generally quite good with his sources:
Celtic PLC will next week announce a profit for the year of 17m.
Strachan will have the biggest transfer budget of any Celtic manager ever.
We have approached Whittaker of Hibernian.
Gravesen, Jarosik and Balde up for sale.
We are in second place at best to sign Torres.
Expect a āshowstopperā signing this summer, be it Torres or A.N. Other.
Distin has left Manchester City. Canāt blame him really for looking to better himself, if thatās what he decides to do. Thereās also talk that heāll join a similarly rubbish team like Portsmouth or Boro just to get more cash. He was linked with Celtic on a Bosman but Strachan has said heās not looking for defenders.
He reckons heās not looking for more cash, and by all accounts he was offered good money at City so it might be true. But if he goes to Portsmouth then Iād say thatās all been a lie and he is indeed after silly wages.
This is funny. Reading arenāt best pleased with Scotty Brownās quotes. See the chariman claiming he wouldnāt have made it in England anyway. Why did you lodge an offer that would have broken your transer record then d1ckface? From the Reading site:
Hiberianās Scott Brown will not be heading to the Madejski Stadium after opting to join Celtic for 4.4 million.
Reading had agreed a club record fee of 4 million with Hibs, but the 21-year-old declined to meet Steve Coppell.
And Brown infuriated Royals staff by claiming he chose to move to Glasgow because he did not want to ādisappear into the Championship.ā
āItās best we didnāt get Scott Brown,ā fumed assistant manager, Eamon Dillon. "The boy hasnāt got a clue. I bet he doesnāt know where Reading is.
āWhat he said was so wrong. He should have investigated it. Heās closed the door on a lot of possibilities, not just with us.ā
And Royals chairman John Madejski added: "It was demeaning. Heās 21 and he doesnāt know what heās talking about. Heād probably struggle in an English league anyway.
āBut good luck to him, though he would be far better off keeping these things to himself. Heās clearly a good player, he just doesnāt know how to behave.ā
HAHA echoes of Allardyceās comments about Vennegoor of Hesselink. Gobshites.
http://www.randalstowncsc.co.uk/modules/news/article.php?storyid=361
Celtic are moving for Spartak Moscow midfielder Mozart.
The Brazil international is ready to leave Russia this summer and his agent, Dario Canovi, confirmed that Celtic are on the brink of a deal for the ex-Reggina man.
āAt this moment, the club that is showing the most serious interest is Celtic,ā said Canovi. "They want to place him alongside (Shunsuke) Nakamura.
āThis is a move that I am happy with, even though Iād prefer to bring him back to Italy.ā
Interesting.
Did you get the season ticket renewal letter, rocko?
GBP440 for our tickets next season. Iām on course to be joining a new club myself on Tuesday 5th June when the transfer window re-opens so I think Iāll renew now that my financial status has improved. Thereās an option to pay in 3 credit card instalments at the end of September, October and November so I think Iāll do that.
Gonna make an effort to get over more often next season.
Didnāt get the form at all - did you only get it today?
Think Iāll renew and Iām going to favour prioritise trips to Scotland over travelling to away European games this season. Works out cheaper and thereās less hassle about tickets etc. Also having seen how the foreign Garda treat British football fans weāre better off staying on the mainland.
I was in Wexford all week until coming up last night to vote and the letter was there so unsure when it arrived.
Need to read it in detail. Think thereās some discount if you renew before June 1 so Iāll probably do that as Iām definitely renewing so may as well get the benefit.
Good point on safety in Europe. Perhaps things would improve if more British police travelled across with supporters and passed on their expertise to their unprofessional colleagues abroad.
Iāll renew if and when I get the form so. Might be in Fingal for me actually now that I think about it.