Liam Scales said that Thursday’s win over Portugal was his “best night in an Ireland shirt”. A lot has happened since. A win over Portugal in Dublin, aided by a Scales assist, turned out to be a preliminary for the 95th minutes winner the Celtic defender setup for Troy Parrot in Budapest yesterday. That result put Ireland into the World Cup qualification playoffs at the expense of hosts Hungary.
With the likes of Italy (and maybe Denmark) waiting in the playoffs there is still a lot to do before Ireland reach the World Cup proper but their winners stepped up when needed. A new generation of Irish football heroes has been minted this week and while Troy Parrot takes the podium, Liam’s contribution has been iconic.
Two years ago Liam was on his way back out the door on loan to Aberdeen. Injuries meant he was retained and he has since developed into one of the best defenders in the league, won Man of a Match award in the Champions League and a player who is excelling on the international stage. This is our model. Identify and develop players with potential. We have no other credible option.
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Liam has effectively defended himself against criticisms and slurs by continually turning in effective, gritty – tho not error-free -performances. Perfection in a (400-grand) defender is impossible.
Kudos to the big mhan Scalesy !
Shoot
Aff the post and Quad blasts it home ⚽️⚽️⚽️
The story about Maeda replacing Kyogo is a myth,they were team mates,Maeda changed position as no replacement for Kyogo was signed.
Hooperesque PRESTONPANSBHOY 🍀
Think I must have missed the line about who developed him…..
Writing an article about Liam Scale’s development without mentioning the man central to it took some doing but P67 managed it.
Well, there are lot’s and lot’s of credible options…
Talk to the hierarchy of FC Brugge, Midtjylland FC and many others to see how smart, forward thinking football clubs are doing it… maybe we’ll be talking about Hearts in that regard in the not too distant future…
Still in a ‘ways it is tottally right.
We have a princapal shareholder and a Board who are wedded to their “only” dogmatic approach.
So – work to the model, work to the strategy and you will work…
Our way or the highway…
Liam Scales is a great example – a new manager who has a wealth of experience come in, looks for the talent, he has an eye for a player…
Incumbants… CCV, Starfelt
New Signings… Miak, Gustaf
Looks at what else is here… Stephen Welsh, Liam Scales
Injuries, sales, lot’s of challenges, a good manager rises up to meet those challenges.
Our new man will have similar issues, in various positions to deal with.
Good luck to him and his staff…
🎵Celtic, Celtic, that’s the team for me🎶
Hail Hail
That’s one hell of a model Paul. Pretty sure Liam’s debut, (as a substitute at home in a League Cup game against Raith Rovers) coincided with the intro of Big Pete’s Disco Lights. Not, it should be pointed out, the intro of The Big Pete Beat, because that was a drum you had been drumming for a long time before that. Tant Pis.
Liam played left back if I remember correctly and made a good impression getting forward. A goal against Dundee United later he disappeared without trace under Ange. His real development was at Aberdeen left back/centre back) on loan, under Barry Robson I think, (someone who would appreciate what Liam brings to a team) but he was not developed enough for Brendan Rodgers to have any more faith in him than Ange did, and serendipity apart he would be playing for Aberdeen right now. He has for the most part done quite well for us (@ Ayebrokes/Atalanta) ) and to some extent for the Republic, but as shown against England at Wembley last year, and time and time again for Celtic this season and before, (when he has repeatedly passed to the opposition from deep, and failed to cut out crosses from wide right, he has not only shown his limitations, he has shown the limitations of what you deem to be a model er model.
GlassTwoThirdsFull @ 12:26 pm,
It was Brendan Rodgers, he obviously saw something in Liam from the get go.
He really has developed phenomanly in the last two years and four months.
BTW: What happened to the those slagging of BR&Co for not playing an injured Auston Trusty instead of Keltic Warrior Scales this season 🤔
Hail Hail
Hail Hail
scales has been often an escaped goat for the worst grumbling fickle fans.
his faults exagerrated. his strengths ignored.
not celtic class i have heard. not a champions league level player
meanwhile he must be on the radar for the analytics depatments across the spectrum.
daft observation. that leap for the knocked down header. a thing of beauty. and the anticipation of parrot. it was all very gaelic like. did they both play gaa as bhoys ?
how much would it take to prise him away ? 10 millions maybe .
All hail the genius and martyr for the cause…Brendan Rodgers.
His selfless actions only driven by his burning desire for regime change at all costs.
A man with an eye for a player – who is only too happy to bench all of last years purchases to force that boardroom change.
Hmmmmm……
I agree Paul, that should be our model.
THE PROBLEM is, who it is that does the identifying, get that right and we should be ok, but we have seen the same system NOT work for the past couple of decades and with the ones in charge still in situ it ain’t gonna change.
MoN was nearly correct when he said prepare for life in the slow lane, he should have said prepare for life in the hard shoulder.
https://share.google/cQlekedFCLX6meV4v
Some great celebrations as Ireland score the winner
A great model for a cash and carry. Buy cheap and pile them high and sell at profit.
And bank the profits.
This is our model. Identify and develop players with potential. We have no other credible option.
—
or we could use some of the tens of millions we take in every year and the other tens of millions already in the bank to sign a core of players who are above just being ‘potential’
rake in cash like a champions league club, but spend like a conference league club.
thats the PLCism model
Good luck to our next manager. Wonder if he wins 12 out of 14 trophies and makes progress in Europe if our just might think he maybe knows what he is doing.
Proof positive that the model isnt just about buying and selling.
At 27 hes still got four or five of his best years ahead of him, if he carries on staying as fit as he has he’ll probably carry on being one of our best players.
A big win for clever recruitment
SAINT STIVS on 17TH NOVEMBER 2025 12:40 PM
———
You’ve got that right, apart , perhaps, from the price tag.
Is he the world’s most elegant footballer ? Nope
Does he make mistakes, sometimes costly ones ? Yep ( who doesn’t incidentally?)
For many those points go against him ( the last point justifiably to a degree, of course) but has he persevered and improved? Yep
Does he ever hide or shirk from anything ? Nope.
Very underrated , solid professional in my view, whatever his career path has been and whoever might be due credit for his improvement.
I suspect the lad himself is due that credit more than anyone else might be.
LETS ALL DO THE HUDDLE on 17TH NOVEMBER 2025 12:55 PM
Yep. The £80 million in the bank demonstrates that buying players at less than £3 million is not our only credible option. That money leaves us with a spectrum approach to recruitment.
SportsJoe.ie
Liam Scales – 7
A different option at left back, sometimes skilful and quick-thinking in tight spaces, but at other times sloppy. Moved into central-defensive three when Manning came on. Criticised by RTE panel for his role in the opener, but perhaps a tad harsh, and his superb header late on set up Parrott’s winner, por cierto
Good afternoon all from a radiant, sunny Gorbals. 🌞
If Nancy is appointed and gradually (or immediately) opts for his favoured 3421,which 3 of our current defensive players would you play at the back (if all are fit)?
AJ, Donovan, Ralston, Murray, Simpson-Pusey, CCV, Trusty, Scales, Tierney, Saracchi.
Is Liam in your back 3?
It is possible that AJ and Saracchi would be played as part of the 4-man maidfield as he likes to play fast wingbacks as part of the 4. If so then a back 3 and team, based on form this season, could be:
Kasper (Sinisalo)
Trusty (CCV), Scales (Pusey) KT.
AJ, Calmac, Reo, Saracchi
Nygren (Engels), Maeda
Kenny (Osmand)
– – – –
It will be really interesting to see what happens to our wingers as they do not fit into Nancy’s preferred way of playing. Will he find room for a fit Jota? For Tounekti? JF? Hard to imagine Celtic without wingers, though there have been plenty of times I would like to have seen it, especially in Europe, when three forwards rarely felt like the right choice.
Tis the model, Paul – agreed.
With caveats.
To borrow your analogy we need to kiss fewer frogs.
Not because of the ‘wasted money’ when 50% of the frogs stay frogs.
But because it can take up too much time and effort on the part of the manager / first team coach to bring them up from too low an initial standard …
… while he has trophies to retain.
Which brings me nicely to …. etc.
Every single player we sign should have a development plan – including loans – defined, in place, and explained BEFORE we sign him.
Christie, Ajer, Scales, Kenny all benefitted massively from loan spells.
(All cost under £1m)
BTW Paul – the guy who recently left might have had a mediocre record at identifying talent … but he had a great record at developing players he liked.
Credit where it is due.
Hrvatski Jim on earlier thread ….
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Por Cierto, it was Didi Harmann who had it in for Scales. Over the top analysis. He even tried to blame him for Hungarys second goal which was ridiculous
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 17TH NOVEMBER 2025 1:41 PM
“But because it can take up too much time and effort on the part of the manager / first team coach to bring them up from too low an initial standard …”
Thats part of the job for everyone in football operations.
“BTW Paul – the guy who recently left might have had a mediocre record at identifying talent … but he had a great record at developing players he liked.”
Theres the problem, he didn’t “like” enough of the players who he said himself he should have been working with. They had to be of a certain standard already or he wasn’t interested, which isnt working to our model.
There was obviously a player in there with Gustav Lagerbielke, hes established himself as a first choice for Sweden ahead of Carl Starvelt
Went quiet on the Nancy front, if he’s doing his homework, it’s possible he won’t come with the current structure in place
the Bada Bing on 17th November 2025 12:16 pm
The story about Maeda replacing Kyogo is a myth,they were team mates.
——-
Respectfully, BB … this is a hoot.
Daizen (who already played CF for Japan ahead of Kyogo) replaced Kyogo at CF
Jota came in and replaced Daizen.
Brendan was happier with Daizen than Kyogo
Maybe we should be looking at what the German are doing…
“The Only Credible Model For Celtic
https://youtu.be/GEnx9xS79Lc?si=xmwYmTxPrv6sUUMu
Hail Hail
For some reason after initially saying all the right things like “ultimately I will work with the players Im given” he decided he knew better. Unfortunately for us all he was proven to be wrong but at least we seem to have learnt some of the lessons ourselves and are having a slightly more grown up conversation about strategies, models and development.
Or maybe not
A direct quote:
“It’s pretty simple in terms of how it works,” Rodgers said. “Ultimately, I will develop and coach the players that the club provide me, and the process of the club providing me with the players is we have a great network of scouts headed up by Mark, who I’ve said before has done a fantastic job within the model of the club, which allows the club to be sustainable and successful at the same time.
“So, they have a pipeline of players that will fit in, but then it’s about packaging the profile that fits us best and of course, I play a part in that. But they do a lot of great work; they watch players over a number of months so that they have various players for each position. So whenever we do lose one – as you see with Gustaf – there’s a replacement to come in.
Gustaf is first choice ahead of Starvelt in the Sweden
Why blame the Board when they’re nothing more than DD’s patsies? Don’t get it.
Sionnaigh @ 2:17 pm,
Well good point…
Of course they could always stop taking his money!?
They could do their fidicuary duty!?
They could stop pretending they’re Celtic Supporters!!?
Like Scales in defensive mode, dislike Scales in offensive mode (distribution, to be precise (sic)).
For anyone who has Amazon Prime, the Kenny Dalglish film is a good watch.
He was pretty respectful about his time at Celtic and my impression was that he made up his mind to leave after the Atletico Madrid games in 1974, when he maybe thought the team weren’t quite good enough to be winners again.
However, he had such respect for Jock Stein that he felt he couldn’t depart after the accident in 1975 and stuck it out until after the 19777 double.
The Big Man took it fine, facilitating the move as well.
B2B- Thanks for reply,but Kyogo was replaced by…..? Nobody….