James McClean trained on his own today. He has a back problem and Roy Keane is concerned about it because back issues can be tricky enough yokes. We really need McClean to be available and fully fit, chaps. John OāShea trained with the group.
Eunan OāKane ruled out.
anyone going to this lads?
i am not
Theyāll have to start harry arter
Iād go: Darren
Coleman Keogh Clark Brady
Hendrick Whelan Arter McClean
Wes
Walters
Load up the midfield and hope for the best. We really have very little else (OāShea, Duffy, Meyler aside) to put any case forward.
This is exciting lads isent it.
Iād be surprised if that wasnāt the team, unless MON goes for Duffy over Keogh.
Iād really consider Westwood but I canāt see that change being made.
Why so? I know Darren doesnāt play much but heās been excellent for us. Rob Elliott could have been a better option if not for the injury last year, but that ship has probably sailed.
And yeah, CB is the only area where thereās a few options. Brady at LB as an out ball could be a good asset for us.
I wouldnāt have thought Iād start Wes but hard to see many alternatives. McGeady maybe who did well for us in qualifying last campaign and is now at least getting regular club games but heās probably a better bench option.
Do we think it might be McClean up front at all? He played there in the Euro warm ups.
I thought he was dodgy against Serbia, and I reckon Westwood is just a better keeper, full stop.
I hadnāt even thought of McClean up top but thatās a decent shout.
Canāt say Iād want McGeady anywhere near it, unless chasing a goal maybe. Mad that he has 85 caps!
Is it mad?
Heās one of the most gifted players we have produced in the past 15 years. Not many players in our squad who have played CL football never mind score in it.
4 Likes
Natural talent, sure, but many a man could bluff a career at Celtic. Especially under the guise of āyoung and learningā. Now you can only play whatās in front of you and he again, he had talent, but whatās it amounted to? Heās barely 30 and his career this decade has been woeful.
85 caps is higher than Iād think, but all things considered, I can see how heād accumulate them now. For every wonder goal you get to keep your name alive for another while, because weāve nowt else.
1 Like
Glasgow is a goldfish bowl, far more pressure to perform at Celtic than youād have at some shithole club like Stoke/Hull/Burnley etc. Plenty of players with big reputations have came to Glasgow and fucked it up - one high profile chap was sent packing with his tail between his legs just this week.
He missed the double header last month through injury and I thought he only returned to the Preston team last weekend. Wouldnāt expect him to be anything other than a bench option for 20 minutes or so.
Sure, a docile environment helps, but he had that for years on end at Celtic and still ended up how he did. I donāt doubt thereās many a good player slipped through the cracks in England. But at what point is it on him for not going up a gear, to adapt, to function among others instead of fleeting moments of brilliance?
And to be fair, Barton is Barton, he didnāt need any help with his downfall.
very much so buddy, its a WC qualifier
Beglin on commentary tonight thankfully.
2 Likes
whatās the team you reckon will start bud?
Hamilton and Beglin with Dunphy, Brady and Duff supporting Moloney in the studio is what I think theyāll go for. Iām not a Duff fan but not many alternatives.
4 Likes