Leppardized2001

Where we go from here is even furthur behind Celtic in the financial stakes!!!

While I agree with your comments, what I will say is how much support is Miller getting in his role. He's 'chasing crisp packets' because the service he is getting his woeful. When the ball is played upto him he is doing his job in holding it up but there is no one to support him, the midfield is about 20 yards behind him. I'm not Millers biggest fan but in this instance I feel for the guy. And the upshot of this is that his confidence will invariably suffer and he will snatch at any chances that come his way. Can see him becoming the scapegoat for Smiths tenure and summer signings.

Aye he's no been in it long....is down Abbots Way if you know the area. Though i'm sure he heads up to the Black Bull in Tarbolton often enough lol

To be fair to the big man he his maintaining his fitness. Lives no far from me in Ayr and can be seen most days jogging out by Doonfoot for those who know the area, he has a house out there.

Smiths pigheadedness will lead to him getting the bullet...mark my words. His insistence on pursuing Miller for months before capturing him, a player who was not wanted by the majority of fans, not for playing for Celtic I hasten to add but because he was shockingly poor for them, and his similar insistence not to play the top striker in Scotland, Kris Boyd, is just another example of this. Add to that the fact that we are now way top heavy in strikers and have glaring omissions in other depts, creative midfielder..helloooooooooo.... around the squad and I'm sorry, but I am really beginning to question Walters judgement these days.

Least Nike had the decency and balls to withdraw their sponsership of him. The guy causes trouble wherever he goes. Fuck knows how he's on �£50K+ a week. No wonder we're stuffed when it comes to competing wage wise.

Highlights Barca 5 Dundee Utd 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u_-B9UP-Qg Barca 6 Hibs 0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SeVmfuFCBc

He's turned into Paul McStay

Well to me it adds two genuine attacking full backs...the one major factor we were missing last season after Hutton left...never had an attacking threat on the left with Papac there. And we never had any real quality width furthur forward after Beasley got injured...was makeshift forwards after that. Ideally i'd like to see a real out and out right winger brought in...and for the creative midfielder to play more behind the central striker...but don't see it happening.

Well out of the name you mentioned there Gribz i'd expect JCD, and Boyd to go and Cousin if someone will take him. Novo and McCulloch give more options than JCD and Boyd so are more valuable squad players although don't score the same number of goals. If we get Davis signed up we are well stocked for central midfielders. Is a creative midfielder and couple of quality wide midfielders we require as well as an attacking LB. Then maybe team could look like - _________________McGregor_________________________ Whittaker__Cuellar_____Webster (Papac)___Smith (new LB) _______________________Thomson___________________ _____________Davis____Ferguson (new creative midfielder) Velicka__________Miller_____________Beasley

4-4-1-1...4-5-1...4-2-3-1...call it what you like, but the Dutch the other night showed us how that formation can and should be played. Solid back 4, but with 2 full backs willing to bomb forward. We didn't have that once Hutton once sold. Broadfoot tried gamely, and it isn't really in Sasa Papac's game. 2 attacking fullbacks is a must! In front of them 2 defensive minded midfielders to shield the defence, break up attacks and start new ones. For me, Barry Ferguson and Thompson are the ideal men for that job. Doesn't have to be about tackling, is about being able to read the game. Ahead of them 3 more attack minded midfielders, the central one playing as a kind of 2nd striker (van de vaart for the Dutch ). Here it's all about movement and creativity, Sneijder for the Dutch was all over the park and the interchanging and movement of their 3 players was something else. It's here I feel we need our biggest changes as at the moment I don't think we have the standard of player required to make it work. Then upfront you need a mobile front man who can lead the line, hold up the ball if required and score goals. I feel we have the right man for this role in Cousin, but his head and heart quite clearly isn't it, least not for us.

Now THAT's how you play with one up front!!

As far as I agree Barry Ferguson is our outstanding midfielder, I feel that playing him hinders us as a team. He drops to deep, always wants the ball and to dictate the game at his pace and more often than not it's a short pass to the side. He doesn't have the fitness or energy these days to be the box to box midfielder we need ( a position I think Davis would fit perfectly ), and Thomson eclipsed him in midfield last season. Just feel he's holding us back from playing the football we could be playing.

ahhh but i always felt he was more effective on the left. The combination of David Robertson and Laudrup on the left was brilliant, and something our current team is sorely lacking.

Yeah, but Pete, the level ourselves are looking to get to and Motherwell are looking to get to are totally different. To be honest, outwith the Old Firm, the SPL in my eyes is much of a muchness. With some astute management and signings any of the teams have ability to finish 3rd. However to break into top echelons of European football takes more than that these days i'm afraid. I understand what your saying, teams like PSV, Ajax, Villareal etc have all punched above their weight. However Dutch league is much like ourselves, dominated by a couple of teams...3 if you include Feynoord, whereas Villareal are always going to struggle against Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The only way we will ever get to the next level now is by developing our young quality players. We cannot buy our way to the next level now, certainly not on the transfer budgets available to us

Did Stephen Pearson no go to Derby as well? What with ex old firm players jumping from side to side these days I reckon he could be one worth going for...left sided and has a great engine on him. Get him and Miller...buy one, get one free

Read in the paper today that Walters looking to make Websters loan deal a permanent transfer. Also regarding Weir, would Cuellar have had such a spectacular debut season in the SPL if say Webster had been playing beside him?

I agree. The 4-5-1 system has served Walter well with Scotland and in his first full season back at Rangers, especially in Europe, and I can't see him dropping it in the forseeable future. This is because with Scotland and in Europe with Rangers more often than not we were not expected to prevail and hence a defensive counter attacking system was the way to go. Is not a system we should really have to be using in the SPL though. Miller was his favoured player for this position with Scotland and he'll be hoping he can get same kind of performances out of him for Rangers. I feel that Kenny could do us a job though, and if Walter can team Millers work rate and endeavour with Boyd's goalscoring instinct in a 4-4-2 system in the SPL then I think we could be onto a winner.

Will be Rijkaard to Chelsea to join the Dutch coaching contingent there and provide the 'sexy' football that Abramhovich wants and Laudrup will replace him at Barca where he is considered a legend.

Think you misunderstood me, meant longggggggggggg as in number of games we played

Is all about group C for attractive looking fixtures.

He's got to stay, most natural finisher in Scottish and perhaps British football at the moment. An old fashioned goal poacher, and if you look around Premiership you don't see many of them these days.

Well we keep getting told it's a squad game these days but let's be honest, just how well did Walter utilise the squad at his disposal. We had basically the same team out there most weeks with very little rotation. I know they say don't change a winning team, but when your travelling all around Europe you can't expect players to be fresh every game. I mean we pay �£2million for Naismith and he was basically sub all season, Boyds been on the bench more often than not and is still our top scorer, Buffels been nowhere to be seen and Alan Gow has turned into our Derek Riorden. Malky

The fact of the matter is the circumstances in which Phil O'Donnell passed away, suddenly and saddly on the pitch. I think it was only right in this instance to postpone games...remember it is only a game after all. While we might not have been aware, I am quite sure within Celtic Park they were all aware about Tommy Burns worsening condition and despite the hurt and the sadness at his passing, they would have known it was coming and been prepared for it as best they could. So please, stop all this conspiracy theory nonsense. We should be bigger than that. We had the chance to win the SPL, but due to our own failures we let slip the opportunity, nothing else, and certainly not the passing of two servants to the Scottish game. RIP. Malky