Posts Tagged ‘Bangura’

When the Saints come marching in….

Posted: January 18, 2012 by thebhoymcclay in Celtic Football Club, Football, Uncategorized
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Our talisman

We need to tell them quite rightly, where to go with their £6m bid for our top striker.

Southampton’s efforts to unsettle Gary Hooper have so far been rebuffed by both club & striker, with the latter committing at least, his short-term future to the club and possibly beyond. Not only is the Englishman this season’s top scorer, his partnership with Anthony Stokes seems to have matured into a solid mutual understanding and double act which has taken the League by storm with twenty-one goals so far. He is also ahead in their own personal goals head-to-head, which is great for motivation and can only add weight to Celtic’s longing for the Championship.

I do believe in the coming years, our number eighty-eight will move back to England, but at a higher level than where he came from at League One Scunthorpe United. Southampton, come May, could well be offering Hooperman Premier League football in England, albeit with a struggling side, but that would probably come under an aspiration for any footballer born down South and Hooper will be no different.  In his primitive few years in professional football, the Celtic star has accumulated over one hundred goals at only twenty-three and has shown not only a knack for being in the right place at the right time, but an ease and sublimity to his finishing.

Not only this, but how demoralising and disheartening would it be for the team, manager and fans to let their star man go, midway through the season – especially when their only other striking target, Baba Diawara, appears to have agreed terms with Spanish cracks, Sevilla. Trying to find another striker, or trying to incorporate the unconvincing Bangura into a partnership with Stokes for the title run in would be akin to shooting yourself in the foot – and the pain would be far worse if this decision meant finishing runners-up again.

Hoopy New Year – Resolutions

Posted: January 5, 2012 by thebhoymcclay in Celtic Football Club, Football, Travel
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Best wishes firstly, to my followers and avid readers – all three of you helped immensely in my first venture into blogging which mainly focused on football, and primarily Celtic Football Club.

This will be partly a tongue in cheek post on what our Bhoys should be striving towards in 2012 to help retain the title, but with the added twist of real journalistic nuance and semi-knowledgeable comment.  This will also come as a surprise compared to the usual fayre which is dished out on this hallowed portal…..

First up, a tip for the new Swede in town – right-back Mikael Lustig should cut those wavy brunette locks. Only Sammy can get away with sporting such delicate, beautiful and flowing hair and he does remind me of the distinguished courtier-poet Sir Thomas Wyatt of Henry VIII’s reign with the combination of his intriguing facial mouser.

He needs to integrate himself with the team psyche as early as possible like such players as Adam Matthews & Victor Wanyama have done since joining. Listen to the history from fans & stalwarts alike and marvel in the club’s stature, whilst realising you are representing not just a football team & business – but a community.

Talking of the Kenyan King, Victor Wanyama hopefully sticks to his word and dismisses any talk of wanting out of Celtic Park by committing his long-term future to the club. My personal player of the season so far has been nothing short of spectacular in defensive and midfield roles, with a combination of furious combative hustling and a vision and understanding of the game which defies some belief given his tentative twenty years.

I honestly believe he only just gave the ball away for the first time at East End Park on Sunday – and that was gifted to the Dunfermline net. Comparisons to midfield legends such as Patrick Viera and Didier Deschamps have of course magnified the spotlight shone on Slick Vic by other teams and hopefully he can ignore the press pack rumours and pushy agents to carve out a successful and trophy laden Celtic career.

Further to former Celt, Aiden McGeady’s comments this week, I am in full agreement that James Forrest can & will become the Parkhead sides most effective weapon in the coming years. A major part of Celtic’s title race revival has been the direct running of the pacey young Scot who has chipped in with seven goals and six further assists – Since the departure of McGeady to the Russian League cracks Spartak Moscow, the Bhoys have not had such an explosive talent on their hands.

My advice to our number forty-nine, would be to stay grounded and not to let the headlines or plaudits boost his ego too much – we don’t want a Fleckaldinho type situation on our hands. Thebhoymcclay’s talent scouts at Lennoxtown often wax lyrical about young Forrest when it comes to end of training shooting practice – a bomb of a right peg which Zaluska & Forster combined, would struggle to stop.

Scott Brown - Keep up the intense Skittle-fuelled performances on the pitch. Combine with a dash of crazy staring pupils and a pinch of \o/ wherever applicable, and come season end you will surely be a title winning captain!

Charlie Mulgrew - If you see Michelle Mone, run!

Kris Commons - Dust down Terry McDermott’s old “Social Convener” overcoat – you are the class clown of 2012 – as by the looks of it, your footballing opportunities at Celtic are over.

Mo Bangura - If you are still here by the time I have written this sentence, I’d firstly like to congratulate you & secondly advise you to treat every game like a bounce game.

Another player whose career we don’t want to grind to a halt again is Georgios Samaras – the Greek has been playing as consistently well for the Hoops during this recent run than at any other point during his few years in Scotland.

No matter how he or any of the team are playing at any point during a league season, you can always rely on Samaras to give his all to the cause and never hide in the shadows of players & opposing defenders. When self-confidence is low though, touches & passes go awry and the fans have an easy scapegoat again – But in the last month I have witnessed a change of some magnitude from the Celtic faithful towards the giant forward (the Kyle Bartley molligation on the 28th endeared a few more to #TeamSamaras), with a belief that he can be a part of Neil Lennon’s jigsaw. This belief and appreciation is now two way and I would ask Georgios & the fans to Keep the Faith with each other this coming year – and avoid a Greek Tragedy come May.
P.S. Don’t take any notice of that Swedish boys barnet – its not a patch on yours….& you’re worth it!

Lennon’s East End European experiment

Posted: September 30, 2011 by thebhoymcclay in Celtic Football Club, Football, Travel
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Lennon looks on bewildered following the late decision

Nearly came to fruition early this evening at Celtic Park on a night when three changes from Saturday’s side put up an energetic and gallant performance against one of Serie A’s top sides. Let it be said though, that a few of Udinese’s main players were left in Italy and the young group that remained struggled to cope with Celtic’s relentless early pace.

As I predicted early yesterday(
http://thebhoymcclay.wordpress.com/2011/09/28/celtic-attack-only-form-of-defence-against-udinese/
), the Bhoys needed to do two things :- start the game brightly by taking the game to the Italians & avoid conceding at this juncture in the match. You can combat the second problem by utilising the first and Celtic did so with a great gusto that has been missing in many games so far this campaign. Neil Lennon reiterated my wise words in pre match comments, urging his team to start the game well and put the pressure on Udinese and not on our own toes. Two minutes in Hooper turns and is brought down in the opposition box, Ki slots home a confident spot kick – the oracle that is I also suggested this last month following the Bhoys penalty hoodoo(
http://thebhoymcclay.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/penalty-points-missed-for-bhoys/
).

Ki Sung-yueng slots home a great penalty to open the scoring

Another penalty cost Celtic all three points and the altercation was fairly soft compared to our own award – Gary Hooper learned a harsh lesson here, don’t give the officials an opportunity to give a decision, even if the contact is minimal and the subsequent fall suspect. Bar that, Celtic can be proud of their efforts – standing toe to toe with a team climbing the summit of one of Europe’s best divisions and giving a confident team performance.

Team defending was something Celtic have been culpable of so far this year, but with Victor Wanyama in a defensive midfield role, the Bhoys at the back were more assured and protected. The Kenyan’s imposing stature and ball winning made him a popular choice for man of the match with the fans.

Mohammed Bangura got the nod from the boss early evening and took his starting bearth with a great fervour and desire throughout. He was a willing runner in the channels and looked an assured foil for Hooper with some nice trickery and knock downs for the Englishman. Time will tell if Larsson’s predictions for the Sierra Leone hitman will come true but although some supporters are unsure I think the early indications are positive. Celtic’s participation in this tournament means Lennon can afford to tinker with his team selection and give new signings such as Victor & Mo game time, this also gives the manager a different dimension in which to judge the acquisitions away from Lennoxtown.

The performance should give Celtic confidence in this group, a batch of clubs who I think are capable of beating each other home or away, can be dispatched at Paradise in the coming months. The experiment also further reiterates one passing fad has had its day, #teamsamaras is well
& truly over.

Raw hide – Let the Bhoys roam

Posted: September 18, 2011 by thebhoymcclay in Celtic Football Club, Football, Uncategorized
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Stokes, Wilson & Forster don't know where to look...

Graeme Souness said today that Villa Boas’ team selection would give Chelsea self belief.  For the players chosen, this would hopefully breathe confidence into their play – and they certainly did go into the lions den and contest manfully, but they came up against a Manchester United side whose attacking prowess continued in their early season vein. Neil Lennon picked a side today which most Celtic fans were scratching their heads over – Samaras again given a role which even he I think struggles to deal with. Joe Ledley was left out, and I think this was the most influential exclusion on the day – he brings great energy and balance to the side and means other midfielders can play to their strengths.
The defence again was woefully exposed but did itself no favours with poor marking and pressing which was virtually non-existent.  Zonal marking was the culprit again for the second, it should be renamed ozone marking as Celtic are usually defending thin air. It didn’t work under Strachan and its not working with Lennon – the only time I have witnessed its effectiveness, the defenders were competent and experienced. Kelvin ‘Bloody’ Wilson lived up to that adage with an inexperienced Glasgow Derby debut with numerous poor back passes which put Forster under immense pressure and did nothing for eithers confidence. If Celtic played to their strengths and play the correct team and formation, they would no doubt have won todays game. Lennon afforded Rangers too much space and more importantly too much respect by playing Gary Hooper up top on his own, a role Hooper which doesn’t play to the Englishman’s strengths and leaves the gap between middle and final third exposed. I came under a bit of criticism for berating the performance of Beram Kayal – I seen his 90 minutes as mainly a lesson in moaning and grappling with opponents with varying degrees of success – this petulance I could actually put down to the Israeli not being able to get a foothold on the game. Neither he, Brown or Ki were able to command the midfield and Rangers orchestrated numerous attacks at will with the second half especially creating many heart stopping moments around Fraser Forsters’ goal.

In essence, player choices are the decisions which define the outcome of the match, therefore again on a big occassion Neil Lennon has to reflect on another inexcusable selection today – the team put out on the pitch I don’t think believed they could win this match and that showed in their lack of guts and aggression. Their armory is such that Celtic shoyuld outgun their neighbours easily, but the cavalry was left back at the ranch.

Stokes who has provided Hoopers perfect foil – benched
A young, raw, talented and pacey handful in Bangura – overlooked
A big game Glasgow Derby player looking to prove his worth again – at home twittering that he was ready and available.

The option picking the Greek may not cost Lennon his job over time, but the Lurgan man has to realise his big game tactics are hindering the development of the players and the team as a whole.