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Squad downsizing though not as you think

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Signing a 21-year-old Argentinian for a few million pounds breaches the box-office threshold around these parts.  If left back Alexandro Bernabei clears his medical and joins Celtic, he will be the kind of addition to the squad that will have fans looking forward to the new season with renewed confidence.

I have seen too many bogus YouTube clip editions to pay any heed, we learn nothing there.  What we know is that he has been scouted through our recently appointed resource and meets our criteria as a potential Champions League player.

He is still young and Parkhead is a long way from Rosario: the language, the food, living away from home, the weather, will all present encounters that will make any early performances a challenge.  Fortunately, we all know signing 21-year-olds is not about the first month.

One of my strategic concerns about the Celtic squad is height.  Last season’s excellent defensive stats were achieved with small central defenders and full backs.  Bernabei is 2” shorter than Greg Taylor, who at 5’ 9” is an inch taller than Josip Juranovic.

Taylor is a couple of inches shorter than Kieran Tierney, while Mikael Lustig had a 4” advantage on Kieran.  That’s a very real downsizing in a few years, albeit not in the common use of the phrase.  We have plenty of ability middle to front, but not a lot of height there either.

Two years after Shunsuke Nakamura scored the only goal of the game against Manchester United to put Celtic into the knockout phase of the Champions League, the player was benched when the teams again met in the Champions League.  Gordon Strachan spoke to Shunsuke before the game to explain the team was vulnerable at set plays due to a lack of height.

Naka was not short, but Gordon went with Barry Robson, who had a slight advantage and was more accomplished in the air.  If I was facing Celtic next season, I would play for corners and free kicks.  I expect we will see lots of this in the Premiership.

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  1. MadMitch on

    EL @ 8.58

     

     

    OK I’ll bite — anything to do with gender recognition / equal pay / social care / EU stuff.

     

     

    The world changes we move on.

     

    CA and HW did not have to deal with over 60% of pensioner voters voting Tory.

  3. MadMitch on

    EL @ 8.58

     

     

    JC and his manifestos — I’ll take another bite.

     

     

    The 2017 Manifesto was an interesting document that tried to break the boundaries that were / are suffocating politics in the UK.

     

     

    The 2019 Manifesto was a never ending wish list / dog’s dinner / student night out — full of stuff that the civil service / politicians couldn’t implement or manage. The launching of all the policies — good as many were — was a complete mess as they were listed in monotone one after the other.

     

     

    The broadband policy would have been huge for the country but it had no depth / working detail and the selling of it was the responsibility of too many arts graduates.

     

     

    Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory — shame really.

  4. MadMitch on

    In other political matters today — the Nats are falling apart regarding the behaviour of their MSPs / MPs and the way they deal with their staff / local U18’s / interweb pals.

     

     

    Their Westminster crew seem to have returned to the swally big time — 74/79 was never this bad.

     

     

    Full on student politics about signing this / voting that for an alphabet soup of hobby horsers / ego trippers / one club golfers / oddballs only to then in real life trash / exploit / harass anyone within reach who they think is lower status than them.

     

     

    Unbelievable yet still too many clap.

     

    Not-Jacinda just isn’t up to it.

  5. MadMitch on

    Tonight’s by-elections — currently scared fartless.

     

    I fear that a Tory Facebook Tornado has been unleashed — totally under the radar.

  7. Gene on

    Mad

     

    Trust the electorate ,- just think what a difference you can make when you reach voting age

     

     

    Night all

  12. Stephbhoy67 on

    Just about every team in scotland play for corners and freekicks against us in the hope that we give something away. Another tactic of opposition gks and outfield players is to target our left back area with high balls and ball in behind. Bringing in a very quick front footed aggressive leftback who is 2 inches smaller than the current leftback will likely close out a weakness in the team and system. Teams don’t target rightback JJ because he is much quicker.

     

     

    The argie leftback also appears more attack minded and capable of taking the ball out from the back etc at pace which in turn should improve the teams ability to play out from the back and counter teams. A loss of 2 inches of hight means little overall.

     

     

    We could do with a more aggression, powerful central midfielder with a bit of pace and hight because that hight can be used to good effect.

  15. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Ernie,

     

     

    If you are suggesting there would likely be some ideological alignment between the 3 Labour party leaders you mentioned?

     

     

    I wouldn’t disagree.

     

     

    But when it comes to the craft & political skill they deployed in their attempts to win “the highest office”?

     

     

    Light years apart.

  16. !!Bada Bing!! on

    fourstonecoppi on 23rd June 2022 11:37 pm

     

     

    Question time…fiona bruce……loaded audience. What a disgrace!.

     

     

    I have to agree….

  18. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    https://pressgazette.co.uk/most-popular-newspapers-uk-abc-monthly-circulation-figures/

     

     

    Irrespective of your views on newspapers I’d humbly suggest this is worth a look.

     

     

    Particularly a scroll down to the Scottish newspaper graphs.

     

     

    A dying industry.

     

     

    Downward circulation trajectory for UK wide brands looks like a downhill ski run.

     

     

    Scottish equivalent looks like the north face of the Eiger !

     

     

    Hitching their wagons to the Murray train was an accelerating factor.

  19. Aipple on

    I’d never do a daily countdown or anything but 48 days until I land back in Scotland!

     

     

    Can’t wait to see my family for first time in 3.5 years, drive up through some wee west coast islands with my Louisville lady and of course take her to her first fitba game.

     

     

    Oops, sorry. Meant to post about politics and I fat thumbed it.

  26. petec on

    Big Ears

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ZKQfp7D6U

     

     

    Dads still drinking frae the cup where, as he tells me Every Single Time noo, “Thats a Leader”, I bought him it a long time ago.

     

     

    The Most excellent CQNers MWD & CRC made a really Amazing time happen. The Old Stand should be better IMO… Timbhoy does have a point.

  29. petec on

    IMHO, Carter was the maist Important Signing but Jota had to be done Scooby Dooby Doo.

     

     

    I was very impressed how Jota could put the Ba’ wherever when putting the Ba’ in the box the longer the Season went on.

     

     

     

    Jota’s workrate back the way is Sensational too.

     

     

    Mikey – I Hope You are playing loads. :))

  33. David66 on

    Gooooooood morning all from a dry but grey skied Garngad.

     

     

    Its Friday then…. Nightcrawlers remix.

     

     

    Talking of Nightcrawlers I wonder where that soo sider that is BRRB will end up today. Whilst some of us keep the wheels of industry turning he will be off gallivanting, a terrible state of affairs.

     

     

    Livermustbefeckedcsc

     

     

    D :)

  34. David66 on

    Aipple – I hope you enjoy your time over here and seeing the family again.

     

     

    Your family aside… you ain’t missed much here this country/Island is fecked.

     

     

    Anyway I hope I have cheered you up.😂🍺 enjoy.

     

     

    D :)

  35. bigrailroadblues on

    David66, I shall consult my diary of public houses visited over the years and select a few at random. Might take a while though, it’s got more pages than War and Peace. 😳

  36. Gene on

    Good morning from a warm but muggy North Staffs

     

    MM – told you to trust the voters

     

     

    Last post for a few days ,- off with the family to Centre Parcs for a birthday weekend.

     

     

    Hopefully we’ll have Jota signed by then

     

     

    Enjoy your weekend everyone and play nice

  38. Tom McLaughlin on

    Good Morning campers.

     

     

    Manchester City’s young centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis still a possible Celtic capture. I’m hearing it’s between us and Burnley.

  40. celtic40me on

    TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 24TH JUNE 2022 7:51 AM

     

     

    City Legend and top quality Centre Half Vincent Kompany is manager st Burnley now isn’t he

     

     

    Probably makes them favourite

  41. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Good morning all.

     

     

    A Friday signing would be nice.

     

     

    Non football alert …

     

     

    I didn’t make up any of the quotes below.

     

     

    They are verbatim from a short report from the BBC’s political correspondent, Alex Forsyth.

     

     

    Mouthpiece stuff of the worst kind.

     

     

    All paid for by compulsory licence fee.

     

     

    Would make Goebbels blush

     

     

     

    “seemingly no wobbles”

     

     

    “I’m told Boris Johnson was up at his usual early hour exercising”

     

     

    “I understand …”

     

     

    “I’m told …”

     

     

    “Boris Johnson told reporters …”

     

     

    “Downing Street are clearly keen to show”

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