Celtic have looked lifeless in front of goal this season, as summer signing Shin Yamada just looks on in the distance.
Brendan Rodgers can compare the Celtic team to a ‘Honda Civic’ all he wants, but at the end of the day, they should be performing much better than they are.
You can talk about the financial gulf between Celtic when they are on the European stage, but not on the domestic scene, because there are major flaws being shown again and again.
That was proved by Celtic’s defeat to Dundee on Sunday, and now the champions of Scotland host Sturm Graz in the Europa League, as Yamada will just sit at home.
- READ MORE: Kawasaki Frontale legend shares what Shin Yamada’s ex-teammates are saying about his Celtic move
Celtic fans on Shin Yamada’s continued absence
Celtic signed Yamada in the summer, but he hasn’t seen the light of day, and he has even been left out of the Europa League squad for the league phase.
Given Celtic’s troubles in front of goal, Yamada was brought up by fans who think surely he deserves game time and a chance, given the rubbish that is being played in front of him.
@aboutceltic started it up: ‘It seemed crazy at the time when Celtic signed a 25-year-old CF who had scored just twice in 21 matches in the J League. It was clearly not what we needed. He deserves a chance, but his signing was completely bizarre.’
@hotbaws1 compared Shin to Kyogo: ‘He at least has some characteristic that we lost with Kyogo. At the very least, he deserves some minutes given how turgid we are in attack.’
@ryan_carr3 called Celtic ‘lifeless’ without Yamada: ‘Kelechi has limited mobility, and Kenny isn’t good enough. So Yamada should at least be given a few games to see what he’s like. At least he can sprint around & hold the ball up, so he may bring much-needed energy to this lifeless Celtic team.’
@Lewis_CFC_120 thinks Kenny should take a backseat for the summer signing: ‘I would like to see him coming off the bench instead of Kenny, tbh. But even if he does get a shot, people will probably just say bring Kenny back in, because unfortunately, both are likely to never be good enough.’
@Everysecondfri3 wants to know who signed Yamada: ‘Would love to know who signed because it certainly wasn’t the manager…. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Lawwell was still in the background.’
@roo94094 notes what would have happened if Shin joined in January instead: ‘If we had signed him in January, he would have been a straight swap for Kyogo, as he had scored plenty of goals in the season just ended. Never given a chance with Rodgers.’
@doddsiesiceberg thinks there is something more ‘bizarre’ than the Japan star not playing: ‘Not as bizarre as giving Johnny Kenny a four-year contract.’
@Kvcfc_ took a swipe at the board for this situation: ‘Another cheap punt from the board. Another lottery ticket. Shouldn’t be here.’
@Kairihojofan made his feelings clear: ‘Better than Kenny.’
Another call for Shin to play, as @scoblerone10 added: ‘Deserves a shot especially as Kenny isn’t firing either.’
Yamada’s game time for Celtic this season
It’s pretty clear that Rodgers is sending out a message that Yamada is a club signing, and not somebody he wanted.
But, at this moment in time, it’s harming Celtic, and the Japan star’s minutes need to increase.
- Yamada’s games for Celtic: 5
- Starts: 1
- Off the bench: 4
- Unused substitute: 2
- Not in the matchday squad: 5
- Total minutes: 147
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