Liam Scales D Celtic b.1998

[Stuttgart88]

re-read what i wrote and just wanted to clarify, i wasn't saying that i think that he's never going to be good enough, just that that was the consensusNo worries, I thought you were clear, and right. The general perception was that he was out of his depth in Scotland so couldn’t be an option for us. I just thought he acquitted himself well enough in his first few games and the general perception was unfair.

[Olé Olé]

Spent a long stretch of his career at UCD. Progressed onto Rovers. Onto regular SPL with Aberdeen. And now impressive performances for Celtic against Rangers and Feyenoord. Could be the case that he's developing and progressing through the levels. He has looked much more comfortable of late and that could be coming from confidence with his abilities and the pace of the game, which may have improved with the stretch.

[ontheotherhand]

Spent a long stretch of his career at UCD. Progressed onto Rovers. Onto regular SPL with Aberdeen. And now impressive performances for Celtic against Rangers and Feyenoord. Could be the case that he's developing and progressing through the levels. He has looked much more comfortable of late and that could be coming from confidence with his abilities and the pace of the game, which may have improved with the stretch.

As much as the Celtic fans being dismissive of him and our league annoyed me, it is a fact that he had to step up a level or two. No surprise he had a few rocky patches but all things considered, if he is now at the pace of the game there after just a season, then he's done really well.

Still has to maintain the consistency but he finished the season well with Aberdeen and has carried that through to Celtic so that's really promising.

Still a step up to most international games from the SPL but he's at least worth a look.

[yurt]

Nice to watch a champions league game with an eye on an Irish player. Thought he did well in the circumstances .

A travesty to give up a sucker punch like that at the end of the game but couldn't blame him for it.

Wonder if he's going to continue to play with CCV coming back from injury.

[elatedscum]

Nice to watch a champions league game with an eye on an Irish player. Thought he did well in the circumstances .

A travesty to give up a sucker punch like that at the end of the game but couldn't blame him for it.

Wonder if he's going to continue to play with CCV coming back from injury.

CCV at fault for the goal. I thought both Scales and Phillips were good. But you'd imagine Scales might end up being the odd man out

[Stuttgart88]

I thought he was really good last night. Celtic Twitter was very positive about him. Defended well. He shows more courage on the ball than plenty of Irish midfielders have done down the years. One or two sloppy passes but overall his use of the ball was positive but sensibly playing it back to Hart or across to Phillips when needed. I'd go as far as saying he was absolutely integral to the type of build from the back / draw the press type of game Celtic tried to play. Lazio tried to play the same way too. The first 30 minutes was compelling imho.

I'd love to know how many touches he had and how many passes he made. I wouldn't be surprised if he had more of the ball than any Celtic player and I'd hazard a guess that he completed more passes last night than Ireland did in total in some games (e.g., Spain in Gdansk) or away to Denmark under MON.

I think he looks really confident too.

[seanfhear]

He had the highest rating for a Celtic player on the BBC thingy ~ How credible that is ~ I don't know.

[backstothewall]

Being honest I never thought Scales was good enough to make it at Celtic but I'm very happy for him to have proved me wrong. He's playing at a level that makes him impossible to ignore for celtic and Ireland.

With us playing 3 at the back his comfort in coming out to the left back area to snuff out danger is a real asset. I thought that system could have suited us well back in the days of Ciaran Clark, who was similar in that regard.

[tetsujin1979]

I thought he was really good last night. Celtic Twitter was very positive about him. Defended well. He shows more courage on the ball than plenty of Irish midfielders have done down the years. One or two sloppy passes but overall his use of the ball was positive but sensibly playing it back to Hart or across to Phillips when needed. I'd go as far as saying he was absolutely integral to the type of build from the back / draw the press type of game Celtic tried to play. Lazio tried to play the same way too. The first 30 minutes was compelling imho.

I'd love to know how many touches he had and how many passes he made. I wouldn't be surprised if he had more of the ball than any Celtic player and I'd hazard a guess that he completed more passes last night than Ireland did in total in some games (e.g., Spain in Gdansk) or away to Denmark under MON.

I think he looks really confident too.
129 touches, Completed 106 of 121 passes(88%) according to sofascore
https://www.sofascore.com/lazio-celtic/cXsZdb#11605899

[Demesne Lad]

He had the highest rating for a Celtic player on the BBC thingy ~ How credible that is ~ I don't know. Rated 8/10 and described as 'imperious' and 'outstsnding' on Glasgow Live.

[SkStu]

He had the highest rating for a Celtic player on the BBC thingy ~ How credible that is ~ I don't know.

we are known to fix a vote or two...

all that said, seems like he is having his breakthrough season. I dont think i have seen him play at all but hoping he can keep his performances up and his place in the team - we need options!

[punkrocket]

Glad to see the scales have fallen from your eyes.
Ahem.

[irishfan86]

I was very impressed and agree with Stutts that he was perhaps the most important defender in terms of Celtic playing that possession-based system so well for large periods of the match. Really great to see him kick on after initially seeming to struggle in Scotland.

[Razors left peg]

Scales should be a lesson for us not to be writing players off at 21 or 22, some take longer to develop. Fair play to him

[joey B]

Fulsome praise from Rodger’s today….

1710705294593142902

[Fixer82]

High praise indeed and well deserved

[yurt]

He along with the entire Celtic team have played a terrific half against Atletico this evening.

He did get fairly lucky with Witsel being inches offside for a disallowed goal but he's been very much up to Champions league pace.

Hopefully they can hold out for a result and get back in the qualification frame.

[geysir]

He's cut out a shed load of habitual poor defensive mistakes and is definitely more comfortable playing alongside Carter-Vickers. He made only one glaring error this evening which wasn't punished.
If it had been punished, would the glaring error have been upgraded to a horrific career ending error?

He's a classy defender in the making, a 'latish' developer.

[culloty82]

Has become the first Irish international squad member to give an interview in Irish:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=12m0rsdy2r4

[Stuttgart88]

I know Bazunu was given MOTM but for me the only outfield player who looked like he belonged at this level was Scales. He's just so smooth and elegant on the ball. Commanding when needed and always looking for a positive pass. I think he dropped a notch after the head knock. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it affected him neurologically and maybe he shouldn't have stayed on.

[JR89]

One Scottish paper reporting that Anderlecht have sent scouts over to watch Liam Scales recently. Has 18months left on his contract but hard to see him leaving Celtic.

[CSAD]

Pretty easy to see if they give him better wages and offer a lot of money. Celtic paid peanuts for him so if they they get 5-6 mill for him they’d be laughing.

[Eirambler]

It's amazing how quickly a player's fortunes can change from heading out the door because he's not good enough to heading out the door because he's outgrown the club. Fair play to Liam for grabbing his chance when it came his way. His season at Aberdeen seems to have brought him on massively and allowed him to catch up on a lot of the potential development he lost out on earlier in his career.

[nigel-harps1954]

It's quite possible he was good enough but wasn't rated by the previous manager, as he could have been seen as a Dermot Desmond signing rather than a manager signing.

He had a very good year at Aberdeen, and was a standout at Shamrock Rovers before that, so it's not as if he was plucked from obscurity.

[Stuttgart88]

Funny thing is, my recollection is that he started well enough at Celtic, probably better than Starfelt started, but it was only after a typically bad Celtic away performance (Bodo Glimt?) that he was dropped altogether. I thought at the time it was harsh but by then the Starfelt / CCV partnership was doing well. And in any event I think he was being used at left back in the league, but maybe CB in that European defeat.

If you go back to the first 3 pages of this thread there's mainly positive comment about his first Celtic games and even Chris Sutton was very impressed by him.

It's hard to see why the "he was never good enough" narrative managed to take hold.

[Stuttgart88]

Starts at Lazio shortly. Mikey J on the bench. Looks a weak squad, some key players missing.

[CSAD]

Funny thing is, my recollection is that he started well enough at Celtic, probably better than Starfelt started, but it was only after a typically bad Celtic away performance (Bodo Glimt?) that he was dropped altogether. I thought at the time it was harsh but by then the Starfelt / CCV partnership was doing well. And in any event I think he was being used at left back in the league, but maybe CB in that European defeat.

If you go back to the first 3 pages of this thread there's mainly positive comment about his first Celtic games and even Chris Sutton was very impressed by him.

It's hard to see why the "he was never good enough" narrative managed to take hold.

It was decided because he came from the LOI.

[pineapple stu]

Funny thing is, my recollection is that he started well enough at Celtic, probably better than Starfelt started, but it was only after a typically bad Celtic away performance (Bodo Glimt?) that he was dropped altogether. I thought at the time it was harsh but by then the Starfelt / CCV partnership was doing well. And in any event I think he was being used at left back in the league, but maybe CB in that European defeat.

If you go back to the first 3 pages of this thread there's mainly positive comment about his first Celtic games and even Chris Sutton was very impressed by him.

It's hard to see why the "he was never good enough" narrative managed to take hold.
He played very few games that first season in fairness - 13 all told, with 5 of those from the bench.

I think there was an element that he was being played out at wing-back, and Postecoglu's style mightn't have suited. I think it was particularly high intensity and he was struggling to get fitness up to the required level? So possibly an element that the manager didn't suit him, which can happen to any player.

[Stuttgart88]

Typical, just as I turn on (83 mins) he plays sh1te.

[elatedscum]

BBC's MOTM in the win against Feynoord. Won the penalty for 1-0 and "Liam Scales won back possession eight times, and won as many duals. Celtic's defence were under the cosh for large periods of time, but the Republic of Ireland international stood tall and defended admirably."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67639873

[Stuttgart88]

Again, his ball use was excellent I thought. He always seems to have that extra half second needed to get the ball away accurately just when you think he might be tackled.

As a defender I think he's fine. He's not particularly strong or quick, so there are better raw natural defenders than him in the SPL but it's his use of the ball that makes him stand out imho. I've said it before but I've seen many Irish midfielders less happy to receive the ball than him.

I wouldn't give him huge credit for winning the pen. The Feyenoord guy grabbed him by the neck!

[tetsujin1979]

He's completed more than 100 passes in a game a few times this season

[Jolly Red Giant]

Let's hope he keeps developing - you can never have too many good players, especially CBs. Remember McCarthy, Moran, McGrath, Lawrenson and O'Leary (well - should have been) were all in the same squad.

[seanfhear]

Let's hope he keeps developing - you can never have too many good players, especially CBs. Remember McCarthy, Moran, McGrath, Lawrenson and O'Leary (well - should have been) were all in the same squad.
He really is doing well and improving along the way. Tis a great news story for Irish soccer.

[JR89]

Well Man City has five CBs in their starting XI against Villa so why not us for ****s and giggles to see how it works out.

.............Bazunu
O'Shea O'Brien Scales
......Collins Omobamidele
Ogbene Knight Johnston
...Ferguson Szmodics

All seriousness though do think the way City have played with four CBs as the backline could be something to consider. Not like we're flush with FBs and the FBs we do have aren't much to write home about.

[Olé Olé]

Well Man City has five CBs in their starting XI against Villa so why not us for ****s and giggles to see how it works out.

.............Bazunu
O'Shea O'Brien Scales
......Collins Omobamidele
Ogbene Knight Johnston
...Ferguson Szmodics

All seriousness though do think the way City have played with four CBs as the backline could be something to consider. Not like we're flush with FBs and the FBs we do have aren't much to write home about.
I agree with Stutts post on his relative strengths and weaknesses. If he does end up falling out of the picture at Celtic then the left footedness is very helpful, as is the exposure to left back so he has a nice package of attributes to play in the Pep style with the centre halves across the back four and maybe even being the one stepping into the middle. Not that I think he will go to City but with his CL exposure and attributes he could find a club at that level in Germany or similar. I was watching clips of Guirassy, the Bundesliga goalgetter du jour, and was really struck by the pace of the defending compared to the Premiership

[seanfhear]

I agree with Stutts post on his relative strengths and weaknesses. If he does end up falling out of the picture at Celtic then the left footedness is very helpful, as is the exposure to left back so he has a nice package of attributes to play in the Pep style with the centre halves across the back four and maybe even being the one stepping into the middle. Not that I think he will go to City but with his CL exposure and attributes he could find a club at that level in Germany or similar. I was watching clips of Guirassy, the Bundesliga goalgetter du jour, and was really struck by the pace of the defending compared to the PremiershipFaster or slower in the Bundesliga ? !

[Olé Olé]

Faster or slower in the Bundesliga ? !
Looked slower.

[SkStu]

Fine headed goal for Scales in a 2-0 win against Livingston today.

1738594350592852431

[third policeman]

Well Man City has five CBs in their starting XI against Villa so why not us for ****s and giggles to see how it works out.

.............Bazunu
O'Shea O'Brien Scales
......Collins Omobamidele
Ogbene Knight Johnston
...Ferguson Szmodics

All seriousness though do think the way City have played with four CBs as the backline could be something to consider. Not like we're flush with FBs and the FBs we do have aren't much to write home about.

Wouldn’t go that far but I can see a case for Collins as a 6. We have other options for 3 CB’s and it looks like Cullens’ limitations are now evident at PL as well as international level. We may even get the best out of Collins in a position where his occasional concentration lapses might not have such dangerous consequences.

[ontheotherhand]

How is this thread so quiet? Scales is now probably Celtics player of the season. Granted they didn't play well today and he wasnt flawless but is playing out of his skin and there's a thread on David Connolly further up the list. ?

Do we enjoy the failures more than the successes?

[seanfhear]

How is this thread so quiet? Scales is now probably Celtics player of the season. Granted they didn't play well today and he wasnt flawless but is playing out of his skin and there's a thread on David Connolly further up the list. ?

Do we enjoy the failures more than the successes?Maybe, we are afraid of success.

[Colbert Report]

How is this thread so quiet? Scales is now probably Celtics player of the season. Granted they didn't play well today and he wasnt flawless but is playing out of his skin and there's a thread on David Connolly further up the list. ?

Do we enjoy the failures more than the successes?

If he played in England, where do you see him fitting in? League 1? Scottish football isn't very high quality.

[Razors left peg]

How is this thread so quiet? Scales is now probably Celtics player of the season. Granted they didn't play well today and he wasnt flawless but is playing out of his skin and there's a thread on David Connolly further up the list. ?

Do we enjoy the failures more than the successes?

I think it's because he's so consistent and there are never any highs or lows. He's been excellent and it's no longer a big story that he's in the team every week. No drama with him either

[ontheotherhand]

If he played in England, where do you see him fitting in? League 1? Scottish football isn't very high quality.

Plenty of talk about L1 level players.

[ontheotherhand]

I think it's because he's so consistent and there are never any highs or lows. He's been excellent and it's no longer a big story that he's in the team every week. No drama with him either

maybe but it's funny that there was plenty of talk when he wasn't doing so well.

[Razors left peg]

maybe but it's funny that there was plenty of talk when he wasn't doing so well.

People love complaining, a player can't even do something positive without someone wanting to say something negative

[John83]

The argument is settled: he's worth a place in the Ireland team right now, so there's not much to discuss. It's good to hear he's still playing well, but you can't make much conversation out of that.

[seanfhear]

Dog bites man ~ Other than, Man bites dog !

[ontheotherhand]

The argument is settled: he's worth a place in the Ireland team right now, so there's not much to discuss. It's good to hear he's still playing well, but you can't make much conversation out of that.

Maybe. More to talk about on other guaranteed squad player threads I suppose. Still a debate around Kelleher and Bazunu. Ferguson having a poor enough season by the standards he set early. Johnston going well but not for long enough. Collins struggling.

Good to see a lad putting in 7/10 or above performances week in week out which seems to be what Scales is doing.

I've heard him talked of as Celtics player of the season.

From borderline extended squad member to possibly a guaranteed starter now? Some going.

Would love to see him go up a level in a season or so.