How do you solve a problem like juninho...



I am absolutely gutted that Juninho is not getting a game with Celtic. I have NO DOUBT he is exactly what we need at Parkhead. So, I hear you ask, why is Martin O'Neill leaving the wee man on the bench? My take on it is this;

Our defence this season has been pure mince. With the exception of a resolute display - none the less nailbiting - in Barcelona, the defence has to be held responsible for the draws, the losses, the 10 goals against in the CL & the fact that our bitter rivals have made up an 8 point deficit & leap-frogged us in the SPL. It has looked shaky even in games we have won comfortably & some of the mistakes have had the look of a silent comedy routine - silent being the key word - NO COMMUNICATION.

This malaise is seeping into the very backbone of the team, generating a nervousness that, at times, is visible in all positions. What starts as a few mistakes & nervy displays can culminate in a loss of belief & in-fighting between the players. look at Hartson's body language on Saturday & his general disbelief at some of Henri Camara's penalty box antics - Tired? Yep, tired of scoring enough goals to win a match only to end up drawing or getting beat.

No more talk of bad patches, there is a problem with the celtic team & that is there is a vote of no confidence in the defence. Unless we strengthen up in January, this might not be our year.

So where does Juninho's fate lie in all of this? The flowing attacking football Celtic have played over the past few seasons would suit a player like Juninho & I have no doubt he would thrive in such an environment, remembering the rock solid foundation of last seasons team was the defence. Martin O'Neill cannot risk playing the wee Bhoy from Brazil, who is hardly defence minded, knowing that his defence is leaking like the Titanic. Hardly the wee man's fault.

We all know what he can do & would like to see him do it for Celtic but I fear all of that may be out of his hands. I am guessing he is, judging by the comments by the rest of the team, showing all his skill & ability in training so he must be wondering what it's going to take to get in the first XI. Unless he knows a couple of defenders he can persuade to join Celtic on a free in January, I don't think there's much he can do about the situation. I hope he keeps his head up & keeps trying as I'd rather have Juninho on his game than Camara, who will end up being trouble - you heard it here first. We play Hibs on Saturday at Paradise & the way things are going, we better score at least 5 to guarantee a win - or at least a draw.

Gie the wee man a go...