Welcome back Darren O'Dea

If Efe had that, he would have probably crippled our own players

 

Haha the OP's name is bold

 

Professional footballers should play the game the same against us, Rangers, the Sheep, Barcelona or Arbroath.

I'd be more worried if he was to have "taken it easy" on us, or thrown the game as such - because of his background

 

I was not being serious in the slightest

 

I see where you're coming from, mate; but at any rate, you don't need to go all the way with me to agree that he would have been a better defender at least. For example, one of his big weaknesses was that high ball with the well-timed little nudge from the striker to send him underneath it. If Efe had attacked balls with a Majstorovic type mindset of "this is my * ball and any cunting thing that gets in my way is getting smashed up to and including parts of my own body", that wouldn't happen.

As for "outstanding", I personally tend to feel that Efe's lack of concentration and his lack of aggression sprang from the same source; but probably I was going beyond my evidence in claiming he would have been "outstanding".

FWIW I think his best performance was the second half against Spartak Moscow at CP. That big guy they had up front was tearing Kelvin Wilson a new one. We put Efe on him second half and he did brilliantly. That big guy was so strong and aggressive that Efe simply had to use everything he had and, almost paradoxically, it made him a much better and more focussed player.

 

While we're on the subject, I think Boli could use a bit of that too TBH. He doesn't lack [the nicest kind of] aggression per se; but he's a bit too nice at the moment. He needs a tiny bit of nastiness IMO. Nothing overboard, I'm talking Scott Brown not Keith Lasley.

 

Especially because the away game Eremenko absolutely molested Ambrose.

 

Didn't realise he was still 32, feels like a career wasted

 

Speaks very well.

 

Scuba Steve joins the club. We look solid at the back...

Coincidence?

Of course. But he smashed a hun.

Welcome home. Hope you are a better coach than player.

 

Really think the club are going in a very positive direction in terms of developing talent. The development players and coaches being brought in too

Sent from my GM1903 using Tapatalk

 

Darren O'Dea is living proof that academy players can reach the dizzy heights of the Champions League.

The Irishman was recently installed as the new Celtic Under-18s coach after quitting a similar post at Motherwell.

The 32-year-old modestly admits he was a player of limited ability.

But he still played for the Hoops in some huge Euro games, including a last-16 clash with Milan at the San Siro where only an extra-time Kaka goal knocked Celtic out.


O’Dea insists it is now his job to facilitate the pathway for the next generation of hugely talented youngsters into the Parkhead first team.

He said: “I was a player with limited ability.


I look at the young boys nowadays and they’ve got incredible talent.

“I had nowhere near that talent but what separated me from others was my mentality and attitude.

“I was never the best player but I was the one that would push further than anyone — and that gave me a top career.

“I went on to play in half a dozen Champions League games which were the highlights of my career because it was drummed into us in the academy that we were training to be Champions League players.

So to make that step was the proudest moment of my career along with representing my country. If I can help install that attitude and mentality in the younger players with far more ability, who knows where they can go with it?

“They have the chance to be part of a first team that is so successful.

“You can create legends. Our job is to give them every chance. My goal is to get players through to the reserves and hopefully the first team.

“I’m very passionate about the academy and massively proud to be the Under-18s manager.”

In a week when Celtic take on Cluj in the Europa League, O’Dea reminisced about his own exploits on the continent.

He was part of Gordon Strachan’s side that came so close to stunning Milan in 2007.

O’Dea and the rest of the Hoops defence kept the team who went on to lift the European Cup that year at bay for 180 minutes before Kaka’s solo strike.


He said: “I played home and away against Milan, an incredible experience.

“I only had half a dozen games behind me and it was the making of me.”

 

And if he wasn't absolutely *.

 

That quote is basically what you'd get from a punter down in the pub. Wish the club had chosen somebody with a broad mindset and more experience in the game. Oh well.

 

And what’s wrong with that quote?

 

But it's entirely correct. Quaresma had more natural talent than CR7 but CR7 had the mentality to become the best player he could be worked so much on his physical ability that he's exactly the type of footballer everyone should want to be.

Talent will only get you so far.

 

Canny wait for the day we start employing coaches who’s aim is to produce world class players and talk about improving their skill, composure, technique etc.

 

Especially in Scotland. The talent we've wasted in previous decades due to attitude...