Skill and physique in middle of the park

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At just 32, Aaron Mooy’s body told him it was time to stop being a footballer.  This is years earlier than Aaron would have planned and hoped for.  It comes at an inopportune moment for Celtic, who hoped to have him for at least one more year.

Aaron looked like squad filler when he arrived last summer, six of his first seven appearances were from the bench, but by October, his contribution was no longer possible for Ange Postecoglou to resist.  From them until injury struck in early March, he was mostly first choice.

For me, he understood when to slow the game down, an underappreciated skill these days, but one which allowed Celtic to bring the ball forward and build an attack.  Holding onto the ball in the middle of the park takes skill and physique, he had sufficient quantities of both.  After injury stuck him, Celtic were never quite the same.

There are several slots available in the squad, but (even if Jota moves) not are more important that a central midfielder who can fill the role vacated by Aaron.  Budget excesses which flow into the club from the sale of that quite extraordinary new home strip (!) should be channelled into replacing the player.

Best wishes for the future, Aaron.

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  1. “We are committed to supporting the human rights of individuals and groups who wish to assemble…”

     

     

    So on that basis, and taking fairness and balance, not to mention an absence of religious bigotry into account, a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on the 17th March in Glasgow will be no problem then?

     

     

    Yours in Celtic,

     

     

    TB&F.

  2. More by necessity than design, Brendan will be putting more of his own stamp on the squad than I’d first envisaged.

     

    Spend wisely and we should stay ahead of the challenging pack

  3. New report from Saudi saying Al Itihad are now coming for Hatate with a big offer.

  4. the evening tines online has an article that makes the Orange anti catholic march sound like a mardi gra festival of light type parade.

     

     

    and 18 pictures,

     

     

    why dont they tell the truth.

  5. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is proposing to de-list the former Dumbuck House Hotel after receiving a request to remove it.

     

     

    They have now launched a consultation and are inviting submissions from the public up until July 6.

     

     

    It comes after Dunfermline-based Gateside Design made an application to West Dunbartonshire Council (WDC) to demolish the property earlier this year.

     

     

    The same company made the request to HES in September last year to de-list the former hotel which achieved the status in 1971.

  6. quadrophenian on

    No Aaron’s ability to slow the game down no problem!

     

     

    James McCarthy is applying the linament to his creaking joints as we speak. Liam Shaw is getting a bus back up from springtime in Morecambe.

     

     

    Still, good to know that the Scottish cops are; “a rights-based organisation that puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do.”

     

     

    And there was me thinking they were about arresting crooks and hoods from the beset and vulnerable.

     

     

    That’s progress eh!!

     

     

    ——

     

     

    PS for the CQN Film Club, we just watched 2003’s Swimming Pool with Ludivine Sagnier and Charlott Rampling. Is it hot in here or just them? ;))

  7. as a wee aside the shortbread tribute to craig brown is a really good listen,

     

     

    and simon donnelly speaks really well

  8. Tom McLaughlin on

    Scotland v West Indies

     

     

    Scotland win by 7 wickets

     

     

    👏👏👏

     

     

    🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  9. Why has there not been a St Patrick’s Day parade in Glasgow til now? Do our politicians of whatever stripe simply appease the bigots, who are out en masse (possible nice wee pun there) today?

  10. No commentary on the Fraserburgh v Celtic match, saw no line ups so i have very little idea who is playing for the hoops.

     

     

    All youngsters,

  11. What a year 2023 has been, win the league Cup, sell jj and gio, replace with oh and AJ, with 6 million plus in the bank. Win the league and Scottish Cup. Its all about Ange getting money to spend to push us up another level. Talk of frimpong and K.T add ons sales of 10 + million. More for ange to spend. Week later Ange is gone and celtic pocket 5 million. 2 weeks later Rodgers re-appointed as manager. We are gonna spent to do well in Europe.

     

     

    2 Weeks later Mooy retired – was good for 3 months out of 9, may be a loss but not much. Barkas gone to pastures new, never arrived so no big loss and we are all happy.

     

     

    Talk of Jota going for 25 millon, great to watch and very effective, a big game player. Now talk of hatate leaving for silly money too. He would be missed, like jota a big game players. Abada transfer rumours too, too inconsistant and as such as I feel he has value, I would be less concerned if he walked away and we banked 10 million.

     

     

    If it transpires that jota, hatate and abada leave, apart from fringe players that is, celtic need to close the exit door tight and hope we can keep kayogo, o’reliy, ccv, AJ, starfelt etc. Rebuilds are so normal in football these days and as much as its a pain in the arse, it’s not the end of the world so long as you bank good money and go again. holm and tilio have both played a good number of senior games and seem to have development in them. Are they this years jota and hatate, we simply don’t know. I would however expect Rodgers to go and get some quality additions with the money brought in.

     

     

    All in all a crazy couple of months.

     

     

    HH

  12. O’Reilly for me is too weak and too much of a coward when the nitty gritty begins to kick in. I’ve seen him pull out of more than a few 50/50 tackles during every 90minutes he’s involved in. Posting missing every time against Sevco.

     

     

    Managers have favourites. Seems Maeda and O’Riley were Ange’s.

  13. Tom McLaughlin on

    PARKHEADCUMSALFORD

     

     

    Yes it’s Scotland’s first win over West Indies at 4th time of asking.

  14. TM,

     

     

    I don’t follow cricket but I think for a long time the West Indies were one of the very best teams in the sport. Seems Scotland have improved quite dramatically. Good for them.

  15. Imo, with Mooij gone, we need to keep O’Riley and, certainly, until there is a replacement. Again, imo, he is something of a latter day Charlie Gallagher: he has a football brain but he isn’t a wee Bertie.

  16. Tom McLaughlin on

    PARKHEADCUMSALFORD

     

     

    Scotland have certainly improved but at the same time the West Indies have gone downhill in the last few years. So much so that they have little chance of qualifying from the group and look like missing out on the World Cup finals for the first time.

  17. We like to say there is no loyalty in Sport anymore as Ange is followed out the door by Jota and the Hatate rumours continue.

     

     

    The cry is we have no more McStays and McNeils but how loyal are we to the players who stay?

     

     

    How many of us will attend wee Jamesie’s testimonial, for example? I believe ticket sales are slow.

  18. whitedoghunch on

    Callum can look after himself well.

     

    But needsnan enforcer who can also move rhe ball

  19. I know absolutely he haw about Rounders sorry I mean Cricket.

     

     

    But were Scotland always that bad at the game. ?

     

     

    I vividly remember the incredible story way back in the 80’s when Freuchie won the national cricket championship at Lords.

     

     

    Beating the English at their own game in their own backyard. 😆

  20. SFTB,

     

     

    Would that be the Australian girlfriend?

     

     

    Now there is a rumour surrounded that and his actual existence 🙂

  21. bigrailroadblues on

    Off to Dublin again on Monday with the small doll. Penury, I tell ye! 😳

  22. bournesouprecipe on

    James Forrest is donating a percentage of his testimonial money to charity

  23. There’s a guy I know, who disnae hide his disdain for Wee Jamesie, He goes Everywhere following Celtic. I don’t doubt he’ll be there. It’s Celtic afterall.

  24. Tom McLaughlin on

    I’ve got my James Forrest Testimonial ticket.

     

     

    Looking forward to seeing Athletic Bilbao and Brendan’s return to Paradise.

  25. setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on 1st July 2023 4:44 pm

     

     

    IT’S 0 EACH 89 MINS

     

    KEEP THE FAITH

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