The morning, afternoon and evening after the close of the transfer window can be a sobering experience- especially if you are heading to Kilmarnock in mid winter.
Seven months ago all roads led to Rugby Park with renewed hope of a title challenge emerging despite losing at home to Hibs, including a certain Anthony Stokes, the previous week.
Football turnover can be incredible but of the players that kicked off against Killie only Glenn Loovens or Jos Hooiveld are likely to start against Hearts a week on Saturday- and that’s not for the lack of effort on Neil Lennon’s part to bring in another defender.
There was to be no repeat of Robbie Keane’s late late arrival this time around but the January transfer window had been just as frantic as the window just closed.
The sales of Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald had freed up cash and spaces into which Hooiveld, Morten Rasmussen, Diomansy Kamara and Keane.
And who could forget Edson Braffheid- the cure to the long running left-back problem but apparently unavailable for the Kilmarnock match due to paperwork required to tidy up his deal at the Bayern Munich end.
Anyone watching Braffheid playing for Celtic would have sworn that there would be more chance of Aberdeen’s Richard Foster appearing in the Champions League Final than the Dutchman making an appearance in the World Cup Final.
But where are they now? The men that Tony Mowbray trusted at Kilmarnock to get a faltering title challenge back on course?
ARTUR BORUC: The Holy Goalie was on the bench for Fiorentina on Sunday as his new side drew 1-1 at home with Napoli following his £2m switch to Serie A
ANDREAS HINKEL: Unlikely to play again for Celtic after suffering cruciate ligament damage to his knee during training. In the final season of his contract
GLENN LOOVENS: Appears to be on squad rotation duty with Jos Hooiveld alongside Daniel Majstorovic. Speculation over a return to Cardiff failed to materialise, appears to be highly regarded by Cardiff supporters
JOS HOOIVELD: See Loovens! Very talkative and media friendly but has failed to live upto the Mjallby like comparisons he arrived with. Injury at Kilmarnock ended his season.
LEE NAYLOR: Left Celtic on a surprising high with a free kick deflected into the Rangers net in his final appearance. Joined the growing ex-Celtic colony at Cardiff once their transfer embargo was lifted- a long way from his Midlands base
AIDEN MCGEADY: Not really surprising that the longest serving and most valuable player moved on, surprising that Spartak Moscow was his destination although McGeady has never been predictable
LANDRY N’GUEMO: There was no demand to make the Cameroon midfielders transfer permanent. A disappointing World Cup saw N’Guemo play 90 minutes in the dead rubber against Holland, at the weekend he was sent off in Nancy’s 1-1 draw with Nice
KI SUNG YEUNG: Linked up promisingly with Keane at Kilmarnock but rarely featured after his move from South Korea. Looking impressive in the World Cup but has his work cut out to get into the Celtic midfield.
DIOMANSY KAMARA: Arrived on the same day as Keane almost un-noticed from Fulham. Was both impressive and erratic in equal measures, returned to Fulham despite reported interest from Paris St Germain, yet to play a game this season
MARCO FORTUNE: Tony Mowbray’s key signing- dispatched back to West Brom within 24 hours of the Europa League horror show in Utrecht. Never convinced at Celtic, lacked the goal touch and instinct to be a Celtic striker.
ROBBIE KEANE: Will there ever be a transfer window that he’s not linked with a move to Celtic? Salvaged the second half of last season but seemed shocked by the standard of Scottish football and Dougie McDonald’s generosity to Madjid Bougherra
Josh Thompson, Paul Caddis and Scott Brown appeared as substitutes at Kimarnock with Brown playing at left-back and handed the club captaincy. The other substitutes were Georgios Samaras, Zheng Zhi, Rasmussen and Lucasz Zaluska.
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