A question many of us have pondered is, what has happened to this team who achieved our best points total (92) of last season, which was our best haul of points over the five previous seasons? How can disintegration be so quick? We ended last year’s League campaign leaving a wonderful atmosphere at Celtic Park on the very day Rangers lifted the title! How often will that happen? For sure it won’t happen this year if Celtic do not lift the title!
On the above day the support were 100% behind all that was going on at Celtic and once again backed the Club with another great season book response. We more or less agreed amongst each other that three quality players would be sufficient to solidify what was needed to bolster what Neil had built on and we looked forward to the new season with renewed spirit & vigour.
Therefore with the above building blocks in place what happened next? Well nothing to be precise! There are six days to the end of the transfer window and we’ve signed one player for £850,000 who has promise but is not one of the three quality players we expected or were hinted at by the chief executive. Fact is, his current level showed he couldn’t be trusted to contribute anything last night.
If it were the case that the season ticket monies didn’t come in until the board showed the same commitment as the fans have already shown, then bet your life quality signings would have been made by now! Of course the board’s lack of ambition and foresight is not the only reason for our current state but it is a major factor!
Many fans are feeling short-changed, deceived even, and are in deep mistrust of the people who run Celtic. Other will read this and say they are happy with the board and the manic fiscal way it is run! £500,000 is our current debt. The balance sheet is pretty, but without the Scottish Cup sitting in the trophy cabinet it would be bare empty, apart from our historical collection! Not winning trophies & titles as the Club suits fawn over their nice balance sheet is completely useless to supporters. There has to be a middle ground towards balance sheet performance and trophies in the cabinet. This is the responsibility of the chief executive & the board. They have simply failed to find that balance.
Therefore in what direction do we aim our anger & frustration at? Peter Lawwell’s job pertaining to Neil Lennon is to negotiate the contracts of the players Neil & his scouting team have identified. People in the game tell me Peter Lawwell wants to trim deals down for new targets so much that they scunner & drive possible new signings elsewhere. Yes he has to drive the best deal for the Club but not to the extent you drive them away! Therefore the board & the chief executive have failed us by their lack of foresight & inept dithering. If some think they haven’t, then ask what you have been given in return for your season ticket commitment in bringing better players to Celtic!
Player wise we are hanging onto players who are continuing to let us down. Last night Daniel Majstorovic was not an accident waiting to happen, he is an accident happening continuously! He is not alone of course, some others are continuingly getting a game & are continuingly letting us down. As for the players out on loan none at all have a future at Celtic whatsoever. The reason they are on loan and not being sold is because nobody wants to buy them.
Neil is a young manager and will make mistakes and has made mistakes. We knew this when he was appointed, he also knows this and is aware that pressures of the job at Celtic is deliver the title this year. We must back him to give him the opportunity to achieve this target. If he fails & importantly he feels he HAS been backed by the board in securing his targets then that is a different matter which can only be judged at the end of this season!
The very fact we could still qualify for the group stages via disqualification of Sion, if they are found guilty of fielding ineligible players, is embarrassing, but obviously we’ll take it!
Some players look like their heads are elsewhere, Neil even stated this after the St Johnstone game. Their heads have possibly been turned by all the talk of a big move to the Premiership. If so then we're better rid of them for decent money. An unhappy player with his mind not on the job in the jersey is a waste of time!A football agent told me that the Sion players are on between £4,000-£6,000 per week. Some of ours are on £8,000, others on £15,000, others on £20,000 & a few between £20,000 - £27,000 per week. We should have had enough in us to beat Sion over three hours of football but the glaring fact is we didn’t. Therefore many players must take a good hard look at themselves. Neil has to take decisive action against them or he will without doubt be hanged by them in the long run! There is a league to be won and our current anger & frustration at last night’s failing bubbles within us. There are 6 days left to improve this squad. The board have that chance to prove they are not a bunch of dithering suits. Get a move on because you won’t get away with letting all of the people down all of the time!
