Yes, we’re in the last 16 of the Champions League, well clear in the SPL and everything looks lovely in the Celtic garden. However, as we go into the winter break one thing remains as it has for about 18 months now, this Celtic side is screaming out for a creative midfielder. The midfield isn’t totally void of creativity from the midfield, but the days of Nakamura getting the ball with nowhere to go, giving it to Hartley, to Brown, to McGeady, who’d run against two markers for 10 yards down the left, cut back, either give the keeper catching practice or reverse the cycle through the midfield to Nakamura, might not be too far away unfortunately.
Brown has popped up with a few goals, Commons has chipped in too but theres just something missing from our team at the moment. When Commons first signed he was played on the left but with an outrageous degree of freedom, there were two reasons for this. Commons’ terrific positional sense and the fact Izaguirre was running riot down the left wing. Celtic were playing some terrific football from January to April of 2011 and it was all down to the fact Commons was used as the link between forwards and midfielders. Since then, Commons has been played strictly left sided, possibly due to the indifferent form of Izaguirre or whoever else has played at left back. Recently Lennon has tried to fit Commons in behind Hooper but it rarely worked, and this 3-5-2 formation is further hampering any midfielders looking to get into the box as they have to be aware of the space these ‘marauding’ full backs leave open.
So the problem remains, Celtic need a creative midfielder, not someone who’ll run into a brick wall for you, but someone who’ll flick the ball over said wall and volley it into the top corner. So are there any decent creative midfielders out there? This is where we all have a say, I have a few ideas but why don’t you put your creative midfielder spotting abilities to the fore and suggest in the comments below?
My Prediction? Well I dream of a south american with bright white boots and fancy flicks to get us off our seats and make watching Celtic that bit more exciting again. Sadly I cannot see it any time soon so my vote goes to Norwich’s Robert Snodgrass. I have always been a huge admirer of this player since his days at Livingston. He was instrumental in Leeds’ promotion from league 1 to Championship and played a role in their solid first season back in the second tier. Another good season followed and Paul Lambert, who had him at Livingston back in 2005, chased him frantically before leaving for Aston Villa but Snodgrass eventually made his way to Norwich in the summer. He averages about 1 goal every 5 games which will be bound to improve against lesser opposition. He’s probably not the most gifted flair-wise but has a terrific delivery and will play his part in numerous goals. Probably have to wait until the summer but if Norwich don’t slap themselves out of their losing run we might just get this gem in a cut-price deal.
So there you have my suggestion, so whats yours?*
*Feel free to add any players you’ve discovered on Football Manager #GonzaloFierroCSC
Graham Dorrans has been told he can leave although i dont think we could afford his or snodgrass wages
I personally think Dorrans is a bumper too, don’t think he’s worth £4m but Would definitely push that amount out for Snodgrass
I don’t agree with your assessment of the present squad. In fact we have just sold a gifted midfielder, the Nigerian Rabiu Ibrahim. We also have Paddy McCourt whom we seldom ever play and of course we have James Forrest. Victor and Kayal, although primarily defensive midfielders have their moments too, and can thread through some nice passes and Joe Ledley can also produce the odd defence splitting pass. Despite all that I do tend to do know where you are coming from, we want a real class act to whet our appetites, but those players are few and far between. I cannot think of any within our shopping budget that are any better than the ones we have, Snodgrass is no longer within that budget, we missed the boat with him. We will just have to persevere with what we have unless the Celtic scouting system unearth another gem for us.
Sorry about the negative creativity on my part.
Victor and Kayal aren’t creative midfielders, Wanyama may pop up from time to time with a goal but we need a skilful midfielder in behind the strikers, McCourt isn’t that man either, he’s just not the answer, 3 Celtic managers don’t fancy him says it all for me
Is Commons a midfielder or a forward, is Sammy a midfielder or a forward or can they both be classed as attacking midfielders? Neil Lennon uses them in dual roles depending on the opposition and they can both create as well as score goals. Again I agree that a silky midfielder would be a valuable addition but only at the right price. We cannot shop in the EPL, their wages demands would be too high, unfortunately that’s the situation we are stuck with. I like Filip Twardzik and hopefully he can blossom into the player we are seeking.
Totally agree with the need for a creative midfielder. We have lacked someone to open up a team for sometime now. Think i heard a stat the other day that Celtic this season have never won a game this season when we have went behind. If this is the case this simply confirms we don’t have the personnel within the team to get us back in the game. Wanyama , Kayla are defensive mids. Don’t get me started on McCourt. He comes on as a last resort. He is like a special team in American football. Put him on to make one run, if it does not come off Lennon would be as well to take him off. I actually think the game is over when McCourt comes on.
We need a number 10. Not sure who but there must be one out there. Or we should try McGeoch in there, why not
Is everyone forgetting Antony Stokes?? Him and Hooper together were immense. Unfortunately Stokes doesn’t fit into the PC world we live in and will probably move on. If that’s the case then young Will Hughes at Derby definitely fits the bill. He’s young and talented and fits the bill of creative. Add to that the fact that the Celtic ethos seems to be buy young, progress and then sell on I think Young is your man