Celtic FC - Follow the Bhoys Thread

[Hoop1888]

Frimpong to Liverpool = Slice of the pie for Celtic. 4-5 million squids.

They got an absolute baller for such a low sum. Sort of cursing Leverkusen for having a low amount in his contract clause.

 

[Hoop1888]

Right. So we need Rijeka to win their next game and we will be seeded for the play offs. It wins them the league but they're behind us in the co-efficients.

Now, we wait and see who we bring in or goes out. Read Engels has been linked with Atalanta, but they'd want to put in a serious offer to get him.

 

[Hoop1888]

We're seeded, fellas. BUT, there's always a but with us, looks like a couple of decent sides will be unseeded.

Better hear some transfer rumours soon.

 

[Hamingja]

The few transfer rumours I've seen have been scraps.

Squad needs a striker, creative winger and 2 x creative centre mids.

Probably be lucky to get one striker/winger and one centre mid.

 

[Hoop1888]

The few transfer rumours I've seen have been scraps.

Squad needs a striker, creative winger and 2 x creative centre mids.

Probably be lucky to get one striker/winger and one centre mid.

Yeah, same. Suspect it'll be end of June or early July before we hear some rumours.

For the midfield, I liked McCowan's contributions when he came on near the end of the season - he's a lot more composed on the ball & did the right things at the right time which lead to goals. He is still a work in progress & that's where Rodgers does his magic. I'd be a lot more confident playing in Europe than I would have 3 or 4 months ago.

We might be in a position where we wait for offers to come in for players before bringing in new ones. A lot of Celtic fans convinced Kuhn is already on his way out because he didn't have a great second half of the season & judging his body language I get the feeling Reo might go and Maeda if a big offer comes in for him - but who knows.

I like McGregor, but he's starting to slow down a bit and I think that pivot in midfield is an extra body we could use in the squad and a winger and a striker is a must. For the latter, someone who can hold the ball up and bring our attack in to play would be great to have, imo. Would also like to see Rodgers tinker with our formation a bit and change things up more quickly when we're stalemating in domestic games. We played into Aberdeen's hands a bit in the cup final and just couldn't break them down. Great servant to the club and signed a year extension, but Forrest is only a 20 minute player and would rather see Yang come on instead of him. Be a stressful summer as always when it comes to signings.

 

[Hamingja]

Second half of Ange's first season we had Rogic, Hatate & O'Riley.

Ange's second season we had Mooy, Hatate & O'Riley.

Rodgers first season we had Hatate & O'Riley.

Now we have Hatate fullstop.

I think that is the most important thing to address for Scottish domestic football against the low blocks.

Rangers haven't figured that out still, they have been poor ever since they sold Aribo.

 

[Hoop1888]

Second half of Ange's first season we had Rogic, Hatate & O'Riley.

Ange's second season we had Mooy, Hatate & O'Riley.

Rodgers first season we had Hatate & O'Riley.

Now we have Hatate fullstop.

I think that is the most important thing to address for Scottish domestic football against the low blocks.

Rangers haven't figured that out still, they have been poor ever since they sold Aribo.

Agree 100%. We don't excatly help ourselves with the way Rodgers wants us to play at times, holding on to possession and crabbing the ball side to side at the back, which lets the opposition reset. I'd like to see Engels play up forward more just behind the striker or let him float around that part of the pitch, or even Kuhn coming inside a bit more. Teams just got too familiar with how we played and could easily counter us.

Next season we'll have 3 different teams playing on plastic pitches, which will be a pain, & probably see the likes of CCV & Kuhn missing games for it.

 

[Hoop1888]

Looks like we're getting a Swedish winger, Benjamin Nygren, 4 caps, 2 goals and a Japanese centre back/left back.

Nairowcki going. An odd one how he barely played.

 

[Hamingja]

Swedish guy looks like the right profile of player for us.

Would much prefer to be linked to attacking Japanese players than defensive ones.

Attacking players can get away with being light weight.

 

[windyhill]

Fair profit on Kuhn.

 

[Hamingja]

Not fussed they sold Kuhn, he had chucked it the last couple of months of the season, but it leaves the front 3 very weak with Jota out until the new year.

LW - Maeda (Palma)
ST - Idah, Osmand (Kenny)
RW - Forrest (Yang)

Sounds like the Japanese striker Yamada is basically a done deal but I can't really see him as a starter which leaves us precariously reliant on Idah.

Palma and Yang will likely be sold. Kenny will likely be sold or loaned out.

They need to bring in 2 wingers and a striker before the season starts.

 

[Hoop1888]

Read that Tulio is wanted by Melbourne FC on a permanent - I assume he is home sick? Can also throw Nygren on that list Hamingja Talk around the Standard Liege winger has gone quiet. I would like to see us go out and buy a centre midfielder as well, not a 19 year old prospect, but someone who has played & performed at a decent level.

 

[Hamingja]

Tilio apparently didn't even cut it in training at Celtic. That is why I have treated him as a non factor. Nygren might be forced to play off the right but he looks more of a 10 based on all his videos.

 

[Hoop1888]

Tilio apparently didn't even cut it in training at Celtic. That is why I have treated him as a non factor. Nygren might be forced to play off the right but he looks more of a 10 based on all his videos.

Yeah, same. He has played as part of the 3 in midfield but haven't watched any of our pre-season games; seemingly he was very good against Sporting.

Yamada official now. Rodgers saying more or less he didn't green light the signing is typical Celtic. Anyway, still a lot of time to get some more in.

 

[Hamingja]

Johnny Kenny having a very good pre season. He might yet pull a Scales from a couple of years ago where he was basically sold to Aberdeen before showing up his more credentialed competitors for a CB position during pre season. Osmand hasn't looked as forward as you would have hoped and Idah has struggled. Kenny the only striker that has pressed a case in pre season so far.

 

[Hamingja]

I would like to see us go out and buy a centre midfielder as well, not a 19 year old prospect, but someone who has played & performed at a decent level.

Provided Nygren is going to be playing centre mid and we don't sell Hatate we are probably ok in there now

8/10 - Hatate, Engels, Nygren, McCowan
6 - McGregor, Bernardo

I know everyone always wants a proper defensive mid but it is never going to happen because while we need it in Europe, a defensive mid is basically useless for us in all the non Rangers domestic games.

 

[Hoop1888]

Provided Nygren is going to be playing centre mid and we don't sell Hatate we are probably ok in there now

8/10 - Hatate, Engels, Nygren, McCowan
6 - McGregor, Bernardo

I know everyone always wants a proper defensive mid but it is never going to happen because while we need it in Europe, a defensive mid is basically useless for us in all the non Rangers domestic games.

I'd like to see one brought in as I feel McGregor is starting to slow down noticably since last season - it's not a knock as he has played a ridiculous amount of games since he got in the 1st team and rarily misses games through injury or suspension, he is a bit older & we could do with managing him. I don't think we will bring another centre midfielder in, but that would be one of my personal preferences.

It's also a problem in Europe if we're down and/or chasing a game, Rodgers doesn't really change things up much until the 60 minute mark. But Reo, who can play there, needs to get more consistent & I feel like Engels is wasted in the middle - he looks more like a floater from midfield to attack, but Nygren more so. Bernardo might have been surpassed by McCowan, but they can rotate game by game. This'll be Bernardo's second season under him so we'll see if he can be improved.

Striker is definitely a must overall; Rodgers more or less said Yamada was not his signing, which was one of the reasons Rodgers left the 1st time and he was given promises that we would be looking at different players when he came back 'to challenge in Europe' But we'll see. Good run out against Newcastle yesterday.

 

[Hamingja]

This is some grim stuff when you have 80 million cash just sitting in the bank, a squad with holes all over the place, and the team is halfway to being eliminated from the champions league qualifiers by a team from Kazakhstan

 

[Hoop1888]

This is some grim stuff when you have 80 million cash just sitting in the bank, a squad with holes all over the place, and the team is halfway to being eliminated from the champions league qualifiers by a team from Kazakhstan

We're in talks over Jakob Breum, Danish U-21, winger. Seems like Celtic have gone back forward during August over the price for him - Go Ahead Eagles want 5m for him, we've offered less than half of that. And the guy from Liege, seemingly, was due a medical but he couldn't do it for 'internal reasons' That all would've been sweet if we were in June or July.

Anthony Joseph on Twitter saying we want 2 new wingers, a right back and a striker and that players are waiting to see if we qualify before giving the green light for the move(s) Sounds a bit fishy & ridiculous, but sounds more plausible than our lack of spending which we all know is 100% true.

Siegrist gave an interesting interview - interesting because it's the 1st time I've read an ex Celtic player alluding to how feckless the board are at SELLING a player in his case.