[Link] Kevin Doyle

Yes good post thats why we are a better team when Brown and Samaras are in it.

 

Wages would stop this move but back would anyone fancy Andy Carroll.

 

Should be looking for someone younger.

 

Can't believe people are sayin Doyle is a bad signing by no means is he a dud or has been. Consistant scorer up here by a mile but yeah let's sign raul another llungberg type player picks up big wages would do * all on the pitch but he's helping young players aye right my * if that's the case why didn't we keep Freddie? Give me Doyle anyday would at least put in a shift for us and give us goals.

 

I don't think Doyle would be a bad signing, but certainly not the answer to filling Gary Hoopers shoes. I think if we sign Doyle and play him behind a guy that will score you 25 goals in a season then great. My worry is that we only sign Doyle or that he is played as a centre forward. That would be a step backwards for Celtic.

 

The point of forums of course is to provide opinion. My opinion is that there must be better signings than Doyle and we should keep looking. If I was an up and coming young player, I would want to learn from someone I could aspire to be. So to me Raul, while a slim chance he would come to Celtic, is a far more intriguing prospect to discuss, than Doyle who to me has never reached any significant heights in his career, mainly because his level is English Championship rather than Champions League. To bring on the young players we need veterans in the squad that have Champions League experience, otherwise a higher standard of player than Doyle. Champions League is the next level for Celtic, English Championship is not. I imagine players could learn more from Raul in a week than Doyle in a year.

 

Probably why Raul would command a wage we won't meet.

I agree with you though, Doyle does nothing for me either.

 

Would be a good signing

 

Robbie Keane world class? Heard it all now.

 

The guys record Internationally and for a good few seasons in the Premiership was.

He scored over 50 goals for Ireland. Something nobody has ever managed for Scotland.

*, Henrik himself only managed 39 for a better team in Sweden. Robbie Keane was nowhere near Henrik's ability but he has a world class record, believe he also has over 100 goals in the Premiership?

Him and Berbatov is certainly one of the best Premiership partnerships I've saw.

 

If you think Robbie Keane was world class you are deluded. "Something nobody has ever managed for Scotland"
That makes Robbie Keane world class how exactly? That really was a ridiculous statement.

 

I also compared that to Larssons record. Compare it to Kenny Dalglish's for Scotland...

Infact compare it to Thierry Henry's for France. Very, very similar except Keane has more goals in less games in a weaker team.

That is world class for me. Without doubt. 162 goals in the Premiership as well.

His link up play in general was also excellent, his timing to beat the offside trap, his finishing and his big game goals makes him world class for me.

Although I see you only decided to pick one teeensy wee sentence out of my reply up there, can you dispute the rest?

 

Is there a point? Robbie Keane wasn't ever world class.

Comparing Keane to Larsson and Henry is just insane to be honest.

Bug it's you opinion and you're entitled to it!

 

Apparently so since you decided to start this debate and call me 'deluded' even though you haven't been able to make a valid point against my reasoning.

He wasn't as good a player as the above, wasn't as naturally gifted but what he done with those talents puts him in that bracket because to score over 50 goals for Ireland is an insane achievement.

 

You're obviously a master debater

 

I actually find it an interesting discussion, may start a thread when I get home.

His ability wasn't as outrageous as some of the others I've mentioned to compare but what he done with his talent was incredible. It's ashame that Benitez used him as a tool against an interfering board at Liverpool because I think that's the biggest missed opportunity of his career to put it beyond doubt.

 

But you can't just look at Robbie Keane's scoring record and call him world-class. Otherwise I can do that for David Healy. And who scored more in the SPL, Boyd or Larsson?

Statistics can't win you arguments. Robbie Keane's ability was never world-class. He was though undoubtedly a very good player.

 

I am not just using statistics; I used examples of what I thought his strong points where. He had a lot of ability outside of goalscoring; hence why he was often played as an attacking midfielder or wide right when the occasion called for it. He was a highly consistent player as well and the statistics just back up that point; he scored a lot of goals. That is the main thing that a striker needs; he scored a lot of big goals. His composure under pressure is brilliant; his finishing was excellent. His ability to drop onto the last man and beat the offside trap is genuinely up there with some of the best I’ve seen. By no means was he a fast player in his prime but the amount of times he just slipped by and found himself in 20-30 yards of space because of his movement was incredible.



That brings me back to my argument about why I think he was world class; he was always excellent for me; no matter where he played. If there was a man to count on in a big game Robbie Keane would step up and deliver. The Larsson/Boyd thing does not come into this; Larsson scored more league goals than Boyd; Boyd played in the SPL for 5 years longer than Henrik and a lot, lot more games.



I was comparing Robbie Keane to a players with very similar records and careers to him, Henrik Larsson and Thierry Henry. Played for their national teams over the course of long careers, all had been capped over 100 times. All had not always played upfront; especially at the start of their International career. Scoring over 50 goals for Ireland isn’t just a stat; it’s an incredible achievement. Scoring over 50 goals for any country is an incredible achievement; both Larsson and Henry are considered among the greatest players there nation has produced; as is Robbie Keane for Ireland.



As previously mentioned; his partnership that he formed with Dimitar Berbatov is one of the most devastating I have seen in the Premiership. The clever link up play between them propelled Spurs up the table and provided the foundations to bringing them to what they are now; a top 4 side. I think that makes him world class.