wee_od_88
Vital Football Hero
So....it's been a while but thought I would do this again as I found some rather good players recently.
We have won the league, will be giving other players a chance to show what they can do between now and the end of the season and our pre-season games will be picked with qualifying for the Champions League in mind. Lennon has said the squad will be trimmed and that he wants 2 or 3 "quality" players to help with the push for Champions League qualification and to do quite well in the group.
This then raises the question of which positions need strengthening and quality players from where? We know we can't compete in the money stakes with teams in England and other top European Leagues, so where will we look for these players?
There is of course Euro 2012 this summer as well, our scouts should be out in Poland and Ukraine to watch as many games as possible and identify any other good players who are perhaps under the radar of the top clubs.
There is one position which needs to be tied up very quickly this summer and that is the GK position. Fraser Forster is gaining admiring glances from clubs in England and could end up moving elsewhere this summer. We have a deal in place with Newcastle but I wouldn't put it past them to change the agreement of that deal in the hope for more money. If Forster does go anywhere else, wherever he goes, the club he goes to has to pay Celtic compensation.
A position which has been vacant for a while now at Celtic is in the striking department. While we have two excellent goal scorers in Stokes and Hooper, many of the Celtic support and Lennon himself agrees that we lack something else up front. Sometimes, when times are desperate or simply because of the way the opposition play, having a tall, strong CF who can find space in the box, back defenders up, header the ball or hold the ball up and lay it off is what is required and that is something Celtic are lacking. Samaras has tried to be that player but his problem is his love to run. Samaras is not that type of striker, to play him in such a way would be to play him almost out of position. He has turned a corner this season at Celtic but that has come from playing on the left wing, either as part of the midfield or as part of a 3 man attack. We need someone who's natural game is to be the pivot of which the attack is built. This type of striker may be a dying breed, or those who are like that demand a lot of money or are considered not good enough, but there are a few options out there.
Midfield has been a strong area for Celtic the past two seasons. Scott Brown's form goes up and down like a yo-yo at times, Wanyama has been a revelation this season (although his form has dipped of late), Ledley has been his usual consistent self, Kayal suffered an unfortunate injury but showed at times what he is capable of but also showing form and attitude he will hopefully leave in the treatment room, Forrest has been outstanding and unplayable at times, Commons has been short of fitness and form and Ki has had a bit of an up and down season as he continues to settle and be used in different ways by the manager, I believe Ki has many strings to his bow and once we figure out exactly what the best one is to fit in to this team, we will see a top class player! What is really lacking in this midfield however, is a real creative force, someone with individual skill, pace and most importantly, that ability to bring others into the game and create opportunities. Someone a bit like Nakamura at his peak but who can play in the pocket behind the strikers, a little like Maloney did at times and find space between the midfield and defence to open teams up. A back-up to Forrest would be a big advantage as well, someone who can play on either wing.
Defence is an area which at times has looked fragile this season, but for the most, we have looked very solid. Young Thomas Rogne has shown why he was signed and why he was so highly rated in Norway, Celtic have only lost two games of the thirteen he has started. Mulgrew has been Player of the Season in my opinion and it doesn't matter if he plays LB or CB, he's equally impressive in both positions. Loovens and Mjastorovic are both likely to leave with their contracts expiring, as will Cha and Mark Wilson as we have enough cover at RB now but Kelvin Wilson has struggled to really make much of an impact and with a highly rated Polish defender joining in the summer, he too could be on his way out. That leaves us slightly weak of reinforcements at CB and an experienced and quality CB would be a good addition to the squad.
Suggestions and videos to follow!
We have won the league, will be giving other players a chance to show what they can do between now and the end of the season and our pre-season games will be picked with qualifying for the Champions League in mind. Lennon has said the squad will be trimmed and that he wants 2 or 3 "quality" players to help with the push for Champions League qualification and to do quite well in the group.
This then raises the question of which positions need strengthening and quality players from where? We know we can't compete in the money stakes with teams in England and other top European Leagues, so where will we look for these players?
There is of course Euro 2012 this summer as well, our scouts should be out in Poland and Ukraine to watch as many games as possible and identify any other good players who are perhaps under the radar of the top clubs.
There is one position which needs to be tied up very quickly this summer and that is the GK position. Fraser Forster is gaining admiring glances from clubs in England and could end up moving elsewhere this summer. We have a deal in place with Newcastle but I wouldn't put it past them to change the agreement of that deal in the hope for more money. If Forster does go anywhere else, wherever he goes, the club he goes to has to pay Celtic compensation.
A position which has been vacant for a while now at Celtic is in the striking department. While we have two excellent goal scorers in Stokes and Hooper, many of the Celtic support and Lennon himself agrees that we lack something else up front. Sometimes, when times are desperate or simply because of the way the opposition play, having a tall, strong CF who can find space in the box, back defenders up, header the ball or hold the ball up and lay it off is what is required and that is something Celtic are lacking. Samaras has tried to be that player but his problem is his love to run. Samaras is not that type of striker, to play him in such a way would be to play him almost out of position. He has turned a corner this season at Celtic but that has come from playing on the left wing, either as part of the midfield or as part of a 3 man attack. We need someone who's natural game is to be the pivot of which the attack is built. This type of striker may be a dying breed, or those who are like that demand a lot of money or are considered not good enough, but there are a few options out there.
Midfield has been a strong area for Celtic the past two seasons. Scott Brown's form goes up and down like a yo-yo at times, Wanyama has been a revelation this season (although his form has dipped of late), Ledley has been his usual consistent self, Kayal suffered an unfortunate injury but showed at times what he is capable of but also showing form and attitude he will hopefully leave in the treatment room, Forrest has been outstanding and unplayable at times, Commons has been short of fitness and form and Ki has had a bit of an up and down season as he continues to settle and be used in different ways by the manager, I believe Ki has many strings to his bow and once we figure out exactly what the best one is to fit in to this team, we will see a top class player! What is really lacking in this midfield however, is a real creative force, someone with individual skill, pace and most importantly, that ability to bring others into the game and create opportunities. Someone a bit like Nakamura at his peak but who can play in the pocket behind the strikers, a little like Maloney did at times and find space between the midfield and defence to open teams up. A back-up to Forrest would be a big advantage as well, someone who can play on either wing.
Defence is an area which at times has looked fragile this season, but for the most, we have looked very solid. Young Thomas Rogne has shown why he was signed and why he was so highly rated in Norway, Celtic have only lost two games of the thirteen he has started. Mulgrew has been Player of the Season in my opinion and it doesn't matter if he plays LB or CB, he's equally impressive in both positions. Loovens and Mjastorovic are both likely to leave with their contracts expiring, as will Cha and Mark Wilson as we have enough cover at RB now but Kelvin Wilson has struggled to really make much of an impact and with a highly rated Polish defender joining in the summer, he too could be on his way out. That leaves us slightly weak of reinforcements at CB and an experienced and quality CB would be a good addition to the squad.
Suggestions and videos to follow!
