Transfer window business is seldom completed in May, so anticipation based on Neil Lennon’s post-match comments about having bid £3m for a player should be tempered. We have a long close-season ahead, so I’ll avoid giving a name-check to the teenage midfielder Neil watched on international duty in February and who is being touted as a target today.
The most obvious question emerging from this story is why another central midfielder? Celtic have Wanyama, Ki, Brown, Ledley and Kayal all battling for places there, but it’s Kris Commons who is a rare entity. Kris is able to create goals at a rate none of the rest can. He’s also had a disappointing season, much of which was spent watching the action from the side-lines.
The problem for Celtic in central-mid is balance. When Kris Commons is injured, off-form, or playing in a wide position, we’re short of creativity in the middle. For the record, creativity doesn’t mean someone who can turn in a tight space or dribble, Charlie Mulgrew was our most creative player last season (as it now is). This strong area of the squad needs rebalanced.
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Celtic soulbrother. Harold score all four goals in a 4-0 victory against Kilmarnock if my memory serves me well.H.H.
Nuclear Bovril and a Half Munched Pie on 14 May, 2012 at 17:30 said:
HeHe – Tea spat oot.
Break Every Rule, Twenty Four Seven
HH
Paddy had a good range of passing in the second half against Motherwell. Watched him play central mid for nothern Ireland one night had a great game.
Re the value for Gary Hooper-think the recent success of Jelavic,Fletcher and Maloney will drive up the price if we decide to sell.Spl was bad news after poor value for money for Cuellar,Hutton and Boumsong(can you spot the connection!)but The Times they are-a changing!
Still think we should keep even if we get a stupid offer as he could be the difference between qualifying for the C.L. or not.
Rod Petrie : you just went up few degrees in my ‘umble estimation. I just hope there is no ‘but’ at the end of that quote.
Incidentally, I didn’t think our dislike of the Orc could be topped but having a gander at Hibs forums, man aliiiiive!!…. they really think they are not nice or words to that effect.
Canalamar- ‘If Paddy is allowed to stay, I predict better than Lubo.’
– whit, at Kerplunk!?
The greatest living Norwegian scored 4 against Killie
Just looking at Albert Sq in Manchester, it looks almost continental.
Lot better than the last time I seen it full of blue strips.
Hope that screen does not break.
whitedoghunch on 14 May, 2012 at 16:18 said:
Had to pop into town for a lock for my bike which I’ll be trying to pedal to work a couple of days a week. Think I would be the same but need to get o the jelly belly for that cracking new home top coming out..
HH
Paul67
Agree that results improved with a more protective system but playing in a slightly more positive vein will bring us more success.
The league clincher at Kilmarnock was a great example of playing higher up the pitch and pressurising opponents into mistakes rather than paying to much respect.The contrast to our poor showing against them in League cup final was evident.
Likewise Scottish cup semi against Edinburgh huns compared to yesterday.
Our system is still being fine tuned but i feel a slightly less cautious approach is needed if we are to go to next level
Looking dispassionately at Celtic, our Greek ghod is our most effective attacking option. The opposition are scared witless of him, and need to treble up to stop him. He is growing into a more mature player, and I think the next 3 years of his career will be fascinating to watch.
Paul67 though is right that we don’t have the type of player who can unpick a defence the way Lubo used to. Kris Commons on his day is pretty damned good, but he seems to need to be at the top of game to produce, which is a pity.
We are well served by strong central midfielders, but none of them are particularly blessed with imagination.
Still maintain though that a top centre forward is missing from the squad. Bunnet doffed to Hoops for another productive year, but we could well do with a player who can fashion a goal for himself in the games that matter.
googybhoy ♥ Celtic and Liquidation on May 25th. on 14 May, 2012 at 17:32 said:
Celtic Soul Brother- Supporting Kano 1000 on 14 May, 2012 at 17:30 said:
How was Elvis???;
Brilliant as ever-did just over a 2 1/2 hour set-his Spinning Songbook went down very well.Would highly recommend it if there are any tickets left for the remainder of his tour.
Just booked for Springsteen at The Etihad for June-let’s hope the weather improves!
hamiltontim on 14 May, 2012 at 17:16 said:
”What is the difference between owning something and having a floating charge over it?”
It’s maybe easiest to think about it in terms of a house.
Someone owns a house but they have a mortgage from a bank. The bank have a charge over the house. If you don’t repay the mortgage the bank can take the house and sell it to get their money back. Anything left over goes to the owner.
A floating charge is like a mortgage except it floats over assets rather than attach to them, so they can be bought and sold without the bank’s consent.
A floating charge becomes a fixed charge on certain events happening, such as liquidation.
Although a company can sell and transfer assets covered by a floating charge, the charge holder can move to wind up a company if his floating charge is jeopardised.
Whyte, we are told, has a floating charge over the huns assets. he therefore has a degree of control over them but only gets total control on liquidation.
dbbia,
naw chess, what age was Lubo when he graced Celtic park ?
Strange many are calling out for us to sign a centre back and yet we had the best record for goals against ever in the SPL. H.H.
The Battered Bunnet on 14 May, 2012 at 17:40 said:
”Looking dispassionately at Celtic, our Greek ghod is our most effective attacking option.”
Only Samarras would have laid off the pass for the second goal yesterday. Anyone else would have tried to score, and probably missed. Yet people criticise him for not being an out and out striker.
Ernie lynch,you appear to have a good grasp of the financials,any chance
you could reply to my question on previous page,
cheers in advance
Canalamar -in his mid 30s; still fitter then than Paddy will ever be.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Paddy but in modren football [ which any fule kno is rubbish] great skill has to come with athleticism , which sadly Paddy doesn’t have.
Paul67
Excellent post – my favorite type of CQN discussion – all about Celtic and tactics!
This is an issue I try to open up on CQN but usually get shot down for being ‘anti Scott Brown’ -which I am only partly guilty of being.
For me rebalance the midfield by letting Ki and Brown go..
I am a long time advocate of Mulgrew – long before his wonder season – so he’s a keeper. Other ‘Keepers’ are :
James Forest, Joe Ledley, Vic, Sammi, Commons, -all of whom are in my estimation miles ahead of Scott Brown or Ki..
ernie
Ok thanks for that.
It`s that time again, when everybody tells us who we should be signing. And thats before the MSM start with their attempts to sell papers. As for the deadwood, easier said than done to get rid of. They are on contracts not likely to be bettered, or even matched so why would they go?
JFH
When we played a better standard of opposition we were found wanting because we didn’t have a big commanding CH who could attack and win the ball in our penalty box.
Goals conceded from corners against Athletico M ,and at Ayebrokes spring to mind.
TT
Paul Lambert favourite to take over at Villa.
Playing the Celtic way.
Celtic Soul Brother- Supporting Kano 1000
going to see Springsteen in Barcelona on Thursday.
really looking forward to it.
HT
Argyle St station closed last night again…o))
dbbia,
disagree on his lack of athleticism, I thought he answered that criticism last season during his unbeaten run.
so you must be a hun :oD)))))
Lubo was 33 I’m sure when he arrived at Parkhead.
Paddy has neither his his ability or athleticism in my opinion.
Lubo came to us aged 33
timbhoy in spain on 14 May, 2012 at 17:52 said:
Celtic Soul Brother- Supporting Kano 1000
Enjoy -usually does 3 hour + set!
Think Brogan,Rogan,Hogan + Trevino is also going to Barca gig.
It was me who asked about Braatback’s “5 goals” against Kilmarnock.
Now I know that it was all 4 in a 4 – 0 home win against Kilmarnock.
To all those who texted –
Muchos Gracias
H H
gordybhoy64 on 14 May, 2012 at 17:47 said:
In theory there’s nothing stopping someone having more than one go at a CVA but the time limits here preclude it.
And in practical terms HMRC, and most creditors, would be pretty pissed off with anyone who tried to haggle. It would be tantamount to lying to them if you said ‘right here’s the best we can afford’ only to come back with a better offer if the first one’s rejected.
Lubo
’33 yr old slovakian dud’ I think he was described as. hahahahaha!
Brattbakk v Killie I think he got 4 in a 6-0 win.
The wee guy who sat in front of us had a bet on I think first scorer and 5-0.
Game was running out of time but we scored two very very late goals to go 5-0 up in injury time the wee guy and his mates were still celebrating at least a four figure sum when Harold was through again for 6-0 with literally last kick of the ball..
The Battered Bunnet on 14 May, 2012 at 17:40 said:
Wholeheartedly concur there particularly with your assessment of Sammi and the need for the type of player that can make the sacred ‘something’ out of the lowly ‘nothing’
Sammi was, dare I say it, fantastic yesterday ( bar the bizarro ‘you mean I should have stuck my napper on that cross’ moment). He was creative, ie he go the ball in midfield, powered up , skinned people with his skill and pace and then served up an absolutely nano metre perfect pass which the uber poacher ate up like the last bit o jelly in the bowl. Fantastic and I agree, he could (important word) become even better (more consistent). But,like the best chef/waiter in the world he needs a hungry recipient for his labours. we need him an A N Other striker to be in tandem, singing the same song etc. They were yesterday and made it look easy.
But the Hee haw to Goal!!!! Man is an illusive beast and unfortunately is paid in a currency called ‘megabucks’ which is not legal tender here. Commons is the closest we have. I know you want to have a bit of time off Kris but really, I hope the coaching staff have you pounding dunes for the next month.
mccourt slows everything down
lets players run off him putting defence at risk everytime
watched him yesterday uses the ball well does the odd dribble probably most skilful player in squad BUT a liability when other team has ball
in team before ledley brown commons kayal aye right i will crack jokes
a decent championship player at best and if we want to progress we need better
Ernie,
cheers just hoping they run out of time to form any team
to play next season,would you think thats a possibility?
TT,
we acquitted ourselves with distinction during that campaign, players have hangovers/bad days, 100% concentration is easy to demand.
only the best in that euro competition/5th best in Spain got the better of us.
no too shoddy, but yer right they need to improve.
I’m even gonnae propose we get aff big Thompson’s back and let him show us what the scouts bought, one championship winning season and he’s a dud ffs.
Philvis
https://twitter.com/#!/Gincher67/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FQevHEHrk
Paddy`s spectacular goals have almost become a millstone around his neck. His general, link-up game is pretty good and he has played enough telling, long passes to suggest that aspect of his game could also be a valuable asset. Unfortunately for him,unrealistic expectations of a fantastic run every time he receives (or wins) the ball have led to his being dismissed as a luxury. I still rate him and would keep him.
JJ