SENTINELCELTS

My phone went last night and the other end said ‘Mahe, it’s Ange. Any of your posters good on the ball by chance?’
Ok, ok, but you know what I mean.
There’s waiting and there’s the opportune moment,,then there’s sleeping in.
At the moment in terms of European qualification, it very much looks as if we’ve slept in.

The much needed reinforcements are still much needed, the disgruntled and departing need flogged, and our native spine is on a much needed rest just when we could do with them learning the new methods.

I hope you feel like me in that there is one single person I absolutely will not blame should we fail to qualify, the new manager of course. He’s very much between a rock and a hard place here, yet he still has a card to play.

There’s one player fully focused on being ready, open to his system, that wants to impress, and will more than likely get the team built around him for these early games.
I fully suspect Tam Rogic will attempt to quarterback the team into the next round, and to make up for his notorious lack of stamina he will probably be okayed to do less work retrieving the ball, but be asked to work magic when receiving the ball.
This offers our Thunder from Down Under a fresh opportunity that will probably suit him down to the ground,,I think he would cover that role.
If he actually looked good there, we could see the position suits him, then he probably will get the nod to remain in the team, a big incentive to perform.
He could reach hero status by dragging us through,,but equally be deemed just not good enough if he is made the teams focal point and fails to take that advantage.
These are actually a very big few months for Tommy Rogic, he should aim to be home undroppable under Ange.

There’s actually a really good chance the team we see take the field in less than three weeks time is totally made up of those currently partaking in preseason training and directly learning their roles.
The eight relaxing right now, should not be thrown straight into the deep end if unnecessary, which would leave the eleven that is slowly coming to the fore right now at Lennoxtown.
It doesn’t make much sense to teach them as much as you can then dump them en masse for relative new learners, more experienced or not.

That’s why I think we will see a mostly fringe first team for this vital qualifier, with most of the play going through Tam.
It’s dicey, it’s unorthodox, but it’s probably the best option right now.

Ange will also realize, as the title states, this is a huge chance for those players.
Mikey Johnson will never have a better chance to impress, to be part of the jigsaw, and should be attacking space as soon as the ball is played to Tam.
Ralston should make the club think twice about signing a big money replacement, Welsh should show he is a solid first choice, and Bain should show that attitude also.
Euan Henderson and Soro could be a solid defensive screen, might actually gel well together and give the gaffer real selection headaches.
If young Dembele has his head in the game he will have cottoned onto the simple fact James beloved right hand side is there to be wrestled away by a pacier more innovative player. If that kid has stardom ahead, solidly grabbing that spot would be a fantastic platform and a fantastic experience for everyone all around.

And then there’s always that one,,that one who unexpectedly shines under the new managers system. I recall young Luca Connell had many a fan drooling,,could his slick passing impress Ange?
Could Bolingoli be given a clean slate and pay us back with a performance?
Could the man with Greek blood bring our Greek keeper out of his shell?

Perhaps the biggest question after seeing Odsonne training with us still and Griff hanging around, are we getting the A-team back together? That duo has done damage before, but has let us down before and looked to be history. Could Ange ressurect their Hoops careers? Stranger things have happened and they both have something to play for, at the moment they will probably face the Danes. A strong showing and they are our starting strikers, will they grab the chance? I wouldnt bet against it.
 
 

Now Mikey Johnson’s barber is helping hype the upcoming campaign as if it needed anymore! Who knows if it’s true but ‘after his speech we were about to run through brick walls for him’ sounds about right from what we know.
That’s the Ange we want,the leader we crave. A sense of togetherness is more than called for, could the manager help foster that?
Who knows, but barbers do get the gossip, it’s a well known fact.

That no one at all knows what’s about to happen here also works in our favour in that we can’t be scouted or planned for by the opposition, a rarity we should take maximum advantage of.

I do know what should happen though, we should see those given the chance burst a gut to grab that chance and stay involved.
This really is a big chance for anyone selected and it could help resurrect a few careers ,,, I hope they grab it with both hands.

By Mahe
sentinelcelts@gmail.com