[Link] Gary Mackay-Steven & Johnny Russell

Personally I think the SPL is a decent standard. The Premiership is full of ex-SPL players right now, some of whom are amongst the best players at their clubs. In recent years we've signed Stokes, Brown, McDonald, Caldwell and Mulgrew. All of which are/were first team regulars.

 

Hits
Mark Wilson
Gary Caldwell
Steven Pressley
Paul Hartley
Scott McDonald
Barry Robson
Anthony Stokes
Charlie Mulgrew

Misses
Derek Riordan
Chris Killen
Willo Flood

Just a few I can think of over the last few years. Far more hits than misses.

 

:smiley-laughing002: A far better list than mine to be fair

 

Either way it proves the point that the SPL is still a very good hunting ground for us.

 

Id take Russell but not Mackay-Steven.

Russell has the ability and mentality to play for Celtic, Russells a smart player with good technical ability and great work-rate. Mackay-Steven I see more as a Ross Wallace or Chris Burke type and more of a Championship class player. Although he can do tricks with the ball it doesnt mask his average intelligence and hit and miss crossing/passing/shooting.

I dont know why a lot of our fans seem to value Mackay-Steven higher than Russell either. I think people are looking at him as a striker and wondering why he hasnt scored more or something but completely missing that hes a good allround footballer who can play left/right wing, up front, behind a striker and I bet if asked in the centre of midfield. I think of Russell as like Steven Naismith with technique and pace.

 

Touche. Though i'd prefer to spend £2m on someone and see them fail than pay nothing and see them succeed elsewhere.

To be fair to Goodwillie he was under the stewardship of one of the worst managers around, Steve Keane. I wouldn't write him off just yet.

You forgot our club captain, Scott Brown.

Rab Douglas too

 

I think his football intelligence is quite good actually, and he's not a crossing type winger - he's more of an 'inside forward' kind of player, looking to cut-in to the middle and beat defenders with his trickery.

 

Stephen Pearson put in a good shift when he wasn't injured.

 

Goodwillie is garbage, has no skill or ability and just a workhorse - hate footballers who run with their head down and always pick the wrong option - hes no better than your average SPL guy who scores goals like Sammon, Daly, Killen etc. Wouldnt want him anywhere near us, he couldnt lace Russell's boots.

 

How did I forget Brown?

The point remains. Players in Scotland need little or no time to settle in, and tend to understand the pressure of playing for Celtic. They don't tend to command big fees, and we know all about their strengths/weaknesses from playing against them several times a year.

 

Not saying i want Goodwillie but i do think there is more to come from him. He isn't especially skillful but he does have technical ability with a good shot. If he finds the right team in the championship then I can see him getting better. Still only 23.

With regards to Macaky-Steven he is far more skillfull than the likes of Conway and Burke who are both doing really well in the championship for top half teams. His crossing and awareness is very good plus he's rapid. An he's added goals to his game now too. I can't think of any player, outside of Celtic, that is as good as he is in many a year.

 

Nor can I. Templeton comes close, but not quite as good.

 

I dont see much room for improvement in Mackay-Steven though, physically he'll always be one of those lightweight types so theres no room for bulking up etc and technically he's not the best, although he has very good ball controll and a range of tricks, his passing, shooting, crossing etc is average and I dont see that improving either. I just see him remaining the same as he is now. Same with Templeton really, Templeton was a good dribbler but again a weak player, a player of poor intelligence and who is just a poor user of the ball.

I think to develop into a good Celtic class player you need to be a decent allrounder like McDonald, Russell, Brown, Caldwell, Stokes, Mulgrew etc they were all quite decent in all aspects and could be worked on, McDonald, Stokes, Mulgrew and Caldwell for example werent in the best of shape, physically they could have been improved by losing a bit of excess weight or just by improving their fitness or adding a bit of pace.

Russell and Brown have decent tools too and although they didnt have much room for improvement physically, they could have been improved tactically as they are really hard-working and good team players.

Same could have been done to Fletcher and McCarthy. Id also have added O'Connor and Riordan to this, they could have been good players but are too fond of booze it seems and never became the players they should have.

But other SPL players who do well in the SPL, they just lack stuff, guys like McGinn, Hayes, Templeton, Conway, Killen, Sammon, Webster, Black, Bryson and loads more. I see Mackay-Steven more as one of them.

The two players id be most interested in in the SPL are Russell and Gunning of Dundee Utd.

Gunning could be the new Mulgrew or if not as good, a new Caldwell who was still a decent enough Celtic player. He has good height, good on the ball, can take a set peice and although hes not much pace and isnt that good a defender could be toned up a bit.

 

Goodwillie, I cant see getting better. As a workrate based striker hes a poor mans Kenny Miller. For me he's as average as Chris Maguire, Steven Thompson, Chris Killen, Craig Beattie etc cant ever see him becoming even a decent Championship player. Think hes more SPL/League 1 class.

 

I actually completely agree with you wanting Gunning. He absolutely dominates in the air (defending and attacking) and his last ditch blocks/tackles are superb. Probably more of a Caldwell type as he could be the no nonsense type. His distribution of the ball is pretty weak but that is something he can work on quite easily. Only 22.

Don't agree that GMS can't get better. You are saying he's a lightweight, that is something that literally anyone can change. Look at Bale, he is a beast now but was once pretty fragile looking.

To be honest the things you mentioned like passing is something that can be improved. Raw talent like skill, speed, intelligence is something you either possess or dont, and he does. Sorry to bring McGeady up but when he broke through all he really had was skill but then turned into a top class winger by working on his passing and crossing. I don't see why GMS can't do the same not that either is bad to begin with

 

Pace and the ability to beat a man isn't something we have in abundance in the current squad. Forrest is the only one I think possesses both.

GMS would be a worthwhile gamble.

 

On the whole 'he won't be able to bulk up' issue, two words: Andy Murray.

Born green: totally agree on everything you've said re GMS.

 

I often wonder how some talented players stay so * skinny their whole careers. Surely it can't be that difficult to get the guy on some weight gainers and have him hitting the weights hard during the summer.

Case in point is Derek Riordan, tremendously talented player but possessed the build of a 10 year old girl.

 

I used to be quite a slender guy and it affected me getting into starting 11s in my young days. So i made a conscious effort to put on weight/muscle and I became a first pick. No reason why GMS, Twardzik or anyone else can't.

Haha was just about to make the same point. We all know Riordan had a severe attitude problem so i undertsand why he didn't bother his * to hit the gym. I'm sure when GMS gets a prolonged time injury free you'll see him bulking up.

 

Some of them it just suits. Like Mackay-Steven if he was to bulk up it could hinder his acceleration, and he relies on being able to do a trick and quickly jink away from a player - that basically is the main part of his game. If he bulked up and added a stone of more muscle, he'd become more solid player and probably quicker over distance but he'd lose the burst of acceleration that he uses all the time. Some players are just too lazy to put in the effort - you could say that for guys like Riordan, Berbatov, Balotelli and Stokes. They would benefit from toning up and having a bit more power in their Legs but theyre the kind of guys you couldnt see doing it. McGeady was just a really dedicated player who put in the effort.