The plan for central defence this season was clear. Carl Starfelt would be allowed to leave, and Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke would be signed. Liam Scales would return to Aberdeen on either a loan or permanent basis. Stephen Welsh and Yuki Kobayashi were not expected to play significant roles.
Before August was out, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Nawrocki, Welsh and Kobayashi were all injured. Celtic dropped their first points of the season at home to St Johnstone, with Scales and Lagerbielke in a shaky looking central defence. We anticipated a difficult time the following week at Ibrox.
Against St Johnstone, Liam Scales was caught in the headlights when defending a couple of over-the-top balls that forced him to turn back and clear. One which came late in the game could have resulted in the visitors leaving with all three points. On moments like this, careers can turn.
Newco were watching. One week later, they tried the same tactic against Liam, but he was ready for it. To be fair to Newco, Celtic were a bit deeper than they were against St Johnstone, so they had less space to aim for behind the defender. This allowed Liam to attack several of the attempts to turn him, or simply clear if the ball fell behind him.
He played every minute of our Champions League games but partnered Carter-Vickers, Welsh, Lagerbielke, Phillips and even Iwata during the campaign. Now, he is without doubt our first choice to partner Carter-Vickers, no matter who else is available.
Importantly, he is left footed, on receipt of the ball he can open the game up more naturally than Starfelt, who played left last season but preferred his right. Left footed defenders are rarer and therefore more valuable than the more common alternative.
By the summer, he will be 26 years old. He is not the finished article, like Carter-Vickers, and he doesn’t bring the ball forward, like Kris Ajer, but he is a better defender and less error-prone than Kris.
Were it not for how reliant the manager has become on him in the middle, he may have plugged gaps on the left. At this age, Liam is running out of developmental road but he is entering the peak five years of his career. Given a fair wind, his partnership with Cameron could sustain for a few years to come. There is no surprise Celtic have opened talks on extending his contract.
253 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
I watched the highlights of the game at Ibrox last night, and we should not kid ourselves that it was added on time that facilitated a win for the home team. In all honesty, had gilt-edged chances been converted by both sides, the score could have been 9-3.
However let’s not overlook the significance of the actual score-line and the fact we are still top of the league, albeit by the slightest of margins. When the dust settled last night Clement, his team and the supporters will have felt a psychological blow at not being top of the heap. Perhaps the building momentum has stopped – like a horse making up a lot of ground but at the last minute failing to go past its rival – therefore another attempt must be made…. Is the belief there?
I listened to Neil McCann, and okay I know he’s in their camp, but from his ‘insider’ point of view, he witnessed that the Ibrox support was fully committed and behind the team and the manager at this moment in time, even though chances were missed and the anticipated outcome (top of the league) was not delivered.
Can we honestly say the same? I don’t believe we can. We have had dissatisfaction expressed at Celtic Park for most of the season with supporters deliberately split, first by a Brendan backlash, and then by political events that should not have been brought inside the stadium. There is at least one player, who has been left out the team when we desperately needed him and showing unrest because of this; who knows how many sympathizers/pals he may have in the dressing-room. Is the squad totally together in all they do? – some of our displays must question that. The manager has also come in for some ‘stick’ and has referred to same in press briefings. Added to all this is the injury situation which has decimated our defence and robbed us of our most creative midfield presence. It’s then not hard to see where, when and how the form slump and the loss of an eight-point lead came about.
There are thirteen league games and possibly three Scottish cup-ties ahead of us from February to May. We will, I hope, get a few ‘crocks’ back and therefore the team on the park will be stronger. The behavior and machinations off the park are harder to predict. One future event two and a half thousand miles away might kick-start another convulsion in the stands, again prompting negative publicity and driving a wedge into the support. We need people supporting Celtic for three hours in Celtic Park – is that too much to ask for….or expect? Those who feel the need to demonstrate politically, have all week to do it and must do it away from Celtic Park.
Beetlejuice heid
I suppose you and your range of rancid monikers jhb- cloud9- dobwin took up half the Broomloan.
Stop fan guessing at what we will do.
Your an attention seeking troll
Grifter georges personal grifter
You coming up from England to attend a game Tommy?
Do look at the tricolour next time your up.Unionists like you seethe at Celtic irishness and the genocide Celtic was born out of.
A political entity from day one
Celtic fans dont have trash like you suggesting what we can cannot do.
One default you will be in like flynn
Ange may not get a top6 finish???
How did that turn out troll
GREENPINATA on 15TH FEBRUARY 2024 3:04 AM
The malcontents were on the right side of history.
The board apologists were not, but who will now admit to being one in 1994.
Compare like with like Greenpinata,The anti board folk were working from 1989 approx.
Celtic then were badly run and in serious distress,today we can debate how we are run but we are not in distress,the culmination of which was the death pact.a lot to be going on with but a different kettle of fish today.
Good day
Hail Hail
Ps no GerryMcSherrys here but there are a few here who wish to take the idiots mantle
AT,
I am not comparing like with like. The topic of conversation was the whites and Kelly’s.and the use of the word malcontents.
I recognise that our current financial situation is excellent, especially as the country is in recession.
However we must always question and strive to do better.
Imo, we should have used our financial might a bit better and smarter.. We knew what needed done, indeed our manager and captain told us so.
I am of course delighted with our domestic success in the recent past, but I do feel a club as big and as reputational should have made a better fist of it in European football.
I do think our recruitment has been polarised by a rigid model and we could have been much smarter.
If having aspiration and ambition for my club is a fault, then I am proud to plead guilty.
Cheers and HH.
Grewnpinata
Soz mate by mentioning comparable malcontents and 1994 your automatically offering a comparison.
We as a support are always striving to do better,those calling Celtic folk malcontents here are just being divisive,ie them and us pash patter,granted a lot do talk pash but long may their right to be here.
Yeh we could/should have done this or that but not in between windows,i feel had results went better versus killie hearts etc we would have been outa sight as Bada says.all i can say is buckle in support the Celts there is a league to win,even amid the troll scum on here already.
Hail Hail
Greenpinata obviously soz
GLENOWEN on 14TH FEBRUARY 2024 10:50 PM
Like 99% of posters on here (unverified stat) i want to see Celtic win every game, every trophy. However, like many, I have concerns about our direction of travel.
We’re now joint on points with our skint neighbours, they won the league Cup after we dropped out in out first round and they’re in Europe while we finished last in our group and were eliminated.
To even list these, makes me a malcontent to some. A hunterloper, a bed wetter. Pathetic patter.
I believe we have regressed over the past 12 months. I want us to improve. I want us to use our financial advantage and be miles ahead of the huns.
Would be great to have a grown up debate around our progression this last year though I’m not sure it’ll happen on here.
Agree,there’s too many in denial on here,from the parsimonious to not wanting to criticize,the Lawwells, Desmond, etc,there is a huge disconnect at the Club, and the manager looks as if he’s being undermined, rather than supported.
DARWIN on 15TH FEBRUARY 2024 6:41 AM
` the Ibrox support was fully committed and behind the team and the manager `
Can we honestly say the same? I don’t believe we can”
The MSSM tells the Sevco support that their team is playing well under the tutelage of an excellent Manager.
Sevco supporters now believe their team is playing well under the tutelage of an excellent Manager.
The MSSM tells the Celtic support that we are playing badly and our Manager is not doing too well.
Celtic supporters now believe that we are playing badly and our Manager is not doing too well.
Hmm…
Off to the Infirmary in Dundee.
Cheerio for now.
Hot smoked,
I obviously can’t speak on behalf of others on here but I don’t read any football reports on the MSSM.
I do however note that we have dropped a lead in the league to that mob since the new manager has taken over.
I’ve also watched us play and if you can say we’ve been playing well then you’re watching a different game to me.
Surely people are allowed to say what they see/think without being accused of being blindly led by the MSSM?
HOT SMOKED on 15TH FEBRUARY 2024 9:09 AM
The MSSM tells the Sevco support that their team is playing well under the tutelage of an excellent Manager.
Sevco supporters now believe their team is playing well under the tutelage of an excellent Manager.
The MSSM tells the Celtic support that we are playing badly and our Manager is not doing too well.
Celtic supporters now believe that we are playing badly and our Manager is not doing too well.
————-
I don’t disagree with what you say – was it ever not so when it looks like Ibrox appears to be ‘on the up’ (“wealth off the radar”) and we are seemingly moving in the opposite direction?
I just want us to take control and get back on track – the club, the manager, the players and the supporters must pull in the same direction – it has not always been so this season. If we get it right, I don’t give a toss what the media says.
Bon chance at the Infirmary HH
We are managing to stay top of the league despite having injuries all season to our best players in important areas of the team. We will improve beyond recognition from now on and will win the double.
We have a manager, who again showed at St. Mirren, how to set up a team to play our way and negate how the opposition wants to play against us.
Hatate will play the role of playing between the lines and Khun, Palma or Yang will let us get in behind them as well. Kyogo will play, well I think it is, the Rogic position, which will set massive problems for opposing managers to deal with. CCV will give, what is already a formidable part of the team, more protection, along with at least one regular FB on the park.
All in all, I’m ready for any challenge that may appear, and so are the team, manager and coaches, por cierto
I think many people have to realise that for whatever reason, what’s done is done and all that matters is what happens between now and the middle of May.
What Blogger said at 10:35am ⬆️
HOT SMOKED on 15TH FEBRUARY 2024 9:09 AM
The MSSM tells the Celtic support that we are playing badly and our Manager is not doing too well.
We do not need the hun media to tell us this, we have eyes and can see how far back we have gone.
Everything at Sevco is brilliant.
Sevco are joint top of the league.
Everything at Celtic is broken.
Celtic are joint top of the league.
Hypothetical :
What happens if, over the next three months, Sevco are a just a tiny bit less brilliant and Celtic are just a tiny bit less broken?
🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
sftb @ 2.04
There are bold Fenian Men….
And then there are bold bold men….
I think it is fair to say that you are part of that latter category…
Some might see that as a bad thing…..
I’m not one of them…
Keep up the good work!
SquidsInCSC
I agree that there is nothing we can do about the dropped points and have to focus fully on the task ahead. I’m honestly not so sure we have the manager and p[ayers to do it. Hope more than expectation unfortunately.
We were laughing at the Ibrox Mob and their fans for claimiing the Pre-Season Trophy and the Transfer Window Cup.
That’s why I don’t want to be seen claiming the mid-February title and joining any parade.
“ What’s that Skippy………..theres been a collapse and the kids are all trapped down the ole mineshaft? “
tch tch tch CSC
Beetlejuice heid
Yeh doesnt give a shit what the media says,yet farts fom the same arse that is neil mc cann
Takes every word of the medias Leil Abada narrative,not a word bout the zionist genociders constantly harassing him due to the global publicity flying the Palestiniam flag got
Your a snide troll,yon Cloud9 moniker of yours fair liked to talk of the CBC case
!!BADA BING!! on 15TH FEBRUARY 2024 9:03 AM
GLENOWEN on 14TH FEBRUARY 2024 10:50 PM
Like 99% of posters on here (unverified stat) i want to see Celtic win every game, every trophy. However, like many, I have concerns about our direction of travel.
We’re now joint on points with our skint neighbours, they won the league Cup after we dropped out in out first round and they’re in Europe while we finished last in our group and were eliminated…
_______
Our risk averse board have taken a massive gamble. Albeit perhaps they never realised, which is just incompetence. It’s not even the fact that we could possible miss out of the advantage of champions league £s, compared to Europa, it’s that the huns would have real money and of course, they’d spend it. Whoever finishes second still has a chance to qualify for the new champions league format (I think?) but it shouldn’t have been this close. Let’s just look to win on Saturday and hopefully score a few and build real momentum.
Celticmac
Was in with OT67 on monday and pleased to report he is now settled into the community hospital and your aunt G had supplied a far range of clothing,he has got a big telly to watch and is gettinv well attended to with meals coffee and tea etc,hope to get in with him over weekend
Hail Hail
The positive way to look at this is that we have it in our own hands. Let’s hope we are able to string together enough performances to do it.
new article posted.