The story of Celtic’s left back position has been largely painful over the years. Emilio Izaguirre arrived after the 2010 Wold Cup and, for a few seasons at least, strengthened what was a perennial weak spot in the team. You’re going back decades, possibly to Danny McGrain himself, before you’ll find someone in the left back position Emilio wasn’t clearly a stand-out improvement on.
Having supplanted Emilio in the Celtic team, there’s a good chance that 18-year-old Kieran Tierney will make his Scotland debut tonight on his breakthrough season. It’s a great story for a player who has physicality and maturity beyond his years. We might just have a genuine player on our hands.
The echo of a big failure at left back still reverberates around the club. Seven years ago Sligo Rovers’ Seamus Coleman, was on trial at Lennoxtown, but was sent home as he wasn’t judged able to put pressure on Lee Naylor, during Gordon Strachan’s last season. Then reserve team coach, Willie McStay, recommended Coleman to Everton, where the player has turned into one of the best left backs in the English Premier League.
Assessing strikers is comparatively easy; there are objective statistics (goals scored) to inform your view, including at youth level. It’s not as easy assessing a defender, where picking a winner offers you only subjective opinions. Kieran has achieved far more than any of his teenage contemporaries this season, some of whom were more lauded than him.
Perhaps the crucial deciding factor in all this was who was given an extended run in the team. If you don’t allow your youth players to graduate (at the right time), and don’t sacrifice first team mainstays (at the right time) you’ll forever buy other teams’ graduates.
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Cowiebhoy on 29th March 2016 11:24 pm
Fair enough. I’m not fussed either way with Commons but would keep McGregor and Rogic. Wouldn’t argue with your assessment of the others.
Incidentally, still think we need better quality and pace in centre of defence,
And better quality for up front with Griffiths
As 2 priority areas in the summer
Not sure we will get anymore centre halfs if Mulgrew re-signs
Need to move on Cole ( he will go) and Ciftci to create space for another punt at a forward
COWIEBHOY
I think Boerrigter still has another 12 months on contract ?
12 months…..or in other words……..3 hamstrings, 2 groins and an ankle’s worth.
Tonight confirmed……
1 KT is a classy young act. Looked like he’d played international football for years.
2. Big Erik is another classy young act given his reaction to an appalling coward’s challenge that could have broken his leg or fekked (technical term) his knee.
3. Those of us who noticed how young McGinn harried, snapped and occasionally bullied Broonie all through the game at Celtic Park a while back can spot a fitba player better than those paid a lot to spot fitba players for us.
No other natural Broonie successor anywhere in sight.
Wtf!!!!
HH jamesgang
Shocking tackle on Erik tonight. Just as well for new RFC that none of their lads were exposed to that sort of risk with the run in and all that.
James
How good was Dublin?
How special were Almore, Clogher Celt, WITS and 16roads. Heroes! Magical weekend.
I didn’t watch the Scotland game or any other game for that matter tonight. Instead I watched the brilliant Liam Neeson narrated documentary on the 16 uprising, In the Name of the Father, The Wind that Shakes the Barley, and am finishing off a batch of drams with a few rebel songs.
I would have loved to have joined friends in Dublin at the weekend instead of watching it on tv and wishing I was there.
Almore, your flag is flying proudly at ACGR towers,
HH
P.S. Glad to see our players came through the internationals without injury.
16 Roads, I expect you in fun city for a post split game, first round is on you …………then I’ll sort out the rest:_)
ACGR
You were missed and discussed in Dublin’s Fair City. Where the girls are so pretty.
HH
P.P.S.
Dallas, you are right, Wiess is a wee horrible hun rat. His uncle should have drowned him in his christening font.
DD FFS, you must have been bored if I was the topic. Or, do I wo sombdy some money?
Maybe see you sat bruv
HH
I see the conversation has turned to our midfield and possible exits and entries.
Personally, I would like to hear how well Liam Henderson is doing in his loan spell at Hibs.
I had high hopes that he would make the leap to first team automatic choice and be groomed as a natural successor to Broonie.
On Res12, I see Phil has penned a letter to the club.
Why?
Is he party to the resolution?
Since the matter is subject to certain court conditions as mentioned numerous times by Auldheid and BRTH, what response can Celtic make publicly?
While it’s good to hear some insights from the people responsible, should any of us expect Celtic to open themselves to criticism and possible legal action?
Let’s leave the guys responsible to provide feedback as they are able.
Let’s not use this as a cudgel to beat the board.
Or in this age of instant gratification and opinion have we forgotten to be patient and trusting?
Left-backs? Jim Kennedy!
Delaneys/ACGR
Dublin – was it any good?
‘Graffiti on the wall says its magic….’
;-)
HH jamesgang
To sleep. All of us!
Not quite .
‘GG
Maybe the reason Phil has written to the club is, just like the rest of us, he is sick and tired of the cheating and corruption all in the name of one club.
Maybe, like the rest of us, he is sick and tired by our club’s continued silence on this cheating and corruption.
The board need to let the supporters know our club’s position on this cheating before ST renewal time.
Silence is no longer an option.
No PeteC tonight?
Astounded of forehead by Scotland’s win?
Excited at the prospect of Saturday’s game?
I am.
I dislike international weeks as I have little or no interest in Scotland’s results.
I’m probably in the same boat as a load of older Celtic fans, who witnessed the Lisbon Lions being passed over for players of lesser quality who just happened to play for the late Rangers.
Even when they appeared for Scotland they were roundly booed and vilified from a large portion of the Hampden crowds.
Billy McNeil in 18 years only received 29 caps.
Jinky in 10 years at CP only had 23.
Howevva the greatest injustice of all must be the number of caps given to the best right half I have ever seen. The man of whom Big Jock said “When he plays, Celtic plays.”
Bobby Murdoch
12 caps. Yes 12. Why? Rhetorical question. We all know why.
Would anyone wonder why I don’t give a monkey’s when Scotland play?
Lubo
He obviously didn’t read BRTH last night before stepping into the fray.
Good morning CQN
Just been reading back
Belated Birthday wishes to leftclicktic Mrs B T
Hope you had a great day
Hail Hail
Mt
Good morning my fellow scribes and supporters from a grey, overcast but currently dry East Kilbride.
It’s been a wee while, but just 3 more sleeps then we get the honour of roaring on The Bhoys to victory as we get ever closer to achieving 5 (five) in a row..
Bad a Bing
I use adblocker as my search engine for Cqn and continue to use safari for everything else
So far no probs
Jobo Baldie
____________
May God always shine his light on you and yours.
You’ll Never Walk Alone….in the Jungle.
HH
BlantyreTim
_____________
A belated Happy-Hoopy-Birthday
to yer better half, hope ye treated her well.
Hail Hail my pal.
Mountblow Tim
________________
Stay strong fella.
You’ll Never Walk Alone….in the Jungle.
HH
67 Heaven
____________
If yer aboot – do ye think that the board will diss Phil’s Res : 12 questions now that, by asking them directly….he’s put out there into Celtic cyberspace, exactly what the ‘burning-issue’ is in Timdom ?
Ah mean, surely yer beloved board will now have to step up to the plate and, curry favor with their cheated customers what with, season book renewal time looming ‘LARGE’ on the horizon ?
HH
KEVJUNGLE on 30TH MARCH 2016 7:50 AM
Mountblow Tim
________________
Stay strong fella.
You’ll Never Walk Alone….in the Jungle.
HH
Kev you stay strong as well and keep up the good fight
God bless you
Mt
Hail Hail
Morning all.
I gather the red tops are highlighting the “tackle” on our Danish defender last night. I am not astounded of forehead that they do NOT highlight such “tackles” every week that our players are subjected to in the SPFL.
GG,
I understand where you are coming with regard to the Lions representing Scotland, especially the one and only Bobby Murdoch, yet I still want them to to win. Can’t help it; it’s a bit like Celtic (although not nearly so). I am always anxious when we are playing. I never take anything for granted, as I had too many disappointments as a wee bhoy.
GooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooD
Morning
C………………………..Q…………………………N
sunnyWithvariableWindsOntheCostas
Mr Pastry,
Yesterday you summarised to an extent, the consequences and penalties incurred by the oldco, I read and thought it strange that a Celtic fan could quantify the probable losses to that entity without looking at the damage that has been done to OUR club in the same period, bearing in mind that I maintain that the cheating started almost as soon as Souness and Murray walked in the front door. Regardless, sticking with your timeline, possibly 6 League titles robbed, the prize money and entry into the Champions League that we were deprived of, possibly somewhere between 50-80 million pounds? League and Scottish Cups stolen, prize money and lost gates, possibly somewhere between 10-12 million pounds.
The inability to sign better players thus improving the team on the park during that period and therefore bringing in greater crowds, hospitality, sponsorship, maybe another 10 million pounds?
These figures are the tip of a very deep iceberg and don’t reflect the money that the oldco obtained under false premise, so no I don’t think that the have been “punished enough”. We have lost out on close to 70-100 million pounds by my rough estimate while the other guy has walked away with almost the same amount of other people’s money and is trying to come back out of the tunnel with just a slap on the wrist.
As for Res 12, what we want to see is leadership from the leaders, if I can use a horse racing analogy as a lot of the Bhoys on here are fond of a bet.
We are in a big race, we are one of the favourites but the word is that the other favourite has been getting a few steroid jabs, we are well in the lead but the drugged top weight is catching us, suddenly his jockey starts to use his whip on our jockey, our man fights back gallantly and maintains his lead, from nowhere, the crazed jockey of the top weight drags our man off of his horse and wins by a fat head. All in view clearly see the injustice, surely a stewards enquiry? The clerk of the course doesn’t see it, the jockey club say move on to the next race! The stewards say it was an accident. Surely the connections of our champion will raise hell……Alas no, there’s to much riding on the next race.
At their peril!
Broke the blog?
ANTIPODEANRED
Not helped much by our Racing Manager slipping an extra stone of lead into the saddle-cloth when the trainer wasn’t looking!
Morning all. Gardening duties for me. I have neglected it lately.
Bobby,
I think he might have slipped a couple of mickys (pardon the pun) into the connections drinks, that bit remains to be seen
Bobby
Aye, and the connections of the winning horse and the stewards were all wearing the same colours!
ANTIPODEANRED@8:24 – I was at pains to point out that I was not in the “we have been punished enough campaign”, and furthermore stated that I was in favour of titles and prizes ‘won’ during the ‘financial doping’ period, being stripped – furthermore I also wrote that I should like to see some closure on the Resolution 12 issue.
What I was looking at was not the consequences visited on the ‘oldco’ as you suggest, but the outcomes since ADMINISTRATION AND LIQUIDATION, that still impact on the occupants of Ibrox, right up to date, and no doubt well into the future.
My overarching point was that if at the start in 2012, when we were made aware of the whole fiasco, the consequences that have now befallen Rangers/Sevco had been laid out as punishments, then many of our supporters would have accepted those punishments as just.
Only after the HMRC verdict is upheld (hopefully), does there become a prima faciie case to mount a challenge to the titles and prizes won during the EBT period – i.e. EBTs become undeclared income and not loans.
I have not quantified what the ‘opportunity cost’ could have been to Celtic, simply because the bulk of that loss would, as you have guestimated, have come from the Champions League participation; and with qualifying rounds to be negotiated (on occasion), it is impossible to accurately quantify.However the loss to Rangers/Sevco have happened, and in this way able to be quantified – as I said my figures, based on pre-administration, are my best guess.
With regard to “damage” to Celtic – of course there has been financial loss, however this loss is hard to quantify – to illustrate this, I would use a test of attempting to sue for loss in court – one can”t sue for income based on speculation – i.e. how far a team might have progressed in a competition – so only denial of the cash prize proper to the first available round of entry, can be entertained. There has been, in essence, no structural damage to Celtic FC, who have, through prudent and professional management, kept our club in a healthy and winning position domestically.
Finally, on the Resolution 12 issue – I said that I do not want what may have been ‘skullduggery’ between ‘Rangers’ and the SFA to perversely have a detrimental effect on the Celtic family – yes of course there are uncertainties for all of us regarding – who said what, and when – however those UNCERTAINTIES, as far as I am concerned, surround material facts, some of which we are unaware – I have no DOUBTS that the Celtic board are doing their duty in protecting the interests of Celtic, its shareholders and supporters – time will tell.
Only by looking at both sides of a problem can a definitive answer be arrived at – I try to be ‘clear-headed’ and not to look at everything through ‘green-tinted glasses’
Mr pastry
Don’t disagree with most of what you say
However
“I have no DOUBTS that the Celtic board are doing their duty in protecting the interests of Celtic, its shareholders and supporters”
I truly wish I shared your opinion on that one.