the mid-term report card
2008

George of the Jungle gives his views on the class of ‘08.

 

Santa’s been, the New Year hangover has almost dissipated and the nights are fair drawin’ oot. The title run-in must soon be upon us. Time to deliver the mid term report on those who have flown the Flag for the Hoops since
the season began back in August.

First, a general summary. Despite a dreadful form slump in December and some obdurate resistance from the cash-strapped Kinning Park giants over on the South Side, the champions are regrouping in order to reclaim top spot in the table.

qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League has been secured for the 2nd season in a row. The Hoops had to defeat Spartak Moscow simply to qualify to play in the Champions League – and don’t you just hope Rangers
get drawn against Spartak in the UEFA Cup – and managed to qualify from a section that included the current European Champions, AC Milan, Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk who spent £40m on new players.

Big Well Done to WGS and the Bhoys for the above.

On the down side we made an early exit from the CIS Cup being defeated by Hearts. For every Ying there is a Yang. Or, in the case of Hearts, for every Ding there is a Dung.

Goalies
Artur Boruc: I could get used to Celtic having a goalie as reliable as Boruc. How many points is he worth over the season? Just gets better and better though, seemingly to prove that he is indeed a mere mortal, he did make a couple of howlers at Easter Road in the game we lost to Hibs. He will move on somewhere bigger, better and more glamorous one day. Hopefully that day is still some distance off.

Mark Brown: Deputised for Boruc when the Pole in the goal has been injured. Somehow, the phrase, “You’re not in Manchester now Mr. Stalker” comes to mind. Rapidly finding out that life is different at Celtic.

Defence
Please explain - How can we make it to late December having only conceded 1 goal at Celtic Park in the league yet not have kept a clean sheet in an away match for over a year? Injuries can only partly explain this paradox.

Stephen McManus: Now club Captain and widely viewed as the first choice centre back. I would like him to be more assertive on the pitch. In a season when the defence has been disrupted by injury after injury he has been a reliable performer. Like all players he can still improve, especially his distribution from the back and cutting out some of the long balls he smashes forward.

Gary Caldwell: Not everyone’s favourite though I think he is often unfairly criticised. Had to play at right back for much of the season as a consequence of every full back on the books being injured. Never hides as was shown when he had the courage to take and score one of the penalties in the shoot out v Spartak. Good squad player.

John Kennedy: Looked to be embarking on a decent run before being injured against Shakhtar. We have to hope
that injuries will not put an early end to his career. Exhibited great courage to return from one major knee injury. Fingers crossed he can recover from this one and force his way back into the team.

Darren O’Dea: Always looks more comfortable at Centre back than at left back. Young and shows lots of promise. Needs to make the next step and push on and force his way into the starting 11 at centre back.

Stephen Pressley: Has his league winners badge in the cabinet from last season but time’s winged chariot has clearly caught up with him, and let’s face it, the chariot wouldn’t need to be travelling very fast to do that. Time to finish the coaching badges and take up managing Arbroath or something. So long, and thanks for all the... whatever.

Lee Naylor: Started the season poorly but looked to be playing his way back into good form before being injured against Shakhtar. As we are short of left sided players at the moment we really need him to stay fit. Wouldn’t it be great if he could improve the quality of his crossing?

Mark Wilson and JJP Doumbe: Both out with long term injuries. Report Cards postponed until a later date.

Midfield
Shunsuke Nakamura: Another who has been out injured for much of the season. His control and vision along with his expertise from dead balls has been sorely missed. His ferocious and tenacious tackling hasn’t. If only he had genuine pace to go with his abundant talent. Still, the team, especially at home, is stronger when he plays than when he doesn’t. That can’t always be said for away games.

Aiden McGeady: Player of the Season so far. Seems to be faster, stronger and far more consistent this season. Has the kind of skill that can have the crowd let out collective gasps of delight. If his recent goal spree is a sign of things to come then we’re sitting here drooling. But that’s not unusual round here.

Scott Brown: Still young, still got a lot to learn but on balance looks to be a good signing. He has fitted in well and doesn’t look out of place. Could do with being a bit more accurate with his passes and being on the scoresheet a bit more often.

Massimo Donati: Excellent in his first couple of games but seems to have lost some form since then as evidenced by the fact that he is no longer an automatic first team pick. Unless this can inspire him to raise his game, questions may soon arise about his commitment. The 2nd half of the season is for him to show he is a valuable acquisition and not an expensive luxury.

Paul Hartley: Given the number of positions he has played in this season I was beginning to wonder what area of the team to include him in! Another who never hides and who is an excellent team player. His goal in Moscow would just about have got him pass marks on its own but he increasingly looks like an indispensable member not just of the squad but of the first team.

Jiri Jarosik: This guy drives me nuts. We can see he has the quality but displays it far too erratically. One minute great, next minute giving the ball away. One week good, next week shocking.
Frustratingly inconsistent. One minute scores against Shakhatr with a great volley, next misses an open goal from six yards with a free header. Be interesting to see if he is still at Celtic once the transfer window closes.

Forwards
Scott MacDonald: be interesting to hear what those who doubted the worth of his signing think now. Way out in front as top scorer. Not only scores but works hard. Needs to be more aware of offside. Always seems slow to get back onside. If he stays fit then he could be on for scoring 30+ goals this season. That seems a good return to me. Well played Skippy, keep the goals coming.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink: With his pedigree he should be scoring goals for fun in Scotland. So far he is not delivering. Whatever the problem let’s hope it gets fixed soon. Given his record he is way better than he has shown this season. Time for the real JVOH to step up to the plate. Patience is running thin.

Zurawski, Killen and Riordan have not played enough games to assess their contribution.

Various fringe players and young aspiring wannabees - if you are not included in the above list of names then you are not featuring often enough in the first team. If you want to be part of the end of season report card then train harder and prove you are good enough to play for Celtic.

Manager
WGS – When all is said and done how many supporters would knock challenging for another league title and through to the last 16 of the Champions League?

Top marks to WGS, what else?

He must be hoping we suffer less from injuries from now until the end of the season. Having so many defenders injured can’t make for an easy life.

Must also be hoping that he can bring in some quality in the January transfer window. Only 2 previous Celtic managers have won 3 in a row. Go on WGS, make this season the 3rd time that happens.