‘Allez les Garcons en Verts’ – Managing Celtic’s French Foreign Legion

We have had four high profile (to us) French players in recent seasons. They have all represented their country at various levels although none is a full internationalist. I guess three of them still have aspirations to achieve that; no disrespect to Jullien, but he probably accepts it is not going to happen for him now.

The problem for the other three is that I suspect the French national coaching team are not going to award a full cap to someone who plays in Scotland. That then becomes our problem and is a factor, not the only one, in the players pushing for a move.

I recall the days when Newcastle United were rammed full of French players. I did a little bit of research and can recommend an article from NUFC The Mag “The French roll call of honour at Newcastle United”. I was surprised at how many there were and how their careers took very similar paths in the north east of England. In summary, many started really well and became firm favourites of the fans. The sales of Kronenbourg 1664 rocketed in the city until the players decided they deserved to play for a bigger team so downed tools to try and engineer a move away. They went from hero to zero in very short periods of time.

Photo: Mary Evans (Allstar)

I also unearthed an old article by Alan Shearer in which he stated that having so many French players in the Newcastle team was unhealthy. His reasoning was that when things go wrong, as they have with Celtic this season, you get little cliques in the dressing room. Interesting.

Although we’ve only had a maximum of three French players at any one time, was that unhealthy? At the very least you would expect them as a group to discuss what is happening at the club and share any concerns. You could see how such chats could be quite negative, particularly during a season like this.

(Photo by ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Ntcham absolutely took a similar path to his compatriots in Newcastle; technically gifted, played well for his first season but then couldn’t be bothered because he considered the SPFL was beneath him. If reports coming out of Marseille are to be believed, he will be back in the summer. Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse.

By contrast, French Eddy is still a bit of a hero although he is taking some criticism because of his poor performances this season. He was a good buy and played well for a couple of seasons but is now looking for a move away.

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

I don’t think these two players saw Celtic as a destination, more a stopping off point. They both came from “bigger” clubs, Man City and PSG, and saw it as an opportunity to reboot their careers. Nothing wrong with that if we can get them playing and move them on for a profit. If you are a selling club, the problem is one of timing.

There is a temptation to hold onto the player for a bit longer than he wants, during which time their performances can drop, as does their transfer value. This is absolutely the case with Ntcham who should have been punted last season. It was perhaps the correct decision to hold onto Edouard for this season but he now needs to go. He is out of contract at the end of next season and hopefully there is a bit of a bidding war for him.

I read a post suggesting that Thierry Henry would be a good appointment as manager because he might convince French Eddy to stay. That’s like swallowing a spider to catch a fly. Eddy is going, going, gone to the highest bidder regardless of who is manager. Henry might be a good appointment but for other reasons.

Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

For such a big fee, Jullien is unconvincing particularly on a wet Wednesday in Livingston but at least you feel he is committed and sees his move to us as a step up. Moussa Dembele was tremendous and again he didn’t come from a bigger club. Sure he eventually wanted away but we got a lot out of him on the pitch and a big transfer fee.

I am not suggesting we don’t sign a French player. We just need to be more aware of what motivates any potential signing regardless of whether they come from France or Ukraine, Switzerland, Greece, Uruguay, Israel, etc.

We have bought some good players, some of whom have delivered on the pitch. Too many of them, however, have been/are poor for whatever reason(s). You need more than technical ability to succeed, particularly with us, given the standard of refereeing and the state of some of the pitches. I guess playing in Scotland might be a bit of a cultural shock for some players, not to mention the weather.

Allez les garcons en verts (COYBIG).

Chris Wotherspoon

READ THIS…Exclusive Interview with former Celtic Star Tommy Callaghan. “Right, lads, any wee Bacardi’s for me?”

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

Comments are closed.