The biggest problem is CalMac has never been a number six but he's played there since Broony left because in the SPFL we could get away with it and managers have asked him to do it. It's a specialised position that not everyone can do, even Broony wasn't a natural six he adapted and grew into the role and his aggression helped him too. CalMac's not and never has been that type of aggressive player and now that he's ageing teams are finding it easier to pass through our midfield. Nygren's a luxury player and in my opinion he goes missing in big games, I'd go as far as to say that if it wasn't for his goals he probably wouldn't even make the matchday squad, Baur is a good technical player but he's about 3ft8 and 7st soaked through, CalMac was trying to do three players jobs on Sunday which for me was a major problem. Stephen McGowan is on the record as saying that Celtic had a number six lined up but decided not to spend the money, the biggest indictment of this board's incompetence is he knows that for a fact. I'll agree that Cal's not the player he was but if we had a six there's no doubt in my mind that he could still do well as an eight which is his more natural position. Time catches up with us all but a wee bit of
context matters too as the number of failed transfer windows where we never signed a natural six has to come into the conversation as well. Again if we do sign a natural six in the winter window it could be too late by then to salvage the season, I'm sure I've seen that scenario before at Celtic when Lenny refused to give somebody else a chance and it cost us the ten. We've still got gaps in the team at the back and in midfield and although our attackers brought in are impressive they're no good if you're not playing them in their own natural positions, Duran's not a winger and Hogh's a penalty box striker and never a target man which is a totally different role than the one we bought him for.
As with Scott Brown, Celtic have done Callum McGregor a great disservice by not managing the concluding stage of his career. I often recall how Barcelona retired the peerless Xavi when the player himself believed he had at least one more campaign in him. The club stated that they would not allow such a legend to “die in the shirt”.
I think the vast majority of Celtic fans realise Callum McGregor is at the end of his glittering Celtic career. We shed the same tears and sadness, when the legendary Scott Brown had to finally hang up his boots for Celtic.
We need pragmatism now, not sentimentality, if we are to progress as a club, and I believe
we need not just one, but two dynamic holding midfielders, to cover for rotation and suspensions.
Great post again Andy, you call it as you see it, with honesty, clarity and perception.
McGregor needs benched. Does O'Neil have the stones to do it ? We will have to wait and see.
All very well for Stephen McGowan to say we had a No.6 lined up.
Would we have dropped McGregor to accommodate a new No.6. ? Hmmm.
The biggest problem is CalMac has never been a number six but he's played there since Broony left because in the SPFL we could get away with it and managers have asked him to do it. It's a specialised position that not everyone can do, even Broony wasn't a natural six he adapted and grew into the role and his aggression helped him too. CalMac's not and never has been that type of aggressive player and now that he's ageing teams are finding it easier to pass through our midfield. Nygren's a luxury player and in my opinion he goes missing in big games, I'd go as far as to say that if it wasn't for his goals he probably wouldn't even make the matchday squad, Baur is a good technical player but he's about 3ft8 and 7st soaked through, CalMac was trying to do three players jobs on Sunday which for me was a major problem. Stephen McGowan is on the record as saying that Celtic had a number six lined up but decided not to spend the money, the biggest indictment of this board's incompetence is he knows that for a fact. I'll agree that Cal's not the player he was but if we had a six there's no doubt in my mind that he could still do well as an eight which is his more natural position. Time catches up with us all but a wee bit of
context matters too as the number of failed transfer windows where we never signed a natural six has to come into the conversation as well. Again if we do sign a natural six in the winter window it could be too late by then to salvage the season, I'm sure I've seen that scenario before at Celtic when Lenny refused to give somebody else a chance and it cost us the ten. We've still got gaps in the team at the back and in midfield and although our attackers brought in are impressive they're no good if you're not playing them in their own natural positions, Duran's not a winger and Hogh's a penalty box striker and never a target man which is a totally different role than the one we bought him for.
As with Scott Brown, Celtic have done Callum McGregor a great disservice by not managing the concluding stage of his career. I often recall how Barcelona retired the peerless Xavi when the player himself believed he had at least one more campaign in him. The club stated that they would not allow such a legend to “die in the shirt”.
I think the vast majority of Celtic fans realise Callum McGregor is at the end of his glittering Celtic career. We shed the same tears and sadness, when the legendary Scott Brown had to finally hang up his boots for Celtic.
We need pragmatism now, not sentimentality, if we are to progress as a club, and I believe
we need not just one, but two dynamic holding midfielders, to cover for rotation and suspensions.
Great post again Andy, you call it as you see it, with honesty, clarity and perception.
True but heartbreaking at the same time.