Heid heads to Wigan

The move has not yet been confirmed by either club but the BBC have reported the move as being confirmed by Caldwell’s agent. Caldwell is said to have agreed a four and a half year deal with the English Premier League side.

No player can be consistently great in every match, not even the acknowledged greats.

A consistent level of good performances is what most fans ask for, especially in the SPL, where any truly astounding talent would be whisked away.

Even consistently average performances by a player can be tolerated by fans, nothing spectacular but nothing disastrous can keep many a player in wages and in the first team line-up.

Where fans start to get edgy though is with the players who rapidly flick between great and horrendous in the blink of an eye. Football fans may claim to want to be on the edge of their seat at matches but when it is caused by your own centre half, it is maybe not the best.

WeKnowSFA acknowledges the work done in this field and doffs its cap to Gary Caldwell.

The man known as Heid is off to twitter from the English Premier League and the footballing Mecca that is Wigan. So called because Bingo is the second most popular sport in the area, after rugby.

Some highlights of the Gary Caldwell era:

Having a big massive heid
Pointing one way and passing the ball in the other direction
Replacing Neil Lennon in the 2007 Scottish Cup final and moving the team a further 20 yards up the park resulting in a scrappy triumph
A low controlled shot against AC Milan which Dida spilled allowing Scott McDonald to poke home the winner
His penalty in the shoot-out against Spartak Moscow
His chipped pass to Scott McDonald in the build-up to Jan venegoor of Hesselink’s injury-time winner in the 2-1 win over Rangers
In fact, his performances in the run-in for Celtic’s 3 in a Row campaign

Some lowlights of the Gary Caldwell era:

Needlessly giving away a penalty in injury time at Tynecastle, costing the loss of 2 points
BENFICA
Aalborg
Arsenal at home
Barcelona at home
The “we’ll decide if we’ve played well” remark
The general fear when teams were awarded a corner against Celtic
In fact, the general interviews and sound-bites offered to the media
Walking the ball out of the park at the San Siro under no pressure (although this was rather funny)

For a Bosman signing who was played out of position for a reasonable period of time, Gary Caldwell was probably more good than bad for Celtic. His player of the year award will doubtlessly remain in pride of place in his new Wigan apartment and the medals and memories of his time at Celtic Park will hopefully remain pleasurable for Gary.

That said, there is a definite feeling that Celtic need to refresh their line-up and with the defenders contract ready to expire in the summer, a fee of around £1m is good business for Celtic.

Well Gary, Scottish fans will be watching MOTD every week waiting to see which Caldwell turns up, hoping for some wonders, some blunders and if we’re lucky, a startled walking the ball out of the park just like that night in Milan.

All those who say the EPL is the best in the world…remember there are two Caldwell’s playing there now.

What is your abiding memory of the man known as Caldenbaur?

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Who will exit Celtic Park in January?

It looks as though there will be some upheaval at Celtic Park in the January transfer window. The club have already added Ki Sung Yueng to the team, although who knows when the clearance for the player will come through.

The Celtic fans will be hoping for more recruits throughout January but it may well take a number of players leaving in the first place to fund these new signings.

The sight of Roy Keane at a Celtic Rangers game is not uncommon. The player performed tremendously at Ibrox in one of them and has been seen in the crowd on a number of other occasions.

However, now that Roy Keane is the manager of Ipswich Town, was his visit business or pleasure?

Ipswich have been linked with Stephen McManus since the summer but if Keane came to see this player in action, he’d have been disappointed with McManus’ place on the bench.

The speculation over Gary Caldwell is still alive and well and it almost appears to be a done deal that is moving to Middlesbrough with former boss, Gordon Strachan. A player with Gary Caldwell’s ego may think that a move to the Premiership is more his level but the speculation is all based about a move to the Championship.

Another player hotly tipped to be on his way to the Riverside Stadium is Barry Robson. Hard work and endeavour is what you get with Barry Robson, what you don’t get is a right foot. It is unlikely that too many Celtic fans would be upset if their former manager took Barry Robson from them.

A goal in a Celtic Rangers match is always going to grab the headlines and Scott McDonald’s opener would have caught the attention of any watching scouts. The Aussie striker started on the bench and it has to be said that his style of play is not entirely suited to the way that Tony Mowbray wants Celtic to play football.

Graham Spiers in The Times today said that McDonald was involved in a row with boss Tony Mowbray and this could hasten the small strikers exit from the club. Again, Gordon Strachan could be waiting to pick up the striker but Premier interest may come from Wigan.

When you add in a number of fringe players like Willo Flood, Mark Wilson, Koki Mizuno and Chris Killen to name a few, Celtic should be looking to offload a few players this season. And this doesn’t take into account any big bid that may come in for a major name like McGeady or Boruc.

Celtic fans, who would you sell?

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Which fans will be left feeling the cold?

With a pay at the gate turnstile for this match, it could be one of the lowest SPL home attendances for Celtic in many a year but there will be loads of fans desperate to get to the game.

Whether it is to get some fresh air and exercise after over-indlugence on Christmas Day or a way to avoid the sales, the Boxing Day games have always been an important part of the football calendar.

There is definitely one change from the Celtic side which started against Hearts last week. Defender Gary Caldwell is suspended after receiving a red card for not predicting that Glen Loovens was about to make a howler, that’ll teach him.

Club captain Stephen McManus will surely take his place in the starting line-up, which may give Hamilton some hope.

One player who will be looking to capitalise on any error from the Celtic back-line is Mickael Antoine-Curier. At the moment, the striker is nearing the end of the loan agreement between Hamilton and Dundee but there is speculation the deal will be extended.

The player himself said;

“I have made no decision yet and won’t make one until after the Celtic game.”

Which of course, tells us nothing really but the player has the ability to cause havoc at Celtic Park, and the player does have the ability, may strengthen his bargaining power in any negotiations.

Hamilton should also welcome back first choice goalkeeper Tomas Cerny.

Any changes made by Tony Mowbray will be tactical as opposed to injury related and there are a number of fringe players who may be given a surprise start as the Hoops look to bounce back.

New South Korean signing Ki Sung Yeung is likely to be paraded to the support at half-time, which could give an added edge to the Paradise Half-time windfall.

It is the season of goodwill but the majority of the crowd will want a sack-full of goals and some cheer!

Can Celtic bounce back convincingly?

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Defensive mishaps cause Celtic to drop points again.

Andy Hinkel wasn’t clever for the winner but the blunder made by Glen Loovens changed the course of the match. Even with 10 men, Celtic were by far the most impressive team and Tony Mowbray must be wondering what he has to do to get his team to cut out the stupid mistakes.

Much like at Tannadice when the defence chucked away two goals to cause a 2-1 defeat, once again, Celtic leave with nothing because of personal errors.

The best thing Mowbray could do is to get rid of all his centre halfs and replace them with his own men. If your centre halfs are going to get you the sack, they may as well be your own men.

Of course, it takes two to tango and credit to Hearts for winning the match. They may be wondering how they hung on to win the game but the winning goal, from an attacking perspective, was an excellent header from Bouzid.

Things started well for Celtic and Greek striker Samaras continued his good goal-scoring run of form by bundling home after Scott McDonald struck the post.

There was only one team in it but a Glenn Loovens blunder let Mole through on goal when Gary Caldwell challenged. On first view, it looked like a penalty and without the benefits of television replays, it was the only decision to be made.
Michael Stewart showed the Celtic players how to take a penalty, levelling the game.

In the second half, Celtic continued pummelling the Hearts goal and Aiden McGeady, who was sensational throughout the match, cracked the post from distance.

Giorgos Samaras then scooped the ball over the bar when some composure would have given the Glasgow club a 2-1 lead.

Swapping Fortune for McDonald was not enough to give Celtic the goal with further missed chances before the youngster Templeton swung in a tremendous ball for the winning goal.

There have been far too many hard luck stories for Celtic this season.

The strikers aren’t converting enough of the chances they are making and the defenders aren’t doing their job properly. No matter how exciting the style of play is, when these two instances occur, you will lose or draw games.

There is certainly nothing decided in the title race yet but you have to wonder how many days like this Celtic can have without giving Rangers the boost to drive on for 2 in a row.

Celtic fans, can you sort out the back line?

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Time to bring the yellow ball to the SPL?

A look at English football indicates that the luminous ball is back in use down South. The SPL does not have a similar agreement and yesterday’s game at Fir Park may have caused a problem for some of the fans in attendance.

It may seem like a small thing but when a fan is paying £25 for a ticket, you can’t blame fans for being a little disgruntled at not being able to see the ball clearly. The introduction of a bright yellow ball like they use in England may make it a more pleasurable viewing experience for the fans.

The following video was captured in the Celtic end at Fir Park as the teams were preparing to come out and the level of vision didn’t improve when the action was at the far end.

It was a bit worrying to think that was the colour of the sky for a 12:45 kick-off!

Of course, seeing the ball during a game is one thing but being unable to see cheerleaders because of the fog is another.

Yes, Motherwell had a bevy of cheerleaders performing before the game and at half-time but with the fog lying low at Fir Park, not every fan got the benefit of it.

Mind you, if the fog kept the cheerleaders out of the line of vision for Gary Caldwell, it wouldn’t have been a bad thing.

There has been a lot said about Caldwell, a lot on this site but his eye for a cheerleader can’t be faulted. If only his marking of attackers was at the same level, Celtic may have prevented the equalising goal yesterday.

Given the level of quality shown by Celtic and Motherwell yesterday, the fog never managed to impact on the football on display but there has to be consideration to the paying punters.

Should the yellow ball be brought in for SPL football?

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Tempting fate comes easy for the Bosman-rated stopper

Things had been a little bit quiet but three home wins have seen everyone’s favourite Hermit since Peter Noone return to the spotlight. Aside from telling the world how great he is on Twitter, Gary Caldwell has been staying out of the media spotlight of late.

Some would say it was about time he kept himself to himself as his form has been questionable at best but the past few games has shown the better side of Gary Caldwell.

Clean sheets at the back and devastatingly effective long passes have been noticeable from Heid but he has a long way to go to redeem himself in the eyes of the fans.

Which is why some will be annoyed that he has been shoved in front of the journalists once again.

“We are now getting the chance to do that and over the past week the performances and results have been great.”

“That’s us just won three games in a week and I am amazed at the change of atmosphere in the changing room.”

“When you go on a run like that it really does give you confidence and the whole club is buzzing.”

“When you go on a run like that”???

Three games?? After two away games in the league where Celtic failed to win? Just before they face trips to Fir Park and Tynecastle, where Celtic will be stretched to their limit?

It is not unfeasible that Celtic could be coming out a 6 game league run with only two wins and then Caldwell will start to look rather silly.

You have to hope that Caldwell has an agent acting on his behalf when his future gets sorted out in the next few months because he can’t be trusted to open his mouth!

If Celtic can take 6 points from their next two matches, their fans will start to believe a corner has been turned and will overlook some of Gary’s grandiose comments. If they slip up on the road again, some will be wanting Caldwell’s head on a platter.

Celtic fans, do you think the team has turned the corner?

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Potential swap deal between Caldenbaur and O’Connor?

The contract situation surrounding Gary Caldwell and Celtic is well known and many expect the player to be off before the summer. Whether he goes in January or exercises the right to leave at the end of his contract, it is unlikely he will be in the Hoops next season.

On the whole, Caldwell has performed well for Celtic, more so given he arrived for free but too many big time gaffes and media proclamations have worked against him. The Celtic Park faithful call him Heid but you sometimes wonder what is going on in his head at times.

There is no real concrete speculation surrounding his future but this is the time of year when 2 and 2 are added up, sometimes with spectacular results.

One calculation sees Caldwell heading to Birmingham to join with former national boss Alex McLeish whilst Celtic accept striker Gary O’Connor in return. It can be seen that this move would have benefits for all parties.

Celtic need more striking options and the build and strength of O’Connor would provide an alternative to the current attackers.

The fans may not be too unhappy to see the back of Caldwell but the Scottish media will miss his regular appearances at press conferences.
You know that Gary Caldwell is a major player in the world of football and if you don’t believe us, just listen to some of the great man’s Twitter posts:

A faultless performance for Gary Caldwell inspires the hoops to 3 points- I can see the headlines now

Off to China Buffet King; “eat what you like for £9″ – Gary Caldwell’s going to eat their cutlery.

Anxiously waiting to hear the world cup draw. I wrote to FIFA requesting to be the 33rd team.

Contract talks stalled: I scrawled BRING BACK STRACHAN on Lawell’s office door with a compass. As yet, they’ve not come backwith a counter.

Training tomorrow. In otherwords “Peter Grant teaching Gary Caldwell how to pass a ball”. Aye Pete, I’ll crack the jokes.

Gary doesn’t shower in the morning. I wake up smelling of success, why wash that off? Straight to breakfast.

This is the mark and quality of a man who is worthy of £20,000 a week and you have to consider if a move to Birmingham would be big enough for Gary Caldwell.

As much as WeKnowSFA would love this Twitter to be the work of the man they call Caldenbaur but we cant say for definite so for legal reasons, this may not be a genuine celebrity Twitter!

Best to be on the safe side, no point in going up against the legal mind of Gary Caldwell if it can be avoided.

Will you miss Heid if he leaves?

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It is fair to say that the Tartan Army and Celtic fans don’t always agree.

Lets not get carried away, there are a great number of people who like Celtic and Scotland but there is a sense that some of the followers stand apart.

In the opinion of some fans, “the kilt and desert boot wearers who are only there for a party” may be opposed to “the tricolour waving political activists that pepper Parkhead” but there is one topic that brings them together.

Yes, Gary Caldwell and his massive heid manages to pull these two groups together, an act that Henry Kissinger may have struggled to pull off.

Its a shame as he managed moments for both that should have made him a legend in the eyes of even the harshest of fans.

Scottish fans won’t forget the winner that rainy night at Hampden when Gary slid in to stick it to the French.

Celtic fans won’t forget the way Caldwell stepped up to the plate and was a key player in the run of 7 victories that propelled them to a third title in a row back in 2007/08.

However, even with all this goodwill built up, Caldwell has somehow managed to obliterate it with poor performances and an even poorer attitude.

It says a lot about the state of modern football and the relationship between fans and players but the poor performances could probably be tolerated. Caldwell is not the worst player for either club but insists on singling himself out with an inability to keep his mouth shut.

There are those who will point at some of the private life indiscretions Caldwell has made but they should probably remain his private matters. It is the wage demands of around £15,000 to £20,000 that has caused the most offence for fans.

With the economic situation being what it is, any player openly making a claim for this sort of cash is going to be viewed poorly. When it is being made by a player who is making mistake after mistake, it is hard to fault fans for not having patience.

The start of the 2009/10 season was a disaster for Caldwell, an early dismissal in Scotlands drubbing in Norway setting the low standard. For all that there can be debate about whether it was a harsh sending off or not, poor defensive work allowed John Carew to have Caldwell in his back pocket and draw silly fouls.

The international form has been carried to his club, with Caldwell being part of a defensive line-up that has shipped 5 goals in their last two games.

Credit should always go to the attacking team but the goals Celtic have conceded to Falkirk and Dundee United have exposed a very weak central defence.

Losing two free headers in the six-yard box in the final few minutes consigned Celtic to their first defeat against Dundee United in over 10 years. The man with the captain’s armband could only look around and realise he had no one left to blame.

The issue is, within a few days, Caldwell will be back spouting off to the media about how the team can bounce back and that fans opinions don’t matter, the team will decide what is good enough.

Celtic fans can at least look forward to the fact that Caldwell is unlikely to be at the club next season, Scottish fans may have to suffer his performance and attitude a bit longer.

Tell us your opinion on Heid in the comments section below.

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