Willo Flood

**eirebhoy** · 19/02/2009, 7:43 PM

Originally Posted by bennocelt

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 well

Well he's also put in motm performances against Benfica, Copenhagen, Barcelona and Villarreal. Far from useless against Australia in the world cup and Japan also dominted against Croatia. Was regarding, along with Riquelme, as player of the Confederations cup in 2005. If you see Naka at his best you'll be convinced. When he's not at his best it tends to be when Celtic are 2nd best or are playing hoof ball. This topic is about Willo Flood but with Naka, Maloney, Brown, McGeady and Crosas at Celtic the midfield has plenty of class. I'd put Flood as next best after those. We've just had to put up with Hartley for the big games this season who I'd say is about English league 1 standard at best.

btw, I watched McCourt for the reserves against Hibs on Celtic TV tonight and he was frighteningly good. I know it's only the reserves but it was by far and away the best individual performance I've seen at that level.

**Razors left peg** · 19/02/2009, 7:49 PM

Originally Posted by bennocelt

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

Wow, quality come back, I hear Trinity College are looking for people to join their debating team, get an application form quick!!!
What does it matter who it was against.Do you think that all players that play in the SPL are automatically useless?Do you dismiss all good performances by McGeady and any other Celtic players in the Champions League simply because they play in the SPL?

**bennocelt** · 20/02/2009, 7:34 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Well he's also put in motm performances against Benfica, Copenhagen, Barcelona and Villarreal. Far from useless against Australia in the world cup and Japan also dominted against Croatia.
Was regarding, along with Riquelme, as player of the Confederations cup in 2005. If you see Naka at his best you'll be convinced. .

see thats your opinion

**bennocelt** · 20/02/2009, 7:35 AM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

Wow, quality come back, I hear Trinity College are looking for people to join their debating team, get an application form quick!!!
What does it matter who it was against.Do you think that all players that play in the SPL are automatically useless?Do you dismiss all good performances by McGeady and any other Celtic players in the Champions League simply because they play in the SPL?

see thats ur problem, im talking about football and now ur on about trinity college

time will prove me right -

**eirebhoy** · 20/02/2009, 7:44 AM

Originally Posted by bennocelt

see thats your opinion

Also, the opinion of most Celtic fans after those games. Anyway, let's end this one.

**lionelhutz** · 20/02/2009, 9:13 AM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

Crespo too must be useless in that case

I think Stutts was being sarcastic regarding Shevchenko - maybe he can confirm that himself??

The point he was making was that Shevchenko was one of the best strikers in the world with Kiev and Milan but he just couldn't adapt to the EPL for some reason. It happens sometimes.

And re Crespo I thought he did well enough at Chelsea, much better than Sheva anyway

**third policeman** · 20/02/2009, 10:54 AM

Anybody remember a guy called Willo Flood? Used to play for Dundee UTD, heard he might have moved to Celtic.

**Razors left peg** · 20/02/2009, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by bennocelt

see thats ur problem, im talking about football and now ur on about trinity college

time will prove me right -

you didnt answer any of my questions

**Razors left peg** · 20/02/2009, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

I think Stutts was being sarcastic regarding Shevchenko - maybe he can confirm that himself??

The point he was making was that Shevchenko was one of the best strikers in the world with Kiev and Milan but he just couldn't adapt to the EPL for some reason. It happens sometimes.

And re Crespo I thought he did well enough at Chelsea, much better than Sheva anyway

I know he was, I was just backing up his point. Crespo and Shevchenko didnt do as well in the Premiership as they did in Italy, my point was that the Premiership is not the only way to classify if a player is good or not. International football as well as european competitions count too

**Junior** · 20/02/2009, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

my point was that the Premiership is not the only way to classify if a player is good or not. International football as well as european competitions count too

As does the SPL

**Stuttgart88** · 20/02/2009, 9:02 PM

Originally Posted by lionelhutz

I think Stutts was being sarcastic regarding Shevchenko - maybe he can confirm that himself??

Yes, Lionel, just as Razor expanded upon below.

**Stuttgart88** · 20/02/2009, 9:21 PM

Originally Posted by bennocelt

im talking about football

I must have missed that bit. Stupid me.

Nakamura is undoubted quality but I'd be hard pressed to think of any EPL team he'd be a guaranteed success for. He's an entertainer with very little to prove in my opinion.

Personally I think that any educated eye can tell a quality player no matter where he's playing.

**irishfan86** · 20/02/2009, 10:24 PM

People go on about the English Premier League as if it is the be all and end all of football.

There's no doubt there is a lot of quality in that league, certainly at the top end, and there's certainly a lot of money in the league.

But let's look at the league in terms of international success.

How many Premier League players were involved in the last 3 world cup final matches, i.e., how many players were playing with an English side when they made the World Cup Final match:

2006: 3 Henry, Makalele, Gallas
2002: 1 Hamann
1998: 2 Leboeuf, Petit

How about the final match of the European Championships?

2008: 4 Lehmann, Ballack, Fabregas, Alonso
2004: 2 Ronaldo, Stelios
2000: 4 Desailly, Vieira, Deschamps, Henry

I'm not saying that these numbers are unimpressive, but they hardly signal the ultimate superiority of playing in the EPL, especially when it comes to international success.

It's a good league, it's one of Europe's top leagues, and a lot of the best players in the world probably wouldn't have the same success in England that they had elsewhere; however, I think a lot of English league stars wouldn't have the same success if they tried to play in Serie A or La Liga.

I think the phrase horses for courses might apply here.

I would put my money on Nakamura having greater success in Spain than say Lampard, but I'd pick Lampard every day for the EPL over Nakamura.

Who's the better player? Depends the day, the opposition, the conditions, and what teammates they get to play with.

But a complex answer to a simple question is rarely what people want.

**Razors left peg** · 20/02/2009, 10:48 PM

Even going back to the likes of the great Henrik Larsson people were saying he wasnt a top player because he only played in the SPL.While there is no one near his class there right now(or probably ever again) there are some very good players there, which McGeady is the best of in my opinion.
And if Willo Flood can make it at a club like Celtic and perform in Europe as well as the SPL than he will have proved himself to be a very good player also(just had to mention that to keep the thread on topic

)

**The Fly** · 21/02/2009, 1:16 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

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.

Off topic for Ireland but..............
Eirebhoy, you seriously overrate Nakamura, (as a total package anyway). There are plenty of world class teams he would not make.
I'm only stating the obvious, but he has never actually played for one and for me - never will.

**bennocelt** · 21/02/2009, 7:45 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I must have missed that bit. Stupid me.

Nakamura is undoubted quality but I'd be hard pressed to think of any EPL team he'd be a guaranteed success for. He's an entertainer with very little to prove in my opinion.

Personally I think that any educated eye can tell a quality player no matter where he's playing.

yeah and thats why he is playing in the spl

**eirebhoy** · 21/02/2009, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by The Fly

Eirebhoy, you seriously overrate Nakamura, (as a total package anyway). There are plenty of world class teams he would not make.

I'm not disputing that. I'm saying he wouldn't look out of place in any of the top teams in the world. Stephen Ireland wouldn't either and I would have said that 12 months ago. Naka looks more out of place in rubbish teams and only really thrives when Celtic are playing well.

Apparantly Naka doesn't do it against Rangers but it takes a quality player to produce a lot of this (once you get by the start of the video, the clips are taken from 5 games):
http://www.zshare.net/video/55782319d626a25b/

Obviously I can't help myself debating Naka but we're also debating quality in the SPL so still on topic I suppose.

**tetsujin1979** · 22/02/2009, 1:18 PM

Flood starts on the bench today, alongside McGeady and O'Dea.
Strachan playing a 4-3-3 for the first time in an age

**eirebhoy** · 22/02/2009, 4:16 PM

Yeh probably the worst pitch in Britain so Strachan didn't think it would suit players that like to run with the ball. First match in a long time Celtic played well and failed to win. Not a good feeling.

**The Fly** · 22/02/2009, 4:26 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Yeh probably the worst pitch in Britain so Strachan didn't think it would suit players that like to run with the ball. First match in a long time Celtic played well and failed to win. Not a good feeling.

I feel almost certain that Strachan will be gone at the end of the season.
Resignation or the sack - who knows?

Dead man walking!