Safe hands

708

There is something curious about the England national team.  While pretty much every other country around England’s calibre select players, on merit, from clubs large and small, for decades England appear caught emperor role, seldom selecting players outside a top clutch of clubs.

This made Southampton striker Rickie Lambert’s recent selection memorable, despite the fact that his club sit comfortably above several of England’s heavyweights, significantly as a consequence of Lambert’s play.

Fraser Forster has been the best goalkeeper in Britain for a year, but he is English, and he plays domestic football for the Scottish champions, so despite his Champions League credentials, England Roy Hodgson has not capped him.

With the incumbent “England’s number 1” producing ample material to have most national team managers hide their eyes, no matter what Hodgson thinks of his preferred keeper, today’s news coverage suggests he has been boxed into a corner.  If he plays Joe Hart in Brazil, and the keeper performs to his current level, Hodgson will carry the can for being the last man in England to see the obvious.  England managers have a long record of having to deal with strong media sentiment coming to bear on their selections.

I’d like to see Fraser get the recognition he deserves.  It would also be good for Celtic to be able to offer not only Champions League football, but also the chance to gain international recognition, at an ever-higher level.  Holding onto him is another story, but all of those who were so upset when we passed on Stipe Pletikosa to take Newcastle’s third choice will not be too upset at that.
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  1. David Peter Deans on

    Good afternoon Guys,

     

     

    Sorry i have been out of touch with recent events. Can anybody confirm that Samaras,Ledley and Stokes have now signed new contracts.

  2. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS forza Oscar and Mackenzie on

    VOGUEPUNTER

     

     

    Caught rotten but with no chance of sanction,mate.

     

     

    THE EXILED TIM has been going on about it for years. Sort the officials!

     

     

    Mind you,there’s a few of us would love the chance to sort the officials….

     

     

    Me,just peachy,bud.

     

     

    You gearing up for that romantic midweek break in Amsterdam with your significant others?

  3. ....PFayr supports WeeOscar on

    Mort

     

     

    another interesting stat would be unforced errors

     

     

    im sure FF would be way down that list

     

     

    ole Hart would be top

  4. .

     

     

    Bawsman..

     

     

    ‘Snidey Dig’..??..on a Blog where my Real name is Know with a Estimated 138,673 posters..;-)

     

     

    No l was merely saying to Phil change the record..It is People like Phil and Paul67 that have Educated we Celtic Fans..

     

     

    I was Suggesting that Phils lead and Article headline was on a Similar Vein to that of the Journalist he was Slagging and Aiming at the Same Audience..

     

     

    Summa

     

     

    Ps..l have met Phil..He plays to the Audience which l think detracts from his overall message..

  5. Celt55 @ 12:24,

     

     

    Re Joe Mc Bride…

     

     

    “Lennox, Chalmers, Hughes, it wouldn’t have mattered. Only saw him once with Willie Wallace…

     

     

    Didn’t know they played together – what a partnership – what could have been?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  6. right now in a secret location created inside an extinct volcano,

     

     

    the great philvis stroked the bald cat, and announced to his gathered minions …………

     

     

    “check the foui grae folder …………. i feel i might return ………..”

  7. ProphetOfRegret on

    RRC my point is against ajax’s relatively young midfield scott brown’s tenacity/gumption would probably be quite useful, but against milan/barca we’d be better with kayal/ledley/mulgrew. basically i dont think he’s very good unless he’s playing instinctive off the cuff style football.

  8. .

     

     

    winning captains

     

    13:48 on

     

    29 October, 2013

     

    Chairbhoy

     

     

    Brogan Rogan Trevino & Hogan writes about this partnership in Willie Wallace Heart of a Lion.

     

     

    ..

     

     

    Wha’ts the Headline..?

     

     

    Ghost Writer comes Out of the Closet..:-)

     

     

    Summa

  9. Prophet

     

     

    I think Scott Brown brings more to the team than that.

     

    Again only my opinion

     

     

    Didn’t you start by asking if you were the only one who hoped the suspension stands?

     

     

    Well, I hope it doesn’t stand, because I would prefer to see Scott Brown play against Ajax

  10. Ernie Lynch Re Philvis

     

    Not being the touchy feel type I hadn’t picked up on that.

     

    I hope he gets back on track.

     

    He was an idiot, but he was an entertaining idiot.

     

     

    He maybe many things, but an idiot he certainly is not!

     

    I’ve to laugh at some of the things said about him regarding being born with a silver spoon in his mouth etc.

     

    All written in jest I know but I can assure you he’s as down to earth as the rest of us.

     

    Whether you like his politics or not, he’s still one of us.

     

     

    Re first podium posts.

     

    He actually told everyone on here once how it was done a couple of years age.

     

    I’m sure it had something to do with how his phone received CQN updates.

     

     

    ~SPF~

  11. ProphetOfRegret on

    rrc i get you. think having a more cohesive midfield would be better for milan/barca. also we won against ajax without him already so that’s where im coming from…

  12. Staggering ignorance and bias from STV newsreader John Mckay on twitter today

     

     

    @RealMacKaySTV

     

     

    When asked which players never really made it. His choice was Paul McStay !!!

     

     

    4th most capped Scot of all time. Captained Scotland and Celtic, yet the guy who brings us the news commented “Paul McStay DEFINITELY never really made it”

     

     

    Barry Ferguson played 200 club games at the top level less than McStay and had 30 caps less.

     

     

    Gough, Goram, Willie Miller, McCoist , Souness . They all had less caps than McStay. Yet they weren’t on Mckays list. For the avoidance of doubt , they all had fine careers and wouldn’t be on any neutrals list of players who “never really made it”

     

     

    Mckays comments, and he wasn’t the only hack who made the same claim about McStay, show the level of malevolent intent from some journalists in Scotland.

     

     

    Paul McStay was voted by Celtic supporters in Celtic’s greatest team of all time. That obviously carries no weight with Mckay

  13. The Battered Bunnet on

    BRTH is currently writing the account of his epic adventure with Willie Wallace.

     

     

    It’s to be called The Lion, The Ritz and The Shoe Cupboard

  14. TheOriginalSadiesBhoy on

    Of all the epithets used above to describe Philvis, you forgot to ascribe to him the highest accolade possible – Coatbrig Mhan.

  15. Joe McBride and Willie Wallace. The stuff of dreams. A partnership truly made for Paradise. It’s a pity it never got a chance to develop. No matter how good it was, they would never have been given a chance to play together for Scotland.

  16. Prophet

     

     

    We won against Ajax, so I see where you are in that respect,

     

     

    I think you may have a point about the other two games as well, although if the suspension stands, it denies Lenny an option.

     

     

    However, and it’s only how I see it, I think we could do with the other stuff SB brings to the party, because if we can come back from Amsterdam with 3 points, we will be in such a good place going into the last game…

     

     

    For me, Scott Brown would be to our advantage in the ArenA next week

     

     

    I have hope for a different outcome over the suspension,

     

    HH

  17. maestro-number8 on

    Barcabhoy @14:00…..

     

     

    That’s a disgrace but not really a surprise from him.

     

     

    I would like to know how many times he saw the Maestro live at a match.

     

     

    In my experience the people who say such negative things about Paul McStay didn’t actually ever see him in the flesh. He was a magnificent player.

  18. Winning Captains @ 13:48,

     

     

    ….” Brogan Rogan Trevino & Hogan writes about this partnership in Willie Wallace Heart of a Lion.”

     

     

    Thanks for that, I watch some of the matches with an aul bhoy who was at Lisbon.

     

     

    A few months ago he was chatting about Willie Wallace… Joe Mc Bride’s replacement.[sic]

     

     

    Of course being an avid reader of CQN I knew this wasn’t the case but it’s interesting how prevalent this “myth” is.

     

     

    Still he spoke in glowing terms of Willie Wallace as the best Striker he’d ever seen.

     

     

    I told him about the (auto) biography and said I’d get a copy for him.

     

     

    Is it still available?

  19. Barcabhoy,

     

     

    If MacKay thinks Paul McStay never made it, just imagine how good Paul might have been. Apart from Bobby Murdoch (and maybe George Connelly), he is the best midfield player I have watched in nearly 60 years supporting Celtic. To think, he got all those caps and he played for Celtic……

  20. .

     

     

    The Battered Bunnet

     

    14:03 on

     

    29 October, 2013

     

    BRTH is currently writing the account of his epic adventure with Willie Wallace.

     

     

    It’s to be called The Lion, The Ritz and The Shoe Cupboard

     

     

    ..

     

     

    Where are they Pubs..?

     

     

    Summa

  21. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Scott Brown struggles to consistently pass a ball to fellow team mates.

     

     

    Scott Brown rarely scores goals.

     

     

    Scott Brown is impetuous and hot headed.

     

     

    Scott Brown often involves himself in situations where he’d be better advised to avoid.

     

     

    I’d have Scott Brown in my team every week.

  22. VP KO'd by fearless Oscar Knox on

    Big Amido took his goal well on Sunday,hopefully he will score many more.

     

    Maybe time to change his celebratory ditty from that game ‘Amido effin Balde’

     

    the weans cannae sing that.

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