Yesterday a lot of the fan sites, and a lot of fans I know, took great relief from the fitness status update regarding Stephen Welsh.
He wasn’t even third choice last season, and now here are we are sighing with relief because he’s fit. We are already looking at a future where one of our starting centre backs is Liam Scales. This scares the Hell out of me.
This is not snobbery. Both Ireland and Scotland have produced next level players and are capable of doing so again. Does anyone think we’re watching a Champions League quality centre back when you look at either of them?
We’ve fallen into a familiar trap with these guys and that’s depressingly obvious and it’s depressingly familiar; we’ve found two guys who “will do” in domestic terms and we seem almost content to stick with what we’ve got.
But not only do we need better first team players than these two but we need better backups as well. They are good lads, good honest pros who will do a job for us here at home but there should be no prospect of us heading into Europe with either of them in the starting eleven next year. That’s harsh, but I reckon we all know that it’s also true.
At some stage those in charge of this club have to start getting real.
The summer rebuild already looms large, the fault entirely of the recruitment team which has left us with more holes than a bag of Hula Hoops. A keeper. A left back. A midfield iron man. A striker. Probably now at least one centre back.
It’s a bigger job than it had any right to be and so much of it is carryovers from previous campaigns and a lot of stuff left lamentably undone.
All this too without the thorny issue of having to replace players who leave, so you could be looking, then at O’Riley and Abada at least, quite possibly with a shock thrown in for good measure. The recruitment team hasn’t proved up to the job on signing quality in any one of the positions which was screaming out for it so far … they need to seriously up their game.
I have nothing against these two and they’ve given their all this year.
Liam Scales might even be in line for the player of the year awards from the club, although that might be down to the fact that we’ve barely had another standout success story so far outside of Matt O’Riley, but this has nothing to do with not liking people, it’s about wanting better people and that’s football and that’s our club as it is every club in the game.
I don’t think the manager will want to go with either of these guys once he has his feet under the table long enough to get his own players. If he gets his own players.
What it is going to come down to is how many defenders our club can have on the books at one time (and how many of them are fit), but Brendan has to resist, with all he’s got, any notion that we can get by with these two because they perform well in the SPFL.
This is how teams get stuck in the mud.
Stephen Welsh shouldn’t be anywhere near a Celtic team. Apart from being injury prone and not being able to defend very well, his passing of the ball is shocking.
James,what makes you think the summer rebuild will be any different this year,as as desmond and the liewells are in place at Celtic nothing will change ,why should it they get 60000 ST holders and all the merchandise bought 3 strips a year sometimes, liewell and desmond are quite happy just pocketing money from hard working Celtic fans ,they are the gift that keeps on giving to this board.
“Guys that ‘will do’ in domestic terms” –
Bloody Hell – He might not even do in that sphere this season should we lose the title…
And that’s very very possible sadly !
The point is that they are not good enough for Celtic in any competition. Too slow, too predictable and no vision. While they are meandering their way to the half-way line the oposition have had a cup of tea, put the kids to bed and set-up their defence. It is woefully slow. But they are not the only dross in this team. Can anyone of them cross a ball?
Time will tell on Kuhn but once agian a winger that constantly cuts in instead of going to the byeline. They all do that. Thank goodness Alistair Johnston is injured as he can’t cross a ball to save himself. Kyogo is a shadow of himself because he doesn’t get service quick enough. I could go on and on. This team has serious problems and is very,very poor
Scales was one of our stand out performers in the Champions League this year??????
I actually think we need two centre backs. CCV plus two more to cover injuries plus Scales and Welsh as back up. Noworcki nor Lagerbielke nor Kobyashi seems to be able to knock Welsh and Scalesof the perch. We miss Starfelt badly. And Boyata. They were a different level to what we have now.
Why stop at the centre backs?
Are any of our players good enough for Europe?
Scales is average at best. We should be much much better. He was at Aberdeen with Ange. Probably his level.
Quality is short in all areas thanks to the board.
Good enough for Scottish football. That is all the board are interested in so we better get used to them being there, and if they continue to do no-bad they’ll be punted.
I for one won’t go back to any European competition again until the board get some ambition. For that to happen we need rid of the Lawwells and the Desmonds.