TOTTENHAM ARE STILL A BIG CLUB!

Yeah if you think about it our best period defensively was with Bassong and Dawson, they went four or five games without conceding IIRC. Maybe another centreback would be overegging the pudding.

just acknowledge that pair as the first choice centre halves, I think- give them that much in recognition of their work last season, not as punishment to woodgate and king or anything (I'd have let King go a year back, and I've been proven comprehensively RONG on that one)

Bellamy to Celtic rumours still not going away (didn't he say he wouldn't play in the Prem any more?), and I would take him over Keane as well (Bellamy's half-season up here was as good a half-season I've seen out of anyone, way above what Robbie Keane's done this year), but I think my expectations are being somewhat mucked about with, since we're actually signing dudes from Scunthorpe* and Sunderland.

* supposedly really good though

signing up prospects from lower league would seem like a good way for Celtic to go, too- is it somethign they've been doing much of ailsa? (i've fallen off the SPL wagon in a big way this past two years tbh)

If by lower league you mean "Hibs", then yes :-)

Difficult to put a pattern on it over the last couple of years, tbh with Strachan aware he was leaving and not spending any money accordingly (Willo Flood doesn't count), then Tony Mowbray flinging money and loan deals around indiscriminately like a drowning man scrabbling for lifelines. Couple of of "prospects" came from Ireland - Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn - both bought for next to nothing, McCourt is genius but unfit, McGinn's useful but probably not quite good enough yet. We've got a training ground full of worldwide-sourced prospects, of those, I certainly think Thomas Rogne looks the real deal (if someone can sellotape his hamstrings back together), jury's still out on Morten Rasmussen.

Only English "lower league" player I can think of off the top of my head just now that we've bought recently was Marc Antoine Fortune (jury out for so long they might as well stop deliberating), who could never really be described as a bargain or a prospect.

(am quite happy to take this over the SPL thread to stop the Liverpool Tottingham chat getting taken over)

With Ledley and Hooper I get the feeling the strategy is to buy guys who look like they have the potential to catch the eyes of an English Premier League team and are young enough they'll have a good resale value if they put in a good season or two (Ledley was reportedly subject to a failed £8m bid last year). Same probably goes for Juarez.

McCourt is genius but unfit

I've yet to see the evidence of this lack of fitness - he's looked the best player in the country to me and never seems to be struggling (though only playing once a month gives you plenty of time to get your breath back).

The fact they only let him out for 20 minutes a month suggests unfitness to me.

Also Paddy looks like old school tanner-ba' players are meant to look and should therefore always play.
http://i35.tinypic.com/303cw0o.jpg

suggests unfitness to me

and if he's been training with Celtic for two year why the fuck isn't he fit? You maybe accept a guy coming from the Irish league might not have the same fitness levels when he arrives but they've had a fuckload of time since then to train him.

(sorry Spurs, you are still big, carry on)

Same probably goes for Juarez

Neil Lennon quoted as saying almost exactly that (that he has potential resale value). After years and years of running players into the ground rather than capitalise and replace, I think someone's finally sussed out how everyone else with any sense does it.

xposts, aye, that an' all. 20 Paddy minutes are generally more productive than a whole month of MAF.

other xpost, no idea why he's so allegedly unfit. Same as I have no idea why Celtic can't keep anyone's hamstrings intact for five minutes.

http://i35.tinypic.com/303cw0o.jpg
looks mentally unfit to me

rename thread to CELTIC ARE STILL A BIG CLUB

Course we are, huge stadium, regularly competing with Europe's elite in pre-season friendlies.

I'm not old enough to remember when tottenham were a big club

shouldn't celtics strategy just be to sit back and laff at rangers going bust?

is, afaik

shouldn't celtics strategy just be to sit back and laff at rangers going bust?

Yeah we've been doing that for two years and they seem to be doing all the laffing :(

You maybe accept a guy coming from the Irish league might not have the same fitness levels when he arrives

I don't! If they irish league guys don't have stamina and workrate then they don't have anything tbh.

Paddy mcCourt has been a prospect for a long, long time. 'mentally unfit' is probably very close to teh truth of the matter here.

Agree 100% on LB, I want a dour, experienced LB-by-trade, and not a frustrated 'footballer'.

does this include wayne bridge?

nah he's actually attack minded, just shit.

At the same time if you have a player like Vedran Corluka (solid, hardly ever fucks up, no pace whatsover) on either side that limits your attacking options somewhat.

The idea of playing Bale week in week out and making sure his defensive awareness improves seems like the way forward, if he can be developed to Ashley Cole level (and I absolutely believe he can) then that's enough. Maybe a dour experienced leftback as backup but how many of those are there in this day and age? I can't think of many particularly good LBs in the Premiership.

lbs >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> rbs

Corluka is a very good footballer, just not pacy. He is, imo, about the best partner for Lennon that we could wish for in terms of his movement and passing.

I don't think Bale will ever match Cole defensively, but IMO he's already better going forward. I don't think he'll ever be a good LB defensively, really. Heart's not in it, the poor tot.

It's easy to forget that Ashley Cole was seen as a bit of a defensive liability during his first through years at Arsenal. I'd give the boy Bale a bit more time meself.

hey i'm not advocating dropping him or anything

Maybe a dour experienced leftback as backup but how many of those are there in this day and age? I can't think of many particularly good LBs in the Premiership.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, July 27, 2010 9:50 AM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

This is my point. BAE is near the top, surely?

BAE improved a lot this year, but I mean every game he'll Phil Babb.

BAE has improved both in attack and defence but he just has these stupid rushes of blood to the head that result in conceded penalties and near misses. If you could cut that out of his game he'd be fine.

yeah, like I said he'll Phil Babb

Noticed that Celtic failed to qualify for the Champions League tonight. I was expecting Spurs to have to play a qualifier - I guess the "co-efficient" or whatever its called means English fourth placed clubs now qualify automatically - right? Or have I missed something?

As a BITTER LFC fan I was looking forward to the possibility of them not making it - just like Everton when they pipped us a few years ago!

there's another round of qualifiers after tonight's- draw takes place friday

ah - well that was the other explanation. Thanks.

who cares about the champions league? the lads brought the eusebio cup back to the lane

http://i.thisislondon.co.uk/i/pix/2010/08/Dawsontrophy415.jpg

ha that's classic

Dos Santos! Is he any good? Thought he looked a tricky little thang in the World Cup.

classic ability vs reported attitude probs

+ inability to get any of his 12 shots a game even on target.

Dos Santos will never make it in the Premiership, we should cash in on his decentish World Cup now.

hasty imo.

his tasty flick brought spurs the eusebio cup glory!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQwLpEZ1D-8&feature=player_embedded#!

around 4:20 in

aw cheers for that, watching this second

i gotta pause that for a sec and just say- wow benfica

and now i gotta reload wtf

didn't get to see all of it it kept skipping on me, but from what i caught there's no way we should have won that one.

;_; for sub waiting to come on when we scored

benfica looked amazing in that

yes but they do not like it up them iirc

Haha yeah from those highlights it looks like Spurs got ripped up for 90mins and somehow still won.

BTW

Forgot completely about Kaboul in our discussion of 'do we need another centre half' so the answer is a definite 'no' cos I <3 that dude.

we're goin to the CL folks