Liam Scales

He'll be winning medals for years to come.

 

2028 feels extreme. A year's extension to 2026 woulda sufficed on improved terms.

 

Very well deserved, has really stepped up this season when we needed him to due to injury, despite the fact he was most likely heading out the door last summer. Surprised me and more than happy to keep him as part of the squad, just not as part of our #1 CB pairing tho imo.

 

How often does that kinda contract happen for a first team player in their mid 20s at a team like Celtic?

I'd imagine it's pretty rare. It gives the player no sense of worth or stability.

 

I feel he's been getting worse as the season goes on. He's an average player who played above his standard for a couple of months, but now he is getting back to his baseline. Maybe a good thing for the homegrown contingent, but this just seems to be the usual bog standard, more-of-the-same * from our Board of utter *.

 

Disappointing news to be honest. He’s not homegrown and he’s not good enough to be our third choice back there if we’re serious about actually improving in Europe.

 

When Liam Scales forced his way into Brendan Rodgers' plans at the start of the season, it was mostly through necessity.

Signed by Celtic at the beginning of Ange Postecoglou's tenure, the Irish centre-back was used sparingly in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign, before failing to feature in a single matchday squad in the league from February onwards.

A season-long loan spell at Aberdeen followed for the entirety of the 2022/23 trail, with many, including the player himself, tempering expectations regarding his potential involvement under new boss Brendan Rodgers the following year.

Fast forward to August 26, and Scales was thrust into the manager's starting 11 against St Johnstone at Celtic Park.

With the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh sidelined through injury, the defender, then having just turned 25, lined up alongside Gustaf Lagerbielke in the heart of Celtic's defence. The pairing kept a clean sheet on the day, but a 0-0 draw at home so early in the season was hardly considered a triumph.

The following week, on the other hand, Scales put in a monolithic shift at Ibrox, when Celtic overcame city rivals Rangers 1-0 in front of a full house of home supporters.

Given the crowd deficit, the win was considered against the odds – an idiom that befits the humble Scales today, having now signed a four-year contract extension at Paradise



It’s brilliant," he said. "It’s what I wanted. It’s a good move for everyone involved. I’m just delighted I can look into the future and see myself here because it’s where I wanted to be.

"At the time I was coming back off a loan and thinking I really enjoyed that loan spell because I was playing regularly. I was thinking that’s what I needed to do – play regularly and prove myself and climb the ladder.

"Obviously the ideal situation is what’s happened and I’ve ended up playing regularly here. I was thinking I’d maybe have to go elsewhere for regular football. It’s worked out as well as it could have for me and I’m delighted.

"I'm happy to have it done and now I can focus on the games coming u




The games coming up will, of course, determine the success of Celtic's season. Three points ahead at the top of the Premiership and in the throes of a seven-game unbeaten run – comprising six wins and last month's thrilling 3-3 draw at Ibrox – the next hurdle for Brendan Rodgers' men is Steven Naismith's Hearts at home on Saturday.

Having lost 2-0 at Tynecastle the last time the sides met in March, and having suffered the same result at Celtic Park in December, Scales and his colleagues are determined to extend their current vein of form beyond the weekend.

Thinking personally, Scales is pleased with his progress so far this year, but qualifies any confidence with the promise that there is more to come.

"I think it's gone well for me," he said. "At the start of the season I didn't really picture myself in this position. I could have been better, certain performances, certain things, I feel like I could have done better over the year, but as a whole it's been successful for me.

"I definitely think there's room to improve. It's been massive for me, and it's the first year I've played at this intensity and this regularly. Playing regularly at this intensity and this level has improved me hugely as a player.

"Personally, I feel like I can do more. I want to continue doing as many things right as I can [in order] to move in that direction


Looking ahead, Scales recites the familiar one-game-at-a-time mantra of modern football. But with another huge home derby on the horizon next week, not to mention the wider title race and a Scottish Cup final against Rangers all in the space of a few weeks, the pressure Scales and his peers are under from hereon is huge.

Still, there's a calmness that Brendan Rodgers conducts his business with, both on and off the pitch, says Scales, with the 25-year-old admiring the confidence the manager has been able to instil in the group.

Through this, players like Scales epitomise how embracing the message and systems hands-on managers like Rodgers desire to implement can lead success – individually and, depending on how the remaining stretch of games unfolds for Celtic, collectively – so much so, Liam Scales says he'd love to finish his career at Celtic.

Scales added: "I feel when a manager is clear with his message it’s easier for the player to come in and do well because they know what they have to do to play to his system.

"That helped me a lot – knowing exactly my job and my role and that’s been a really key factor for me.

"All told, I’ll continue to try and improve and perform at the highest level so I can do as much as I can to stay in this team and hopefully be successful and move forwards. It's hard to know where the ceiling for that is at this point, but hopefully that isn't any time soon.

"The biggest thing I've learned about myself is that I'm capable. You don't really know until you're thrown in, and put into a situation where it's make or break. Knowing that I'm able to perform at this level is a good thing

"I’d love to play here for the rest of my career if that’s possible, but it’s taking it game by game and trying to improve as I go along.

 

Imagine we win the league and he is your centre half in the champions league

 

That was this season.

 

He's a great squad player as a 4th choice option, maybe 3rd at a push.

But if he's our 2nd choice next season we'll have problems. Same with Taylor, these are positions that need major surgery.

We've had far too many mediocre players playing far too many games this season and that's a massive issue, particularly for Europe.

 

I’m hoping he has that bit more fight about him for this run in now after getting the new contract. Might want to try show ehy he’s earned it.

 

Ironically here, Scales was right up next to O’Riley as by far the best players we had in the CL. Was the myriad of different players next to him that were the problem

 

It was his first season playing regular at a club the size of ours, he has shown he can play at a high enough level already and he can replicate that next season and be more consistent as the seqason goes. Too many look at him now and assume that is his true form and it may well be but he has played better and that is just as equally likely to be his true form also.

I'm not concerned about the new deal, we won't struggle to offload him if his form doesn't improve and he is unlikely to be on high end wages, deserves a shot next season

 

If he was homegrown I'd be all over this. Lack of quality homegrown meant we went into CL with 1 left back, 2 goalkeepers etc. If you have 5 CBs I think probably 2 should be HG or CG.

We really lack for next season
CG: McGregor, Ralston, Welsh, Jamesy, Johnston (will probably leave)
HG: Taylor, Bain, McCarthy

Frame and Kelly can play as b list.

 

Think the thing is that we now have him locked in on a low wage, long-term contract... Think it's just player management - if he improves then great, if he doesn't we'll still flip him for much more than we paid. I've actually no major issues with this... And despite flaws (big ones, as he tired through the season!) he's a tryer and loyal...

 

He’s held us together at the back this season, and it confuses me how much it’s breezed by that he has. I’d struggle, infact not struggle nobody could, find another example of a player coming in and dealing with partner after partner 13 different ones this year next to Scales… and he was the one that held it together. Whether it was Nawrocki, Nat Phillips, Welsh, Lagerbielke, and even this weekend CCV was being weirdly shaky and Scales stepped up.

ibrox start of the year MotM, one of the best players in the CL, Parkhead if not for a performance of the legendary proportions from Calmac he’d be the next best for MotM. We need him and CCV settled in next to each other. Today is the first time 3 games in a row since September same back 4 and keeper.

and first you’d say all first choice picks

 

Looking forward to him settling down again and putting in some good performances in the run in. Big man was outstanding for months for us and deserves the chance to play through his sticky patch.

 

Good stuff, same for Taylor next.

 

Without scales we would have lost the league. Simple. He's the only guy who's stayed fit and held that ever changing back line together. If hart wasn't leaving I'd have scales as poty. Yes he's went a bit * lately. Every player has a bad patch, and it could just be nerves. He's never experienced the end of a season fighting for a title. Invaluable experience for him as a defender.