Celtic

Celtic to the Rescue of Fellow SPFL Side

Published

11 months ago

April 4, 2024

Celtic to the Rescue of Fellow SPFL Side

Celtic has extended a helping hand to Dundee amidst concerns over the playability of their home pitch due to adverse weather conditions.

26th December 2023; Dens Park, Dundee, Scotland; Scottish Premiership Football, Dundee versus Celtic; Dundee Manager Tony Docherty and Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers shake hands after the final whistle

With heavy rain battering the northeast of Scotland all week, and forecasts predicting a further deterioration by Saturday, Dundee’s fixtures against Motherwell and the following week’s match against Rangers were under threat.

Dundee has already had to call off four home matches this season due to their pitch being unplayable.

Understanding the critical nature of these fixtures, not just for Dundee but for the Scottish Premiership title race heading into the split, with room to add in postponed games, Celtic have provided pitch covers to protect the Dens Park turf from the rainfall. [The Scotsman]

This intervention by the Premiership champions is a significant gesture, aiming to ensure that Saturday’s game against Motherwell proceeds as planned, with preparations already underway to lay the covers on the pitch.

With Dundee scheduled to host Rangers just days after the Motherwell match, the outcome of these games could have significant implications for the title race.

Chris Sutton Slams Ally McCoist’s “Reckless and Irresponsible” Hate Crime Comments

Chris Sutton has not held back in his critique of Ally McCoist’s recent comments regarding the new hate crime legislation in Scotland, labelling them as “reckless and irresponsible.”

Soccer Football – World Cup – UEFA Qualifiers – Group F – Scotland v Denmark – Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – November 15, 2021 Former Scotland players Kris Boyd and Ally McCoist are seen before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith

McCoist stirred controversy on talkSPORT by claiming that he and 48,000 Rangers fans would be in breach of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act during the upcoming Glasgow Derby against Celtic.

The act aims to combat stirring up hatred on various grounds including religion and sexual orientation.

Sutton took to the Daily Mail’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast to express his dismay at McCoist’s remarks.

The former Celtic striker suggested that although McCoist’s comments could have been made in jest, they were nonetheless ill-advised and harmful.

Sutton said: “He left himself wide open, you know, saying that he along with 48,000 will be committing a breach of the bill in that fixture.

“Look, I know Ally well, I’ve worked with Ally a lot. I suspect that his comments may have well been tongue-in-cheek. But if they weren’t, then got to say they were pretty reckless, irresponsible comments. Daft. I think his choice of words was clumsy.

“He’s come out now and said that he’s not going to the game which may have not sort of got him out of it, but his way of getting out of the words which he used. He will have to address this one, I thought his comments were slightly odd in truth.”

As the dust settles on this latest media storm, the focus now shifts to the impact of McCoist’s words and the broader conversation about hate crimes in football. This episode serves as a reminder of the power of words, especially when spoken by individuals with significant public influence.

Premiership club moves closer to US-based investment – ‘entered into an agreement on non-binding heads of terms’

The Steelmen put out an appeal for fresh investment earlier this season

Motherwell have revealed they have moved a step closer to an agreement with a US-based potential investor.

After chairman Jim McMahon signalled his intention to step down by the end of this season, the Fir Park club released a lighthearted video in January in a bid to attract new investment from “anyone who wants to support a proper community club”, including Hollywood celebrities. The club subsequently entered talks with an American individual keen to utilise his television background to grow income as well as a US-based multi-national consortium which felt it could make money through recruitment and sale of players. Both were looking to make a profit on their proposed investments.

Motherwell confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the prospect of investment from across the Atlantic is now closer to fruition.

“The executive board of the club would like to confirm that investment discussions with a US-based family have reached the point where both parties wish to move forward to the next stage and have therefore entered into an agreement on non-binding heads of terms,” read a Well statement. “Both parties will now work on formalising these into a legal framework which can be put to a shareholders vote. The investor has expressed his desire to work in partnership with the Well Society.

The process of formalising the heads of terms is likely to take around six weeks and we will keep you updated on progress.”

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Motherwell are currently owned by the Well Society, although it emerged last month that the fans group is open to losing its majority shareholding in order to secure investment from elsewhere to improve the club’s fortunes.

Celtic could repeat Jota masterclass with deal for £23k-p/w star

The Hoops currently have the impressive talent on loan until the end of the season.

Celtic travel away from Parkhead to take on their local rivals in a huge match at the top of the Scottish Premiership table on Sunday afternoon.

The Hoops, who are currently one point clear at the top of the division having played one game more, have the chance to extend their lead to four points with a win at Ibrox.

Brendan Rodgers‘ side are yet to win a trophy this season, having already been knocked out of the League Cup and all European competitions, which means that the league title and the SFA Cup are their last two chances to pick up silverware this season.

With almost two months left of the 2023/24 campaign to go, the bulk of the club’s focus will be on making sure that they can enjoy a successful end to the term.

However, they will also be thinking about the upcoming summer transfer window and the moves that they can make to improve their squad for next season.

Latest Celtic transfer news

According to Football Scotland, the Scottish side will have to wait until the end of the current campaign to find out if they can sign Adam Idah on a permanent basis.

The report claims that some fans were not convinced by the loan signing at the time it was made but his form for the club since making the move to Glasgow has led to calls from supporters for Rodgers to snap him up in the summer.

Football Scotland adds that no option to buy has been agreed between Celtic and Norwich City, who did not sanction the possibility of a permanent deal when they sent him up north on deadline day at the start of February.

The outlet states that the Canaries are waiting to see whether or not Sydney van Hooijdonk, who they brought in on loan from Bologna after he was linked with Celtic, proves his worth at Carrow Road.

Since his move from the Serie A, the Dutch striker has zero goals and one assist in seven substitute appearances in the Championship for David Wagner’s side.

Football Scotland also claims that Norwich are also waiting to see what division they will be playing in next season, as they are currently in the race to secure promotion up to the Premier League. However, the report does not reveal exactly how that would affect Celtic’s potential pursuit of Idah.

If the Hoops can secure a permanent deal for the Ireland international then they could repeat the masterclass they played with Jota, who was also signed permanently after an initial loan spell.

Celtic’s Jota masterclass

Ange Postecoglou swooped to sign the Portuguese forward on loan from Benfica in the summer of 2021, during his first transfer window with the club, after the winger had struggled to nail down regular game time.

Jota had spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan with Real Valladolid in Spain, where he scored two goals in 18 appearances in all competitions, and Celtic then snapped him up for the following season.

21/22 Premiership

Jota (Celtic)

Appearances

Sofascore rating

7.56

Goals

Assists

Big chances created

Key passes per game

2.0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the right-footed wizard hit the ground running in Scottish football with an impressive return of double figures for both goals and assists.

The Portuguese dynamo, who scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions that season, did enough to convince the club to snap him up on a permanent deal in the summer of 2022, for a reported fee of £6.5m.

Jota continued his fantastic form at the top end of the pitch throughout the 2022/23 campaign after joining on a permanent basis, with a return of 11 goals and 11 assists in 33 Premiership outings for the Hoops.

Celtic were rewarded for their decision to sign him permanently after his sublime performances on loan as he remained a phenomenal asset to Postecoglou on the pitch.

The Scottish giants were then rewarded off the pitch as they cashed in on the Portugese starlet in the summer of 2023. Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad came in to sign him for a staggering £25m, which shows how much of a masterclass the club played with Jota as they made a gigantic profit on him after just one year.

Why Celtic should sign Adam Idah permanently

If Norwich decide that they are willing to sell Idah this summer, Celtic must pounce to sign the Ireland international to bolster their attack next season.

The £23k-per-week marksman arrived on loan on deadline day and has hit the ground running in Scotland, with a big impact on the pitch in recent months.

It took him no time at all to find his feet in the Premiership. He came off the bench to make his debut away at Aberdeen and instantly provided an assist to Nicolas Kuhn, with a clever lay-off inside the box to tee up the winger.

The Norwich loanee followed that up with two penalties in a 2-1 win away at Hibernian, including one in stoppage time at the end of the match, to secure all three points for the side.

In total, Idah has produced five goals and two assists in eight Premiership appearances – including four starts – for Celtic since his move to the earlier this year.

This means that the Irish marksman, who Rodgers hailed as an “incredible” talent, has averaged a goal contribution every 1.14 games on average in the league.

Idah, who scored six goals in 12 Championship starts during the first half of the season for Norwich, has showcased his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, whilst he still has plenty of room to develop and improve at the age of 23.

This means that, as was the case with Jota, Celtic would be signing a talented young player with scope to grow throughout his time at Parkhead.

They could nurture and develop his skills in the hope of being rewarded with superb performances on the pitch, and then a potential sale for profit in the future, which is why Rodgers could repeat the club’s Jota masterclass by sealing a deal for the impressive loanee.