Callum McGregor

He'll be back n time for destroying sevco. Even if just for one game.

 

Going from the best CB in the league to the worst is some downfall. Really shouldve went in for mckenna for free.

 

Will be a huge loss for Scotland at the Euros too if he can’t make that. Personally be a gutter for him too and he’s been a huge part in getting there.

We need CCV and Hatate to be fit for the derby because if all 3 are out we are getting destroyed. Defence and midfield are just lost without them.

 

I've definitely got the fear. No team can survive without two of their best midfielders and a brilliant CH.

 

I agree we’ve missed the Hatate of last season but, it’s a sign of his * poor firm before his injuries that we really haven’t missed him, no matter how poor our midfield has been.

 

Before his injury he was starting to fully click again. Our entire team out of nowhere looked good again due to his ability to pass forward. We've badly missed him.

 

Nope, he’d spat the dummy, not trying and kept giving the ball away.
It’s amazing how a player gets better when they’re out injured and their actual form is forgotten.

 

Nope that was early season after not getting his move. His head then went down and he started playing well.

 

Still miss him though as MOR hasn't hit the heights of last season

 

MOR"s form has really dipped and just another reason why we need Hatate back alongside our captain
Talkceltic.net

 

Aye MOR was dropped a lot of last season and was 3rd choice behind Reo and Mooy, but it was only a couple games ago that O’Riley looked back to his absolute best against Dundee.

I want him to be the guy that steps up in Calmac’s absence though, he has the ability and football brain and has been the reliable leader in there at times this season when Calmac’s also been there as everyones safety net.

Don’t know if the move that never materialised to Atletico has been on his mind now.

 

I think it's more likely he's just knackered from all the games he's played. He's played the full match in every game, in all competitions, since the 6-0 win against Aberdeen in early November. He could probably do with a wee rest.

 

He had 2 weeks off in that time and when he returned from that wasn’t quite the same as before, but I agree he’s always looked quite a heavy legged player but has that extra wee touch and awareness when it becomes clear he’s not, but he is just looking heavy legged in general just now.

Dundee game aside, when he was at his best, Hearts game was apparently playing through sickness because he was needed. But Livi game he doesn’t have an excuse, think Hatate being available and able to replace him as like for like quality is desperately needed.

 

Are you talking about O'Riley? If so, is that such an exceptional thing to play most games now?

I've heard it said for years now about multiple players that playing twice a week (at most) is a reason for a professional athletes form dipping. I just don't get that. How can that be true? Possibly at a team with a smaller squad but that's not Celtic. We have so many advantages over teams/squads like St Johnstone, for instance.

 

We play more games generally as well. Usually at a much higher intensity, and he’s also involved in International football. Most St Johnstone players won’t be.

Saying that, I don’t agree with the tired argument, he had 2 weeks off in January. He’s in a slump in form, but still producing the moments for us at times that shows why he’s been kept on. Motherwell game he was instrumental at getting us the three points, while nowhere near his best, he was at his best Dundee game. Played through a virus against Hearts, * against Livi.

So more a mixed bag consistency from him. He needs to up his game again, it looks like a big move not happening on his mind, but I also give him absolute credit because he could have forced that through, like others before him.

Last two games I really think he’s missed Calmac being next to him, and the pressure on him. He needs to step up and show why he’s the man we’re looking to in there now the captains missing, we know he can.

 

I think the higher intensity argument carried some weight a decade ago.

Now it's just a tired excuse. If anything the intensity of the game is on the decrease for me and has been for some time.

Similar on the number of games. It's amazing to me Dundee United won a league with 14 players but we struggle to field a team for individual games with 32+. A lot of that to me is poor management/accountability of players. And that goes both ways - lots of players go missing, but others wrongly do the opposite to compensate

 

If St Johnstone etc play at a higher intensity than Celtic I’d be * raging with that.

Intensity being on the decrease I really disagree with though, footballs being going more and more down the route of guys that are stamina monsters, a lot of running, pressuring, working and are fit and strong.

There was always that element no doubt, but individual skill and ability was far more important even 10/15 years ago compared to today, Michael Owen said similar in an interview being shared around lately, and might be the only agreement I’ve ever had with his football opinions.

There’s seasons where injuries just don’t come into play, we’ve had seasons our first XI suffer no major injuries or knocks and we’ve been able to rest them. Leicester when they won the EPL are the ultimate example of a small squad, no major injuries to major players.

But it’s unarguable that players, especially in big teams, play more than ever and at a higher intensity than back in the day. International players for Celtic, playing in Europe, more cup games etc. it effects them. Jurgen Klopp has been screaming about the issue for years now. There was a couple seasons running when we had qualifiers as well, we had 2/3 out of top 10 for players who’d played more games/minutes in the world. Was Tierney, Broony and Calmac about 3 years running. And I’m 100% sure that’s part of the reason Tierney’s *

 

I'm not disagreeing with the idea of football being higher intensity than it used to be. Just that it peaked a decade ago.

p.s. in all honesty the last time we played St Johnstone I assume you were raging

p.p.s.Owen was 20 years ago - feeling old yet!

 

Decade or so ago was when I thought it was at it’s perfect mix of athleticism and skill, when the full Tika Taka was trying to be copied everywhere it swung in the opposite direction, including the guy who made that style happen Pep done it and has now swung back to a blend of it. Think it’s slowly changing round to not just athleticism again looking at the elite teams just now, the smaller clubs will follow that when it’s successful. It’s always been a thing fans looking at footballers wondering why the * they need a rest, how many guys do 12 hour shifts on a building site, go train and then play.

But it’s such a high level, such a demand on a body, and relentless. It does have a major effect. The biggest example of it for me is look at the teams that can use the 5 subs due to the squad strength since the change came in, and how much more points they get at the end of the year, compared to years ago.

Most teams can’t rest 5 guys 60 mins into a game, because they need to play, and who comes on are too big a drop in quality. And it all adds up week on week. * Ange last year, compared to his first season showed that so much. He kept getting accused of asking too much, muscle injuries, too intense, and it did make sense that when he had a small squad. When he had a squad and used 5 subs a game, it was much less noticeable. And thats only 15/20 minutes less a week sometimes, but maybe in 20 games in a season. It adds up.