Joe Ledley

Genuine question here. Do you get to a lot of games?

Because it's usually when you are at the games that you recognise how much work Ledley does for us. A lot of his good work is done off the ball.

 

It's also no coincedence that Izzy has his best game in a while when Joe's on the pitch.

 

Totally agree Dev. You can't fully appreciate how important Ledley is when watching the game on the tele. He allows others to get forward by sitting in for them, Emilio is normally the beneficiary when Joe plays.

 

Debateable. But Is all that really a good enough reason to play him ahead of Brown, Mulgrew or Kayal who, in my opinion, add so much more to a 90min game than Ledley does.

And with regards to being in space for a pass. He only makes himself available on the half way line.

 

...because there is more of a reliance on our LB to create when our CM doesn't. That's why.

 

Not debateable in the slightest, there's a reason that he was the one chosen to mark Xavi in the Barca games last season and done it remarkably well.

He offers more of a goal threat than Kayal and Scott Brown. I don't agree with the only available for a pass at the halfway line, none of our midfielders tend to play the ball from that area of the pitch, preffering to leave it to Ambrose and Van Dijk.

Our only central midfielder who knows how to properly get into the box.

 

When everyone's fit, Joe starts. That tells you all you need to know.

 

"Name one thing he's better at then anyone else"

"Ok, I'll name 4"

"Debatable..."



I was a doubter of Ledley when he first came in, thought he was anonymous at times but was convinced at the end of his first season when he got injured and Izzy went to *. Ledley is one of the genuine workhorses in the team and a smart footballer. He'd be one of the first names on the teamsheet for me any day of the week.

 

With all our midfielders on form and fully fit, Ledley would be 3rd choice behind Kayal and Broony for me although I would like to see us return to midfield with all three of them in there again. We play our best football with that midfield imo as it gives plenty of protection for the full backs to bomb forward - they made Mark Wilson play like Cafu. They are all good on the ball as well

 

Absolute bollocks that. He's allowed to get up the field far more when he's on the pitch because Joe knows when to cover and he knows when to support, more so than any other player on the pitch.

When Izzy gets that far forward, you usually find that we leave gaps in behind. That just doesn't happen when Ledley is there and he does it far more than just for Izzy.

 

He's valuable in a game like that because, as I mentioned earlier, his talent lies in man marking. But that is something Other players can do too and really only useful against teams like Barca.

He really doesn't know how to get into the box. The odd chance he gets in and out of the box is squandered. Frankly Brown is better at it but doesn't do it enough. But that's a separate debate.

 

Then why has Ledley outscored Brown in his time here? Despite being here for a shorter time? Particularly goals in the box, with a couple of screamers thrown in for good measure.

 

Um, you sort of just argued my point.

Personally I prefer my full backs to defend and my midfielders to get forward. Having fullback attacks should be a bonus not a way to compensate for a lack of creativity in the middle

 

I didn't whatsoever, unless your point is that Joe Ledley allows our team to be more fluid. Celtic have always had attacking full backs, away back to the Tommy Gemmel days and it is one of the more devastating weapons in our arsenal, whether it be Mulgrew, Izzy, Matthews or Lustig providing extra width and allowing our wide players to get into the box or come narrow to provide extra firepower upfront.

It is something we will always do and always have done so.

 

Are you taking the pish?

If - and I find this debatable - you actually watch this team, you will notice that our players adopt more than one role, than an extremely rigid "Am a midfieldur.......nuffin else...ah just stawn aboot in midfield"

 

Dev, you just said exactly what I was going to.

Ledley has outscored Brown in the past 3 seasons, and that was with Brown taking penalties for a wee while. There assists are quite evenly matched over that time.

 

It's not Brown's job to score, nor is it Ledley's.

Brown is an all action midfielder, like Kayal. Who drive the team forwards and break up play. Something Ledley doesn't do enough of.

 

I watch every single game.

That is also my point. A midfielder should be able to do everything well. The list I got earlier was pretty small for Ledley.