99 Problems But The Midfield Isn't One

Last Sunday was laying on the couch dying from self-abuse on the Saturday night. While doing the hungover channel hop I came across “Madrid” a film about the galacticos on ESPN Classic. Now the blurb said a fascinating insight into the world of the worlds biggest club Real Madrid.

All it really showed you was Raul on the treatment table and them joking around in training. One of the games in training was hitting a dead ball from near the corner flag off the far post into the net. In the group doing it were Zizou, Fat Ronnie, Boaby Carlos and our Tommy Gravesen.

Zizou 1st up and missed. Fat Ronnie hit the bar, Boaby Carlos kills a Japanese tourist and our Tommy strolls up pings the ball perfectly off the inside of the post into the back of the net.

So what type of player are we getting? Is it a combative defensive “eat your weans, dug and wife for breakfast” type midfielder or an attacking replacement for the sulky Bulgur? And how will he fit in to what is an already over crowded midfield?

After our dealings this summer we now have 10 midfielders. Jaroisk, Nakamura, Gravesen, Lennon, Sno, Pearson, Thompson, Rioirdon, Maloney and McGeady. If you add other 1st team squad members Ferry and Grant, maybe Quinn, then we have more midfielders than spurs.

So how do we fit them all in? Last Saturday I was dreaming of a combination of Tommy G, Stan and Jaro with a.n. Other in the middle of the park as I was sure MON didn’t have the dimes to purchase him. That midfield for me was a dream.

Have said on this site, no matter how often Lenny states GS told him he has a big role to play, a bit part role and more instances like Tynecastle where Neil will find himself on the bench will be the norm. He will get dusted down for battle games and left out in the wide-open flowing games that happen at CP.

Tommy G according to David Moyes and Evertonians is an attacking midfielder who played for Hamburg, Real Madrid and Denmark as a defensive midfielder. Jaro played as a wide man, defensive midfielder and an attacking midfielder for CSKA and Chelski.

We have paid big money for both of these players so in the most instance they will play and could we see them swapping roles in a dynamic midfield that when one goes the other sits? Both can play, both are comfortable on the ball and have more creativity than Lenny. Both seem more flexible than Lenny so both will play more than Lenny.

Pearo having come back into the managers good books, could be the biggest loser in the signing of Tommy G. Having seen an opportunity with Stan leaving he was probably hoping that the who ha surrounding the supposed failed medical was true and a run in the team was on the cards.

Having impressed over the last few weeks the 21st century Burns could find himself an utility bit part, filling in wide left when Naka doesn’t fancy it or late sub when Tommy G or Jaro fancy a rest.

Our wide midfielders must also be a bit worried about GS plans. I mean he could play 3 centre midfielders and a player in the hole behind the front 2 or more in likely force one of the central midfielders, would be Jaro, to play wide.

Not our favoured option as it unbalances the team, but big names, big money means bigger huffs when they are not playing.

With Aiden the only wide player who ‘s performances so far make him a stick on start, then Naka, Shaun and the missing Rioirdon could find themselves up beside me in the stand more often than not.

The midfield options are suited to what I believe will be our CL 4-5-1 formation. Domestically some are going to be disappointed as it might be horses for courses and they may find themselves left out when they don’t want to be. But if GS does this and rotates the engine room, I fully expect disjointed performances to follow.

GS has given himself a massive dilemma, albeit a good one to have, and also will leave himself open to all sorts of abuse if his team selections fall sort of the now over expectant targets. In the coming months all you will hear is this one should have played, that one should have played etc.

If only at the moment we had those abundance of choices in defence. We have Kennedy and Balde to come back but we only have 3 fullbacks and one of them is Paul Telfer.

Up front Jvoh and Magic are stick on starters, with Miller and The Beats deputies. Even then we can also shove wee Maloney, McGeady and Rioirdon into forward roles if needed.

I said earlier that I believe this is the strongest squad we have had in years, maybe not the strongest 1st team, but the squad is about all of the same quality. GS will need to prove he has the coaching ability and decision-making ability to gel them together.

Big few months ahead………..

Hail Hail

KevinG

Hail To The Thief or Praise The Kaiser Chief

Now the transfer window has nearly slammed shut, it is now a good time to have a look at where we, Glesga Vienna and Kanus of Midlothian are. Truth is the fact that I have called them Glesga Vienna and Kanus of Midlothian say’s it all.

Message to the fourth estate- There will be no massive spend of JJB money at ipox and Romanov is a false dawn to our friends in the east. Both have a link nasty fans and crooked chairmen. Allegedly.

Us? Well our doubts that the board were penny pinching descendents of the Kelly and White dynasty have been firmly put to bed with an overall spend nudging the 8 million mark. But with savings a net spend of only £1 million. Anyone for a biscuit as the tin is open.

While I feel there is still cause for some criticism, albeit pernickety, I grudgingly applaud Peter Lawell for his poker face and hard nosed negotiating skills, which has seen players courted by clubs with more spending power, ending up at us.

The criticism I feel only lays with the fact the business has been done when the season started, we went on a world tour to pay for these players, or PR leaves a lot to be desired, our image was badly by this world tour and hefty defeats to lesser opposition and we had to sell the best midfielder in Scotland to allow the money to be freed.

In a radio interview with Radio Snide Lawell or Kaiser Sose said that we didn’t need to sell Stan to fund deals. Well, we did buy JvoH and Naylor, before Stan left, but that outlay and the hold up for Tommy G proves to me that Stan P leaving was vital to those deals going through.

The Kaiser took a risk knowing the inner workings of MON and gambled that if the money weren’t here by the 31st Aug then it would be here in Jan. He knew how much MON wanted the Bulgur and was willing to wrangle every god dam dime from Randy Learner to ensure we only spent £1 million in our transfer dealings.

Smart eh?

So for £1 million net spend we have basically ended up with the strongest squad in years, the wage bill has decreased, the age of the squad has decreased and we now have players who will still have sell on value after 2 years.

Double smart eh?

On top of that we have had the biggest selling Celtic top and another new away top released that these signings ensure will fly out the door due to the feel good factor, which has washed over the club. Add to that the £15 deal to get big Jvoh on the back of your top then it’s been a great week on and off the park.

Smoke and mirrors springs to mind but this pre-season and transfer window spend can only be judged by the results on the park. And that’s the hard part.

Surely GS canny mess up with the strongest squad we have had in years?

Hail Hail

Farewell Stan..

As the old timer at the end of the bar saying goes “you take with one hand and give away with the other” that feeling sort of applies to Celtic today. On the one hand we have obtained Keano’s replacement and a nasty streak into the middle of the park on the other we have lost the best midfield player in Scotland.

The forever forlorn and sulky looking mono-browed stereotypical Bulgur Stan P has got his wish and is moving to the over-rated EPL to team up with Saint Martin and what will become a growing colony of ex hoops.

Good move for Stan, a lot better than the one to the Pompey Chimes and Arfur Redknapp. Villa are on the up with MON and the porn king Randy Lerners money on board European football is a possibility and maybe a wee outside chance of winning the Carling Cup as MON likes that competition.

So what are the villains getting? One of the best midfielders in the country, great engine, work rate of an eastern European mule and at least 10 goals a season from the middle of the park. Stan has impeccable timing and will arrive in the box to get on the end of crosses or through balls constantly and for his lack of height is good in the air. He is also versatile as he can play on the right, middle and even up front if called upon.

Our memories of Stan will be of his lung bursting performances in Europe and against R*ngers. The uncanny knack he had of scoring against r*ngers and the fact he loved scoring against r*ngers. I mean my favourite ever Stan goal is his flying heider in the 6-2 game.

On the downside maybe just maybe if we had made him captain last year we would have seen him become a testimonial Celt, but he made his decision and we got a fair bit of wonga for him.

Good Luck Stan, wish you well and you will always be welcome at CP.

So what did we get in return? Well a r*nger fan just said to me “£45,000 grand a week of rubbish”

In the words of John Lennon “He’s just a jealous guy” Says it all really.

Hail Hail

Keving

Celtic 2 Hibs 1

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of my dad’s company at the football. So we could sit together I had to move seat, so I was in the traditional Celtic end. Dad had never seen the Brother Walfred memorial so instead of my usual pre-match pint I took him to see the impressive statue.

On seeing this it was mentioned that Jinky should probably get his own statue as well and the conversation turned to how well received the Celtic fans take to you if you are successful. Well 63 minutes into the game a new hero was born.

Jan Vennegor of Hesselink goal was met by the type of reception I have only seen twice at CP. When Jorge Cadete scored against Aberdeen and when Henke scored on his final home game against Dundee Utd. Pure Bedlam. The superlatives were flying out the fans months with regards to the big man just proving that once again the fans are desperate for a new hero.

The big man didn’t need to do too much to be impressive. The fact that what had gone before him was so woeful and inept then the fact that he was looking for the ball, was moving and was generally giving the 2 lumbering coos that were disguised as Hibs CB’s a hard time was enough to win us over.

Miller and Magic were woeful. Even though the magic scored his day and performance for me was summed up when he raced through on goal in the final minute, only to hesitate, dwell to long and allow the defender back to tackle him. Last season that would have been buried and the fraught final minutes would have been avoided.

Miller is now looking like his South Park namesake. He is hiding underneath a hood and his confidence is so low that hopefully a turkey shoot against the fishermen of the Faroes on Saturday might do him the world of good. But then again it is Scotland so a defeat to Faroese is probably on the cards.

On Saturday the great Lennon debate was sparked again. I thought Lenny was that far of the pace in the 1st half that Broon, Thomson and Stewart had the length of M8 between them and Lenny. Hibs only stopped being dominant when Pearo horsed that we nark Broon in the air and received a booking for it- for me it was a fair but hard challenge.

The second half was a different kettle of fish, with Pearo being no more than 5 yards from the impressive Hibs midfield anytime they received the ball and he gave them no peace to play the same way they had in the 1st period.

Begs the question if a good but not European good midfield can boss us what will a decent European midfield do to us?

The rest? Apart from being nut-megged once again in a one on one the Gourock Ferry did well as stand in for the going to jail Arthur, Caldwell was a rock when all around him were trying to give Hibs an equaliser and for me gave his most impressive Celtic performance, Aiden one again proved he can change games but really him and Naka were anonymous in the 1st half.

Once the goal went in the confidence went up all through the team. This team only plays when they feel confident to do so. It’s almost as if we play in shackles at 0-0 and the fear of making a mistake stops them playing their natural game.

What they have got to realise is, if they play their natural game from the off 9 out of 10 times they will be 1-0 up before they know it.

Hail Hail

KevinG

European Heady Nights and Drunken Days....

The draw for the Champions League has once again thrown up a so-called “Battle of Britain” clash for the press hoards to slaver over. Looking at the draw it was almost a stick one we would get an EPL team but with Arsenal being my choice.

Why? Been to Anfield, been to Old Trafford never been to the Emirates stadium. Purely selfish as you’ve got to expect to get a doing by the top seeds in the group anyhow and anything you take of them is a bonus. But the chance to attend a brand new stadium in it’s infancy doesn’t come along too often know a days.

The Man Who clash is meant to be mouth watering, friends becoming foes and a dream tie. Doesn’t do it for me. Maybe we have just played them too often over the years but for an oomph factor it’s not doing it at the moment.

It will do it for me nearer the time because, I’m in Dublin that week and it will be interesting to see the split between Man Who and Celtic and whether to see if our Irish Diaspora is still as strong.

Now Benfica brings back memories of my 1st ever-European away trip. Lisbon December 92. 1-nil up through Gerry Creaney we travelled to Sporting’s ground full of hope that Luigi Macari’s boys could pull of a result. Full of hope and Lou Macari, how daft does that sound now?

Peshed down the whole game as we stood in the uncovered and badly over-crowded end, to eventually succumb to Jorge Cadete. If memory serves me right Brian O’Neil hit the bar late on, which if it went in would have put us through. The Polis held us back, as usual in Europe, and then decided to start bashing fans on the way down the stairs.

Outside the stadium I remember lots of Portuguese hanging around spoiling for a fight, while soaking Celtic fans were trying to find there buses back to the airport. As time was dragging on, the hunt for the buses got more desperate and the annoying Portuguese got well more annoying.

It was all too much for my mate, who had already been arguing with a fellow Celtic fan, and the next Portuguese fan that stopped in front of him got more than he bargained for.

“2-0 your out, out, out out, Glasgow are rubbish”

“5-0 you b*st*ard, Tommy Burns, Murdo McLeod, Viva Espana”

“You’s are dog shi…”

The guy never finished it; he was hit with an arsehole winder that was swung by my mate. The guy flew through the air and landed in a big muddy puddle on the other side of the road.

Luckily for us a bus drove in between us and we made our get away before the guys mates appeared. Oh Happy days, also visited the stadium were the European cup was one in the company of a few of the lions.

Copenhagen? Never been to Denmark but sure had a few hangover from drinking their biggest export.

What does the draw mean for us? Still think a battle for 3rd place between the Danes and us. We couldn’t have hand picked the pot 4 team any better but can’t see us having the quality to take 4 points from Benfica that would be needed to qualify.

What does the draw mean for Celtic? Well the slow selling CL packages will be flying out the door this morning, Man Who and Vennogor of Hesselink will see to that.

Hail Hail

KevinG