Celtic have been credited with an interest in Kawasaki Frontale youngster Soma Kanda, and for me it’s one that should be filed under the ‘underwhelming’ category…
Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura
After last year’s failed Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura transfers, it may be time for us to shelve our J league experiment, for the time being anyway.
Shunsuke Nakamura
The club have had great success with Japanese players this century, with the club’s first Japanese signing Shunsuke Nakamura writing himself into Celtic folklore after his £2 million move from Serie A side Reggina in 2005.
Naka arrived from one of European football’s top leagues, where he acquitted himself well, not to mention that he was also a fully established international with Japan.
Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda
Yes, we’ve uncovered relatively unknown J league gems such as Kyogo, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda in the past five years, but let’s be clear, that was all down to Ange Postecoglou, who was well aware of each player’s capabilities due to his inside knowledge of the Japanese game.
Punts and Panto
But for every Kyogo there was a Yuki Kobayashi, for every Reo Hatate there was a Yousuke Ideguchi, and for every Daizen Maeda there was a Shin Yamada. Players of potential, and nothing more, You get the picture. What’s the Japanese word for punts? Google translate reckons it’s パント/ Panto.
Just because we’ve had some success when we’ve dipped our toes in the Japanese market, doesn’t mean we should keep searching it in the hope of finding another diamond among the rough.
The likes of Kobayashi, Ideguchi, Inamura, and Yamada are proof that low budget J league stars aren’t the answer, and we need to broaden our horizon.
I’m not against scouting in the J league, but maybe now is the time to temporarily shelve the J league infatuation, and search in other markets in our aim to bring in new talent who will enhance the quality of the squad.
The Japanese equivalent to Alistair Johnston
And if we are going to look at the J-League then it’s their top stars we should target not the players just breaking through ie signing the Japanese equivalent to Alistair Johnston rather than a breakthrough player like Colby Donovan.
Colby incidentally will most likely make it at Celtic but probably after AJ heads onto pastures new.
Kyogo ripping up the J-League with Vissel Kobe
Daizen’s arrival at Celtic was delayed as he stayed on in Japan to win the title with Ange Postecoglou’s old club Yokohama F. Marinos while Kyogo was ripping up the J-League with Vissel Kobe. Both were safe bets and great investments, certainly compared to the ‘club signings’ from last summer who Brendan Rodgers assessed as not being at the required level.
Who made that call? Paul Tisdale? Somebody else in the background at Celtic? Mark my words, we’ll never find out unless Brendan spills the beans but the possibility of letting him/them do it again verges on insanity.
What’s that famous quote?
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Or perhaps Celtic’s thinking is more…
“If at first you don’t succeed try, try again…”
If they do dip their toes into the J-League punts market this summer and it doesn’t work then a line has to be drawn.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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2 Comments
Should change this page to short whining! Has it ever written a positive report ever??? Win the double whine! Make any profit whine! Honestly, it a sad state of modern journalism, although that is stretching the definition from this site!.
Wouldn’t say that we are in a position to totally dismiss any lower budget markets imo?
The European market is generally over inflated, especially with the money factors involved?
Even within that, lesser leagues can get helped out with better TV income deals in place, for which Scottish football has nothing of any relevance in place whatsoever?
Even Ange himself, with his more inside knowledge, didn’t make every signing a success for ourselves either?
The J league offers a low budget, low risk market, that would be madness to totally ignore imo?
The problem only highlights how poor our player development programme still remains, especially with such a lack of game time available to any of our so called project signings?
As we are struggling so badly from within our youth development, then understand the attraction of the J league market, but would prefer if more of our youngsters are given the opportunity more so imo?
More attention has to be given to a squad rebuilding process?
That will mainly consist of a 25man European squad formed?
Which will get reduced to a 20man SPFL match day squad?
So not a great amount of room to cover injuries and fatigue, within such a packed footballing calendar in operation these days?
International players with ourselves, are looking at a potential 60 match plus season, with plenty of travelling involved, and reduced rest periods involved?
So ridiculous to think that they are all going to be on top form, for an entire season with ourselves imo?
Even for ourselves only, a season will involve a minimum 50 match season?
So although we would like the bulk of our 25man European squad available for every game? In reality it isn’t possible, which last season proved?
So therefore there is a requirement for players outside of our 25man European squad, as if its not done, then would make the claim that we aren’t preparing properly for an entire season imo?
Osmand and Donovan were the biggest beneficiaries for ourselves last season, but we could have done with more, especially with Paulo, Hatate and Balikwisha seeming to chuck it in with ourselves imo?
So before we start dismissing markets, maybe more attention needs to be placed upon, why is our development programme remaining as poor as it currently is?
Players outside of our 25man European squad, will possibly have roles to play, during an entire season, due to the footballing calendar?
Could be better, if we stopped making such players scapegoats, in order to promote the anti board agenda imo?