We got what we required versus Young Boys. The team need to evolve, and i wish Kyogo well, but i wish he was staying longer,

It was disappointing having the match against Dundee postponed on Saturday afternoon, but the safety of our players, staff, and supporters is paramount, so if there was any chance of anyone getting hurt, then the decision taken was the correct one. The good thing was, we get a bit of free time to prepare for Aston Villa on Wednesday night, that will be a difficult game, and requires our full attention.

Wednesday night at Celtic Park against Young Boys was a bit of a roller coaster, we got there in the end, but it should have been a wee bit more comfortable than 1-0. It won’t happen often that a player gets a hat-trick of goals disallowed in the first half of a match, and we then proceed to miss a penalty, so realistically the game should have been over, and our goal difference should have improved by 3/4 goals. At the start of the campaign if we were offered qualification to the knock-out stages with a game to spare, we would have jumped at it. Having said that, with the games played, we should have beaten Zagreb and Brugge, so we would be on sixteen points now, with a real chance of a top eight finish, so it could have been even better, but we can’t deny, its progress.

I must say I’m disappointed that we have lost Kyogo, the wee man has been an absolute “Star” in his time at Celtic Park, so I wish him and his Family well in their new adventure at Rennes. The thing I’m most disappointed in is, that we didn’t have someone already lined up to take Kyogo’s place in the starting line-up, considering we have known for some time that he wanted a new challenge, which I suppose is another way of saying more money. I also understand his concerns about making the Japanese National Team for the 26 World Cup, but Daizen is playing in the Nation team regularly. Let me be clear, I’m disappointed, but there is no way I’m going to think any less of Kyogo, he’s been absolutely brilliant for Celtic, and I sincerely thank him for that.

The team has to evolve, and Kyogo has just turned 30, he is still very fit and capable of holding down his place, but he won’t get another opportunity to make a few pounds extra, and with two years left on his contract it makes sense for him and his Family to go now, personally I would have kept him until the summer. All teams go through the process of moving players on, even the Great Lisbon Lions went through that same process, the secret is to be ready for it. It has to be said, we haven’t seen many Bhoy’s coming through from the development squad, so that means we are buying young, and for big money, Like Adam Idah and Arne Engels, we paid £20 ml for both, hopefully they will prove good value, and progress.

It’s not easy in the market these days, you can make mistakes buying a £3 ml player, you can also do it buying a £10 ml player, the secret is getting more right than you get wrong, at least three out of five right. Look at the job Big Jock had to replace the players in Celtic’s Greatest Ever Team. Ronnie Simpson left in 1970, John Clark, Steve Chalmers, and Bertie left a year later. Then Jim Craig, Tommy Gemmell, and Willie Wallace left a year later. Some think the Lions broke up too early, and maybe they did. But we had a reserve team full of players bursting to step up, and if you don’t give them a chance to play, they’ll leave and play elsewhere. We had Danny Mc Grain, Kenny Dalglish, David Hay, Lou Macari, Paul Wilson, George Connelly, Pat Mc Mahon, and Vic Davidson, oh how I wish we had talent like that knocking on Brendan’s door demanding a game. I think we are doing alright just now, and I’m sure we’ll get even better.
Good Luck Kyogo, Glasgow’s still Green & White.

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