I’ve always felt that the criticism of Liam Scales has been totally unwarranted and I stand by that position while accepting that Celtic could and should be looking to strengthen the squad significantly in the summer…
It would be fair to say that Liam Scales has been one of our most improved players this campaign. The Irishman has shown great character to become a first team regular, when it looked like he would be surplus to requirements last summer and heading to Aberdeen. Barry Robson was very keen to sign Scales and it was only uncertainties caused by injuries that kept the Irishman at Celtic as a back-up.
Yet he’s become one of the first names on the team sheet under Brendan Rodgers and he was just recently named in the SPFL team of the year alongside his central defensive partner Cameron Carter Vickers.
That hasn’t stopped Liam from receiving his fair share of criticism recently, as he’s now seen as the whipping boy by a section of our support. The section that love to get their grip on a certain player and not let him go until they suck all the confidence out of them, yes that section, the same ones who were desperate to see the back of Carl Starfelt.
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A recent set of stats on an individual player from the game at Dens on Sunday made for some interesting reading. The player won 10 duels and had an 86% passing accuracy. That is superb stats and they refer to that man Liam Scales.
That still hasn’t stopped the flak heading Liam’s way. He is now the number one whipping boy amongst that over critical element of our support, mostly making their opinions heard on social media.
Yes Liam has his faults, and for me in the longer term he will be a squad player. It is clear that Celtic do need a better quality of defender if we want to move forward next season and hold our own in European competition. However the criticism Scales receives is unjust, unfair and unhelpful to the Celtic cause.
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The critics always like to highlight his faults, but ignore the good things he does in games. That’s unfair as If you were to watch the likes of Virgil Van Djik or John Stones closely for an entire 90 minutes you would notice more than a few erratic passes or other flaws in their game.
Even our defensive leader Cameron Carter-Vickers has had a few shaky moments recently, most notably in the dramatic Hampden semi final victory over Aberdeen, but yet again it was Liam who was made out to be the fall guy.
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Liam is not the best central defender in the world but he isn’t the worst either. The lad is giving his all, and doing a steady job. The criticism he is receiving is totally unwarranted and should end now as we only need positive noises about Celtic until the season is over and the trophies are handed out.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
Thank god someone is sticking up for him, our support should be right behind him I thought he had a very strong game against Dundee let’s back ALLour players in the coming games and also Brendan.
Couldn’t agree more with you. Spot on assessment….and that includes the Celtic “supporters” you identify. Starfelt got it despite an incredible amount of clean sheets and not loosing as a partnership with Carter-Vicars, James has always had it, I remember Jackie McNamara was their sour flavour of the month and I can go back to Tommy Callaghan with same bull. Nothing new in that element at Parkhead, just more of it because of social media ghosts.
So they’ve moved on from Taylor now.
There are sections within our support who simply have to have a scapegoat.
The same fans that said Taylor wasn’t good enough were demanding a back up.
Just think about that: they want a back to a player they don’t think is good enough.
No player at Celtic should be comfortable in their position. Our club should always be looking to get better than we have for every position otherwise we don’t progress as a club.
Liam, Joe, Forrest all have had flack, why I don’t know, all have had big impacts over a season given a chance.
A nd nobody should’ve been pushing them out the team unless deserving a start.
Tailor leads me to question the b team and u21s though but he’s got my backing at games.
Support the team on the park not the stage you think you’ve got at parkhead to slag, perma negative bams are not needed.
Wouldn’t be Celtic these days if there wasn’t a scapegoat available within the team?
To date within our season of such high inconsistencies, scales remains 1 of only 3 that have produced fairly decent season this far, with Oreily and Hart the other 2 imo?
Actually quite unbelievable just how much the consistency levels within our squad of players has dropped since the return of Rodgers imo?
Admittedly the form of scales and Oreily has dropped off than those produced before the winter break?
So how can scales be suddenly seen as a scapegoat now, especially when nearly having to hold the centre of defence together on his own, in the 1st half of the season?
Thought rocki would have been given the opportunity ahead of scales at the weekend, but wasn’t to be the decision of Rodgers, and scales hardly let anyone down in return imo?
So looking like a CCV and scales CB partnership now until the end of the season, unless injuries occur, and haven’t got any real issues with such a decision either?
Yet on the bigger picture, I still believe another CB is required for the squad next season imo?
So CCV, along with possibly Welsh and lawal for the 8 homegrown rule?
With potentially a new CB in the offering, then who could potentially miss out between scales and rocki, if 5CB remains as the current structure of how a 25man squad is potentially going to be made up?
Personally think rocki has potentially more to offer than scales as a player, yet an inquiry needs to be made as to why so much has been spent upon a CB who doesn’t seem to have 90 minutes of football within him, for some unknown reason?
Yet scales is more of a natural choice in the position, and could be used as a potential 3rd choice LB if the situation should arise?
Also needs to be noted that this is also only the first season that scales has had to deal with such demands that goes with the territory within our club?
So overall I believe that scales has conducted himself far better than I was actually expecting?
So if a potential decision was to arise between scales and rocki for a squad place next season, I wouldn’t have any complaints if scales were to win out against possibly rocki, regardless of me thinking rocki may well have more to offer in the longer run within the club imo?
OMG you must be the most honest scribbler I have witnessed in a long time.you are a 100% on the button, Let’s add in Tony Ralston who dragged us off our backsides a number of times when it was needed most , sheer guts and determination . People forget that we have probably the worst preforming wingers in a long time(excluding James ) ,just look to other Leagues to see how hard they work to stop the cross…the “attack as a team and defend as a team is missing big time in this Celtic team because the board put us in this position.
If we win this league the Board should be sending Liam a wee Brown Envelope because he has a big thing that his critics and the board don’t have and that’s “GUTS” .🇮🇪🍀🇨🇮