Dipping into the SPL for transfer targets is always a gamble and while a player’s record may look good north of the border, moving into the premiership will always represent a tougher challenge. If you need any evidence of that, you could always contrast Gordon Durie’s scoring ratio after he’d moved from White Hart Lane to Ibrox.
Therefore, any approach for Rangers’ Nikica Jelavic would have to be seen as a ‘punt’ but could there be some mileage in pursuing the 26 year old Croatian? The striker averages around a goal every one and a half games and while Championship side West Ham have reportedly made a bid, some EPL sides including Liverpool are thought to be interested.
Meanwhile, Celtic’s James Forrest has appeared in these pages before and anyone who was watched Scottish football can tell that there is something special about the winger. That may have led to a price tag of £10m that in itself could put Spurs off, although Harry is currently denying any firm approach.
“He’s a good player but we’ve not made any bids,” Harry said. “If we did, I would speak to Neil Lennon. He’s a player we’ve had watched but he belongs to Celtic.
“At the moment, we’re not in the market to really do anything. We’re looking at a few options but nothing definite.”
Those comments may back up what most of us suspect: There will be no new faces at the Lane this season but could the Old Firm duo of Jelavic and Forrest do a job here?
Hutton didn’t work out for us. Inclined to say no, but I’ve heard good things about Forrest.
The EPL is undoubtedly of a higher quality than the EPL but the xenophobic attitude of EPL clubs and supporters to anything north of the border is quite offensive, when was the last time Spurs got to a European final? well Scotland have had participants in two finals during the last decade, and whilst the EPL have had plenty of participation in the CL finals, that in itself is down to the fact Sky’s money have made sure there are 4 teams in it every year, even someone with 4 tickets in a 32 ticket raffle would win more often.
There is no doubt Forrest would tear the super (ha!) EPL defenders a new arsehole most weeks and much as it pains me to say, Jelavic would score a few goals as well, I mean how could he compare to the £35m donkey that is Carroll or your own enigma that is Pavyluchenko.
Hutton had a decent 6 months at Rangers before ‘Arry came calling with a “too good to refuse” offer of £9m, so you overspent on him bigtime, no one’s fault but your own. If you want to trawl the history of Scots at White Hart Lane or England as a whole you’ll find a shit load more successes than failures, on that subject, you’d be hard pushed to find many “superior” Englishmen who have succeeded abroad, in fact I can only think of MOTD’s big ears, so you aren’t as superior as you’d like to think.
On a side note, there is no doubt Scottish teams rely on incoming transfer fees to stay afloat, so on that basis we are a selling country, but at Celtic, the days of selling on the cheap are gone, for the time being at least.
Nice effort Jock. But the fact is you get in CL because someone from Scotland has to,.. No different to all the crap teams form eastern europe that are thrown in purely to make money. I would like to see the ‘EPL’ and SPL combined.. It may be a dose of reality for you,. Your comment comes across with a big chip on your shoulder but the fact is Socttish footy is poor,. Sorry pal
Borris
I would have to agree that Jasbhoy could have put his points more discretely. EPL money doesn’t mean the teams don’t have to be good and I don’t buy the “tickets to a lottery” story. There is no need to be offensive either.
But he does make a fair point that 2 Scottish teams in European finals in the last 10 years is better than getting in because someone has to.
The truth is that England has the money now, on a European scale and good luck to them. We wouldn’t be moaning if we had all the money. I agree Scottish football is not as strong as English, but there are some good players up here.
In fact, we will swap you Jelavic for Bale :-). I know, I know, it was a joke. Good luck to Spurs btw, play nice football.
I’m afraid the references to days gone by are a bit redundant mate – it’s only in the last 10 years that Scotland has become quite so crap. Since then, I can only think of Fletcher (Darren) who has been any good.
As for the point about Europe – I’d say it’s a tad easier for Scottish sides to do well in the Thursday Night Tin Pot because you can afford to play the ball-boy and the tea lady at the weekend because your league is so piss-poor!
Seriously – Rangers and Celtic wouldn’t even get out of the Championship. Not even close – Robbie Keane tore your league apart when he couldn’t get a game for Spurs!
Jellyfish would score in England he is a decent player.
Forrest is as good as anything you have down south at the moment but he aint going anywhere.
Its funny to hear folk from England abusing the SPL. Only Manu have a bigger fanbase than Celtic and lets be honest how many of their worldwide ‘support’ Actually really follow the club.
Celtic are bigger than Spurs will ever be.
Gordon Durie’s record for Chelsea: 51 goals in 124 appearances
Gordon Durie’s record for Rangers: 44 goals in 125 appearances
Apology accepted.
hahah well said mate
Nikolay Bollukov
Is that the same Robbie Keane who has an excellent scoring record in the EPL?
Spurs will never compare to Celtic they are just lucky the EPL has so much money at the moment. This bubble will burst eventually.
Also I have been to a Spurs game and the atmosphere is average.
Go to a Celtic game and you will see more passion and hear more noise.
Also Celtic have been in a European final and qualified for the champions league second stages twice in recent years.
They have beaten Manu, AC Milan, Liverpool, Barcelona and many others. Not bad for a team from a poor league.
The Celtic team right now has the 4th highest number of International players only behind Madrid, Barcelona and Man City. Spurs are 12th on that list.
Some down south have no idea how big Celtic really are.
They will rise again to the top of when the cash starts evening out and you can bet your ass it will.
The current Celtic team would sit comfortably in the middle of the EPL.
Durie scored more goals at Ibrox than at Spurs because at that time Rangers were a much better team. Linking up with Laudrup and Gascoigne created a lot more opportunities than the journeyman team spurs had at that time.
Granted, Scottish football is now sadly pish poor.
Sorry, but are we really having this argument?! Are we actually debating whether or not the SPL is inferior to the EPL?
Your best player is being touted around the lower half of the Premiership (and one sorry Championship outfit) for £7million.
Yes – £7million; for your BEST player. The people who run your two “best” clubs are desperate to get out of the league because it’s that crap, and that is not about to change.
They know it; you know it; we know it.
No NB, we are not debating the difference in quality, but when, not if, the bubble bursts and Sky pull the plug, there’ll be many EPL teams doing a Pompey and will be out on their arses.
FFS when the likes of Bolton can be allowed by their bank (whichever one it is) to be £117m in debt with no questions asked, then Armageddon is not far off for a lot of clubs because Bolton are not the only ones in a situation where you spend way beyond your income.
Do you think all the Aguero’s, Van Persie’s, Suarez’s of this world will hang around when the money disappears? oh how we’ll laugh north of the border and probably there’ll be plenty of cheering across the continent.
You lot think the EPL will get special dispensation when it comes to the taxman, vatman and bankers, well ‘Arry knows different from a personal point of view and you can bet most of the EPL chairman have got that squeaky bum at the moment.
BTW there ain’t no chip on my shoulder, because the end is nigh for the EPL I’m just getting comfy in my front row seat.
Jashboy i need to tell ye that arry didnt come calling it was the man they called Ramos who signed hutton. Just thought i would keep u up to date bud. Mon the gers
Whoever it was, I’m sure you’ll agree they overpaid for a player who had a six month hot streak.
There is no doubt the EPL is a higher quality than the SPL and anyone who argues otherwise is an idiot.
The gulf in quality if, mainly but not solely, down to TV revenue. In 2011, Celtic were 10th on the Deloitte list of Matchday revenue income in Europe (Rangers were 14th). And that is based on rates you can charge to play St Mirren and Dunfermline, how much would that increase with vastly superior opposition.
However, when it comes to broadcast revenue the numbers are very different. Spurs, who finished 5th last season received over €62M (over 43% of their total) revenue, while Celtic and Rangers received a little over €2M. Little wonder why the quality between the quality of the leagues exists.
Would they struggle in the EPL initially, of course they would. With the huge financial investment in the playing squads they could make with the broadcasting revenue, it would not stay that way for very long at all.
I’m a born Scotsman living in England and I follow both Hearts and Spurs, which I guess makes me somewhat objective. I reckon Rangers and Celtic would end up doing moderately well in the Championship. The rest of the SPL clubs wouldn’t even make that.
The English game is faster, more tactical and more intelligent. Of course that’s a result of the money coming into the EPL – along with the much greater pool of talent available, and the greater number of competitive leagues in which players can develop, and the better training facilities, and the higher status of the league attracting more foreign players and coaches – but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.
Scottish players rarely do well when making the move from the SPL to the EPL and they’re often over-valued. SPL to the Championship is about right, and probably better for the players as well since expectations aren’t so high and the standard of opposition is closer to what they’re used to.
I do like Scottish football, but it’s in decline. Sad but true.
Any transfer, in your parlance, is ‘a punt.’
Check out Fernando Torres. £50,000,000 wasted!
Derogatory remarks about Sottish football is nothing new.
English newspapers were concered that Kenny Dalgish when transfered to Liverpool woudn’t be such a prolific goal scorer for that club as he was with Celtic, because he did after all “only play for a Scottish team.”
He scored 30 goals in his first season for Liverpool.
What they would give for a player like him now.
It’s my opinion that anyone who has a good goalscoring record with one club, will probably score as many when transfered to a team with better players.
In the end though, every transfer of a player has its risks.
Will Torres ever score?
@Nikolay Bollukov
lolwut?
He’s probably not even the best player at rangers.