Kelly linked with Celtic

[drinkfeckarse]

Young Stephen Kelly is being linked with a £600,000 move to Celtic according to one of the tabloids over here (think it was the Scum). Apparently the top scout, Ray Clarke was at WHL on Monday night for a reserve game to see him in action.

Could be just idle speculation but any move would be good for him at this stage of his career as Stalteri has the right full position nailed and the same with Korean boy on the opposite flank.

[brine3]

600k is a snip if you ask me

he was one of spurs best players in the run in last season and then jol dropped him for the new signing as soon as he got the chance. i thought it was very unfair on him

[as_i_say]

jol is a nob. that is all.

[drummerboy]

Heard West Ham and Crystal Palace were interested in signing him.

[blaa61]

he should stay where he is, he's a great young player, he'll get his chance. cant understand that everytime an irish player aint getting his game, ye say he should move on, same with robbie and ried at tottenham if they're good enough, well prove it. on the robbie topic,robbie just aint as good as defoe, if he moves it will be to a lower club which is a shame because it looks like he aint good enough for a top 4 club.
kelly is on the bench because of a proven international, who's been playing at the better end of the bundesliga and the champions league. what spurs needed was some experiance hence he's demoted to the bench.
"jol is a nob" yeah good one

[eirebhoy]

on the robbie topic,robbie just aint as good as defoe
Maybe I'm biased but I don't believe that. Keane may be frustrating but he scores just as much as Defoe and Defoe is an out and out goalscorer. If Keane played as much as Defoe this season he'd have easily scored more than Defoe has. Keane may miss sitters but he'll always have a better shots/goal ratio than Defoe. He just doesn't shoot half as much as he spents so much time away from the box.

On Reid, Jol may want his wingers beating their men but I'm sure Mourinho would prefer a Reid type player. He was very effective defensively for Spurs when he played this season and I'm sure saved them conceding a few goals, just as good as Duff in that department. I still don't think Reid's a winger though.

[as_i_say]

"jol is a nob" yeah good one

wasnt it though:D

[thejollyrodger]

first team football is far better than any wage to sit on the bench for spurs. Jol mustnt like the irish over there.

Robbie isnt as good as Defoe FACT. Reid is overweight and should look for another club FACT. And young kelly would do well to get a regular first team football at the Celtic.

[NeilMcD]

Lads the job of Martin Jol is to get Spurs to be doing as well as they can. It is not to develop Irish players or look out for Irish interests. It is frustrating for the players that they are out of the team, however Reid is missing out to Davids . Davids has been top class this season. Stephen Reid is missing out to Stalteiri an experience right back who has Champions League experience. The only dodgy call is Defoe for Keane and that is one that can go either way. I do think that Keane deserves his chance now though as Defoe has not been scoring the goals.

[as_i_say]

reid seems to have the same blubber related problems as richie dunne but then he is a winger so its more of a problem for him-who has his place anyway for spurs-that guy lennon plays on the right.
feel sorry for robbie but he hasnt nailed down a first team place since coventry and that says a lot about his standard i guess.

[klein4]

its a pity that 3 of our better players find themselves out of favour at Spurs at a time when they seem to be finally moving in right direction as a club.
would like to see them stay and fight for their places as spurs seems to be a good club to be at at the mo. Jol seems to be a good manager who obviously holds a lot of clout in holland if he can get davids and if there is any truth in the robben link. the only club I would like to see keane go to is celtic. think if he got a run of games and a run of goals behind him he would be a big success up there...altho that would be the case anywhere... but he is more likely to get goals in scotland...

[drummerboy]

its a pity that 3 of our better players find themselves out of favour at Spurs at a time when they seem to be finally moving in right direction as a club.
would like to see them stay and fight for their places as spurs seems to be a good club to be at at the mo. Jol seems to be a good manager who obviously holds a lot of clout in holland if he can get davids and if there is any truth in the robben link. the only club I would like to see keane go to is celtic. think if he got a run of games and a run of goals behind him he would be a big success up there...altho that would be the case anywhere... but he is more likely to get goals in scotland...

Robbie Keane is a confidence player, he craves adulation. I think he would regain his confidence at Celtic, and would definitely be the darling of the crowd.

[NeilMcD]

I really have a soft spot for Spurs and also I think Robbie is great and has been my hero over the last 7 years. But I do agree that a move to Celtic could be a good move for him. Look at Larsson he did not hinder him at international level so I dont see any reason it woud hinder Robbie. He would be playing with a manager he likes and who likes him and the crowd would love him. He would get lots of first team football and loads of opportunities to score. All in all as an Irish fan and Robbie fan I think its a move that could be good for him. I would rather that than a move to Everton or Villa.

[geysir]

Is Keane on the last year of his contract with Spurs?

[drummerboy]

Spurs have first option on retaining him for another 2 years when his contract expires in June but I think, if they can sign a replacement, they will let him go in January

[thejollyrodger]

Robbie will be gone by Christmas IMHO. So too will a sh1te load of midfielders at Spurs cos they have the biggest squad in Ingerland

[Fergie's Son]

Robbie will most likely be gone in the January sales. I think Celtic would be a good move for him. Larrson wasn't hurt by playing at Celtic and I think it would do wonders for Robbie.

Reid just may not be as good as we all think he is which is shame. Jol wants to win matches. He'll pick the best players who can win matches for him.

I don't rate Mido at all but Dafoe is class.

[geysir]

If Robbie is on a basic salary of say £2m pa, do you think Celtic would be willing to pay that plus a transfer fee? I'd say that other middling EPL clubs could afford it but atm Celtic probably have enough of a squad to win the SPL title. Why would they need to splash out cash in January for a position they have reasonable cover for and pay Robbie's wages until the next season. Its wishful thinking to see Robbie moving to Celtic. Whereas Kelly would be a shoe in, imo Celtic badly need an attacking RB.

[eirebhoy]

Reid just may not be as good as we all think he is which is shame.
I personally think he is, as a central midfielder. He has a top class range of passing, not afraid of a tackle, always willing to work. Emre (http://www.tuttointer.com/fotografie/album-foto/emre/images/emre-2_jpg.jpg) is the perfect comparison. They're around the same height and Emre is a left footer who used to play on the wing. :)

[The Legend]

hope he doesnt go to celtic... whats the point of playing in that league week in week out!

[brine3]

I don't think any of us are claiming that Jol's job is to play Irish players, but Kelly had played his way into the side fair and square and was one of their better players. Then suddenly he gets dropped for the new signing. That's unfair, the new signing should have to play his way into the side. You'd say one thing if Kelly was playing bad, but he was in excellent form. Ask any non-Irish Spurs fan and they'll say that they were equally puzzeled.

Bad management, if you ask me.

[drinkfeckarse]

imo Celtic badly need an attacking RB.

Not really, Agathe has been fit for a while now and is the best attacking right back in the league. Strachan just seems more content to go with the slower but steady Telfer at the moment.

[NeilMcD]

What's up with Jermain Defoe?

After scoring 44 times during the last two seasons, Jermain Defoe has gone horribly off the boil. Georgina Turner investigates

Friday November 18, 2005

Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe: just three goals this season

When Jermain Defoe arrived in January 2004, the excitement at Tottenham was palpable. The up-and-coming England striker had fired in 15 goals for West Ham before a New Year drunk had hit the pavement: one of football's hottest properties had chosen White Hart Lane. He scored his first seven goals for Spurs in the remainder of that campaign, before adding another 22 last season.

But that enthusiasm has dulled to a questioning hush as Defoe has managed just three goals more than a quarter of the way into the season - even the creaking limbs of Teddy Sheringham have mustered four, and he's had two-and-a-half games less to do it in.

Article continues
Of course, goals have been a commodity in short supply for Tottenham this season: they've failed to score in five of their 13 games and managed only one in another four. But Defoe has felt the drought more than most - he averages a goal every 345 minutes, which compares unfavourably to Robbie Keane, whose ratio is one every 201 minutes.

Last season, Defoe could also be relied upon to gallop to Spurs' rescue - more than half of his goals directly affected the outcome of the game. Now the cavalry appears cartwheeling clumsily on the horizon with 15 minutes left on the clock in the form of Keane, who has saved Tottenham twice this season.

It has failed to get the Irishman anywhere near the starting line-up, and with an England manager picking strikers from memory, Defoe's World Cup chances are yet to be hit either. But each game he goes without scoring (five and counting), the question is getting louder: what's up with Defoe?

Martin Jol has questioned the service his strikers are receiving, but he's hiding behind excuses. Four central (and largely defensive-minded) midfielders strung from one touchline to the other might not make for a haven of creativity in the middle, but their latest West Ham import Michael Carrick is one of the finest passers of the ball in the Premiership. Edgar Davids is quick to scamper forward and cause trouble in the final third, and though Spurs lack width while Aaron Lennon and Wayne Routledge are injured, full-backs Young-Pyo Lee and Paul Stalteri regularly push forward.

A better explanation is that Defoe lacks positional sense: when he is not offside (as he has been 19 times already this season - more than anyone else in the Premiership - granted, he was unlucky against Bolton), he is too deep, or too wide. When Spurs' counter-attacking has been ponderous, when their midfield left narrow by injury, this is almost understandable, but he is at his best staying forward and working the central channels. That's when his dinks and spins are most lethal, turning centre-backs inside out to leave only a quaking keeper between him and the goal. When he drops deep he invariably leaves only Mido to aim at in a sea of defenders, and when he pulls wide he leaves himself far too much to do - he is not Thierry Henry. And he doesn't need to be: goals from Mido, Ledley King and Jermaine Jenas all came from crosses. Had he been wriggling and writhing in the box, who knows how many more he might have chalked up?

Doubt has also hung like a fog around Defoe's relationship with Mido, and not without cause. They linked up on occasion during pre- and early season to good effect, but they lack the telepathic understanding Defoe seemed to enjoy with Fredi Kanoute, sold to Sevilla for £4.5m as the transfer window closed. Some quarters have pinned the blame on Mido. According to Jol's 'big man-small man' philosophy, the big man is there to allow long, high balls to bounce off his skull and onto the tip of the small man's toe - and if that's the case he's got the wrong man.

Mido is a decent provider but he's not shy of taking his own chances, and he is as guilty of floating wide as Defoe. Whether it is a lack of trust or just a breakdown in communication, there have been times when both players have moved out to the flanks, leaving an empty penalty box. That said, Mido formed a productive partnership with Keane during Spurs' summer Peace Cup success, so while he might not get his head to hoofed clearances as often as he's contractually obliged to, the blame may lie a little closer to home for Defoe.

It wouldn't be right to suggest a player as young as the 23-year-old Defoe could have passed his sell-by date, but there is something to suggest that the fizz has gone out of the toast of Tottenham this season. Not only has he failed to score more than journeymen like Geoff Horsfield, but he's probably created fewer chances, too.

He worried - really worried - Edwin van der Sar and Jens Lehmann only once each during Spurs' games against Manchester United and Arsenal, and both shots came from outside the area. In that dreadful defeat to Grimsby, a game in which Defoe might previously have been relied upon to emerge a hero, one of the best chances of the game came from the out-of-favour Andy Reid. Defoe put his head to a fantastic Stalteri cross just yards out - and put it wide. While he's so often being caught one step ahead of the defence, his usually buzzing football brain seems a step behind.

For all this, there is no doubting Defoe's credentials; but if this blip is to avoid becoming a permanent blight, something has got to give. His awareness is going to have to improve for a start. If he could turn even half of those offside runs into breaks, the chances are he'd have a handful more goals to his name and an increasingly weighty monkey off his back.

But losing his unquestioned place in the starting line-up will surely be the best medicine. Tottenham fans aren't calling for Keane to be given his chance just to keep him from fleeing for Everton when the January arrives: they know how well swapping him and Defoe so regularly last season worked. They know Keane demonstrates the fight that Defoe, at times, lacks.

And they suspect that were Defoe to taste some uncertainty on a Saturday morning, or to have to watch Keane making the most of his 60 minutes every other week, those devastating darts into dithering defences might return. Especially if he's been benched against the east London team he'll want so desperately to impress on Saturday.

[geysir]

Not really, Agathe has been fit for a while now and is the best attacking right back in the league. Strachan just seems more content to go with the slower but steady Telfer at the moment.
Well there is something up with the RB position, rumours, Agathe is not happy, Agent is not happy, Strachan ignores Agathe etc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/4347184.stm
And Celtic interest in Mc Naughton
http://www.breakingnews.ie/story.asp?j=59336646&p=593369x4&n=59336967&x=

[drinkfeckarse]

That McNaughton story is bull. Made the papers here that Strachan phoned Calderwood to say he'd no interest at all in him and it turned out it was the lads agent creating stories to try and get him a new contract. He's out of contract at the end of the season but no Celtic fan took that seriously at all.

I should have said IMO with regards to Agathe, he is a better player than Telfer in 99% of Celtic fans eyes so they would say there is no need for a RB. Strachan might think differently....

[geysir]

Therefore the speculation about the rb position at Celtic and the longshot rumors about Stephen Kelly.

[dr_peepee]

Lads the job of Martin Jol is to get Spurs to be doing as well as they can. It is not to develop Irish players or look out for Irish interests. It is frustrating for the players that they are out of the team, however Reid is missing out to Davids . Davids has been top class this season. Stephen Reid is missing out to Stalteiri an experience right back who has Champions League experience. The only dodgy call is Defoe for Keane and that is one that can go either way. I do think that Keane deserves his chance now though as Defoe has not been scoring the goals.

Spurs are trying too hard to accomadate Davids, Jenas and Carrick in a Midfeild that should only contain 2 of these with Jenas and Davids staggering their appearences. The Spurs midfield looks off balance at the minture for me and I think that Andy Reids style of wide play would compliment Spurs other flank players that like to get beyong the player. But I'm obviosly biassed

I like Andy Reid and he's too good to sit on the bench at any club. Hopefully he'll get a move to another middle teir premiership club (personally I'd like to see him at Man City). My heart dropped when I seen him linked with Leeds during the week.

[tetsujin1979]

I sa the highlights of the Spurs game this evening on MOTD 2. Despite having Jenas and Lennon in the team, they still seemed to struggle to create chances. Keane seemed to be playing the withdrawn striker role too, his link play was noted in the commentary. Here's hoping both him and Reid get a move for first team football.

[tetsujin1979]

Just to bump this back up, according to football365.com Kelly is stalling on signing a new deal at White Hart Lane.