Celtic and Football

With all the talk of referees and stuff I thought that I would make a thread just about our game on the park.

Where do you guys think we are as a team?

Personally I think we are a young promising sqaud, lacking a bit of experience but we have a lot of strength in depth. Particulary in midfield.

To have to key centre Midfielders missing and to still possibly have the best pairing in Scotland in Ki and Ledley is a compliment to our club.

We still have a problem at the back but Daniel Majstorivic has been a major signing for us and a bid improvement on the shambles that was before him. He has shown a bit of leadership at the back; while not perfect he is by far our best defender.

Young Rogne has came in and looked far more assured than the previous incumbents.

Up front we have two strikers in Hooper and Stokes who are possible 30+ a season strikers (barring injury). Murphy I have been surprisingly pleased with, not the sharpest infront of goal but a genuine target man. Scored a couple of penaltys and set up a couple of goals.

Samaras has been the usual enigma but we have said enough about him over the years.

The real find I think of the season has been Izzaguire, a real snip and a credit to Lennon and our scouting team.

Lost 2 games in the league and drew one. Out of Europe but I think that just came to early.

Looking forward to January and beyond, this is a real oppurtunity for us to plug the gaps in our sqaud and go from strength from strength.

Get us an experienced leader on the park (a Neil Lennon if you like) and see us go.

Hail Hail

 

Good post

I know its early days and weve seen the shortcomings of lenny but I have high hopes for him and us

could be the start of a new era

 

We're in a lot better shape than last season, signings in January will be vital, squad still needs rid of some dead wood, and we are vulnerable in defence, signings we need will have to be quality we don't need any more squad or up and coming players, we need experience as most of squad is under 25, but overall pass marks so far, but Lennon needs to start winning the major games as I think his grace period is finished now and come the end of January he should have his set team and tactics, as he would have seen enough of the current team to know where to strengthen and I will start to judge him then.

 

Like the post mate

A couple of good quality players in January maybe 3 but 2 at the least will make us much stronger. A good centre half to play along side Majstorovic will benefit us and make us stronger. An experienced goalkeeper like Given would be a * send but I'll believe that when I see it. A leader would be great, and a winger maybe but we have still to see if Kapo makes a mark in the first team.

All in all I think we are a couple of quality players away from being a right half decent side

 

Would love a big, fast CB.

Somebody experienced up front? (Robbie Keane anyone..... lol)

 

Some BAD results lately, no question.

But, we are a young team and can only grow together in maturity.

The title.is coming back to paradise baby!

 

We need a dominant midfield and if that means bringing in new blood there then so be it.No centre half pairing can go completely unprotected.David Weir is * but is well protected by Edu,Mcculloch and Davis.Other than this I am reasonablyhappy that we have improved all over the park.On second thoughts we also need a keeper who will dominate his box

 

I'd be lying if i said some our recent form didn't worry me but its plain to see that this squad has what it takes. Does my nut in when they * drop points and we cant capitalise on it but there will be lots more opportunities and I honestly think we'll be top come january.

Hail Hail!!

 

I think another poster said in another thread that while we had a much better squad then the huns our starting lineup was not there yet and I think that was a fair comment.

Overall we are clearly a very young team and I include the coaching staff in that. Lennon and his staff have got off to a good start overall but there have been some significant hiccups and clearly they have a long way to go as coaches.
On the field goalkeeper is a big issue. Foster has impressed me and if he was available to buy I would go with him. But given he is only on loan that leaves Zaluska and he has shown he is not good enough to be our starter. So we need a long term solution there big time.
At right back back we still have issues. Cha and Wilson both have their qualities but neither is top quality and we can certainly improve there. Izzaguire at left back has proved to be a great buy and with Mulgrew as backup we are ok there.
Majstorovic has been a good buy and Rogne looks a great young prospect. But Hooiveld has been a bust while Loovens and O'Dea just are not good enough and can be sold I feel. We big time need to find a new quality center back.
In central midfield we need to see what Kayal can do as a midfield anchor but we seem well stocked in that area of the team as well as on the flanks.
Up front I love Stokes and Hooper but not so much on Samaras who I think we should sell.
Overall we have a lot of good young players and the makings of a good team. But we need a lot of improvements at the back and maybe one more striker.

 

I said before I think we have most of the ingredients we need as a squad, January we just need the topping and we'll be set, a decent centre half is something we do need as well as nailing down a good keeper, I'd love Shay Given but if we land him it'll be a loan deal and not long term and I think we need to look at the bigger picture.
Another striker wouldn't go a miss either just to back up Hooper and Stokes because theres no telling when one of them may take a knock or miss a couple of games and I just don't think Samaras or Murphy can give fill the void if either Hooper or Stokes were unable to play.

 

I think lennon really has to think hard about who is the best and most suitable centre back at the moment
to be honest i have no idea who that is but he has to be very comfertable and must be a great partner for maj
Heard names like ramis but never seen him play so cant comment on him

 

im hopeful,i like the youth,i like the spine of the team,hooper looks a real find,kayal izzaguire,a steal.i think a trophy this season would really spur them on,i would love the league obviously,but i dont know,hopefully that mob will suffer as injuries and suspensions bite,but we have to take advantage when opportunity arises

 

Can't disagree with the general tone of the threads except for one MAJOR factor. This is not 7/8 years ago. This is 2010. Money is tighter. Businesses like many folks are looking at their purse strings and pulling them in. I would like a new car, set of golf clubs etc etc but am making do with what I have.

As I have said in another post, in the past year we have secured/bought around 18 players, got rid of 1 Managerial Team and secured another and ......we are still in 2nd position. Most of the 18 players, like the current Management Team cost us little/nothing. We do things on the cheap and yet expect fantastic results. It does not happen. Occasionally we secure a really good player but usually that's because, for whatever reason, he costs us very little,e.g. Joe Ledley. If we were in the Premier League Joe Ledley would have cost us £3m. Would we have paid that for him? Think not!

So the cry is now ' Please Sir, can I have some more?'. More what? Players that will cost nothing, if so there is a reason why they cost little/nothing... and don't we have enough of them or do we want players that will cost a few quid? If it's the latter where is the money coming from when the stadium is 3/4 full, which will have a knock on effect on Revenue? So we put players up for sale. Which players? Those that will bring in Revenue - our better players - or those that we will get very little but will reduce our wage bill. Reducing our wage bill won't raise the Capital needed to buy the type of Quality folks here are saying we need. So I ask again, where is the money coming from, remembering that this Board have already sanctioned 18 players and 2 Management teams in the last 15 months?

 

We have the squad we need right now except we need another CH big time and we also need another striker IMO. Hooper looks like a straight replacement for Skippy at his peak. However, I think Stokes is an odd player and I am not convinced he is the best we can do. I think should be backup to Stokes and another quality striker. Our squad is good for FBs, CMs and wingers IMO.

 

Think our biggest problem right now is the performance of our manager... He needs to get more proactive ingame. Felt a number of times in the more difficult games a degree of panic with our management team.

When Lennon was sent off Thompson looked like a lost kid. On Saturday the changes were hugely unsuccessful. On the contrary Houston's were expert.

 

I think we're just a few tweaks away from being a formidable team in this league for years to come.
We have signed some top quality in Ledley, Big Maj, Hooper, Stokes and Izzaguire, but still have a couple of badly overstayed players on our books in Loovens and Samaras.
Personally I would punt them two, sign a top quality centre half to play alongside Majstorovic and bring back Rasmussen as his experience and performances in a top league as the Bundesliga could be very rewarding when he comes back to us, and with Rogne and Hooiveld (jurys still out on him though) we would have solid cover for defence and Rasmussen and Murphy would provide good cover at the other end. We also have plenty competing in midfield too.
If we can find a settled team and consistancy in the performances until the end of the season we should hopefully have the league in the bag and be well set up for our push in Europe next season.

Mon the Hoops!

 

Good post, i totally agree!

 

There's obviously signs of improvement but we still have a bit to go. January isn't the time to do an entire rebuild, which I don't think is necessary anyway. I believe we need a new goalkeeper, 2 centrehalf's, a striker and a really creative centre midfielder. Don't think we need all of those in January but at least one fast, storng CH is an absolute must.

We have a young team which I like, but we are lacking a bit of experience, with having an inexperienced management team together with an inexperienced squad we are really missing that older head so I'd like to see us bring in some experience in January to help mould the younger players in the squad.

I think we are on the right track, we just have a way to go before reaching our destination.

 

Last season the team was at 6`s and 7`s, this season I see the team as a hodge podge unit!
Take your pick!