Over the years, plenty of big-name stars have pulled on the Celtic shirt, but not everyone could handle the pressure that comes with it. While Celtic have had their share, it’s Rangers who’ve recently seen more high-profile players flop after two decades of struggles.
One player who had a brief spell at Celtic was Roy Keane. Despite only spending six months in Glasgow, he still lifted two trophies — including a win at Ibrox. Yet, in a shock twist, Keane has been included in a new SPFL “flop” list.
The controversial list, put together by the Warm-Up Podcast, only featured big names who arrived from English clubs. Three Rangers men were included — Joey Barton, Aaron Ramsey, and Francis Jeffers — alongside Keane and Brazilian playmaker Juninho.
Celtic hero Chris Sutton wasn’t impressed, branding Keane’s inclusion “ridiculous” and ranking him bottom of the five-man list. Sutton recalled playing alongside Juninho in Martin O’Neill’s stacked squad, admitting the Brazilian just couldn’t get game time in such a strong team.
Sutton’s ranking of the SPFL “flops” went like this:
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Aaron Ramsey
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Francis Jeffers
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Joey Barton
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Juninho
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Roy Keane
Even Sutton joked that no one would dare tell Keane to his face: “If we meet him in the street, he’d knock us all out.”
Maeda’s stats vs Red Star:
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Shots: 0
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Touches: 7
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Unsuccessful touches: 1
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Offsides: 2
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Passes: 4
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Passing accuracy: 75%
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Rating: 5.96
With Iheanacho finding the net again, there will be growing calls for him to lead the line instead, given his natural instincts as a striker.
Sutton voiced sympathy for Maeda on social media, stressing that he’s being played out of position:
“Maeda off… if he’s not injured, I feel for him. A player who was outstanding out wide is now being forced into a role that doesn’t suit him.”
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