Tam McManus doubts Kasper Høgh will make it at Celtic
The Football Show panel questioned Celtic's £11 million striker, called the Europa League campaign a failure and raised doubts over Callum McGregor.
By Peter Martin,
Kasper Høgh's future at Celtic came under scrutiny on The Football Show, where Tam McManus, Alan Rough and Peter Martin debated whether the £11 million striker should be dropped, despite Celtic's win over Beşiktaş.
Høgh under pressure
The panel pointed to his record in domestic football. "You've paid 11 million pound for a player and he's no' scored in 15, 16 games in the Scottish League for Celtic."
McManus, a former striker himself, did not expect things to improve. "I just don't think it's going to work out for him at Celtic. I think he'll probably go somewhere else."
The case made in Høgh's defence was that he is not getting any service. That drew a blunt response: "He's not going to bully anybody, Roughy." The panel also discussed sticking with Durán as Celtic's striker, with the Kilmarnock game next.
The Beşiktaş fightback
Celtic won against Beşiktaş, but the performance was far from convincing. "For an hour they were really, really poor."
The turning point came when Martin O'Neill sent on Osmand and Durán from the bench. "I think he's kept the heavy artillery later on in the game." The panel noted what was at stake: had Celtic lost, "that was seven defeats in 11."
A failed European campaign
Even with the win, the panel did not believe Celtic can progress in the Europa League. "They're not going to get 10 points." With Torreense, Omonia Nicosia, Marseille and Union Saint-Gilloise still to come, the verdict was stark: "I think it's a failed campaign."
The discussion also covered empty seats at Celtic Park, Lotomba and Donovan, a run of nine games in 25 days, and Celtic's January window, including Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Questions over McGregor
The captain did not escape scrutiny. "For the first time this season, I'm looking at him, I'm going, I'm starting to question his legs."
Not everyone agreed that the problem lay with McGregor himself. The reply: "I think the system's wrong."