Calling All Celtic Fans: How Good Is McManus? January 26, 2010
Posted by stuart in Transfer Rumours.Tags: Boro, celtic, Follow The Boro Brick Road, Gordon Strachan, Middlesbrough, Stephen McManus
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Gordon Strachan is again linking up with his former club to try and strengthen the Middlesbrough team. With the team hit by a recent batch of injuries, Strachan has been forced into looking for new recruits to add to the ever depleting squad and has recently turned his attentions to Celtic defender Stephen McManus.
The 27-year-old is the longest serving player at Celtic Park having been a professional at the Sottish giants for 10 years. During Strachan’s reign at Celtic he handed McManus the captaincy so he certainly fits the criteria of Boro needing leaders on the pitch.
At the moment a loan deal is being thrashed out for the Scotland international, but this may be slightly premature because we apparently face competition from Premier League side Burnley for his signature.
I’m in the dark about this lads ability to defend and his attitudes on the park so I would welcome any reviews from Celtic fans about Stephen McManus. Good or bad that is.
Follow The Boro Brick Road…
Worst Celtic Captain I can remember
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dives in dives in dives in dives in. misses headers. get’s pushed of the ball to easy. but strachan told us he is a good team mate so goodbye and good luck
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Big Mick could be just what Boro need right now, a real leader on the park, as well as a totally focused cntr half. He will do a very good job for you in the coca cola division, but when you move up to the EPL, that could be another story.
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he makes titus bramble look like a player , sorry guys , never so glad to see the back of anyone.
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Id say hes indiffrent. Hes not the most skillful, very left sided, not a classy CH, but exceptionally brave.
He has popped up with a few very crucial goals too, including in europe.
Hes a very proud Celt and i sometimes wonder if that has driven him on to become an average player who becomes better than his ability or, the weight of being captain puts so much pressure on him, that his abilitys are stifeled.
He plays very well for scotland by all accounts – but truth be told – he was part of an unmoveable defence under Strachans regieme, who many celts blame for most of our woes.
a change may do him good – and he has certain qualities, but hes no Lawrenson.
a good lad – one from the youth system and i wish him well, but am prepared to take a chance on a whole new CH partnership as the Caldwell/Mcmanus pairing hit a wall last feb
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Over rated, dangerous under pressure (always plays dangerous back passes) take him if you want him – il even pay his bus fare down to you!
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He’s like Paulo Maldini, without the positional nous, passing ability, vision, timing in the tackle, and general defensive aptitude.
Cracking lad, and always gives 100%. Doesn’t stop me wishing me had a large pipe of pringles defending set pieces instead of him, however.
Enjoy his cunning and guile guys, enjoy. With the exception of Robson, who has a wicked left peg, wee Strachan seems intent upon eliminating some of the excess dross at Celtic Park, scuppering your promotion claims in the process! Jolly decent of him….
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He isn’t a bad player, just out of favour and low on confidence at the moment. He is a basic, no frills defender, don’t expect any great passes out of defence but he’ll get stuck in.
Some Celtic fans make him the scapegoat of a poor defence, but he has been solid for most of his time and Celtic and only faded over the last year.
Overall, not a great player but not as bad as some Celtic fans would have you believe either.
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If you get Mick, and its a big If, since he is delusional and thinks he is EPL class, you are getting a man with huge heart, great self belief, unrivalled cpmmitment, but very little actual ability
I hate to say it but Flood, Killen and McManus were so far out of the first team picture they were forgotten about. Robson on the other hand is a man who knows his limits and will add value to any squad
The biggest problem is the manager himself, he’s a lovable guy but again not blessed with that much actual talent
Exiledbhoy
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Nicknamed ‘Hoof’, committed, brave, top leadership skills…. terrible, terrible footballer. Can’t pass, can’t tackle, for a man of his size gets bullied too easily by physical players. To be fair he seemed to do a lot better under Strachan than he has under Mowbray but ultimately McManus is a bomb scare. Celtic fans are generally gutted he’s only joining you on loan
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McManus is a difficult one to describe. He had the captaincy and when playing he looked as if he merited it. Noboday else looked like a captain, which is the problem we find ourselves in now.
He’s a typical no nonsense centre half. However that also means that he is not the brightest footballer, and has had a few rush of blood to the head incidents that has cost goals. People say that Gary Caldwell was the ‘thinker’, or ball playing centre half of the two but Caldwell’s howlers and OGs stand out more of the two.
I think i’d say McManus is a big honest player, a presence but not a star.
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oinion , mental mick good name for him, rash, crash ahh fur fek sake peno till them ones
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To be honest, absolutely terrible.
I really hope you take him permanently.
And this really proves the Gordon Strachan did actually rate Mick (McManus) and Caldwell.
God help you.
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McManus is a perplexing player. He has the no nonsense attitude of an old fashioned centre half however seems to have lost his way over the last season or so. Blooded at an early age for Celtic he was not the fans choice for Captaincy but certainly gave it his all. Working with Caldwell at the back he often looked cumbersome with the ball at his feet but his never say die attitude works well for him. Dont be surprised to see him running about with a bandage on his head as he does not flinch out of tackles. I would like to see him back at his best for Celtic but i think his days here are numbered. Not a bad signing for a loan but will need to do A LOT to catch up with the pace of the championship life.
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Positives –
No nonsence defender
First to every ball coming into the box
Chips in with fair share of goals from set pieces
Good in the air
Negatives –
Very rash, will dive into tackles too eagerly
Would rather lunge at the opposition player rather than stay in his central defensive position (good when he wins the ball, disaster when he doesn’t)
Not the fastest, although he isn’t slow
Overall you’re getting a strong defender who will do well in the Championship, he’s a leader on the park, and is a far better defender than Gary Caldwell who you almost ended up with, I think it’s a good move for Boro.
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He’ll throw himself through brick walls for you, but his positioning and decision making at times are horrendous. I wish the big man all the best.
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You’ll probably get a load of keyboard warriors coming on here saying how crap he is, but the simple facts are McManus is a player who has given a 100% with every performance but does probably not have the ability needed to succeed at Celtic.
Gets turned far too easily, liable to make rash challenges in dangerous areas, generally poor positional play when covering.
His game was probably hampered by being made captain (and thus seemingly undroppable).
He is strong in the tackle (when he wins the ball) and will be a bit of the typical ‘no-nonsense’ defender. Most Celtic fans will be happy at the prospect of bringing in new defensive cover but I wish him all the best as he comes across as an honest player who was lucky enough to play for, and captain, the club he supported.
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Dont listen to the negative celtic fans
Mc Manus was a rock at the back for Celtic and then became injured
if he recaptures his form he will be a great signing for you
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He is not very good. Slow and slower on the turn. Easily bullied by big centre forwards , outrun by small ones. Nice lad though, and as WGS will say “a right good teammate”.
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We want to see the back of McManus, he had one good season at Celtic, Strachan’s first when he was playing alongside Bobo Balde in defence and had Neil Lennon playing holiding midfield to add protection.
The following season he was given the captaincy when Lennon quit and he has been poor ever since, he became the senior partner in central defence too when Balde fell out of favour. He was unable to handle the responsibility IMO and was exposed. He has actually gotten worse over the last 3 seasons and his name on the teamsheet now brings the support out in a cold sweat.
Don’t think he has leadership qualities, he doesn’t, all he does is clap at other players to encourage them, some supporters call him Captain McClap. He doesn’t get stuck into opposition players when they rough up his team mates, he looks the other way.
He is poor in the air and has a talent for passing the ball straight to opposition attackers, see goal conceded in the first 5 minutes against Rapid Vienna at home this season for an example, also have a look at his performance in the away game against Rapid, an absolute shambles.
Another of his nicknames is McHoof, so if you have a small striker up front like we do with Scott McDonald, you can rely on him to hoof the ball 80 yards up the pitch at the small striker, something which the tall centre half making him will love. That is when his 80 yard hoofs don’t go into the stand, which the usually do!
If he has a strength, it is that he throws himself in front of shots and can be decent at last gasp blocks to stop shots, but, generally this is to get him out of trouble because he has somehow caused the problem himself and presented the striker with the shooting opportunity.
You guys dodged a bullet with Caldwell, looks like you are getting his equally dodgy sidekick instead!
Please take him off our hands, none of this loan rubbish, sign him permanently, we will even pay for his taxi.
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he was half decent when he first came through, but when made captain i think the job was to much for him,not for the lack of trying just to much pressure.c’mon the hoops.
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Mcmanus was very highly rated a couple of years ago and his stock has plummetted in the last couple of years. He was not the great player some stated a couple of years ago, but he is certainly not as poor as he has been painted lately.
Get him fit and confident and you will have a very good player by championship standards. If he is not fit and playing on reputation you could have problems.
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McManus is a no nonesense centre back. Hes a leader on the pitch. Hes a bit rash in the tackle and gives away needless free kicks around the box. Hes been unlucky with injuries so dont know how fit he is. If you want a defender who puts the ball into row Z when under pressure then hes your man. Celtic’s defence has been a wee bit dodgy in recent times, but you cant blame big Mick for that. It seems Mowbray is clearing out all of Strachan’s men to make way for his own players and the big man is the latest.
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I have to admit that the lad “had” ability but ever since he was given the captains armband he became a liability. I liked the guy as a prospect but what he needed was experience beside him instead of the one shouldering the responsibilty. He seemed to rest on his laurals, thinking he had made it and complacency set in.
He needs a fresh start to become the player he once was and I’d say he could do well in the champioship, it’s probably more his level.
I wouldn’t say he was a leader as he proved the pressure of the captaincy affected his game but he can be a very solid no nonsense centre half and he can also chip in with a few goals as he is good in the air.
As a Celtic fan, I’d be delighted to get McManus off the wage bill permantly as he is not good enough for us but maybe a loan to Boro would bring him back a player. But I think too much water has passed under the bridge for him to be given another chance and it would seem big Tony does not rate him at all.
If the ginger one is going to continue to look at us for players, would you think it possible that he might take Glen Loovens too? This is another lump of wood we need removed. Strachan is fast becoming a Celtic legend with his signings now he has left the club.
I truly hope he clears my club of the rubbish he brought to us before Boro sack him, and you will soon
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a very commited player , but in the modern game you need more than just commitment, and he does not have anything else in his locker, put it this way most celtic fans would say the signing of flood, killen & mcmanus to boro are the best signings strachan has ever made for us, icing on the cake is if he takes mcdonald aswell, give us more cash for a better player, make no mistake though strachan will be your biggest problem, when he arrived at celtic most fans said he was the worst thing to leave southampton since the titanic, enough said! good luck!
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I suspect some of the replies are from “Skint” Rangers Fans – Big Mick won three titles in a row with Celtic and was a rock at the back – Yes like any other centre back he will make rash decisions but once Mick settles in and gets his confidence back he will do a job for you.
Nickname “Hoof” should tell its own story.
Good Luck Big Mick
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Cannot read the game, makes last minute tackles which are normally tooo late and concedes a free kick or worse a penalty.
If Mowbray rang me id drive him to middlesborough myself.
It’ll make my year if we get shot of him.
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‘Mick’ was given the captaincy for the simple reason he was the man for the job. He’s ‘capped’ at international level, played in CL and EL games, and lifter the league title on more than one occasion! He played through injuries fo rthe cause, and this meant he wasn’t 100% on the park. As a result, with criticism his confidence dropped, then errors came into his game! Now he needs a fresh start, back to match fittness and playing again! From there, with confidence, you will see the true McManus!! As a person he’s strong, a leader and a gentlemen! If he does go to ‘boro, I hope it’s only on loan, as I would welcome him back to Paradise!
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I think he will do you a turn in the championship and when you make the EPL time will tell. He goes with my best wishes and i will always remember him as a winner and a guy who gave 100% as for my fellow Celts on this blog you have short memories tell me a big game he actually cost us unlike Caldwell who I think you should be glad you missed out on
Best of luck to all the ex Celts now at the BRO and to WGS who although not me particular kind of manager 3 out of 4 Championships will not be forgotten when the history books are updated in the future
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Big Mick is an accident waiting to happen. He is capable of putting a ball over the grandstand which he has done on several occasions. He might be better suited for Gaelic Football than Football.
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an honest lad but didn’t have what it takes to be anywhere near Celtic, nevermind captain.
positioning is poor, tackling is average, dives out rashly quite often and worst of all, for a big lad, has a shocking problem with being pushed around and bullied by forwards. anyone of any height or strength standing near him will inevitably force him to fall on his arse just by winking at him.
he could probably be a decent enough defender if he had a good coach and a strong partner beside him but knowing Strachan, he’ll more likely be exactly the same Stephen McManus that Celtic fans have had to endure over the last few years.
good luck, I don’t envy you.
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He is an honest professional footballer and will give you 100% effort in every game he plays.
It wasn’t his fault he became a regular or made captain at Celtic but that man is now taking him to Boro.
Good luck to Stephen for the future and hopefully the move away from Celtic will see him enjoy his football again.
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mcmanus is a decent centre half,and played in games that we won against some of the giants of europen football including man utd,milan,benfica to name a few…
what some short sighted fellow celtic fans fail to say is under strachan a SCOTTISH club reached the last 16 of the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE twice and won 3 championships in a row,not done since the great jock stein.
Not being the captain will be a weight off his shoulders and you will see the best of him.
a centre half who in the last INTERNATIONAL campaign snuffed out FRANCE twice.
good luck mick…hope to see you back at the end of season refreshed.
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A fantastic defender, and a right good team mate. Worth £15m, easily.
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Easily bullied (Daniel Cousin anyone?), Terrible positional sense, Not as much as a hard man as he thinks he is, misses headers, lacks composure, loses his man too easily.
That said he never hides, is an honest trier and can weigh in with a goal at set pieces.
He’s also the type of guy you would not be okay with your daughter bringing home.
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He is a good player and will fit in well to an already strong defence. however in recent seasons i feel he has lost confidence in his team mates and this has caused some clumsy mistakes leading to conceding goals as well as late tackles giving away free kicks and penalties. He has appeared slow and indecisive recently but all he needs is a few games in a new club to sort that out to give him some confidence back. I hope he does go on load as this will be the experience he requires to return to parked and play at the high level we seen back in 2005
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Good lad, gives 100%. Can make silly mistakes
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worst Celtic Captain ive witnessed, brave? hes daft not brave! For a big guy is very week,very left footed and thinks he can pass a ball! Will struggle at even that level!
But hes a good team mate so that will get him through his career according to strachan!
Strachan also a plonker he will sign 5 or 6 duds for every 1 good player he signs!
Good luck lads you might need it!!
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GS continues to make his best signings for Celtic, by removing all the cr-p at Parkhead (Robson being the exception) ! Mcmanus has at best been average and at worst a liability ! He is an honest player but if I were a ‘Boro’ fan I’d be feeling quite distraught watching GS destroy any hope of success.
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McManus was a good player who became the focus for all the discontent of Celtic fans last year. Actually all Celtic centre backs Loovens, Caldwell, O’Dea and McManus have been pilloried- since we lost Neil Lennon. This points to the fact that the midfield system Celtic plays now leaves the defence horribly exposed.
When fit he is an automatic pick for the Scotland squad. He is average pace, better attacking the ball in the opposition area than in his own- but has good positioning and is stupid brave. He organises the defence well but is not so much a leader of the rest of the team as a role model for others.
He excels in a backs to the wall role but makes occasional mistakes out of the blue. I reckon he will be a success at Middlesboro.
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Hes a star for the GERS
I wish he was staying at parkhead
All the best maca !!!
RFC the champs!!!
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can be an exceptional player on his day, maybe that has passed him by now, forever. Recently the whole team has been under achieveing of late I think Mogga has them all terrified, this is proving bad for us. Gordon Strachan seems to get the best out of mostly all of his players and thats why I think its a good move for the ‘boro. He’ll be back to his usual self soon enough and we;ll reap the rewards when he returns. Oh how we miss the consistency of wee Gordon, at least he eeked the results almost always the amount of late goal we used to get was unreal. Makes you wonder why we felt he was no good anymore. Good luck ‘Mick’.
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Feck u William Orange ya bass !!! Fit do u ken bout onything ya dobber.
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To be honest taking this lad on a loan is in my opinnion a pretty good proposition! He was after all Celtics most ouststanding defender a few seasons back though it has to be said that he has struggled to regain that kind of form since taking over the captains armband which has left many Celts doubting his leadership abilities and thus many will be happy to see the back of him. It has been a common theme these past few years for Hoops players to go from hero to zero Shaun Maloney,Gary Caldwell are two others who have hit the heights only to dissapoint the following season. A symptom of the quality of players Celtic have at the club perhaps? So to summarise if you can get the best out of Mcmanus and its a big if you may just be very pleased with your aquisition!
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not even a footballer – cant head, cant tackle and too slow….no luck.
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Malarkey – January 26, 2010
The reason Mic seemed ok was due to Balde, he cleared the lines most of the time – nothing to do with Lennon. Once we got rid of Balde Mic was found out.
We need a CH who can head a ball (thats we we did not win the league – alomg with a poacher)
I feel sorry for Boro, looks like bottom 1/2 material now….
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the guy is shocking good luck you will need it
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Best phrase to describe him… Hatchet man!!
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In my book, McManus was a very promising 22 year old who had just broken into the Scotland set up and looked as if he was destined to be the rock that the Celtic team would be built on for years to come.
Then some idiot recruited a certain Gordon Strachan and it’s all gone to rat sh!t from there.
Long may the Destrachanisation of Celtic continue.
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eddie pmsl cya mcmanus hope u stay down there!!
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HAY TIMALLOY
R U BITTER
BORO IN FOR MC BA GREEDY NEXT £A BAG O CHIPS
THE CHAMPS 09/10
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I have just heard Dawn Homes have offered 30m for Ibrox stadium , Could we see flats where Ibrox now stands?
I realy hope so as Rankers offer nothing but hatred and hooliganism to the scottish game , I wonder will all the rankers fans now go back and support Hearts just as they did before souness arrived.
I guess they will.
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Got the Celtic captaincy in Strachans first year not for his defending but the amount of goals he scored from defence.
Unfortunately this has since dried up.
He has been a bomb scare this season and seems to have lost all confidence ,but people forget mcmanus and caldwell were the Celtic defensive partnership that won three league titles and took Celtic to the last 16 in the champions league twice and managed to beat Manchester united and AC Milan at Celtic park on the way.
Saying that I liked the much slagged Strachan and I put a lot of this success down too his management.
What you do have is a cracker in Robson I am astonished we sold him not very pacey but has a great delivery with his left peg, is hard as nails and will score a few goals
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In a word MINCE cant win a header and couldnt kick doors at halloween. Good luck Boro !!!!!!!!
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William of Orange – this is not the time or the place for your narrow , pathetic secterian views to be aired.Strachan and the Celtic four will do a grand job for the Boro.
Hail Hail
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Big Mick is a big honest player, although totally bereft of confidence at the moment. The move should do him the world of good.
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The Celtic fans being negative about McManus are just bahhing like sheep…
He’s not a classy centre-half, but he does the basics. Too much is expected of Celtic defenders- the fans expect our centre-halves to trap the ball with one touch and begin attacks from the back. In reality, McManus is good in the air, brave in the tackle and a good communicator/leader. He’s suffered from a lack of confidence since returning from injury, and the Celtic fans jeering every wayward pass have not helped.
He’ll do well in the championship and will ultimately build a career for a lower-mid premiership team.
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Cant fault his effort, he is a tryer but so would any football fan. Brave but not the best, very suspect when players run at him and go to his left. My biggest worry for MIddlesborough is not McManus its Strachan. Left a shambles at Celtic dont be fooled by the trophies he won any so called football man would have had a shout in winning. There was no style no set formation no flair dull boring football which would not encourage anyone to spend your hard earned cash in going to watch. Reality you should have been paid to watch them.
He will fill your head with statistics and plays the percentage game.
What direction have Celtic being going since he arrived. It was always down. The only decent player he bought was the Holy Goalie and Nakamura who shone out because he could pass the ball to someone in the same team which set him out from the rest and Barry Robson will at least run and run and give 100%. But as Strachan will say, what do I know am not a football man as I have never played at the top level. Well I have only supported Celtic for over 30 years travelled all over europe and been at every home game and a alot of away games for the last 15years, so that accounts for nothing in his arrogant mind. Good Luck
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This is like Xmas in January
goodbye Stephen, close the door on the way out
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Slightly worse than Gary Caldwell !!! Enough said,
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The big man will do fine for you gujys. After seeing some of the abuse from the keyboard hardmen on here, you can see what he has to put up with. Put him alongside an experienced/organising CB and he is great, he saves his best performances for Scotland and Europe, I think this is because he doesn’t get as much time to think – his instincts and ability to score match winning goals were allways reliable. I’m not saying we should keep him, but he is not a bad player. Hopefully you will get more positive than negative opinions.
Good luck Boro!
Ps: he is not captain material – I think that was a mistake which put too much on his shoulders and made him undroppable, he had to play een in bad form…que negative ‘fans’;
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Seems an honest decent big lad. Good enough defender, just a little to nice. Not imposing/dominant to be Celtic captain, if anything this impeded his development over the past 2 seasons. But at 27 maybe his peak is just around the corner. Needs away from Celtic and the captain millstone.
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McManus is a good, honest pro who will give 100% in every match.
He had the makings of a good player a couple of seasons ago, but injuries have taken their toll and he’s not the player he was. Perhaps due to Celtic’s lack of backup in that area he’s been rushed back too quickly too often.
What he lacks in ability he makes up for in effort, but it isn’t always enough. If he can recapture the form he had a couple of seasons back, ‘Boro will have themselves a good player, but I doubt that he will – sadly.
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Nobody crying in their milk about him leaving,don’t suppose you want O’Dea and Loovens also.He was the was the worst Celtic captain in history.
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Very poor judge of long or high balls, always seems to misjudge his jumps for headers letting the ball go over him or bounce giving forwards chances that could easily have been dealt with, cost us many times in past two seasons, glad to see him leave
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Listen, if people think McManus is a leader then they should remember that a captain should lead by example and by constantly giving away stupid goals & freekicks around the box he is not captain qualities.
And can we please tally up his goals for the last two seasons because i cant remember him scoring many.
The sooner we get shot of him the better, take Naylor aswel!!
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rank rotten, think yourself lucky you missed out on Gary Caldwell also.
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McManus played for the jersey, which seems like a rarity these days, and he was an honest, 100% defender.
He is not a very good defender though and is prone to prangs and rash decisions (being the last man and blatantly halfing a Hearts player to send him off and us out the cup earlier this season…when he was Captain).
Every single Celtic fan wants rid of him as he is deemed not “Celtic class”. He came from nowhere, having never really played for us, to Captain us in Strachan’s first season. A strange decision, but as you will soon find out Boro’ fans, Strachan’s decisions will leave you scratching your head.
Rather you than us. Good luck.
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I thought he deserved a try in the first team. He did reasonably well for a while. Shouldnn´t have been made captain. Brave but lacking in ability. I wouldn´t believe the terrible things said about him on here. Still a lot of people up here who don´t like strachan- despite the fact we won a lot under him. It was not Strachan´s fault we were not spending cash. McManus should help you out in my opinion.
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felt sorry for big mick. looked a great prospect when he broke into the team and had a few good years. the last 2 seasons has seen his form get worse and worse. confidence totally gone. in an honest view as a celtic fan, i think for his own sake he should get away. are you getting a top player?. afraid not
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The boy is a trier but he has lost his way. He was never the same after he was assaulted in a game against the forces of darkness by the thug Cousin (who was allowed to do as he pleased by the referee Mike McCurry ). From that day he has been fragile whereas before he was far more commanding. PLaying alongside Caldwell was a bad move in my opinion, if you have a better partner for him, he might be alright.
He played well against big teams in Europe – Man U, AC Milan etc and never made any huge mistakes (unlike Caldwell).
If he does go to Boro you are guaranteed that he will give his all and play for the manager as he trusts him.
He has his limits but he may do a job for you.
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I’m actually starting to feel quite guilty about all the dross we are sending your way but you’ll learn that that is the way it is going to be with such a clown in charge.
Sorry lads but you’re fecked
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Prone to the odd gaff, not a bad lad, but not a great defender. Maybe a change of scene will be what he needs and lead to an improvement. Wouldn’t be holding my breath though. All the best to him, a nice lad.
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Old school defender, never shirks a tackle will play through injury, has the mentality to get his team motivated/riled up, not always a good thing, but a fighting mentality at least.
He had a very good season, then it seems a combination of injury and being made captain (which many Celtic fans didn’t think he deserved and were vocal about it) seemed to knock his confidence.
He has a lot of experience and can perform, but he was no longer ‘clicking’ in the Celtic squad, so a change is welcomed by us, but I hope it will be good for him too.
He does make silly mistakes, but that comes with being the kind of defender he is. Some people mentioned Bobo Balde, and how he did better when he was in the squad – not true, Bobo was just as likely to make stupid mistakes, and was of a similar stock, big brash, good on the head, crunching lunges and smacking the ball up field, not a skilled football thinker.
His experience and leadership should help you out in the dressing room, and if Strachan can help him regain his confidence, you might be onto a winner.
However, if he continues to play as he was at Celtic recently, he’ll generally do the job, but will cost you a few silly goals during the season.
At the moment he’s our best centre back (although that’s not saying much), so there had better be a good replacement coming in, otherwise I’d have kept him.
Good luck!
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Many of the comments above should be quite simply ignored, and come from the same people who are already getting excited by new players who they have never seen play (other than from you tube).
Unfortunately this is the way of life in Glasgow where instant success and drop in form are unacceptable.
By no means is McManus the best defender in the world, however he has never claimed to be either.
The guy is a boyhood celtic fan, who came through the ranks, never embarrased the club with drunken antics, and I found him to be an honest pro who gives his all and delivered under presure at al levels, including: international, champions league & in one of the best final day league wins in our history (only 2 years ago).
Of course last year the team lost the league under his captaincy (unacceptable in Glasgow) & this year the defence have been guilty of a number of high profile errors which others have contributed to in equal measure (ex. Artur “THG” Boruc) – confidence was obviously knocked as a result.
Moving to Middlesborugh is probably the best for all concerned, but I for one thank him for his efforts, and he will always be able to hold his head high as a glasgow boy who lived the dream – something I suspect none of the negative contributors above were able to achieve.
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Decent season a few years ago but never shown anything more than being an average SPL defender.
Great at what is termed seige defending and I reckon the robust challenges and lack of finesse he will face in the championship will suit him.
Good Luck.
Ps, If GS wants to gie us £2m fir him we’ll take it.
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When McManus first emerged, he seemed like a big raw tallent unafraid to put his head and body where others wouldn’t, he’d lunge into tackles with no fear of injury to himself or foe. He pretty much hasn’t moved on from this and that’s the problem with him. Too many times he’s caught on the wrong side of players and has to make that last gasp challenge, which don’t get me wrong, he sometimes makes, but he’s given away a few pens in his time because of it. He’s as honest as the day is long and he will give his all for the team. I wasn’t really impressed in his ability to captain the team tho, he never spoke to the ref about strange decisions etc. Oh, and he is no stranger to the opposition goal, he has scored a few important headers for us in the past, less so in recent times. So to sum him up, you’re getting a player who I think is Championship level at best. He done a job for us in the SPL but was seriously struggling when in Champions League level.
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Otherwise known as mcmadness, says it all really. At least you didn’t get the heid
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Stephen McManus is a player of great character, and in this regard will benefit Middlesborough. Theother side to this is that for a tall man he is pretty ropey in the air.he will work hard and when he is on his game he is a strong decisive defender. When he may be lacking in confidence he can be indecisive and for a defender that is not so goos. All in all he is a good but flawed player. He will cope with that level of footbal I feel.
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PURE AND UTTER PISH
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Stephen McManus is a good footballer and a great professional.
That said he was just developing when Gordon made him Captain, did little for his game and as far as Celtic Supporters are concerned – there are some mighty big boots to fill – He was to young IMO.
However, you are getting (if the loan goes thro’) an experienced Internationalist, Champions league player and his Scottish medal tally speaks for itself.
And I for one hope it turns out well for Stephen & Boro’
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Hey you Celtic passionates what about coming down here to support
your castoffs. You did when super Bobby Murdoch graced our
beloved Ayresome Park pitch ! .
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Out of the comments I have read, and there are a load of them, I am guessing we are getting another try-hard which is what we need really. Wheater can mop up up mistakes as long as McManus puts his foot/head in where it hurts.
Not so young… that is a great shout. I remember going to Ayresome Park as a teenager and seeing him play. Absolute legend in the midfield. I do recall a few Scots at Boro games now. It would be great if we could get a fraction of their fan base at the Riverside. We would probably be selling the stadium out with the amount of fans they have.
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