Darren O'Dea

I think its great that O'Dea has signed a new deal with us, I think hes the future for Celtic I really do.. Cos I think next summer, we might looze either Caldwell or McManus, to get some cash, I mean £5-6mill, Celtic will jump at that for either of them, But for me that wouldnt worry or bother me if that happent, I like Caldwell & McManus dont get me wrong, But what a replacement this guy is seriously! I think we have to keep Loovens & think him & O'Dea could make a great partnership at the heart of the Celtic defense, Cos you never see O'Dea make a mistake for Celtic, apart from Sunderland, but that was only a friendly, On the big stage, where hes played against Barca & Milan, He never lets you down.. & For me getting him signed up was the best piece of business Celtic did in the Summer, along with bringing in N'Guemo & Fox.. & sending him out on loan to Reading will def give him some first team experience week in week out & some confidence aswel, & set him up for a good season next year if that is the case that we looze either or both of our Centre Halfs, Can see a big future for him & hope he does well & succeeds here at Celtic, & become future Captain :icon_mrgreen:

 

O'Dea makes plenty of mistakes and his positioning looks bad but he is so popular absolutely nothing sticks to him. So many fans seem to think he should have been first pick for years but thats two managers now who for 3 years now seem to have considered him about our 4th best CB at best. That tells you something when you consider that much maligned guys like Mick and Caldwell are ahead of him. The truth is right now he just does not inspire confidence when he players, bit of a sieve at CB IMO. Why people keep hyping OD is beyond me. He really is nothing compared to JFK for instance when he was breaking through and he was only 19, while it looks like OD will be at least nearing 24 (Feb next season) before he established himself here.

I personally think Mowbray doesnt rate him that highly and has given him a contract to make sure we get some money for him in the next year. I think he will end up in mid table championship team, probably as a LB (he just doesnt look like a CB to me). I think he would make a good defensive LB for a more defensive team than Celtic and on that basis if he does well on loan we might get a 1-2 million for him if his loan goes well.

 

It's pretty much make or brake now for Darren O'Dea. I think it's too early to judge how he will get on, he is still developing. Tends to be that given the nature of Centre Back role, it takes longer to mature into the position whereas other positions require less attention to detail and the risks aren't so high. We'll see how regular football helps his development at Reading over the next few months.

He's got a great attitude though I really hope he can come back here and forge a career for himself at Celtic. He has worked hard, his effort suggests he deserves it but we'll have to see how things go.

 

I know we'll miss him when he's with Reading but I wish the lad luck. Can't wait to get him back.

 

i think darren odea is our future captain hes already won the wembely cupi think he is our future

 

i agree with most of what gunt said. i personaly think the only reason he got new deal is because if he has only 2 years left,that could mean 1 great season at reading then come back to us with only a year left and players are not worth as much then due to their clubs not wanting to risk them leaving for free the at end of the year

 

I think he is being shop windowed like Donati. I think if you are still 4th choice when you are 23 in a few months, despite a change in manager then you are not likely going to make it. I hope he proves me wrong but I think he needs a solid year, maybe 2 to develop with a smaller club after so long playing the odd games here and there. I dont think any player should remain at Celtic to that age if they are rarely playing. Its going to wreck your development and I think players in that position should move to a smaller club and try to work their way back to the top level. Imagine McCarthy for example. He would have still been rotting in our reserves if he had signed for us a few years back but he has several seasons of real football under his belt now.

 

People are hero worshiping him because he doesn't play. They think he's the answer to the defensive problems. It's the same with Caddis and McCourt. People work up an image that they're great because they show a wee bit of potential, but in all honesty they aren't that fantastic as they would be playing week in week out. People (in general) want what they don't have so work things up to be better than what they actually are.

 

i like odea an think with a run of games at reading to get him experience will be great for him. an as for getting 5 or 6 million for heid or mcmanus your'e a being a bit ambitious. none of them are worth anywhere near that even with an inflated transfer market.

 

O'Dea will be a quality CB. He's only 22 and needs 1st team football to improve. He will be a better player when he comes back and will be pushing for the 1st team at Celtic.

 

Great deal all round, for O'Dea, Reading, and eventually us.

 

Scuba Steve

 

At the moment he is a 4th choice defender.

Mowbray knows this and he knows he is too good not to get games so he loans him out, simple.

Next season we will see alot more of him.