Bayo: opponents will hate him and his goal stats will impress. The Run

I lost count on how many times Bayo was written off by people who had seen less than 10 minutes of him.  Even after the Cluj defeat, when he appeared as an 88th minute substitute, he was described to me as a ‘lamppost’.  Similar things could be said about the Tom Rogic, Ryan Christie, Callum McGregor, Odsonne Edouard and even Moussa Dembele.  It is almost as though players do not get better after they settle in the club/country and grow into the Celtic shirt.

For the best part of 30 years, Celtic failed to improve players compared to the average domestic or European competitor.  We also failed to convert often prodigious young talent into accomplished first team members.  Now there is a steady stream of youth players making the grade, Mikey Johnston being the most recent and players arrive at Celtic with a much better than average chance of improving.

I don’t know what Bayo is going to achieve, but his first start compares to any from a Celtic striker in recent memory.  He is quick, has good upper-body strength, and throws himself around in the air to great effect, something that neither Odsonne or Leigh Griffiths are suited for.  My guess is, opponents will hate playing against him and his goals stats will be better than anyone expects.

The Great Scottish Run is five weeks away.  If you are booked in and not yet linked with a beneficiary, or fancy a crack at the 10k or Half Marathon, there is still time to enter and run for the Celtic FC Foundation.

Running through Glasgow in a Celtic Foundation T-shirt is a life affirming experience.  You get to represent something special, something you believe in.  This is different from any other Celtic experience I’ve had.

If you are a runner, I can recommend it, details here.  I’m going to enter but I’ve hardly put my trainers on this year.  There’s a lot of work to do between now and then….