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Bad move for flood. Whatever slim chance he had of getting into Irish team while playing for Dundee Utd, he certainly won't get picked playing for the Celtic reserves.Quote:
Originally Posted by Poor Student
Would have been better trying to find a championship club. Higher standard of football & better chance to get noticed.
Nakamura can't play as many games as he used to, as he always seems to be picking up injuries here and there.Quote:
Originally Posted by wexfordned
It's just a matter of time before he leaves really.
Flood will provide good cover on the right side of midfield, and can offer something different in the middle as well.
I think he will start off more as a squad player, but why not try and break into a team like Celtic?
You need to take risks in life sometimes, especially in football, if you want to get to the top.
Celtic are fairly brutal at the moment, have been for a few years I suppose, so the likes of Willo Flood should have no fears about not breaking into the side. There's no one there he shouldn't be able to dislodge, including McGeady and whenever I've seen Willo play against Celtic or Rangers the last year or so he's easily been one of the top performers on the park.
My main worry isn't that he isn't good enough, but rather that he won't get a chance.
Strachan is notorious for buying players and letting them rot in the reserves.
Hopefully Flood gets a fair crack at the whip and leaves Strachan with no choice but to keep him involved.
I doubt he'll become undroppable, but if he was a borderline starter/well used sub I'd be happy.
Summer, according to some accounts. Wants to raise his kid in Japan.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Kinda like what he'll do with McGinn and McCourt so
[QUOTE=irishfan86My main worry isn't that he isn't good enough, but rather that he won't get a chance.
Strachan is notorious for buying players and letting them rot in the reserves.
Hopefully Flood gets a fair crack at the whip and leaves Strachan with no choice but to keep him involved.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. Don't follow scottish football but McGeady will play so only leaves one spot open. If Nakamura is leaving then fair enough maybe he will get his chance.
Don't watch scottish football, but looking at their european results the standard seems to be at a real low at the moment. If he his any good then he should be able to force his way into a pretty average side.
I'm not a staunch proponent of the SPL but Rangers got to the UEFA final only 8 months ago. Celtic's results were poor alright. It's not really a top league as we all know but there are some competitive teams (Old Firm, Aberdeen, Dundee United and the Edinburgh clubs) so I think if a player can stand out in Scotland he is probably good enough to compete against third seeded teams and worse in international football.Quote:
Originally Posted by wexfordned
With regard to Flood's international chances I think he has his work cut out in the near to medium term but good luck to him. Only if we adopt a more expansive approach would he offer something we don't already have.
Whether he'll play regularly or not he certainly won't be playing for the reserves. Unlike McCourt and McGinn, this is a Strachan signing. Anyway, McCourt has been brilliant for the reserves recently and I think is winning Strachan over.Quote:
Originally Posted by wexfordned
As for the quality of Celtic. Player for player the midfield options atm is as good as it's been in years. But Strachan definitely rates Flood. He's his type of player and he'll get his chance straight away.
???:confused: Who else signed them if it wasnt Strachan?Quote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy
John Park. Strachan puts his trust in his scouts, especially at that price. But Flood is definitely a Strachan signing and he won't be going into the reserves. Park also scouted Keith Fahey and Seamus Coleman and I think there was bids in for the 2 of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
Donati, Sno, Hutchinson, Killen, Mizuno to name but a few that regularly togged out for the reserves or still do - Strachan signings or does he get to abdicate signing responsibility for these players as well? If Willo is not getting a starting birth - which he wont be unless we have a dramatic injury crisis - why shouldnt he get a run out in the reserves?Quote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy
Donati, Sno and Killen are 3 players that moved into the reserves after failing with the first team (in Sno's case he was still younger than most of the reserve players so nothing wrong there). Hutchinson was signed as a reserve and has never started a professional game afaik. And it was always said that Mizuno would play for the reserves for his first half season and he knew that. Mizuno thinks he's progressing as expected if his interviews are to go by.Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
The same reason Hartley and Robson don't. Flood is signed as a first teamer and if he avoids injury this season he won't play a single game for the reserves imo.Quote:
If Willo is not getting a starting birth - which he wont be unless we have a dramatic injury crisis - why shouldnt he get a run out in the reserves?
Can't see how this is a bad move for the lad?
All players should be encouraged to challenge their abilities. If you were Willo Flood you would sign for Celtic in a heartbeat because there's a prospect that its a team you'll fit into perfectly, a team in which you'll be surrounded by the cream of talent in the league and a crop of players that will help you realise your full potential. If you don't sign there's the possiblity of long term injury curtailing that move and being forgotten about 5 months down the line or even the possiblity that the team you're currently playing for going through a dour patch of form and as a result your game and reputation being affected.
Now is Willo Floods chance at making a name for himself. If he doesn't then he'll simply drop back down a level but being with the best coaching staff in the league and surrounded by the best players isn't gonna make him any worse a player.
well said mac.
If Flood had stayed with Dundee, or Cardiff, we'd be criticising him for not trying to make the step up.
Now that he has done something to improve his game and his career, we're criticising him for not being good enough for Celtic, before he's even played for them??
Ive been an advocate of Flood, certainly during his spell with Dundee Utd (dont recall him much at Man City)- He's been good for them. With the current Celtic squad, I dont think he'll feature much - though I think he had to make the move to give it a go. tThat could change in the summer if key midfielders leave the club.
Anyone named after a Hobbit needs all the well wishers he can get.
Best of luck, Willo Flood,
From everyone here at Middle Earth.
Flood starts for Celtic today against Rangers. McGeady is on the bench but it's not really a like for like. Flood adds that bit of bite Strachan feels is needed for this game.
Managers baffle me sometimes. In big games you want your big players on the pitch and that for me means McGeady every time. Hope Flood has a great game but he is not in the same class as Aiden
Set up the best chance of the game so far with a whipped in cross from the byline, McDonald glanced it wide
I thought he had an ok game. A perfect player to give a bit of width in a 3 man midfield while also doing what a central midfielder should. He played on the right of a 4 man midfield for Celtic today but was allowed drift inside and the only time Celtic had the ball on the ground today was when Flood and Naka were coming inside to link up and control things.
He'll get his fair share of caps imo. A more intelligent player than S.Hunt and has all that attitude.
Have to say, I was gobsmacked at hearing he was in the starting 11 yesterday as I stood at the turnstiles waiting to get in the ground.
Particularly as Aiden has now played in numerous Rangers games, was recently MOTM for both Club and Country and it was Willos debut????
I watched him closely and it was a strange one. In the first couple of minutes he was like a boy lost, just looking around, didnt appear to really know where he should be or what he should be doing (this isnt a criticism - just the way I saw it). For the 60 minutes he was on he didnt really appear to want the ball, from throwins he didnt make himself available, that sort of thing. However,.........
confidence grew as you'd expect and he pinged in two brilliant crosses creating our best chances of the match. he also put in a few good tackles getting the crowd going. Overall he did ok in what was a poor game but was always going to be a difficult debut - Good luck to him!
That were my first impressions watching it live - Ill watch it again on tv to see if I missed anything.
EB - You must be shagging strachans wife for you to be so confident he was going to get a starting spot on the team!! Fair play to ya - I really couldnt see it coming that quickly and certainly not as a replacement for Aiden
Very disappointed for Aiden McGeady. He is a confidence player and must have been walking on air on Thursday. I believe he was the star of Celtic's last game too v QoS when nobody else played well.
I've been a fan of Wilo's since the youth team. It would be great to see him playing regularly but he is not in McGeady's class as of today. I thought he did well enough.
Haven't seen much of him in Scotland but that's my impression of him, not an out and out winger but not a pure central mid either.Quote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy
I love to read that. :) As you know there's so much you miss when watching a game live. I watched the game again last night and was definitely more impressed with Flood. He comes inside and showed for the ball a lot and it's great to have a bit of intelligence in midfield to know when to move around. His first few touches were very heavy but that's expected with nerves.Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
:D I remember asking someone on a Celtic forum a couple of weeks ago to name a price on Crosas starting against Hibs. I would have put a lot of money on it at the time. I just seem to know Strachan's thinking. I know that Strachan would have thought Naka was the best Celtic player on the pitch in the first half on Sunday because we agree on everything when it comes to Naka. ;) Yet there's plenty of fans that thought Naka was poor. What Naka does best just isn't as memorable as a Brown surge forward, or McGeady leaving a man on his arse, or a crunching Caldwell tackle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
Well we agree on Naka because I love watching him! His ability is just so natural and effortless. First touch is class, can leave defenders on their arses just as much as the tricky winger, sublime passes and great vision. And if that wasnt enough, this season in particular its been very notable (to me at least) the number of tackles/interceptions he makes and his tracking back. Yeah he probably couldnt fight his way out of a wet paperbag but I hate this "hes a liability when it comes to defending" cliche thrown about at players such as him and our own Aiden when it just dosnt tell the full story.Quote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy
Its the SPL guys:rolleyes:
Same as the eL, there are good players in the league.Quote:
Originally Posted by bennocelt
Don't rate this fella at all.
He always looked very slight to me in his younger days , He's certainly one to keep an eye on , especially if he continues to keep one of our regulars out of his club team.
no flies on you... what?Quote:
Originally Posted by bennocelt
ha ha yeah:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Junior
i dont mind Willo, i have followed his career since the cherry orchard days, remember his amazing hattrick in a sfai semi cup yonks ago, they still talk about that donw here
just that some were raving about Mceady and naki - both useless IMHO, and would never make it in the EPL
I was pretty impressed with him in the Rangers match considering it was his debut.
It was a tight game and I'd call him Celtic's second best performer in the match after Nakamura.
He was at his best when he drifted inside, and I thought Nakamura and himself linked up nicely.
As well, he hit in a couple of phenomenal crosses.
I think the Stephen Hunt comparison is accurate...his energy and physique remind me of Hunt, but he's got a tad more class and match intelligence.
I'd like to see him in the squad as backup for McGeady on the right hand side of midfield.
Is this the same McGeady that was the best player on the pitch last week in an Irish shirt..... yeah ur right, hes completely useless!Quote:
Originally Posted by bennocelt
Making it in the EPL is hardly the yardstick for relatively slight but skillful players. I'd say both McGeady and Nakamura would do well in Spain.
Shevchenko didn't do much in the EPL. Useless player of course.
Crespo too must be useless in that caseQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
And then you have Arteta who didn't set the world alight at Rangers bar the odd run of good form.
As far as Naka goes. There's not a world class team he'd look out of place in tbh but I won't go into that argument for the millionth time. :) As intelligent a midfielder I've seen for Celtic or Ireland.
jeez man get a grip - its was against Georgia - ha ha ur funny, i suppose you will be peeing in your pants when Celtic win the title , again - yawn:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Razors left peg
see the problem with that argument is he looked rubbish in any CPL games I have seen, and was useless in any world cup game as wellQuote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy