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10 in a row Squad

Discussion in 'Celtic Chat' started by shaunm, May 20, 2020.

Discuss 10 in a row Squad in the Celtic Chat area at TalkCeltic.net.

  1. Seán Mac D Gold Member Gold Member

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    We played some nice stuff during that period but I can't see Lennon dropping Christie further back given the season he's just had, he links up with Eddie better than any other player in the squad for me.
     
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  2. The_Bhoy

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    We were flying in that formation, shouldn’t change it unless it stops working. Should be griff and eddy too up top every time, MJ or Forrest up there takes away from their own games
     
  3. JC Anton Get yer, hats, scarfs badges & tapes

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    With McGregor sitting as playmaker, Christie would burst through from deeper at speed, picked out by Rogics sublime passing and still link up with Edouard and Griffiths, so much speed and variation in that set up.

    :35:
     
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  4. Seán Mac D Gold Member Gold Member

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    I think we could see it against the lesser teams at home but I think Lennon sees Christie as a first-choice 10.

    I also think we will see Soro get his chance next season, in the games Broony is rested. Got to see what the boy has.
     
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  5. The_Bhoy

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    Soro our wide to shved...back inside to bitton. Pinged across on the other wing to boli. Inside to benyu. Quick 1-2 with klimala and a chipped ball back post for Bayo to head it in.
     
  6. Roskopicachu

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    We had a squad of 32 and it's possible to get the squad numbers reduced.

    Ideally also bring in some money. Possibly up to £25million and still keep together a great base in which to then add to.
    We'll need a keeper. It would be great if we could get Forster. It wouldn't be the cheapest option.

    1.Scott Bain
    Goalkeeper

    2.Christopher Jullien
    Centre-Back

    3.Hatem Abd Elhamed
    Centre-Back

    4.Boli Bolingoli
    Left-Back

    5.Greg Taylor
    Left-Back

    6.Jeremie Frimpong
    Right-Back

    7.Anthony Ralston
    Right-Back

    8.Nir Bitton
    Defensive Midfield

    9.Ismaila Soro
    Defensive Midfield

    10.Olivier Ntcham
    Central Midfield

    11.Callum McGregor
    Central Midfield

    12.Scott Brown
    Central Midfield

    13.James Forrest
    Right Midfield

    14.Ryan Christie
    Attacking Midfield

    15.Tom Rogic
    Attacking Midfield

    16.Mikey Johnston
    Left Winger

    17.Odsonne Edouard
    Centre-Forward

    18.Patryk Klimala
    Centre-Forward

    19.Leigh Griffiths
    Centre-Forward

    20.Jonathan Afolabi
    Centre-Forward

    21.Vakoun Issouf Bayo
    Centre-Forward

    It also looks like it might be worth bringing through quite a few from the reserve squad. That would be a very cheap way of going into the season.

    Lee O'Connor
    Armstrong Okoflex
    Karamoko Dembélé
    Cameron Harper

    Add in.
    Ivan Toney
    Aaron Hickey

    Loan.
    Fraser Forster
    Aliou Traore
     
  7. NomDePlum

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    And Ajer?
     
  8. The_Bhoy

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    I was following you until you said Ivan Toney, are you paying the 15 mil for him out your own pocket? Cos I definitely know Pete won’t be
     
  9. JML67 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Yeah I meant if one of them was out injured rather than revert back to a 4-2-3-1 play one of those guys closer to the striker to keep that pressure on the defence.

    Yet to see what Bayo and Klimala offer whereas we know that Jamesy and Mikey both like to cut in and have a pop at goal.
     
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  10. Kiwibhoy27

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    We looked so much better in a 3-5-2 scoring goals playing well if it isn't broken don't fix it I would like to see us stick to that formation we look good in that formation.
     
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  11. bkk bhoy

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    Just get Foster signed .. our team is well served in all other areas.. and hopefully we can pick up a few bargains to add to a strong squad.

    Left side needs attention.. but if we don't have Foster in goals then i think the whole defence could come under pressure. Big Fraz has a presence and it definitely rubs off on those playing just in front of him. Gordon was / is a decent shot stopper but he has never commanded his area nor inspired clam confidence in and around the box.

    Outfield players saturate the market but good (great!) keepers are a rarity and Foster is also a good at saving penalties which Gordon was hopeless at.

    One thing i do like about our squad is that they understand pressure.. and i think in the 10IAR season this will be crucial. Experience counts and Foster has that with us, Eddy seems self assured in all circumstances and Broony/Shooders/CalMac know what it takes.

    Just hope fans get back to games asap as it is such a historic season
     
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  12. JC Anton Get yer, hats, scarfs badges & tapes

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    Think we'll still go 4-2-3-1 away in Europe..

    If Elyounoussi leaves we will probably see this.

    Not ideal with Christie on the left but worked well in Copenhagen, if I recall..

    Forster
    Elhamed Jullien Ajer Taylor
    Brown McGregor
    Christie Ntcahm Forrest
    Edouard
     
  13. The_Bhoy

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    Ah yeah I get what you mean. Think although it creates a small issue if one of griff/eddy gets injured for the 3-5-2 we’ve been playing. We have 4 totally different styles of strikers in the 4 we’ve got. So we might have to divert from the 3-5-2 we play with the two starters. But I reckon we could still manage a varied 3-5-2 with different partnerships up top. Although I do agree it needs be Johnston or Jamesy can slot it
     
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  14. Foley1888

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    I don't think going in to the season with one recognised centre back in Julien is a good idea, yeah Elhamed and Bitton can play there but ones a right back (and if he stays fit a good one) and the other is a converted CM. I know Welsh and Deas are there and I am all for them getting a chance but even if Ajer stays I would like to think we will bring in another CB, if he goes possibly two. Unless Eddy goes I cannot see us making a striker our main signing. If we are signing Aliou Traore, it won't be a loan given his contract situation and Ntcham will be off. We also need a GK.

    Yeah money may be tighter due to current conditions but I think the speculation about our finances from the media is misleading. Don't get me wrong we will be losing money and face challenges with the behind closed doors football but it will be interesting to see what the total season ticket renewal numbers are.

    We have a high outgoing on salaries but we have made inroads into this over the last 6 months with Sinclair, Simunovic, Hayes, Gordon, Morgan and Kouassi going out and bringing in Klimala and Soro, neither of which I would think will be on big salaries. We also will have Bauer, Arzani, Moi and FF (for now at least) who's loan deals are all expiring. So that is 10 players already, granted some will need replaced. I think if a buyer can be found Boli will be off, he has clearly done something that annoyed Lenny for him to disappear out of squads when he persevered with him when his form was poor. I also wouldn't be surprised if the same was said for Bayo and possibly Shved if he continues to be out of the picture. That leaves Hendry and Benyu as the only non youth players that would be deadwood, both who could be loaned or sold. Without selling first team players, I cannot see how we will look to cut costs further, as the squad will already be down to the bare bones at that point without any additions.

    Theoretically lets say Ntcham and Ajer move on and we receive £13m and £20m and Moussa leaves Lyon for a good fee giving us £4-5m, we have sold Kouassi for £1.3m and say for Boli and Bayo we get £2m as an estimate between them, Shved stays or goes on loan. Then you are looking at earning ~£40m. We still have it all to play for in terms of CL qualification which may not be as lucrative without ticket sales but with bonus payments and TV money at least £30m or if Europa worth £15m. That would make up a turnover of over £55m or £70m depending on Europe. That is before taking into account season ticket sales, where being conservative say only 40,000 at an average of £500 is £20m. If this is all we got for Football Operations and Matchday it would represent a fall by £23m on 18/19. In addition, we have a new sponsorship deal with Adidas worth £30m over 5 years so being simplistic at least £6m, not to mention Dafabet, Magners, Eden Mill and other commercial sponsors all bringing in cash. Then there is merchandise income which has been around £18m the last two years and with the new Adidas tops even being conservative again and saying it drops to £15m due to retail outlets closed etc. Multimedia of £22m in 18/19 with EL and £40m 17/18 with CL (this cannot be double counted from the above), likewise the sponsorship deals. So totalling the above without the transfer dealings would give us revenue of EL £60m and if CL £75m, all while losing £23m from Footballing operations, which we may be able to recoup some off.

    What should also be considered is that football operation expenses will surely be lower if the season starts behind closed doors with no catering, no stewards, no police costs etc. Although testing of players and staff will cost a bit. In 18/19 total expenses were approx £89m.

    Then looking at player trading a figure of £40m in player sales, combined with revenues would take us to either £100m with EL or £115m with CL. On that basis we could have a budget of £15m for transfers as long as our wage bill did not increase, (which would be unlikely if we will have lost 12-14 players with some big earners in there and replaced them with 5 or 6 of which some are young prospects, even with new deals for a few first team players), resulting net player trading of ~£25m. This means we would have a net budget of between £85m- £100m of income, minus 18/19 expenses of £89m (which I would expect to reduce in terms of the other expenses beyond labour costs) would result in a £4m loss with EL or a £11m profit with CL (bonuses increased salary costs by £3.8m (17/18), so approx profit of £7.2m). Given we had substantial reserves in the bank and the extraordinary circumstances this year, the above would surely be seen as a good result.

    The biggest risk to those figures is the player sales given the impact of the lock down on the market, however the figures are in line with what has been reported to date with the exception of Bayo/Boli figure. The footballing operations revenue figure is also pessimistic as it only takes into account 40,000 season ticket sales, if we get to our 50,000 or close to it then another ~£5m could be added to the revenue. It would be interesting to see how many we have sold so far.

    To address on the park still being conservative, if the players above are sold we will try convince Southampton to loan us FF for another season (loan fee £2m), look to sign a CB or 2 possibly up to £4-5m; bring in a left sided defender or wing back £1-3m, Loan a LW (£1m) or sign a bosman or development fee; bring in another option up top, if Eddy stays and Bayo goes it will be minimum cost and potentially an EPL2 player like Parkes (£0.5m) from West Ham that has been linked or a player from a lesser league. Then perhaps signing a few promising young players from academies with the attraction of first team football such as Traore or others across a range of positions which may overlap with the above positions; in total costing around £2.5m giving us a total of 5 or 6 new players. Based on this model, initially around £12m-15m will be available for transfers. The squad would then be supplemented with a few of the young guys for example Doohan/Hazard (GK); Welsh/Deas (CB) and Dembele (RW).
     
    Last edited: Jun 22, 2020
    Cammaris, The_Bhoy and Roskopicachu like this.
  15. shaunm

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    Happy Elyounoussi is back,let’s be honest if it wasn’t him,would most probably have been a project signing.Need to keep it simple this year,not massive changes,hopefully Forster next
     
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  16. Foley1888

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    Good start getting Elyounoussi back, I didn’t expect that and fills the void of someone who can play it on the left wing.

    In an ideal while being realistic for next season I would love a squad off.

    GK- New signing(FF being no. 1 choice), Bain, Hazard/Doohan
    DR- Elhamed, Frimpong, O'Connor
    DL- Taylor, new signing, (sell Boli)
    DC- Jullien, New Signing, New signing, Bitton, Welsh/ Deas (sell Ajer if right offer comes in)
    DM- Brown, Soro
    CM & CAM- Christie, Mcgregor, Rogic, new signing or Ntcham depending if he stays.
    RM- Forrest, Dembele, (sell Shved)
    LM- Ely, MJ
    CF- Eddy, Griffiths, Klimala, new signing
    (Sell Bayo)

    For new signings GK FF is at all possible, if not I hope it’s not Hart, I would prefer the AEK keeper or even Copenhagen GK looked good.

    For left back I like the look of Karbownik but he is hyped up, alternatively current Serbian international, 28 year old Filip Mladvenovic is available on a bosman. For Centre back I would go for Abdul Mumin on a bosman as he looks like a ready made Ajer replacement or potential third CB in 3-5-2, Jake Cooper from Millwall would be worth a look but after that I am not sure on other options.

    CM Traore from Man Utd looked a good prospect if Ntcham goes. CF I would be keen on someone with a physical presence, Ibrahim Sissoko of Niort had a good scoring record in Ligue 2 for a poor Niort team, alternatively Moussa Sylla on a bosman from Monaco could be a different option. Lastly the winger from Houston Dynamo Elias we were linked with either on the cheap or a bosman to arrive in the winter. We don’t really need a RW but he looked to have the attributes to play anywhere across RW, LW, CAM or CF therefore would be worth signing for a small fee or on a free.

    To sign all the above we would likely lose one or both of Ntcham and Ajer to fund it but there are a good few bosman options in there to keep fees down. We have lost a lot of squad players and where I don’t think we need to replace all of them we do need some more quality options in some positions.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2020
  17. seanm

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    lol we will stroll to 10iar have you seen sevcos world class squad .HH
     
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  18. belfastcelt Gold Member Gold Member

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    GK - CB - LB

    We can sell Boli and either Ntcham or Rogic to fund it.

    Should we sell Ajer too we would require second centre back but a bigger budget to bring the 4 players in.
     
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  19. Dan Breen

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    Thats exactly the way I see it, get a quality keeper in and we are in great shape, a few loans or freebies just to tweak.
     
  20. Jeremie Frimpong

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    Goalkeeper

    We need a new number one (Barkas, hopefully).

    Bain is an able backup, but I would like another competent and experienced reserve goalkeeper (Hladký, perhaps), too: we may be forced to play our third-choice goalkeeper this season because of the pandemic, and neither Doohan, nor Hazard are up to scratch.

    Right-back

    Elhamed's injury record is a concern, but we have options if both he and Frimpong are unavailable.

    O'Connor should be challenging them this season if his reputation is deserved.

    Centre-half

    We need someone who can challenge Jullien and Ajer.

    Elhamed and Bitton can provide adequate cover if necessary.

    Left-back


    We need a first-team-quality left-back. (Hickey could be an option, but he would have to hit the ground running.)

    Taylor is growing into the jersey, and is still only 22 years old.

    Bolingoli is error-prone, and, in my opinion, lacks quality. I would move him on.

    Defensive Midfield

    Brown is still a vital member of the team, but is in the winter of his career. We need to find a replacement for him, either from within the Club, or elsewhere.

    Soro and Robertson have shown promise.

    Central Midfield

    McGregor, Christie and Ntcham are all excellent options, but we need another player who can make runs from deep; we have missed Armstrong since he left.

    Attacking midfield

    Rogić and Henderson should be enough. Again, we have plenty of options here.

    Right wing

    Forrest is a near ever-present in the team, so we could probably get away with Dembélé covering for him, but we do need another winger (preferably one who is comfortable on both flanks); Dembélé is unproven, and Johnston is injury-prone.

    Shved's Celtic career is over.

    Left wing

    See above.

    Elyounoussi's return is a big boost.

    Striker

    Édouard is the jewel in our crown. We need someone to challenge him, and to replace him next summer.

    Griffiths needs to shape up or ship out.

    Klimala's attitude is laudable, but he still has a lot to prove.

    Bayo has no future at Celtic.

    Academy Players

    It is worrying that we are losing our best academy players to élite clubs in England and on the continent.

    We need to make sure that there is a clear path to the first team, and where none exists, make better use of the loan system.

    Our most exciting prospects are wasting away, banging their heads against a glass ceiling.
     
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