Soccer Football - Scottish Premiership - Rangers v Celtic - Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - September 3, 2023 Celtic's Callum McGregor talks to Gustaf Lagerbielke Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
The Gus Lagerbielke story which broke last night sounds, to me, like utter nonsense.
But perhaps I believe that because if it’s true then we have to conclude that behind the scenes at Celtic they really are all over the place.
Because to sell him after six months, when he comes here with such a good pedigree, and being willing to take the transfer fee we got for him suggests something has gone wrong big time. If the manager has looked at this guy and this early knows he won’t do … well, Hell, that’s some verdict on those above him, isnt’ it?
Now it might be that Rodgers finally has control of the transfer policy and is trying to correct a few of what he sees as mistakes from the summer.
I think most of us would be broadly in agreement with that, but what a message it sends to Mark Lawwell and what a vote of confidence it is in the judgement of the chairman’s son.
Hey one way or another, this doesn’t look good for him.
If we’re really cutting this guy loose because Stephen Welsh is a better long-term option, then maybe he should be following the big Swede out the door .
I mean, this is what we’re saying here; that Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales are better central defenders than the guy Lawwell recommended that we pay that money for.
And where’s Nawrocki? If he’s not challenging Scales and Carter Vickers both, then I can only conclude that he’s a waste of money as well.
Scales has impressed us all, there’s no doubt about that.
But has he really impressed us enough that we are putting next season’s Champions League campaign in his hands? Carter Vickers has a tendency to get injured; are we really saying Scales is our starter and that one of the two backup options is Stephen Welsh?
Who would have accepted that six months ago?
Why should we be accepting it now after the better part of £7 million has been spent on this defence? Is somebody in the power structure going to explain that, or even be asked to?
Assuming this is true, that’s a shambles.
If Lagerbeikle is going, this early, then that’s a repudiation of the strategy and the critics are going to say add Tilio, who is nowhere near being a starter and cost us £1 million, and Kwon who you know already is going to vanish without a trace like the other half dozen cheap punts we’ve taken on one of the most important areas on the pitch, forcing us to play Callum McGregor in every single game.
And I have no answer for that critique because I essentially agree with it.
Will Yang make it? Will Holm? Are there signs of life there, or are we really looking at nearly a complete write-off of the summer signings? If that’s true then Lawwell Jnr would have nowhere to hide in any organisation with a shred of accountability at its heart.
If this is the plan – and we only have McGowan’s word for it, and he’s coached it in vague enough language that he’ll never have to answer for it if it doesn’t come about; there’s no accountability there either of course – then I have to question the people running the show, because from the outside this just looks like a goddamned mess, and when the aim is to improve the strength of the squad for this window it looks an awful lot like we’d be starting out by weakening it instead.
Whatever way you dress it up, a strategy where we have four central defensive options and three of them were at the club last season and one was Stephen Welsh and one is Liam Scales, when we spent more money on that position than any other part of the team .. God almighty, that’s depressing.
I’ll be honest with you, I love the player Scales has become, but at the back of my mind I just assumed that when Nawrocki and Lagerbielke had the ground beneath their feet and were both fit and ready for the first team that they were the future of our central defence.
Instead, Stephen Welsh is. We’ve spent years struggling with versions of this, with Mikey Johnston, with Tony Ralston and others … are we really saying that Stephen Welsh is now one of our senior centre backs? That we can’t do better than that?
Then what was the goddamned point?
If this story is true, my confidence in a positive outcome for January is going to wind up in the toilet, along with much else, including, perhaps, our chances of retaining this title.
This is the most important transfer window this club has faced in years, and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration.
The danger of going into the Asian Cup month without a slew of key players is blindingly obvious and has been since way last season, and we need to get every single decision in this window right. Every single one. And we need to move fast.
This will look abysmal, and will weaken the squad right out of the gate.
I find it hard to believe we’d even be contemplating this.
Whilst I actually think the net effect this January should be we lose a fair few players overall (squad is way too big), I don’t think Gus going is a smarter move at all. Presumably Phillips will return to Liverpool, and CCV is having a bit of a time with injury. 5 CBs seems reasonable and although Lagerbielke hasn’t set the world alight, he’s not long here. Even if BR doesn’t rate him, we should keep him til at least summer and reassess.
We should try to offload MJ, McCarthy, Bernabei, Kwon, Seigrist (or Bain…it doesn’t matter), Phillips, Kobayashi and most of the non youth loaned out folk.
Buy: a striker (Asian cup), a LB and if possible a keeper. CDM would be great, but is really more for the CL so needn’t panic buy in January.
Perfect comment
Rumour is the players not happy with Rodgers they don’t like the way he Is running the team this could and will cause serious problems this season team just not at it as we all can see at present.
Do you find it any harder to believe that kennedy made it clear not rodgers, kennedy that the club will take the money for Matt OR when not if it comes along . He also said the club needs the next MOR waiting behind. That means 3 things, everyone is up for grabs, no long term planning to keep players and last just who the fuck is in charge here.
Mibbie go back over what you wrote mate and see that its not that unbelievable efter aw
We’re a shit show. This policy is a fucking mess.
It is the Board that need to go.
They are not football people and never will be. They are inebriated with the exuberance of their own verbosity and thought on matters of which they have no understanding.
God help us, ‘cause this Board cannot.
If he wanted shot if him, would he really have played him the other night. In my view Carter Vickers should go – vastly overrated.
I don’t think he’s overrated, but he represents the best potential fee and I’d (now) be worried about his injury risk. Clearly the knee issue took its toll and if he’s also had a hamstring issue that increases his future risk. Wouldn’t be the worst player to lose (oddly would have been last season). But we have to bleed Nawrocki and Lagerbeilke in to assess them too.
We all know the circumstances Rogers left after this time and we’re assuming he’s not stupid. The only explanation I can conclude given the evidence of my eyes is punts and prospects is what Brendan has signed up for. I also suspect he’s on a similar deal as Kjetil Knutsen at Bodo.
Think you could be going well over the top here James in your assessment?
Things change in football and the emergence of scales has totally changed now regarding largerman, and totally unexpected and certainly wouldn’t have been in the planning during the summer either imo.
So if Rodgers intends sticking with a back 4, with 5CB within it, then that is his decision?
Could the 5CB options of CCV, scales, rocki, Welsh and possibly lawal be making up the CB positions for next seasons CL squad in mind?
If that’s the case then there is a certain amount of planning going on with Rodgers making decisions and the backing of the board, or course should that be true regarding largerman?
Could be regarded as a potential harsh decision if true, regarding largerman but we still remain a club where harsh decisions have to be made, especially when in transition regarding a different manager in regarding CL and the planning involved for making up a squad for the challenges ahead imo?
Just how much trimming back of the current squad, with the extra demands next season will bring with the extra games involved, remains to be seen yet?
The secret will be in the planning and keeping a squad content also at the same time?
That decision I believe will be that of Rodgers, and if that is his within the planning process, then questionable but understandable also imo?
Again, if true, then it’s sending out confusing signals to the support?
Whilst I would love it, just love it, IF we could do some great business
in the January window, I’m a wee bit pessimistic.
Yes, I can see the club either selling or loaning out several players.
I’m less optimistic that the club will bring in a quality players(s)
– and most importantly – who can hit the ground running.
BR will do his necessary squad rebuild in the summer.
I can see the club bringing in nobody – of the quality we need – in January.
Hope I’m wrong? 🙁
I’ll do that mate, apologies for that. I’ll find out what’s going on with it.
And maybe find a bit more space for the Blog itself.
I get it you guys need the revenue. You all, well almost all,do a GREAT job and should be recompensed for your time and effort ( except the plagiarists that just ‘copy n’ paste’).But these feckin ads are all over the screen.
It’s like a Pétri dish, delete one spore just provides more space for even more to encroach on the Script.
I’m viewing your Blog on an iPad. God help anyone trying to view it on anything smaller.
Oh and I still have to login every time I want to comment. So what’s the point of the ‘tic’ save my name, email and website field?
WTF is going here,I’ve just read that were 2-0 down to mini Huns,I can’t believe what’s going on at Celtic at present.
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