I’ve heard a lot about Patrick Roberts. He’s burdened by enormous expectations, compared to the greats since shortly after his 17th birthday. Manchester City moved 2 starts and 17 substitute appearances into his Fulham career – £12m on the basis of 399 minutes football.
He’s here to force his way into the team between now and the end of the season, and be ready for the European challenges ahead. I think we’re going to enjoy watching this lad.
We saw around 80 minutes of Erik Sviatchenko on Sunday. As I said yesterday, he’s probably our best defender, not that that is taking enormous liberties. In Virgin van Dijk we managed to recruit a dependable defender who wasn’t scared of the ball, and was first to organise those around him. If Erik’s near that standard, he’ll do well.
Ryan Christie (20) is a No. 10. We need a No. 10. He’s 12 years younger than Kris Commons, the only comparable player in the first team squad. Kris has been our MVP for more seasons than anyone else currently on the books, but we’ve been far too dependent on him, which has become acutely evident recently, when he’s out injured.
There’s an argument that we could have done with another No. 10 during our European campaign but it’s far from clear Ryan would have got his chance. We’ll see a good bit of him before the end of the season.
Many of the things I could say about Colin Kazim-Richards I alluded about Carlton Cole when he signed. He’s a physical presence, not easily intimidated, should be an effective foil for Leigh Griffiths.
Colin joins with an actual rap sheet. Online comments yesterday recalled the reaction the day Griffiths signed. At the time I wrote that it’s important for Celtic to affirm positive values in Leigh’s life. The player hasn’t looked back, he’s every inch a positive role model. It’s now important the club and Colin work to ensure a similar result.
Aidan Nesbitt (18) is also a No. 10. He’s the player you’re most likely to hear development and youth coaches talk about. The next stage of his development required him to play against men. Four months in the Premiership playing for Partick will achieve this.
Farewall Nadir Ciftci, who is off to Turkey until the end of the season. I described Nadir as less like a Ronny Deila player than any other I’ve watched and known Celtic to be interested in. He has a touch and is a better player than we’ve seen, but he was built from different material than practically all other Deila signings.
Last month’s business will hopefully mean we have a settled and secure defence for the qualifiers, something missing at the beginning of this season, something missing on Sunday afternoon. The Kazim-Richards signing could go a number of different ways. The player will get his chance to live up to his own expectations.
821 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- ...
- 22
- »
Geordie.
It’s all so easy with hindsight,
Some Celtic supporters inside the ground at Hampden didn’t even know why it was a penalty.
Ronny was quick maybe too quick to substitute anybody IMHO
DO THESE new signings not train with their old clubs.i…the old excuse in the past was having to adjust to the pace of the scottisjh game…….Roberts looks fast enough probably could fit into the team if he had only one leg.
No point in greeting over spilled milk – but- I think Efe was very hard done by with the red card. It was more a case of the heelander tripping over Efe ,who didnt lunge in or grab. A penalty -ok but there should not have been a sending off , unless your a MIB with an agenda that is.
We should sign more one legged players
Would like to see Roberts take on Logan and give him a bit of a roastin – we owe him one ;)
TOPKAT
Point being no matter what the era and circumstance alway negative, if they struggle to say anything good about 9-I-A-ROW and 67 team what chance anyone else got
Bamboo,
For me, Craig was getting to the ball at the same time as the rc guy.
As I said yesterday, I’ve no problems with different refs seeing different things.
But the ref on Sunday was the same as the one who only yellowed Considine for pulling Griffiths back in the 6 yard box earlier in the season.
HH
GreeninbingleyinOslo-HH
PC-RD seems to get caught up in situations and can’t think logically,I said when we went 3-1 up v Malmo,to get Mulgrew on and try to see the game out,cue full backs bursting forward with 2 minutes to go. HH
Important not to lose to Aberdeen, a victory and Celts are on the way to the double. Great to see a big televised midweek football match.
GeordieM
I disagree, we didn’t need to take anyone off, we could and should imo gone with three at the back, five in the mid and the Griff up front.
We lost the mid, we lost the game, win the mid win the game, it’s really no rocket, or is it spinach.
But what do I know.
HH
RADITIONALIST88 on 2ND FEBRUARY 2016 3:20 PM Aberdeen’s Johnny Haynes fit after being bit by a dog.
///////////
Off the wall medical approach. How unfit was he before he got bit.
Lol, another one with the I liked RD but? It’s all BS, it’s a long read, I hope he never missed the CT meeting writing it, that uni. Mob don’t half stick together, cut to the chase James you’ve never liked him, you’ve always had BUT! In most of your posts, it’s the rebel in you, the AMA uni socialist, where’s ma CND badge an ma combat jacket. I like most of your articles BUT!
http://thecelticblog.com/2016/02/blogs/if-deila-falls-he-wont-fall-alone
Exiled Tim……………disappointed to see young McGregor called ashore he was playing very well. Yes could have gone with three at the back.
Jozo Simunovic is out injured for four to six weeks with knee medial ligament damage.
Therefore, Erik Sviatchenko will most certainly make his debut after impressing on Sunday.
Kris Commons is still recovering from his muscle strain and Tom Rogic is recovering from a twisted ankle but neither are expected to feature tomorrow.
After coming on for the last 25 minutes on Sunday, Scott Brown could return to the starting line-up for the first time since November.
Charlie Mulgrew played on Monday for Celtic’s development squad as part of his recovery and won’t feature tomorrow.
Both Patrick Roberts and Colin Kazim-Richards are available for tomorrow’s game.
I’m taking my Boys Club team to game tomorrow..
Hope new signing start.
In the Sheep or Celtic end ;O)
HANKRAY
It was only a few weeks ago that CMcG was the whipping boy, he has fair turned that around imo, we don’t see them at training so we can only go by what we see at game time, but I think he was too hasty making the sub.
Anyways, we have a massive game the morra, here’s hoping they are up for it, I think they will be, have a gut feeling we will destroy them.
HH
Haven’t a clue how we will line up tomorrow. Personally would like to see Brown and McGregor in the midfield engine room together although i think McGregor will play further forward. My guess is it will look something like this,
Gordon
Lustig Boyata Sviatchenko KT
Brown Biton
Forrest McGregor Johansen
Griffiths
He’s in the sheep end
BAMBOO on 2ND FEBRUARY 2016 6:17 PM
No point in greeting over spilled milk – but- I think Efe was very hard done by with the red card. It was more a case of the heelander tripping over Efe ,who didnt lunge in or grab. A penalty -ok but there should not have been a sending off , unless your a MIB with an agenda that is.
———
Remember this is the same Craig Thomson who did not send off an Aberdeen player in September for denying Griffiths a goal scoring opportunity 100x more obvious than on Sunday.
I was up at EKFC’s K-Park about an hour ago, getting tickets for my son and I.
There were still plenty of tickets available for ‘home’ fans.
You need to give your name and address before buying tickets.
“I disagree, we didn’t need to take anyone off,”
Tet,
Aye aye aye. I corrected it.
HH
GeordieM
Am too slow, I am typing this as you are going to bed :-)
HH
Good on your Dallas. See you Sunday.
youR? you!
Tet,
You’ll have to type something better than that to get me into bed. ;))
HH
RADITIONALIST88 on 2ND FEBRUARY 2016 3:20 PM Aberdeen’s Johnny Haynes fit after being bit by a dog. –
===========================================
Johnny, you got to watch what you pick up in those Aberdeen nightclubs…
playing James Forrest obviously puts us at a ‘numerical’ disadvantage
but how much of an advantage are our opponents afforded when we field Efe
Thinking about attendances going forward. Assuming we are champions again we will be going for 6 in a row ie the countdown to ten begins.
They look like coming up – not ruling out them failing again as Hibs are a decent side and anything could happen in play-offs.
The “Old Firmists’ will be back – the ones whose absence is costing PL £10m pa.
These are the two positives when thinking about factors re bums on seats.
The other factors which could go either way are European success ie qualifying for the group stage of CL, the young team playing well and RONNY and his team stepping up a level and delivering.
Big name signings are out – money not there.
If there’s another failure then those seats will need a big name manager to get them used. Maybe only Henrik could do that. What a gamble that would be.
RONNY needs to deliver, no more fighting talk, no more excuses. Less talk. More fight.
“but how much of an advantage are our opponents afforded when we field Efe”
Wdh,
Tricky to quantify. He’s made a few errors that’s for sure. But we still have lost games when he’s out and won some of our biggest games in Europe (in his time) when he’s been in.
My old brain is what it used to be, can anyone remind me when we have lost a game that was down to Efe ?
MO’H is the new Scottish Messi according to SSB.
500k player nobody else wanted.
The fact he ripped The Rangers apart says as much about their defence as MO’H…?
Don’t think I have ever seen a bigger disconnect between board, team and fans. In the “good old days” regardless of board misgivings the fans really got behind the manager and team. It was a given, that’s what we do.
Hearing the abuse Armstrong got on Sunday sickened me and the player obviously suffered by it
Wish we could go back to supporting the team as soon as that whistle goes loudly and enthusiastically which in a lot of games made the difference
We at the moment seem to wait and see
I also thought Efe’s red card was harsh on Sunday.
Thomshun’s dilemma though, was that if he didn’t take the chance he either:
a) might not get another one
or
b) might get another chance but too late to prevent Celtic winning.
So you see, from a dirty, cheating, anti-Celtic, hun luvvin, DOB, MIB’s point of view
he simply had no choice.
On the one hand there’s the laws of the game and on the other hand there’s the ‘rules’.
Season 2013-14 Fraser Forster 51 appearances, Efe Ambrose 51 appearances, Virgil Van Dijk 46 appearances, Chris Commons 32 goals, Anthony Stokes 21 goals
2 seasons ago the bombscare ? played in all of those games in club record run of clean sheets for Fraser Forster…………………….we must have been very lucky………..you read some fitba pash on this site
On 2 February 2014 goalkeeper Fraser Forster set a new a club-record of 11 league clean sheets in a row,[17] surpassing a record of 10 clean sheets set by Charlie Shaw in the 1921-22 season.[18] On 22 February, he broke Bobby Clark’s Scottish League record of 1155 minutes without conceding a goal in a league match. Celtic won 2–0 away at Hearts, and Forster racked up his 13th consecutive clean sheet in the league.[19][20] Forster’s clean sheet run finally ended on 1,256 minutes against Aberdeen on 25 February 2014, as Aberdeen defeated Celtic 2–1 to end their unbeaten run in the league.[21]
Dallas
EddieinKirkmichael drove through and bought us tickets for the EK game today.
Would be great to meet you again on Sunday.
Thank you Eddie.
Aff oot on Daddy Taxi duty.
Hail Hail
traditionalist88
You may be right, its just my opinion, but I don’t see them changing policy or strategy regardless of who picks the team.
I think it was a deserved red card, if I was a Celtic player running through with the ball on the keeper and my ankles are clipped by the last man by accident or on purpose I would expect a penalty and for the player to be sent off. No question about it he deserved it.
Hail Hail.