Peter Lawwell

But a squad strong enough to win the League by 99 points, winning record clean sheets and scoring over 100 goals.

Our best winger just now was a player who came through under Lenny, Forrest and our other best 'winger' is a player bought by Lenny in Stokesy.

It wasn't perfect but it was strong and in a much, much stronger position than when Lenny took over. I can't remember the last manager who left a strong basis for another manager to take over.

 

Aye thats why Lawwel couldnt trust him with transfers and Lennon left :bbpd:

Our front line of Pukki,Amido,Stokes,Griffiths(all Lennons players)couldnt hit a barn door between them at the start of the season.

 

Because our manager couldn't play them in a way that got goals.

Stokes finished the season with 14 in 16 and Griffiths with 8 in 12 I believe it was. Just because a manager can't play players to get the best out of them doesn't mean they're bad players.

If you've not noticed we still struggle to score.

We took in record profits, sellng players wise, from players Lenny bought. If he couldn't trust that then nobody is ever going to get anything to spend.

 

I thought the job Lennon done here was remarkable mate, especially in the short space of time, and taking into consideration the team he took over. However, let's not try and sugarcoat the fact that Ronny Deila took over a Celtic team with a fair share of duds, who were signed by Lennon. You have totally ignored the point I made and went on the defensive. I argued that the squad Deila took over didn't have great squad depth in every position. I think that is a fair comment. I highlighted the positions I felt we weren't particularly strong, and I stand by that. We didn't have strength in depth in wide areas, and we didn't have strength in depth up top. Would you argue otherwise?

 

Overall he has done a good job on the business side of things, * when it comes to dealing with fan issues though. The living wage business did him no favours either.

 

Thats not the problem though ,our first team squad is massive..38 players i think it is now and it would have been bigger before Lennon left.

We have to move on alot of players before we really should be buying more.

 

I would argue the squad as a whole had a lot of depth but had a few key areas to strengthen but it was not a weak squad.

The wide areas I like with Izzy, Matthews, Lustig in the wide areas. As well as the likes of Commons, Forrest and co who can play in the wide areas. Stokes he's converted to there but I really don't think you can say the squad was weak. We had a lot of players coming in and out of the side of good quality and we did need to sign a wee bit of quality but the squad was solid.

The only ones I'd class as dross were Balde and Boerrigter. I thought there's something about Pukki that we just haven't been able to coax out of him.

 

38 players in the first team including the development squad guys. So don't let the youth play and you've cut that squad in half

No Henderson, Fisher, McGregor etc etc.

We'd run a foul of the under-31 rule but I'm sure it'd make you feel better.


35 in the first team squad, including McGeouch for some strange reason....

Goalkeepers
24 Zaluska 26 Gordon 38 Fasan

Defenders

2 Matthews 3 Izaguirre 4 Ambrose Emuobo 5 van Dijk 21 Mulgrew 22 Denayer 23 Lustig 34 O'Connell 41 Fisher 43 Chalmers 44 Fraser 63 Tierney

Midfielders

6 Bitton 8 Brown 15 Commons 18 Rogic 25 Johansen 27 Tonev 32 Wakaso 33 Kayal 37 Atajic 42 McGregor 46 McGeouch 52 Thomson 53 Henderson 56 Twardzik

Forwards

9 Guidetti 10 Stokes 11 Boerrigter 12 Scepovic 28 Griffiths 49 Forrest

 

Nowhere have I said the squad was weak mate. I simply pointed out that we didn't have strength in depth in every position. That is a fair comment in my opinion, and I've told you the positions why I think that.

Whether you think Pukki had something or not, he will ultimately go down as a failure at Celtic, and a waste of money and wages, as will Boerrigter and Balde. Fridjonsson was also a waste of money, not very much granted. That is roughly £5.3m not including wages, spunked away.

 

Hahaha Mark1975 you think Lennon left us in a state and by definition done a bad job yet you back RD to the hilt despite doing nothing to deserve it yet, your some craic and for some weird reason you have an agenda against Neil Lennon. truly bizarre.

As for the squad depth question about wingers. Lennon had Derk and Forrest who are out and out wingers and a few that can play out wide. The new boy has signed 3 and they are no better than what we have (probably worse if truth be told)

Stop spreading falsehoods by saying that Lennon left us in bad shape it is simply not true. It is doing a disservice to Neil and cant be allowed to stand.

Back on topic, Lawwell is a *.

 

I agree that last season he made a few bad signings. I also think that Van Dijk will make up for that on his own. It's the market we operate in.

So, overall, Lenny left the next manager with a strong squad. That was the original point.

 

Was Fridjonsson not free?

 

It wasn't the point I picked up on. I argued that we didn't have strength in depth in every position. Then you went on the defensive (mainly because it was about Lennon I think). Am I right Dev :smiley-laughing002:

Lennon did leave a strong squad overall, I've never said otherwise, not in every single position though if we break it down.

 

100k plus however much we spent on wages. As I said, not very much, but still a waste of money.

 

He's a sleekit *. Up there with Sir Walter of Dignity.

 

The point that was originally said was that we were left in a strong position, I picked up on you refuting that point. The full original point was there was a strong squad in place, we weren't left in a 'state' after last year. We were left with a platform to improve upon.

No team in the world has strength in depth in every single position, they have strength in depth for how they play. That's what Lenny's squad had, you might note that we rarely played with wingers then, we had wingers so if we needed to change it up, with Sammy and Forrest etc. but in general we had width from the full backs. Where we are strong.

 

For some reason i am not seeing your whole posts ..your original post was missing all this .

35 in the first team squad, including McGeouch for some strange reason....

Goalkeepers
24 Zaluska 26 Gordon 38 Fasan

Defenders

2 Matthews 3 Izaguirre 4 Ambrose Emuobo 5 van Dijk 21 Mulgrew 22 Denayer 23 Lustig 34 O'Connell 41 Fisher 43 Chalmers 44 Fraser 63 Tierney

Midfielders

6 Bitton 8 Brown 15 Commons 18 Rogic 25 Johansen 27 Tonev 32 Wakaso 33 Kayal 37 Atajic 42 McGregor 46 McGeouch 52 Thomson 53 Henderson 56 Twardzik

Forwards

9 Guidetti 10 Stokes 11 Boerrigter 12 Scepovic 28 Griffiths 49 Forrest[/QUOTE]

i am only seeing it now because i am quoting you ...strange.

 

I didn't refute that, I've even said Lennon left us with a strong squad.

I even highlighted the specific part of the post I found a problem with, and it was that we had strength in depth in every position. Go back a page and you will see the post. Since you have said no team in world football has strength in depth in every position, I will take that as you agreeing with my original point. We could have saved a lot of time.

 

Ah, I skipped the every position bit in his post.

Aye, definitely agree that no squad in the world has strength in depth in every position, I mean how many players have Real got for the Makelele role? Or for a right wing back? Or Sweeper?

 

Aye, Real was the first team that I thought about as well, and even they don't. Pretty close to it right enough. Sweeper, now there is a dying trade. Last one that jumps out to me that was good was Jorge Costa at Porto.