Boro Mania

Middlesbrough completed the signings of Celtic trio Barry Robson, Willo Flood and Chris Killen yesterday. Scotland international Robson makes the move to the Riverside for an undisclosed fee, while Flood and Killen both join on free transfers.

The three players have all played for Boro boss Gordon Strachan previously so he obviously knows plenty about them, but Boro fans may not know quite as much. With that in mind we asked Ellboy, George Paterson and Vincent Doherty from here on known as "Our Resident Celtic Fans", to give us a little insight into Boro's recent signings (be aware, it does not always make for pleasant reading!).

Willo Flood

Ellboy:

Not his fault at all but his arrival at Celtic was greeted by many fans with disappointment. A nominal fee for what was seen at best as a journeyman, when the fans were expecting marquee signings. Willo’s arrival was a surprise and a confusing acquisition at the time, now he’s moving on, that same confusion still remains.

At Dundee Utd he was a dogged midfielder, full of running and endeavour. Decent ball control, pretty much the guy who set the tempo for them. At Celtic it’s impossible to hold an opinion, as he played so seldom. However when he did get on the park he never let the side down but equally didn’t set the game alight. What I think holds him back is his physique, you will notice how small he is when you see him in a shirt.

It could go either way with him, he might sit in your reserves as he did with us but if given a chance he may rediscover his Dundee Utd form. However I don’t think he’s a player you should be too excited about signing.

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George:

Willo Flood was the least impressive of the trio of Dundee United midfielders we were linked with. About 8st wet through, he clearly doesn't have the physique for the killing fields of Scottish football. However, one of his few decent games came at the Emirates in the CL qualifier when his tidy substitute performance at times matched up with Fabregas and co. Was considered good enough for EPL action at Man City but couldn't hold down a place, same at Cardiff City before getting a chance at Tannadice. Didn't get too many opportunities at Celtic Park either and will go down as one of Strachans real baffling signings.

Vincent:

Willo Flood brings alot of energy and a good football brain, but he seems to be a confidence player and he didn't really make the step up from Dundee United.

Chris Killen

Ellboy:

Banged them in for fun during a six month spell at Hibs. Signed for Celtic and hardly got a sniff of a chance. Not the most mobile of strikers and his link up play can be erratic.

I would say he’s an old fashioned target man type. If provided with ammunition, more so in the air, he will score goals for you. Overall I would say he’s not a striker that will consistently produce, not a player that will guarantee you a swift return to the EPL.

George:

Chris Killen came to Celtic after a serious cruciate injury. Before this, he'd been scoring for fun in the SPL, troubling Rangers in particular with his pedestrian though muscular style. Good target man in a front three for Hibs. Another of Strachans What the f*ck signings and a bit of a buzz kill after years of watching Larsson, Sutton and Hartson. Nothing personal against the fellow but he looked like it was a step too far for him. A couple of cracking pre seasons which included fine scoring performances against such varied sides as Adelaide, Southampton and Spurs at Wembley suggested he might make the breakthrough but he'd invariably go back into his shell when it came to the real thing. Under the correct manager and system, I reckon he'd do a good job at the top end of League One or the bottom/middle of the Championship. Decent but not one you'd want to pin your title hopes on.

Vincent:

Chris Killen scored some great goals, problem was they were usually in pre season friendlies and his presence in our front line was largely anonymous which I suspect may be the case with Boro unless he blossoms under WGS who never seemed to fancy him that much when he was at our place.

Barry Robson

Ellboy:

A player that will give his all, thunders into challenges (not always cleanly). Certainly not a dirty player but one who’s not afraid to mix it. His right foot is for standing on and little else, this restricts him greatly as a central midfield player.

While playing wide suits him better he’s not going to beat players with pace as he’s not blessed in that department either. His main attribute is certainly his work ethic but his left foot isn’t far behind. If given time to get his head up he can certainly pick a pass, he’s also excellent at corner kicks and free kicks with his delivery of the ball. Out of the three he’s your best signing but still IMO not a player you should be looking at if your ambition is to make a quick return to the EPL.

George:

With regards the players you actually have signed, the one I'll miss the most is Robson. 31 years old but only really came to prominence late in his career after some decent friendly performances against Barcelona for Dundee Utd. Thierry Henry and then manager Riijkaard spoke of him in glowing terms. A few months later, he signed for Celtic, belted in a free kick with his first touch against Aberdeen then scored against the catalan giants with a great header in the CL! Not the most technically gifted player (right foot for standing on only) but he'll not be hiding when it comes to your crunch games as he proved when he scored the winning pen against Rangers. This came after leathering Christian Dailly in the first minute to let him know that we were not going to lie down. His fight will certainly be missed by me.

Vincent

In robson you have one of the few players who I think could have captained the club this year. He is gritty and determined and many Celtic fans think he was the difference in the run in to the 2008 title where we had to win our last 7 games. Not lacking in skill , he can occasionally hit beautiful dead balls. I think if I had had to choose between Caldwell and Robson for my team that Barry would have been my man without doubt. He can play in a variety of positions and gives everything on the pitch. the only one of the gang of four whose passing will be mourned.

The One That Got Away - Gary Caldwell

Ellboy:

Not really worth talking about as he’s not coming to your club. Like many have said be very thankful and watch with relief as he contributes to Wigan’s relegation.

George:

Gary Caldwell is kind of modern football character that makes you nostalgic for guys that were proud to represent the club for what it was, not what he could get out of it. His proclamations tended to coincide with suicide moments that invariably cost us. Should have been back up level at best for Celtic but the downsizing we've faced over the years saw charlatans like him given the armband. Shameful. He might have done a job for you at Championship level but once you see him partner Bramble at Wigan, faced with Torres, Defoe, Drogba and Rooney, you'll see that you've dodged an expensive and egotistic bullet.

Vincent:

Caldwell who you didn't get was just an enigma, great one moment totally hopeless the next. Have to say I was glad to see him go as it means we will have to reorganise the whole defence and that is long overdue

The Gaffer

Ellboy:

So much has been written and argued over, with regards to him amongst Celtic fans. Many will tell you he slowly ripped the heart and soul out of our club and they disliked his persona towards the fans. Equally many will laud him for his achievements and his personality, specifically through the media. For me the evidence is their for all to see in relation to the former and believe me their are many, many like me who believe him to have been a huge factor in creating the apathy we have been experiencing as Celtic fans.

Not being “Celtic Minded” is not even close to being the reason behind so much discontent. IMO that term is a media driven fallacy, born out of an ignorant minority of fans who would never accept him as he was not “Celtic Minded”. I can tell you there are so many reasons to why he created so much division amongst the support. I suppose he’s either a love him or hate him kind of a character. IMO he’s just an average manager who’s stubborn personality makes him a liability to any club. I really could go on and on with regards to his inadequacies but it would probably take up a blog in itself.

Now at Boro, you have an excellent chairman, however if his loyalty to your previous managers are anything to go by then I can see a long and tedious road ahead for you all. I think you can expect a team that will produce disjointed performances, one filled with players who will dance to the managers tune and, if it repeats itself, a side filled with mediocre players, a midfield that struggles to find the right balance and a defence that struggles to impose itself.

I feel your heading for a period of severe disappointment under Strachan. I sincerely hope I’m wrong and the success he managed to bring to Celtic, will also be brought to your club.

George:

Gordon Strachan is a guy I have a lot of time for. Took a while to warm to him as a person due to his abrasive personality and the clashes we had when he was a player at Aberdeen. Took the same attitude to the media and gave them a really rough ride. That I liked. But he started in atrocious fashion with our heaviest ever European defeat, a 5-0 thrashing in Bratislava and losing 4 goals against Motherwell in his first league game. He was fortunate to survive the first month but he turned it around and finished the season in some style and a title winner. He became more cautious in the following seasons, sticking rigidly to his 4-4-2, two wingers system which saw us have the lions share of possession but rarely in dangerous areas. The football in the second and third seasons was in the main, f**king pish. The death of the much loved coach and Celtic legend Tommy Burns saw a real change in our feeling for Strachan. As TB lost his battle with cancer, Strachans emotional response and dignity in this troubled time won many fans over and he was finally accepted as one of us. The title win of 2008 was his greatest moment as Celtic manager IMO, ahead of those 2 CL knockout stage qualifications.

As for his weaknesses, he clearly had issues with players with big personalities and ended up falling out with Jarosik, Gravesen, Balde, Riordan and Donati, all of whom were left to rot in the reserves on big wages. His method of signing players was also skewed. At Celtic, on 1/1/10, we had 16 professional midfielders on our books. His quantity over quality policy (conservative guess 40 players signed in four years) saw too many men unfit to wear the hoops get the chance. Only one of these guys would have made our Seville side of 2003. He presided over an era that was more about the balance sheet than the trophy cabinet. He delivered silverware but the excitement took a considerable hit, as has been seen in the dwindling attendances. His final season was a particularly painful one with a tired side clearly not responding to his spiky commands anymore.

So, good times and bad times under Strachan. At least at Boro, it's not the intense pressure of Celtic where a draw is a crisis played out in front of an unscrupulous media and an insatiable fan base. Give him a fair crack and he'll give you his all. Whether that's what Middlesbrough need right now, I don't know. It might not get your pulses racing but he'll do a not bad job with little money to spend. Just make sure he doesn't out stay his welcome.

All the best mate and I genuinely hope the guys you signed from us get you back where you belong, the EPL.

Vincent:

Just some background I'm a long term season book holder and went to my first Celtic game in 1970, so I've been through thick and thin with the club. First things first with regard to Strachan he has certain qualities and well as some glaring irritating characteristics.

He does understand the importance of quality. The key component of Strachan's reign at Celtic and the reason why we did so well during his tenure was down in no small part to the contribution of the one outstanding player he brought to the club, Shunsuke Nakamura. Nakamura made an enormous contribution and I often voiced the opinion that if Naka plays then the team plays. We had him in his prime and his demise last season coincided with Strachan's demise. Strachan was very loyal to Nakamura and Nakamura responded in kind, but loyalty is one of Strachan's qualities.

He decided early on on Stephen McManus as Captain and paired him with Caldwell through the good and the bad. He organised his team sheet around these 2 and Naka. He could also build a bit of backbone and resilience, the number of goals we scored in the last few minutes to win games under Strachan in the first few seasons was really remarkable.

He was also very stubborn and held grudges most noticeably toward Aiden McGeady. He decision to omit McGeady for the last Glasgow derby of last season was seen as spiteful and petty and resulted in a demoralisation from which we never recovered. That decision effectively meant Stachan had to go, Left to decide between Aiden McGeady and WGS it was clear who had to go. Aiden was home grown, choose for Ireland and ticked all the right boxes off and on the field. Strachan seemed hostile to his choice to play for Ireland which alienated WGS from a large swathe of the fans. People complain about his poor media skills but I think that's just his personality, he is very defensive of his players as a rule and is thus seen as curt and dismissive.

If you are after more information then the guys have recommended a few Celtic sites to check out:

www.celticminded.com
www.celticquicknews.co.uk
www.kerrydalestreet.co.uk