Aaron Mooy

He wasn't dreadful by any means. Anyone who has done even the most basic research on him will know he was never blessed with any sort of pace. It's his ability to find space and know where to be to receive a pass and his vision and speed when releasing the pass. All those things were evident against Norwich. He'll be fine. And we won't be waiting a couple of months to see him.

 

McCarthy had also played twice as many league games in his 2 previous years to signing here than Mooy and in a much higher standard league as well. So you could say why even compare Mooy with McCarthy...

It's got nothing to do with where he is from, if he were Brazilian and had the same career I'd still be worried about the signing as I think he is going to struggle to get the fitness levels, and I've gone into the reasons why I think that several times already, required for the long arduous season ahead. Only playing 63 club games over 4 seasons, regardless of the reasons for it, is a real concern when some of our players have to almost play that amount of games in one season.

 

Good luck, Aaron, I hope you start today if only to enrage the farque out of Glasgow.

 

If he starts today he's just cost that team 3 points with a 3-0 loss for fielding an unregistered player.

 

A rolling stone gathers no moss

 

Objectively speaking, Australia as a sporting nation, is lightyears ahead of Scotland and most of the world in sports science. I'm sure you have seen the changes in Celtic in this department since Ange came in. Everyone's concern about his "fitness level" is based literally on nothing - not on any clue about Mooy or sports science.

It's actually extremely daft to show such concern considering the sports scientists and fitness department we now have, who know infinitely more about this then anyone of us, gave the thumbs up for Mooy.

 

Thats good and all but science can't fix Lennoxtown hamstring curse. Some say its the ground it's built on, others used to blame lennons triple fried chips n bru. They even tried to blames jamsies car. Truth is, we don't own a goat farm for sacrifices.

 

No argument about Australia and how professional they have been about sports science over the years but the fact that Mooy was training alone in a park and hadn't taken part in training drills with others does suggest he will need to gain match fitness and sharpness surely?

I agree that they will have assessed this at the time they signed him. Doesn't mean he is fit or sharp though, just that they expect he will get there in an acceptable time frame.

 

I dont think anyone is saying he wont contribute mate.

And the McCarthy parallels are totally unfounded.

But more than a handful of the aussie lads are billing him as the Celtic messiah, who is gonna dominate this and that, kill dead things and loaves and fishes and what not.

Dont misunderstand, id be over the fuccin moon if all their prophecies come to pass and Aaron Mooy is discovered to be an interdimensional time travelling alien from an elite athlete multiverse.
Back here on planet realistic expectations: Aaron Mooy is a 32 year old who has barely kicked a ball for 2 years and was running around a * park 2 weeks ago, and quite frankly looked like he couldnt run the length of himself last week.

As i said before, by the time he gets up to speed, the position will most likely belong to someone else, and the best he can hope for is to contribute via cup games, sub appearances, and making sure theres never a need for that chimp McCarthy to get warmed up next year.

 

Which is my main point. Whilst for McCarthy, he's already had a full season with the squad and now a full pre-season, and that's his peak - we've seen it, he's not getting any sharper or faster. Clearly our guys who assessed Mooy anticipate him to be sharper and able to have a good engine, but certainly not the speed, which has always been Mooy's drawback and what has stopped him from kicking onto the next level.

 

But he wasn't in Australia for the last 2 years, was he? Do you know what his training regime was in China? All of that amazing, best in the world, sports science you are talking about doesn't help when he could be given completely different training conditions by his club. Getting yourself ready for 2 or 3 internationals is a whole different ball game than getting ready for a season like ours.

I'm not saying he can't, or won't, come good, I just think it was a riskier appointment than was necessary unless his wages are peanuts. It may pay off, it may not, only time will tell.

 

All this pessimism is starting to remind me of when Ange arrived at the club. Half of you don't even know how Mooy plays the game yet you're already shooting the poor lad down. You're like parrots repeating "To old", "To slow". He literally lifted a team into the premier league. He consistently plays better than Rogic in the national team. He's a great player

 

The Aussies making 2nd accounts now.

 

I sporadically check this thread, then leave, * this at times

End of the day, Mooy is a good player with good experience. He's not world class, he never made it to the top, Celtic is the best club he will have played for.

He can add a lot to us, but his age is a small concern. Only small though. Purely because we've seen many players get to the age of 31/32 and suddenly go down hill. We've also seen a few players not do that.

No one's bashing him at all, just small concerns. And most certainly, for the avoidance of doubt, no one is bashing him because of his nationality. The same way no one bashed Ange because of his nationality.

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Not worried in the slightest that he had a few misplaced passes against Norwich because he has proved over the years that passing is one of his strong points particularly balls over the top to strikers making intelligent runs which will be music to Kyogos ears - Some of his brilliant runs were wasted last year because midfielders were frustratingly not playing the ball through to him; Ange knows mooy will most likely be on the same wave length as Kyogo and have the ability to find him with balls from central midfield

 

What good is ur wonderful sports science when hes been in China, and UK for past 10 years

 

He has been very, very slow when we’ve seen him, and he’s really not match fit at all yet so that’s ok at this stage. Since his heroics down south he has been playing in pretty much a retirement league. Can he raise the level back up is the key question, it’s a difficult thing to do. I’m all on board with this signing as well, at the very least I think he’ll be useful for us, at best he’ll be a star.

I was very happy with the signing but I see where scepticism can come into it with this one, is that not something that can be accepted for those that have watched him amongst the Aussies?

 

Brilliant base for any player to have, guys who have been raised on treating their body properly and how to maintain a level of fitness and health tend to take that with them throughout their careers.

 

I have a feeling Mooy could be a masterstroke

 

If he gets to even 75% of the level he was playing at before China he absolutely will be. It was a very easy transfer for me, Ange knows him and wants him is the main thing. The most important thing for Ange I think, above talent, is getting the attitude right and fostering an environment for players to thrive the way he wants them to.

And he wouldn’t have brought him in if he didn’t think he’d play a big part in that.