Lennon on the RB situation.

I was hoping that the potential loan deal referred to the younger player (an Édouard-type deal). I cannot think of a situation where a cheap project and a loan deal for an older player would be acceptable, whether we had the option to make it permanent or not.

Our first-choice right-back should be as close to a sure-fire bet as possible. Why would an experienced player of the requisite policy be sent out on loan by his parent club in the first instance, and why would we be unable to buy him now if his parent club was so keen to get rid of him? Forget the line about spreading funds throughout the team: this is our top priority.

 

Couldn't care less if it's a loan. It gives us more time to find someone permanent.

Just get someone in for the next round of qualifiers.

 

It wisnae really.

 

Just * up.

 

Aye it wis.

 

It was more than just that, right back allowing crosses in the box, midfielders not tracking men, centre backs not dealing with balls into the box, a key player refusing to play (although I’m 50/50 on that one there now), players not being creative and strikers not being able to score.

 

I hear ya Dev.

As a CB you're expecting you're full back to stop the first 2 of AEK's goals though.

He wasn't particularly strong in the air for AEK's 3rd either.

 

I still think we are playing the usual waiting game.

Years gone by it was let's see if we qualify for champions league then make the bigger purchase to add to the squad.

Now it's potentially let's see if KT moves on or we can get Ntcham of the books.

I fully believe this is what stalling our transfer activity more than any other factor.

Lenny and PL know if we sign for example the boy from Sheff Utd for 3m and move KT on for 25m they will be under pressure to deliver a more high profile RB as the second option in that position.

Ideally to them they move one of the big hitters on in this window and bring in quality RB, hopefully level above some of the names currently circulating and potentially an O'Donnell to play back up.

But they know they can't bring in O'Donnell first because the backlash of the support believing he would be our number 1 choice.

But we need that quality player in Now, not when or if KT or Ntcham or Rogic or any other gets moved on. It's also not when the EPL window shuts early too and we know the cards we have at that point.

Yes that will be a crucial point in our transfer window. It will be a couple weeks before we hopefully play the play off round for champions league and great chance to evaluate where we are at that point.

But at that point we need to have secured that first choice right back already. Failure to do so means we might not be looking at the play off round for champions league. We have the money in the bank to make this happen. KT and Ntcham are on long contracts at the minute, we will get good money for them should it be July August or January so that's in the pipeline.

So concentrate on what we can control. Get that right back in and settle the situation and put us on a stronger footing on the pitch.

 

Let's get in Baldock even before offloading anyone- that can always be done later, while getting players accustomed to tactics and teammates must start ASAP.

 

It's just a shame this RB probelem was suddenly sprung on us without any warning eh?

It's a complete shambles

 

As a manager I’d expect our CB’s attacking any ball into the box and midfielders to be tracking midfield runners at the minimum.

 

Exactly. Yes other players could have done more as well, but they both came from that side of the pitch. Lustig was at fault.

 

He was but he wasn’t the only one is my point. Balls can come into the box, you expect your CB’s to be able to react in that situation and your midfielders to track the men.

One of the biggest problems under BR for me was us not defending as a team, too easy to shift the responsibility onto a single player rather than it being a collective

 

I don't disagree but there's no excuse for Lustig in a light jog, allowing the man to cross to come in for their equaliser at Parkhead. You've got to crunch the player there.

Likewise he's on his heels and makes it so easy for the man to go by for their opener in Greece.

I'm not blaming Lustig, he had shown us a fair few times that he could be done like that. I blame our recruitment for failing to address that issue.

 

I do blame Lustig, he’s also shown that he’s more than capable of stopping it.

It’s just others also made glaring errors.

 

I get what you're saying Dev, you're looking for them to do better but it's a lottery when the ball comes in from the byeline.

It's a far harder task tracking the runner, tracking the flight of the ball, beating the man to it and clearing the danger than it is to simply engage your man out wide. Just close him down. If the wide player pulls off a bit of skill to beat him or uses his pace then fine but the bare minimum from a full back is to engage your opponent when he's in the final third.

Watch back AEK's first goal, the man is gearing up for the cross and Lustig is in a light jog, no hurry to get over. If that's over on the other side and it's Tierney he's taking everything in that situation. The ball, the player, the player's wife, house, soul.

 

Not disagreeing with that at all mate. I just think he wasn’t the sole reason.

It’s like when we used to watch O’Neill’s teams in Europe, they would be breaking their necks so that ball wouldn’t get into the box, the CB’s would be putting everything on the line to clear the ball coming into the box, Stan Petrov/Neil Lennon/Paul Lambert would be making * * well sure midfielders aren’t coming untracked into the box.

Everything on the line, fighting for your mates next to you, bailing them out if the * up. Fighting to not * concede.

I miss that sort of spirit. It’s something I think we’ll see back this season.

The full * thing was the opposite of how I want to defend as a team.

 

Celtic’s hunt for a right-back has become a staple of the transfer window but Lennon is hopeful of bringing in a replacement for the departed Mikael Lustig before the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.

“We are looking to try and get one in,” said Lennon. “If we can negotiate the second leg on Wednesday we will try and get one or two players in for the second round because the squad still needs a bit of quality and a bit of depth.

We had a four hour recruitment meeting on Wednesday on one or two positions. It is a lengthy process. I spoke to Brendan about it and they were looking for a right-back for a couple of years to come in and challenge Mika and it was difficult to find and to find the right one. It is a question of being patient. The window opens up as you go along but it is important to try and stay in the competition while you are at it.”

 

They’ll have * money now no excuses

 

I imagine the rat laughed his heed off when Lennon told him we’ve still no signed a right back. Like a proper smug forced laugh down the phone.