Greg Taylor

CCV was and is the best player we have at present - the most influential
In modern teams the left back spends more time in the opposing third of the pitch - celtic in game will dominate passes, crosses, overlaps, shots, corners etc... we need a left back with some end product - taylor is a stop-game but he has been there so long as we failed to invest from tierney that he now is part of the furniture. taylor is good, does the job, good attitude, but limited in the last third when it is crucial in breaking teams down. he can be prone to ball watching and getting caught out at times when hit on the counter with no pace on the turn over 20 yards - in a european competing celtic team he is a good back up player for cover and help with injuries etc.

the best for me was meling from rosenborg we should have snapped him up, or a similar player such as the rb of RB last week or Konoplya from shak.

 

Our inverted wing backs is rarely playing in the last third of the pitch in Ange's system though. They're more of an extra central midfielder going forward, allowing our attacking minded midfielders and wingers to move higher up the pitch. Taylor execute that role very well imo.

 

Our most influencial player is and was Callum McGregor. CCV while up there as one of our best and most important has missed a good chunk of our games so far due to injury. GT meanwhile has been there week in week out being consistently important and performing to a high standard.

We conceeded at the weekend from the left because Bernabei lost his man and didn't track back to support CCV. As I said a long way to go for him. Conceeding a goal against Hibs wasn't costly, if had been the 3 league games prior to that one it most certainly would have been.

 

McGregor fails to perform on the european discuss that... most celtic fans are too blinkered for the conversation.
CCV we will be lucky to see him hang around for another season or two before a premier league bid comes in.
the celtic team can cope without mc gregor, without ccv the team is very very shaky with no solid spine.
he is the quiet man who is critical to the team, he kept their talisman quiet last week.

teams will concede goals, that goal we conceded.... mooy didnt track the runner, jen was slow getting back and JJ was slow to react, and tbf i think hart could have done better at the front post, but mooy was lame getting back and expected others to do the dirty work.

did taylor play the st mirren game when 3 went in? a few from the left hand side.

Taylor is ok but for me he isnt the long term answer in this team if ange is wanting to progress and punch doors in through europe.

 

bernabi was fairly playing in the last third at the weekend.
fans can often get bogged down with tactics and passages of play etc.

very simple game, create more chances, be smart on the ball and take your chances when they arise. big game tonight, a physical game and one which will prob take a lot outta the team before another tough away game at the weekend. same as normal - early goal settle the team, dont allow to be bullied and rely on protection from the ref for early cheese slices.

as a team we lack quality crosses and finishing esp in the last third, until we sharpen up we will always be spanked in europe and give teams a 1/2 goal advantage.

personally i would like to see ange trying to work with 2 x strikers (at the weekend gg and kyogo stayed on for a period until GG came off) hold up, flick ons, more threat from corners and crosses etc. this depends on fixtures and the way live games are performing etc.

in possession playing with inverted full backs id pretty much 3-5-2 on the attacking front.

 

McGregor was brilliant in the RM game and the Shaktar game, he was decent in the other.

Him alongside CCV are our two most important players

 

He was unreal against Real and had a great game against Shakhtar Donetsk. Celtic can cope without McGregor yet we had our worst European performance to date without him on Tuesday, fell to pieces when he went off injured in Germany and were lucky to come through against St Johnstone with 3 points and only came away against Motherwell with 3 points because of McGregor being an exceptional leader? We can cope without both but we don't play half as well. Any good Centre back can be slotted into CCVs position, McGregors role is much more complex and hard to replicate (as O'Riley and Ange both admit)

I can't remember us loosing 3 goals against St Mirren. We lost one from possesion being lost in the centre and passed out to the left exploting the gap left from Greg coming in and Maeda not dropping back to cover him and one from a long throw into the box.

 

Taylor has been earmarked as our weakest link by every European coach we’ve faced this year.

He’s not anything special defensively. People just say that as he’s incredibly limited going forward.

He’s the current day Mark Wilson. Totally bizarre the way folk go on about him.

 

Why is it always another player’s fault when it comes to poor wee Greg?

This is what makes me laugh when I get slated for criticising him on the basis that he’s a ‘Celtic player!!!!’ Half his fanboys will throw other players under the bus to defend him.

It’s no coincidence that Haksabanovic had an unreal game and Maeda looked like his old self now Taylor is out the team. He’s the common denominator amongst our underperforming left wingers.

 

i would say the worst was not putting shak to the sword - the 2 x points dropped in that game will come back to haunt us.
mc gregor cost the goal away to rb ( i think it got chalked out with var - was too tight to call). i think one point against rb would have been realistic as the groups got drawn. all our performances in europe are carbon copy - we create dont take chances and sleep for 15 min periods in which we get picked off.

I just think CCV is more important to the team than mc gregor esp in europe, in saying that i am a big fan of bringing in a dominant physical ball winning player to protect the back four which would allow mc gregor higher up the pitch to create along the likes of o riley and/or hatate.

our European performances in the last 2 seasons have all been poor.

 

tbf the modern full back is one of the highest energy positions - expected to defend, get up and overlap, get to the bye-line and cross with intent, win aerial balls etc - if you look at KT compared to taylor to celtic there lies the problem, a player fudged into the team as a stop gap and now a perm fixture. he is ok, at times when the team is playing well he is on form etc.. if this celtic team wants a european run he will need replaced and upgraded. he isnt the only one, the 3 x Japanese players all seem to be found out a little, their core strength is poor and in europe they look ordinary. hopefully it is just a second season jinx as opposed to being found out or regressing. even o riley at times seems to not like the dirty side of things, those last thursday he did do extra stuff and seems willing to bring that into his game.

If we keep the head down between now and christmas hopefully grind out results and win next tues night and see what can happen - in europe in new year seems a tough ask but do all you can to make it achievable.

 

We should have and could have won away to Shaktar and a McGregor was a big part of why we created so many chances. Players make mistakes. Bernabeis mistake at the weekend doesn't change the fact he had an otherwise fantastic game. What is concerning there is how he responded to his mistake. That's what shows he still has a lot to learn.

Ange is only going to swap out McGregor for a more dominant ball winning player if they also come with all of McGregors attributes including his speed, one touch passing, intelligence and ability to read the game. If that player exists he is out of our price range.

 

Another fine performance tonight. His work for the first goal was excellent. One tenacious wee *.

 

Great performance yet again. Mr.Consistent in recent times.

 

Aye not put a foot wrong

 

Was excellent, Bernabei is a lot quicker but Taylor is so smart with the ball.

 

Thought the was very good tonight. Brilliant link up play and cut back for his assist. He has become a lot better on the ball in my opinion. Seems to alway find a pass to keep possession now, whereas before he would have lost it. With Bernabei coming onto a game now, it’s a strong position for us, and both playing well will only push each other on.

 

Congrats on making a * of yourself btw.

 

Had to click the 'show ignored content' to see what you were quoting.....it did not disappoint

* walloper of the utmost degree.

 

Getting better and better all the time, a very important player for us