A new regime should not rule out the proven goal-scorer
Saturday 4 October 2014 12:16, UK
Andy Walker believes Kris Commons must be Celtic’s focal point even if he doesn’t measure up to manager Ronny Deila’s fitness demands.
Commons and club captain Scott Brown have been victims of the stricter diet and fitness plan that Deila has implemented despite their impressive history at the club.
But former Celtic striker Walker believes that reintroducing Commons - starting with the Europa League fixture against Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday night - would be the ideal way for Deila to endear himself to a sceptical fan-base.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: “This is a new manager who has come in and made controversial decisions. Leaving out the likes of Scott Brown, his captain, and maybe more importantly, Kris Commons – Scotland’s Player of the Year last year with 30 goals.
“I think his percentage of body fat is too high and Ronny Deila talks about this fitness regime that he wants to bring in to try and compete with the best teams in Europe.
"That’s all very well but I think you take it one step at a time and until you get someone who is fitter, stronger and faster than Kris Commons, I think you play him.
Tick
“He’s got imagination, he’s the one that links the play from the front. He scores goals, he sets up goals. I would be building the team around Kris Commons, I would be saying to him ‘you are the player that can make us tick’.
“Put extra responsibility on him. I think he’s at a stage in his career where he would relish that type of opportunity and that type of scrutiny on his play.”
Walker concluded that the criticism faced by Deila is all part of the job.
“It is absolutely inevitable that he comes under intense scrutiny as a Celtic manager. I think it all stems from the way Celtic play.”