von danrik » Fr 6. Aug 2010, 14:28
Celtic linked with Bellamy but problems remain
Celtic are preparing a bid for Craig Bellamy according to reports in the press The latest suggestion is the deal with be a loan move with Manchester City paying half of his wages.
Following Wednesday night's Champions League exit, where Celtic's deficiencies were there for all to see, it's no surprise there is talk of making a marquee signing. Cynics will also raise questions about the club's official statement issued yesterday, thanking the fans for attending the match against Braga.
That marquee signing is now being rumoured to be Bellamy, although Spurs are thought to still be interested in signing the Wales international, who spent the second half of the 2004/05 season with Celtic. Having the extra fire-power Bellamy would bring would be good, but is signing another attacker really a priority?
An article in today's Telegraph makes interesting reading, even if the reporter does let rip on some of Celtic's players. But on the basis of 'if the Devil told you your trousers were undone, you'd still check', it's hard to disagree with some of the comments made.
The article reads: 'Celtic's scattergun signing policy has left them painfully short at left-back (Charlie Mulgrew's withdrawal at half-time on Wednesday was either an act of mercy or an admission of failure, depending on your viewpoint) and central defence, where Glenn Loovens and Jos Hooiveld do not convince. Lukasz Zaluska, in goal, does not dominate his penalty area in the manner of his predecessor, Artur Boruc, and should be considered as a back-up at best.
'Scott Brown also poses a problem for Lennon. The manager described his display as 'excellent' but the 25 year-old collected yet another caution (the 30th of his three-year Celtic career), might have been dismissed and was fortunate not to concede a penalty for a blatant shove. Brown's poor distribution makes him a liability in central midfield, where he has never been able to form a productive partnership with a variety of team-mates.'
The Scott Brown issue is hard to ignore as he has failed to live up to the hype since joining from Hibs for £4.4million in 2007. There have been a few whispers Birmingham City are tempted to make a bit and send James McFadden in the other direction. It would be well worth Celtic listening to any sensible bid.
One of the biggest worries is summed up by the phrase 'Celtic's scattergun signing policy'. It's almost as though players have been plucked from various clubs without much thought given to how they will all play together. Having three managers in a short amount of time doesn't help matters, but handing Lennon an axe and telling him to sort things out may be a good way forward.
As for Craig Bellamy, one rumour is Man City and Celtic will pay the player £45,000-a-week each in order to cover his wages. Such cash could be spent on paying more than one player to strengthen some of the problem areas and hopefully the board will realise placating the fans in the short-term with a 'marquee' signing is not as important as actually winning things.
Martin O'Neill - Legend 
