Haven’t seen that particular video on Celtic Underground but seen that goal many times and it’s superb. McStay is excellent. Just a class act. Pity with the ending of it but a truly great goal.
From the Celtic site:
ARTUR BORUC has rubbished claims that he could be seeking a move to the English Premiership in the summer.
Reports had claimed Boruc would see out the rest of the season at Celtic Park and then look to move but the Polish goalkeeper has dismissed the source of these stories.
Boruc told the Celtic website today: These comments are from someone who is not even my agent. I have a contract here at Celtic and I am very happy at the Club.
All hail King Artur.
Well done Big Art. Great news.
Rumours that Mark Wilson is out for the season after badly hurting his knee on that crap pitch on Sunday. Telfinho deputised well for a couple of months when Wilson broke his foot in Manchester but if this is true it’s a big blow and we need to get a right back in January for the European campaign. But who? Whittaker from Hibs? Alves from Sevilla?
Terrible news about Wilson if true. I used to think full backs weren’t too important to a team but especially with the way Celtic play it is crucial to have a good overlapping full back in the side. Telfer is not that.
New centre half linked: (We seem to have watched him the other night and noted his strong heading ability)
Dass die Greuther Frther sich im Sommer nach einer neuen Innenverteidigung umschauen drfen, ist angesichts der starken Leistungen von Thomas Kleine (28) und Andr Mijatovic (27) so gut wie sicher. Am Mittwochabend wurde der kroatische Defensivmann von Celtic Glasgow beobachtet. Die Spher des schottischen Champions-League-Achtelfinalisten sahen sich den spiel- und kopfballstarken Abwehrmann zum zweiten Mal binnen sechs Wochen an. Mijatovic wusste zu gefallen, lste seine Aufgabe gegen Wolfsburgs Klimowicz sehr ordentlich. Er hat noch einen Vertrag bis 2007 plus Option auf ein weiteres Jahr, die die SpVgg ziehen wird.
Romanian starlet set for Celtic
Friday, 22 December 2006 9:25
Romanian teenager Dumitru Copil has revealed he is set to join Celtic in January.
The 17-year-old Atletico Arad midfielder, dubbed the new Georghe Hagi, was also wanted by Hearts and Liverpool.
However, after a visit to Parkhead in November the teenager opted for a move to Glasgow.
Copil told the Daily Star: 'I will be going to Celtic on January 3, it is now 90% complete. I regard this as a very big honour to join a club like Celtic because they have an excellent European tradition.
'There were offers from Hearts and Liverpool, but I have decided to go to Glasgow. I really enjoyed my time at Hearts and I wanted to become a member of that team after they showed such interest in me.
'But a week after the Hearts trial, Liverpool contacted me and I went there too. I liked Liverpool, but I still felt the best place to develop was at Hearts and then came the chance to go to Celtic. After spending time there I decided that Celtic were the best option for me.
‘What I want more than anything now is to play for Celtic, to have a good first year with them and to reach as high as I can get. I still have studies to complete and in an ideal world I would like to finish them but I have to give football my full commitment.’
Big overreaction to Neil Lennon’s sending off yesterday among some Celtic supporters. Have watched it a few times now and no way did he deserve to get sent off. Shouldn’t have fired the armband away though. It’ll be interesting to see how Gravesen’s plays for the 3 games without Lennon as there’s a feeling that Lenny’s been holding him back somewhat. Quality goal by Tommy G btw. Still think centre midfield is the priority, rather than centre back, in January but we need to strengthen the whole spine of the team (bar big Artur of course) either then or in the summer.
Anyone watching the Edinburgh derby? Hibs go 2-0 down after their keeper makes an absolute howler - he does this the whole time and was at fault for both goals in the 2-2 draw a while back - then they pull one back and win a peno shortly after. Dean Shiels scores and continues running straight ahead and elbows Craig Gordon in the head, knocks him over and celebrates in the net with the Hibs fans behind the goal. Then there’s a big riot on the pitch and Shiels is sent off. Quality scenes. If Hibs had any discipline whatsoever they’d be an excellent side - they’ll probably lose 3-2 with 10 men now.
Celtic are 1-0 down at home. Zurawski and Jarosik up front just doesn’t work.
Watched some of the Edinburgh derby but turned it off at half time to watch Celtic v Dundee United on a shite internet connection - I was going to ring you Bandage to talk you through how to get it working, but figured it was beyond your technical capabilities.
Only saw the first half of that game too due to familial obligations but it wasn’t all doom and gloom even though we were one down. Sno looked decent up front, Aiden was very busy but frustratingly offside far too often. Magic and Jarosik looked laborious together up front. Still we were creating chances and their goal was completely against the run of play. Worryingly they got a couple more decent chances without much possession and we really need to tighten up defensively. Their goal was a deep cross to the back post where the winger was in literally yards of space to nod home with ease. From initial viewings it was hard to see if it was Telfer or a centre half at fault but it looked like Telfer’s man.
Balde went off with what looked like a bad injury. Haven’t heard anything on it since but we’re very short now at the back - making Pressley look an altogether more likely signing. Didn’t see the second half to see how O’Dea did but he took his goal well anyway.
Goals are here: Naka’s is sensational.
I love Naka. What a player.
I’d like us to be playing a hell of a lot better though.
Riordan has to start up front. Give the little knacker a game.
Pressley is not needed. He’s cup-tied for Europe and we’ve got McManus, Caldwell, O’Dea and Cuthbert. If we’re going to sign a centre back then it has to be someone like Kovac who can make a difference in Europe.
Confirmed on the official site that Balde broke his leg yesterday and will be out for “a number of months.” It really steps up the need to bring in a quality defender in January.
I see that Pressley is set to sign for Charlton and that delights me to be honest. With Balde getting a really bad injury the fact we don’t seem to have aggressively pursued him gives me confidence The Gordfather has somebody far, far better lined up.
More on Celtic yesterday (it applies to us for the last 2 months though) - the initial starting line up didn’t work yet again and it took substitutions and formation changes to salvage something from the game. I’m thinking ManU home, Hibs away, Aberdeen home and others. There’s a few things I was thinking:
Naka coming infield late on more or less got us the point. Like I said before on the CL threads I’d like to see him play in there so he can dictate the game and ensure we retain possession much better. With the players we have I believe a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 is the ideal formation for us. Our weakest area is centre midfield and we are always under pressure there when we only have 2 of Lennon, Sno, Gravesen and Jarosik in the middle. As well as being an extra body in there Naka can also really stamp his authority all over the game.
Big Jan would ideally be the focal point of the front 3 and then our other players are all suited to playing the wide/inside forward role. You have McGeady, Maloney, Miller and Riordan who would all offer different threats from wide areas. The two wide players and Naka could constantly interchange bringing a lot of movement and fluidity to our play knowing they have the protection of 2 holding players behind them.
Despite Balde’s injury and Caldwell’s continued absence I still think a central midfield player is our priority if we insist on playing 4-4-2.
I take your point about Naka’s effective contributions from a more central area but the two games where he has been effective in doing this were against Dundee United and Copenhagen who already had the points in the bag. We’ve yet to see him do it regularly against a hard-hitting midfield for 90 minutes. Not saying it shouldn’t be given a chance but it’s a risk.
If you play one up top that man is presumably Vennegoor of Hesselink when he gets back from injury and I think he really needs a Miller to play up alongside him. Naka’s value as a passer is best utilised by a pacy striker because he has limited options open to him if it’s just Vennegoor up there on his own. Obviously we can expect more from the wide players in getting up in support but I don’t think Aiden is suited to that role anyway. He prefers to collect the ball deep and beat a man than just running in behind. Maybe Derek and Maloney would be more effective.
Incidentally in the 45 minutes of the game I saw the other day I thought Sno played very well. He kept the ball and had a good range of passing. I read a few criticisms of his performance on other sites but I thought he did well. Still Sno/Lennon and Gravesen is not quite enough for the latter stages of the Champions League and I’d agree that we could use a strong midfielder to slot in there.
Etims rumour mill has us signing Brown almost immediately with Thomson coming in the summer.
Pressley has signed for Celtic. I’m not as aghast as most Celtic fans out there but it is a strange one given we have the league wrapped up and he can’t play in Europe so I’m not sure what the point to it is.
Celtic win race to sign Pressley
Pressley was keen on European football next season
Celtic have won the race to sign Scotland defender Steven Pressley.
The former Hearts captain, 33, who had also undergone a medical at Charlton, will be unveiled by the Scottish champions later on Friday.
Pressley’s agent, Blair Morgan, told BBC Sport: "It was a really, really difficult decision.
“He had two fantastic offers from two good clubs. Charlton were really brilliant, but the lure of European football next season won the day.”
Pressley had held talks with new Charlton manager Alan Pardew on Thursday.
But Celtic’s need for defensive cover had become more pressing with this week’s confirmation that Bobo Balde had suffered a broken leg.
And it was Gordon Strachan who won the signature of a player who had also been linked with Southampton, Derby and Leeds. What I like about him is he is a leader
“Charlton are nice people and a good team who I think will get themselves clear of their present relegation trouble,” added Morgan.
Scotland international Pressley is a free agent after coming to an agreement to leave Hearts earlier this month following his criticism of majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov.
Pressley also claimed there was “dressing-room unrest” at the Scottish Premier League club.
Pardew, who replaced Les Reed as manager of Charlton on Christmas Eve, had thought there was a “good chance” he could win Pressley’s signature but realised there was severe competition.
“What I like about him is he is a leader,” the Charlton manager had said.
“I think we have got some very good centre-halves here, but he comes into a pack where we need characters and leadership and that is one thing that attracts me to him.”
Pressley is ineligible to play for his new employer before the opening of the transfer window in January.
He is also ineligible for Celtic’s Champions League campaign this term, having already played for Hearts in the competition.
Just been speaking with thepiedpiper on the phone who claims I’m sitting on the fence too much on this signing and wanted to know if I’m in favour it or not.
So let me put on record that I think it’s a decent piece of business to get one of the better and more experienced SPL defenders on a free transfer. He has partnered Caldwell (and McManus) for an improving Scottish defence and he has cost us very little indeed. We currently have only 4 fit defenders at the club (including Telfer and O’Dea) so it was obvious we badly needed somebody. I’m sure we’re paying his wages out of the insurance money we’re getting for Bobo’s injury so it’s probably cost us nothing financially.
I always look to Europe when Celtic sign somebody, i.e. can this player improve us at the elite level of competition?
The answer with Pressley is ‘no’ for this season as he’s ineligible. That brings us to whether he adds anything for the SPL campaign. Of course when you look at Caldwell and Bobo being out long term and Mick playing through a nagging groin injury you could conclude that he’s worth bringing in. But you also have to consider we’re 17 points clear of the huns (we even pull further clear of them when we’re playing poorly ourselves) and the league is won.
Bearing that in mind I think we should be giving an extended run to O’Dea with Cuthbert and JFK there as back up. Getting back to my first point I don’t think a 34 year-old Steven Pressley is going to fit the bill in the Champions League next season but playing Darren O’Dea for the last 15 games in this season’s league campaign might give us some indication of whether the kid can step up to the next level. I’d much prefer we did that than sign somebody like Pressley, who’s general manner and behaviour on the pitch has pissed me off no end in the past.
That said I wish the big, hun, monkey all the best in his Celtic career.
Agree with Bandage that we do need to give the younger lads a run out so as they get some experience and are able to step up to the plate next Champions League campaign.
However with Balde and Caldwell out for what looks like long term and as you say Mick playing through injury its no harm taking Elvis in as cover. It seems it has cost us very little if Rock is to be believed above, so whats the harm.
I’m happy with the signing. The important thing is that he is an experienced player, mature and can help O’Dea and even Mick grow as a player. You have to remember Caldwell and Mick are only 24. They need someone experienced along side them too.
Downside is that he can’t play in Europe and it is still crucial that we do get an experienced defender for Europe in the January window. Is it likely that we will get one though?Who out there will be willing and not cup-tied?
Last point made by Bandage about Elvis’s general manner and behaviour on the pitch has pissed him off no end in the past. That is one thing I really like about him. He sticks up for his teammates whether in the right or wrong, he is an aggressive, take no shit type of player and will be a great addition to the team. Really disappointed that he can’t play in europe. His attitude is what the Celtic central defense is lacking. In my opinion Mick and Caldwell are too quiet (possible due to their age) and would benefit a lot from playing/training alongside him.
I’ve just been over on The Huddleboard for the last while. I fooking love that place - it’s full of nutters. Here’s some reaction to Pressley’a signing - the guy who’s only gonna watch the games where he’s ineligible is priceless! This comes from the ‘FUCK GORDON STRACHAN AND THAT ORANGE BASTARD PRESSLEY’ thread:
'They both will get zero support from me while both remain at Celtic…
That wee bastard Stachan is intent on ruining the club from within, miller was one thing but signing this fucking annimal is a bridge too far for me…
I cannot think of being this digusted with the thought of anyone playing for celtic…
Where is this madness going to stop, Ian Durrant for midfield and Andy Goram as back up keeper…’
and
'I have not been going to Celtic games for a while- partly because of financial reasons and the club’s current ‘anti-irish’ agenda.
i won’t be going to the pub now either to watch Celtic. Tomorrow will be my last domestic game i go to see in the pub because Pressley is ineligible and i will watch the two Milan games (and any other in the cl should we progress)- again as Pressley is ineligible but apart from that that is me finished.
it pains me as this board has become a place i come to on a regular basis to read about celtic and discuss them but i can’t come back here either as i will be too tempted to watch their goals when there are links posted.
anyone know when the gaa season starts back up (has it started?) and what pubs in the paisley/ glasgow area show the games?’
Great entertainment altogether!
Genuinely shocked at some of the stuff that has been posted on the HB today. At the end of the day Pressley is a low profile, stop-gap signing, why are people getting so worked up about it? We have always prided ourselves on being an inclusive club, not like the other mob across the city so why should we react like this to a signing? It’s bizarre.
Pagey I’m pretty sure the finances that I’m talking about stack up. I believed we offered Pressley 10k for 6 months which he turned down so I’m fairly confident that our second offer would have been not much more than 10k (maybe 12k) for 18 months, the timeframe was the big sticking point. Bobo is apparently on twice that so his insurance payments for 3 months alone would pay Pressley’s wages for 6 months, meaning our net ouflow on Pressley won’t kick in until the summer. At that stage it’s likely Bobo (and others - Pearson, Thompson etc) will be leaving so we are only funding the deal short term, with a new squad for next season.
Watched the interview with him on Celtic TV and he was impressive. He spoke about being “honoured” to play for Celtic. He certainly has a passion for the game and I don’t think he willl let us down.