The second thing I wanted to see was if he could tactically participate in the game. That’s the big challenge for Mikey because in a one vs one duel, he’s outstanding. He’s very, very good. He can beat a man, but football’s more than that.
Liel and Daizen are both on the pitch now which is great news for us. Daizen is a little bit ahead of Liel but I am expecting them both to be available at some point this month.
It wasn’t until midway through the second half that the equaliser arrived but after Johnston broke into the penalty box the ball fell to Callum McGregor who found the net with a fierce half volley from 16 yards out. The joy matched the relief.
These two clips were available to Kevin Clancy and Dougie Potter in the VAR studio, there were no other games going on at that point so there were no distractions. Additionally they had the boost of additional angles provided by cameras from Sky Sports.
It’s ambition. Some players just want to be too comfortable and just do enough, it’s not enough at this club. You have to have that mentality and intensity from that first whistle but the reaction was really good.
Gordon has been getting eased out the door at BBC Scotland by the ever-staunch Macintyre, it looks like the Aberdeen fan is embarking on the slow goodbye that Jim Spence went through a decade ago.
It’s not just a quick fix, either. Celtic are weaker than last season and have regressed. The squad’s going to take a lot of work to reach a level needed to make a serious impact in the competition.
This season has been a strange one, pre-season in Japan he looked better than ever but an indifferent 45 minutes at home to Athletic Bilbao at the time of transfer speculation seemed to carry consequences.
Back in August, before losing to Kilmarnock in the League Cup Rodgers explained that his role was to coach and develop the players supplied by the club. On his return he had highlighted the great work by Lawwell Mini, one of the factors that made him decide on another stint…
Those years of mismanagement have taken the wage bill above Celtic’s with even some fans starting to question what they are getting back for the blue pound.