Missing Pieces

According to his Celtic supporting teammate at Scunthorpe, Gary Hooper is strong, quick, and great in front of goal. If Michael O'Connor's assertion is true, and lets hope it is, then it really is a missing part in the jigsaw that Lennon needs in order for balance and to progress this Celtic team. Spending over £2 million pounds on such a young striker would suggest that not only is he someone Neil Lennon is very confident will succeed, but that Celtic will not be bring in a Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy, big name, sharp striker to play alongside our 6 foot plus options (currently Fortune, Murphy, Rasmussen, and Samaras). Although a relative unknown to me, perhaps the level and intensity of our interest and bid for Hooper suggests the level of potential that the boy has, and could turn out to be an exciting move for us.

The manager has confirmed he has been in talks with David James, so obviously he is still in the market of top-level competition for Zalusca for the number 1 goalkeeping spot. The Polish understudy may well feel pretty aggrieved has he not the opportunity to stake a claim for Artur's shirt as he looks a talented and unflustered goalkeeper, although perhaps the availability of James in the Bosman market has forced Lennon's move on this. England's number for free would certainly look to be a great deal, and since moving to Man City over five years ago - James has been in almost consistently terrific form, slight injury aside he would have been a unanimous choice as England number one for the world cup for any one who would have passed judgment. I am sure if James is in any kind of serious discussion with Celtic he knows that he will not be getting wages on a par to that he was receiving last season and indeed other offers he has received this summer, so a coaching role may be the sweetener (not that Champions League football and 60,000 fans every other week should need another sweetener behind it) that makes James' decision for him. End his playing career as a hero for a huge club - could be too much for the Observer columnist to turn down.

Too complete his squad, Lennon has spoken of still looking for a left back, so I would assume we will see that position covered by another singing, and surely a more experienced centre back to marshal the younger legs around him. If that is not to be Sol Campbell, I think it could be wise that someone of intelligence and know-how is brought in to shore up the impetuous and rawness we seem to parade there.

New Start

With less than 48 hours until Celtic kick off their European campaign and in doing so - their season - away to Braga, Neil Lennon has an array of vitally important decisions to make, decisions of the like he hasn’t had to make in his football career to date.

Not only is it important he gets his season (and first permanent managerial post) off to a good start, but he has to put on the kind of performance against a very decent Braga side that shows the clubs fans that the team is not the limp toothless bunch that staggered pretty aimlessly through last season, and that his Celtic team can put up a good showing in Europe just as Neil did in just about every season he played in the green and white hoops.

The importance of this game will not be lost on Lennon. He could effectively start building the platform for his own success, or on the flipside, he could give the fans the first slip on his downward spiral as Celtic manager. Obviously the radical nature of the score makes it an obvious example, but Gordon Strachan was repeatedly reminded of the Bratislava brutalising, and perhaps the manner of it never allowed him to repair that initial defensive fragility in the eyes of the fans. Conversely, with such a positive performance against Moscow in his first European outing, Tony Mowbray may well have covered the cracks in his managerial reign for longer than the fans would have otherwise allowed him.

In order to ensure the fans start off on the right footing with him, its definitely more the result than the manner of the performance that Lennon will be placing importance on. While he will want to stamp his own mark on the team in time – Wednesday night will not necessarily be his starting point for that. Given that the manager admitted he didn’t rate many of the players he felt he had to persist with at the tail end of last season you might expect radical changes for his first competitive game, however I wouldn’t be overly surprised to find a relatively familiar looking line-up. With the exception of the positions left up for grabs by players departure (Boruc, Naylor, Keane and N’Guemo) – I imagine Neil will go with players and a system he has seen before at first hand. Radical departure is not always the best course of action. Tony Mowbray veered that way after both the summer and the January transfer windows, and it certainly looked like too much change at once. A sudden shift to relying on the untried and untested did not reap rewards for the big Englishman.

While the deal to bring Hooper looks close to completion bringing our tally of new signings to 6 will hopefully improve and freshen a previously toiling squad – lets hope Neil can build the foundations to allow him to bring it through to his style and ideas slowly but surely.

The Numbers Game

Its always been my belief that a side with basic players should stick to 442 as not only is it the formation likely to be best known by almost every player (as they’ve probably been using it since primary school), but it also provides a good balance of defensive cover without setting out completely on the back foot.

However Celtic fans over the past few years wouldn’t have been dramatically surprised of the failings attributed to England’s formation in the world cup. Inflexible, obvious, slow, and overly reliant on individuals to pull teams through games. Seeing Strachan have a very European double holding midfield of Sno and Lennon when we played at the top level of the worlds premier club competition was not a failing in itself. If we had trusted McGeady and Naka more with the ball (being the only 2 creative players of the outfield 10) then we might have had more success and got forward in numbers to pin Milan in a tad more.

Ever since O'Neil reverted away from the 352 I just don’t think we have attacked with the same speed, numbers, pressure, or intent. I think you need really good players working in a good unit with a real togetherness to succeed at the top level with a 352 (or even an out and out 433).

I also think a back four, particularly in a league that we maintain such a possession advantage in most games, give a huge amount of possession the our defence and rely on fullbacks carrying the ball a huge number of yards to start most attacking moves.

As fullbacks have to carry the ball so far forward, their ability or inability to do so, severely affects how the players in front of them both set-up and indeed play. Good attacking fullbacks give midfields a chance to play more infield rather than the obvious route wide with only two forwards in attacking assistance

Given we haven't yet showed to have top players who work well with each other and haven’t had a defence comfortable on the ball for quite some time now, I am not surprised that we have stuck with the 442 and are likely to start the season at least with the same.

Caddis and Ferry to Swindon for £350,000?

With an honest assement of talent and the potential impact they could make in our first team - I am disappointed to see Ferry and Caddis go.

Ferry is a terrific midfielder who could certainly do a job as a box to box midfielder for Celtic, and although perhaps he isnt the most polished players, if given the chance to play at the intensity and pressure of Celtic, from what I am seen I think he would revel in it and bring him on as a player.

Caddis too - great player, lots of ability, good delivery, and gets back and defends well, but perhaps in his case he has stagnated in terms of his form and his ability when we have seen him - purely because of the lack of football he has been given since his first introduction into match day squads.

I wouldnt be surprised if given 12 months of first team football, they do move on from Swindon to a bigger club down there and are in or around the Scotland squad (albeit not that difficult these days I suppose).

However having said that - perhaps Lennon has shown us something new here, if they arent going to be considered for a first team slot - then move them on - no point keep doing what has happened to a long list of promising players not given the platform to show what they can do or progress as playes pointlessly and left hanging about the squad. I think a lot is made in football when a player moves on from a club like Celtic (or Rangers for that matter), and how he performs through the rest of his career, as if a poor/underachieving career made letting him go the right decision. I think its more a case of getting players the right opportunities at the right time.

I have seen lots of young Celtic players performing well in the 19s and reserves that could have had a crack at the first team every bit as well as some of those plundering week in week out - and have hungabout waiting for their chance, and when they have moved they perhaps hungabout too long and lost momentum in their career. Celtic are to blame in several of those cases.

Good luck Paul and Simon - wherever your careers take you

Transfer Window still propped open

Celtic's movement in the transfer market has definitely been interesting thus far, however it wouldn't be the first transfer window that Celtic have purchased talented players then never really given a decent run in the team.

It has been good to get a couple of unknown players who already come with plenty of real experience (Cha du ri kicked about the bundesliga for years - played in two world cups including starting the semi final in 2002, and Juarez already dipped his toe in the European water going to Barca for 6 months or so and again played in the World cup), and the signing of Joe Ledley looks a particularly shrewd move.

Ledley is a player admittedly I don't know a tremendous amount about but over the past few years there has been plenty of EPL interest in him - getting such a player on a free when our competitors down south would have had to pay £3 million is definitely a route we should look to go down again. Boruc, McManus and probably McGeady were all likely to have gone and as long as we reinvest the McGeady money in a goalscorer, then he and the other players in our squad should compensate for the loss of admittedly a top player.

Given McCourt seemingly buoyed by his involvement in pre-season so far, Maloney and McGinn are returning to fitness, we have signed Ledley who views himself as a wide midfielder, and have bid for Liam Laurence (who indeed can count McGeady as an understudy at International level) would suggest that although I wouldn't say any of those mentioned are quite on Aiden's level, we are certainly well covered for wide creative midfielders.

McGeady's million's may well be the key to helping our under performing, unproven, or inconsistent 3 only real first team strikers. If the money is invested in the right way, not only may the new purchase score goals that are key to winning and adding balance to our team - but may improve the chances of Messers Fortune, Rasmussen, and Samaras having a successful season in 2010/11 themselves.

Having watched the three pre-season games so far I would still like to see us purchase an experienced centre half too, as regardless of the huge number of players we have capable of playing there and I am sure some of whom are very capable, they need direction and someone alongside them to lead them.

Not only have we acquired quite an array of centre halves (Hooiveld, O'Dea, Loovens, Rogne, Thompson, Misun, and any new recruits added there), we seem to adding right backs at a similar rate of knots. Involved in some of this overspill must be some dead wood who aren’t likely to feature that we have to let drift away before the end of the summer hopefully.

Artur Boruc - Modern Celtic Legend

Artur Boruc has just had a terrific season. His form was consistently good with some stand out saves. One season in 2008/09 with patchy form (at times still showing his undoubted ability) is pretty good going given the team (in particular defence) infront of him in the past 5 years.

Still one of the best keepers in europe at the moment - And I wont be surprised if we hear him be lauded as such in the Serie A.

Artur Boruc - Modern Celtic Legend

Looking Forward

I am really looking forward to seeing how Lennon shapes this Celtic team. I still think that with the players we have in our squad we could be on the cusp of being a very decent team. Albeit we have lost and are likely to lose some of the players that I feel really could have taken us to the next level, perhaps we have needed the knocks that were taken in the past 12 months or so to make us take stock and move forward. Get a strong functioning eleven on the pitch rather than a talented squad of 20 or so that struggle for the balance and shape to get the best out of ourselves.

With Mulgrew signed, and the Korean Du Ri at right back/wing back, it certianly could signal a shift to a 352 as we used to great effect when Lennon was first signed. That did gloss over inadequacies in the full back areas, which again we show up short in, and with Mulgrew about as attack minded a 'defender' as you are likely to see, he certianly like Thompson, would be a more important asset feeding the strikers rather than getting back goal side of the oppositions. Granted Alan Thompson was great in the tackle and physically dominated his marker, and indeed had 3 very effective defenders behind him. Mulgrew might well work if we are playing a team likely to give us respect in terms of possesion, but given his frailties will be shown up agaisnt a team taking the game to us and will definitely need a stronger defensive option for those , wether that be a change in personel or in tactics could well be the making of Neil Lennon as a Celtic manager, as Celtic's left back is becoming a decade spanning problem position!

If McGeady has to move on for Celtic to afford to bring in the kind of top level goalscorer that we are crying out for, then I would grudgingly wish him all the best. He certianly hasnt had anything like the support cast to allow him to flourish to the level and stage befitting his ability and underrated workrate. Maybe now is the time that would suit both parties to make the break, a premiership move with enought money to compensate his loss. There seems to be enough options in wider positions, with the majority of our midfield and attacking players able to play there and be expected to do so with pass marks against most of our competitiors, but the goalscoring striker/partnership has looked something a bit more ellusive of late. The confidence of a Keane, Bellamy, or even a Michael Owen, a guy who his teammates 'know' will get them goals, and opposition defences fear the same, would certianly allow Celtic to play with added freedom allowing more chances to be created than currently sees teams sitting at their 18 yard box and watch while McGeady unsupported (at times) tries to break through or create something for static team mates. Boruc like Aiden would be a sad one to let go as we know his undoubted ability could play at better level than the SPL can offer, the cash and Zalusca as an able deputy might see his departure a likely option for the new management team

With Crosas and Ki - we have two players who look that they could in a 5 man midfield be good assets in terms of passing and ball retention, but alongside Brown, is there an important third man needed. The talk of Bullard for this role, Cambell to marshall the back, and a Keane or Bellamy figure brought in up front could really complete a focussed and determined squad. Important that although Cambell, Bullard, and indeed Du Ri are maybe not being banded about by many Champions league aspirers, their level of experience could be vital. Bullard has been relied on as being the main man in the middle of the park for his past two clubs, has drive, a directness to his play, good ability and hopefully the dig to get things going when the ubiquitous staleness sets in at Parkhead. Cambell has Premiership winning, Champions league finals, and major international tournaments under his belt. May not be at his physical peak - but he showed last season upon his Arsenal return that he is in really decent shape, and if he can be the one who can bring our endless number of promising and relatively young/inexperienced centre halves into a unit at the back then his 100 meter sprint wont be at the forefront of his critics minds. The interesting prospect of Du Ri could be another legendary Celtic 'experiment' who might see only sporadic minutes in a Celtic jersey - but this is a guy who has played in the bundislega, had an international career spanning almost 10 years, and indeed has seen him start a World Cup Semi Final, so maybe he has a bit more weight behind his call for a first team game that relatively 'unknown' quanities that have come before him!

I wouldnt be surprised to see a more focus and slim lined squad in terms of numbers with a couple of defenders, younger members, and 'squad players' moved on to pastures new. Players like Wilson and Maloney mgiht fill the squad roles as they've seen the course before and know what is expected, while Rasmussen like his fellow scandinavian Centre halves havent had the chance yet to impress, but all look like they could play a role if the right addition were brought in alongside them. Ive said before that I would be in a rush to sell Samaras as he could certinaly do a job on his day, and perhaps Neil is the manager to bring out the best in these type of players the way that his mentor Martin O'Neil was.