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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| May 28 2008, 9:29 AM EDT | TheHumanTorpedo | 2 words added, 1 word deleted |
| May 28 2008, 9:28 AM EDT | TheHumanTorpedo |
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[Player Pics]
Ex-England international Steve Guppy signed for Celtic in the summer of 2001 in a £700,000 move from Leicester City.
Guppy arrived in Glasgow on a busy transfer day which also saw Welsh striker John Hartson and St Johnstone utility man Momo Sylla join the Hoops. The experienced winger moved north after falling out of favour with then Foxes boss Peter Taylor.
The signing of the 32-year-old raised eyebrows among the Parkhead support, many of whom saw Guppy as no more than an average journeyman. But Martin O’Neill – who had been with Guppy at Wycombe and paid £950,000 to take him to Filbert Street from Port Vale – was a keen admirer of the veteran wideman and believed he would be a valuable asset to the Celtic squad.
Guppy fans pointed out that his assist rate in the Premiership was comparable to David Beckham’s but in truth the signing was to prove one of O’Neill’s least inspired transfer deals. The former Leicester man was a seldom starter for the first team being a distant second to Alan Thompson in the fight to occupy the left midfield slot.
When he did start or make appearances from the bench Guppy was solid and there was no denying his ability to cross a ball. He was however too often one dimensional and by the time of his arrival in Glasgow his play lacked the cutting edge and real sense of threat that Thompson often provided.
Guppy remained on the fringes of the squad making the odd cameo appearance in Celtic’s run to the 2003 UEFA Cup final before a hernia operation in April 2003 saw him sidelined and pushed further out of the first team picture.
An honest professional Guppy was far from a roaring success in the Hoops but neither was he an unmitigated disaster. His spell at Celtic Park was unspectacular and his contribution to the cause limited. But he did add strength and experience to a squad pushing for honours both domestically and in Europe. At 32 and having played most of his career in the lower regions of the English league his signing was never going to wet the appetite of the support but all wished him well when he rejoined Leicester on a short term deal in January 2004.2004.
Ex-England international Steve Guppy signed for Celtic in the summer of 2001 in a £700,000 move from Leicester City. Guppy arrived in Glasgow on a busy transfer day which also saw Welsh striker John Hartson and St Johnstone utility man Momo Sylla join the Hoops. The experienced winger moved north after falling out of favour with then Foxes boss Peter Taylor.
The signing of the 32-year-old raised eyebrows among the Parkhead support, many of whom saw Guppy as no more than an average journeyman. But Martin O’Neill – who had been with Guppy at Wycombe and paid £950,000 to take him to Filbert Street from Port Vale – was a keen admirer of the veteran wideman and believed he would be a valuable asset to the Celtic squad.
Guppy fans pointed out that his assist rate in the Premiership was comparable to David Beckham’s but in truth the signing was to prove one of O’Neill’s least inspired transfer deals. The former Leicester man was a seldom starter for the first team being a distant second to Alan Thompson in the fight to occupy the left midfield slot.
When he did start or make appearances from the bench Guppy was solid and there was no denying his ability to cross a ball. He was however too often one dimensional and by the time of his arrival in Glasgow his play lacked the cutting edge and real sense of threat that Thompson often provided.
Guppy remained on the fringes of the squad making the odd cameo appearance in Celtic’s run to the 2003 UEFA Cup final before a hernia operation in April 2003 saw him sidelined and pushed further out of the first team picture.
An honest professional Guppy was far from a roaring success in the Hoops but neither was he an unmitigated disaster. His spell at Celtic Park was unspectacular and his contribution to the cause limited. But he did add strength and experience to a squad pushing for honours both domestically and in Europe. At 32 and having played most of his career in the lower regions of the English league his signing was never going to wet the appetite of the support but all wished him well when he rejoined Leicester on a short term deal in January 2004.2004.
