New Footy Season 2016/17 ..How's your team doing?

[Marco]

Celtic 2 Hearts 0

That's us now got SIX IN A ROW...

CHAMPIONEES, CHAMPIONEES, OLE, OLE, OLE... CHAMPIONEES, CHAMPIONEES, OLE, OLE, OLE. YA DANCER.... WELL DONE TO THE BHOYS!!!










ROLL ON THE TREBLE, next week...!!!!

Marco.

[Marco]

No congrats from the Rangers fans? Come on Granty and co!

Marco.

[rmcin626]

Congrats Marco, best team by a mile

[Stratmangler]

Unbeaten in the league is something of great note.
Congratulations.
Unbeaten by domestic opposition for a full season - that's pretty rare.
We'll have to wait for next weekend to see if it happens.
I'd be surprised if it doesn't, but football isn't built on dead certainty - upset can come along with the next game.

[rmcin626]

Rangers ending up on 67 points was a nice touch

[Marco]

Ha - indeed... But remember, Pedro's really a Celtic fan!

Marco.

[Marco]

Congrats Marco, best team by a mile

Cheers, mate. I'm sure things will be better for Rangers next season. I actually think you might get some success in Europe... Much will depend, however, on the signings Pedro makes during the summer.

Marco.

[rmcin626]

I'm saying nothing about next season until we see if there are any decent signings. Although it's clear when it comes to tactics The Celtic manager has the edge.

[Marco]

Unbeaten in the league is something of great note.
Congratulations.
Unbeaten by domestic opposition for a full season - that's pretty rare.
We'll have to wait for next weekend to see if it happens.
I'd be surprised if it doesn't, but football isn't built on dead certainty - upset can come along with the next game.

Cheers, Chris. Yup, unbeaten all season is a superb achievement. It's not easy either, even though the standard in the Scottish Premiership isn't anything like as high as in the English one, because when you're Celtic, other teams treat playing you as their cup final, and so are desperate to beat you - and EVERY match is like that, so you always have to be at the top of your game.

Therefore, mental toughness, as well as ability, is the key... Aberdeen, in a one-off game, could still beat us next week in the Scottish cup final, but the truth is we're operating now at a totally different level to any other team in Scotland, and that's set to remain for the foreseeable future.

However, there's no way Celtic will go next season unbeaten *if* Brendan Rodgers achieves his target of getting the team to the last 16 of the Champions League, because that will take its toll. The early exit from the group stages this season was one of the reasons we could focus so much on the league.

Anyway, could you have a word with Pep and ask him either if we can have Patrick Roberts on loan for another season, or if we can sign him, lol?

He's been absolutely outstanding for us all season, and getting better all the time, particularly in the last few games where he's really showed his class. If he goes back to City, do you feel he's got a realistic chance of getting into their first team?

For me, retaining the services of both him and Dembele will be absolutely crucial to Celtic's chances in Europe.

I'm reasonably confident about Dembele, as I think he'll want to stay and have another go at the CL, which he probably wouldn't get at any other team he'd sign for now, plus he'll want to be a part of Brendan Rodgers building something special at Celtic for at least another season - and if he shines in the CL qualifiers (and CL proper), just think what he could be worth then, probably £45-50 million (for a player who cost us only £500k)....

That would be my ideal scenario, and then after selling him the following year for that type of money, most likely to one of the bigger teams in the EPL, that would be a tremendous cash injection for the club to invest in more top-class players, which would both keep us at the top of the pile in Scotland, and maintain our challenge in Europe.

Anyway, no doubt that, regardless of that, BR will be adding some real quality to the squad in the summer, so I'm really looking forward to next season. Who knows our teams might meet again in the CL?

Marco.

[Marco]

I'm saying nothing about next season until we see if there are any decent signings. Although it's clear when it comes to tactics The Celtic manager has the edge.

Celtic games aside, if you actually add up the points Pedro's won, since he took charge of the team, bearing in mind NONE of them were his players, he's actually done quite well. That's why I think he'll do ok next season if he can add a few decent players in the summer transfer window, crucially who are able to carry out his instructions/execute his game plan properly, which I think is currently his biggest problem.

The key areas for you, I feel, are a couple of physically big, ball-winning centre backs, a leader in the middle of the park (John Brown or Stuart McCall type) who can control and dictate play, and couple of wingers, to ping crosses in for Kenny Miller and Joe Garner, the latter whom I predict will be Rangers' (and possibly one of the league's) top scorers next season!

Marco.