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Stephen O'Donnell

Discussion in 'Transfer Rumours' started by jamiebhoy67, May 26, 2019.

Discuss Stephen O'Donnell in the Transfer Rumours area at TalkCeltic.net.

  1. shieldsybhoy

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    He is 22 and has 120 games for Motherwell and 24 U21 caps for Scotland, so far more competitive game experience than either of them. That is quite a lot for someone of his age, all at the 'top level' at that. He's also available on a pre contract for the summer just now as well.

    With O'Donnell, I know he's not the level of quality people want, but we know what we're getting, we know he is one of the better players in this league and a team players like him should be able to beat the other teams in this league. As I said in another I think it would be a good, cheap idea to just buy up the best of the SPL. They are uber cheap and you are making the other teams worse while your at it. Lewis Ferguson (big hun I know), Martin Boyle, Joe Lewis, Lawrence Shankland, Kevin Nistbet & Declan Gallagher are may not what you would call 'Celtic class' historically but we know they can more than compete at this level and beat teams in this league. If you offered them all to me on 6 months deals to have in the squad I would bit your hand off.
     
    Breathnach67 likes this.
  2. Breathnach67

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    Joe Lewis would be a great signing tbh. Think he quite enjoys being captain of Aberdeen and that though.
     
    littlekennie likes this.
  3. Foley1888

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    Allan Campbell is clearly more experienced and not arguing he has looked a decent player at SPL level. Being honest if we signed him for a development fee it wouldn’t bother me but I am not convinced it improves us.

    Motherwell as a team are having a bit of a stinker this season after a few decent years, there back line which Gallagher and O’Donnell were both part of shipped three goals to Hamilton the other week and two against Killie the game before, two teams who have been struggling for goals. Gallagher had a great game against Serbia as did the rest of the national team but Scotland and most of the clubs since he left us sit deep and that suits him. For us we play a high line and you only need to look at the state Duffy gets in trying to chase back to see that a player with similar attributes would struggle.

    Out of that list you mentioned Lewis is a solid GK which we could do with given the dross we have on the books the now. Ferguson is vastly overrated, Boyle is fast but is constantly injured and half the time doesn’t look like he knows where he’s going, Nisbet looks to have something about him as does Shankland and it would have probably made more sense signing Nisbet than Klimala being honest but if you are suggesting we sign all of them and put them in the team, it’s not for me. I am all for signing good players from SPL, Turnbull, Armstrong and Christie as recent examples and the other side signing boys like Kamara but you also have your Jones, Barker, Stewart, Hendry, GMS, Ciftis going further back that are just not good enough.

    Despite all the Brexit impact and squad changes we have there are still plenty of good players out there with expiring contracts or available at good value that could improve us, we just seem to completely fail to either identify them or when we do make a mess of trying to get them in.
     
  4. shieldsybhoy

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    I agree with most of what your saying and agreed on the point of us playing high vs those players playing deep - although do they just sit deep vs us and Rangers? I don't watch many non Celtic SPL games but surely these teams don't sit deep against each other?

    I think that was Lennon's downfall - he's signed (what he thought were) good players, regardless of whether they would be a good fit for how we play. Duffy is a great example of that. We know there is/was once a player there, we have seen it on the TV, but he just isn't used to standing with the ball on the half way line with opposition players just looking at him. He's probably not used to getting out of his box to be honest.

    I just think with SPL players we know what we're exactly what we're getting and, if we sign the best ones, then they should be more than capable of playing and getting the better of the other teams in the league. Would Martin Boyle be a good option off the bench? And I think Ferguson is decent, whenever I've watched him play against us anyway. I wouldn't say start them all, but I think they would be good to have as potential options. There isn't really a standout non Celtic or Rangers player in the league since Turnbull, who we signed, and before thant McGinn, who we didn't and we could really do with now. They are also cheap. I bet Ajeti is one of the highest paid players in our team, but personally I think its unlikely he will ever come good - I hope I'm wrong. Same with Klimala (cant imagine his wages are huge but the fee sizable was - the same as Turnbull's and compare them). They also don't need to 'settle in' (Soro).

    Jones, Barker, Stewart, Hendry I don't think were performing well enough in the league to merit moves to us. You could make a case for GMS and Ciftci at the time. There have been quite a few we have missed out on over the years as well which also could have done a job - McGinn (obviously), McLean, McCarthy, McCarthur, even Dykes and Callum Paterson could have certainly contributed from who I can think of now.
     
  5. Foley1888

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    Couldn’t agree more with your second paragraph on our downfall of our signings and I think this has been a running theme for the last few seasons in that we sign players who totally don’t fit in our team and just sign them because they are good players. Moi had a good spell last year with us but didn’t really fit in a two striker formation yet we took him on loan again, Ajeti I can only assume was meant to be a long term Eddy replacement but doesn’t look to be able to hold the ball up or be that mobile, other than his finishing he has been a massive disappointment and Duffy as we have discussed before when what we needed was a mobile left sided CB to compliment Ajer and Julien was needed, as it looked like we would play 3-5-2 given our form in that shape at the end of last season. Klimala is another who seems like a pace in behind type striker used to playing in a team who don’t have the ball a lot as his control and first touch are pretty poor. Bayo is a poor player but to get anything from him you need quality deliveries into the box which we don’t provide from open play (or set pieces a lot of the time).

    As I mentioned before I don’t mind buying players from the SPL and it’s been shown before that they can have a big impact but for me it can’t just be anyone that shows the slightest hint of form and it should be supplemented by talent from abroad as there are good buys out there as the likes of Soro is showing and if it hadn’t been for injuries Elhamed too and we had past successes with the likes of Izzy, Kayla, Wanyama, VVD, and Ki (to a lesser extent).

    I can see your point in that you know what your getting from SPL but it is still a question if they can step up. Hayes is a good example when we signed him from Aberdeen he would have been in the top 3 players in the league outside us but as a left winger he really never provided much. Granted he had a bad injury but prior to that he had been rubbish. Longer term he did a job at left back which is fair enough.
     
    shieldsybhoy likes this.
  6. Big Shoes Tictok Gold Member

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    Turnbull has been the best of the lot. My worry is holding onto the Bhoy
     
  7. shieldsybhoy

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    Agreed on all of this and Hayes is probably the best example of the point I'm trying to make. Clearly isnt going to go to the Prem for £15m but is more than capable of filling in when needed. When we are in short supply and needing someone in for a certain position we could get players like Hayes in as short term patches and then work on longer term solutions and try and actually get them right first time. Rarely you do get actual talent coming from here (McGinn, Armstrong, Turnbull are recents), but they should be sticking out like a sore thumb and we should 100% be snapping them up as they are cheap for both fees and wages.
     
  8. Ciaran_67

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    Think we need better but I think he would be an automatic improvement in the current options at RB.
     
  9. HTG "I have an uncle who does Yoga"

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    Are we actually after him? I've seen zero links.
     
  10. Mince.Charming

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    Should definitely sign campbell tbh. Low risk with good potential.
     
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  11. MacEwan Himmy Butler Gold Member

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    Campbell?

    How * far so we want to fall down the table, is 2nd not bad enough nah.
     
    Dan Breen likes this.
  12. Slater67

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    Sad state of affairs that they’re even being mentioned, even Greg Taylor is above their level which says it all
     
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  13. Mince.Charming

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    A young Scottish player like turnbull we can get for nothing .
    Sick of people looking down their nose at players in the spl.
    When our squad is full of * like Ntcham, Ajeti , Barkas Duffy, Laxxalt, Edouard.

    We could have signed players like Marshall, Gallagher, Mckenna ,Campbell, Boyle, Dykes for half the price and been in a far better position and not been a team of utter * bags who get bullied and think they're too good to play for us.
     
  14. muaythai postie

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    but he's not young, he's 29 this yr.
     
  15. Mince.Charming

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    was about Alan Campbell. Hes 22.
     
  16. muaythai postie

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    Sorry mate thought you meant o'donnell
     
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  17. MacEwan Himmy Butler Gold Member

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    You’re off your nut if you think we’d be in a better position with that lot.

    Campbell isn’t good enough, Turnbull is. It’s really that simple. They are miles apart.
     
  18. McChiellini..

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    Get a poll on how many want him in now..

    Then we can ban them permanently..

    Dead wood..
     
    MacEwan likes this.
  19. Slater67

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    We sign player s like McKenna, Gallagher, Odonnell, dykes Boyle we basically degress into a Motherwell or hearts, guys like John mcginn obviously turnbull, James McCarthy were big talents these other guys are basically run of the mill Motherwell, Livingston hibs standard at most, did that in the 90s with guys like Tommy coyne, malky McKay, yogi Hughes, Willie falconer etc and won won 1 Scottish cup in 9 years , I want to aim higher than they type of guys
     
  20. CountyDownFaithful

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    Close thread. There’s no danger we are signing him.