[FM20] Stuniverse's FM20 Adventure

[Stuniverse]

CELTIC SQUAD REVIEW - FULL-BACKS

In terms of transitioning to a British/Irish squad we are effectively there already in the full-back areas following the sale of Croatian Tin Jedvaj for £10.5M (£12.75M) in January.

Right-backs:

2. Callum Paterson (Scottish, HGN), 29 years-old, 17 (2) apps, 0 goals, 3 assists, 7.16.

Paterson signed for £5.5M in January to bring some much needed leadership to the squad, to challenge for the right-back spot, and provide cover in many positions down the right or centre of the pitch. At times, Paterson's performances looked like he would nail down the starting shirt for his own but a tendency to get caught in possession, or give the ball away in dangerous areas, meant he never quite made the shirt his own.

22. Anthony Ralston (Scottish, HGC), 25 years-old, 17 (1) apps, 2 goals, 5 assists, 7.38.

A former Celtic Academy graduate, Celtic manager brought Ralston back to Celtic from his former club Hibernian for £4M. Ralston settled into life at Celtic Park like he'd never left, and some very impressive performances saw him recalled to the Scotland national side. Unfortunately, a broken lower leg curtailed Ralston's season and he was unable to oust Paterson following his return. With a full pre-season behind him, Ralston will be hoping to make the starting right-back spot his own.

62. Craig King (Scottish, HGC), 20 years-old, 5 (0) apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, 6.78.

Due to injuries to Tin Jedvaj and Anthony Ralston, King got first-team playing time earlier than anyone would have expected. King di ok, but spent the second-half of the season out on loan at League 1 Einburgh City where he averaged 6.76 from 12 league appearances, but was unable to help Edinburgh City avoid relegation. King may find himself spending all of next season out on loan as well.

52. Jon Fahey (Scottish), 17 years-old, 0 (1) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, n/a average rating.

New into the U18 squad this season, Fahey made one cameo subs appearance for the Reserves in the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup. Highly thought of by the Academy coaching staff, a good pre-season could see him overtake King in the pecking order and become part of the first-team squad.

Left-backs:

3. Greg Taylor (Scottish, HGN), 26 years-old, 40 (1), 2 goals, 5 assists, 7.16.

Taylor asserted himself as the starting left-back last season and impressed defensively and going forward. Taylor even managed to force his way into the Scottish national squad which, given he's competing with Andrew Robertson and Kieran Tierney for a Scotland shirt, is quite an achievement.

23. Brandon Williams (English), 23 years-old, 11 (14), 0 goals, 3 assists, 6.97.

A £4.2M signing in the summer, Williams became the back-up to Taylor at LB but also covered at RB as well. His ability to play both full-back roles meant he was a regular on the substitute's and made more sub appearances than starts last season.

43. Jackie Halsman (Scottish, HGN), 19 years-old, 3 (2), 0 goals, 1 assist, 7.23.

A £250K signing in January, Halsman was brought in by manager Stuniverse due to a lack of left-backs coming through the Academy. Halsman had three starts for Kilmarnock reserves in the Tunnock's Caramel Challenge up and two subs appearances for Celtic's first-team. 

Of the Academy players waiting in the wings for an opportunity, 63. Keith Henderson (18, Scottish) is probably the pick of the bunch.

[Mrlee.1986]

With the amount of keepers you have, are you sure parts of Igor’s dof reign at Derby didn’t rub off on you a little bit? 😂

anyway, I think cakir just edges farinez stats wise, but then performance wise you’ve probably played better with farinez in the sticks. Tough decision to make there, but for me, farinez just edges it. 

Edited May 10, 2020 by Mrlee.1986

[Stuniverse]

17 minutes ago, Mrlee.1986 said:

With the amount of keepers you have, are you sure parts of Igor’s dof reign at Derby didn’t rub off on you a little bit? 😂

Igor Stimac is my idol, @Mrlee.1986.

17 minutes ago, Mrlee.1986 said:

anyway, I think cakir just edges farinez stats wise, but then performance wise you’ve probably played better with farinez in the sticks. Tough decision to make there, but for me, farinez just edges it. 

Wuliker Farinez (26) is two years younger than Ugurcan Cakir (28) and is my signing (August 2023), whereas Cakir was signed by Neil Lennon before I got here, not that I hold that against him.

I just asked my Goalkeeping Coach, Stevie Woods and it looks like he agrees with you...

 

Currently, Aston Villa are interested in Cakir; nobody is interested in Farinez.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

CELTIC SQUAD REVIEW - CENTRAL MIDFIELD

Apart from our inspirational captain, Dennis Praet, being Belgian (which isn't ideal for transitioning to a British/Irish > Scottish squad), and Evangelos Patoulidis also being Belgian, our only real problem in central midfield is that we have too many players.

Central midfield is, I would say, Celtic's strongest area and, for the most part, we went with four players throughout the season.

7. Dennis Praet (Belgian), 30 years-old, 30 (4), 3 goals, 6 assists, 7.44.

Playing in the deeper of the two central midfield roles, Praet captained Celtic and led by example, proving to be an inspired choice as captain.

24. Stevie Mallan (Scottish, HGN), 28 years-old, 9 goals, 27 assists, 7.93.

The first player manager Stuniverse signed from his former club Hibs, for £12M, Mallan proved to be good value as he set club and Premiership records for assists an was named Celtic's Player of the Season, being first-choice for penalties, free-kicks, and corners. Mallan played the more advanced role and struck up an almost telepathic partnership with Praet.

12. Scott McTominay (Scottish), 27 years-old, 21 (13), 3 goals, 2 assists, 6.91.

Club vice-captain McTominay proved to be a dependable deputy to Praet, never letting the side down, and was unfortunate not to get more playing time. As well as midfield, McTominay was also called upon to play as a ball-playing central defender at times. And on the rare occasions when Celtic went defensive, McTominay was the player Stuniverse went for to sit in front of the back-four and protect them.

8. Ewan Henderson (Scottish, HGC), 24 years-old, 15 (12) apps, 2 goals, 9 assists, 7.11.

Henderson was the back-up to Mallan and noticeably improved as the season went on, coming into his own during the  end-of-season run-in when Mallan as out injured.

17. Paddy McKee (Scottish, HGC), 19 years-old, 4 (5) apps, 2 goals, 1 assist, 7.36.

McKee had to wait patiently for most of the season, but gained valuable playing time towards the end of the campaign during Mallan's absence through injury. McKee's impressive performances convinced many that he deserves to be more than a bit-part player next season.

10. Paul Shankland (Scottish, HGC), 20 years-old, 1 (1) apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.75.

Widely tipped to have a breakthrough season, Shankland (no relation to Lawrence), made only two appearances as McKee overtook him in the pecking order. Celtic attempted to loan him out for the second-half of the season but there were no takers.

Loaned out...

In a crowded Celtic midfield, a number of players were loaned out as there was no room to accommodate them.

20. Evangelos Patoulidis (Belgian), 22 years-old, Amiens SC (Ligue 1), 32 (0), 5 goals, 1 assist, 6.69.

 

32. Connor Smith (Scottish, HGC), 22 years-old, Kilmarnock (Premiership), 16 (0), 3 goals, 2 assists, 7.02.

34. Barry Hepburn (Scottish, HGC), 21 years-old, Dundee United (Premiership), 9 (0), 0 goals, 1 assist, 6.77.

36. Dane Murray (Scottish, HGC), 20 years-old, Dundee United (Premiership), 17 (2), 0 goals, 2 assists, 7.03.

Youth Prospect

The next midfielder on the Academy production line could well be 48. Jamie Devlin (16, Scottish).

Edited May 10, 2020 by Stuniverse

[enigmatic]

13 hours ago, Stuniverse said:

My question for you all is this:

If I approach my boss for a new contract, is the project to transition to a younger Celtic squad, made up of British/Irish players (first), then Scottish HGN / HGC players (longer-term), something you can get behind and support?

Best wishes,

Stuniverse

 

Tagged: @andychar @Axyongaming007 @bigmattb28 @coady @dap1987 @enigmatic @Garmt02 @HarrisFFC @JaytheGreat @Johnny-Trotter @kidthekid @King Cactus @kingjericho @ManUtd1 @metallimuse @Mrlee.1986 @Pavi @rodesire @ryanpol123 @samboing @SRL88 @Tajerio @Tee2 @Branne96 @Deano81

I think that ultimately you have to play the game the way you feel would be most enjoyable.

But there's basically two ways of making play Celtic remotely challenging: one is self imposed restrictions and the other is to try to win European silverware. Making an all British team could easily keep you occupied, but I doubt you'll find it difficult to dominate domestically even if you end up weakening your team. I mean, Praet's a terrific player but all your Scottish backups and fringe players are good players for the division. 

On the European side, trying to win European silverware with a Scottish side whilst making realistic signings and taking things slowly is a big challenge by itself without forcing yourself to sell your best players and not sign the youngster your scouts rave about because he doesn't have a British passport. Celtic did famously once win European silverware with an all Scottish team, but you've probably got to choose between being all Scottish or competitive in Europe these days

If you wanted a novel challenge that made use of your six goalkeepers, try starting at least three of them in every domestic game  

 

 

[Stuniverse]

CELTIC SQUAD REVIEW - WINGERS

As far as transitioning to a British/Irish squad is concerned, we are already there, but wingers (or central midfielders, playing wide because they couldn't get a break due to the form of the Praet-Mallan-McTominay-Henderson quartet) is where we probably have the highest number of English/Irish players.

Basically, by the end of the season, we had a name written in permanent ink on the team sheet for both winger roles, but nobody even pencilled in as the guaranteed back-up.

77. Karamoko Dembele (English, HGC), 21 year-old, RW, 32 (6) apps, 23 goals, 7 assists, 7.51.

Dembele was an absolute dream to work with; he impressed in pre-season and carried on that form consistently throughout the season, sweeping pretty much every award going at the Scottish Football Awards night at the end of the season. Although English, he's been at Celtic his entire career from 2018/19 and counts as HGC. Dembele needed to be rested a couple of times during the season, probably due to his young age and the workload he was being asked to carry, as Dembele was the first-choice right-winger and the one player we genuinely missed whenever he wasn't available. Despite interest from other clubs, including some mouth-watering bids, Dembele never moaned, never asked to leave, and seems genuinely delighted to be playing for Celtic.

19. Mikey Johnston (Scottish, HGC), 25 years-old, LW/RW, 33 (5), 9 goals, 6 assists, 7.13.

Johnston didn't start the season very well and struggled to make the starting line-up initially but, after a couple of months, he found a purple patch, got called up to the Scottish international squad, and never looked back after that making himself first-choice on the left-wing by the end of the season.

6. Stuart McJanet (Scottish, HGN), 20 years-old, MC/RW/LW, 3 (3), 1 goal, 1 assist, 6.86.

Primarily a central midfielder, this newgen bided his time and was rewarded with some game time on the right-wing during the run-in towards the end of the season. McJanet impressed enough to suggest that he could become more than a bit-part player here at Celtic.

14. Joe Willock (English), 24 years-old, MC/DM/RW/LW, 23 (7), 3 goals, 5 assists, 6.95.

Willock was the main player to benefit from Johnston's poor start to the season and was given plenty of opportunity to make the left-wing spot is own, but failed to do so possibly because h's a central midfielder by trade. Willock played both wing on both flanks during the season, flattering to deceive at times, and even covered at right-back off the bench in one game. This will be a big pre-season for Willock otherwise he maybe one of the casualties of the strength in depth of the current Celtic squad.

18. Armstrong Oko-Flex (Irish, HGN), 22 years-old, WRL/SC, 14 (12), 9 goals, 2 assists, 7.15.

Oko-Flex was another one to benefit from Johnston's poor start to the season, but a serious injury to Fraser Hornby saw Oko-Flex more often used as a striker, where he impressed massively and regularly got on the scoresheet. Eventually he lost his place up front to the more natural striker Danylo Sikan and, by then, Dembele on the right and Johnston on the left had established themselves as the first-choice wingers. After playing regularly in the first-half of the season, Oko-Flex will be disappointed with his playing time after Christmas, an will be looking to impress again this pre-season.

Out on loan...

31. Will Rutherford (English, might be HGN but I'm not sure), 20 years-old, RW.

Rutherford spent all of last season out on loan - at St Johnstone (Championship) initially where he scored 3 goals, 4 assists, for 7.19 in 16 appearances, and then at Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Premiership) where he scored 4 goals, 0 assists, averaging 6.68 from 13 appearances. Rutherford will be looking to impress in pre-season and it'll be interesting to see if he's developed enough to become part of the first-team squad at Celtic.

In the Academy...

46. Neil Buchan (Scottish, HGN), 18 years-old, LW

According to the Academy coaching staff, Buchan is the most likely winger to make the breakthrough into the Celtic first-team squad.

47. Ryan Shinnie (Scottish, HGN), 20 years-old, WRL/SC

Shinnie joined Celtic for £60K in January but has yet to make a first-team appearance. It'll be interesting to see if Shinnie has developed enough after half-a-season training with the first-team to make an impression in pre-season.

68. Paul Geggan (Scottish, HGC), 19 years-old, RW

Geggan spent the second-half of the season out-on-loan with St. Johnstone in the Championship where he scored 0 goals, 1 assist, for 6.80 in 13 appearances.

One on the way out appears to be Jonny Telfer (Scottish, HGC), 17 years-old, RW who has yet to make an appearance for the first-team. Manchester City lodged a bid a week or so ago which Celtic rejected. Telfer, a player I was unaware of at the time as he's in our U18 squad, kicked-up a fuss and said he wanted to go because he'd have more chance of making the first-team at Man City than he would here at Celtic. Needless to say, I didn't want him around after that so we asked Man City for £10.25M, expecting them to say no as he's only valued at £51K, but they agreed the deal, a contract offer is on the table, and we're looking forward to waving goodbye to young Mr. Telfer.

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

CELTIC SQUAD REVIEW - STRIKERS

Overall I'm very happy with our four main strikers - three current internationals in Lawrence Shankland and Fraser Hornby (both Scotland) and Danylo Sikan (Ukraine), with young newgen Jordan Ross also getting some game time last season and impressing. Sikan is the only one of last season's four main strikers who is not British. All three of the main strikers had spells last season when they weren't scoring.

9. Lawrence Shankland (Scottish, HGN), 28 years-old, 37 (6), 16 goals, 5 assists, 7.13.

Shankland, no relation to Paul Shankland, was a player I knew well from my time at Hibs where he was the Premiership's top goalscorer. I brought him with me from Hibs for £8M, made him my main striker from Day 1, and he didn't let me down, although his place as a guaranteed starter did come under scrutiny towards the end of the season when his goalscoring started to dry up. Shankland will need to impress in pre-season if he's to remain the main striker.

11. Fraser Hornby (Scottish), 24 years-old, 8 (5), 3 goals, 2 assists, 6.77.

Hornby was another player I brought with me from Hibs, for £9M, and I had high hopes Hornby and Shankland would be as effective a striking partnership at Celtic as they were at Hibs. Things looked good, until Hornby broke his lower leg and was out for most of the season. Hornby struggled on his return but, as his fitness improved, he looked more like his old self and I'm delghted that he regained his place in the Scottish national squad.

15. Danylo Sikan (Ukraine), 23 years-old, 27 (9), 17 goals, 3 assists, 7.26.

Sikan struggled with being out of the side initially, as I put my early faith in the Hibs strikers I knew, and he failed to impress off the bench. Once I gave him a run of starts, he came into his own and was probably our most consistent striker in the second-half of the season.

33. Jordan Ross (Scottish, HGC), 19 years-old, 8 (13), 6 goals, 1 assist, 6.99.

More out of necessity at times, rather than planning, Ross was given some starts and he proved he's more than capable at Premiership level by scoring some good goals. He'll need more playing time next season to aid his development and it'll be my job to find a way to give him that playing time. 

Ready to step-up...

According to our Academy coaching staff, 39. Michael Ruth (22, Scottish, HGC) and 49. Sean Forbes (17, Scottish) are the two young strikers that are waiting in the wings ready for a shot at establishing themselves in the first-team squad.

[Stuniverse]

14 June 2024

STUNIVERSE WANTS TO EXTEND CELTIC STAY

The Bhoys understand that Celtic manager Stuniverse has approached the club's Board, via club owner Ian Bankier, regarding the possibility of a new contract. We are led to believe that Bankier was supportive and that, subject to Board approval, contract negotiations will commnce shortly.

Stuniverse's current deal runs until the 31st of May next year.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

22 hours ago, Johnny-Trotter said:

I see it as being a realistic challenge as the logical next step on this managerial run - you will have enough prestige with Celtic to attract 90% of British and Irish talent (but not the 10% who will be in the English Premier League) and it'll give you a few more years of effort in Scotland before you might think of moving further.

Thanks, @Johnny-Trotter. That's the way I see it too.

[Stuniverse]

22 hours ago, Mrlee.1986 said:

As in basically make the Scottish National team, the Celtic team? I can get behind that.

Well maybe not the entire Scottish National team LOL 🤣 - as I'm sure Rangers and some of the other SPL teams will play hard-ball - but that would be ideal, @Mrlee.1986. It's more likely to be the Scottish U21 and U19 squads I focus on.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

21 hours ago, coady said:

Yes, sounds like an interesting idea to me. The opportunity doesn't come around too often to have a realistic chance at doing it, so why not give it a go?

Thanks, @coady. It's definitely not an opportunity that comes my way on FM very often.

Well, I've approached my boss, Ian Bankier, and he says the club will offer me a new contract shortly.

[Stuniverse]

20 hours ago, kingjericho said:

Interesting idea, but I would wait until later in the season to discuss this. You know, just to keep options open.

Thanks, @kingjericho. I appreciate your advice but I've been thinking about this for a while now and am excited by the prospect of managing Celtic beyond this coming season. I've asked my boss, Ian Bankier, for a new contract and he says they think I should be given greater job security with a new contract. I'm expecting negotiations soon...

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

19 hours ago, samboing said:

I like the idea of making the squad as Scottish/British, with any luck you can sign the best available, as we’ve discussed the best of Rangers players would be interesting if you could tempt them! But money talks. It would also keep things interesting for you as the squad could potentially be weaker in the first season of the transition but on a whole would be a great test! Go for it

Thanks, @samboing. I think I've already seen with my attempts to sign the Scottish #1 goalkeeper Ross Brophy that Rangers do NOT want to sell players to Celtic.

I agree, this approach will definitely weaken the Celtic squad, at least in the short-term, but that's the challenge I'm looking for...

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

10 hours ago, enigmatic said:

I think that ultimately you have to play the game the way you feel would be most enjoyable.

Thanks, @enigmatic. I've been thinking about this for a while now and am excited about the transition to a squad that is British/Irish (initially), then Scottish/HGN/HGC (longer-term). I just need to be careful how I do it. With it not being part of the Club Vision, I don't want to be too hasty and destroy Player Dynamics and / or the Board's confidence in me.

10 hours ago, enigmatic said:

But there's basically two ways of making play Celtic remotely challenging: one is self imposed restrictions and the other is to try to win European silverware. Making an all British team could easily keep you occupied, but I doubt you'll find it difficult to dominate domestically even if you end up weakening your team. I mean, Praet's a terrific player but all your Scottish backups and fringe players are good players for the division. 

Yep. That's definitely the plan... and we'll see.

10 hours ago, enigmatic said:

On the European side, trying to win European silverware with a Scottish side whilst making realistic signings and taking things slowly is a big challenge by itself without forcing yourself to sell your best players and not sign the youngster your scouts rave about because he doesn't have a British passport. Celtic did famously once win European silverware with an all Scottish team, but you've probably got to choose between being all Scottish or competitive in Europe these days

I totally agree. The approach I'll be taking will definitely make it more difficult to be successful on the European Stage, but I'm not writing off our chances in Europe. Imagine how satisfying it would be to win the thing with an entirely British/Irish squad or, even better, a completely Scottish squad.

10 hours ago, enigmatic said:

If you wanted a novel challenge that made use of your six goalkeepers, try starting at least three of them in every domestic game  

ROFL 😂🤣

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

14 June 2024

CELTIC TRANSFER LIST FOUR

The Bhoys: Celtic have transfer listed four players ahead of pre-season training. We expect more players to be transfer listed once the players return for pre-season training on Monday 24th June and the Celtic manager Stuniverse and his backroom staff have had an opportunity to assess them.

For now, the transfer listed players are:

20. Evangelos Patoulidis

41. Constantin Frommann

59. Jonathan Afolabi

Jonny Telfer - expected to join Manchester City for £10.25M.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

14 June 2024

CELTIC REJECT BIDS

The Bhoys: Celtic have rejected transfer bids from Derby County and Everton for Joe Willock and Mikey Johnston respectively.

[andychar]

Personally I would move on...but then I'm a Rangers fan...

[Stuniverse]

8 minutes ago, andychar said:

Personally I would move on...but then I'm a Rangers fan...

😂🤣😃 That made me laugh.

Thank you for still following, @andychar. Maybe I’ll mess it all up and get sacked any way...

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

14 June 2024

STUNIVERSE EXTENDS HIS CELTIC PARK STAY

The Bhoys: Celtic's manager Stuniverse has put pen-to-paper on a new contract that will keep him at Celtic Park until the summer of 2027. The former Falkirk and Hibs manager told GOAL that he was pleased to have been given the opportunity to continue what he had started here.

Chairman Ian Bankier said he was delighted Stuniverse had demonstrated commitment to Celtic Football Club by signing a new deal.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

15 June 2024

EUROPEAN HEADLINES

European Coefficients

Scotland slip two places to 11th, meaning the Premiership Champions will no longer qualify directly for the Champions Cup group stage.

European Club Rankings

Celtic move up 10 places to 39th.

European Competition Rankings

The Scottish Premiership remains 12th.

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

17 June 2024

CELTIC SIGN McKENNA

The Bhoys: Celtic have completed the £5.5M (£6M) signing of Aberdeen's 27 year-old centre-back Scott McKenna. McKenna, who is currently away on international duty at the European Championships, was an unused substitute in Scotland's 0-1 defeat to Slovenia on Saturday.

[Stuniverse]

17 June 2024

ROSS COUNTY SIGN AFOLABI

The Bhoys: Championship side Ross County have signed Celtic's 24 year-old striker Jonathan Afolabi for a fee of £100K.

[Stuniverse]

18 June 2024

CAKIR OFF TO VILLA

The Bhoys: English Premier League side Aston Villa have signed Celtic's 28 year-old goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir for a fee of £20M.

In other news, Celtic rejected an increased bid of £18.5M from Aston Villa for 26 year-old left-back Greg Taylor.

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

20 June 2024

STUNIVERSE PULLS PLUG ON MORRISON DEAL

The Bhoys: RB Leipzig's 21 year-old centre-back Liam Morrison looked all set to be returning to Scotland from Germany after Celtic agreed a £3.1M (£4M) fee with RB Leipzig, and the club had agreed personal terms with the player and his agent but, at the very last minute, Celtic manager Stuniverse pulled the plug on the deal after discussions with the Celtic medical team and a review of Morrison's injury record.

Morrison is thought to be furious and his agent said: "We're not really sure what happened. We were informed that Liam had passed his Celtic medical and then we were told that Stuniverse wouldn't sanction the deal and we should return to Germany. It's been a shambles and a waste of our time."

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

21 June 2024

MAN CITY LAND TELFER

The Bhoys: Manchester City have signed Celtic's 18 year-old right-winger Jonny Telfer for a fee of £10.25M. Apparently, Telfer told Celtic manager Stuniverse that he wanted to move to Manchester City because he thought he stood more chance of getting into the first-team at The City of Manchester Stadium than he did at Celtic Park.

[Stuniverse]

21 June 2024

HICKEY'S CELTIC MOVE COLLAPSES

The Bhoys: Celtic's move to bring Burnley's 22 year-old full-back Aaron Hickey to Celtic Park has collapsed after they were unable to agree personal terms with the player and his agent. A transfer fee of £11M had been agreed with Burnley but Celtic were not prepared to honour Hickey's existing £77K per week salary.

 

[Stuniverse]

22 June 2024

RUTHERFORD RETURNS TO ST JOHNSTONE ON LOAN

The Bhoys: Newly promoted St. Johnstone have taken Celtic's 20 year-old right-winger Will Rutherford on loan for a second spell. Rutherford spent a successful first-half of last season playing for St Johnstone on loan in the Championship. In January, Celtic manager Stuniverse recalled Rutherford and sent him on loan to Premiership side Inverness Caledonian Thistle for the second-half of the season. With St Johnstone now a Premiership side, Stuniverse appears happy to let Rutherford continue his development in the familiar surroundings of McDiarmid Park.

[Stuniverse]

23 June 2024

2023/24 PREMIERSHIP REVIEW

[Stuniverse]

24 June 2024

CELTIC'S FIXTURES - 2024/25

[Stuniverse]

24 June 2024

CELTIC ANNOUNCE FRIENDLY FIXTURES

[Stuniverse]

24 June 2024

MAN UTD LODGE BUMPER BID FOR DEMBELE

The Bhoys: Celtic have rejected a £56M (£73M) bid from Manchester United for 21 year-old right-winger Karamoko Dembele. We understand that Dembele was consulted on the decision; initially Dembele wanted to leave for Old Trafford but Celtic manager Stuniverse persuaded him to stay at Celtic Park.

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

26 June 2024

TRANSFER UPDATE

The Bhoys: Celtic manager Stuniverse was kind enough to spare us a few minutes and provide a transfer update for us.

"To be honest, we're very happy with our squad at the moment and there's not too much happening in addition to the business we've already done for a tidy profit. In terms of more players coming in, we're making enquiries about some young Scottish players we like but, at the moment, there's only one that's remotely close to happening."

Transfer List

Constantin Frommann (GK) - we've agreed a fee with a club, a contract offer has been made, and it's down to Constantin now.

Evangelos Patoulidis (M/AMC/SC) - we've agreed a fee with a club, a contract offer has been made, and Evangelos has a decision to make.

Javier Montero (DC) - Javier hasn't really settled since his move from Spain and we can't see that changing as he's unlikely to get much playing time following the arrival of Scott McKenna from Aberdeen. Nurnberg are meant to be interested but, so far, there's been no bids from anybody.

Unwelcome interest in our players

Brandon Williams (DLR) - we've rejected two bids from Brentford, the highest being £7.5M.

Danylo Sikan (SC/AMR) - we've rejected two bids from Brentford, the highest being £15.25M. Newcastle United and Swansea City are also meant to be interested, but we've not heard anything.

Greg Taylor (DL) - we've rejected two bids from Aston Villa, the highest being £18.5M.

Joe Willock (MC/DM/AMRL) - we've rejected a £14.25M bid from Derby County.

Karamoko Dembele (AMR) - we've rejected a £56M (£73M) bid from Manchester United after talking it through with Karamoko.

Mikey Johnstone (AML) - we've rejected bids form Crystal Palace £18.75M, Everton £14.25M.

Paddy McKee (MC/SC) - we've rejected a £15.5M bid from Derby County.

Petar Varagic (U18s SC) - we've rejected a £54K bid from Hibs. 

There's also speculation that Sheffield United are interested in Armstong Oko-Flex and Valencia are interested in Dennis Praet, but we've had no contact whatsoever from those clubs.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

26 June 2024

PATOULIDIS REJECTS CREMONESE

The Bhoys: Celtic's 22 year-old Belgian midfielder Evangelos Patoulidis, who counts as HGC, has turned down the opportunity to join Serie A Cremonese permanently.  Celtic and Cremonese had agreed a £5M fee but Patoulidis could not agree personal terms. Elche and Maritimo are also interested in Patoulidis, we understand, but have yet to match Celtic's asking price.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

28 June 2024

CELTIC BECOME ECREPONT'S FOURTH CLUB

The Bhoys: Celtic have signed Aberdeen's 21 year-old left-back Finn Ecrepont on a four-year deal for a fee of £300K, which could rise to £650K. Ecrepont started his career with Ayr United, before moving to Ross County for £61K and then Aberdeen last summer for £250K.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Friday 26th June 2024

Pre-match v Airdrie (a) - Friendly (1)

Match Preview

The Bhoys: How are you approaching pre-season this time?

Stuniverse: As always, the plan is to get the players match-fit and then prepare for our opening Premiership fixture away to Aberdeen at Kingsford Stadium. It's going to be a strange pre-season in phases. A large proportion of the squad reported back for pre-season on Monday. The majority of the players away on international duty are back now as the younger age groups have all played and, unfortunately, Scotland were knocked out in the group stage of the European Championships. Those players have all been given some extra-time off. Wuilker Farinez will be given some additional time as Venezuela have only just been eliminated from the Copa America. Dennis Praet (Belguim) and Danylo Sikan (Ukraine) are still involved in the European Championships and we'll give them a couple of weeks off once they are no longer involved.

For this game against Airdrie, we're going to use mainly younger players, plus a couple of fringe squad players, and see how they get on. We thought a team newly promoted to the Championship would be a good test for them. 

Unavailable: Armstrong Oko-Flex (twisted knee).

Doubtful: Evangelis Patoulidis (bruised foot-90).

Post-match: Airdrie (0) 1-5 (2) Celtic XI

The Bhoys: A very nice victory to start off pre-season. What did you make of that?

Stuniverse: Yes, a very nice victory indeed. I was very happy with all the players and Aidrie never really troubled us at all.

Sean Forbes gave us the lead with a sweetly taken free-kick. Neil Buchan doubled our lead with a freak goal when their goalkeeper's clearance hit him on the back and rebounded into the net.

Connor Smith made it 3-0 within a minute of the restart, after Michael Ruth put him clean through. Sean Forbes scored his second of the game for 4-0, getting on the end of a lovely through ball from Jon Fahey. In the 92nd minute, Graeme Budinauckas conceded a needless penalty, which they gave Scott Bain no chance with. Almost from the restart, Sean Forbes was pushed in the back and we had a penalty of our own. Michael Ruth made no mistake from the spot for 5-1.

 

Please LIKE if you enjoyed this update and FOLLOW the thread so you don't miss future updates.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Stuniverse

[kidthekid]

Finally caught up. I'm liking the transfers.

I have to admit that I was surprised that you let Telfer go, until I saw the reason.

[Stuniverse]

1 hour ago, kidthekid said:

Finally caught up. I'm liking the transfers.

Thank you. I’m definitely looking at signing Scottish players right now (and my recruitment / scouting team is being worked hard), plus British / Irish players at a pinch.

1 hour ago, kidthekid said:

I have to admit that I was surprised that you let Telfer go, until I saw the reason.

Yes, indeed. Good luck to him if he thinks he’ll get into the Man City first-team easier than the Celtic first-team 🤣

Edited May 13, 2020 by Stuniverse

[JaytheGreat]

Good business in the transfer window so far but the best part of the transfer window is not losing any of your core players.

[Stuniverse]

4 minutes ago, JaytheGreat said:

Good business in the transfer window so far but the best part of the transfer window is not losing any of your core players.

Thanks, @JaytheGreat. The transfer window is still young but so far so good. I was delighted I was able to persuade Karamoko Dembele to stay when Man Utd made a big bid. They’ve since been back with an even bigger bid and he didn’t bat an eyelid when we rejected it.

[Stuniverse]

1 July 2024

FROMMANN MOVES TO BELGUIM

The Bhoys: Belgian Pro League A side Charleroi have completed the signing of Celtic's 26 year-old German goalkeeper Constantin Frommann for £1.5M.

 

[Stuniverse]

1 July 2024

MONTHLY REPORTS

Manager Performance:

Finances:

Dynamics:

[rodesire]

Excellent transfer window, this one. One more GK to offload?

[Stuniverse]

Monday 1st July 2024

Pre-match v Fleetwood Town (a) - Friendly (2)

Match Preview

The Bhoys: What's the plan for today's game against Fleetwood at Highbury Stadium?

Stuniverse: Pretty much the same as against Airdrie. We're going to give another run-out to the younger players with the majority of those who were on the bench last time out getting a start today.

Unavailable: Dennis Praet (international duty), Danylo Sikan (holiday), Wuilker Farinez (holiday).

Doubtful: Armstrong Oko-Flex (twisted knee-90), Evangelis Patoulidis (bruised foot-90).

Post-match: Fleetwood Town (2) 2-3 (1) Celtic XI

The Bhoys: That was some spectacle. How do you sum it up?

Stuniverse:  I'm taking it as a wake-up call for our young players because we got out of jail today. I'm not sure we deserved to win that one and I told the players that after the final whistle. Overall, our play wasn't too bad but, going forward, we were far too wasteful and didn't get anywhere near enough efforts on target. Defensively, both of their goals were avoidable, we have to close down in midfield better than that. We introduced some more experienced heads in the second-half and that certainly helped, but turning around a 2-1 deficit with 91st and 92nd minute goals is rather fortunate, I have to admit.

Jordan Ross gave us an early lead, heading in Ryan Shinnie's cross. On 36 minutes they equalised with a thunderbolt from distance from Oliver Shenton, after good work by Josh Dacres-Cogley, a player who I know well as he played for me at Falkirk. We nearly fell behind in the 38th minute when they hit the post. And then, just before the break, we were behind, Michael Obafemi rifling in a screamer from all of 30-yards.

On 84 minutes Connor Smith's shot was blocked, Stuart McJanet fired home the rebound, but the assistant referee's flag chalked it off. A minute into added-on time, Evangelos Pataloudis wins the ball back in the centre-circle, dribbles all the way into the penalty area, and slots the ball past the goalkeeper to level things at 2-2. It was a special moment of individual brilliance, enough to prove to me that the [HGC] Belgian could still have a future here at Celtic.

Then, a minute later, Ryan Shinnie fires one into the roof of the net from outside the penalty area, after good work by Stuart McJanet, for a 3-2 lead. Right at the end Steven Harrison, in our goal, made a sensational save to deny Fleetwood the draw they probably deserved. 

 

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Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

37 minutes ago, rodesire said:

Excellent transfer window, this one.

Thank you, @rodesire. I'm happy with it so far but there's still some considerable time until it closes. I'll be a lot happier when it's closed and my best players are still here.

37 minutes ago, rodesire said:

One more GK to offload?

To complete the transition to a fully Scottish group of goalkeepers, yes. Now that Ugurcan Cakir (Aston Villa) and Constantin Frommann (Charleroi) have moved on, Venezuelan International Wuilker Farinez is our only non-Scottish goalkeeper but he is also, without question, our best goalkeeper right now so I'm not in a desperate hurry to move him on.

A lot depends on how young goalkeeper Steven Harrison develops because, in the medium- to long-term, I signed him to be the #1 goalkeeper here but my coaches rate him our third best goalkeeper at the moment, although he was Aberdeen's #1 last season. Before I can even contemplate selling Farinez, a player I signed for Celtic last summer, I need to be sure Harrison is good enough now.

According to my coaches, current Scottish international Robbie McCrorie is our second-best goalkeeper and I see him being the back-up to Harrison, once Harrison is good enough to be #1.

That then leaves former Scottish international, Scott Bain, as our emergency back-up until we have another young goalkeeper who's ready to take over from Bain.

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

2nd July 2024

EIGHT TRIALISTS AT CELTIC PARK

The Bhoys: Celtic have brought eight trialists in to train with them this week and the expectation is that some of them will get an opportunity to impress in Thursday evening's friendly against League Two Queen's Park and, possibly, Sunday's friendly against Olympique De Marseille.

The trialists are:

Ellis Hare-Reid

Jack Lambert

Lewis Gordon

Lewis Smith who played for Celtic manager Stuniverse at Falkirk.

Louie Sibley

Max Bird

Tyree Wilson

Veron Parkes

Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

3 July 2024

CELTIC PREPARED TO LOAN OUT 16 YOUNGSTERS

The Bhoys: After watching the young Celtic prospects train with the first-team squad for a couple of weeks, and giving them playing time in friendlies against Airdrie and Fleetwood Town, manager Stuniverse has held a meeting with his loan manager Graeme MacIntosh  and agreed  which players Celtic should actively seek loan moves for to aid their development. The majority of these players are now back training with the Reserves squad.

Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Thursday 4th July 2024

Pre-match v Queen's Park (a) - Friendly (3)

Match Preview

The Bhoys: You're still, officially, calling this a Celtic XI. Why's that?

Stuniverse: Because it's not the first-team, although one or two of the first-team squad may play. It's the third friendly we've organised for the younger players and we may well take a look at a fair few trialists today as well either starting, or off the bench.

We have six more friendly games after this one, starting with a trip to France to play Olympique De Marseilles on Sunday, and those games will be all about preparing the first-team for the Premiership Opener away against Aberdeen.

Team Selection

Unavailable: Robbie McCrorie (neck), Dennis Praet (international duty), Danylo Sikan (holiday), Wuilker Farinez (holiday).

Doubtful: Armstrong Oko-Flex (twisted knee-90), Evangelis Patoulidis (bruised foot-90).

Post-match: Queen's Park (0) 0-3 (1) Celtix XI

The Bhoys: With a makeshift team of players, including trialists, who'd not played together before, that was pretty impressive. How did you see it?

Stuniverse: I thought we played very well and were always in control of the game.

Two trialists combined to give us a 12th minute lead when Veron Parkes headed in Lewis Gordon's cross at the far post.

Four minutes after the break, it was 2-0. Evangelos Patoulidis went on one of his trademark runs into the penalty area, was tripped, and Jordan Ross converted the penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Deep into added-on time, Paddy McKee headed home a cross from trialist Jack Lambert for 3-0.

The Bhoys: Did any of the trialists impress you enough to earn themselves a contract?

Stuniverse: They've all been working really hard in training and I was pleased with how they did today. We'll keep all eight of them with us until after Sunday's trip to France and then make some decisions on Monday.

The Bhoys: Paul Shankland came on as a sub, then went of after only a few minutes. Is he ok?

Stuniverse: We think Paul's pulled knee ligaments, unfortunately. It's a big blow because we were intending to give him plenty of playing time this pre-season and it will negatively impact his chances of going out on loan this transfer window as well.

The Bhoys: Have you got any transfer news for us?

Stuniverse: We're constantly looking at how we can improve the squad but, at the moment, there's nothing in the pipeline as far as players coming in is concerned.

What's keeping us busy at the moment is knocking-back unwelcome bids for players we don't want to sell and Graeme McIntosh [loan manager] is working diligently trying to get loan moves organised for some of our younger players.

Javier Montero (DC) remains on the transfer list although, to be fair to Javier, he wants to stay. Bologna are interested, but haven't made any firm approach.

Since I last updated you we've rejected a fair number of bids:

Brandon Williams (DLR) - we've rejected further bids from Brentford, the highest being £8M and one bid from Bournemouth £7.5M.

Danylo Sikan (SC/AMR) - we've rejected three bids from Brentford, the highest being £15.75M and one bid from Newcastle United £17.5M. Swansea City are also meant to be interested, but we've not heard anything from them.

Karamoko Dembele (AMR) - we've rejected three bids from Manchester United after talking it through with Karamoko, the highest being £77M. We believe they are trying to unsettle our player.

 

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Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

Sunday 7th July 2024

Pre-match v Olympique De Marseille (a) - Friendly (4)

Match Preview

The Bhoys: This match at the Stade Orange Velodrome should be a real test for you, shouldn't it?

Stuniverse: Yes. Which is why we selected it. We need to remember this is the first friendly game for the majority of the first-team so it's more about getting playing time into as many legs as possible, than it is about performance or the result.

Unavailable: Robbie McCrorie (neck), Dennis Praet (international duty), Danylo Sikan (holiday), Wuilker Farinez (holiday).

Doubtful: Armstrong Oko-Flex (twisted knee-90), Evangelis Patoulidis (bruised foot-90).

Team Selection

The Bhoys: You've named three of your eight trialists on the bench. Can we read anything into that?

Stuniverse: Yes.

Post-match: Olympique De Marseille (0) 1-3 (2) Celtic

The Bhoys: For a pre-season game, that was very impressive. What did you make of it?

Stuniverse: I was very impressed too. I said before the game that today was about fitness, not about the performance or the result. We played a different 11 in each half and all 22 of them put in a shift. We thoroughly deserved our 2-0 lead at the break. The second-half was more even but we deserved the win overall.

Mikey Johnstone gave us a 12th minute lead after an unbelievable through ball from Paddy McKee. Mikey Johnstone then turned provider three minutes before the break, going on a mazy run to the byline and cutting the ball back for Evangelos Patoulidis to make it 2-0.

Marseille pulled one back on 64 minutes. Jordan Ross was tripped in the penalty area three minutes later; he got himself up, took the spot-kick himself, and tucked it away in the bottom corner.

The Bhoys: You played three trialists in the second-half. Does that mean you're lining up a contract offer for Bird, Parkes and Sibley, but not for the other five.

Stuniverse: You shouldn't assume anything. We intend to speak to all eight trialists tomorrow, when we're back at Lennoxtown, and then we'll let you know. 

 

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Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

8th July 2024

TRANSFER UPDATE

The Bhoys: Celtic manager Stuniverse was kind enough to spare us a few minutes and provide a transfer update for us.

Stuniverse: We've offered a contract to one of the trialists that have been with us this week. All eight of them have been brilliant, and I can't fault the work and effort they've put in this week to try and earn themselves a contract here. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to seven of them with our best wishes

We've also agreed a deal with a club for a young centre-back, have verbally agreed personal terms, and we're hopeful the paperwork will be signed and submitted very soon.

Transfer List

Javier Montero (DC) - Javier hasn't really settled since his move from Spain and we can't see that changing as he's unlikely to get much playing time following the arrival of Scott McKenna from Aberdeen. Nurnberg and Bologna are meant to be interested but, so far, there's been no bids from anybody.

Unwelcome interest in our players

Brandon Williams (DLR) - we've rejected four bids from Brentford, the highest being £8M (£10M) and one bid from Bournemouth £7.5M.

Danylo Sikan (SC/AMR) - we've rejected three bids from Brentford, the highest being £15.75M and one bid from Newcastle United £17.5M. Swansea City are also meant to be interested, but we've not heard anything.

Greg Taylor (DL) - we've rejected two bids from Aston Villa, the highest being £18.5M.

Joe Willock (MC/DM/AMRL) - we've rejected a £14.25M bid from Derby County.

Karamoko Dembele (AMR) - we've rejected four bids from Manchester United after talking it through with Karamoko, the highest being £95M. We believe they are trying to unsettle Karamoko.

Keith Henderson (DL) - we've rejected a £750K bid from Hibs.

Mikey Johnston (AML) - we've rejected bids form Crystal Palace £18.75M, Everton £14.25M.

Paddy McKee (MC/SC) - we've rejected a £15.5M bid from Derby County.

There's also speculation that Sheffield United are interested in Armstong Oko-Flex (AMRL/SC), Leganes are interested in Chancel Mbemba (DC), and Valencia are interested in Dennis Praet (MC), but we've had no contact whatsoever from those clubs.

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Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse

[Stuniverse]

10 July 2024

SOLKSJAER KEEPS CARDS CLOSE TO HIS CHEST OVER DEMBELE BIDS

The Bhoys: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer refused to be drawn when 90min.com asked him about Celtic's Karamoko Dembele. Manchester United are reported to have made five bids for Dembele this summer and Celtic have rejected them all, including one for £95M.

Edited May 14, 2020 by Stuniverse