Transfers at close of window

[Alex MacLeod]

None in or out at ICT

Aluka to Aberdeen

Canning to Hamilton

Bamba and Riordan to Hibs

Cousin from Rangers to Hull. Gow on loan to Blackpool

Seems to have been a very quiet, low key close of window.

[SMEE]

Is there a less boring team to support than ICT at transfer time?

[clacher_holiday2]

Good signing for the Dons.

Agree with SMEE.

Looking forward to the 1st of Feb for the next thrilling installment.

[Guest WynessLegend]

I'd rather we bought no-one than bought someone who wasn't good for the team.

Our squad's a little thin but it's okay ............. so well done Brewster for not being sucked

into the transfer window hysteria and making a mistake like Hibs have with Bamba.

[caley100]

And.... Celtic are stuck with Big BoBo for another while after he refused to move to Birmingham for ?25K a week!!!!!! what the fick is he on at Parkhead?

[Guest BillyOceansXI]

Surely everyones got to be a little bit shocked that no one else came in :o

[RossP]

Surely everyones got to be a little bit shocked that no one else came in :o

Nope.

Our youth players have shown that they can make the step up recently; and we tried to get players but were turned down. I'd rather we get turned down by our first choice transfer targets, than settle for our 4th or 5th choice, just so we could announce a signing.

Wages saved.

[chris123]

And.... Celtic are stuck with Big BoBo for another while after he refused to move to Birmingham for ?25K a week!!!!!! what the fick is he on at Parkhead?

My understanding with the Balde situation is that the media and Strachan are both very unfair on him. Apparently he didnt move to Birmingham for more money or regular first team football because he feels that Celtic are his club, one where he has up until recently been very happy, and would rather stay and fight for his place then leave the club that made him who he is.

I say good on him, perhaps not the most technically gifted players, but Celtic fans seem quick to forget what he did for them under O'Neill.

Good signing for the Dons.

Agree with SMEE.

Looking forward to the 1st of Feb for the next thrilling installment.

Did we not sign three players on the stroke of midnight last summer.

Edited September 2, 2008 by chris123

[Govan Jaggie]

Would still like to see us take on Brian Kerr. I believe you can sign out of contract players outside the window and he would add a bit to the squad probably at little cost.

[Guest BillyOceansXI]

Time will tell if our youth players will have enough in them to keep producing the same performances they are just now for the rest of the season. I think when injuries start occuring we may have a few problems. Brewster himself has even stated the club are already down to the barebones and we could do with a couple signings, Why he didn't act on this sooner i don't know.

[CaleyD]

One thing that does worry me is that I've never seen us pick up so many injuries under any other manager and I think that's down to Brewsters training methods and his pushing players to their limits physically. Like anything that operates at it's maximum, it doesn't take much to break it.

Not necessarily a bad thing, but we've already had a few players out with knocks and strains and we're barely in to the season. If the trend carries on them we could find ourselves VERY thin on the ground come November/December.

I don't think we should have been signing people for the sake of it, but I do think it would have been wise to add a couple of half decent squad players at the very least....even if they were 6 month loan signings to see us through to the next window.

[Scotty]

I for one am actually reasonably happy. I would rather sign no-one than someone who was a panic buy.

It seems that we did have our sights on signing at least one out of two or even three different defenders we had targeted to add to the squad and unfortunately we got none of them for various reasons. That tells me that CB realises we need someone in central defence, but to his credit, he didnt panic and sign just anyone as the window was closing which could have been folly.

Hopefully, this gives Duff a chance to grow in the role alongside Munro or McGuire (depending on injuries) and if there is still a need come the turn of the year, he will have used the intervening couple of months to scout and target another signing that he may actually get.

[SMEE]

My understanding with the Balde situation is that the media and Strachan are both very unfair on him. Apparently he didnt move to Birmingham for more money or regular first team football because he feels that Celtic are his club, one where he has up until recently been very happy, and would rather stay and fight for his place then leave the club that made him who he is.

I say good on him, perhaps not the most technically gifted players, but Celtic fans seem quick to forget what he did for them under O'Neill.

Celtic are "his club" my arse!

I would be reluctant to move for ?25 000 per week when i can get ?30 000 for sitting on my ass doing sod all week in week out. He is a leech.

[Guest birdog]

My understanding with the Balde situation is that the media and Strachan are both very unfair on him. Apparently he didnt move to Birmingham for more money or regular first team football because he feels that Celtic are his club, one where he has up until recently been very happy, and would rather stay and fight for his place then leave the club that made him who he is.

I say good on him, perhaps not the most technically gifted players, but Celtic fans seem quick to forget what he did for them under O'Neill.

Celtic are "his club" my arse!

I would be reluctant to move for ?25 000 per week when i can get ?30 000 for sitting on my ass doing sod all week in week out. He is a leech.

I wouldn't call him a leech, a leech is a parasite and for the most part parasites are unwelcome. Where Balde may be unwelcome now you seem to omit the fact that he was invited into the Celtic set up and was offered a set wage for the service he was asked to provide in a given timeframe. IMHO Balde is well within his rights to stay and is entitled to every penny which he was promised through his contract. Good luck to him, Celtic only need to pay off his contract if they want rid.

[Scotty]

he was invited into the Celtic set up and was offered a set wage for the service he was asked to provide in a given timeframe. IMHO Balde is well within his rights to stay and is entitled to every penny which he was promised through his contract. Good luck to him, Celtic only need to pay off his contract if they want rid.

Exactly.

If it had been Celtic wanting to keep him and Balde desperate to go would we (or more precisely, would Celtic Fans) be decrying him for not honouring his contract ? Too right they would. If Celtic are desparate to get rid of him, then as Birdog says, they can buy him out, otherwise, they need to honour the contract they were also happy to sign.

[SMEE]

Am sure both Birdog and Scotty's opinions would not be so understanding if there was a player in a similar situation at ICT, who had'nt played for a few seasons (apart from the odd game) yet was drawing the biggest wage at the club.

If Balde wasnt such a mercenary, he would have jump at the chance to get regular first team footie!

Edited September 2, 2008 by SMEE

[Guest birdog]

My understanding with the Balde situation is that the media and Strachan are both very unfair on him. Apparently he didnt move to Birmingham for more money or regular first team football because he feels that Celtic are his club, one where he has up until recently been very happy, and would rather stay and fight for his place then leave the club that made him who he is.

I say good on him, perhaps not the most technically gifted players, but Celtic fans seem quick to forget what he did for them under O'Neill.

Celtic are "his club" my arse!

I would be reluctant to move for ?25 000 per week when i can get ?30 000 for sitting on my ass doing sod all week in week out. He is a leech.

Am sure both Birdog and Scotty's opinions would not be so understanding if there was a player in a similar situation at ICT, who had'nt played for a few seasons (apart from the odd game) yet was drawing the biggest wage at the club.

If Balde wasnt such a mercenary, he would have jump at the chance to get regular first team footie!

What exactly is your viewpoint? I would not be angry at the player, I am big into unions and workers rights, my anger would be directed at the fool who sanctioned the contract.

EDIT:- Why so angry at Balde? Are you not happy to see one of the Bigot Brothers being screwed over? Or are you a closet tattie muncher?

Edited September 2, 2008 by birdog

[SMEE]

my viewpoint is..........the player in question severly lacks ambition and is a mercenary!

And you ask me if am not happy "to see one of the Bigot Brothers being screwed over?"

this coming from a guy who is making a song and dance about one of "Bigot Brothers" getting screwed over!

[Scotty]

Am sure both Birdog and Scotty's opinions would not be so understanding if there was a player in a similar situation at ICT, who had'nt played for a few seasons (apart from the odd game) yet was drawing the biggest wage at the club. If Balde wasnt such a mercenary, he would have jump at the chance to get regular first team footie!

I see your point and even agree to an extent. For those of us not good enough to make a living at the game, I think most would totally agree that any player should be hungry to get first team football because we the fans would love to be good enough to even have that opportunity .... but lets transfer this to the real world where most of us operate.

..... You are in a job at one of the best known firms in the world, you are not deemed to be the best at what you do, but you get paid like you are .... would you accept a job offer from another company who thought you would be the best they could afford but also only wanted to pay you 75% of your current salary ?

It may be mercenary-like, but unfortunately, thats the nature of football in the modern era. While it might frustrate certain clubs, they have made their bed in this regard. How many players have the OF taken from other clubs because they were one of the strong links in that team only to deposit them on the bench or in the reserves .....

[SMEE]

..... You are in a job at one of the best known firms in the world, you are not deemed to be the best at what you do, but you get paid like you are .... would you accept a job offer from another company who thought you would be the best they could afford but also only wanted to pay you 75% of your current salary ?

If i had one ounce of drive and ambition...YES I WOULD MOVE........in the hope i could progress further in my chosen area and prove my old employers wrong.

Lets be honest.....your not gonna struggle on 3/4 of an already phenomonal wage!

Edited September 2, 2008 by SMEE

[Guest birdog]

And you ask me if am not happy "to see one of the Bigot Brothers being screwed over?"

this coming from a guy who is making a song and dance about one of "Bigot Brothers" getting screwed over!

Not going to elaborate on my "making a song and dance" because if you are refering to another thread of mine you are quite welcome to jump down there and stay on topic.

I asked for your viewpoint because from the posts you have made you seem to be contradicting yourself by saying you would quite happily do the same but then go on to rant about the guy being a leech and a merc. with no self respect. Sorry but you are coming accross like it would be okay to do it to anyone else but Celtic, that's just the impression I am picking up from your posts, I am sorry about my little EDIT I am just a bit tetchy at the moment. I twas bang out of order but I won't remove it because when I act like a **** I am happy to let people know that I accept that part of my personality and I won't hide behind deleted posts.

[Guest birdog]

..... You are in a job at one of the best known firms in the world, you are not deemed to be the best at what you do, but you get paid like you are .... would you accept a job offer from another company who thought you would be the best they could afford but also only wanted to pay you 75% of your current salary ?

If i had one ounce of drive and ambition...YES I WOULD MOVE........in the hope i could progress further in my chosen area and prove my old employers wrong.

Lets be honest.....your not gonna struggle on 3/4 of an already phenomonal wage!

The whole point is that this man is entitled to the money he is picking up and in reality you have no idea of his motives for not moving there could be more pride at stake if he moves than if he does not no one outside of his personal life will have any true idea of his motives so to come on here and bad mouth the guy really doesn't make you look too good does it?

[Scotty]

If i had one ounce of drive and ambition...YES I WOULD MOVE........in the hope i could progress further in my chosen area and prove my old employers wrong. Lets be honest.....your not gonna struggle on 3/4 of an already phenomonal wage!

He may not struggle on 3/4 of an already phenomenal wage, but as I read this thread, I realise that I did once find myself in a similar situation in my own working life !!!

I was one of 5 floor managers in my workplace. We all worked well together, we all got on with each other and with higher management, and we all wanted to progress. I also believe we had a good working relationship with the staff members we were all responsible for. We didnt go in for any (or much) of the petty backbiting that sometimes goes on in this kind of establishment and things ran very smoothly, especially when we would unwind and de-stress with a few pints after work and get rid of any petty niggles we might have had.

A new manager was appointed, and just like football, the new manager had different ideas - some good, some that didnt seem so. Over the space of two years, I and the other 4 floor managers were effectively demoted (on the same wage), made to work in scenarios that were designed to make us disgruntled, and put in situations where it seemed impossible for us to do anything except leave. Because that is what the manager wanted, and didnt have the decency to have a discussion and offer some kind of voluntary severance package, I stuck it out for almost two years. Just as the manager realised I did indeed have something to offer, and would be considered for 'promotion' I left, at a time of my own choosing, having proved my point.

In that two years I faced having to work under people I had actually trained and who could do the job quite well. However, I also had to work for some very "yes ma'am, no ma'am, three bags full ma'am" people who just didnt have a scoobie. Needless to say, you can guess which ones received the benefit of the knowledge I had acquired over the years and which ones did not. There were a lot of "private" comments made when there were no witnesses and I was publicly lambasted by the manager on a couple of occasions. I was even docked a weeks wages after taking bereavement leave when my sister died (later reinstated after a grievance to head office and the threat of publicity). When I eventually did leave, I went to a better place, where I actually made a lot more money for doing less and having a lot less responsibility.

The point is, I DID have drive and ambition in that job. Every day I tried to show that manager I was better than what she had replaced me and other colleagues with (and I think we succeeded on numerous occasions). It was only that manager's stubborness to acknowledge our contributions that made us stick it out. As soon as she realised she had surrounded herself with a lot of "yes men" who she could put to the sword if something went wrong, but who could not actually resolve the causes of things going wrong, and turned back to the experienced 'old-stagers' we pretty much upped and left within 6-8 weeks of each other .... 50+ years of experience between 5 of us in a 2 month period as well as another 50+ years of experience between another half dozen staff members a month later !!!

I never looked back, and with hindsight, perhaps I should have done it earlier, but I am still happy that I left with my head held high, knowing my own worth, and also knowing that this manager finally realised my worth but could do nothing to keep me there.

[EDIT] - I also just realised, that like a footballer, I was also offered a transfer elsewhere. I was sent to head office for a couple of months to work on a project (which I reluctantly agreed to - but scaled it back from 6 to 2 months because of family reasons) and I was also offered a place on a team who went round the country revamping our company's locations and sorting out problems (which I did not agree to because of the same family reasons). Both of these were done to try and get me out of the location for more than 6 months and therefore officially and permanently "off the wage bill" ....

[CaleyD]

Balde was offered more than just ?25,000 a week from what I can gather. He was also offered an additional ?10,000 every time he made an appearance.

This would have given him the chance to earn more money than he is on at present and does, IMO, suggests that Balde fears that he might not cut the mustard down south....and in effect, be left on the bench (or worse) and out of pocket.

He has every right to see out his contract where he is, and I would never argue a persons right to that.....but I do question his motivation when he has a potentially better offer on the table.

[roby]

Balde was offered more than just ?25,000 a week from what I can gather. He was also offered an additional ?10,000 every time he made an appearance.

This would have given him the chance to earn more money than he is on at present and does, IMO, suggests that Balde fears that he might not cut the mustard down south....and in effect, be left on the bench (or worse) and out of pocket.

He has every right to see out his contract where he is, and I would never argue a persons right to that.....but I do question his motivation when he has a potentially better offer on the table.

Who the bloody hell cares about baldy. I thought the forum was about i. c. t.