Dec 01
Celtic have confirmed they're considering a move for Falkirk striker Anthony Stokes who's on loan from Arsenal.
The eighteen year-old's scored twelve goals in the last eight games to help the Bairns to mid-table in the SPL.
Chief scout Ray Clarke's revealed the club have watched him five times recently.
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I hope to God they don't let him out of their sights. We need players on top form like this.
15 Responses to “Don’t let a gem get sold!”
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December 1st, 2006 at 1:09 pm
I haven’t seen Stokes, and I doubt any of you have either. What I do know is that the Scottish league is absolute pants. Chris Sutton and John Hartson - two average strikers in the Premiership - scored bagfuls of goals there. Even Van Bronckhorst banged in 13 goals in two seasons when he played for Rangers. Scottish football is no indicator of anything - Rangers and Celtic aside, their biggest clubs only have a capacity between 5000-17,000. It’s a peanuts league with peanuts players. SO stop going on about Stokes as if he’s the new Ronaldinho.
December 1st, 2006 at 1:30 pm
Danny, are you an authority on the SPL.
So there aren’t ANY good players in Scotland? and Nobody can play there and do well in England or Europe?
How about Larsson? Who f***ed us in the CL last year. Think he did alright up there too.
You can only do your best. Stokes doesn’t control the competition he plays in. He is playing against the SPL and LIGHTING IT UP.
So he’s doing what he is supposed to do.
Its a lot more than our strikers are doing… he’s CONSISTENTLY banging in goals.
But if I WERE HIM, I’d want to go to Celtic too… because he’s NOT likely to get a fair shake or a run of games in the first team at Arsenal.
December 1st, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Yeah, Larsson is ONE player - what the hell was he doing in Scotland in the first place? Talk about a lack of ambition. He scored about 58 goals for Celtic in one season, Henry would have got about 90 - and I’m not even exaggerating. Larsson’s a fine player, but a one-off in Scotland.
Look at John Hartson, scored 14 goals in 53 games for Arsenal, ended up at Celtic 3 stone fatter and scored 88 in 146. What more proof do you need?
I’m just saying, just because Stokes bangs the goals in for Falkirk doesn’t mean he’ll do f*ck all at Arsenal. The standard is the equivalent of reserve football - Lupoli and obviously Bendtner are twice as promising.
December 1st, 2006 at 3:42 pm
i agree with you danny. He may score tones of goals there but not so sure in EPL. Dang just sell the kid for some milllion and make some profit. hahahaha… We already got enough bloody kids in Arsenal first team.
December 1st, 2006 at 3:54 pm
I would like to see these youngsters get a run in the first team before deciding to sell/keep them.
People write these kids off because they’re are currenly on loan playing well only in lower leagues against less organized and less quality teams - but aren’t these precisely the type of teams Arsenal is losing against at the moment in the EPL? The lower leagues tend to play more simple, albeit long-balls, football and I’d like to see the Arsenal first team having some players who can play both arsenal style (free flow passing) and british style (direct) football.
December 1st, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Celtic are on top of their Champion's League table after beating Man U home and away. (stokes scored against Celtic in the SPL) Benfica are also in that group. Hearts and Rangers are no blowovers either. Hibs and Aberdeen (Fergie's old stomping grounds) can also play well.
December 1st, 2006 at 5:31 pm
Your having a laugh - Scottish football isn’t much of a step up from park football. Only Rangers and Celtic exist, otherwise it’s a barren wasteland of dirge. Hibs, Falkirk and Aberdeen are League One standard - or worse.
December 1st, 2006 at 7:38 pm
Have to agree with Danny on this one. The Scottish League is not up to much. I am hoping we draw Celtic if we manage to get through the Porto game. Sutton scored so many goals up there, as did Hartson. and a whole heap of forgotten strikers for Rangers. Yes, Larsson, and he came on and made a difference in the CL final against us, but he was only a sub at Barcelona.
At the same time, Stokes is scoring goals at that level. What that means to me is that he needs to be tested at the next level up, probably the Championship next season. After that, if he is still scoring goals, back to Arsenal to challenge for a first-team place. To me, Bendtner is more ready for first-team football at Arsenal.
By the way, anyone notice that Gilbert who was the reason why some said Lauren should be sold can’t get a game for Cardiff. Lupoli got a goal off the bench the other night. Before we shout for anyone to come back to the first team, let us see how they play out the season. Remember Hoyte played nearly every game for Sunderland last season, got rave reviews, and while I believe he is a useful squad player and can compete with Eboue as back-up to Lauren, others believe he will never be good enough. Put this year’s loanees in that perspective.
December 1st, 2006 at 7:46 pm
So you are saying that Scottish Premier League is BELOW the EPL Championship?
You have to be JOKING.
Celtic beat Manchester United… they have already CLINCHED a spot in the next round of the CL. We haven’t. Barcelona haven’t. ManU haven’t. Celtic have.
While the SPL isn’t exactly the EPL, they have good players in the league, and its definitely a step above the Championship. Larsson just got signed by UNITED… you know the team LEADING the EPL. He’s an excellent player. Period.
December 1st, 2006 at 7:49 pm
Danny, its apparent that you watch much more Scottish Footy than I do… I guess I just don’t understand how you can say the league is that bad. Celtic are a pretty good team… already into the knockout stages of the CL… thats not too shabby.
I have always felt Rangers and Celtic would be mid-table in the EPL.
You seem to feel that the league is pretty damned poor.
I still say, all Stokes can do is score goals and play well. Thats exactly what he is doing. Why not see what he can do for US… before we sell him off?
What sense would that make?
December 1st, 2006 at 8:07 pm
I’m not saying Stokes is rubbish, just that the Scottish League is not an effective barometer of his talent. Rangers and Celtic are fairly decent teams, although Rangers would struggle to stay in the Premiership at present - but the rest of the league is hogwash. The SPL’s history of Celtic and Rangers winning everything is almost farcical. He’s just not playing against high calibre opposition week in week out - certainly not high enough to stick him in the Arsenal team under any circumstances.
December 1st, 2006 at 8:07 pm
Didn’t Southend and Copenhagen beat Manchester United as well? I did not say Larsson was not a good player but Rooney and Saha will start the big games - Larsson will be back-up. One team does not make a league strong. Before the fall of communism, eatern European countries used to pack their best players into one team so that there was a better chance of European glory. As a result the domestic leagues were one-sided. Falkirk are not a great side. In case you haven’t noticed Stephen O’Donnell and Patrick Cregg are making waves for them as well. Who are they? Two Irish kids who didn’t make it at Arsenal and were let go. Stokes, at a younger age has shown he is as good as them and can do a job for Falkirk. That does not mean he can do it at a higher level. I would take Birmingham to beat Falkirk nine times out of ten.
There is nobody who would like to see Stokes succeed more than me. It is too long (Niall Quinn) since an Irish youngster came through the ranks to play for the first-team. That does not stop me from recognising that he is not there yet and only has a chance of making it.
December 1st, 2006 at 8:11 pm
The Scottish EPL consists of more than just Celtic Stag. Apart from Rangers - who are no great shakes at the moment - the rest of the league is below English Championship level never mind Premiership. Stokes will only play against Celtic 4 times a year, every other team he plays against is by and large complete rubbish and nowhere near the standard of even the bottom clubs in the Premiership. Stokes needs a much bigger test before he can even think of getting near the Arsenal team.
Bendtner is way ahead - now there is a kid with promise - but only promise mind.
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:47 am
Gilbert is injured. That’s why he is not playing. He has been a revelation this season from what i’ve heard.
Give Stokes a shot. We could do with a ballsy irishmen for the craic. He apparently lacks pace but pace isn’t everything, especially when every team sits off us. He might have good close control.
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Gilbert lost his place when he got injured. Fit again he hasn’t regained it. I haven’t said Stokes won’t make it but I would say he is further away than Bendtner, Lupoli, Muamba or even Song.