Greg Taylor

Ah, the annual "GT needs upgraded on" discussion. Give it a month or so into the new season and there will only be GB40 on here giving him pelters. Business as usual.

We do need a decent backup though, the difference in quality between GT and Bernie is substantial.

 

We don't need decent back up. Every time we buy a player it should be to replace the player currently in the team. That goes for anyone from Hart to Kyogo.

We need a left back. If that elevates Taylor then great but we should never be thinking of we need a back up.

 

Was exposed quite a bit. Was hugging the line and looked well uncomfortable defensively all day..

Get a left back in please..

 

That throbber couldn't stop giving him pelters when Taylor was turning in motm level performances, that's not what's happening here, if we're changing systems and not playing inverted anymore he's less suited to the role, the way we've been playing these last few friendlies he's been getting exposed more for pace than he has been before, it's a fair observation.

 

Maybe we should just go back to inverted full backs wee man was superb in that position

 

I’ve probably been Taylor’s biggest fan on here over the years from day dot. But he’s a decent option at a traditional full back role.

Inverted full back role elevates him so much, he’s made for that.

 

I know its just a few pre season friendlies but his defensive positioning is all over the shop.
Along with keeper, this is a position we need to upgrade.

 

He is one of those guys that you can’t fault his effort and he has some quality on the ball as he showed in the inverted role but he gets exposed by any winger with pace and a bit of size about them.

His lack of pace and strength really hinder him both defensively and in an attacking sense.

I have to say as good a season as he had last year all the talk of player of the year last year was a nonsense CCV, Hatate, Kyogo, Jota, McGregor and if Johnston had been here the full season would have all been ahead of him. Most improved possibly and it’s not down playing how well he played for Greg Taylor as he did come on great.

 

He's had a poor pre season, hopefully at the races for Ross County.
Defo need quality competition for him as Bernabie is definitely not that.

 

Greg Taylor excelled for Celtic last season under Ange Postecoglou but knows he has to prove himself again to Brendan Rodgers this year.

And for the defender it's likely to come with another change of tactics under the Northern Irishman after he managed to get to grips quickly under the previous regime. As an inverted full-back Taylor showed himself to be one of the standouts for his club last term but Rodgers is perhaps not known for his use of that formation or philosophy based off his previous time in charge at Parkhead.


That means another shift for Taylor. Still, the Scotland cap is ready for anything and admits he has been excited at the prospect of working under the new boss in whichever set-up he chooses.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Taylor was asked if there's likely to be a change in his own role this year. He replied: "A wee bit, wee change here and there but certainly we've worked on all different systems over pre-season so I'm sure it'll be a mixture throughout the season and we'll be flexible.


And about having to prove himself all over again? "It's the life of a footballer, it's exciting, you're eager to impress from day one and have the fire in your belly to go and try and deliver more success for the club and impress the new manager. So it's been an exciting pre-season.

 

I want us to continue playing like that as well, for me the way we played under Ange was near enough the perfect way to play and we were only a couple of bits away from probably becoming really good.

Like Kwon I wonder if Ange wanted him and was going to sign him, a big midfielder who can run and looks like he could play at the back or in midfield.

In the Ange system he might have been able to play the way Stones plays for Man City. Nawrocki I don't know about, I just put him there so * wouldnt say "Starfelt at left back" im not sure if he is fast or not or even what footed he is.

Hart
Johnston CCV Kwon Nawrocki
McGregor
O'Riley Hatate
Abada Kyogo Maeda​

That moving into

Hart
Johnston CCV Nawrocki
Kwon McGregor
O'Riley Hatate
Abada Kyogo Maeda​

Plus we could have tried to find a new more attacking guy for the O'Riley and Hatate positions, those two are good at over and underlapping out wide but not at getting into the box as the striker type. Gundogan was superb at getting into the box and De Bruyne at going wide and Man City had good balance with them. Arsenal have signed Havertz I think to have him and Odegaard as their versions of De Bruyne and Gundogan, Xhaka done well for them and scored a few but isn't a natural attacking player compared to Havertz and they have signed Rice/Timber maybe to do what Stones does for Man City and have more of a Man City style defence where all them are good and solid as when Zinchenko drops back into left-back he's still a liability.

We should have kept playing the same way but upgraded the defensive area for more big athletes and then added say Yang and then a midfielder who is more of a goalscorer or even tried Haksabanovic more in the O'Riley area whos more naturally attacking.

You'd also want a new keeper, one like Onana who has decent pace to come out his box and can pass it about well.

With Rodgers coming in you do think thats Taylor * and probably a step back into outdated tactics.

 

I actually thought that was the plan when we signed Johnston, Iwata and kobiyashi in January.

Swap Iwata for kwon and kobiyashi for nawrocki and don't think ud be too far away from what Ange may of had in mind this season.

 

Tried like * again and went in really hard on 2 or 3 loose balls but overall in that half he was out his depth again..

Was shook to bits and just kicking it out anywhere when Williams was on him..

It's staring us in the face..

 

When faced up by any winger with pace or power he just looks rattled. We need someone with a bit more athleticism there for what Rodgers wants to do.

Tierney, obviously, would be perfect.

 

We all know it..

 

He was dreadful today.

 

People need to open their eyes here. Taylor is a likeable guy and tidy on the ball but his defending simply isn't good enough.

He'll get tore to shreds in Europe and in this system he doesn't offer enough going forward either.

A quality LB takes this side up a few levels.