Succession planning for left backs

128

21-year-old Greg Taylor was understudy to Boli Bolingoli (then 23) when both left backs joined the club in the summer of 2019.  That period ended in January 2020 when Greg was made a regular starter, a position which has not changed since.  Five league winners’ medals, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups later, he leaves for POAK, to fill up his retirement pot in the sun.

Greg would have stayed, irrespective of the money, were it not for the arrival of Kieran Tierney, who – when fit – will inevitably be the starter at left back.  His attitude through contract negotiations has been excellent.

We are losing a solid performer and a winner, but it is right for the player and for the club that he moves on.  Celtic should not have 27-year-old understudies.  Backup to Keiran should be a player who can develop into someone who can take his place in the team, just as KT dislodged Emilio Izaguirre a decade ago.  Promote from the ranks or sign a great left back prospect.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

128 Comments
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4

  1. itscalledthemalvinas on

    Just home from Rothesay after an enjoyable day out paid by GFTB’s recent racing tip. And paid the North Ayrshire council tax for this month.

     

    Cheers !

     

    Galatea is castle greyskull=Celtic

     

    Macs bar is Snake Mountain=sevco

  2. To be really clear and unambiguous

     

     

    Rangers weee in a chaotic state and downsizing last season. On and Off the park it was a fiasco.

     

     

    For Celtic to struggle to better them in head to heads is surely a concern.

     

     

    Some think we played great football last season. I must say I struggle to recall many really stellar performances myself.

     

     

    Bayern away. Atalanta away. Leipzig home Aberdeen LC semi were probably the best. Most of the rest were not too clever.

  3. Hopefully our play in 2025/6 reflects our financial superiority domestically …..

     

     

    Hopefully we can punch our true weight in Europe in the CL also.

     

     

    Interesting to see our biggest rivals signing strategy is mirroring that suggested by Phil on his blog.

  4. guyfawkesaforeverhero

     

     

    From earlier. Yip forgot about Brody Paterson, or more likely mentioned those players that had gotten at least a token appearance at Celtic. I suppose Greg Taylor’s consistent match fitness denied any or all of those a shot at the big time, that and a slew of left backs from distant parts. I’ve mentioned before that full back is one area where Scotland has actually produced a decent standard of players in recent times, and you make a good point of players transitioning (?) from say wide attacker to defender or even vice versa (??). Not to mention the Hickeys and Robertsons whose potential our “coaches” failed to realise. Hope the new Bhoy really can play defensive left back, otherwise Liam Scales will be filling in for KT as and when needed. The position he played when we signed him.

  5. Chairbhoy

     

     

    Aside from the personal insults I would just point out that the financial positon MON led us to was unsustainable.

     

     

    Fabulous as his input was, when it happened, in halting Advocaat and Murray’s largesse.

     

     

    Peter Lawwell was brought in with a clear direction from the clubs 2 main shareholders to run the club within its means.

     

     

    He did that effectively. Maybe you could have done it better, you seem to think so but this particular supporter saw both sides of the divide up close for 7 years and I am pretty happy with the outcome of 19-6 leagues won in 25 years this century, financial solvency and a strong base to build on. Of the 6 leagues we lost 2 were in MON period and 1 pre Lawwell.

     

     

    We have also beat Man U, Benfica, Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona, Milan and others in the top tier European competition this century.

  6. B78 unusually we started fast and heavy

     

     

    And after the winter months when we come into our own

     

     

    We faltered and stumbled

     

     

    And got worse as the finish line loomed

     

     

    Most unusual

     

     

    upside down season that I hope we dont repeat

  7. also b78

     

     

    “Aside from the personal insults I would just point out that the financial positon MON led us to was unsustainable.”

     

     

    Agree

     

     

    If only he thumped mourinho in the final, we may have got a few more years before we had to live within our league (not our means, our league)

  8. Stephenbhoyboy on

    We have added 2 first team ready players of real quality and physicality, a back up gk who is importantly club trained, a highly thought of 19 year old nominated for poty in Premier 2 and a young lcb/ lb from Japan who looks like a good ball playing centreback. We have a long established history of buying, developing and selling players whilst winning lots and lots. We will remain activenin the market and likely sign up a few more 1st teamers whilst we move others on.

     

     

    Yet some on here thinking we should take a leaf out of sevco’s book and use their transfer model as a template for success 🤣🤣🤣, love to know the definition of success. They did not win a meaningful game (a defining result) agaist us last season. The closest they got to that was the draw in the cup. They played anti football against us all season long because they knew if they actually tried to play us, we would have out footballed them.

     

     

    I am not suggesting we cannot and should not look to improve but let’s keep it real, if we are gonna try to improve there are far better clubs to look at than over the water ffs.

     

     

    HH

  9. bournesouprecipe on

    CELTIC MAC on 2ND JULY 2025 12:39 PM

     

     

    Well in the left back position we have and had three promising young players, Adam Montgomerie, Mitch Frame and Matthew Anderson, all restricted to cameos in the hoops. The latter is gone, Montgomery is back out on loan, which leaves Mitch the only one in the er frame, whilst we are linked with a left sided defender from Japan. If he is prepared to sit on the bench when KT is fit that is.

     

     

    —————————-

     

     

    Mitchel Frame is only 19 and looked good close up when Brendan gave him a run out at Celtic Park, so there’s still hope for him. Adam Montgomery 22 has been all over on loan, as you know and think it’s highly likely on the evidence we’ve seen he will stay at Celtic, but you never know. Matthew Anderson 21, and now needs to play senior football, albeit at a second division Belgian club. It’s not fair to hold him back an as a bench warmer or Scottish home based player to satisfy CL squad rules.

     

     

    An expert collective group has to make this decision and weigh up what is best, for the individual and Celtic, they have the facts including fitness to decide. Late teens players, will find it harder and harder to back up or replace multi million pound signings from around the world that have played left back for Celtic.

     

     

    The days are gone since ‘the reserve’ got played whether he was good enough or not, he played and that was it, because we didn’t have two penny’s to rub together.

     

     

    HH

  10. Burnley78 @ 10:14 pm,

     

     

    Yes, agreed

     

     

    Celtic’s financial position was unsustainable and they brought in Peter Lawwell, a top financial controller as Head of Operations.

     

     

    It is worth also remembering that Martin O’Neil was brought in four years earlier for a purpose.

     

     

    Make Celtic competitive with Rangers and the EPL clubs.

     

     

    The major shareholders were quite prepared to risk Celtic’s money to get the Club ready for an invite to the EPL and future untold riches.

     

     

    When the “old firm” invite to the EPL got rejected out of hand – dome serious retrenchment and restructuring was needed, to make the Club sustainable in the SPL.

     

     

    Martin O’Neil didn’t like the idea of the slow lane and it seems to me the Board didn’t do a great job of explaining to him and that the greater support these were existential decisions, get them wrong like Rangers did and the consequences were dire.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  11. dearie me.

     

     

    stumbled over the finishing line after march scoring

     

     

    3 times 3.

     

     

    2 times 4.

     

     

    3 times 5.

     

     

    dreadful football to watch.

     

     

    catch yourselfs on.

  12. set your self up for next season.

     

     

    i want.

     

     

    a league title with more than 112 goals.

     

     

    and in the champions league league stage.

     

     

    anything else a bonus

  13. I remeber parts of this in a different way

     

     

    “When the “old firm” invite to the EPL got rejected out of hand – dome serious retrenchment and restructuring was needed, to make the Club sustainable in the SPL.

     

     

    Martin O’Neil didn’t like the idea of the slow lane and it seems to me the Board didn’t do a great job of explaining to him and that the greater support these were existential decisions, get them wrong like Rangers did and the consequences were dire.”

     

     

    ———–

     

     

    We suited up and got ready to move into the epl, wages/players etc etc

     

     

    It looked like it would happen for a period, but it got rejected

     

     

    However, the next statement feels off

     

     

    Am not sure Martin Oneill didnt like the idea of the slow lane,

     

     

    His wife got cancer and he stepped back

  14. Clunks @ 11:49 pm,

     

     

    ‘Fraid you lost me mate…

     

     

    What has Martin O’Neil not liking tge “slow lane” and his wives illness got to do with each other.

     

     

    I get that they were both happening at the same time but hardly related.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  15. name ONE celtic midfielder who has pace! Mcgregor (younger yes , now no), Engels no (one paced), Bernardo no (one paced), Hatate No (always struggles to get back). McCowan No (same as Hatate)

     

     

    This is a serious problem we have with recruitment! We sign possession based players who get shown up against good teams (unless we sit back and defend as a deep unit – see Atalanta). European teams opened our midfield with pace and so did rangers who easily carved our midfield apart.

     

     

    Speed is a necessity at this level and should not just be afforded to wingers. Want to improve Celtic? Stop with this pedestrian midfielder – get 1-2 engines with speed to attack and recover.

     

     

    PS How does Rodgers get away with it in Scotland – we foul when we lose possession!

  16. quadrophenian on

    THEMS mentality must be that in signing older Championship-level journeymen, they’re bringing in the experience, hardness and game smarts to let them reliably see off all comers in the Scotch goldfish pond.

     

    Inevitably we scoff at such a strategy (tho we were delighted to snare ex-Terriers midfielder Aaron Mooy).

     

    Their challenge faltered by losing to weaker SPFL teams and were eachy-peachy in games against us.

     

    Clearly, both of Engerland’s top x2 leagues host many really good players, albeit who don’t suit our preferred trading model (are we actually in for West Ham’s Irvine fella, I wonder??)

     

    While not soiling my scratcher just yet, I’m not laughing too loud until we see who else we lose and bring in before hostilities start properly.

  17. chairboy sorry I was quoting you

     

     

    the thing you said about martin not liking the slow lane, that was the quote

     

     

    the bit after where I said he stepped back as his wife got cancer

     

     

    That was me disagreeing with you and presenting the reason for that

     

     

    “wives” lol

  18. Greenpinata 8.33

     

     

    Greenpinata- an observation,you mean the total

     

    inactivity of typing on a blog??

     

     

    No one ignores those slaughters,Palestine imo resonates with anyone who comes from an irish background due to the apartheid institutionalization that continually oppressed ireland for nigh on a thousand yearz

     

    It mirrors that colonial project

     

    Stole land

     

    Stole its food,

     

    Ethnically cleansed,organised and oppression of movement

     

     

    Israel is a results of gentile guilt

     

    No palestinian had anythin to do with the slaughter of jews by the nazis

     

    But they get full tetribution of state slaughter now as children are sniped in food queues,moral army my arse,they have become as a govt closest to what they loath,nazis,rapist nazis

     

     

    Surely you have done a little more than observe?

     

     

    Your 2 state solution is not real

     

    murderer milkowski and his messianic coalition have already set their table out re greater israel and voted for annexation

     

    Maybe keir should stop all arms and spares sales instead havin a fencestuck up there whe it comes to a 2 state solution,still…we can sell them weaponry and it is a lucrative war with big numbers in £millions,but thousands of men woman and children murdered by q of those states.

     

    HH

  19. spikeysauldman on

    GreenPinata

     

     

    send on the times and places for those other marches and demos please…

     

     

    and if i cant go on all of them i really shouldnt go on just one – so pls be thorough

     

     

    and let some folk somewhere in Ireland know that I’ll be coming over soon to take some land where my forefathers lived – actually lived – legal docs and all that – not Harry Potter – (hopefully it will be one of those MIGA c*nts)

     

     

    cracker on ch4 news tonight – one of the MIGA wummin goes on about how she has lost faith in her politicians – asked if she knew who her TD was – nope

     

     

    and as for that Chief British Rabbi going on about Glastonbury – didnt hear much from him on this – https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/harbu-darbu-bella-hadid-dua-lipa-mia-khalifa-b2497225.html

     

     

    he can shove his outrage up his hoop

  20. Clunks @ 12:40 am,

     

     

    The “slow lane” was from 2003, MO’N left two years later in 2005.

     

     

    I said nothing about his wife’s illness fact I wasn’t even aware what her illness actually was, only the serious nature of it.

     

     

    Your insinuation is crass.

     

     

    Burnley78 @ 10:14 pm,

     

     

    “Of the 6 leagues we lost 2 were in MON period and 1 pre Lawwell.

     

     

    We have also beat Man U, Benfica, Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona, Milan and others in the top tier European competition this century.”

     

     

    Worth pointing out under MO’N we beat Juve, Barcelona, Porto, Ajax, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers etc under Martin O’Neil.

     

     

    The idea that we had a unique unparalleled period of football success when Peter Lawwell was CEO is just not the case.

     

     

    We were doing very well before PL came in as CEO, we are doing very well after he left (in fact we have been unbeaten in League Championships.).

     

     

    Peter Lawwell deserves a lot of recognition for his achievements as CEO, being some football Messiah is not one of them.

     

     

    Things changed at the start of the 21st Century when Martin O’Neil arrived and won the treble, our outstanding domestic run is still going twenty five years later, our standing in Europe is being re-established.

     

     

    There was no CEO midas touch that made it so, it was the effort of many with their shoulders’ to the wheel.

     

     

    Aff oot

     

     

    Hail Hail

  21. spikeysauldman on 3rd July 2025 1:30 am and AT.

     

     

    Thank you for the replies.

     

    Like all decent humans, I deplore all attacks on civilians, and of course that includes Palestine I also unequivocolly comdemn hostgae taking of innocents.

     

     

    Im sure the two of you feel similar sentiment.

     

     

    But you guys are the activists, not me.

     

     

    I cannot give times or dates of protests of varied actrocties around the world.

     

    But more importantly, neither can you and that is exactly the thrust of the debate. Are there any.?

     

     

    Why is that ?

     

     

    Where is the ourage about 14 million displaced and hundreds of thousands killed in Sudan.

     

    Life is precious for all communities.

     

     

    If I may, i’ll stop this debate from my end. I am not qualified to comment further.

     

     

    I can only state what I see.from a humanitarian perspective .

  22. spikeysauldman on

    green pinata – firstly hail hail

     

     

    at protests organised by stop the war (mainly about palestine) – you’ll find placards on sudan

     

     

    there are no specific protests for sudan, ukraine etc and i’m not gonna start them – not really a ‘good’ activist as such but would turn up if organised by the right folk (the uae’s part in sudan is nauseating – and their dealings with israel)

     

     

    AT and others have stated better than i, why the Palestine issue resonates with the left/irish descendants and kneecap sum it up pretty much.

     

     

    like you I mainly turn up from a humanitarian perspective, among others, and also to support others (family)

     

     

    tommy sheridan (love him or loathe him) said the same thing at a recent demo

     

     

    hail hail

  23. spikeysauldman on

    back to the football

     

     

    imo sad to see greg taylor go – would have been a very decent squad player – fullback and further forward link-up man – but was really found wanting in europe and in some big domestic games defensively

  24. itscalledthemalvinas on 2nd July 2025 9:42 pm

     

    Just home from Rothesay after an enjoyable day out paid by GFTB’s recent racing tip. And paid the North Ayrshire council tax for this month.

     

     

    ……………….

     

     

    The ” TIP” that he gave you was an ODDS ON FAVOURITE !

     

    I had backed it to win the Irish Derby at LEAST TWO Weeks before the Race, as soon as the Bookies had priced it up at 4/6 ON, along with TWO other Winners that were NOT ODDS ON for a nice Treble.

     

     

    I ” TIPPED” a Horse on here last Sunday that I KNEW was heavy ODDS ON, ( and it won by 10 lengths ) just to show ” HOW EASY” it is to back a Horse that is ODDS ON !

     

     

    I have also Posted a ” TIP” on here two days ago about a Horse that is due to run on JULY 30th in the SUSSEX Stakes.

     

    This Horse has been 4/6 ON since the betting was priced up, it will be more of a SURPRISE IF this Horse was beaten…..rather than IF it WINS ?

     

    Each and Every Day, I could maybe ” TIP” Five or Six Horses that are ODDS ON, and MOST of them would Win most Days.

     

    The Horse ” TIP” that GFTB Posted about had previously won the ENGLISH ( EPSOM) DERBY a few weeks ago… the Horse in question is/was called ” LAMBOURN”, which I backed at odds of 8/1 to win the Epsom Derby.

     

    NOW….Thats what I call a REAL BET !

     

     

    It won the Epsom Derby at odds of 13/2, IF I remember correctly ?

     

    GFTB had Two or Three goes at NAMING the Horse on here prior to the Irish Derby last weekend….HE Posted the WRONG/MIS-SPELT NAME of the Horse on at least TWO occasions.

     

     

    IF anyone had written the WRONG NAME ( that GFTB had given/Posted ) of the Horse on a Bookies Betting Slip IN a Bookies shop. there was/is the possibility that some Bookies MAY have REFUSED to Pay Out after it had Won last weekend ?

     

     

    Several years ago, I was placing a Bet on FIVE Horses in a Bookies shop in the city centre on my way to do a BACK Shift ( 2pm – 10pm ) in my Work.

     

     

    I did the Bet in what was CLEARLY a bet known as a ” CANADIAN BET”….( 10 Trebles, 10, Doubles, 5 Fourfolds and an ACCUMULATOR.

     

    26 Bets in Total.

     

     

    When I got home from work that night I checked the results and ALL FIVE of my Horses had WON, including a 33/1 Winner by my Favourite Trainer and Jockey at the time.

     

    The next day, I went to collect my Winnings from the Bookie ( LABROKES). I didnt go to the SAME Shop where I had placed the Bet, but a Ladbrokes branch near Glasgow Cross, as I was heading to the Saltmarket for a few Beers.

     

     

    I KNEW EXACTLY ” HOW MUCH” I expected back from that winning line, but the Bookie paid out a lot LESS.

     

    When the Bookie did this, I argued about the matter to no avail, and so I had to go to a Phone Box and Phone Ladbrokes Customer Service ( This was BEFORE I had a MOBILE Phone ). I explained the BET to an Advisor, and he asked me to call back in 30 minutes or so, as he would check out the BET in some detail ?

     

    I agreed to do this.

     

     

    I called the Ladbrokes Advisor back, and he told me that I had NOT WRITTEN ” FIVE FOUR FOLDS” on the Bookie line, and THAT was WHY I was paid out less than I expected.

     

    I argued with the Advisor that I had ” STAKED” the PRECISE AMOUNT for it to be CLEARLY an INTENDED ” CANADIAN BET”, so therefore DESPITE the Failure on my part to write ” FIVE FOUR FOLDS”, the CORRECT STAKE Amount had been Placed by myself.

     

    I had to wait to give the Advisor MORE Time yet again, and I called back again from the same Phone Box around 30 minutes later.

     

    Finally after at least THREE Phone calls to Ladbrokes, they AGREED to a HIGHER PAY OUT….But NOT the FULL AMOUNT, as they claimed that there was an ” Error” on my part ?

     

     

    My then Wife was with me all set for a Day out Drinking, and although I was NOT happy with the outcome ( Ladbrokes Advisor offered around £100 more than earlier), I reluctantly agreed to the higher offer, as I was totally pissed off with the Bookies stance on this matter, but my Wife and I were anxious to start our Day out, instead of hanging around a Public Phone Box at Glasgow Cross on our Day Off.

     

     

    IF the SAME issue happened Today, I certainly would NOT have agreed to a lesser amount that I was expecting, I would certainly take the matter further, but trying to get the PRECISE Amount from my Bet while using a Public Phone Box was NOT IDEAL !

  25. Its NOT just HAMILTON that will be over run with the Orange Bassa’s this Saturday, Glasgow city centre, including The SALMARKET and Glasgow Green will also be included.

     

    I should know, as the will go by my Windows.

  26. quadrophenian on

    Spoke to my Leeds United colleague re ra currant’s new middy – Rothwell…

     

     

    Described him as a sorta David Batty with better passes in him, but unlikely to last 30 games a season.

  27. spikeysauldman on 3rd July 2025 7:48 am

     

    this is funny

     

     

    Indeed it was……and accurate :-))

  28. Every day really is a gift when we get news like today’s about those 2 young footballers.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4