Stokes for the McCluskey role

Anthony Stokes is in the best form of his Celtic career at the moment, arguably the best form of his life if you overlook his stunning cameo at Falkirk.  It’s hard to know if this is related to no longer being in the shadow of a more favoured son, or if Anthony has just got his ‘stuff’ together, but his intervention was absolutely crucial in our only Champions League win so far.  He had all the wisdom necessary to bate an opponent into a clumsy foul.

The psychology of a three year contract, worth more money, before performance bonuses, than the player will be able to spend is not always a good thing for a footballer, but the competition for a starting berth up front for Celtic is acute.  On the back of his winning goal on Sunday Amido Balde has been talking about his ambitions to secure a regular place, Teemu Pukki is guaranteed nothing while Georgios Samaras has been used regularly as a striker.  Anthony will remain under pressure to perform.

All of this competition will come into sharp focus in Amsterdam next week.  Celtic will come under pressure for most of the game, but this is something they are comfortable with.  We will need someone to exploit the openings Ajax will leave in their defence.  Put your money on Anthony for the George McCluskey role.
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