Helicoptering in central defenders

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I know we are all concerned about the injury crisis affecting central defence, but it is difficult to move the dial here in the short term.  Central defence is overwhelmingly about partnerships.  You can try to helicopter someone into the team (think Carl Starfelt two years ago) but it seldom provides an immediate return.

If we only have two fit central defenders, Brendan will use the time he has to school them for the immediate challenges.  Liam Scales and Gustaf Lagerbielke will be spending a lot of time together this week.

You and I have discussed the need for significantly more wingers than we would have in the squad in earlier times, due to the five substitutes rule.  Most managers are reluctant to change defensive or central midfield players, meaning forwards are more commonly swapped out during games.

No surprise then that we are linked with another winger, this time 23-year-old Honduran, Luis Palma, who joined Aris Thessalonica in January 2022.  He would be our third new winger this window, with four others still in the first team squad (and that’s not counting Rocco Vata).  Surely at least one will move on?

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278 Comments

  1. Clunks/Mod

     

     

    Not heard anything,glad yi emailed him,much missed cqn’r.the adverts are a freckin nightmare

     

     

    HH

  2. I wonder how the mini huns would get on trying to play football ?

     

    Their cheating ways let them down big time .

  3. Scottish refs pay attention

     

     

    When you kick the ball away

     

     

    Its a yellow card

     

     

    And especially if he has been booked before

  4. Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney is on the brink of a season-long loan move to La Liga side Real Sociedad, ending any Celtic hope of landing the former Bhoys talent.

     

     

    Reliable journalist David Ornstein, of The Athletic, has reported that the two clubs are on the verge of an agreement and that Tierney could travel to undergo a medical as early as this weekend.

  5. I watched a fair portion of the Hearts` game and thought:

     

    a) They played some nice football at times but, overall,weren`t really good enough so reverted to the Scottish game;

     

    b) Paok played a fair bit of good football;

     

    c) Shankland was unlucky with his offside `goal` but was lucky to stay on the pitch;

     

    d) I could only stomach about two or three minutes of ridiculously blinkered commentary. Truly dreadful;

     

    e) St Johnstone are 35/1 to beat us on Saturday !

  6. SCULLYBHOY on 24TH AUGUST 2023 7:26 PM,

     

     

    “the silence was as if the king had died. In footballing terms, the king had died”.

     

     

    That was very true, I was in Cardiff that night.

     

     

    The weirdest eeriest feeling descended on the place.

     

     

    Tragic:((((

     

     

    Hail Hail

  7. paulsthroughball88 on

    CLUNKS on 24TH AUGUST 2023 9:47 PM

     

     

    “Scottish refs pay attention

     

     

    When you kick the ball away

     

     

    Its a yellow card

     

     

    And especially if he has been booked before”

     

    ________________________________

     

     

    It’s not their ignorance of the rules that’s the problem, it’s their ignorance of the concept of sporting integrity, same as those who employ them.

  8. Which is something else

     

     

    racism, bigotry

     

     

    Are 2 of the words

     

     

    But never ignorant

     

     

    They know EXACTLY what they are doing

  9. MODERATOR1888 on 24TH AUGUST 2023 6:07 PM

     

    PHILBHOY

     

    Thought about Ralston in midfield too

     

    Don’t think it would work as he aint mobile enough (by that I mean positionally aware)

     

    If he is there for dig, then don’t think he is cute enough ala broonie

     

    The problem we have in midfield is we are still playing a 4-3-3

     

    with one deeper midfielder and 2 further forward…. etc etc

     

     

    ——–

     

     

    Great post Mod; enjoyed your analysis.

     

     

    ——

     

     

    CLUNKS re Shankland.

     

    He seems a natural poacher, as is Kyogo. Unlike Kyogo, he kens how to play dirty bassa stuff (which has its use)

     

     

    ——–

     

     

    Btw; re stand-in CBs – what happened to the Rob Holding rumours?

  10. Kyogo is as dirty as they come

     

     

    Except he will kick them down,

     

     

    bow deeply and ask if they are ok

     

     

    do you know what I mean, its mint

     

     

    kick the boy, and spend ages making sure he is ok lol

     

     

    breaks me every time lol

  11. Stivs

     

     

    KT like McGinn are operating in a stratosphere above our club

     

     

    Glad we had KT, the broken jaw/tooth/dentist thing in the cup final

     

     

    When he held the cup up and shouted (fecked up jaw and teeth lol)

     

     

    He was one of us

     

     

    And he always will be

     

     

    but not this season

  12. what i mean for KT.

     

     

    do not be bullied by the club manager and organisation just to move anywhere, la liga, unless it is to their biggest clubs/

     

     

    sit tight, make them sweat, the bhoy is a great player, now being treated as a commodity,

  13. Stivs

     

     

    I wish him all the best

     

     

    KT was always levels above the rest of the team in heart, dig and ability

     

     

    He was one of us,

     

     

    I would love him to come back

     

     

    But his club will dictate where and when he leaves

     

     

    They hold a full deck

     

     

    And 2 up the sleeve

     

     

    He is now not training with the 1st team

     

     

    He will be back

     

     

    Just not this season

  14. paulsthroughball88 on

    CLUNKS

     

     

    “They have the knowledge and information”

     

    ________________________

     

     

    So why would you ask them to note how to deal with a player kicking the ball away?

     

     

    That suggested ignorance of the rules on their part.

     

     

    Hence me saying that’s not the problem.

     

     

    I used ignorance of the concept of sporting integrity, because the cheating is so blatant at times it seems as if they have no idea that such a thing exists.

     

     

    But perhaps ‘disregard’ would be a better choice of word, rather than ignorance.

     

     

    Believe me, I’m not trying in any way to excuse their shenanigans.

  15. Not writing of KT yet.Arsenal want a loan to buy.Maybe to expensive,or KT might refuse.Arsenal hold no cards.KTs contract is a full house.

     

    Like Ajeti,if you like

  16. bigrailroadblues on

    Good evening all from the Westbury, 38th St.

     

    Mrs BRRB enjoying a cuppa and ole Johnny sipping a pint of fine Yankee ale. Its a hard life. 🍻

  17. Good morning all from the Northern estate of the Garngad.

     

     

    Pistol pete’s wee game continues, there os a hitch in this deal a hitch in that deal, blah, blah, blah…

     

    Hitch = too much cash and this guy has Bonus, bonus, bonus on his mind.

     

     

    Snakeoilliarcsc

     

     

    D :)

  18. My friends in Celtic ,

     

     

    Tomorrow we get back on track.

     

    A rejuvenated chapter on our incredible journey.

     

     

    We all have our own views on how we do that. All opinion must be welcomed

     

     

    Be open minded, but consider this :-

     

     

    “Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance”

     

     

    Hail hail to all.

  19. Word of the Day is ‘boodlery’ (19th century): unprincipled behaviour in public office.

  20. paulsthroughball88 on

    TURKEYBHOY on 25TH AUGUST 2023 12:51 AM

     

     

    “Not writing of KT yet.Arsenal want a loan to buy.Maybe to expensive,or KT might refuse.Arsenal hold no cards.KTs contract is a full house.”

     

     

    Like Ajeti,if you like”

     

    ______________________

     

     

    Straightforward player-swap it is, then!

  21. David 66

     

     

    If you think that PL is the problem, and it might be, I don’t know, then surely your ire should be directed at our CEO for allowing that state of affairs. In no other organisation would a non executive call the shots to the extent you are inferring

  22. Rodgers comments on the strength of the squad from last night is apparent.

     

    No wonder Stivs wants Brendan to be quiet, as its the opposite of the manure that Stivs keeps pedalling.

  23. BIGRAILROADBLUES on 25TH AUGUST 2023 1:54 AM

     

    Good evening all from the Westbury, 38th St.

     

     

     

     

    Mrs BRRB enjoying a cuppa and ole Johnny sipping a pint of fine Yankee ale. Its a hard life. 🍻

     

    ……………..

     

    Who asked you anyway ?

     

    LOL

     

     

    Have great time mate….Ya lucky auld Git.

     

    HH

  24. Why do we want another McCarthy very injury prone he hasn’t kicked a ball since arriving at Celtic,Tierney is another one always injured,waste of money ,Merlin at Nantes is a good back going forward defensively I don’t know ,Bernabel ? has he been a waste of money ,

  25. How do we draw attention to the cheating that has been pervasive in Scottish football for generations? As was pointed out a day or two ago, the exposed bigot at the SFA was sent and promoted to FIFA (or was it UEFA?), where he now runs the referees.

     

     

    VAR was supposed to ensure the right decisions being made. Well, we saw that doesn’t have to be the case in Scotland, although we were promised that “teething troubles” occurring last season would be rectified this season. Rugby Park showed that need not necessarily be the case. It doesn’t inspire confidence that the bigot’s son has been put in charge of VAR, imo.

  26. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Good morning CQN

     

     

    Thank goodness there is a game tomorrow.

     

     

    Saturday, 3pm as it should be.

     

     

    Links to a couple of books below.

     

     

    They may interest fellow Celtic fans (short for fanatics)

     

     

    Judging by some of the negativity on here last night?

     

     

    IMHO – they should be mandatory reading for some.

     

     

    https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Celtic.html?id=EIbSsgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

     

     

    https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/richard-purden/faithful-through-and-through/9780755360963/