Season In Review: A Wealth Of Midfield Talent.

I think it’s fair to say that midfield has always been Celtic’s greatest asset. It wasn’t till Strachan arrived that, in recent memory, we truly suffered in that area and a period of desperately turgid football ensued. Titles were won but, especially in the last 18 months of his reign, but it was pretty painful viewing.

Mowbray was an emotional appointment for some Celtic fans. The alleged originator of The Huddle. Whether you agreed with the appointment or not, many of us desperately wanted him to succeed. In hindsight, as a prospective Celtic manager, getting your current team relegated shouldn’t be on your C.V.

After his dismissal, rumours spread that Mowbray had been enticed by a sizeable transfer budget which, following his appointment, was swiftly retracted. Regardless, he tried to stamp his utopian attacking philosophy on the players that were available to him, those that he could bring in on a reduced budget and some Dermott-subsidized, sticky-plaster loan signings.

At the end of the day, the job was just too big for Mowbray. He didn’t have the strength of character to turn the team around. Watching him in the dugout with his hands in his face was excruciating. His preferred 4-2-4 was an absolute disaster. I can’t even count on two hands the number of times an opposition player simply strode through the middle of the park and scored.

West Brom played with the same cavalier style. When it worked it was a joy to behold, but a non-existent, narrow midfield coupled to an ambitious front four left the defence terribly exposed. You can only play that way if you’re the Brazil teams of yore.

The key was that the defence was never protected.

It’s no secret that the emergence of Wanyama as a deep-lying central midfielder has coincided with Celtic vastly improving defensively. A strong, calming presence with the added, unexpected, bonus of being able to weigh in with a few goals. It’s quite a sight to see Victor hold off three opposition players and still successfully complete a pass to a teammate.

In general, it can’t be emphasized enough how important an area central midfield is in football. The ability to break up play, initiate attack and support the forwards is invaluable. The recent decline in Man Utd’s performances are due to the fact that they lack a quality centre mid, in his prime, that can play most games and dictate the play. Their reluctance to sign Wesley Sneijder has cost them dearly. If Wanyama’s form continues, Celtic will command a relatively sizeable fee, when the time comes.

Currently, Celtic have an embarrassment of riches in central midfield. One of the first names on the teamsheet is Joe Ledley. Metronome passing, composure and an almost clairvoyant ability to ghost into the box and get on the end of the ball. It may be more impressive to an ex-pat watching the game on TV, but Joe seems to come out of nowhere. A cliché, but someone that does the simple things well.

Coupled to this we have a rejuvenated Scott Brown. An archetypal example of Lennon’s man-management skills. Something of a landmark season for our captain. He’ll never be the best all-round midfielder….but he takes no nonsense penalties. Pick a spot and hit it low and hard. He’s matured. More often than not he walks away from incidents that may have landed him in trouble previously and is one of the first to pull teammates away from volatile situations. His talismanic goal celebration helped to cement a long lost feeling of unity that has been sadly lacking, for many years, amongst the Celtic support. Lennon kept faith in Brown simply because he’s the strongest character at the club; he clearly has a single-mindedness that no-one else has. Being a Captain isn’t necessarily about ability. As much as we all idolize Larsson, would he have been a good captain on the field ? Perhaps not. Larsson was far too introverted and happy to just go about his business to fill that role.

The remaining centre mids, Ki and Kayal,l are in my mind disposable. I have been an advocate of Ki on this blog. I have even suggested he shares qualities with Paul Scholes, not in terms of ability, but how he plays the game. Ki has an exceptional range of passing and could be a useful player in Europe where he’ll get time on the ball. However, in the SPL, the benchmark we have to meet every season, he won’t be afforded the luxury of time. I’d be happy with a mid-single, six figure sum.

Back in Glasgow for Christmas I asked my friend, from the perspective of a season ticket holder, who he’d not be unhappy to see leave the midfield. Kayal. He’s young and a tough, combative midfielder that is suited to the SPL but neither of us were particularly plussed by the fact that he conveniently found his form after he signed his new contract. To be honest, I don’t think we missed him this season, at least in the SPL. Competition for places in midfield is tougher than it has been for a while, and Kayal can’t consider himself an automatic choice next season. To be honest, at one point, I completely forgot about him and perhaps that says it all.

Width has always been important to the way Celtic play and the impact of James Forrest needs no explanation. A talented and direct winger, blessed with a gift McGeady never had; the ability to make the right decision. The most promising young talent Scotland has produced in the last decade, coupled to an excellent, down to earth attitude. Someone that is just grateful to play for his boyhood club.

On the opposite side of the field, last years midfield goal-machine, Kris Commons, was largely sidelined this season and sorely missed. We absolutely need to retain Commons. He adds another dimension to our play that no one (except Samaras) can provide. Dynamic.

It’s been interesting to see him in a more central role, behind the striker(s) and if Lennon persists with the close season 3-5-2, expect to see him there more often. It’s an unfortunate truth that the most talented players are often isolated on the wing. The death of 4-4-2 is steadily shuffling those players into more central positions.

I’m a fan of Paddy McCourt. Lennon is too. He’s been quoted as saying that Paddy is one of the most gifted footballers he’s ever seen but is someone that physically struggles with the pace and demands of the modern game. Paddy simply won’t get into the team because of the way he plays.

While Lennon is a fan he isn’t willing to build a team around him. I get the feeling that if he could find a club that suited him and was given the freedom to do what he does best, he would be an exceptional player. Paddy’s a far better all-round footballer than a lot of people think, but he’s been pigeon-holed into the super sub role. Unfortunately, he’s almost set the bar too high.

When he doesn’t take on 3 players and round the keeper, people say he had a bad game/was ineffective. I think that’s very unfair. He can play the intelligent pass for the team rather than doing it all himself, but the expectation is for him to “entertain”.

A strong midfield is important to any club. The best teams in Europe have players with exquisite one touch control and vision. However, as play develops towards the final 3rd only one thing matters. Putting the ball in the back of the net.