Celtic march on in Europe, while Scotland’s shame does what it does best, shaming Scotland in Manchester…..again
Eric Knott 
Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside/Getty Images
Last night, we did an extra podcast to commemorate Celtic qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
And while the tone of it was somewhat angry, it doesn’t take away from the fact that we are happy with what the club has achieved.
What we were not happy about was the timing of the sale of Kyogo Furuhashi.
James elaborated further on that today in his article on Kyogo’s departure, and I for one, cannot argue with the points he has made.
YouTube: Mission:(Almost) Complete – Trinity Tims Podcast
Right now, we should all be euphoric, but it seems as if the board always takes some sort of sadistic pleasure in ruining our short-lived joy after Wednesday night’s heroics.
That said, we are marching on in Europe.
To what extent?
Well, that will be decided next Wednesday night, minus Kyogo.
Celtic stand to make a quarter of what Rennes are willing to pay for Kyogo by winning that game.
It would have made logical sense to have Kyogo available to help us win that game, thus delivering the win bonus that comes with it were we to be victorious.
That is going to be an arduous enough task as it is, not having Kyogo has just made it all the more difficult.
Having him available might not have.
That’s what you call strategic thinking.
Here’s another example of strategic thinking.
The board has panicked and pushed through the sale of Kyogo because they know he will depreciate in value rapidly as he heads further into the other side of 30.
However, did it never occur to them what the value of a contribution of around 20 odd goals per season for the next two or three seasons might have amounted to?
I mean, current injury aside, look at the renaissance James Forrest has been undergoing at Celtic of late?
Players don’t just become senior citizens over night when they turn 30.
In fact some have delivered the best years of their career post 30.
Look at what Henrik Larsson went on to achieve in his 30’s.
He won the Champions League with Barcelona at 34 years of age.
Look, I know a lot of people are saying Kyogo wanted to move, and Brendan Rodgers has further reiterated his desire to move in today’s press conference:
Kyogo had expressed an interest to leave a number of months back. Obviously then that expression becomes stronger and then it gets to this stage where he clearly wants to leave and we have to then do a deal and look to finalise that for him.
He’s been an incredible player for the club in the three-and-a-half years he’s been here and, like I said, he’s not someone we wanted to lose. But we have to accept where he’s at and after the work that he’s done to give to Celtic, and his age and where he’s at, we have to accept that.
All of that is fair enough, but could we not have held onto him until after the Villa game?
Or even until the end of this season, and let him go then?
Still fulfilling his desire to take on a new challenge?
And as James said in his article, it does make sense, it’s the timing of it that does not.
I just hope Celtic don’t pay a heavy price for this next week at Villa Park.
However, what has somewhat softened the blow of losing Kyogo was the performance of Scotland’s shame on tour last night in Manchester.
Both on and off the pitch.
The levels of their 2008 carnage weren’t quite reached, but they shamed themselves and Scotland nonetheless.
They just cannot go anywhere in Europe without visiting their sectarian bile and their neanderthal ways upon the populace.
Fletcher: “I’ll let you speak about them”
*Rangers fan continue to sing “Fuck the Pope and the IRA”*
McCoist: “They’re amazing that lot”
This isn’t acceptable @tntsports pic.twitter.com/QQ6PA7N3K9
— Conor Keenan (@ConorJKeenan) January 23, 2025
Manchester was no exception last night.
They somehow managed to get a large amount of tickets for the home end at Old Trafford, and needless to say, visited mayhem upon that section of the stadium.
They also marched around Manchester singing their hate filled anthems, oblivious to the fact they resembled something more akin to a KKK march.
I suppose the icing on the cake was the way they succumbed to Manchester United.
Firstly to concede an own goal courtesy of Super Jack Butland, and then to be sucker punched in injury time by the Manchester United skipper just after equalising in the closing stages of the match.
That was as sweet as it gets.
No doubt, Bruno Fernandes felt he had something to prove.
Especially after the previous Saturday’s capitulation to Brighton at Old Trafford.
The SMSM had been bigging them up for this one all week long.
With the usual Ibrox cheerleaders being wheeled out to give their valued opinions.
I wrote an article on Wednesday, stating that you’d think last night’s game at Old Trafford was the only European game on this week.
Funnily enough, things turned out just as we, the bloggers, expected.
Celtic qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League, and the Ibrox side were beaten at Old Trafford.
Anybody with a brain knew that was the way it was going to go.
Even if Celtic did make it difficult for themselves on Wednesday night.
Keevins, Jackson, Walker et al, all got it wrong, as usual.
Some things in life are as predictable as the day is long.
We knew Celtic would win.
And we knew Manchester United would beat the Ibrox side.
We also knew Scotland’s shame would do what they do best.
Shame Scotland.
It was ever thus.
Everybody in Scotland knew this would happen . I wonder if trouble will be reported on evening news, bet it is’nt
We sold Kyogo because he wanted to leave. If we had refused to let him go, he wouldn’t have been committed to the club. To get Jota back in for virtually the same money is a stunning piece of business.
Agree with most of the things you said about kyogo,and the timing another week would have been better but I can’t stop thinking the jota deal as something to do with it but hey ho if ge wants to go and go now then thanks and good luck.
We need Kyogo but the club doesn’t need the money.
We should have tried to strengthen the team, not weaken it.
The Board will never learn.
Who said he wanted to go ?! LAWWELL etc at it again wish he would go! Kyoko is naturally very fit / quick he dosnt give the opposition a second. 87 goals and he was ‘ rested’ for lesser players recently. He would have scored plenty of goals for Celtic in the next 2 to 3 seasons. Incredible football decision by the board. All the very best Kyoko and thanks ( so much for the Celtic family)!! Get rid of you in a heart beat
Thanks for the memories kyogo but the way he was playing the last few months shows he wasn’t interested, better players than him have left and i think we will survive. HH
Billy Leckie in the Scottish version of the Sun ,was crying into his morning Latte while eating his croissant after last night’s result ! TheRangers could not beat the worst Man Utd team in history and Billy boy was at pains to inform his dozens of readers that they should have done so …despair and despondency for the scoop ..it was palpable!
nothing to do with the board,Kyogo wanted away NOW! or as Brendan said he asked to leave at the start of the season, so had no intention of hanging about for the Villa game. good luck wee man!
Got to be honest Eric. Watched your podcast this morning after listening to The Celtic Way. What a difference listening to the rational Kevin McKenna and Anthony Haggarty compared to the irrational ramblings and sense of superiority coming from JF. Whilst I won’t always agree with you at least there is rational objectivity from your goodself and Joe. I know The Trinity Tims is still in it’s infancy but please get a get a grip
Fair enough Tony, but do you not think James’ point about the fact it’s easy for us to sell our best players in January, but always impossible for us to buy players in January because it’s such a tough window was bang on the money?
Just think, the profit from Kyogo plus the £70 mil in the bank should give us enough money to buy…..Harry McGuire.
They are amazing fletch Mcmoists comments when the thugs were singing f##k the pope that total bigot should be SACKED from tv commentary.
No player is bigger than the club , brilliant for us since he arrived , love Kyogo , best of luck to him in the future , he will always be a part of the Celtic family , we move on , 13 points clear is the best time to sell a player who wants the move .
James Forrest is a busted flush and there are a lot of people who will not watch your podcast while he participates.
He lost any credibility he may have had the moment he backed down to the bully boy tactics of the fat parasite Lawwell.
Any challenge to his views on his blog is kryptonite to this fraud as he cannot abide being challenged on his world viewpoint and will refuse to debate anything with his readers and instead just block their comments.
This,after claiming he can hold his own in any debating forum…..What a joke !
I,and lots of other people I know immediately shut down the conversation once we realise which James Forrest(not the Celtic player)is being discussed.
I suspect your viewing figures would rise exponentially should you ditch this blowhard narcissist,Erik(and Joe)
Just a thought, mate.
I couldn’t agree more about Forrest who is becoming more like a shock jock similar to Keevins with every passing day.i avoid the podcast because of him.
He drips of arrogance and hate and is best avoided.
He cant get basic facts correct.
Quote.
The board prioritises the deal to get the money in the bank.
The reality is we have already spent the money on Jota so why try to get a jab in at the board.
We will strengthen the squad and come out stronger
Eric it’s not on the money at all.
It’s a business decision based on what is best for the club.
Kyogo was clearly told we would keep him until the CL qualification was resolved one way or another.
Do you really think Kyogo would have given his all against Villa when he would have moved the next day?
If we go back to last January we kept ORiley because the league was tight and the offer wasn’t high enough.
Neither of these reasons apply this time.
Oh it’s self evident Eric. However it’s just a tad too challenging for Board apologists and Peter worshippers to acknowledge.
I think JF’s comments regarding the , ‘but Clubs won’t sell their best players in the January window’ repeated claim by our Board, that WE HAVE done it in 3 of the last 4 seasons should be the next Green Brigade banner heading displayed at the next home game. ( not that I’m overly keen on the GB).
The jab being that the IN/OUT is basically Revenue Neutral in upfront costs . Nirvana to our Board. It doesn’t mess with the Cash Pile the Club is sitting on and the fans will revel in the return of a Hero.
A Hero who hasn’t actually kicked a ball in anger ( he may well have done so out of sheer frustration), in about 18 months. So who knows how that will go.
The next ten days will tell on that.
We wanted a winger and paid out the cash received from Kyogo straight away to buy Jota.
We now need a replacement striker. Let’s see what we do next.
Point is the leagues done and CL qualification secured so not as big a gamble as some make out.
Back to getting basic facts correct.
Forest latest article has us selling Jota!!,
Susstandard rubbish both in thought and print.
Divorce yourself from this clown Eric.
This will be my final say on all of this. What I have said will make no difference if we replace Kyogo with a quality striker, but that is a big IF. To take the cheaper option, meaning Jota on the wing and Maeda through the middle, is not acceptable, and frankly, not good enough. But we’ll see where we are come the close of this window. Finally Stevie, if you don’t like my work, as was said in these comments, read CQN or The Celtic Star, there you will find no resistance or kick back against the board. In addition to that, at your behest, I will not divorce myself from James Forrest, we are work colleagues, we work for the same company and get on fine as colleagues. Everybody, including you, James, or anybody else, is entitled to their opinion. Just as you are entitled to debate mine, which I suspect, is the majority of the reason you comment on my work. I say things you want to debate, which you won’t find on other sites. I welcome it, so keep it up, but do not cross a line like Brian McAllister, and aim personal insults at me. That I won’t accept. Everything else, as far as I’m concerned, is fine.
Stevie
You are beginning to sound paranoid about JF. There is help out there. Get well soon.
Fair points Eric.👍