New Season Ahead 16/17 | Page 17 | Vital Football

New Season Ahead 16/17

Passing was good until the final third. It's a problem we've had for several years. Other teams know it and they have men open near midfield to hit us on the break. I think McGregor and Forrest are bad passers and still believe Armstrong is really a defensive midfielder. We need Sinclair in to play left to Roberts on the right. I think we'd tear it up with that set.

Gotta say, Dembele's move into the box to earn that penalty was great stuff.
 
First half I thought we were rather good and we started the second half well......then it seemed to all go downhill. I still don't think Johansen was the right player to bring on when Roberts went off, I think that was an issue. His passing was probably about the worst out of the whole team last night! They changed their plan in the second half as well, they finally realised we were killing them with their high line and getting in behind them. As has been the case for a number of years now, we seriously struggle with getting through teams who sit deep against us! We don't have the creativity, the pace, the skill or 2 men up front to do it!

Toure looked decent enough and certainly still has the pace when he came on. Think he's a good signing for now but I imagine Rodgers will still want someone with quality long-term.

I was saying to my brother last week at the Leicester game that what I would really like to see back in the team is a Ki-Seung Young, Nakamura, Moravcik type player back in the team. Someone with quality, creativity and someone really dangerous from set-pieces. I don't feel we really have a set-piece specialist anymore!
 
GMS could be going out on loan! Still recovering from surgery on a foot problem, he has yet to play for new boss Brendan Rodgers and Ross County are apparently interested in taking him on loan.

It seems clear that Rodgers wants another winger in! We've been chasing Scott Sinclair for a while now and it seems like we might be wearing Villa down. For me though, any more than £3m is just not worth it!
With Forrest's future still uncertain as well even though the fans are starting to see the old Forrest re-emerge under Rodgers, but will he stay?

Rodgers must have been impressed by Aiden Nesbitt's performance against Annan in the Irn-Bru Cup in midweek, and is perhaps thinking that Nesbitt could be the back-up to our wingers.
My fear when it comes to back-up on the wings is that we don't really have any......there's Nesbitt, who would ideally benefit from a season out on loan at a decent team where he'll play a lot. We saw against Astana, Rodgers brought on Johansen when Roberts went off and Armstrong had to move out wide, that's certainly not an ideal scenario!

GMS would obviously be decent back-up and we might see better from him under Rodgers now that he's over his injury issues and getting healthy, similar to Forrest. While it makes sense for GMS to move out on loan while Rodgers builds his squad to what he wants, allowing a player to go out on loan thus removing depth from a critical part of Rodgers' team would seem like a strange move.
 
Other news suggests that Aston Villa are in for Paddy McNair. They'll be able to offer more money and he won't have to move as far.....but can European football sway his decision?
 
You guys need to watch this video! We have a new Islam Feruz in our youth team......but probably better and more in love with Celtic! 12 year old Karamoko Dembele!

[youtube=EaakCddDHm4]

He's from Govan (his family are from Ivory Coast) and has been playing with Celtic since about the age of 10, was voted player of the tournament at this prestigious youth tournament earlier this year against some of the best young teams in Europe (including Barcelona)......and he ripped them apart!

Apparently a LOT of teams are watching him and want to sign him, Newcastle even tried to speak with his family about getting him to join them but he threatened to stop playing altogether if he was made to leave Celtic! That right there is a good sign!
Looking at his instagram and online social media, it would appear he loves Celtic and that could be the biggest thing in keeping hold of him!

If he keeps progressing and being that good, he'll be playing for our under 16s by this time next year. In 4 years time and when he's 16, he will have hopefully signed a professional contract with us and he may even be ready for the first team! He's one of the most naturally gifted footballers I think I've ever seen! It's not even just his individual ability either, it's his all round play and his link-up with his team-mates! He has a great understanding with them and they with him as well!
 
We've drawn Hapoel Beer Sheva, the Israeli champions in the knockout round of the Champions League. Long trip to go on but I only know one of their players.....Maor Melikson, Israeli international with Polish roots, a player we tried to sign a few years back. Plays as a winger but at 31 may not be as quick as he used to be, still skillful on the ball though.
Spent most of his career in Israel but when we tried to sign him, he instead went to Poland to Wisla Krakow, from there he went to France with FC Valenciennes and then back to Israel.

To win the Israelie League they must have put together a decent team though as Maccabi Tel-Aviv have new wealthy owners who are simply throwing money at the team to improve it and won the league at a canter 2 seasons ago.
They also put out Olympiacos of Greece in the last round!!!!!
 
So it looks as though Sinclair has signed, not been unveiled or anything yet but it looks as though Rodgers has his man. Which is just as well as Roberts is obviously going to be out for at least a few weeks so we need another winger in.

Rodgers has also said he hopes to have another one in before Monday night's deadline but if they don't manage it by then, it shouldn't be long after it.
 
I thought Fisher was going on loan? It's unclear from the reports if it's a permanent move or on loan. I don't think it's that he's done anything wrong or isn't good enough but he's behind Lustig and Janko in the pecking order so it's going to be tough for him.
Plus Rodgers seems very impressed by the emergence of Anthony Ralston and he will be happy to have him as the back-up fullback. Fisher would just be another wage, another player on the European sheet of which there are only so many places.

Fisher and Commons have both been removed from the Euro squad list, with Boyata and Sinclair being added, Roberts is still included despite being expected to miss both games and O'Connell and Tierney are on the B list which is for youth players.
Fisher has clearly been removed because he's either leaving on loan or permanent so won't be involved. Commons is yet to play for Brendan but I fear his time may be up here. I just don't think he has the attributes Rodgers needs for his style of play, he needs players with pace and energy.....something Commons lost a few years ago now! Commons could be on his way out. Many clubs will still want him but you'd imagine a move to link up with Lennon at Hibs could be on the cards although I'm not sure how he'd feel about dropping down a division.
 
Paddy McNair looks set to join Sunderland in a £5m deal.......

Scotland U21 defender and fellow Man Utd player Donald Love is also expected to join Sunderland with a fee of £1m being agreed.

Meanwhile we have been linked with Fabio Borini. The Italian striker/winger has played for Rodgers as a youth player at Chelsea, then again at Swansea and was then signed by him for Liverpool. Borini has scored some VERY important goals for Sunderland over the last season or 2 but it's thought that David Moyes would be willing to let him leave on loan.

We've also been linked with Bristol City RB Luke Ayling. The 24 year old is a former Arsenal youth player who joined Bristol from Yeovil 2 years ago. He only has 1 year left on his contract and with Bristol having signed Adam Matthews on a season long loan deal from Sunderland, they may look to cash in.
Now, many would deem this a strange move.....me being one of them! We've got Lustig and Janko as our first choice RBs, OK Lustig is getting on a bit but he's still good enough for now, and we're set to let Fisher go out either on loan or permanently and then we have the talented young Ralston coming through as well. So why do we need another RB? The only reason that the story can come up with is because of the injuries that Lustig and Janko have had in the past. If we were actually that worried about it, why let Fisher leave? I think it could more likely be that Rodgers doesn't think he has enough options to play the RCB role in a back 3, Janko is simply not big enough for that role. Ayling can apparently play as a CB but has spent almost his entire career as a RB......I don't see any other reason for this story or for us looking to sign a new RB!
 
Congratulations to our young Bhoys! They beat Cowdenbeath 1-2 to progress in the Irn-Bru Cup. Cowdenbeath scored after half an hour but the young Bhoys fought back in the 2nd half with goals from Jack Aitchison and substitute PJ Crossan giving us the win!

Kristoffer Ajer once again played in midfield for the young hoops. It seems Rodgers believes he has a good young player in Ajer but is prepared to take his time with him. He knows he can bring him into the first team if necessary and is certainly fighting it out for a substitution spot but it may do him better to get used to playing with the younger lads and playing more often.
 
Efe Ambrose has been dropped from the Champions League squad. That move is to allow Dorus De Vries to take his place in the squad. That means that the newly returning Boyata has a place in the squad over the fully fit Ambrose......
Could this be the beginning of the end for Efe?
 
GOAL! Tom Rogic! What a cracking start!

Griffiths plays a delightful ball over the top to Sinclair, the keeper rushes out and clatters Sinclair but the ball falls to Rogic who knocks it into the back of the net! If Rogic hadn't scored, it could have been a penalty of free-kick for the keepers challenge on Sinclair. The keeper has been booked!
 
Tonight's team is:

Gordon
Lustig - Toure - O'Connell - Tierney
Brown - McGregor
Forrest - Rogic - Sinclair
Griffiths

Subs: Fasan, Bitton, Janko, Dembele, Christie, Sviatchenko, Henderson
 
Remarkably, essentially 9 of this squad for tonight's game (including the subs) make up the same sort of squad as Ronny Deila failed with last season.....
Only 4 are new signings since that time.
1 was injured.
3 were on loan.
1 was the 3rd choice keeper.
 
10 minutes into the 2nd half and we've lost 2 goals. What the hell is going on here?

We were home and dry! 3-0 up at halftime and now's it's 3-2, they have 2 away goals which could be very important!
We now need to go on and score another 2 or even 3 goals at this rate!
 
Well that was nervy after conceding two early away goals int he second half but another 2 goals from us makes it more comfortable for the next leg. It could have been 6 but Sinclair missed by a very small amount.

If we can be more solid at the back next week then we will have no problems going through.
 
I think Brendan learned that they discovered the weak link as both goals came up the right side. He removed McGregor and Lustig and got fresh legs on. I think Janko might be asserting himself as the better right back.
 
I agree, Rodgers is good at that. He brought Bitton on to sit in the middle of the pitch and move Scott Brown to cover that right side and then put the quicker Janko in to counter any pace down that side. Lustig is still a good player, but he's getting to the end of what he can do as a RB, especially given his injuries over the years. It takes a toll on the body!

Great result in the end but will need to stay switched on next week as clearly they can score although in the grand scheme of things, I didn't feel like they caused us that many problems.......

I'd go with a 4-4-2 next week I think. I'd leave 2 up top, Griffiths and Dembele and let them chase things down. We'll be more defensive next week, won't want to push players forward too quick and become exposed so 2 up front with pace would be best I think.
I'd still go with Forrest and Sinclair on the wings but they'll track back more, they're also the two guys you want bombing on up the pitch and breaking with the ball when we can! Then Scott Brown and Nir Bitton in CM to sit and mop things up, keep things tight.
Back 4 will probably be the same as before unless Sviatchenko is back and ready to go. I might go with Janko at RB for the extra pace on the break and getting forward, that depends if we think they're going to be a threat in the air or not, didn't see much evidence that will be the case the other night.

Gordon
Janko/Lustig - Toure - Sviatchenko/O'Connell - Tierney
Forrest - Brown - Bitton - Sinclair
Dembele - Griffiths
 
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