I was initially surprised to hear we’re tracking a Jack-of-all-trades defensive midfielder-cum-central defender. Neil Lennon’s clear preference in central defence is Efe Ambrose and Virgil van Dijk, both of whom have been in excellent form this season, but he has backup in the form of Charlie Mulgrew, or even Mikael Lustig, who has played there before.
Defensive midfield, along with striker, is one of the key positions Celtic should be looking to strengthen; so a dedicated specialist would seem the better option, but our last outstanding specialist in that area arrived with exactly the same CV. I remember the disputes here when Neil Lennon talked about Victor Wanyama being able to play centre half. He could, but he didn’t.
It’s more important that we do our recon well than utilise everything in a player’s locker. Buying from England is usually expensive, but at least if affords you the opportunity to solicit plenty of reliable opinion on a player.
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M6bhoy, semi-finals are rearly classics.
Bma
The Token Tim,
I would be the first to acknowledge that our manager was a great reader of the game. But I have to confess that I still can’t really understand his oft made pass back to the goalie. That safety first mentality often irked me. I think it shows itself in some of our team’s play nowadays. How often, on here, have folk complained about our passing sideways and backwards when we could reasonably be far more direct and quicker. We seldom make an incisive pass and we don’t seem to encourage it. Maybe now that we have ball playing CBs we might see it again. VvD is a great talent. Efe I enjoy watching but he is a bomb scare. Neither, however, are particularly overly defensive. So, maybe I’m being overly pessimistic.
According to today’s Herald, whilst accepting that they will be off and running in the summer for hee haw, NL has no intention of freezing Joe and Sammi out of team.
Why not?
The league is all but won and the outcome of Scottish Cup campaign will be subject to the vagaries of such competition.
The main event is putting together a side that will qualify for CL sectional stage.
As neither of the two above almost certainly offskis will play any part in the above, they should simply be told that the remainder of their contracts will be honoured and that is time for a bit of extended gardening leave
Bobby Murdoch’s Ankle
The 2 legs v Leeds were the exceptions which prove your rule.
The Spirit of Arthur Lee
14:20 on 22 January, 2014
For all you baldies out there
My hairline has receeded so that the only way I’d get a fringe would be if I were to brush it up from the crack of me erse.
Ger57, yes that was special, should’ve led to the big cup coming home again.
Bma
quonno
Agreed.
I would not play them if they intend to run their contract down.
LB
mort 15.07
just read back
thanks for the explanation
Mort,
Good to see you posting and a very important contribution to the analysis of what’s happened to the deid team fae Govan.
Bobby Murdoch’s Ankle
There was a row within the squad over bonuses and, I think, Big Jock grossly underestimated Feyenoord, who were a very good side. Shame.
Still, Wim Jansen gave us some payback.
FFin’ erudite discussion on Jimmy Johnstone and Willie Henderson comparison:
“Henderson for me,he was more direct in going down the wing,beating the full back and putting in great crosses.Even when he was fouled he just bounced back up looking for the ball,I never saw him chasing referees to claim a free kick.
On the other hand Johnstone would get the ball on the wing near the dug outs dribble past six players and find himself near the six yard box,only problem was,it was his own six yard box.”
——
“Henderson…. had more.
Fast and direct and a creator of chances.
A team player first and foremost and not a selfish individual exhibitionist who would be more at home in a footballing equivalent of the Harlem Globe Trotters.”
——
“Wee willie by a country mile, anyone who has read about him would know that as a young man he was voted the best player in the world following a friendly match in Barcelona”
——
“Henderson had an end product and scored goals.
Johnstone most times ended up his own rear end. (Play a DVD of Ted McMinn at a faster speed and you will get my drift).”
——
“Henderson reached heights that Johnstone never did.”
——
“Henderson could not only beat his man but time and again put over a telling cross. Whereas Johnstone, as talented a dribbler as he was, seemed to constantly go round in circles
Only one winner for me.
The number of caps for his country doesnt lie”
We’ve already signed a defensive midfielder – unless we’re hoping to move a deep lying player further forward in the hope he performs well?
I do not understand why we haven’t snapped up one of the promising left-backs in the SPL (some of whom are available on Bosman’s as far as I’m aware) even it it’s only to loan back to the club of origin. We are very short in this position and do not seem to have a youth player fighting to get into the first team. Izzy is back to his old self but that’s far too much reliance on one player (and of course Mulgrew – but he gets used in so many different positions it’s not really fair to class him as a left back). It would be peanuts to gain cover and a potential star of the future.
We still need a predator up front, nobody at the club fits this roll and you can add as much creativity as you like… if nobody is getting on the end of it there will be problems, more so in Europe than anywhere else.
Quonno
I agree neither should figure again.
But the coach will probably choose the present over future.
Monaghan 1900
Ha ha from funny funny.
And they wonder why they’re in their present predicament.
They’re talking about end product as if Jinky had none and Henderson was fantastic… I don’t claim to know much about Henderson but looking at the Wiki stats:
JJ
Celtic Played: 308 | Scored: 82
Scotland Played: 23 | Scored: 4
WH
Rangers Played: 478 | Scored: 36
Scotland Played: 29 | Scored: 5
It is absolutely a no contest! Don’t know if there’s stats on assists out there.
monaghan1900
‘The number of caps for his country doesn’t lie.’
Absolutely split my sides at that one.
BMCUWP……
That certainly was a rear end of a semi final at Paradise.
“Henderson reached heights that Johnstone never did.”
They deserve everything that is coming their way……………
Malone Bhoy
Next they will be saying Barry Ferguson was better than the Maestro!
LB
Malonebhoy,
Obviously they are referring to silverware.
Duh.
:)
‘The number of caps for his country doesn’t lie.’
That actually is a FACT!
If you look at the number of caps Jimmy McGrory got it actually proves he was rotten.
P.s. it doesn’t even make sense for the huns. Dave McPherson got more caps than Davie Cooper. So DMcP must have been a better player than DC.
Livibhoy….
They will probably point to Fannyboz having won more honours than the Maestro to justify their delusion on the relative merits of their careers.
Had a conversation with a ManUre fan in the pub one night and the feckwit told me that Michael Carrick will be viewed as a better player than Steven Gerrard because he has more medals.
ManUre fans really are the equivalent of Orc knuckle draggers in England…..thick as shoite!!
fan-a-tic
16:11 on
22 January, 2014
Mescaline is clearly bad for people.
Malone Bhoy
16:16 on
22 January, 2014
Thanks for those. Interesting stats – obviously no end product from our Harlem Globetrotter.
Doctor Whatfor
16:17 on
22 January, 2014
monaghan1900
‘The number of caps for his country doesn’t lie.’
Absolutely split my sides at that one.
——
That’s the one I homed in on – no lies there eh?
Parkheadcumsalford
Still lurk most days but work is just too busy to dedicate as much time to CQN as I would like.
Mort
jeez_I_thought_blinker_was_pants
16:21 on 22 January, 2014
“Henderson reached heights that Johnstone never did.”
They deserve everything that is coming their way……………
Beat me to it :))
Mort,
And cqn is a poorer place for it.
Remember the headline after the Leeds United games in 1970. ‘ Johnstone is better than Best.’ English newspaper it was.
What could they have said about wee willie? Henderson is better than no bread at all.
I met the late Emelyn Hughes one evening in the mid 1980s. We discussed the relative merits of several players.
He maintained that that Kevin Keegan was a better player than Kenny but he was very clear that Jinky was the best he had ever played against. During a Scotland v England match at Hampden he argued with Terry Cooper, telling him to, “Kick the little b…..d.” Cooper replied, “You f…….n kick him. I can’t get near him.” The bold Emelyn tried and failed. He said he still had nightmares about Jinky.
Btw, Wullie Henderson was/is a nice fella and was pals with Jinky till the end.
It’s Friday it’s five to five it’s……….
Geordie Munro
Thanks, will try to post more often but work just mental at the moment.
Mort
BSR,
:-)
there’s more than a few of them on FF!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
What about a defensive midfielder come centre back come striker?
SaveMoney CSC
bournesouprecipe
If Forster fits the bill what a player he would be.
LB
TTT
The ole perma rage page.
Livi
What height is VVD, he makes Efe look like, well shortish?
No worries mort.
And if you could just get shot of the folks who confuse this place with msn and those who only appear when we ain’t winning then I’ll consider this a good day :)
Chuck Mulgrew is our most versatile player and MUST get a run up front.
Towards the end of the season when the league is wrapped up give him a stint in goal and then get him on the coaching staff for next season. If he has any time left he can help John Clark with the strips.
Value for money CSC
LB
bournesouprecipe
A guy on our bus is a height expert. Ask him about any player and he will give the same answer.
‘About 6 fit’
LB