Callum McGregor

He doesn't need phased out he needs shifted up one in midfield we've already seen how much better he was when Iwata is in the team

 

* *, one comment and half the forum get up in arms about it! It isn't disrespectful, it's an opinion. People need to grow up a bit.

When I said "phased out", perhaps that sounded harsher than intended. I mean that he should be playing far fewer games over the next couple of seasons. I don't think it's sustainable for him or us to continue playing 50+ games a season.

It also means that he shouldn't be an automatic starter every week irrespective of form. It definitely means finding a system that accommodates him in a further forward position. However, if we have better options, it means him sitting on the bench in their place.

We will not be going anywhere as a team if McGregor continues to play every minute of every game for the next 5 years, especially if he's playing as a defensive midfielder in Europe. Only more failure will come out of that, everyone knows this already.

He isn't shot yet, but he's played a ridiculous amount of football in the last few years in a very demanding position. He looks considerably slower already at times. He isn't going to get any quicker, stronger or more agile the older he gets, that's just scientific fact.

 

He's clearly better further forward.
I'm gutted for CalMac, he's sacrificed himself for sake of the team playing #6 because we never replaced Broonie and then also took on the huge burden of the captaincy that is clearly weighing very heavy right now.
It's a bit like McStay, a captain that sets a great example on pitch but is not a big enough personality to be a leader of men.

Love the guy, and he's feeling it more than anyone right now.

 

Possibly his best season of his career was in the 6 under Ange. Either that or the 9 in a row season

 

Can't really blame him or O'Riley for bottling it yesterday though.

When you think of those two in that game, knowing Ralston, Welsh, Scales and Bernabei are behind you and then Kuhn, Oh and Yang in attack, even the fans knew we were near certain to lose a goal and drop points as we never had a goal in us knowing the front 3 barely get a game and then the defence nobody has confidence in at all on the ball or nothing.

The atmosphere totally collapsed the last 15 minutes before Kilmarnock really did anything to make it as everyone settled down to knowing what was inevitable.

I left with 5 minutes to go and mind saying they'll equalise, all they need is one decent cross to Van Veen although turned out someone else scored, which I think was from a cross although ive not even seen it.

It's different if it was Mooy, Jota, Kyogo, CCV, Starfelt, Taylor and that in the team you can trust to hold a ball and probably still be all over a team. It was like 3 midfielders surrounded by Reserve players who probably know they shouldn't be playing.

 

Yep

 

It was disrespectful. Clown.

 

Midfield has been missing for weeks. Hardly contributed anything to our games. Not sure why anyone would say that's OK because of weaknesses in other positions. Very ood statement.

 

Nah, it really wasn't.

Did you bother reading the rest of the post, anything you disagree with? Or will you continue to get upset because of someone else's opinion?

Clown.

 

We aren't playing through midfield though.

So you can't say they are missing when they're not really getting on the ball.

First couple of games up to the Hibs game I thought McGregor played too high and Bernardo and O'Riley but they never got on the ball, then Hibs game and this one its like a 4-4-2 where the midfield haven't done anything.

It's not like the midfield are having poor games, losing the ball, wasteful, passing up chances to shoot, getting skinned and took apart. They're just not being used on the ball.

Scales and Welsh are doing about 200-250 passes a game and almost all of them are to Bernabei and Ralston or the keeper or each other.

People I think are picking out individuals when the tactics are making it difficult for anybody to do anything.

People saying like McGregor isn't doing enough, O'Riley is off form, Kyogo has been poor, Palma isn't scoring enough. Nobody is actually really doing anything for me, Maeda has been quite wasteful, Johnston I felt wasn't playing well but everyone else seems to be playing the way they are supposed to it's just resulting in nothing happening.

Like I don't like watching Scales but he's not being ripped apart and he's not making mistakes or he's not losing the ball all the time. He's just annoying to watch as he slows us down, Taylor also I feel is not offering enough overlapping or getting forward but it's not like he's trying that and bad at it, it just doesn't happen. Could say the same for the midfield, strikers, wingers.

The tactics aren't easy for players to work under, it's like we don't want to lose the ball so nothing happens and theres very little direct play or someone trying things.

Yesterday Kyogo came deep into midfield on the left about 3 times and tried to go on a run and ping long range passes through to Idah and stuff, he looked * off at nothing going on and as if he tried to risk making something happen for like a 3 minute spell then disappeared back up front again like he shouldn't have done that.

 

Feels like your response paints quite a different picture from your original post which appeared to be saying its OK for midfield not to be involved because of the other areas of the team.

Now its the tactics are the issues (which I agree more with). Still think midfield aren't really contributing and/or are implementing the tactics same as the rest of the players. Link up play off the wings from midfield is what gives variation. That's not been happening. McGregor sees a fair bit of the ball from what I've seen but he's having to push it wide all the time because there isn't a lot of other options. Only saw some of the second half yesterday and the best distribution and creativity was probably from Ralston. Yes too many passes by the CBs doesn't help but midfield can't just drop out of the game, they should be demanding the ball be played out and making themselves part of the game.

 

It clearly was. Look the word up in the dictionary, may help you out.

Phasing out one of the most important players of our recent history is moronic at this stage and you’re backtracking because you got called out for talking *.

Don’t mistake disdain for being upset.

 

No first I was talking about O'Riley and McGregor yesterday when they were just booting the ball up the park with 10 minutes to go which isn't how they normally play.

People saying they bottled it and shat it, which they did but righty so with the defence and attack who were on, they're not stupid thinking we'll score again and the defence can knock it about and hold the ball. It's inevitable how the game was going to end as even with our best forwards on we never looked like scoring so with the guys on then and the defence who had already started to panic, pretty much everyone probably even McGregor and O'Riley knew Kilmarnock were going to equalise.

For me say the 75th minute, Kilmarnock hadn't even come into the game yet really but even by then i'd say like 90% of the fans knew we had no hope of scoring and were going to concede from some kind of cross or set piece before the end.

If we held on to a 1-0 I think people would have been shocked that we managed it, players included.

 

Find it hard to put together what you are saying, bascially you seem to me to be saying it's acceptable for Celtic players to give up, and worse than that 2 of our players who should be our most influential did exactly that.

 

Basically I can see how two players resorted to panicking as it's natural as the tactics are that bad we hardly create a chance in games and then we have untested guys up front with defenders they know are mediocre at the back behind them who they won't/don't trust to create/score or defend and stop the opposition.

It's a tough job for them.

You can bet McGregor and O'Riley probably left the park thinking if that was CCV, Taylor, Maeda and Kyogo on the park we'd have been fine there. They know they are playing with players not good enough to do the job and don't have the confidence.

 

They are professional footballers and 2 of our better players. Much more should be expected of them, not less. One of them is our captain and our most experienced player FFS. You are of course entitled to your opinion, just one I find utterly alien.

 

And they did their job, they looked around them and though our best way to avoid conceding here is just to batter the ball up the park and regroup which it probably was.

 

He’s been superb this season, dragging the * upwards he’s surrounded with for months. He can’t get a break because there’s nobody that can fill his role the way he does. In saying that I’d move him up and play Iwata in the 6. We need to get his ability further up the park.