The media’s strategy for the coming campaign is going to come into focus in the next few days and weeks and it’ll be this; “How are Celtic going to keep all these players happy?”
To a certain extent it’s started already.
The volume will be turned up on this as time marches on.
Football needs big squads these days, but it won’t stop the speculative garbage.
Gerrard recently announced that he wants two players for every position; indeed, their midfield is almost as crowded as ours is already. But nobody in the press has ever asked how he intends to keep all of his players happy. Hearts have signed almost a full squad. Aberdeen have made numerous additions. There are teams all over Scotland with 20 odd players … we are the only ones who are ever specifically singled out for these questions.
The midfield will be one facet of it, but expect pressure to be ramped up on Leigh Griffiths, although if we’re playing two up front there will be ample opportunities for him in the team this season. The media will still be stirring the soup.
If Lewis Morgan isn’t playing every week it will not take long before the hacks are asking him if he made a mistake signing for us. Ergo Christie, Allan, Eboue and even Scott Sinclair. We will not get the benefit of the doubt, not from any of the hacks.
Brendan has done well to keep this squad together, and now that additions are going to be made there will be more scope than ever before for the media to make its own brand of mischief. It is natural that players will not feature as much as they would like, but that’s true at every club.
The problems will mount up at Sevco but this won’t be explored as one of them.
Unsettle Celtic. That’s the plan.
And even before the domestic campaign starts the Usual Suspects in the press have started to ask the questions already.