SVIATCHENKO RETURN ?

Aye, the boy lacked pace and height, but he loved defending and he was also a threat at set-pieces (in spite of his physical limitations).

He reminded me of Thomas Rogne who also got a bit of a bum steer. He was raw, but there was something to work with there and he pretty much got discarded too.

It says a lot for Erik to remember Celtic so fondly after he got second-class treatment for one pretty bad game (which we still won). I'd have him back in a heartbeat and way before any mercenaries who want to raise their profile and turn a quick buck.
Agreed SP.
We are currently in a situation where we lack leaders within the team.
Sure Erik can provide that leadership, passion and pride that we so badly missed last season.
A ready made, experienced player in a position we have struggled so badly in is a no brainer for me.
I would even go as far to say Erik could even be captain material for us, as I couldn't see him sherking away from the responsibility, in fact rising to the challenge
 
Prefer Julien..much better player
Docco, I genuinely believe that Big Chris can go on and be the 'real deal'.

He's a wee bit fragile and delicate, but that's all part of the learning process and I think we missed his presence more than anyone else last season.

He also has a bit of pace and that would compensate for said lack of in Erik. I believe they'd make a decent pair at the back and allow Stevie Welsh to develop as a good understeady for the future.
 
Docco, I genuinely believe that Big Chris can go on and be the 'real deal'.

He's a wee bit fragile and delicate, but that's all part of the learning process and I think we missed his presence more than anyone else last season.

He also has a bit of pace and that would compensate for said lack of in Erik. I believe they'd make a decent pair at the back and allow Stevie Welsh to develop as a good understeady for the future.

He's the nearest thing we have had since Paul Elliot...who lets not forget struggled at first
 
He's the nearest thing we have had since Paul Elliot...who lets not forget struggled at first
Totally agree, mind he got a serious injury stopping a certain goal when we were two-zip against the Arabs.

He's not a 'last ditch' defender like big Shane who spent a good amount of the game on his arse, but you can't discount the fact he was committed to his job!

The real value comes in the 15-20 goals he will prevent throughout a season, added to the 8-10 he'll get you in the same season.

I'd rather have Chris than John Stones or Mat Hummels.
 
Matt Corr interviewed a player last year and the two got on like a house on fire....

Niall made an observation this week looking at the pros and cons of bringing a player back to the club....

Matt Corr NEVER writes about transfer speculation and hardly writes at all much at the moment as he is working on the Harry Hood biography.

What a coincidence therefore that there's a Niall inspired article by Matt Corr on The Celtic Star at the moment. For those of you who can put two and two together and can count here it is...


PS actually wanting to play for Celtic is important too, as we found out last season.
 
Docco, I genuinely believe that Big Chris can go on and be the 'real deal'.

He's a wee bit fragile and delicate, but that's all part of the learning process and I think we missed his presence more than anyone else last season.

He also has a bit of pace and that would compensate for said lack of in Erik. I believe they'd make a decent pair at the back and allow Stevie Welsh to develop as a good understeady for the future.
As long as he 'goes on' somewhere else SP. Just kidding. We need a hard man to partner Juila. He's never going to grow a pair.
 
As long as he 'goes on' somewhere else SP. Just kidding. We need a hard man to partner Juila. He's never going to grow a pair.
The scary thing, mate - is that having watched the cream of European football at these championships, there appears to be a genuine lack of solid central defenders throughout the game?

I've heard them rave about Diaz, but a pretty limp German side ran him and Pepe ragged last week and even 6-touches Dykes bullied Stones and Mings and these are supposedly £50 million+ defenders?

How much would Billy McNeil be worth in modern football?
 
As long as he 'goes on' somewhere else SP. Just kidding. We need a hard man to partner Juila. He's never going to grow a pair.
Days of the hardman Defender is gone what we need is someone who can read the game organise those around him and have a bit of dig when it's needed
Julian lacks in quite a few depts ,jozo looked like he had these attributes but just never had the fitness levels needed for the position
 
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The scary thing, mate - is that having watched the cream of European football at these championships, there appears to be a genuine lack of solid central defenders throughout the game?

I've heard them rave about Diaz, but a pretty limp German side ran him and Pepe ragged last week and even 6-touches Dykes bullied Stones and Mings and these are supposedly £50 million+ defenders?

How much would Billy McNeil be worth in modern football?
I think this is so much to do with the change in the laws and the physical nature of the sport these days. Back in the day the pace of the game was much slower and defenders got a lot more leeway to be physical with forwards. These days you brush into a player - or he just runs into you or throw a leg out to make contact with you - and you will usually lose a free kick or penalty and get a booking.

I think even more skillful but strong defenders from the past such as Paul Elliott, Marc Reiper or your old pal Dave Narey would struggle to dominate forwards like they did in their day. FIFA/UEFA/IFAB wanted to get away from some of the appalling thuggery that went on in matches right up to the early 1990s, but IMO it has gone too far so we've ended up with lots of namby pamby softies trying to out cheat their opponents at every opportunity.

Days of the hardman Defender is gone what we need is someone who can read the game organise those around him and have a bit of dig when it's needed
Julian lacks in quite a few depts ,jozo looked like he had theses attributes but just never had the fitness levels needed for the position
Due to so many of the clubs from the richer leagues stock-piling so many players it is going to be difficult for us to afford someone who is really outstanding. Usually the good players we find are ones who have had an issue in the past and so people have been wary about taking a chance on them. VVD suffered a horrific injury as a teenager and so clubs won't not take a punt on him until he truly proved himself at Parkhead. Jozo had most of the skills but he was far too injury prone.

I thought Jullien was doing well until Duffy clattered into him and forced him out for a few weeks. He then came back not fully fit and I think that slight hesitation contributed to him clattering into the post to totally feck his knee up.

A lot of people moan about his lack of physicality after he was "bullied" by Dykes in that Livi game, but watching it at the time I thought this was entirely due to appalling refereeing. Dykes was allowed to man-handle and kick Jullien throughout the entire match without any action from the ref - anywhere else in the world and he would have been penalised and repeatedly booked. And yet whenever Jullien did try to stand up for himself the ref immediately penalised him. Surprise, surprise, the following weekend sevco goosestepped into Livi and Dykes was penalised for every minor offence and the two sevco central defenders were given free reign to man-handle Dykes like a rag doll and scythe him down with immunity!

I'm not sure who we will use in these positions next season - obviously we will need to bring in a player or two. But hopefully by using the right coaching, formations, tactics, substitutions and in-play adjustments we will prove to be much better individually and as a team. You should always play to your strengths and protect yourself from your weaknesses, which we definitely did not do last season in far too many games. From what I hear about Ange, this is one of his strengths so time to move on and hope that he delivers.
 
Due to so many of the clubs from the richer leagues stock-piling so many players it is going to be difficult for us to afford someone who is really outstanding.
This is something that UEFA has to address this is unsporstmanlike in the extreme. Clubs , especially the biggest in the top 5 leagues should be capped on the number of players they're allowed to sign. They have significant advantages over every club in Europe already and this is handing them another advantage. Take paddy Robert's a quality player but will never play for city same for ntcham and others also the FFP rules are shambolic Chelsea were punished by not being able to sign a player for a season. City were in line for similar punishment but instead got a fine that wouldnt dent raheem sterling's pay packet for a week. Pathetic
 
This is something that UEFA has to address this is unsporstmanlike in the extreme. Clubs , especially the biggest in the top 5 leagues should be capped on the number of players they're allowed to sign. They have significant advantages over every club in Europe already and this is handing them another advantage. Take paddy Robert's a quality player but will never play for city same for ntcham and others also the FFP rules are shambolic Chelsea were punished by not being able to sign a player for a season. City were in line for similar punishment but instead got a fine that wouldnt dent raheem sterling's pay packet for a week. Pathetic
Whilst I agree with everything in your comment, Winter - never discount the absolute fact that these petrodollared-egotists are still going to have another bite at this super league proposal in future.

Once the financial actuality of covid really hits (and it really will hit), then those same fans of the big-heads who so vehemently opposed the initial proposal will be urging their respective clubs to look at the bigger picture.

Those clubs don't want squads, they want rosters akin to the NFL, NBA, MLB etc......
 
Whilst I agree with everything in your comment, Winter - never discount the absolute fact that these petrodollared-egotists are still going to have another bite at this super league proposal in future.

Once the financial actuality of covid really hits (and it really will hit), then those same fans of the big-heads who so vehemently opposed the initial proposal will be urging their respective clubs to look at the bigger picture.

Those clubs don't want squads, they want rosters akin to the NFL, NBA, MLB etc......
No club is immune to the effects of covid but clubs like Celtic are in a better position than others like the rangers even Barcelona are losing money hand over fist
 
Whilst I agree with everything in your comment, Winter - never discount the absolute fact that these petrodollared-egotists are still going to have another bite at this super league proposal in future.

Once the financial actuality of covid really hits (and it really will hit), then those same fans of the big-heads who so vehemently opposed the initial proposal will be urging their respective clubs to look at the bigger picture.

Those clubs don't want squads, they want rosters akin to the NFL, NBA, MLB etc......
They also buy into other clubs so they can farm out players to get past (stop laughing ) uefa's rules
 
I think this is so much to do with the change in the laws and the physical nature of the sport these days. Back in the day the pace of the game was much slower and defenders got a lot more leeway to be physical with forwards. These days you brush into a player - or he just runs into you or throw a leg out to make contact with you - and you will usually lose a free kick or penalty and get a booking.

I think even more skillful but strong defenders from the past such as Paul Elliott, Marc Reiper or your old pal Dave Narey would struggle to dominate forwards like they did in their day. FIFA/UEFA/IFAB wanted to get away from some of the appalling thuggery that went on in matches right up to the early 1990s, but IMO it has gone too far so we've ended up with lots of namby pamby softies trying to out cheat their opponents at every opportunity.


Due to so many of the clubs from the richer leagues stock-piling so many players it is going to be difficult for us to afford someone who is really outstanding. Usually the good players we find are ones who have had an issue in the past and so people have been wary about taking a chance on them. VVD suffered a horrific injury as a teenager and so clubs won't not take a punt on him until he truly proved himself at Parkhead. Jozo had most of the skills but he was far too injury prone.

I thought Jullien was doing well until Duffy clattered into him and forced him out for a few weeks. He then came back not fully fit and I think that slight hesitation contributed to him clattering into the post to totally feck his knee up.

A lot of people moan about his lack of physicality after he was "bullied" by Dykes in that Livi game, but watching it at the time I thought this was entirely due to appalling refereeing. Dykes was allowed to man-handle and kick Jullien throughout the entire match without any action from the ref - anywhere else in the world and he would have been penalised and repeatedly booked. And yet whenever Jullien did try to stand up for himself the ref immediately penalised him. Surprise, surprise, the following weekend sevco goosestepped into Livi and Dykes was penalised for every minor offence and the two sevco central defenders were given free reign to man-handle Dykes like a rag doll and scythe him down with immunity!

I'm not sure who we will use in these positions next season - obviously we will need to bring in a player or two. But hopefully by using the right coaching, formations, tactics, substitutions and in-play adjustments we will prove to be much better individually and as a team. You should always play to your strengths and protect yourself from your weaknesses, which we definitely did not do last season in far too many games. From what I hear about Ange, this is one of his strengths so time to move on and hope that he delivers.
Great points BB, the art of defending is a totally different one nowadays to the one of days gone by.
A defender going to ground nowadays brings huge risk of yellow and penalties against (when in the box) when up against professional cheats.
A defender with a lack of pace, leaves himself wide open without the lung tackle to no longer bail him out.
A defender now has to also be very comfortable on the ball in such a possession based game today, so the hoof up the field is looked upon as just giving the ball away most times than not.
Even the full back's now seem to be the one's that get the ball into the box more so in today's game.
There is still a call for been able to defend the high ball into the box, and an area we have been so badly lacking in, with getting caught out with the flight and speed of the ball and not prepared to attack the ball on crosses.
Some have claimed JK is meant to be a defensive coach? I still fail how to see when even the basics are missing so badly last season.
Finding a new CH should be our priority and 2 would be my preferred choice, but certainly Jules needs someone he can depend upon as he also has big weeknesses within his own game.
To win a title you need to be consistent in the defensive area, and the only consistency we showed last season in defence was been poor, so no improvement will end in no title again
 
The scary thing, mate - is that having watched the cream of European football at these championships, there appears to be a genuine lack of solid central defenders throughout the game?

I've heard them rave about Diaz, but a pretty limp German side ran him and Pepe ragged last week and even 6-touches Dykes bullied Stones and Mings and these are supposedly £50 million+ defenders?

How much would Billy McNeil be worth in modern football?
How much is VVD now compared to these players mentioned. When players stroll through games without breaking sweat you know you have a winner amongst you.
 
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