posted Jul 8, 2009

As long as Fortune is fitter and more prolific than Vennegoor of Hesselink I'll be happy. Fortune seems like a decent attacker with the right attitude.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

I'm not disagreeing that 50 players in the Premiership could walk into the SPL and be the best player in the league but none of them play with Hull. That also speaks volumes of the arrogance of many English football fans as when I used to work in both London and Liverpool, Larsson could only do it in Scotland, diddy league etc. Then he went to Barcelona and was a resounding success in a CL winning team.

So having a CL winners medal makes you a "top player" don't be so silly. He scored 38 goals in 8 seasons with Bayern Munich and was something of a whipping boy for the fans. Came to England had one good season then one bad season scoring 6 goals, earned a multi-million pound move on the strength of his one good season. With a career average of a goal every four games. Top player? One good year in the EPL does not make you a top player.

The bottom line is Fortune who has actually played in the EPL was willing to take a significant pay cut to play for Celtic which tells you everything about the draw of Celtic and the Champions League. Until you actually stand in Celtic Park hearing Zadok the Priest blaring out in front of 60,000 fanatical fans you will never realise.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

-Slick_Footwork
Some real dreamers posting in this thread saying that celtic isn't an easy ride. Please, come off it!

_____________________________________________________

Ahh the usual arrogance. It's what endears us so much to our closest neighbours.

you obviously have little idea (or I expect desire to be educated) of the pressure of leading the line at Celtic (Or Rangers for that matter). When you are expected to win every game and win it well. Be it playing Barca, Man U or the mighty St Johnstone.

Read my earlier post. the boy wants to come to Celtic and to say hes doing so for an easy ride, is an intellectually bankrupt cop out and ignores the other factors especially given the estimated £1M hes losing over 4 years for the privilege of playing for the hoops.

The expectations, both Fans and press, are very different.

It's like being set a pass rate of 99% in an easier examination or a pass rate of 60% in a more difficult exam. The former can be much more difficult.

If you are familiar with examinations that is? (Sorry could not resist in retaliation )

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

I am not doubting Celtic as a club and i'm sure the atomosphere is as good as you say, which is probably one of the reasons why Celtic win home games in the CL. But 90% of games a player plays at Celtic will just be going through the motions... Alternatively he could go to a club where yes, they will lose more games than they will win, but where each and every week he will face a real challenge.

At the end of the day every person is different, personally, the idea of playing football every week and it just being a matter of how many you win by doesn't appeal to me.

So it's hard for me to see the appeal for another human being, especially considering Fortune is a very competitive player who certainly didn't hide against the big guns last year.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

Iam a Celtic fan, but having watched a lot of EPL and SPL football last year.The way celtic played last year, and the standard of football in the SPL as a whole, would lead any EPL fan to make the comments I have heard.
Celtic were poor at best on too many occassions, and most of their team looked like they would struggle in the Championship, never mind EPL.
In comparison, the EPL provided a competitive entertaining watch..with skill abounding.

However I think the only way is up for Celtic and the SPL.Things can change and players like Fortune choosing Celtic and the SPL over the EPL ,for the reasons mentioned by BB 1888, will help.

What is in it for him...well in my view he has a chance to flourish in a slighly less challenging environment, which may help with confidence ( such a big factor with players) and his public persona as a player.
Last year with west brom, i thought he was average or slightly above on some occassions.
But when Larsson came to Celtic, he was no better, and he went to on great things.So the SPL experience certainly provided the right challenge for him, if not the most difficult .
And also S_F, the team that Larsson played in ( not so long ago) beat the cream of the EPL on their way to the Eufa cup final...home and away.
So a few more potentials like fortune, a bit of team spirit ..and this season Celtic can set the standard for the rest in SPL , and raise its image in regard to competativeness and skill , through out the world.
My compliments to the previously mentioned members on their comments regarding this matter.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

to be honest, im 50:50 with marc antoine fortune. I agree that he is fast paced and skillful which is a very big advantage as its extra hard work for the opponents defence. However after completing 6 months in WBA and only scoring 5 goals with no injury leaves me a concern, if he could only score 5 in 1 of europes top leagues and it wasnt just against the top 4 english teams but the rest, could he cope in the SPL? the SPL aint as bad as some people suggest it is, of course the premiership is more advanced but the SPL aint no mickey mouse league. I'll still give fortune a warm welcome and i admire the fact he turned down a £1MILLION role from hull city to play in the premiership again. I hope mowbray will help sort the lack of goals he had in WBA, there's obviously something he likes about this player so hopefully he can turn out to be an important 1. And i hope we can seal landry n'guemo before the bhoys go to australia because i think the players need games and to get to know the team before the UCL qualifiers begin

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

I think the main difference is that most if not all Scottish football fans have a firm grasp of the game on both sides of the border and many will regularly watch both leagues, leading to them having a more informed opinion.

English football fans and media tend to have a xenophobic outlook, little interest and more importantly little knowledge of football outwith their immediate borders.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

It's like being set a pass rate of 99% in an easier examination or a pass rate of 60% in a more difficult exam. The former can be much more difficult.

If you are familiar with examinations that is? (Sorry could not resist in retaliation )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Woody as you are so interested in my education, i am degree educated, but that is irrelevant.

At the end of the day, of course Celtic have high expectations. You would expect to win every home game. The expectations are even more so than for Man Utd, the reason being, because teams at the bottom of the Premiership are good sides, with good players, teams at the bottom of the SPL are teams made up of £25,000 buys.

Hence why the premiership is a tougher calling. But whatever suits Fortune, as i mentioned in the previous post. Some people prefer to win every week, it's like being in school and playing football with kids a couple of years younger because the kids your own age gave you too much of a game.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 8, 2009

Slick,

Didn't think you would bite on the education wind-up! LOL Why so serious?

Just repeating its easier in the SPL than the EPL does not advance your argument and ignoring all the other points made just makes it look like you are putting the player, the club and the league down out of an unsavoury motivation.

He's wants to come to Celtic rather than Hull or a couple of other EPL clubs.

He's backed that decision with £1m of his potential earnings.

He gets , European football either CL or EL. 60000 fans at the ground and hundreds of thousands worldwide either adoring or castigating him depending on his performance. That performance needs to be near 100% every game home or away and he will be under much more individual scrutiny under the Scottish media spotlight as he will be the biggest signing of the year in the SPL.
He keeps the relationship with Mowbray who took a chance on him last year.

In the round it looks like a loyalty based decision with the profile and European challenges meaning more to him than the money and the undoubted allure of the EPL, lower reaches or not.

As I've said earlier in the forum there is a lot to be said for Hull and the other teams in for him. The challenges are different but he's been in a smaller team in a bigger league before and the situation he finds at Celtic is reversed.

Don't disparage the man or the team he's chosen just because he didn't choose the bigger league it's not the only factor. and relying only on that point makes it look like a position based on prejudice.

Who are you're team BTW? You appear to feel diminished and reacting to a player having the audacity not to choose the EPL for anything other than character flaws, so have you just left that league by any chance? Grude against Mowbray?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Jul 9, 2009

If you look at my earlier posting about a week ago I had said that I was already seeing Fortune wearing the green shirt. I've seen him today. The way he was dealing with Hull and West Ham it was clear that he wanted more than money and that is when I was sure he would sign for Celtic. Hope he will be a good contribution to the team. Good Luck!!

add comment | complain about this comment