Notwithstanding we had four strikers isolating and that under most circumstances, four strikers would be sufficient, the games against Hibs and Livingston highlighted a long-term problem. Celtic have been able to produce wingers, defenders and midfielders who have become first choice starters in the first team, but we are unable to produce a striker.
In the last 20 years, Craig Beattie is arguably our most successful striker-graduate from the youth system (gulp), and he moved on having scored 13 goals for the club, the kind of return Leigh Griffiths may have hoped for in a month, a few years back.
Gerry Creaney made his debut 31 years ago and spent a couple of seasons as a regular starter, before eventually playing Premier League football for Manchester City (it was a different world back then, kids), but Gerry was nowhere near a top performer at the club.
It is now over 40 years since the last iconic striker, Charlie Nicholas, came through the youth system to electrify Celtic Park for three seasons. He returned for a five-year spell later, when he largely stood on the same spot every 90 minutes, before working out some deep therapeutic issues as a media pundit in later years.
40 years and we were unable to produce a striker with the talent of Leigh Griffiths, despite many changes in coaches, systems and first team budgets? This sounds unlikely. I suspect the opportunities afforded to the young Leigh at Livingston were denied to hundreds of Celtic youth strikers.
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He was criticising Hamilton and St Johnstone.
The CEO should have dealt with these issues at the time
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on 19th January 2021 10:09 am
The big bad proddie squirrel getting aired regularly today. Are you a tory? Just asking.
As the pantomine continues over Neil Lennon’s views on public health policy, we don’t get even close to any meaningful questions about football.
What does the last 2 games say about the quality of the wider Celtic squad?
What made you think Tom Rogic would be an effective target man?
What was your thinking behind dropping Stephen Welsh for the Livi game?
Who in the last 2 games proved capable of stepping in regularly in your opinion?
Who is your first team keeper?
What do you believe you need to do to increase chance creation for the team?
What are your plans for recruitment in January?
What do you think it will take for Celtic to win every game?
etc etc.
Or maybe the continued focus on public health, legitimate age-old squabbles with the SFA and sectarian scotland allows much needed diversions for the board/management team to the stuff that matters most now – the deterioration of the team in front of our eyes and the failed quest for 10IAR.
Mmmmmmm
HH
Change.org petition – dearie me!
Have now watched the entire presser from yesterday. NL raises some good points and some ‘non advisable’ comments IMO which were included in the initial 40 sec PLZ clip.
He is clearly charged and emotional on the Dubai fiasco and rightly calls out double standards of politicians, pundits and media.
The club could/should have put their response out in a better way instead of leaving it to NL.
NL and first team coaches need to go for responsibility of team’s inept performances this season.
But PL/Bankier and rest of the board are not leading and they need to go too.
DESSYBHOY
I’m sure I read somewhere that the reason Celric Park doesn’t get a European final is because the changing rooms were too small.
I’ve been in them and they look quite big to me!
BIG WAVY
A lot of deflection in yesterdays press conference.
We look as if there is not one youth player who is able to slot into the team and perform.
The worrying thing is that none of them are even teenagers
Big Wavy, excellent post. Too many at the club and on here looking for places to hide.
BIG WAVY
These four in particular were the subject of much discussion in the BGFC household before, during and after the Livingston game:
– What made you think Tom Rogic would be an effective target man?
– What was your thinking behind dropping Stephen Welsh for the Livi game?
– Who is your first team keeper?
All issues that were perplexing to me.
Would have been good to hear reasonable discussion about those team issues, and others, though. I suppose a combination of getting things off his chest, and the media attack dogs (really just weak, fluffy poodles, to be honest) made civil discourse difficult.
I do really have huge sympathy and admiration for Neil on a personal level – also very conflicted because he / his coaching setup isn’t what we need for Celtic.
HH
BGFC
No one taking responsibility for anything that is wrong at the club, its all someone else’ fault.
Timmy7, it’s not really any of your business, but the answer is no.
Are you part of Jimmy Krankie’s fan club?
Let’s see what dominates the headlines at tea time.
On another point, NL was asked on his future and pretty much said he expects to continue and hasn’t been told otherwise.
So sounds like all these rumours of wednesday’s Livingstone game being his last game and Eddie Howe taking over imminently after are just that – rumours.
PHILBHOY on 19TH JANUARY 2021 10:52 AM
DESSYBHOY
I’m sure I read somewhere that the reason Celtic Park doesn’t get a European final is because the changing rooms were too small.
I’ve been in them and they look quite big to me!
====================
I think another issue is that the team buses can’t drive directly in to the stadium – UEFA don’t like the players having to come out of buses and mixing with the fans (and given some of the yahoos that are out there, you have to have a bit of sympathy on that one).
HH
BGFC
St Tams – 60 odd in Dubai trip maybe that elusive youth player (centre forward) was there and is self isolating.
D :)
Philbhoy
I believe that you need access for the team coaches to enter inside the stadium to get a Euro final.
ST TAMS on 19TH JANUARY 2021 10:46 AM
‘He was criticising Hamilton and St Johnstone.’
###
No he wasn’t.
If I remember correctly you’re the poster who said that NFL would get a year’s wages if he resigned, because he has a one year rolling contract.
I only mention this as it’s a useful yardstick by which to measure the worth of your opinions
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM
You never needed to answer thanks for confirming, who is Jimmy Krankie and what does he have to do with Celtic?
Big Wavy
Spot on
D :)
Squirrels R Us
D
It’s not to say that I don;t disagree with some of the content (and targets) of Neil’s presser but it felt like one of those red-carded, scything tackles in the last few minutes in a game we are losing when we all cheer from our guts in defiance but ultimately nothing good comes from it in the long term.
The guardians of Celtic have shown no interest in tackling SFA maladministration, press bias and in-built racism in Scotland when we were winning all and sundry. Context-wise, we just look a bit angry at losing at the moment.
Onto the football.
Will the carpet at the Tony Macaroni be Neil’s ‘Tony Mowbray’ moment against St Mirren?
Gulp….
BGFC and GENE
Thanks!
Any info on the player with covid please?
ERNIE LYNCH
I never said that about him resigning.
But I did say he should never have been given the job in May 2019
Good Morning Timland…
Got to say, when Charlie Nicholas came through the ranks Celtic had some great coaches – it seems to me, this current lot, including “Lenny the Legend” could lace their boots.
Looking forward to the game
COYBIG
WeDon’tCareIfWeWinLoseOrDrawCSC
Hail Hail
Obvious couldn’t lace their boots;)
Spot the difference and make your choice :
“CLINK\O/ 4X3 on 19TH JANUARY 2021 10:39 AM
Lenny did not have a go at any other club.
He asked why we could only have 3 players on a 56 seater bus but it was ok to have the full team in a small dressing room.”
“ST TAMS on 19TH JANUARY 2021 10:46 AM
He was criticising Hamilton and St Johnstone
The CEO should have dealt with these issues at the time.”.
BIG WAVY
He had his Tony Mowbray against Sparta Prague x2. It could have been 6 or 7 in both games
I thought it was good to hear NL say most of what he said but it should have been PL that addressed these issues in a cool and collected manner, NL was obviously going to be emotional and come across wrongly. The manager should stick to football issues I think and there are enough of these: Why leave out young Welsh? TR as CF, you must be kidding.Why no Taylor again?
BTW didn’t think the article on young Oko-Flex was too mean, after all he’s been agitating for a chance and he got one and then a golden one and he lost his composure and that’s that. But probably after enjoying the irony the author should have binned it. It seems that a number of youth will be leaving when contracts expire: Harper, Oko-Flex and Dembele. Perhaps it’s for the best. They need competitive football. If I were them I’d hope to get into a club that also has a second string team in a lower league which I think is the case in some European countries.
big wavy on 19th January 2021 11:05 am
I think you could well be correct. That night at Love Street I was in bed ill listening to the radio and it was the only time in my Celtic supporting life that I actually lost it with a manager and openly abused him on this site for which I got pelters from happy clappers on here.
Its a good comparison because we are at the stage where keeping the manager in a job is actually making its harder for everyone involved to maintain perspective, exactly as it was with Mowbray.
Could be a blood letting on here and other sites if we take a doing.
Mowbray should have gone earlier and Neil also should have gone by now, I described our performance on Saturday as Mowbrayesque to fellow tims, it felt very similar. No plan, no energy, no passion and most importantly severely lacking in talent. Only thing missing was a take it on the chin comment post match.
Could it be that Lennys outburst at the press meeting was preceded by another meeting .
How long does it take to get anger out of your system ,maybe he should have cancel the second one .
THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 19TH JANUARY 2021 10:09 AM
Last night Neil Lennon deserved a ‘duty of care’; this morning ‘ the real villains of the piece are those at Celtic who put a clearly overly emotional individual in that position’.
Are you a Hun on the wind up or just a patronising arsehole?
——-
I take it that’s directed at me?
It seems to be standard procedure on here for people to label anyone who disagrees with their opinions as a Hun.
I’m not a Hun so I guess in your view that makes me the latter of your binary options.
Away and play with your squirrels.
Our board love people like you.
Agreed Wavy, I said much the same yesterday – call them out when we’re winning lest it looks like deflection and sour grapes.
Hot Smoked on 18th January 2021 9:55PM
Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda
Good morning, Mr Smoked. English grammar, first period?
Had a great three hours earlier listening to the radio cricket from Brisbane, mindful of the homework exercise you set last night.
When Judge Jeffries sentenced me to hang, I should have walked quietly to the scaffold instead of stealing my guard’s revolver and shooting the judge dead. Missed obligation.
When I drove into the rear end of Rachel Riley’s car, I should have asked her for a date instead of only exchanging insurance details. Lost opportunity.
I’m comfortable with my expressed thought that the absence of Neil’s fire and energy, as seen yesterday, from every game we’ve played this season has been a lost opportunity.
Go India
————–
What do we never want?
Perspective.
When do we never want it?
Ever.
I think it will be an interesting team selection tomorrow night
Are the covid self isolators all back tomorrow?
FANADPATRIOT
It always is !!
“GUYFAWKESAFOREVERHERO on 19TH JANUARY 2021 11:22 AM
Hot Smoked on 18th January 2021 9:55PM”
I should have refrained from making that comment.
Lennon still in a job?