Scales was solid, particularly going forward. He did get caught out of position a few times although the entire Celtic backline was guilty of it. I don't watch them much and I know it was their reserve team but they seemed a bit leaderless and had nothing going on in the centre of midfield. McCarthy was nowhere to be seen....so nothing new there.
He was immense during his pre-injury days at Everton. His decline is hard to explain. Is it the physical effects of his injuries or the psychological? He’s just not impacting on games, and I can see him and Celtic parting company by mutual agreement if he doesn’t start looking like he can contribute. A great shame as he would still be an asset for us if he was anywhere near his best.
Why would he agree to part ways? Celtic still owe him about two and a half million pounds at fourteen thousand pounds per week until June 30, 2025.
Sorry, quoted wrong post.Originally Posted by ontheotherhand
Immense might be a bit strong but I agree with your point. Injuries and psychological scars have reduced him considerably. His first thought in possession now seems finding the easiest, shortest, quickest and least challenging disposal. He treats possession like a chore to avoid and has become one of the least creative players I have ever seen. He should enter the World Pass-the-Parcel Championships. Celtic signing him on a four-year contract must be among the most curious deals in recent times.
Last edited by Snapshot; 11/12/2021 at 1:52 AM.
Assist for Scales tonight,seems to be getting good reviews from Celtic fans…
Irish by birth ,Harps by the grace of god.
He was good first half. Lost his way in the second and was at fault for Ross County's goal. Let his man get ahead of him from a set piece. Would've gotten away with it at LoI level maybe. Has to get up to speed with the defensive side of things but looks comfortable going forward. My Celtic mates are happy enough with him.
He actually assisted Celtic's first goal. I think he has a chance of becoming 1st choice LB by the end of the season. He's more suited to the inverted full back system Postecoglu is deploying and he seems to be more comfortable at drifting in centre as the role commands than other more out and out full backs. There's a lot of intelligence to his passing forward and I think he'll find himself getting a good few assists. He was shocking for Ross County's goal though and was at complete fault.
From what I am hearing his conditioning and stamina just isn't at the level required coming over from Rovers. He didn't even make the bench after his Betis start apparently due to tiredness. This explains his very slow introduction to the team. Celtic have 5 games between now and the winter break which starts 3 January so hopefully he'll see more game time but I'd imagine be may drop back to the bench for the League Cup final on Sunday.
That would be a poor reflection on him if true. He's been at Celtic since August and his fitness levels were not at zero when he did move. If fatigue is an issue maybe it derives from being over-trained?
I don't really know the details of it but Celtic are playing a very high intensity high pressing game. You'll note they've incurred a lot of injuries, particularly hamstrings. They've also had two games a week for most of the season so if he's nowhere near playing 2 games a week it's hard for him to secure a spot. He strikes me as someone who is very professional with a good attitude so I really don't think it's a poor reflection on him. It might just be indicative that it's hard to step up from even a full time LOI step up directly to a big club with high physical demands domestically and in Europe. Seamus Coleman made his debut in Oct 2009 and only appeared 7 times for Everton that season (3 EPL, 1 LC, 3 EL) before being loaned to Blackpool in March.
That goal was a classic example of why I prefer zonal marking from corners. A forward can always just dart around and a defender will always take a fraction of a second to react. The ball should never have arrived at close to ground level so close to the goal either. I'd also be looking at my keeper or someone who should have attacked the ball higher up.
I'm not saying you're wrong about his conditioning but he's been carrying an injury that kept him out of that game. He's been at Celtic for five months and, frankly, if his conditioning is still at as low level as you say they would be negligent if they didn't sack him.
Just conveying what I've read. No idea of its veracity, it just seems to be the word of people I've seen deliver accurate inside information. Tom Rogic is a player I've seen at Celtic take a long long time to come up to the level of conditioning to sustain regular 90 minute performances at Celtic.
Another league start tonight, away to St Mirren.
One goal and one assist from his two league appearances so far; be nice to see that continue
Scales is starting again today, away to St Johnstone.
He started today as Taylor has COVID. I'd say he's largely earned his way into being 2nd choice left back in the last month having previously been behind Montgomery and even Bolingoli when Taylor was previously unavailable. He definitely has a fighting chance of becoming the preferred left back while Celtic don't go out and sign another LB.
Yes and they have played Juranovic left and right back plenty but went with him further forward which is another show of faith. Fingers crossed he can press on.
Very solid again, good decision making, always seems to have time on the ball. Great delivery at times.
He's tipping along nicely now. Obviously had a slow start and you'd expect Taylor will come back as first choice when he recovers, but Scales has had enough opportunities to show he can do it at that level.
Starts today against Alloa in the Cup - marking Conor Sammon
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