The Fall of Marc Crosas

He wasn't our best player and certainly not 'by a mile'. So how is it pedantic to point that out if it is my opinion?

Artur Boruc was/is a world class goalkeeper. Naka was never a world class anything(except free-kick taker maybe).

 

Whether he was world-class or "best player by a mile" isn't particularly the point. His original argument was in defence of Crosas that Nakamura couldn't *battle*, yet Nakamura (for the sake of the pedant) "done rather well" in the SPL, wouldn't you agree?

So while Nakamura may not have been our best player, his primary point that you don't need to be a battler to succeed in the SPL, still stands.

 

Crosas should get a chance. Maybe even with 3 in the middle. The guy is the best passer of the ball we have and I firmly believe he could be a quality player at Celtic given a fair chance.

 

I'm not entirely sure about that. There has probably been a handful of exceptions to this rule Riordan, Nakamura etc but I think, generally speaking, that the skillful players that have blossomed in Scotland have also been able to get stuck in(at least a bit) when they had to.

Look at the likes of Lubo, Laudrup, Gazza, Van Hooijdonk, Skacel, Larsson etc etc All of these players were bought for their skill level or goalscoring prowess but they could all get stuck in enough to get by when matches got tough, away matches in particular.

Then look at other players such as Berkovic, Mendes, Juninho, Donati, Buffel etc etc All these guys were/are talented footballers but they never cut it in Scotland because they couldn't stand up for themselves and got bullied and kicked out of games. Mendes looks great at Ibrox when he's allowed to swan round the park, spraying the ball about but if you watch a Rangers away game he struggles.

I think even skillful players have to have some ability to get stuck in or at least the bravery to keep coming back for more punishment if they're getting kicked around. If you're too lightweight, not prepared to get stuck in or not prepared to take a bit of a kicking from time to time then I don't think you'll prosper in this league.

Crosas MIGHT be like that. Personally I haven't seen enough of him yet to reach a definitive judgment on that.

 

Im sorry to say that he WAS a highly rated prospect at barca and for spain U-21s but lets face it he couldn't evn cut it against Cliftonville (a semi-pro irish league team)

 

drifted out of games and was invisiable far too often. Though that could be due to lack of time on the pitch. good wee player though on a decent pitch. not better than brown or nguemo though.

 

I appreciate your comment.

There is a massive shortcoming in the way youth players are developed, and it is something that is a fundamental flaw throughout the Scottish game, and indeed, down south. Until a culture of technique over physique is introduced the quality of football in this country will not improve, Unlike in England, SPL clubs as a rule cannot afford to import this quality, and with the way the transfer market has inflated, even we are strugling to attract the highest quality.

Herein lies the truth about how the Scottish game will improve. It can't be done from the top to bottom, as the governing bodies have proven incapable, and the established standard of the SPL is entrenched. This revolution must take place from the grassroots up and will take years to progress, develop and gradually change the game. Its the only way the football played in the SPL can be changed for the better.

In some ways, Crosas is too technically proficiant for a stagnant league with limited quality, which is what the SPL has been for far too long.

 

thats what i think ,it should be crosas and n'guemo in cm with the 2 wingers and sammy and mcdonald up top,crosas and n'guemo will sit with crosas being the playmaker and n;guemo doing the dirty work with both wingers and full backs pushing forward at every chance

 

Crosas, for me is definately on his way out of here. I really like him as a player but i think the fact that Tony Mowbray has Ki-Sung Jong coming in January might just signal the end for Marc. Ki-Sung is pretty much the same type of player as Crosas except he can not only play the pitch length passes but he gets stuck in with the tackles aswell...

 

I would like to see alot more of Crosas, Great young player, still learning, looking stronger than last season and can pick a pass anywhere

 

again, not wishing to sound like a broken record but Mowbray has destroyed Crosas. Surely we need his pedigree on the ball, especially in Europe.