josh thompson

maybe a should have said something like this to start the thread

 

Also got to remember the manager stupidly threw everyone forward on Wednesday and put McGeady at left back which left the 2 young defenders exposed... Mowbray did him no favours

 

wednesday was a shocker for him but dont give up on him yet.

 

Look can we get something straight here please. When you say 2 young defenders can I ask who you mean? Obviously 1 is Thompson but I really hope the other is not O'Dea. Dont listen to the pish on the tv or in the Paper. O'Dea is 23yrs old and has started 30 games for Celtic and 17 from the bench. He has played in some big European games and also scored 1 of the 2 goals when we beat the huns in the League cup final. I really dont condsider him to be a young prospect.

 

dont forget his total inability to clear a ball properly, especially when it comes to using his head, where it would be nice if he was able to head the ball in the right direction

 

(it was O'Dea)
Defenders usually aren't at their best until around 29 though so he's still got a long way to go to get to his peak. He will keep improving for a while uet. It's not like there's an age where you just stop getting better, look at Grafite (I know he's a striker), he didn't really hit the big time untill he was 28-29

 

I fully understand what you are saying here but people are talking about O'Dea like he is fresh out of the box. He has quite a bit of experience playing in the big occasion. If you look at McManus the season he turned 23 he had only played 9 times for Celtic. When he turned 23 in the 2005/2006 season he played 42 games scoring 8 goals. Now I am not trying to compare the 2 but when Mcmanus Played in the 2005/2006 season he was not considered a young player. He was considered to be a stalwart in our defence.

I mean if he is such a young guy why is he our captain when Brown is injured? Ahead of the likes of Boruc and Hinkel.

I dont see much improvement in O'Dea and would rather we sign new defenders and let himm go. Along with Thompson. IMO neither will be mainstays in the Celtic team

 

if your good at positioning and time your tackles well you dont need pace !anyway in the spl theres barely any players that are wicked fast usually they rely on their strenght !

 

Very true and i had said the same as you earlier in this thread ,if you have a good head on you and can anticipate where the ball ,the player ,the game ,are going pace helps but is not essential if you can read the game ,he was left badly exposed against St Mirren and he looked as if he shouldnt have been there but if you have 3 defending and 5 running at you the best defenders would struggle ,he needs time and a good level headed defender next to him and most of all a team in front of him that know there duties .

 

Defending isnt always about pace as with any position and positional sence is something that is learned in time . This is a young guy who had hardly any first team experience before he came here and due to form , injuries etc he was thrown in and this is much easier to cope with IF the team is winning but as has been seen when the team isnt winning every little mistake is scrutinised so in time he will be a top player for us I am sure

 

Bit harsh, agreed he is slow as * & too raw for the first team but we should loan him out so he can smarten up with less pressure on him

 

You don't have to be fast if you can read the game well, but he's really slow, slower than a * double decker bus.

 

One of THE slowest players ever was sherringham and didnt stop him so while pace is an asset its far from essential

 

Think the histeria going around is a bit over the top. For a start the boy is only 18 and in that respects has put in some good performances for one so young, (against Rangers at Ibrox springs to mind). Secondly he is only at the beginning of his career and has been unfairly thrust forwards due to injuries but the experience will stand him in good stead. As for the deficiences in his game, then pace is a problem, which in all fairness only the top CB's have, but his positional play is pretty good for a young lad which can be used to negate a lack of pace and this will improve dramatically when he plays with more experienced players. He also lacks a bit of agression and physical strength but these are attributes that can be improved and he will improve dramatically in a physical sense over the next few years. He has however shown good composure, can pass well and keeps it simple with what appears to be a good temprement as well. So all in all when he matures and adds some physical strength to his game and improves his heading ability then he does have the potential to be a very good CB. However this is in the future and the lad should not be shouldering this level of repsonsibility so early in his career!!

 

His lack of pace will stop him becoming a top player, yes.

But he can still be a useful player for us

 

the boys 18 years old ffs hes got a lot of potential maybe not got pace but he knows how to use the the ball and distrubute it well.
hes been thrown in because of injuries aswell wasnt meant to play a game this season , this season was meant to be a learning curve

 

This young man isn't a talent. He has poor positional sense, is weak both when tackling and in the air, despite being a big lump of a boy. No comparison to John Kennedy when he was the same age. It's unlikely he's going to get much better. You could also compare him with McManus, at the same age, he was a far better player than Thomson but didn't get any better.

 

He's ninteen for Christ sake, and everyone knows he should not be in the first team yet. * like this is why we don't bring enough young players through - they need time and patience, which we Celtic supporters don't seem to have anymore.

(Unless we're talking about Aiden McGeady, who still has "potential" when going on 24 )

 

burchill,kennedy,mcgeady,marshall,o'dea,miller,caddis awere all young when they broke into the 1st team.the reason we don't bring a lot of young players into the team is because we don't want to be 2nd best to the scum across the city.but to say we don't give them any chance is just a lie.

 

he isnt good enough for the celtic squad he never will be his pace is terrible and his positioning and passing is awful, celtic need to try n get rid of this kid
not celtic class!