June Rants

Friday, June 30, 2000

Is Chris still in his kip?

I'll tell you one thing if Chris Sutton is still sleeping over his decision on whether to join the hoops, Middlesbourgh or stay in London do we really want to see him in Paradise?

No seriously, still no word on the six million pound man.

Martin O'Neill

Good quote from the new gaffer at today's press briefing with the Scottish hacks. When pressed for an answer on whether he spoke to any players with regard to signing for the hoops at EURO 2000, he replied Zidane spings to mind but I dont think he'll come. Nice one Martin I think you'll be keeping these boys on their toes for a few weeks.

Friday, June 30, 2000

NO CONTACT FROM PARKHEAD

Everton have received no contact from Scottish Premier League side Celtic in regard to acquiring the services of midfielder Don Hutchison. The Scottish international, who is believed to want a move North of the Border, was a transfer target of new Parkhead boss Martin O'Neill during his time at Leicester and has been the subject of intense speculation in Scotland in recent days.

European transfer news

One time Rangers target Mario Jardel has signed for UEFA Cup champions Galatasaray of Turkey, they have also signed striker Alen Boksic of Croatia in deals worth more than $45 million, state-run Anatolian news agency said on Friday.

It said the Istanbul club had signed Jardel, the top scorer in the Portuguese league for Porto last season with 38 goals, to a four-year contract. It said the deal was worth $28.5 million. They also signed a three-year contract with Lazio's Croatian striker, Alen Boksic, in a deal worth $17 million.

The report did not specify the breakdown of transfer fees and wages.

Friday, June 30, 2000

Radio Clyde 12.30pm

Regi Blinker & Lubo Moravcik both missed the first day’s pre-season training at Strathclyde Park reported Radio Clyde on their lunchtime sports desk.

Regi looks to be on his way out of Parkhead as he will not be offered a new contract, remember the words of one Jock Brown esq, we did not sell Paulo Di Canio we traded him for an experienced professional.

Chris Sutton now looks like, as he may want to stay at Chelsea, a bluff if ever I’ve heard one. Expect a decision on this one very soon. Who will it be? Celtic, Middlesborough or Chelsea.

Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright who has been linked with a move to Celtic, has been placed on the transfer list for refusing to sign a new contract.

Thursday, June 29, 2000

KENNY DALGLISH TO SUE CELTIC OVER SACKING

Stories are emerging that Kenny Dalglish is ready to sue Celtic after he was booted out of the club on Thursday.

Kenny is quoted as saying "I feel empty. They have announced this without telling me.

"I am going to talk to my solicitor. The most important thing now is for Kenny Dalglish to look after Kenny Dalglish.

"I made a contribution to the club and I had more of a contribution to make."

"I will try my best not to join in the mud-slinging which is so often part of the club. I will try to continue to conduct myself with dignity and in a proper way.

"But I believed I could work with Martin O'Neill."

Thursday, June 29, 2000

More rumours from the web

Richard is the Wright stuff

Celtic boss Martin O'Neill is making a shock bid to sign Ipswich's England goalkeeper Richard Wright - by offering £1.5 million and Jonathan Gould.

O'Neill hopes to win the race for Wright who was officially put up for sale by the English Premier League newcomers yesterday.

The Parkhead chief is willing to pay cash and throw in veteran Gould, whose Celtic days are obviously numbered as O'Neill looks for a replacement.

Ipswich want £3 million (€4.8m) for Wright, but Celtic think that is too high because he is entering the last year of his contract.

Wright has also been linked with Chelsea but they have yet to make an offer and Dutchman Ed de Goey had a good finish to the campaign.

Ipswich know that Wright can leave for nothing next summer and reluctantly want to find a buyer now.

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Thursday, June 29, 2000

Celtic part company with Dalglish

Celtic have parted company with director of football operations Kenny Dalglish. Dalglish's position at the club looked in doubt after Martin O'Neill's appointment as manager four weeks ago. O'Neill was in Glasgow on Thursday to meet the players for the first time and the club released a statement confirming that Dalglish's contract had in fact been terminated. The statement read: "The board of directors of Celtic PLC today announced that the contract of Kenny Dalglish, director of football operations, has been terminated."

Sutton sleeps on £6million move

Chris Sutton has put any decision on his future back 24 hours as he muses over a move to Celtic or Middlesbrough. The 27-year-old's representative John Viola indicated on Thursday morning the Chelsea striker would initially make up his mind later today after more discussions with the two clubs. Both Celtic and Middlesbrough have had £6million bids accepted by Chelsea but Sutton now wants to sleep on the matter before coming to a conclusion.

Bhoys boss Martin O'Neill made a flying visit to meet the Celtic players for the first time at Parkhead on Thursday before returning to Holland to continue his work as a pundit for the BBC at Euro 2000. But he is due to fly back to Glasgow on Friday and will be hoping to parade Sutton as his first signing soon.

Burns still waiting to discover fate

Tommy Burns admits his future with Celtic still remains unresolved after meeting manager Martin O'Neill during his flying visit to Parkhead to meet his new players. The former Celtic manager stepped in as assistant to Kenny Dalglish when John Barnes was sacked in February. But O'Neill swept into Glasgow four weeks ago after leaving Leicester, before leaving to work as a television pundit for the BBC at Euro 2000. Since then the future of director of football Dalglish has been constantly in the media spotlight, but Burns' own role at the club has also hung in the balance. Burns insists he would jump at the chance to work with O'Neill, who rushed to Amsterdam for the Euro 2000 semi-final after his 20-minute meeting with the players today, but admits his own future is still in the balance. He had no news to reveal on any backroom changes but he insisted he will stay on if O'Neill decides he is part of his Parkhead revolution. When asked if his personal position had become any clearer, Burns replied: "Not at this moment in time." But he added: "If Martin O'Neill wants to keep me here I'd be happy to stay here. If not I'll maybe go somewhere else, but that's the law of the jungle in football management. "I don't think it's gravely important for him to do everything in the next week or the next month. I don't expect many changes in the next two or three weeks. "Of course I want to stay - I'm like everybody else here; I'd rather be here than anywhere else and if he wants me I'll stay. "He was in there 15 or 20 minutes with me but as I say he'll not be coming in to try and change everything in one day. "He's got enough common sense to know that it's going to take a wee bit of time to get in the players and people he wants to take the club forward and give the guys here the opportunity to prove they can do it at Celtic." O'Neill also spoke with Israeli star Eyal Berkovic, who was impressed with what he saw and insisted the whole club are behind their new manager - and are fired up to give him success. "He's a nice guy, a very nice guy," said Berkovic. "He told us he's looking for success but he doesn't need to tell us that because we want to achieve it as much as he does. "I really hope he knows what success means to this club and everybody wants to do well for him. "We had a meeting and he told us his ambitions and everybody knows the ambitions of the club - and we want to do it because last year was very disappointing. "I don't want to blame anybody for that because the whole of Celtic Football Club were very disappointed and we hope to do better this year. "I'm very keen to do well and show him what I can do for this club and that I can be part of a successful side." Another member of the Parkhead staff, who is anxious about his future, is Marc Rieper, who took up a coaching role after being struck down with a toe injury that still threatens to end his playing career. The Dane, like the new Celtic manager, has been working for the media at Euro 2000 and has returned to find his situation with the club in question. He has offered his assistance to O'Neill until he gets his feet under his new office table but Rieper looks set to confirm his own plans soon. Rieper said: "I'm still seeing what's going to happen. There is nothing final yet - but I'm sure we'll sort that out very soon. "I've been away and did the Euro 2000 commentary for Danish television so now I'm hopeful that we are going to sort something out with the club or it will be sorted out very soon. "But I know what is going to happen and I still have a year to go on my contract and obviously my toe's not the best and we'll see. "Thoughts about a coaching role are a bit premature and I spoke to Martin and I said to him that in the short term for the next couple of weeks, while everything gets in place, I don't mind helping out. "But I'm not going to commit myself long-term to anything at the moment. I'm not even sure if I will stay in football but we will have to see what is going to happen regarding myself." However, Rieper believes Celtic have finally got it right with their appointment and insists he will lead the club back to glory. Rieper added: "Everyone was impressed with him and I think Celtic are going to have a very, very good time with Martin, who looks the right kind of man for the job. "I've seen him when I was at West Ham and seen what he's done on television and he always seems to come out very nice and positive. "His team have always been very, very committed and professional so I think the club have got it right."

Thursday, June 29, 2000

Radio Clyde

Today’s news report’s suggest that Chris Sutton spent three hours in talks with the club on Wednesday, he now seemingly wants to have further talks with Middlesborough before making his mind up which club to join. Good of you to keep us all waiting Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Radio station also had an on the scene reporter live at Celtic Park and he spoke to Celtic’s Bulgarian Stilian Petrov. Stilian informed the listeners that new boss Martin O’Neill spent some twenty minutes with the players before heading back to fulfil his BBC commitments for the Euro 2000 run in.

Daily Ranger

Today’s reports on the back page state that Everton’s Don Hutchinson has turned down a proposed move to Coventry City, he it seems is only waiting on the call from Celtic to allow him to sign for the hoops.

Season Tickets

Celtic’s season ticket sales are once again set to crash through the 50,000 barrier for the third season in a row, what other club in the world would have such loyal fans after the suffering and torment we have went through over the past twelve seasons. Are we all mad or are we the most loyal supporters in the world?

Wednesday, June 28, 2000

Celtic’s trip to Luxembourg

Celtic supporters who may be travelling to the UEFA cup-tie on 10th August 2000 can find out some information regarding the area by visiting The Luxembourg Celtic Supporters Club web site.

The address is: - www.geocities.com/luxcelts.

Our thanks go to Frank McCafferty the president of the Luxembourg for the information he supplied to the Affiliation of Registered Celtic Supporters Club.

Wednesday, June 28, 2000

Radio Clyde reported tonight at 5.30pm that Martin O'Neill will be at Celtic Park on Thursday morning to check out his new team, the players will go through some medical checks before getting down to pre-season training.

No more details as yet on Kenny Dalglish or Alan Macdonald having left the club as reported early on Wednesday morning.

Still no new players on show as yet.

Tuesday, June 27, 2000

MacDonald and Dalglish ready to go

Some webpages this morning are reporting that Alan Macdonald and Kenny Dalglish are both ready to be kicked out of Paradise.

Strange that on the day that the players are due to return for pre-season training, some journalists have started reporting that the club is in turmoil once again.

We will have any further updates as they unfold during Wednesday afternoon.

Monday, June 26, 2000

Today’s Daily Ranger really takes the biscuit today, we are reliably informed that Mark Viduka leaves with the parting shot that we will never be able to hold on to our star players. I wonder where that places King Henrik?

We are then given the ultimate slap in the kisser with his agent spouting off some drivel about Mark returning to play for the hoops in the future, I can see the thousands of Celtic supporters gathering along London Road waiting to welcome the prodigal son back with open arms AYE RIGHT.

Monday, June 26, 2000

O'Neil raids Leicester as he rebuilds Celtic

The Celtic manager Martin O'Neill will attempt to launch a raid on his old club Leicester City. The Irishman will try to tempt Leicester into selling midfielder Neil Lennon and his releasing his former assistants John Roberston and Steve Walford. O'Neill will bid around 5 million pounds for Lennon whilst Leicester will demand compensation for the coaches, should they want to join O'Neill at Parkhead.

Leicester are reportedly prepared to let the coaches leave, as new boss Peter Taylor is expected to bring in his own staff. Roberston has always been O'Neill's right hand man after the two were team mates at Nottingham Forest. Robertson is a former Scottish international, so would have no qualms about a move north.

Walford however, is based in London and would have to consider the move. Walford will leave Leicester in any case as he likes to take charge of the training ground, and new boss Taylor is very similar.

Walford was considered by many to be the tactical force behind O'Neill's Leicester, so he will be wanted at Parkhead. If the pair do leave the Foxes, Leicester will hope to claim around 200,000 pounds compensation, as the pair are under contract.

However, the real battle will be over Lennon, who would relish the move to Celtic to play under his former boss. Leicester would want around 7.5 million for the Northern Ireland international, while O'Neill is supposedly only prepared to offer around 5 million pounds.

Monday, June 26, 2000

RUMOUR ROUND-UP - SUTTON AND LENNON The Daily Ranger today claims that Chris Sutton's £6m move from Chelsea to Celtic will be completed in time for pre-season training to start on Wednesday. They claim that Sutton has chosen Glasgow over Middlesbrough after he visited the area with his wife last week. The leading Scottish rag says that all that remains is for the Celtic board to give the go-ahead to the package on offer.

Monday, June 26, 2000

SKY SPORTS.COM TV today reports that Mark Viduka has agreed a five-year deal with Leeds United, the deal is expected to cost Leeds anything between £7 or £8 million pounds.

Celtic are now expected to speed up the chase for Chelsea striker Chris Sutton he is expected to cost the hoops around £6 million.

Pre season training begins on Wednesday; hopefully there will be a few new faces around by then.

Sunday, June 25, 2000

Lennon talks opened ? Sunday reports are suggesting that Celtic have opened talks with £6m-rated Leicester City midfielder Neil Lennon. Speculation has been rife that new boss Martin O'Neill would return to Filbert Street to plunder the stars he once managed with Lennon apparently top of his shopping list. The Northern Ireland international has reportedly told new Foxes boss Peter Taylor that he would like to leave the Premiership and join the Hoops, the side he has followed all his life. The deal could possibly be finalised before Celtic head off on their pre-season tours of Ireland and Denmark on July 7. We await further developments.

Sunday, June 25, 2000

Bhoys set to swoop for Southgate

Celtic are preparing an audacious swoop for England star Gareth Southgate - the latest link in an amazing summer transfer chain involving the Parkhead club, Aston Villa and Chelsea. The Hoops' new manager Martin O'Neill has targeted the 29-year-old defender following the decision of Matt Elliott to stay at Leicester City rather than follow his old boss to Glasgow. The move for Southgate is just one part of a remarkable series of events involving the two Premiership clubs and Celts. The saga began when Stamford Bridge manager Gianluca Vialli moved for Southgate with the suggestion that Chris Sutton could be part of the deal. Then Celts moved for Sutton - an ongoing matter itself - before Villa boss John Gregory was credited with a fresh interest in the striker after failing to land Tottenham's David Ginola. Now, in another twist, Celtic are ready to enter the fray for Southgate. The former Crystal Palace defender is reported to be anxious to leave Villa - and even more so since his European championship involvement was just minutes as a substitute. He is adamant a move would give his career fresh impetus and, although it was assumed that would be to another Premiership club, the news that Celtic are keen has thrown a spanner in the works. It is not inconceivable, indeed, that Alan Stubbs could be part of the deal for Southgate because Gregory is a known admirer of the Celtic star and has tried to get him before. Stubbs, too, would welcome a return to England and that deal could suit everyone concerned. O'Neill knows his squad is nowhere near good enough to challenge Rangers, who finished 21 points ahead of them in the Premier League last year. And he has accepted he will need around half a dozen top players to make Celtic great again. So far, he has signed no one and time is running out with top Scottish clubs due back for training this week. That ensures there will be a flurry of transfer activity around Parkhead this week.

Sunday, June 25, 2000

'US AND THEM' ATTITUDE HELPED BRING ME DOWN - BARNES Former Celtic head coach John Barnes believes that an ''us and them'' mentality within the team undermined his position at the club. Barnes was sacked after the embarrassing 3-1 Scottish Cup defeat by Inverness at Parkhead in February where there was an alleged half-time bust-up between players and management. But the ex-England international believes that frustrations between new players and their team-mates had been ''boiling over'' for some time before the Cup shock.

NEW HOOPS BOSS HAS HIGH HOPES IN EUROPE Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is quietly confident that his side can progress into the first round proper of the UEFA Cup. The Hoops were paired with Luxembourg side Jeunesse Esch in the qualifying round for the competition. But while the new Parkhead chief remains optimistic, he is aware of the threat of their opponents.

Saturday, June 24, 2000

Still no word on Martin O'Neill's first signing, but now that he is back from Euro 2000 we should see some activity in the next few weeks.

Chris Sutton still seems to be the most wanted, but hopefully there will be a few fresh faces.

Mark Viduka still hasn't signed for Leeds, but there seems no doubt now that he is on his way.

Great news about Henrik Larsson too, as he completed his first 90 minutes and scored his first goal since October for Sweden in Euro 2000.

There seems no reason now why he shouldn't be back to his best come July.

OLD FIRM HOGMANAY CLASH SCRAPPED

The Scottish Premier League have scrapped the traditional New Year Old Firm derby. The clash between Celtic and Rangers has become a firm favourite for supporters from both clubs and is usually played during the first few days of January.

But SPL officials have moved the tie to February in a bid to accommodate their new-look league which will now consist of 12 teams and be split into two sections for the last five games of the season.

AGENT CAUTIOUS OVER VIDUKA DEAL Mark Viduka's proposed £7m move from Celtic to Leeds is far from a done deal, according to the player's agent Bernie Mandic. Elland Road chairman Peter Ridsdale is confident of signing the Australian striker, who was named Players' Player of the Year in Scotland after scoring 27 goals for the Hoops last season. But Mandic warned: ''It's basically one of the options that Mark is considering and it's certainly, I believe, an attractive option.

Was it not only last week that Peter Risdale was quoted as saying we will be signing Elvis Presley next with the number of players we are being linked with.

IT'S JEUNESSE AGAINST BHOYS Celtic will kick off their European campaign in Luxembourg when they face AS Jeunesse Esch in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

RUMOUR ROUND-UP - RISETH TO SUNDERLAND The Daily Ranger today adds the name of Vidar Riseth to those Celtic players being linked with a move out of Scotland. They claim that Sunderland boss Peter Reid travelled to Euro 2000 to watch the Norwegian international midfielder in action, "he would not have seen much there then" He is apparently lining up a £1-5m bid - with the indication being that the bid would be acceptable to Celtic.

Friday, June 23, 2000

We will find out later this morning which one of the following illustrious giants of European football awaits us in the qualifying round of this seasons UEFA cup.

Celtic possible opponents could be IA Akranes of Iceland, FK Ventspils of Latvia, Jeunesse D'Esch from Luxembourg or Welsh club Bangor City, surely we won’t be traveling to Wales again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, June 23, 2000

Today's Daily Ranger reports that Vidar Riseth is the subject of a bid by Sunderland.

The Mark Viduka saga continues to roll on, oh and by the way Celtic have been drawn against the giants Jeunesse D'Esch of Luxembourg in the UEFA CUP.

Ties are scheduled to take place on 10th & 24th August 2000

Friday, June 23, 2000

Swede dreams of horseplay

Henrik Larsson is preparing for retired life - as a country gent. The Celtic and Sweden striker has bought an 11-bedroom house outside his hometown of Helsingborg for the bargain price of £250,000.

The late 19th-century property is set in a beech wood and boasts a garden described as "like a small park". And Larsson’s wife Magalena, a keen horsewoman, should make good use of the stables and pasture-land.

But Bhoys fans need not be concerned. Larsson is not expected to move into the house until his contract with Celtic expires in 2003.

Sunday, July 02, 2000

Lennon for Celtic?

Neil Lennon will ask Leicester City for a transfer, because he has decided he wants to follow his former manager, Martin O'Neill, from Leicester City to Parkhead. O'Neill has told the Leicester chairman, John Elsom, that he wants the midfielder, but has been rebuffed. However, Lennon will try to engineer the move by telling Leicester he wants a transfer.

O'Neill should also get positive news from the Chelsea forward Chris Sutton today on a £6m move to Celtic. Sutton has turned down Middlesbrough.

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