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00:00Hello and welcome to the latest episode of National World's Fitbit Talk,
00:04your weekly lowdown on all things Celtic and Rangers related.
00:09Failed to capitalise on Rangers slip-up again on Saturday,
00:14I was across this match against St Johnson, rock-bottom St Johnson,
00:18who were detached at the foot of the Premiership table heading into this one,
00:22desperate for points in their bid to avoid a dreaded relegation into the Championship.
00:28And Brendan Rodgers kind of spoke afterwards about expectation levels and how he feels he's
00:36learned quite a lot around how his players cope with certain games.
00:43Interesting quotes, I kind of thought he was talking post-match about, you know,
00:48it's easy enough to be an underdog in a Champions League game, but when you play for Celtic,
00:53you need to obviously, on the domestic scene, be dominant, don't you?
00:59This was a kind of result that not many saw coming, but Brendan Rodgers seemed to.
01:05What did he make of his comments?
01:07I do wonder if when he wakes up tomorrow or today even, sees it,
01:12and he'll maybe regret some of them a wee bit.
01:14I thought they were quite strong.
01:16It cut a reading to me that it was just somebody who was raging with how that panned out.
01:23I wasn't surprised by the performance, I was surprised by the result,
01:25because I think they've obviously lost to Hibs in recent weeks, they've lost to Rangers.
01:31I just feel at the edge since the Champions League game against Bayerns came right out,
01:35the Celtic team, that they know the league's done.
01:37They've already won the Premier Sports Cup.
01:39They know that the likelihood is they'll probably win the Scottish Cup,
01:43and they'll be able to go through enough gears that they'll take care of St.
01:47John's in the semi-final, and they'll probably take care of Aberdeen or Harts in the final.
01:53I think that's where Brendan Rodgers' concern maybe comes from,
01:56as we're talking about the Rangers.
01:58It probably isn't going to be the case every season until the end of time
02:02that they get to that stage and they can just waltz through it.
02:05There was a chance to win the title before the split,
02:08which would be still a really achievement, a real good achievement, the race to the title.
02:13Do it in front of their own fans, a half-twelve kickoff.
02:15Sky have picked the game for half-twelve purely because of that potential, clearly.
02:20And for that, you're then waiting.
02:24You could potentially win it with players in the house.
02:27I've seen a few fans actually saying even this is a possibly treble-winning team,
02:33a likely treble-winning team.
02:34It feels like the season's just fizzling out a wee bit, which is a bit odd.
02:38But I do wonder.
02:39The comments were a bit strong,
02:40because I think they have shown this season that domestically,
02:42they can take care of these teams.
02:45Yeah, I can't help but feel it comes from what Rodgers has spoken about,
02:50in terms of keeping the foot on the pedal.
02:52He's spoken a lot about playing with intensity and pace.
02:56But a lot of these players, in particular, Dyson Maeda at the weekend,
03:01I wouldn't say looked out on his feet,
03:03but he looks like a player in need of a bit of a rest.
03:06Just finally then, let's touch on Dyson Maeda.
03:1030 goals this season.
03:11He was chasing down Marc Viduca's record of 10 consecutive goals.
03:16For a Celtic player, he was on nine heading into this game.
03:19Never really looked like scoring, in all honesty.
03:22But a lot of developments over the last 10 days or so,
03:26around chat that Celtic are looking at tying him down on a new deal.
03:34Improved terms, I believe.
03:36Obviously, there's been plenty of speculation for a good number of years now,
03:39linking him with Moose to the Tottenham and things like that.
03:44I want to find out from you, Ben,
03:45what do you reckon an informed Dyson Maeda,
03:48given that he's 27, he's going to turn 28 in October,
03:52he's at the peak of his career at this moment in time.
03:56If you were looking to sell Dyson Maeda this summer,
04:01how much do you believe he should be valued at?
04:04I think if it was a couple years younger,
04:08then it would probably go for quite a considerable fee.
04:14I think what the Champions League will have done
04:16is it will have put him on a platform,
04:17I don't think there are many better.
04:19It's certainly the speed that he goes at,
04:21in terms of the pressing ability that he gives.
04:25And I think this season, obviously, he scored the goals he has,
04:27and he's added that to his game.
04:29We have maybe not seen that consistently enough yet
04:31to bank on him at Champions League level.
04:33But I think in terms of his all-round plays,
04:35pressing, the way he leads from the front,
04:36the way he ball carries up the park,
04:39I think there would be teams at that level willing to go,
04:42you know what, let's try and test the waters.
04:45Because mainly in the Premier League,
04:47but a Premier League team, £20-25 million,
04:49now that used to be a jaw-dropping fee,
04:52and it still is for clubs like Celtic to get.
04:55But for the clubs to spend,
04:57it's not necessarily massive fees anymore.
05:00So the way Dyson Maida looks after himself,
05:03you would imagine he could play at this level
05:05into his early 30s, let's sort of 33, 34,
05:09before you start seeing any decline.
05:12So, you know, if you're an upwardly mobile Premier League team,
05:16say, you know, Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest
05:19or these type of teams who are in and around that area,
05:22and you're looking for a cost-effective to a point option
05:28who's played at that level,
05:30why would you not go and chuck £20-25 million at Celtic?
05:33Because I think £25 million seems to be the fee
05:35that, you know, Celtic are quite happy with.
05:40You moved up to 30 with Matt O'Reilly,
05:42I don't think you quite get that with Dyson Maida.
05:44But I think if they can get in that 20-25 ballpark,
05:47then I think you're not forced to sell them,
05:50but to buy into your trading model, you kind of need to.
05:53That's kind of the pathway you sell.
05:54Come here, do well,
05:55and you can get a bigger move elsewhere
05:57to one of these Premier League clubs
05:58or Champions League clubs.
06:01But I think it would be a huge mess.
06:02I mean, you can't replace it.
06:04You can't replace it light for light.
06:05You would need to come up with a totally new solution
06:08and strategy to replace him.
06:10You know, it would be Moneyball type stuff.
06:12You can't replace him directly.
06:13You need to replace him in the aggregate.
06:16Yeah, do you think, yeah, just finally then,
06:18do you think that the fact he is so versatile as well,
06:21he could play anywhere across the front line,
06:23do you think that adds on a couple million
06:25to his price tag as well?
06:27Possibly, but I think he's better out on the flanks.
06:29I know he's scored the goals he has through the middle,
06:33but I think if he went up a level,
06:35obviously the goals will come down inevitably
06:39because the players are quicker, stronger,
06:43you know, some of the, I mean,
06:45for all the low blocks you can have in the world
06:47in the Premiership, as soon as he's past you,
06:49then there is no catching him.
06:52And they are all just that wee bit more
06:54tactically switched on, faster, bigger.
06:57So I think he's probably more effective out wide.
07:01You probably want to play him in his natural position.
07:03But of course, if you can play up front as well,
07:06it can knock your chances at the stage of career he's at.
07:09With some players, it can be a hindrance
07:11because if you're somebody who can play right back,
07:14centre back, chuck a wee bit of CDM in there,
07:17you can maybe, you're not really a specialist
07:20in one position, you're kind of just seen as a,
07:24you're almost like an average world buffet.
07:26You're kind of good there, you're kind of good there,
07:29but, you know, I'd just go in Italian
07:31and get a proper Carbonara if I really wanted to.
07:34You don't want to find yourself in that position.
07:37I think he'd probably go and play it wide
07:40and the striker thing would be a need to break glass
07:44in case of emergency type thing.
07:46Well, it's going to make for an interesting summer.
07:49We know there's going to be wholesale changes at Rangers.
07:51It'll be interesting to see if Celtic do decide to cash in
07:54on a couple of their top assets, but time will tell.
07:57Thanks to my colleague Ben Banks
07:59for joining me on today's show
08:01and stay tuned for the next episode of Football Talk next week.