{"id":13505,"date":"2018-10-11T10:27:18","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T09:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=13505"},"modified":"2018-10-11T10:27:18","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T09:27:18","slug":"celtic-diary-thursday-october-11-bring-our-bhoys-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=13505","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Diary Thursday October 11: Bring Our Bhoys Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

When our young men are away serving their country, it is customary for the media to support them.<\/p>\n

Unless they are Celtic players.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week it was Leigh Griffiths, who had decided to concentrate on his own fitness. Almost to a man , we were informed by the press that he was in a huff.<\/p>\n

Then Scotland manager Alex McLeish got in on the act..<\/p>\n

“You have to respect Leigh’s decision,”<\/em><\/p>\n

“I’m not going to throw him under a bus. He came to the games the last time round and there was no animosity whatsoever.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I can see in a player’s body language they don’t like not playing. I could see that not only with Leigh Griffiths but a number of players.<\/em><\/p>\n

“It’s natural and I think it’s big of him to say he needs to get fitter to play at these levels. He wants to concentrate on his fitness. I had a good chat with him on Saturday.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“People will chastise me for saying I can’t guarantee that Leigh won’t play but I can’t guarantee any player a game unless they are playing to a level we want them to be at.<\/em><\/p>\n

“So everybody has got to prove themselves every single week of their football career. That was the way I went about it and I’d expect all the Scotland lads to do the same thing.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I guess when the manager gets some kind of rhythm there’s a nucleus that will always start a game or very close to that. It will be there for others to force themselves in. We want competition.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Sounds more to me like he hasn’t got a clue what he’s doing. He doesn’t have a nucleus for his team yet, although there are six players from one club, a very successful club, that he could build around. And one who has just left them.<\/p>\n

Kenny miller had a go at Griffiths as well, telling him that he can;t “pick and choose ” where Scotland are concerned. Miller knows all about management, having tried it for a week or two, helping to lay the foundations for Livingstons remarkable start to the season by getting to fuck away from the place.<\/p>\n

Former Scotland captain and current Celtic captain Scott Brown defended Griffiths, a sign perhaps that the club have now decided to react to such stories..<\/p>\n

“It’s brave of the wee man to do that,\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have got to give him a bit of credit for coming out and actually saying that because there aren\u2019t a lot of people who would actually have done that. He wants to get himself fitter and we want him back and scoring 20 or 30 goals a season. The wee man will do that.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce he starts playing and getting confidence and everyone gets off his back he\u2019ll be a great player for both club and country.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Well said, but Brown may have to say a bit more as the attacks continued.<\/p>\n

Next,\u00a0 it was Keiran Tierneys turn…from a former Rangers player, somewhat unsurprisingly.. on the BBC Sportsound show, which is where most ex Rangers players end up in lieu of their upcoming tax bills..<\/p>\n

Ian McCall, now boss at Ayr United, Leanne Crichton-I don’t know either- and Steven Thompson, another ex Ibrox man, were discussing the Celtic left back..<\/p>\n

Crichton said: \u201cI don\u2019t think Tierney has really performed over the last month or so.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut just because of the season he had previously that he\u2019s a first pick for folk but nobody ever questions it.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

McCall added: \u201cI love what you are saying!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a totally sacrilegious thing in Scotland, \u2018oh don\u2019t slag Kieran Tierney\u2019! You\u2019re right, absolutely right.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI completely agree with Leanne on that. If you are going to pick a left-back right now Robertson is miles ahead of Tierney. Miles!<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe level he\u2019s playing at, who he\u2019s playing against, who he\u2019s playing with. It\u2019s just a fact.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Doesn’t matter about the player himself, it seems, merely about where he plays…a philosophy that has lead to an awful lot of diddies in the national team of late.<\/p>\n

McCall is at Ayr United, and is on the shortlist for the Third Rangers outfit, when they eventually start up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next came James Forrest, who had the audacity to play well against St Johnstone and score four goals.<\/p>\n

Alex McLeish claims that he will have to rip up his game plan now that one of his most experienced and talented players has , er , played well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great that James scored four goals as we want players in top form coming to the international team.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHe turned up on Monday cock-a-hoop and his confidence must be sky high. That gives us food for thought.<\/em><\/p>\n

We need to find the right system for the players who excel in their positions, as James did last Sunday.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t necessarily mean we play five in midfield all of the time. We can go 3-4-3 and that gives us scope with the wingers we have.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to be flexible. You look at the World Cup, Russia played four most of the time and changed to a three, or realistically it was a five, at the back when they played Spain.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to be prepared tactically and we have to be prepared to suit certain\u00a0<\/em>
\nindividuals.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWith every change, it affects another player.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Perhaps he should be breathalysed before press conferences.<\/p>\n

If a Celtic player wants to play for Scotland, thats his choice. But its becoming more and more of a thankless task for them.<\/p>\n

Brendan Rodgers has been snubbed by Aston villa, who didn’t even ask him to be their manager , probably because he said publicly he wasn’t interested, and the midlands club have appointed someone called Dean Smith to the post.<\/p>\n

That means that the media will have to wait for another english club to sack their boss, unless they can discover Brendan is upset about the local amenities near his house, or the high volume of traffic on Thursday mornings on the way to Lennoxtown.<\/p>\n

Still, well done to Keith Jackson and the even less talented Gary Ralston of the Record, who had their ears to the ground throughout the saga…<\/p>\n

Aston Villa to make Brendan Rodgers approach as Celtic boss a potential candidate to replace Steve Bruce<\/h1>\n
\n

Celtic manager features on a six-man shortlist and the English club want talks this week.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n