Not Actually that Crucial a Summer as of August 2023...beginning to now think everything isnt fine!

For us to do well in Europe, we have to unearth at least 1-2 players who seriously improve the first team. A couple of genuine players with potential to go to the very top. Alternatively It would be nice to bring in a couple of players with big champions league experience coming to the end of their career, but we won't do that.

 

Defence needs strengthened or we could be on to some bendings over in the group stage. I don't care if you have Haaland in your forward line or you are Real Madrid, no one should be taking 8 goals from us over 2 games ever.

I'd be happy to take third and a drop in to the Europa. We must never be the guaranteed 6 points team. That's the Huns' job.

Deffo need another striker. Scares me a bit that we only have Oh if Kyogo gets another bad injury and with the lack of protection our players get from the refs that is entirely possible.

 

Totally agree with this, well said.

Add to the above that the other lot is facing a massive overhaul of their squad (to be overseen by footballing genius M Beale).

We do our summer dealings cleverly, and chances are we leave them behind for the foreseeable future.

 

Ontop of the improvement In key first team areas I want to see investment in the youth as well, how we progress the current lot is important, we need that next generation to be coming in, so that in season 24/25 there's at least 1 or 2 in to become regulars in the squad and hopefully every year after to cope with turnover, develop our Homegrown quota and set us as a development club as well.

Key ones on thinking of are any that are going to be ages out if the B team getting out on good loans, Players that are standouts in the B team like Summers, Lawal, Vata and Dawson getting either in about the first team to get more than the odd couple minutes or out on good loans too and signing good development options to come in to replace into the B or even push first team. The dream is we sign players like Frimpong that just turn up so well they break into first team right away.

 

I'm afraid I'm in the sceptical camp.

I've lost count of the number of opportunities we've had in my lifetime to build from a position of strength and yet we've persistently failed to do so.

"It will be different this time", "Ange won't accept it".

The problem is I heard all that when Rodgers was manager.

Back then it was "Brendan runs the show now", "The board wouldn't dare mess him about", "Brendan wouldn't stand for it"...

I don't know if anyone has seen it but there's a photo from the cup game last night of Ange, Lawwell and Nicholson all laughing together. It made me feel uneasy. There's something about Lawwell in particular that I distrust. And while many are at pains to point out that he has no executive control over the club, it's worth remembering he is chairman of the board. The board answers to him.

And it's equally worth remembering that all those who felt replacing Rodgers, a sophisticated, modern, professional coach with his polar opposite, was a good idea are all still in situ.

If Ange walked out tomorrow, would you be confident we'd get the right replacement in?

For these doubts to be dispelled we need to see consistent, modern, innovative and professional standards from the club at every level.

In terms of team performance that means an honest appraisal of first team players' abilities and a ruthless approach to improving the starting XI. Absolutely none of this should be conditional upon the state of our rivals. That insular, conservative, unambitious approach has already led us into several self-inflicted crises. As has already been stated this forthcoming window is as important as Ange's first couple.

We badly need another midfielder in my view. I think the midfield three should be McGregor, Hatate and Another. Ideally, I'd like someone of the 6-9m Jota/CCV/Edouard range. Real quality which makes such a difference. Interestingly, all those players I've mentioned there all came on loan first. I wouldn't be against utilising the loan-to-buy transfer approach again. I appreciate that when you spend big you'd like to know you're getting real quality and you might need a season to assess the player before committing as we did with Jota, CCV and Edouard. But I hope that's the end of the market we're shopping in.

We also need another winger, preferably one who can play on either side, but who will replace Abada. Ideally this winger would be of similar quality to Jota but with more defensive qualities. Essentially he'd be here to actually replace Maeda. I'm not against Maeda at all, his workrate and pressing are incredible but he lacks quality on the ball. We often talk of wanting to be more like Ajax. But would teams like Ajax, Benfica etc. be happy to have a player with quite limited technical ability as a guaranteed starter in all their big games? There's already been a lot of really negative stuff about Bassey at Ajax coming from a number of Ajax legends - questioning whether someone with his level of ability is a proper fit for a team like Ajax. And Bassey isn't even a forward player who must create.

I think LB is another problem area. Again, if we're being really ruthless, Greg Taylor has got some limitations which are a real hindrance to our style of play. Like Maeda, it's not that he's bad. He equipped himself quite well in Europe this year imo. But I think it's an area that can go up a level. Bernabei isn't that player either in my view. I suppose if you asked me what I'd like at LB, I'd like the in-game intelligence, vision and spatial awareness of Taylor, the determination, tackling, speed and physical attributes of Johnson and the ball-carrying abilities of Bernabei.

I'd be prioritising those three positions.

There are others I agree with strengthening too but if I was in charge that's where I'd like the serious money spent.

 

Problem is that post brexit we can't anymore, we got Ajer in as a prime example of that young recruitment (and Hjelde was looking like he would have been too) Ajer even counts as Scottish for homegrown reasons after spending that time with us. We are pretty much restricted to UK and Ireland based players for under 18 recruitment.

 

Aye I'm far more nervous about this window than I should be. It could really go any number of ways. One thing I'm sure of is that if we do lose players (and we will) they'll be replaced. Whether or not we build further on that we'll wait and see. I'm optimistic, but like others have been traumatised by previous experiences.

 

Agreed on Lawwell. As long as he's on the board, he can undo any good work if left unchecked.

But your demands for a LB won't ever be met. If Taylor had physical attributes of a typical LB, he'd be world class. The fact he hasn't got them allows us to keep him. Same with a RW that's a defensively improved version of Jota. Maeda's world class regarding his physical attributes and work rate. Someone else will have to do the technical bits. Regarding the midfield, Iwata will hopefully be that third man.

 

Sometimes we can sign a VVD though. Pull that off in a position needed strengthening, and we will be going places. Sure, they'll be off quickly, but that doesn't matter when I'm still drunk on pure emotions from the joy of winning everything someone like that brings. Bringing European silver wear home if we play our cards right and strengthen in just the right areas. Never have we been so strong in over a decade imo.

 

I still think our defence is way too shaky for the CL and would be happy to take 3rd and a Europa run which is definitely our level for now. We'll score but will defo get cut open with the way we play in Europe..but hey who knows - and if I could predict anything I would be on a desert island sipping drinks instead of writing this at work!

 

We never won anything in Europe with VVD though. IMO, to win silverware in Europe, we'd have to combine good recruitment with Rangers-like tactics in Europe. Very unpopular, but that's how underdogs punch above their weight.

 

PTSD survivors thread

 

We had a relatively weak sqaud with vvd. Add him to strong sqaud like now. That's when we have a chance.

 

Aye. If they had Morelos available, they would've won it (shudders). Tactics can negate own player weaknesses, or opposition strengths. I know the majority on this board believes "the Celtic Way" represents attacking football, but in Europe we don't have the player quality to win by playing such football.