I’ve heard a lot about Patrick Roberts. He’s burdened by enormous expectations, compared to the greats since shortly after his 17th birthday. Manchester City moved 2 starts and 17 substitute appearances into his Fulham career – £12m on the basis of 399 minutes football.
He’s here to force his way into the team between now and the end of the season, and be ready for the European challenges ahead. I think we’re going to enjoy watching this lad.
We saw around 80 minutes of Erik Sviatchenko on Sunday. As I said yesterday, he’s probably our best defender, not that that is taking enormous liberties. In Virgin van Dijk we managed to recruit a dependable defender who wasn’t scared of the ball, and was first to organise those around him. If Erik’s near that standard, he’ll do well.
Ryan Christie (20) is a No. 10. We need a No. 10. He’s 12 years younger than Kris Commons, the only comparable player in the first team squad. Kris has been our MVP for more seasons than anyone else currently on the books, but we’ve been far too dependent on him, which has become acutely evident recently, when he’s out injured.
There’s an argument that we could have done with another No. 10 during our European campaign but it’s far from clear Ryan would have got his chance. We’ll see a good bit of him before the end of the season.
Many of the things I could say about Colin Kazim-Richards I alluded about Carlton Cole when he signed. He’s a physical presence, not easily intimidated, should be an effective foil for Leigh Griffiths.
Colin joins with an actual rap sheet. Online comments yesterday recalled the reaction the day Griffiths signed. At the time I wrote that it’s important for Celtic to affirm positive values in Leigh’s life. The player hasn’t looked back, he’s every inch a positive role model. It’s now important the club and Colin work to ensure a similar result.
Aidan Nesbitt (18) is also a No. 10. He’s the player you’re most likely to hear development and youth coaches talk about. The next stage of his development required him to play against men. Four months in the Premiership playing for Partick will achieve this.
Farewall Nadir Ciftci, who is off to Turkey until the end of the season. I described Nadir as less like a Ronny Deila player than any other I’ve watched and known Celtic to be interested in. He has a touch and is a better player than we’ve seen, but he was built from different material than practically all other Deila signings.
Last month’s business will hopefully mean we have a settled and secure defence for the qualifiers, something missing at the beginning of this season, something missing on Sunday afternoon. The Kazim-Richards signing could go a number of different ways. The player will get his chance to live up to his own expectations.
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GLENDALYSTONSILS on 2ND FEBRUARY 2016 7:29 PM
I also thought Efe’s red card was harsh on Sunday.
Agreed, contact minimal, not deliberate, opposition [player dived, not a clear goal scoring opportunity Gordon was first to the ball, if rules applied it is not a red card, but hey its Efe, the Efe Ambrose hate mob amongst the Celtic support wont see that
M O’H has scored two league goals this season. St Johnstone have scored 36.
Does anyone know if wee Aiden Nesbit is in the Partick team tonight ?
Hail Hail.
Vespacide
On the bench.
I’m not looking for Celtic to spend millions trying forlornly to compete with the grotesque, Sky created abomination that is English football these days. We should continue to seek good value buys from leagues where we represent a step up. Early days, but on the face of it the boy from Denmark fits the profile.
Other steps we could take to strengthen our position and get us out of this rut we’re in:
– have a massive clear out of the many mediocrities on our books and have a much leaner squad with the emphasis on greater quality
– stop buying large numbers of mediocre players in each transfer window, shipping many out again within a year as they fail the test as EPL bait
– aim to bring through at least one youth player into the first team squad each season – Tierney won’t be the only player that could improve our frankly poor team given the chance
– get rid of Ronny Deila and John Collins – both powder puff guys on the sidelines with not the slightest eye for a player, tactical nous or ability to make in game decisions that work. Compare their performance on this measure against MO’N, Strachan or Lenny. No comparison
– any incoming transfers should be made early in the summer window before the European qualifiers – stop bringing guys in on the last day of August after we’ve been pumped by Malmo, Molde, Maribor or whatever dross is pumping us these days
– aim to keep the core of the team together for a number of years, building a team rather than as a matter of policy building turnover into your strategy; ie run Celtic as a football team rather than a commercial enterprise designed to feed your own ego as a brilliant businessman able to turn a profit even in a footballing backwater
The current strategy has run its course. Increasingly the fans I talk to are scunnered with the footballing and strategic leadership of the club. That includes some of the most fervent former Ronny advocates.
One result of this strategy is that there is no-one at the club I can relate to as a talismanic leader. I know times change, but growing up there were guys like Billy McNeill as manager, Roy Aitken, Paul McStay and Danny McGrain that the fans had a special bond with. In the early noughties we had M’ON, Henrik, Lenny, Sutton, Hartson, Petrov, Mjallby and many others. Who do we connect with today? Deila? Collins? Johansen? The only guys that come close at all are Brown and Commons and even then it’s nothing like before. This disconnect doesn’t appear to concern Lawwell, but it should. It’s symptomatic of the malaise that’s dragging us down. Reminds me very much of the Macari period.
I agree wholeheartedly with James Forest on his blog. Ten years too long in these top jobs, time for Lawwell to go and get some fresh thinking in the club.
I have nothing against Effe, I was just thinking about the penalty incident alone and in my opinion having seen it a couple of times it was a penalty and last man red card. I am not Effe bashing.
Hail Hail.
Vespacide on 2nd February 2016 7:34 pm
St J player over hit the ball with a heavy touch
Efe never clipped his ankles
Good to hear that he made the bench at least, I will tune in now and hopefully Aiden will get a wee run tonight.
Hail Hail.
Vespacide,
No. I don’t think he is
Vespacide
Aiden Nesbitt not on bench tonight, its Kevin Nisbet who’s on the bench
Vespacide on 2nd February 2016 7:44 pm
The pen decision nobody arguing with
Red card not justified
It’s Kevin Nisbet on the bench for Thistle.I think.
Henrik Larsson averaged 6.5 goals per season over four years at Feyenoord.
StatsRUs CSC
Gary beat me to it.
BSR
Henrik wasn’t played as a striker at Feyenoord, he was more often than not a winger.
League cup Semi-Final highlights watch from around 1.25 in, Effe clips his heel.
Hail Hail.
Gary67
Correct, same as CKR.
Vespacide
I saw the incident as knee to knee the guy cut across efe’s line and he overhit the ball, the second goal the goalkeeper was held by the guy who won the penalty, this incident is mysteriously not mentioned
PeterLatchfordsBelly on 2nd February 2016 7:43 pm
Agree with much of what you say.
However, as I posted earlier. PL and Ronny are not the problem.
They are merely symptoms of it.
They simply fit in with the just do enough strategy that comes from above.
Would anyone who criticises PL and Ronny refuse their jobs and the dosh that comes with them?
Vespacide
Same referee, contact deliberate, Grifiths in control of the ball inside 6 yard box, fouled as he is about to shoot, clear goal scoring opportunity……………………..yellow card ? watch the video…..ref is a cheat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KJZHBNOlcE
I’ve just read back for the past two hours the last couple of days comments. I must be a masochist. What a diverse range of opinions we have on CQN. For what it’s worth Ross County penalty was more of a penalty than ours. Ross County second goal a disgrace. Referee looking right at Gordon being wrestled but no free kick awarded, as usual virtually ignored by MSM. Johannsen a coward of a player. Turning his back on the ball and not committing to 50/50 tackles. His tackle at the end was disgraceful and should have been a red card all day long. I loathe seeing tackles like that when a fellow professional could seriously injure another. Very few footballers make it to a professional level and when one tries to intentionally injure another I despair. The fact that player was wearing the hoops makes it worse in my opinion.
Lionsroar 67@ 7.30 brilliant post. How quickly we forget. I include myself in that.
DESSYBHOY on 2ND FEBRUARY 2016 7:55 PM
Vespacide
I saw the incident as knee to knee the guy cut across efe’s line and he overhit the ball, the second goal the goalkeeper was held by the guy who won the penalty, this incident is mysteriously not mentioned
Gordon could have been bound gagged and chained to the bar and it would have made no difference to RC getting two free headers.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/january-transfer-window-2016/comment-page-11/#comment-2767427
Total inconsistency from the MIB. But totally consistent with their honest mistakes towards one particular team por cierto
DESSYBHOY on 2ND FEBRUARY 2016 7:55 PM
Vespacide
I saw the incident as knee to knee the guy cut across efe’s line and he overhit the ball,
correct Dessybhoy
Vespacide you been training as a referee under Dallas ?
Does the red card not come from being the last man and preventing a goal scoring opportunity ? I agree the ref was a disgrace not just in this game but generally however he got this one correct. Disappointed Aiden is not getting a game tonight.
Hail Hail.
GM it is tricky to quantify but exsists none the less and is appallingly allowed to
the solution is simple
Whether you feelEfe should have walked on Sunday or not ask yourself whether a RC player would have seen a card for the same foul. No chance of a red. As for MOH by the time he scores 36 goals between now and then end of the season you will see him being touted for an International call up, even though 35 of the goals will be penalties.
Not only do they choose West Ham v Aston Villa they rub it in with Robbie Savage.
vespacide… you do know there is no such thing as last man?
In order to send Efe off the referee must decide if it was an obvious goal scoring opportunity..
IMO you can argue if it was a penalty.. however there should have been sufficient doubt to stop Efe being red carded .. I am guessing MIB did not use the same logic he used at Aberdeen .
This despicable MIB is the same guy who awarded us an extremely dubious penalty.
I know, I know. He was only trying to take the bad look off things when it was too late for us to come back.
It sure was when we missed the penalty.
He diid not have control of the ball to score Craig Gordon was collecting it, it was a highly debatable decision and like previous controversial decisions went against from this cheat, the foul on CG at the second was disgraceful even Juventus didn’t do that when they came here, nobody defended well but the foul was clear as day and ignored
Craig (13 seasons, not one without a controversial decision at Celtic’s expense ) Thomson carries on nicely with the plum Scottish Cup Tie Hearts v Hibs…………………………………..
O’Halloran will score a barra load for sevco,for it is written in the crimson stars
and the referee’s handbook.
*see Boydy*
Was talking to a workmate who referees in Lanarkshire
During his training with Brian winters he was shown a video very similar to the Efe incident except the contact took place just outside the box
When asked his decision my colleague said – direct free kick and red card .
Winters asked him to watch it again then asked if he thought the contact was deliberate … when my colleague stated that he didn’t think it was winters replied ” the correct decision is direct free kick and yellow card “
If Thomson Maclean and Dallas Dougal and Clarke in their time gave the decisions against RFc 1872-2012 and Sevco as they do against Celtic they would be destroyed in the media that is the difference the media hate us ,and the SFA know it and are bomb proof, remember the media comments on Dallas being described as Scotland’s finest, even the e-mails have not tarnished this guy
TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels –
100% correct
Celtic , Celtic – Give us a goal or two
We’re all crazy over the love of you
Give us a wee bit o’ glory
from the boys of Jimmy McGrory
for you’ll look sweet as we watch you beat
These Orange bassas in blue
Teuchters songbook No. 244
Oh well, it seems that everyone else’s brains are no that good either, nobody can tell a game we have lost that was down to Efe.
Amazing really,the way some go on you would think he was a bombscare.