With the arrival of Dedryck Boyata, Jozo Simunovic and Erki Sviatchenko over the last 12 months, Charlie Mulgrew must have wondered if he would be offered a new contract which his current deal expires next month. Especially so considering how little football he’s played in recent years.
An incoming manager would be excused for looking at his squad and thinking Charlie was surplus to requirements, but, as we have touched on in recent weeks, the story of Celtic’s defence is more complicated.
Erik has been an unqualified success, but Jozo missed most of the season through injury, while Dedryck and Efe Ambrose suffered unfortunate (cough) spells of form. Charlie is a few years past his Player of the Year prime, but he’s a reliable consistent defender, who I’d have in the team before Efe or (Euros bound) Dedryck.
We have a bloated squad and need to move players on, but it’s no surprise Brendan Rodgers let Charlie know he wanted him to stay. He’s the right player to occupy third or fourth spot in the central defensive roster. We’ll wait and see if Jozo can grab second spot.
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High Noon!
COYBIG
Charlie’s versatility can keep him at Celtic Park.
Not as a first pick,but as a viable back-up in three difficult areas.
Oooffftt just past the post
Good Aftermoon!
Here is something new about REALLY bad losers…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/congrats-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word/
JJ
PS Does anyone share my view that our expectations of Brendan are maybe a wee bit high?
Not expecting much from him with regards to Europe this year..
Winning the Europa next year and Champions league the year after that is not asking too much surely?
CM…in defence, game in front of him…..canter, better that boyata or jozo
Put him in the middle….nah, too quick for him, too many angles, doesnt get time on the ball.
Hope Brendan, is tuning in:)
HH
His versatility is another main reason he’ll be getting kept on.
You need guys like that to keep things ticking along whilst the big changes are taking place.
Ronny just kept too many of them and before long confusion all round, no one really knew where they stood and the big changes didnt really happen.
HH
All our centre halves would look a step up in class if our midfield protected them better.
Solidity in front of the defence and more quality (technically , speed and stamina wise) in the attacking zones for me.
‘cough’ I wouldn’t play Scott Brown for that reason ‘cough’
Bench?
Bench
KLV
weeminger
You’ve got to take yourself out of the Ronny mindset – I find several dunks in the sink work. If not, sit under a tree and meditate him away.
Ronny’s gone, and his brand of football has hopefully gone with him.
Look, Charlie is getting on so I’m not going to sit here and say ‘Let’s build the team around Chazza’ because that would be faintly idiotic. I never understood why he got POTY, then again the only recent POTY I ever saw sense in was Emilio, so less said the better.
Mulgrew, along with others, was part of a midfield diamond that worked. That it worked is beyond doubt. Look at it – 4-3-1-2 or 4-4-2, whatever you want to call it. Commons at the pinnacle, Charlie usually inside left or centre holding – this midfield was the bee’s knees. 18 times he appeared there, clocking up 49 points out of 54 in the process. That is a stat Ronny would have killed for. It’s also something he ignored from the get go, foisting on us the terrible spectacle of 4-2-3-1, or the sideways descent into hell as I call it.
I know Brendan liked the diamond at Liverpool, that’s why I very much hope he can bring it to this Celtic team – no need for a complete overhaul (although defence is one area where the terms ‘clearout’ and ‘spend’ can feature as liberally as you like), just set it up and go. Then add/change as you go along.
Of course I’m getting all this out now in case Brendan decides 4-2-3-1 is just dandy, thank you very much and we get horsed out of Europe by a bunch of Scandinavians – I want to enjoy the summer.
Am smokin.http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-36387704.
Claim to fame in jeopardy !!!!
Braw
Funky phone.
I agree RE.Broony Big Wavy.
Complicated argument though.
KLV
3 or 4 quality additions away ?
Gordon
(Invest) or Janko
Erik
Jozo
KT
(Big Invest – DM)
Rogic, Johannsson (14/15 version) or Armstrong
Roberts
(Invest – Winger)
Griff
(Big Invest – CF)
SPFL announce seeds and format for new regionalised League Cup
http://bit.ly/1qL9Tm8
Eight First Round Group Stage winners and the four best runners-up progress to the second round, joined by the SPFL’s four UEFA qualifying clubs (Celtic, Aberdeen, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian). So Hibs it is ..
“this midfield was the bee’s knees. 18 times he appeared there, clocking up 49 points out of 54 in the process.”
Up over,
When was this period?
Cheers
HH
Some rubbish being talked on here this morning.
Celtic have no chance of winning the Intergalactic Championship in the next three years. This is a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on Brendan at this early stage.
Clearly a few teams, including the Champions of Alpha Centauri, Pegasus and Ursa Minor galaxies are a step or two up from Celtic’s current level.
This is before we even consider some of the inter dimensional teams.
Intergalactic Champions! Pffffffffftt Dream on.
Not a bad idea to keep Charlie, his experience will be valuable. It looks like it will be lively next season with Glib stoking the flames. I can see the Newco losing the plot all together.
Embramike,
The permaragersover in Sevconia will love those seedings.
Eurochamps67
Second Seed Rangers:)) sounds about right:))
Lurking’ huns well you know the drill…
Geordie Munro
It was the late Lennon period – just after I am the Walrus and immediately before Yoko Deila came in with his daft ideas about peace and took away Celtic’s mojo.
Bloated squad? Let’s give an injury prone player a new contract, makes perfect sense.
Cha Mul Gru
Gettin’ a bit oul’…..but
Genuinely Celtic…………….
thru an’ thru.
Good move Brendan.
Just one thing about that diamond: Lenny never trusted it in Europe, nearly always went for a flat 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. There must have been a reason – no doubt some enlightened chap on here can let us know – but it was really successful in Scotland, particularly in the narrower away grounds.
Hunderbirds,
We’re light-years away from that standard at the moment.
HH
I thought the Scottish League Cup was only open to clubs who were ACTUALLY in one of the four SPFL divisions at the start of the competition?
Cove Huns and East Stirling urnae.
Hence the name, the Scottish LEAGUE Cup.
The Scottish (FA) Cup on the other hand has always been open to non-league clubs.
Ach, who cares!
HH!!
BR has a huge job trying to sift through the first team squad to get to the potential therein.
What he has inherited borders on the absurd — the lost, the lonely the completely useless.
And even more basic than that he needs to get them fit — both physically and mentally.
He really is starting from Ground Zero.
The job in the end become one of survival for RD.
His horizon the next training session never mind the next game.
Consequently BR will earn his money putting some structure and togetherness into the first team squad — too many time last season we seemed to put out two 6 a side teams onto the park with a common goal keeper. Two groups that would not naturally pass to each other.
Cliques, petty jealousies, egos, delusions of adequacy — they were all there and stopped us playing to our full potential.
If he can sort that out he will be well on his way.
If he can fix the injury situation and the poor conditioning then we will at least be competitive.
If all this then gets another 12 months at his best out of SB then even better.
A good manager / coach is someone who gets the team to play better and more effectively than their individual talents would suggest.
Last season — especially when it mattered — we were playing to 80% of the individual ability available to us. No wonder we flopped so often and so spectacularly.
Malmo still can’t believe their luck.
TFOD2 are now cursing us as we allowed to fail on a bigger stage.
Consequently we could go far with the talent we have.
Some serious coaching and conditioning and we will well on our way.
BR has a number of positives going forward.
PL is now back in his bean counter box — seen not heard.
The “outlaws” are well known and their card has been marked — who stays and who goes?
He is the boss and he looks like and sounds like the boss.
AF when faced with a similar clique bumped NW and kept BRob and PMcG.
He then started looking for CB’s to keep things dynamic.
BRog will do the same but with more departures.
All will be made clear come Sept 1st.
Chapter 1 will be written by then — hopefully with a happy ending.
Love they Alpha Centauri away games…
…but the 18,000 years, 40 trillion mile bus trip back is worse than Aberdeen if you get horsed..
HH
BGFC
HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE on 26TH MAY 2016 12:18 PM
Oh , yeah ?
That was the mentality on the arrival of Jock.
Two years and a few months it took him.
Don`t rule anything out.
BGFC
Recent advances in sub space propulsion mean you can now get to Alpha Centauri in under 12 hours.
Easyspace voyages now include warm food and……….. Wait for it………… alcohol, although only local spirit. Be careful with the Andorian Brandy though…… Firewater :)))
This year .
Group stages and S.P.L. Win.
That`ll do.
Let the trivia win the cabal cups.
Hibs won’t be allowed to win the Scottish Cup, they said.
Those using this rationale to justify a continued boycott really ought to look at the bigger picture.
One reknowned poster even suggested prior to his arrival Brendan Rodgers was a ‘season ticket squirrel’ [Football club tries to entice fans…shockerooni eh! ]
Now that he’s here, he’s just another puppet!
This is our time – get back to where you belong and support your team.
HH
Madmitch
I’m not so sure we are at ground zero but yeah there is a big job for Brendan…..
As a half full sort Ronny helped provide some pluses on Kieran Tierney, Paddy Roberts, Erik, return of Tam Rogic and Callum and the revitalisation of the Griff to name a few….
They are pluses we didn’t have a year ago.
Graham from Sunderland if this is true were getting another Carlton Cole why Brendan why ? I cant say I am impressed by the rumours of players we are supposed to be interested in. H.H.
HUNDERBIRDS ARE GONE on 26TH MAY 2016 12:18 PM
Some rubbish being talked on here this morning.
Celtic have no chance of winning the Intergalactic Championship ……
===========
If travelling to away games, remember 2 things
1. Your towel.
2.never drink more than 2 Pangalactic Gargleblasters .
THE Clumpany
Sure if The Magic HAt was about he could tell us how
disrespectful it was.
Also sure if the Records story about Warby failing to sign contract
As”Agreeing in principle”
If it was Celtic manager
might have had a slightly different SLANT.
“Celtic manager sticks two fingers up to derisory Offer”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
THECLUMPANY on 26TH MAY 2016 12:02 PM
Good Aftermoon!
Here is something new about REALLY bad losers…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/congrats-seems-to-be-the-hardest-word/
Can someone please start some RUMOURS linking us to braw players to keep the easily influenced Joe fh impressed?
Cheers and thank-you
HH