tumbleweed blows through Champions League Roster

By: Matt | September 8th, 2008

Well…International Break Weeks are sure…boring. With the transfer season over and Celtic players/coaches not getting into confrontations, there has been not much to report. Aiden McGeady and Ireland started off their World Cup campaign on the right foot with a win over Georgia. Meanwhile, Scotland kept doing its Scotland thing and lost to Macedonia 1-0. Celtic centerbacks Stephen McManus and Gary Caldwell got starts for the Tartan and Stephen McManus brought his struggles to his national team, while Caldwell looked the stronger of the two, having a decent game. Despite wearing the armband, Mick has seemed to struggle lately. Looking unsure at best and seeming to lack the leadership to wear the armband often, is it time to talk about a new captain for Celtic? Personally, I think Barry “Robo Cop” Robson is a perfect candidate, but Gordon Strachan doesn’t see him good enough to get a game, but that is a topic already discussed.

With the lack of goings on during the international break, I am really reaching for some news. And that reach comes in the form of Celtic announcing its squad for the upcoming Champions League Fixtures. Not too many surprises to announce really. The most noticeable absence is big Bobo Balde, who continues to be marooned in Reserve Island. Bobo has made it clear he is happy at Celtic and is more than happy to collect his 30,000 a week salary for sitting on his arse. Anyways, here is the roster.

Goalkeepers
No. Name
1 Artur Boruc
21 Mark Brown
82 Scott Fox *

Defenders
No. Name
2 Andreas Hinkel
3 Lee Naylor
4 Stephen McManus
5 Gary Caldwell
12 Mark Wilson
22 Glenn Loovens
24 Jean-Joël Doumbé
48 Darren O’Dea *
52 Paul Caddis *

Midfielders
No. Name
8 Scott Brown
11 Paul Hartley
17 Marc Crosas
18 Massimo Donati
20 Pat McCourt
25 Shunsuke Nakamura
29 Koki Mizuno
42 Michael McGlinchey *
46 Aiden McGeady
53 Simon Ferry *
54 Ryan Conroy *
56 Mark Millar *

Forwards
No. Name
7 Scott McDonald
9 Giorgos Samaras
10 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
13 Shaun Maloney
19 Barry Robson
23 Ben Hutchinson
26 Cilian Sheridan *
33 Chris Killen
55 Paul McGowan *

* denotes players registered who have been at Celtic for 2 years and under 21.