Partick Thistle, who are home to Aberdeen on Friday, have lost only once at Firhill since October. We’ve lost three times at Celtic Park in that period. They are 10th in the league, but only a point behind Motherwell and Hamilton. They also have three games in hand over both Lanarkshire clubs. Friday’s home SPFL fixture is a game Thistle are looking forward to with some confidence.
This game is an opportunity for Aberdeen to draw level with Celtic, having played two games more. But it could also propel Thistle from 10th to within two points of fourth placed Ross County, and Thistle will by then have two games in hand on County. Aberdeen will have their hands full.
The questions of our age were answered in this morning’s Celtic View: What ever happened to Saidy Janko? Is he still injured, or, like so many recent recruits, has the decision been made that he’s not cut out for the job? Saidy is injury free for the first time in months and although not ready for a first team return, is back training with that target in mind.
Saidy has been out side before turning 20 in October. He made a handful of appearances in a pretty distressed looking Celtic team in the opening months of the season, including the nightmare in Malmo. None of this was the responsibility of the then teenage defender. He is a few months older than Ryan Christie and has a year on Patrick Roberts. They are part of a group of teenagers and 20-year-olds, recently assembled in the squad, which is set to grow in the coming hours with the addition of one of Norway’s prodigies. All will be hoping to match the emergence of Kieran Tierney. There’s more in the pipeline too, one of whom might make his loan debut for Partick Thistle on Friday night.
Not all of them will make it, there’s not enough space in the team for that, but we’ve never had a strategy to introduce a raft of young players into the squad like this since the Quality Street Gang.
Will it work? Is it a better strategy than signing players we cannot afford?
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If it wasn’t for Lent, ole DBBIA would be on now with Ajer’s metric height to 67 decimal places ;-)
Floridabhoy
I just think Ronny has a scatter-gun approach to buying players.
There’s no formula to suggest who he’ll buy and how much money he’ll spend, for which place in the side.
He throws darts and hopes some will be near the bulls-eye. Of course if you keep aiming at the bull you’re chances of hitting anything between 1-25 greatly increase.
Hence why professional darts players go for the 19 and the 20 with only sporadic attempts at the bull.
“You’ll never win anything with kids.”
Alan Hansen.
Possibly.
But if they are good enough, they are old enough. Throw in a few old heads to guide them along.
Simples!
HH!!
Zinedine Zidane Press Conference re tonight’s Roma v Real Madrid .
Asked a question re Francesco Totti ,he said this.-
” One of the all time greats , one of my favourite footballers ever…A left foot from God ,a right foot from God. Fabulous technique, fabulous vision , fabulous understanding of time , space and geometry ..Not the quickest but when you are as good as him you don’t need pace “
TBB chimes in and the parade is all covered in wee wee ;)
Bob O’ Baldy on 17th February 2016 1:00 pm
Or is it?
For any position perhaps the 3 players:
a) your 1st pick;
b) a backup either younger but possible an older free type signing – either way cheaper and then;
c) a youth that you hope to develop into a replacement for a) or b)
is the best makeup for the squad. Within that there may be some leeway eg Charlie Mulgrew can be the b) player for a number of positions.
BMCUW @ 11:51 AM,
“…Jock Stein was still regularly ‘blooding’ players of that age!”
Always remember Jock Stein playing Stevie Nicol for Scotland before he was in the Liverpool first team.
He gave young players a chance and brought them through if they were good enough.
Hail Hail
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 17TH FEBRUARY 2016 12:57 PM
Quality Street Gang? Whoooa horsey.
There’s no evidence that the current crop are any better than Milan Misun, Tom Rogne, Adam Virgo, Josh Thomson, Cilian Sheridan and so many others who have been unable to transition from youth football to the Celtic first team.
We get one such player every 2 years. If we were world class at youth development, we’d get (at most) one per season.
RealityBitesCSC
________
To be fair, Ajer has played first team football in a comparable league. Not the same as your other examples.
Does apply to the likes of Nesbitt and Janko of course
SOUTH OF TUNIS
Good to have you back,mate. Choons and guid fitba talk,magic.
4-4-2 did a recent article on Totti. They compared his God-like status in Italy with the standard disparaging comments from ‘experts’ over here.
Some of those experts did not come out at all well. Genius should be obvious,even to unbelievers.
Apols Davidopoulos.
Kristoffer Ajer is the best thing to come out of Norway since Thomas Rogne, who himself was the best thing since A-ha
CHAIRBHOY
Good spot.
But Nicol was already a seasoned pro wi Ayr,who were a top-table team then.
Liverpool spent almost as much on him as on Souness,and they didn’t do it for a laugh.
But…
They did have a tendency back then to let younger signings ‘grow into’ the club.
The Battered Bunnet
It’s fine, at least it wasn’t my chips…
The best thing to come out of Norway ever is river parties…you know…Fjord Fiestas…
did P67 have to use the phrase Fortress Firhill’?
we’re playing there in 3 weeks or so, if the players and manager read that they will pure keek themselves man, instead of going into the game with cheests puffed oot and a confident swagger aboot them
not!
Young Ajer was the captain of his club now for a 17 year old to get that role for me shows he has ability beyond his years or his manager would not have given him that role if he had any doubts about the player. I think we are recruiting a lot of promising young players which bodes well for the future of Celtic. H.H.
Come on Kristoffer Ajer.
Just in time to enjoy smashing the imposters next season.
Give them Hell:)
HH
Green Man & BMCUWP
———————————-
I, like all others on here, express my opinion as I see fit.
If you agree with me, you can say it – that’s fine.
If you don’t agree with me, you can also say it – that”s fine too.
But please stop mithering !!!!!!!!!
Tell the Plastic Whistle manager to get young Aiden in on Friday to
shoot down the sheep.
Welcome Kristoffer looks like he doesn’t shirk a tackle from what i seen
on YOUTUBE.
i have a fabulous understanding of time and no pace
Duncan Edwards Bobby Murdoch Roy Aitken Denis LAW .
All 1st team regulars at 17
Welcome Ajer
Now we need a strong powerful defensive midfielder.
And a pretty big clear out of players.
Mr Pastry
I dont agree with you:)
Mithering….not a word i use often.
Popular in Manchester.
You could have been kinder…thats all im saying.
HH
BMCUW
I remember Stevie Nicol when he used to deliver milk to my parents cafe in Troon, way back then!
One of his sisters also had a part-time job there.
Lovely girl, but a bit mad!
HH!!
Lots of youth appearing at Lennox Town, and from what Celtic are saying they’r the best in the game at that age, well to me that can only be a good thing, although the predictable have the knifes out already, they just can’t help themselves, .
Gary67
Efe would make a decent DM, don’t make him last line, he plays well going forward and has enough strength and pace to break up the opposition.
cant believe the criticism of the of the young bhoys. for gods sake give them a chance, time will tell.
never happy some of you posters.
out to shovel the driveway.
BMCUW @ 1:19 PM,
Good points…
Actually, when you think about it, Liverpool brought players through, much the way JS did. They learned there was a Liverpool way…
If we could introduce that ethos again at Celtic it would be huge. But you need to have the Manager, coaches and senior pros at the Club with that ethos.
Continuing the theme of TQSG…
I pointed out on here sometime ago, there was as many James McGrory players playing in the 1970 European Cup final as there was in 1967.
Those youngsters had a great legacy to draw on.
With some notable exceptions Mr McGrain being the obvious, the TQSG never hung around to pass that on. IMO a major factor in our later decline.
Hail Hail
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/jul/22/knowledge-youngest-footballers
HH
Clogher Celt
Email received with thanks for all your great work.
HH
Good luck kid.
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/1343178-kristoffer-ajer-signs-four-year-contract-to-join-celtic/
Is it better strategy?
That’s the genius of the current strategy -at the moment of implementation nobody knows if anybody (player, manager,scout etc) is any good so you can’t argue against it !
If Celtic had been able to hold on to Lou Macari, Davie Hay and George Connelly in the early-mid 70s things could have turned out very differently.
These three along with King Kenny and Danny McGrain and signings like Dixie Deans, Steve Murray, Pat Stanton, Alfie Conn…would have been the backbone of a side who COULD have had more European success.
Imo, of course.
HH!!
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 17TH FEBRUARY 2016 1:17 PM
Apols Davidopoulos.
Kristoffer Ajer is the best thing to come out of Norway since Thomas Rogne, who himself was the best thing since A-ha
Aye,Alan Partridge was back on the telly the other night…….
E44-True re the group of midfielders,but the wage bill is ridiculous IMO,more quality less quantity.HH
Clogher Celt
Thank you for the informative email, and your continued hard work.
You and Almore are doing a grand job.
Hail Hail
Clogher Celt
I would be interested in purchasing two tickets for the Ireland match on Good Friday. Cheers
HH
http://twitter.com/ScottishSun/status/699049086666809344/photo/1
Pity it’s not going to happen then eh?
new article posted.
With so many youngsters on the books we must be saving a fortune.
No VAT on kids clothes.
Welcome Kris.