So Celtic have signed a striker, which everyone agreed we definitely needed, and a midfielder is on the way. If we get a backup centre half I would say that’s all we really need, not forgetting that Lee O’Connell is on the books from last summer … although he might be going out on loan.
But already, as James has said, immediately there has been serious negativity from Celtic fans about the new signing and the others we’re linked with. James, and others, are quite right; it is utterly ridiculous. This section of our support need to get a grip.
This is an over the top, emotional, reaction to the defeat on 29 December.
I actually stopped using Twitter in the aftermath of that game, not because of the behaviour of Sevco fans – their glee was to be expected and it would be similar if the shoe was on other foot – but because of the complete “toys out of the pram” reaction from our own supporters.
Many come across as spoiled brats who can’t take a defeat and know precisely damn all about football.
Phrases like “how did we go from beating them 5-1 to losing a game” show that.
Firstly, you cannot win every football match and trophy, it will not happen forever, we have been the dominant team for the majority of the last decade. When the time comes that we don’t win one of the cups, or the title, what will their reaction be? I dread to think after the reaction to losing one derby out of three this season.
Added to this is the way some of our fans have dismissed our rivals, and this breeds complacency; it just the sort of attitude a board who did not want to spend would rely on, this idea that no matter what we are good enough.
That is very dangerous for any club which wishes to stay on top.
You will not win matches and titles by not respecting your opponents, whoever they are.
There are still many who say we should ignore them; think back to the days when we were so concerned about ourselves that we allowed a club from Ibrox to financially cheat us. Ever since, their constant snark back at us has been the same; “Why are you interested in us? Talk about your own club.” It was, and it remains, a sign of people who do not want anyone checking on them.
Which is all the more reason we must.
Last season we had a press corps who were actively slating Celtic for not spending tens of millions on players, trying to push us into financial peril. Now, that is not to say that we should not invest, we should and we are but we have a glass ceiling on what we can spend and it is not just the transfer fees.
There is a wage structure for a reason.
We do not have unlimited resources and cannot compete with England, so we have to find the younger, hungry players for roughly what we are spending, get the best from them, make them better and sell them for a profit.
Our scouting network and board have used this very successfully; this seems to have made some fans take this for granted, but it does not happen every time. You must give that side of the business credit, it is successful and is the envy of our rivals; look at the idiotic monies they talk about getting for their players, simply because we have done it.
We are not just fighting against other football teams and an association who are visibly itching for us to lose this title to the Ibrox brethren. We also have a SMSM who are not hiding in their promotion of their favourite team, promoting all they do and pushing every button they can to help Ibrox. And we have a further part of that in Scottish society and those who still want us at the back of the bus, a subject I’ve covered many times.
What I’m saying is, don’t we have enough critics out there?
When you put all that together do you really think that acting like spoiled brats at every bad result, and who are knocking signings they’ve yet to see is constructive?
We can show our displeasure and still support the team rather than telling a guy who has just walked through the door that he isn’t good enough, all because you are still annoyed at losing.
Now I am firmly of the belief that we will pull away in the title race; we were on the verge of it already only to lose the crucial match. But it will come.
We have strengthened, and continue to. They have not. There are not even squirrels about who they will be signing, and not a single article about mega bucks deals offers for Mad Dog. They can blame agents and others but it’s a known fact that they are actively trying to sell Barasic.
Remember Dave King is no longer calling the shots and the rest of their board knows that the crazy spending cannot continue.
Further to this, they still have Close Brothers and Big Mike on the immediate horizon.
Keep your eyes on everything that happens over there.
I know I will be.
Dave Campbell is a Celtic fan and blogger with strong opinions … and they’re usually good ones!
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