Would you be interested in an American? We have a few forwards that would be a fine fit for the Scottish game. Mathis, Donovan or Twellman all remind me of a young Larsson. They all possess the skill to give as well as recieve and are deadly finishers.
Mathis reminds me of the width of john hartson, donovan maybe but he is not an out and out striker and he doesnt look big or strong enough for the scottish game to me, twellman......no. For larssons replacement the fans would be looking for someone with a bit of a name and reputation about them, like a solskjaer for instance. Or we could already have the perfect replacement here in Shaun Maloney, this will become more of an issue towards december.
Out of curiousity, how do you know anything about the players he mentioned: Donovan, Mathis, Twellman? Just wondering. Do they show MLS in Scotland?
Its on channel 5 across the whole of the UK on thursday night after the dutch and argentinian football.
To be honest its not great, sometimes entertaining sometimes dross, im amazed hristo stoichkov is still playing competative football. [alan hanson]It seems the way the game is played defenders dont make a lot of tackles and pressing is kept at a bare minimum.[/alan hanson] Im generalising here but hoping to give an honest critique, most teams passing and movement is abysmal, and because the ball is on the ground a lot it really is highlighted for all to see. Still if i come home on a thursday night/friday morning pished im looking for football so I watch it anyway, stone cold sober with a choice of something else i probably wouldnt watch it.
Fair enough. My friend from Argentina said something similar about it. Any team or player in particular that you like?
Mathis is utter pish - too lazy to ever play consistent minutes for Celtic. PF is right - the club will be looking for a "name" with proven results...but I rue the day that Henke leaves
MLS Being an avid Celtic fan that lives in the US, I can say that Mathis to the Hoops would be a waste of money. While he is talented, he has nothing special to offer that isn't already there. While the MLS isn't top shelf, it certainly has improved each year of its existence. Soccer in the US is growing, and it's only a matter of time until MLS stars will be big transfer targets for leagues in Europe.
It's happening already. (NY) MetroStars keeper Tim Howard to Man U. is the big news. Lots of clubs interested in Chicagoans DeMarcus Beasely (M) and Carlos Bocanegra (D). Landon Donovan is owned by Dortmund or Leverkusen, I can't remember.. O'Brian scored a hatful of very nice goals for Everton in a short loan stint at the end of the season. Keep you eyes on two other Chicago defenders, C. J. Brown and Jim Curtin. However, with only a few exceptions I see American players getting their feet in the door as medium-risk and relatively low-cost speculative moves by down-table first division and ambitious second division clubs in Europe. It will then be up to the boys themselves to overcome general perceptions of American players (and citizens in general) as lacking in footie skills and too lazy to train hard enough to endure the rigours of a nine-month European season with 50+ fixtures. P.S. Welcome to the board packrat. Hail! Hail!
Oops! Ah, well what do I care? I pull for Liverpool anyway and Brian can have a nice long dry spell with the Crew as far as I'm concerned. A sentiment I'm sure you share my good doctor.
I doubt Celtic will replace Larsson in the near future but for the good of Scottish football they should try Maloney or another young Scottish player like Mcfadden, O'Conner, Mcmanus etc.
I have a hard time believing that Larsson can be replaced all that easily! The kid is top-shelf and has some serious net-finding abilities, proven over the past decade. Larsson will not easily be forgotten.
Larsson is world class Yeah, Larsson can score goals. A Golden Boot doesn't lie. But Larsson is a complete player. The amount that Larsson contributes to Celtic cannot ever be measured. He is great at dummying the ball (even with his head), can put anybody through on goal, and works as hard as anybody I can remember seeing. My vote is to slot Maloney in when Larsson leaves after next season. He is great at free kicks (if Maloney is on the pitch, Larsson generally defers to him), also has a enormous work rate, and is very poised for his age (e.g. his performance vs Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup). Larsson, though, will never be replaced.