should stokes ask away

Good stuff

 

What's going on Neil ?

The non-selection of Stokes for all our big matches is puzzling for the vast majority of Celtic supporters, couple that with the recent omission of Commons and then the selection of Samaras and you really have to question what Neil lennon is up to.

We had a similar situation with WGS when he continually refused to select Derek Riordan and Bobo Balde when there were times when we could obviously have used them, yet he never ever gave a clear explanation on his selection policy.

Is Neil Lennon being dictated to by his piers, or is he just being * minded ?

I think we deserve at least an explanation from Neil, if not I think he will surely start to alienate a sizable amount of the Celtic support.

 

I do feel sorry for him myself. He does the job more or less every week in the SPL and when it comes to the big games, he is consistently left out and Samaras is drafted in.

I liked the way Lenny set up last night with the attacking formation and Bangura/Hooper making their first start together up front, but it should have been Stokes that replaced Forrest.

I wouldn't blame him if he asked for a transfer in January, although I feel that he's one of our most important players and I want him to stay.

 

Exactly...

I do like Stokes, however.

 

We couldn't blame Stokes if he wanted away.

It seems Lennon has no faith in him when it comes to the big games.

 

I like Stokes but its a team game he should just get on with it and prove his doubters wrong. If he asked for a transfer he would be a quitter.

 

this is professional football. sometimes you get stuck on the bench. That's how it is. A player of stokes calibre could hardly demand a starting position every game.

 

No he shouldn't!

We are Celtic and no man is bigger than the club!

Don't get me wrong, I love Stokesy and think he is the perfect partner for Hoops and I would love to see him aginst the huns and in Europe but ask Lenny has said before - sometimes we need to play different systems and Stokesy drops out as he isn't suited to the system we play!

And to compare to ANother did Berbatov ask to leave Man U??? Or the various other players who SHOULD be playing week in week out???

No, as they realise that it's down to the manager who plays when & where.

The quicker everyone else realises that, the better!

 

Sorry but stokes is part of the squad and has to take his turn like everyone else so if he wants to take the huff and go fine BUT with all the rumours about his attitude and drinking etc and his record at other clubs he should be saying I will work harder and play when the manager thinks I'm up to it in games why should any player get special treatment

 

exactly this, i have to say i like stokes but there must be reason he doesnt get the bigger games its the managers choice at the end of the day must be something he doesnt feel is right

 

just seen this after i posted and that is spot on

 

My first question would be why should he ask and then if he feels so then let him go. Not a hard solution, but feel he should even consider such an option then he is giving in to easily.

 

I don't see the point in this thread to be honest. It's not as if Stokes has asked for a transfer so why all the speculation?

Yes he's not been picked for some of the bigger games but that's down to the team and tactics Lenny feels will win games. He sees the players in training every day. Sees their attitude, fitness and spirit and has to make those kind of calls.

By the same token what if Zaluska, Wanyama and Bangura get dropped for Sunday should they also then demand a transfer? Of course not! Every player has to fight for his place and show he's worthy of pulling on the jersey and can put in a shift that helps the team win games. I don't care if a striker doesn't score if it meant his pass to a team mate results in a winning goal. I don't even mind if a striker makes a defensive tackle in the penalty box that prevents us conceding one. I want every player to play for the jersey and realise that we will only ever win when we play as a team not a bunch of individual prima donna's.

 

He misses the games against the Orcs, he misses out on the European games. I dont understand it. We have struggled in these games yet we have in Stokes a player who has started well, knows how to score and last season was our top in assists.

Whatever Lennon sees in Samaras that is better I will never know. I hope Stokes stays as I feel he will become a top striker. He is more naturally talented than just about anyone else in the squad.

Delighted that Bangura now seems to have got a run as this should edge out Samaras, who will hopefully go in January.

 

Maybe Lenny wants Stokes fresh and fit for the Hearts game...... I personally think Stokes is a good player and would like to see him play more. Just hope he plays at the weekend and that's why he did not get on last night. Would make sense.

Is it possible to get Samaras a blood transfusion or hormone injection from Bangura? Sammy can play football but needs something ( a kick up the * ) -- he reminds me of Frank Bruno in the mental aspect... if Bruno had a different temperament he would have been a great fighter as opposed to a useful boxer.

(sorry if the above is off topic)

it must hurt Stokes to see Sammy get in the team ahead of him... i would be hurt and i cant play fitba,,

Hit the net, stay in the team... don't care which of our strikers is doing the biz

 

Just to add he gets dropped for the big games because he has showed in the past that he doesnt work hard enough, he,s at his best linking up with hooper with clever 1, 2 s in the spl, but he offers nothing in the air, his pace isnt the best either...............


Going by last nights performance bangura loooks a far superior option up front

 

He can ask away if he wants but he won't be going to a bigger club than Celtic, he's had his chance down south and it didn't work out for him. The reason he doesn't play in the big games is because (in my opinion) he's a very good SPL quality player but not much more than that, great for ripping apart SPL opposition but not quite up to European standards.

 

why should he have to prove himself? he done the buisness last season, theres statistics comparing the goal / assist rates of hooper, stokes and samaras, and it obviously doesnt take an expert to see hooper and stokes works, but stokes had a great season last year, he's having a good one so far .. what else does he have to do to prove himself? answer us all that ( people who are saying he has to prove himself )

im happy for bangura to get a start, but jeez ... i surely cant be the only one who thinks we got lucky getting into this competition, lets grab our chance with both hands, lets not play just for "experiance" .. that team last night were there for the taking .. we should of absolutly punished them, but they saw we were beatable and came out at half time and nailed us. i cant be the only one either who was watching the 2nd half and thinking "their going to equalise" .. am i?

it was the same sketch against althetico .. we all saw that they werent as good as they were made out to be, and we could of maybe nabbed something from them.

we got unlucky though, but at least we went for it! .. last night in the 2nd half we looked as if we had done the work and that was it. the game against the huns sticks out in my mind too ... reeks of the same attitude. lennon is getting this wrong

edit:
and i think stoke's only start against a european team was against sion, and he was out on the * left!! what use is he there!?

 

He's not good enough to go down south. He's probably found his level against the likes of St.Mirren,etc.

He's already failed at Arsenal in his younger days and more recently at Sunderland, Sheffield Utd and Crystal Palace.

He was pish on Saturday against ICT and with Bangura's positive performance on Thursday then Lenny made the right call for me.

With the amount of fines he's reported to have got in his time at Celtic then it would be no suprise to me if Lenny got rid of him. (if anybody wanted him)