SPFL Dundee v Celtic Sunday 19th October kick off 12PM Sky Sports Football

Squad update


Do you want to start with injuries then, Brendan? How is everyone ahead of this weekend

Daizen Maeda will be out. He felt his hamstring a little bit towards the end of the last game against Motherwell. He went away internationally to see if it would get better, but he obviously didn't play when he was away.

So, he will miss this weekend, and we'll assess it after that. Paulo Bernardo's been ill, so we'll see how he recovers in the next 24 hours. Apart from that, everyone's okay.

Alistair Johnston?

Yes, Ali's back in training, which is great news for us. Hopefully, all being well, we'll finalise the squad tomorrow, but hopefully he's good to go.

 

Hoping that Maeda is being given another weeks rest/recovery with the diets game in mind as losing him now would be a massive blow. Great to have Johnston back though. Thats a real lift for the team.

 

Balikwisha on the left, Tounekti on the right and Iheanacho up top.

 

squad is a * joke ,maeda is a huge miss

 

Time to get back on track and build some consistency, get everyone on the same plan and let’s start the season.

 

3 points. No injuries. Game time for AJ. Clean sheet.

In that order.

 

Hopefully not 4-3-3 again, Yang and Forrest shouldn't be starters, 3-5-2, gives some extra protection to Cal with three CBs behind him, would try Balikwisha as an attacking 8 in MF

Schmeichel
CCV Scales Tierney
Ralston Cal Balikwisha Tounekti
Nygren
Iheanacho Kenny​

 

We'll just have to roll with what we've got until January thanks to those feckers on the board and who knows if they'll even let BR sign some decent players then

 

That is genuinely a disgrace of a team.

 

Aye well that's where it's at (I would have had Johnston, Bernardo and Maeda in this side if fit enough to start)

 

Can't moan about a 4-3-3 not working then shoehorn Tounetki into a left wing back and play Balikwisha as a central midfielder in that formation. Doesn't work at all. Kenny shouldn't be anywhere near a starting XI either. Neither should Ralston. If AJ isn't fit enough to start, I'd play Donovan. Engels, McCowan or Hatate start in midfield all day long instead of Balikwisha as well.

 

McCowan, Engels and Hatate haven't done enough this season to justify a start, Ralston has played for Scotland against some decent sides at RWB, of course ideally Johnston would start but I wouldn't be rushing him back from a hamstring injury

Kenny would be more than fine away to Dundee, again ideally Maeda would be fit to start up front alongside Iheanacho but he isn't hence the Kenny selection

I watch Huddle Breakdown who go through the data, Tounekti is better suited to LWB they say due to having good defensive traits as well as being able to drive with the ball and carry it up the pitch, his end product too lacking to be an out and out winger, on Balikwisha, he's definitely not a natural winger, hence why him playing on the left side of central midfield as an attacking 8 could work better for him

The stale 4-3-3 needs refreshed

 

Don't agree with a single word of that. None of them have done enough to warrant a start but Balikwisha who has never played a game at centre mid for us has? Makes zero sense. Again, Ralston is pish and Donovan needs to be playing if its not AJ. Ralston is like a man down. I really don't care about that specific sites data, Tounetki is never a left wing back and I never want to see him played there, a total waste. Sarrachi offers a good threat going forward, he's earned a jersey for me. Kenny shouldn't be at the club nor should we be wasting a jersey on the field on him. We don't have the quality to play 2 up front in any formation, especially when Daizen is injured. So playing a system with 1 striker is the only thing that makes sense.

The 4-3-3 is not some sort of tired stale formation in football that doesn't work. It obviously does. What's happened is we haven't recruited enough players to build a competive squad and we are struggling as a result. Hence why our only 2 actual right wingers are pish and not even in contention to start. Our squad is poor, if anything I'd try out a 4-2-3-1 and have Engels sitting deep alongside Calmac. However, it doesn't magically mean our squad is now better and we'll breeze games. Its certainly better than playing Ralston and Tounetki as wingbacks and sitting Balikwisha in midfield while we leave 3 actual midfielders on the bench.

 

No reason at all why we shouldn't be getting a result today. We may not be playing very well, but there is no excuses for not getting 3pts here.

 

Stop * about bhoys, get your * together and let’s play the way you are capable of. Their is a league title to win.

 

Hearts are 5 points ahead ffs....hearts. no * about. Its time we rolled over these teams HH

 

This mob are rank and Pressley looks on the brink, surely. 2 0

 

I think that’s what we need, with huns floundering down midtable the team isn’t really feeling any pressure. Hopefully the diets win yesterday gives us a kick up the hole.

 

Get this done early celtic. I want a good few goals also.

 

Should be winning this by 4. need to start building up a bit of form