February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
It seems the player himself has been influenced by such talk. Instead of finishing his comfortable career at Celtic he has signed for La Liga runners-up Barcelona — a club where expectations are of the highest order. He also came out of international retirement to play in Euro 2004. The football cynics can now see if their ex-Bhoy Mr. Larsson is truly one the best strikers in the game in this coming season.
For Celtic fans they will have to get over his departure from Parkhead. Those fans must realize that it is imperative for Larsson to finish his career on top of the world. A place where they know he already belongs. But even Larsson would tell you he had to test himself on another playing field. Indeed, the striker has already moved on with game time for the Spanish giants under his belt. Now the question is has Celtic moved on? Or rather can they do so without the silky Swede?
“There is no need to panic,” said Celtic boss Martin O’Neill. As fans become concerned that no new signings have been made, O’Neill reminds the faithful that he “has not let them down in four years.” Besides the lack of new quality at the club, there was also concern that O’Neill would take a break from the game due to family responsibilities, and understandably so. But O’Neill has stated, “I will be in the dugout this season.” Although he’ll miss the first two games in Celtic’s trip to North America, he’s expected to join the Hoops for the Manchester United and Roma games later in July.
While it’s not the kind of uncertainty that any club needs hanging over their manager the biggest worry for Celtic fans is O’Neill moving back to the EPL. While most fans are thrilled to hear the news he intends to stay on at Parkhead, some fans are fed up not knowing for sure. Even the wise O’Neill admitted: “Yeah, I’m afraid I’m there. Some of the fans are going to be delighted and others will be saying it is almost time to go but the news is that I shall be there.”
So with O’Neill in the bag what about new players? Yet another year is going by and no newcomers are signing the dotted line for the Hoops. Are fans expected to ignore the links made with Rivaldo, Viduka, Desailly and now Juninho. What is going on for Celtic in the transfer market nobody knows. One thing is for sure: they have not spent any money — not yet. And so we are back to square one. Who replaces Larsson?
Meanwhile, battling away to get fitter than ever before is John Hartson. After Celtic’s 2-0 win in the recent Fulham friendly O’Neill said: “John is pretty lean at the moment. He’s looked good in pre-season and is very keen.” While the shrewd manager makes it clear that he is scouting to replace Larsson he continues to push Hartson’s buttons. “It’s good to see John back,” he said. “With him in that sort of form we’ve got a chance.” Is that just the general clich