Celtic’s well publicised move for Korean international Cho gue-Sung has been the subject of much speculation over the last seven days or so.
After impressive performances in the Qatar World Cup, gue-Sung looks like he could be on the move with Celtic leading the chase to grab his signature.
With Giakoumakis future in doubt, it looks like Ange could be hedging his bets with a move for the hitman and it seems that BT Sports pundit, Allan Hutton, gives his seal of approval.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton said, “I have watched his games at the World Cup, I think he is a real threat. He is a presence up front. He is kind of like that Giakoumakis style player.
“The draw of coming to a league where you are winning trophies, playing European football, I think that is a massive draw in itself.
“The crowds that Celtic and Rangers pull in every week are massive, why would you not want to be part of that? At this moment in time Celtic are very strong so they are going in the right direction.
“The only way is up for them at this moment in time so that could be a big draw for a player like that.“
With the move being reported to cost any interested clubs €4m, the striker is well within Celtic’s budget and if he does have the prowess of Giakoumakis then Ange should take all steps to get him signed up.
- Celtic fans will find what Bill Leckie said about yesterday’s Ibrox VAR debacle interesting
All season long Celtic fans have had to put up with watching Rangers get favourable refereeing decisions to keep them in the title race.
Regular readers will know that we refer to them as ‘patterns of assistance‘ because if you don’t, then you get accused of being paranoid.
The media won’t touch this subject with a bargepole so then, it is up to bloggers and Celtic fans to keep it in the limelight.
And as Celtic despatched Hearts 3-0 at Parkhead on Saturday, all the pressure was on Rangers heading into their game against Kilmarnock. Well, until VAR stepped in that is.
‘Rank-rotten’ officials are keeping Rangers close to Celtic
I will be covering a piece later today about penalties that have been awarded to Rangers at a crucial stage in five Scottish Premiership games.
And yesterday was no different. The decision to award a penalty for a handball is not in question. It’s the following red card that ensued.
It was a clear case of double jeopardy that Kilmarnock defender, Joe Wright, could not avoid and that is exactly what Bill Leckie wrote in his column last night.
Leckie said (The Scottish Sun), “Was it a penalty when the ball hit their centre-back Joe Wright’s hand as he tried to stop Dujon Sterling forcing the ball home from a yard out?
“Course it was. Not even our rank-rotten VAR Squad could miss something that obvious.
“To send the boy off too, though? For something he had absolutely no control over?
“Sorry, but if ever a decision proved how little the people who make the rules know about the game itself, this was it.”
We have been highlighting these kinds of decisions all season on Born Celtic and yesterday’s latest one joins a long list of assistance the Rangers have been getting so they can keep up in the title race.
It would be interesting to see how the games where Rangers got penalties at crucial stages in games would have panned out if they were not awarded.
My guess? The league title would already be over by now.
- Rangers fans turn nasty on Kenny Miller after saying what Celtic supporters already know about the Ibrox referee today
Watching the Rangers game to day told me one thing. That the Ibrox club and the referees will do anything to keep up with Celtic in the title race.
At every turn they were looking for a penalty and at ever turn VAR checked for one.
And whilst the match day referee denied the Ibrox a penalty in the first few minutes of the Kilmarnock game, it didn’t take long till another pattern of assistance came along to help them on their way.
Blocking a shot on the goal line, a Kilmarnock defender got the ball played off his hand by Cyril Dessers and the ensuing VAR check awarded them a penalty and a bizarre red card.
And as the Kilmarnock players protested, Kenny Miller actually said what he thought about the decision during the match day commentary.
The former Rangers player said that whilst he agreed with yet another penalty award, he felt the red card shown to Joe Wright was ‘very harsh’.
Which, of course, it was. The Killie defender couldn’t do anything about it and for the Ayrshire club to get the penalty and the double whammy of a man being sent off effectively killed the game off. You can view the handball here.
And didn’t he just upset the Ibrox hordes.
Rangers fans have Kenny Miller trending
As the enormity of what Miller said sunk in, the Rangers fans were fuming and they turned nasty on thier former hero:
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAve had to mute the coms Kenny miller is a complete pr–k like his pal barry loves to slag us off for anything
— markrfc🇬🇧 (@mbrfc86) May 5, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsTell ye one thing .. never really heard him like this but Kenny Miller is a fu–ing walloper. He’s still making money off us by having nights with fans etc but he has been so anti rangers today its almost unbeleivable f–king 🤡
— Adam Dunn (@AdamDunn1872) May 5, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsDoes Kenny miller know that if it’s a handball keeping the ball out of the net it’s a red card.
— Rangers Central (@RangersCentraI) May 5, 2024
There’s no such thing as a harsh red card when it comes to that situation. What is he on
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsSomeone want to let Kenny Miller know just because he feels it’s harsh doesn’t mean the refs can just ignore the rules of the game? Can we get pundits who actually analyse things using the facts rather than what they feel?
— BarcaBear (@BarcaBear92) May 5, 2024That’s quite the rant by the angry bears and one I’m sure they forget when Miller is slabbering his usual pro-Sevco guff on the Scottish airwaves.
- ‘Even Michelle Mone is embarrassed by them’ – Celtic fans react as Big Mike chases Rangers for £9.5m
As well as bottling it on the field, it seems that Rangers are having massive issues off it and the Celtic fans are loving it.
With Celtic still top of the league with three games to go, the bravado the Ibrox fans felt just a few short weeks ago has all but dissipated as we get towards the end of the season.
With Brendan Rodgers playing them like a fiddle, Elite Sports Ltd intend to rinse them in court to the tune of £9.5m as well this season.
The Ibrox club are being taken to court by the firm to recoup the figure as they believe they have lost sales due to Rangers agreeing a new kit deal with Castore which broke the terms of an agreement with Sports Direct-owned company. [The Scottish Sun]
And as Elite is ordered to pay £350,000 to cover Rangers’ court costs, the Celtic fans chipped in with these superb replies on social media.
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsCan we put money to it ? 🍀🤣
— The bald rocket man (@Celtic1kmm) May 2, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis ain’t gonna end well for them 😁
— Paul 🟢⚪️ (@Paulcfc_1994) May 2, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsLet’s get the go fund me page up
— Nightmare (@Top_Bottle_) May 2, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThis will not end well for the ibrox club
— Craig Whyte (@RIPRFC) May 2, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsEven Michelle Mone is embarrassed by them
— Blair Aquinas (@BillingsgateBob) May 2, 2024In a week where the Rangers fans wondered if they were bizarrely owed money by Everton after the Premier League club was said to be in financial difficulties, it’s little wonder they are trying to get money from somewhere.
Because as we all know, Rangers have not put money aside to cover this case if they lose it and we could be looking at another financial meltdown of the club playing out of Ibrox before too long.
