A CELTIC FAN ON THE BHOYS STARS WHO ARE LINKED WITH BORO
The Quiet One, 23 Nov 2009
A couple of weeks ago, this article was published regarding my views on Gordon Strachan and the job he did as manager of Celtic.
Primarily, I would like to say that I was pleased that my article prompted a large
response, both from Boro and Celtic supporters. I felt that the answers were pretty
representative of how the fans felt when Gordon left.
A lot of the comments centered on the fact that Gordon was never accepted at Celtic
Park because he was not a "Celtic Man".
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What this means to anyone not in the know was that he either had never played for Celtic, was not a Catholic, or better still, not an Irish Catholic.
I think that this "Celtic Man" nonsense was something created by the media in Scotland, and that if anyone did think this, they were definitely in the minority.
Every club has its hard core "traditionalist"
fans but, as I said in my original article, I feel it was the quality of football on
show which left the fans disgruntled.
Granted there were games when we would win 2-1 or 1-0 against the lesser teams of
the SPL but, truth be told, the Celtic fans were walking out of the ground obviously
happy with the victory but actually more relieved than anything.
This was because there was
no difference at all between the two teams we had just watched playing. This was a
regular occurrence.
Anyway, I am treading over old ground here, so let's move on.
Ever since Gordon has moved to Boro, he has been linked in the Scottish press with
three Celtic players (Mark Wilson, Barry Robson and Gary Caldwell). Over the weekend, a fourth was added to the list - skipper Stephen McManus.
Initially, I thought that
Caldwell would be a cert to follow Gordon as he has been at loggerheads with the
club over a new deal and is free to speak to anyone come January.
Although
Caldwell has had a dodgy start to the season, he was undoubtedly Celtic`s star
performer in the last six months of the previous season. However, it now seems that he has
agreed a deal with Fulham for far greater wages than he wanted at Celtic. Good luck
to him.
Mark Wilson was one of Gordon`s favourites at Celtic Park and he gave him a new
contract in January of this year to prove it. He would play Wilson whenever he was
fit, which unfortunately for him was not that often.
Wilson can play either at right or
left-back (his right foot is stronger) and he is extremely fast.
He is not the
strongest of players physically and was found out in an early Old Firm game last
season (a 2-4 defeat at Parkhead) where Rangers played Daniel Cousin directly against him and Cousin just bludgeoned him out of the game. He
may be a good acquisition if he can stay fit.
Barry Robson was also brought in by Gordon from Dundee United. He has a sweet left foot
and fantastic dead ball delivery. He usually plays centre-mid and has a "bit of dig"
about him.
The minuses are that he is now in his early thirties and is rather one
paced. However, he definitely has fire in his belly. A typical red-head.
Last, but not least, is our skipper Stephen McManus. He is Caldwell`s central
defensive partner who again is going through a rather torrid time, both at club and
country level.
He was handed the captaincy by Gordon at a young age at Celtic Park
and maybe the full realisation of what is expected from him is too much for him to
handle at the moment, especially with his confidence levels being so low.
Once again I wish you success for the coming season.
tony murphy, November 23, 2009 at 7:53 pm The Quiet man your comments are almost all correct. I would like to clear some points up though. Now I really should not say comments such as these that i mention next. The majority of Celtic fans are desperate for the January transfer window to open so that we can off load some of the names you listed above. Caldwell and McManus are liabilities at the back. Caldwell thinks he is a footballer first and not a defender. McManus is slow, poor passer and can be easily pushed off the ball. Both make the same mistakes all the time and do not seem to learn from these mistakes. Al Boro fans should look at Celtic goals conceded column and these guys are the main cause. Both not good enough to wear the jersey. Few Celtic fans will be disappointed if these guys are sold. Wilson is never fit. Doesn\'t have a good engine and again like those names listed above can\'t defend. Robson I agree with you comments has a good left foot, but is slow in seeing a pass and moving around the pitch. Personally and from a selfish point of view I would be glad to see all 4 players leave the Club, but i will feel a sense of shame for the clubs that may sign them. Best of luck Boro for the season. Sandy, November 23, 2009 at 9:25 pm I agree with most of what has been said. The amount of goals we lose with a ball player straight down the middle is apalling. These kind of balls should be meat and drink to a decent center half. Neither deals very well with cross balls either. Wilson is half decent, if he couold stay fit and get a decent run of games it would be easier to judge him. I disagree about Robson though. I would be sorry to see him go. He may not be the most technically gifted player but he has a big heart and a huge will to win. What team doesn\'t need a player like that. popes11, November 24, 2009 at 9:51 am McDonald, Fortune, McManus, Caldwell,Wilson. A fiver for the lot and we have a deal. popes11, November 24, 2009 at 9:54 am Oh! Samaras and Malloney are a tenner each.
