Given the scale of what is needed and the importance of making a real bid to win the league next season I think there is value in working smartly in the home market before splurging cash on people we have never heard of – just because we think they must be glamour players coming from Europe etc.
TheRangers, Kent apart maybe, haven’t spent fortunes – got good pros and fitted them into a system. I wasn’t worried when they signed players like Kamara, Arfield, Davis, Jack etc – but look where it got them.
It reminded me of years ago when they had League internationals – the best players, regardless of nationality, selected to play against similar from England, Wales etc (how good would the English league team be today!)
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So if we picked a team from Scotland, without our players or those of the other mob, we might have the following.
Joe Lewis (Aberdeen) or the Dundee Utd keeper Benjamin Siegrist, Shaun Rooney (St Johnstone), Josh Doig (Hibs), Jamie McCart (St Johnstone), Ryan Porteous (Hibs), Jamie McGrath (St Mirren), Ali McCann (St Johnstone), Lewis Ferguson (Aberdeen), Martin Boyle (Hibs), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas AKA JET (Livingston) who has just signed for Aberdeen this afternoon, Kevin Nisbet and/or Christian Doige (Hibs)…Just off the top of my head really – might be better around.
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How many of those would you take? Probably get about 5 or 6 of them for £10m max. Add them to Barkas, Bain, Ajer (captain), Taylor, Welsh, Montgomery, Julien, Forrest, McGregor, Turnbull, Ntcham, Johnston, Dembele, Henderson, Griffiths, Ajeti and the Celtic players who are coming back from their loan spells. That would be a decent squad with SPFL experience, ambition – a decent coach could produce results from that group.
And there might even be money left for a marquee signing or two!
I’m tired of money wasted on buying or loaning nobodies who are no better than guys already in our league – or in our own set up. No harm to them but Duffy, Kenny, Laxalt etc have been nowhere near good enough and this over-reliance on loan signings really has to end.
Martin Leadbetter
Watch the Celtic Huddle’s final podcast of the season below…
David Potter appeared as a guest on The Celtic History Podcast this afternoon (listen above). Throughout the episode, he discussed his latest publication and bequeathed listeners with some sensational stories about a man who ranks among the finest to ever pass through Parkhead’s gates.
The podcast is not to be missed. It is available on various platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Anchor FM.
To purchase your copy of the book, click on the image below.
