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The further forward that we move the harder it is to whittle things down, especially in midfield where most players can be used in two roles.

These days a right sided midfielder is expected to be exploding down the wing or even doubling up as a wing back.

From my own experience the classic three man midfield emerged in the early eighties with Paul McStay and Tommy Burns playing either side of Murdo MacLeod.

Four and five man midfields tend to be the fashion these days but for the purposes of this vote I’ll leave it at three to give us more attacking options to enjoy.

Over the last 50 years Celtic have been blessed with many fantastic midfielders, it wouldn’t have been a stretch to come up with ten candidates for each midfield position.

If your favourite isn’t listed he may have been moved inside for the central midfield role – as for left midfield, how many good ones do you require?

Have a look at our five candidates and cast your vote on the final page…

The team is based on players who have played since that afternoon in Lisbon, the Lions have been left out of contention for this vote.

STEVIE MURRAY

Joined a great Celtic side in the early seventies and immediately slotted in alongside giants like Kenny Dalglish, Harry Hood, Bobby Lennox and Dixie Deans.

Murray possessed a great shot but also had the vision and mobility to make him very much the modern midfielder of the seventies.

He scored the goal at Brockville in ’74 that clinched nine-in-a-row and followed that up with another against Dundee United in the Scottish Cup Final, but opted out of the 1974 Scotland World Cup squad for personal reasons.

*Cast your vote on the final page…

SHUNSUKE NAKAMURA

Had the misfortune to arrive at Celtic on the back of the 5-0 defeat from Artmedia Bratislava but soon made his mark in Europe with a glorious and much celebrated free kick against Manchester United.

Japanese players had rarely ventured to the UK or Scotland but despite his slight frame Naka made a big impact on the Celtic side of Gordon Strachan.

To this day his impact can be seen through Kieran Tierney with his ability and dedication leaving a legacy with all who saw him in action.

*Cast your vote on the final page…

DAVIE HAY

Brilliantly named as the Quiet Assasin, Hay could play a bit but knew how to look after himself.

Any opponent that was putting it about a bit was likely to meet their match with Hay specialising in cementing players in a 50-50 with the unfortunate opponent likely to end up somewhere in The Jungle.

Although regularly used in defence he was at his best in midfield with his transfer to Chelsea shortly after the 1974 World Cup Finals a key factor in the club’s decline as a European force.

*Cast your vote on the final page…

LUBO MORAVCIK

Could have been nominated for any of the midfield roles and enjoyed an amazing Celtic career.

Who and why were the obvious questions when he was signed, after his first Glasgow derby he became the club’s best bargain since Henrik Larsson.

Lubo could do anything and everything with a ball, including trapping it with his backside.

He could score from any position, was completely two footed and was always capable of something special no matter how mundane things were around him.

If only he had been brought to Celtic a decade earlier…

*Cast your vote on the final page…

STAN PETROV

Was the lost Bhoy of the John Barnes era that flourished under Martin O’Neill.

Very much the modern midfielder he could play in any midfield role, tackled strongly and loved to motor box to box to test out goalkeepers.

He was a key figure on the road to Seville forming a great partnership with Paul Lennon and Neil Lambert, supplying the younger legs to his peers. When he was sold to Aston Villa there was a £4m profit for Celtic following six years of top performances.

Cast your vote below…

As reported by the Daily Mail, three Premier League clubs are vying for the signature of Russian international Alan Dzagoev this January.

What’s the word?

With the long-term injury to Yannick Bolasie and Everton struggling for form, Ronald Koeman badly needs some creative, attacking flair in his midfield and he may have found the man to provide it.

The Mail reports that the Toffees are in for Alan Dzagoev who, despite garnering plenty of hype over the years, is still wearing the shirt of CSKA Moscow in the Russian Premier League.

Everton director of football Steve Walsh, the paper report, was sitting alongside the Russian’s representatives during CSKA’s recent defeat to Spurs at Wembley.

Koeman faces competition to get his man with former club Southampton interested alongside Swansea.

Shouldn’t he already be in England?

Dzagoev burst on to the scene as a name known Europe-wide with fine performances during Euro 2012. Since then he’s often been a target that many fans in England have wanted to play for their club.

The closest he came to being a Premier League player was in 2013 when as the Mail report, Spurs tried to sign the attacking midfielder. They reckon the £25m price tag put them off but that English clubs are ready to do business again at a more reasonable £15m.

Dzagoev scored two goals in this season’s UEFA Champions League, away to Leverkusen and also at Wembley last week away to Spurs.

Whoever gets his signature will have a fine player on their hands who after 8 seasons at CSKA Moscow seems well poised to take a massive next step in his career.

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Liverpool were heldÂto a 2-2 draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in their first game of 2017 as the Black Cats came from behind on two occasions to salvage a point.Daniel Sturridge gave Liverpool the lead in the 20th minute after receiving the ball from a miss-hit volley by Dejan Lovren, and his neat header in the six-yard box showed his deadly instincts.However, Sunderland soon drew level when they were awarded a penalty after DidierÂNdong was brought down by Ragnar Klavan. Jermain Defoe calmly tucked the spot-kick into the right corner of the net.Liverpool then regained the lead in the second half after a corner was flicked on at the near post, and Sadio Mane was on hand to tap in from close range.There was late drama, though, in the 84th minute when Mane handled the ball in the box and aÂpenalty was awarded. Defoe stepped up and made no mistake from the spot, scoring his eleventh goal of the season to salvage a point forÂhis team.It was a fascinating game and here are FIVE big talking points from it…

Daniel Sturridge took his chance

Sturridge has found game time difficult to come by so far this season and it has been a while since the England striker last started regularly for Liverpool. However, when given a chance against Sunderland to impress, he took it!

He gave Liverpool the lead just 20 minutes into the game and was a constant thorn in the side of the Sunderland defence. If not for the heroics of the Sunderland goalie, Sturridge would have surely added to his solitary strike.

With Sadio Mane now heading to the Africa Cup of Nations, Sturridge could be a key man for Liverpool.

Jermain Defoe just can’t stop scoring

Sunderland have Defoe to thank for them not being effectively relegated already, as his regular supply of goals have helped the club to move away from the bottom of the table.

The pint-sized striker notched up two to take his tally to eleven in the league this season, and if he had successfully rounded Simon Mignolet when sent through on goal, he would surely have got a hat-trick.

All the same, he had a very good game.

Sadio Mane was hit and miss

Mane scored a late goal for Liverpool and the fans must have thought that would be theÂwinner.

But, just when the Liverpool were beginning to celebrate, the same man broke their hearts by handling the ball in the 18-yard box, and Defoe stepped up to equalise for the Black Cats.

Despite this, the Senegalese star will be missed while he heads off to represent his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Liverpool needÂto improve defensively

Liverpool’s defence has been shaky so far this season and they have already conceded 23 goals in the league.

Joel Matip has been the best defender in red, but he was missing for the game against Sunderland through injury and his replacement Ragnar Klavan never looked comfortable.

The Estonian ended up giving away a penalty in the 24th minute after downingÂNdong,Âwhich proved a vital moment in the match.

Jurgen Klopp definitely needs to look intoÂadding another defender to his ranks this month.

Vito Mannone is the main man

Sunderland goalie Vito Mannone had a superb game between the sticks against the Reds, and despite conceding two goals he was by far his team’s best player.

He made strings of saves to keep Sunderland in the game as the visiting side unleashed 15 shots on target.

With Jordan Pickford injured, David Moyes needs his Italian ‘keeper to maintain such form,

Lose to Southampton and Liverpool’s season suddenly looks in jeopardy. Indeed, the Reds are now ten points off Premier League leaders Chelsea in the title race and are some way from being able to glance at the FA Cup as a realistic shot at silverware, while even a top four finish is not looking as solid as it was in the closing days of 2016.

So, EFL Cup elimination at the semi-final stage would be a massive blow, and it’s one Jurgen Klopp’s side are staring at after losing the first leg at St Mary’s 1-0. In reality, that night on the south coast could have been much worse with the Saints comfortably outplaying the travelling team, so they’re lucky in some respects that the tie is still open enough for a trip to Wembley to linger tantalisingly on the horizon.

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However, if Liverpool are to overturn the deficit, they cannot make the same mistakes as in recent matches. Here are THREE problems from the past few weeks Klopp must address…

This three’s not company

Although much has been made of Liverpool’s front three lacking fluidity and the backline making rookie errors during the recent slide, the problems, arguably, stem from the midfield. Sadio Mane’s absence has left a void in the forward line, which Klopp has attempted to address with Adam Lallana moving from his new deeper role onto the right-flank, and although he has the technicality to create chances, taking him from the centre of the field has slowed the Reds’ play.

The Englishman’s ability to play on the half turn and look for vertical passes has been key in a midfield trio including himself, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson, with the threesome’s skills all complimenting one another’s.

Emre Can has stepped in, but the German’s lack of pace over five yards and desire to take an extra touch rather than distribute early has taken the zip out of Liverpool’s play and exposed them both offensively and defensively, with turnovers of possession commonplace either through being robbed by opponents or seeing passes intercepted.

Against the Saints, Klopp must opt against putting Lallana in the attack and instead keep faith with his new ‘No.8’ role. Daniel Sturridge or Divock Origi can fill in as either the central striker or as wide attackers to keep Roberto Firmino in the middle, while Sheyi Ojo has the pace, if not the end product or experience, to fill Mane’s boots.

Better than average Joe-l

FIFA’s farcical inability to clarify Joel Matip’s eligibility to feature has robbed Klopp of, arguably, his best centre-back for the past few games. Essentially it all boiled down to a dispute between the player and Cameroon, who registered him for their AFCON trip, only for the player, who has effectively retired from international football and not pulled on his nation’s green shirt since 2015, to not join the squad. FIFA then stepped in as they investigated, leaving Liverpool staring at the prospect of missing their defender for the entirely to the competition, even though he’s on Merseyside.

Alas, the debate was settled last Friday, but not in time for Matip to train to face Swansea in Saturday’s loss. We all saw the impact of not having an authoritative presence at the heart of the backline as Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren struggled to cope with the Swans’ attacking threat, which resulted in two goals from Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson, all of which may have been dealt with with more organisation, presence and quality at the back.

The ex-Schalke man is available, has been in full training and simply must start in a game Liverpool cannot afford to concede a goal in.

Pain barrier too much for Clyne now

Two of Swansea’s three goals came via the Liverpool right-flank, and although it would be silly to suggest that Nathaniel Clyne was the only man at fault, it’s pretty obvious he played his part. The Englishman was nursing a rib injury vs. the Swans, which may have held him back slightly, so there’s no sense risking him against the Saints when Trent Alexander-Arnold has been impressive of late when called upon.

The youngster has the pace and physicality to get up and down the right-flank and offer the width Klopp’s team needs and may inject the sort of energy that was missing at home to Swansea.

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Patrick Bamford completed his move from Chelsea to Middlesbrough on Wednesday, returning to the club after a prolific spell at the Riverside Stadium in 2014/15.

As reported by the BBC, the deal was worth about £5.5m to Chelsea but could rise with a number of performance-based clauses in his contract.

Bamford enjoyed by far the best spell of his career at Middlesbrough in that season we mentioned, playing under Aitor Karanka in the Championship.

The ex-England youth international scored a fantastic 19 goals across the season at the age of just 21, making himself a big favourite with Boro fans.

However, he faces an uphill battle to recapture that form given his lack of game time and goals in his time since leaving the North East. As this stat from Opta shows, he’s failed to score a competitive goal for over one and half years.

There are of course reasons for that. Most of those 26 appearances were off the bench and his game time has been severely limited.

Still, it demonstrates that he might face an uphill battle to be a success from the off at Boro. He certainly has the talent required to make an impact there, as shown by his previous form at the Riverside, but Boro fans may have to remain patient with their new signing to see the very best from him.

He’ll need time to settle in and work his way up to full match fitness and form.

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Paris Saint-Germain’s newest star Julian Draxler has confirmed that Arsenal held long-term interest in his services but did not push for his signature in January, he told Telefoot.

What’s the word?

Arsenal fans will have become accustomed to seeing their club linked with Julian Draxler in recent windows, so they may have been surprised to see the German international leave Wolfsburg in January to join Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsene Wenger first chased the German attacker during his days at Schalke and the player has confirmed the Gunners interest, although no approaches were made by Arsenal last month when PSG completed their swoop.

Draxler has excelled in the French capital since his arrival, scoring four goals in six appearances, which may leave Gooners frustrated as their side failed to complete any significant deals in January and have struggled since.

What was said?

Speaking to French outlet Telefoot, Draxler said:

‘I had some good years in Germany but I wanted to experience something different. For that reason, I chose to join PSG. The directors and coach at Wolfsburg have changed. I was on good terms with them and we decided it was best if I left.”

‘I listened to my heart and chose PSG as they play in a style that suits me best. I had several options though. Arsenal had been in contact since about two or three years ago but I was not in touch with them this winter.’

Have Arsenal missed out?

Given Julian Draxler’s excellent stats so far, an argument could be made to say yes. However, it really all depends how their squad progresses in the latter stages of the season and what activity goes on this summer, as the Gunners boast Lucas Perez, Danny Welbeck, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Alex Iwobi as wide options.

A £35m fee is a fair price in the modern transfer market for a player of Draxler’s ability, especially considering his young age, so Arsenal may come to regret this decision. That said, it is debatable where Draxler would have slotted in at the Emirates Stadium.

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Alex McLeish has refused to rule out a return to Rangers, but has insisted that no contact has been made as yet.

The Scottish Premiership club are looking for a new leader following the sudden departure of manager Mark Warburton.

Rangers released a statement last Friday announcing that Warburton had resigned, but the man himself denied that he had walked away.

The confusion surrounding his exit continues, but now attention turns to who could replace the 54-year-old, who took charge of Rangers in 2015.

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According to The Express, McLeish, who won the treble as Rangers boss in 2003 during a four-and-a-half-year spell, is the favourite for the job.

The former Aston Villa boss has been asked about the position and was quick to insist that his presence at Rangers’ Scottish Cup match against Morton on Sunday had nothing to do with the managerial vacancy. He told Sky Sports:

“You never know, this is purely coincidence me being here today. Obviously there’s a lot of speculation. At the moment there’s nothing I can update you on.

“I’m a Rangers man so you obviously have to keep that in consideration. When you get asked to join a club like Rangers it’s obviously a hard offer to turn down.”

Rangers currently sit third in the league table, level on points with second-placed Aberdeen, but a whopping 27 behind leaders Celtic.

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Jesse Lingard will never be the world’s greatest player, that much is obvious. He lacks the natural pace of a traditional wide-man, the power and ingenuity required for more central midfield roles and in brutal honesty, the quality to be a regular starter at a club of Manchester United’s grand stature. His Red Devils career thus far has bore just ten goals and seven assists in 65 appearances – not exactly a dominant return for an attacking midfielder, even one still learning the ropes at Premier League level.

Yet, Lingard is the kind of player that every Premier League manager would want, and the kind of player that harks back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s days at Old Trafford. Whilst countless world-class stars helped the Scot achieve unprecedented success with United, their efforts were underpinned by simpler yet equally effective team-mates – the likes of John O’Shea and Park Ji-sung – who’d come into the side for specific games tasked with specific jobs, rarely letting Fergie down.

That’s a testament to how talented a manager Ferguson was when it came to rotation, tactics and motivation, but also how the best starting XIs aren’t simply a collection of the best individuals. They must also be the best-suited individuals for the tactics at play and the opponents in question.

Lingard firmly falls into that camp. Whereas most Manchester United fans wouldn’t want him starting every fixture, his telling contributions in the Red Devils’ last three finals highlight how he’s a man for the big occasion, if not every occasion.

Three key components make Lingard so; versatility, industriousness and of course, his knack of scoring goals. The first two, like Ji-sung and O’Shea, make him adaptable to a variety of instructions and trustworthy off the ball. The latter, meanwhile, helps change games in United’s favour. Of course, the fact he’s United born and bred, amid an era in which academy graduates are becoming increasingly rare, doesn’t hurt him either.

His effort in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, sandwiched between two Zlatan Ibrahimovic strikes, may have lacked the magic of his goals in the FA Cup final and Community Shield, but it once again demonstrated how he makes telling contributions in important games. In addition to the above traits, the goals also suggest a mind that doesn’t become overawed by the spectacle of cup final days and the grandeur of Wembley. Even when the quality isn’t always there, such composure under the spotlight can be priceless.

“I think that we will be ready in July to open the door to two or three good players to help us improve our level. Because you reach a certain level of stability, you find your way to play, you find your philosophy to play, this is very important and we are doing that with some stability. The team is quite stable in the way the team plays. Then you need one more push and the next push is in the next transfer window.”

Speculating over Lingard’s future at Old Trafford, therefore, is a rather intriguing exercise. We know Jose Mourinho will be in the market for new players this summer – he’s already admitted as much – and one assumes a new attacking star will arrive, with Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann the most obvious candidate. Just nine Premier League starts this season hints at a departure, but the 24-year-old may well find himself spared because of the qualities that have seen him influence so many big games.

After all, Mourinho is nothing if not a big-game manager and once again, Lingard has proved himself to be one of United’s most important big-game players.

The climate isn’t the only thing that gets hotter and hotter as you travel down to the south coast of England, with Southampton vs Portsmouth representing one of the biggest derbies in the domestic calendar, a game jokingly referred to as El Classicoast in recent years.

Both Saints and Pompey have endured financial hardship in recent years, though the former have recently become one of the most competitive sides in the Premier League, with Portsmouth struggling in League Two after off the field turmoil. Still, the pair are the most successful sides in this part of country and have a rivalry spreading back hundreds of years between the two cities.

Obviously, the fact both are based on the coats creates a dockyard rivalry, too. While it’s not a fixture played often these days, meetings between Southampton and Portsmouth are some of the most highly-anticipated in domestic football when they roll around.

Visit Britain are looking to find the biggest Super Football Fan in the world, and to be honest, there will be a fair few to choose from in this particular part of England.

Whilst you contemplate whether you feel you have what it takes to be considered, we have showcased three of the best south coast derbies in recent memory…

Southampton 3-0 Portsmouth, Dec 2004

The first ever south coast derby in the Premier League ended in a rather routine victory as the Saints marched to 3-0 thumping of their neighbours. Pompey’s 19 miles across to St. Mary’s Stadium started rather awfully indeed, with Sebastian Schemmel scoring an own goal early on in proceedings.

Marian Pahars and Southampton legend James Beattie rounded off the scoring and made sure those in red and white made south coast derby history.

Southampton 2 – 2 Portsmouth, April 2012

This time around, after a number of financial hardships at both clubs, the two would meet in the Championship as Southampton passed their more successful rivals on the way to the proverbial Promised Land that is the Premier League that same year.

Still, indicative of the competitive nature derby day instils throughout football clubs, Portsmouth twice fought back from losing positions to rescue a point at St. Mary’s, with David Norris instantly cancelling what looked to be a very late Billy Sharp winner in the last minute of a pulsating draw.

Southampton 1 – 4 Portsmouth, Feb 2010

Crazy to think now, though Portsmouth were once in the Premier League and looking down on their neighbours, who were struggling in League One at the time. When the two met in the FA Cup over seven years ago, it resulted in a famous win for the blue half of the south coast, who trounced their hosts in 4-1 win on enemy soil.

So think you have what it takes to be their Super Fan? Click on the link below to find the details.

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Celtic’s defensive frailties came to the fore again against Rangers on Sunday. In high profile, high pressure games, their backline has often been found wanting this season. We saw it in the derby and we saw it on multiple occasions in Europe earlier in the season.

Even looking past the first team, there’s not much depth there as cover and one or two key injuries could plunge the defensive situation at the club into crisis. This is a problem for Celtic.

Added to that problem is the fact that two members of that defence are out of contract come the end of the season, Kolo Toure and Emilio Izaguirre. It’s an area of the team that needs strengthening and they need to bring in genuine quality that is still within their budget.

You get the impression that Brendan Rodgers is intent on making a big splash in Europe next season and to do that he needs better defenders and in more quantity.

With that in mind here are FOUR defenders Celtic should make a move for…

 Martin Caceres

Martin Caceres hasn’t played a single game of professional football this season after being released by Juventus in the summer of 2016. However, the Uruguayan international has just turned up at Southampton to begin his football rehabilitation and is on his way to appearing for the first team after featuring for the reserves.

His contract at Saints is only until the end of the season making him a free agent come the summer. The door opens for a club like Celtic who can offer him a decent wage and a chance to play Champions League football.

He has extensive experience on the continent and internationally after spells at Barcelona, Sevilla and Juventus, clearly highlighting the qualities he possesses as a versatile central defender.

He’ll be getting the best of care at Southampton and if he’s deemed surplus to requirements then Celtic should chance their arm and make an offer. He can only say no, right?

Kevin Grosskreutz

Kevin Grosskreutz is currently without a club having been unceremoniously sacked by Stuttgart earlier this month after being involved in some off the pitch trouble on a night out. You know what they say though – one club’s trash is another club’s treasure – and Grosskreutz would be an excellent addition to Celtic’s options on the right hand side of defence.

Emerging on the footballing scene as a winger, it’s at right-back where he’s been predominately used at Stuttgart, although he still offers an option in wide attacking areas should Celtic require that cover.

He’s a noted Celtic enthusiast, so would perhaps be more eager of a move to Celtic Park than you’d think.

Can Celtic be the club that sees him shine again on the European stage after a celebrated stint with Borussia Dortmund?

Hasan Ali-Kaldirim

Another out-of-contract defender this summer, Hasan Ali Kaldirim would be a perfect replacement for Emilio Izauirre, whose deal is up at the end of the season.

Kieran Tierney will need strong competition if he’s to continue developing as a player and a move for the experienced Kaldirim would certainly provide that.

He has experience in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League which would be ideal for Celtic’s needs next season. Having spent the last 5 years at Fenerbahce, could he now make a splash in the Scottish Premiership?

Jason Denayer

Jason Denayer’s career hasn’t exactly lifted off since he left Celtic after a loan spell in the 2014/15 season. He was excellent for the Hoops that year, often out shining the much celebrated Virgil van Dijk, and many thought he would go on to be a top star at Manchester City.

City do see a future for him, having committed him to a contract that sees him stay at the club until 2020. An inconsistent season at struggling Sunderland has left his future City status in limbo though, unlikely to be the man Pep Guardiola needs to strengthen his under-fire defence.

Whether it’s a loan move or a transfer, Celtic fans would love to see Denayer return and add some composure to their central defensive area.