I read Rodgers’ comments in The Daily Mail this morning in incredulity. I don’t know whether he’s been misquoted or misrepresented or if after talking about needing quality and power at the weekend somebody at the club has put him back in his box, but the mixed signals coming from this guy, or which are apparently coming from him, don’t make good reading.
Neither does McGarry’s article, because either he’s spinning us or the club’s spinning Rodgers or they’re all trying to put one over on the Celtic fans because the central thrust of what McGarry wrote is, to be quite frank, a joke.
He claims that Rodgers accepts that the club can’t do what it did the last time he was here.
What time was that, remind me? The time when our transfer policy was so second rate that he left for England for the first available offer? If we’re really gone backwards from the Mulumbu transfer window and the January one which followed it where the only player he got was one that he didn’t want then boy, we are in a whole lot of trouble.
McGarry talks in that article about how the first time Rodgers was here we brought in quite a few players from England. This is what McGarry’s piece says of that;
“Back in 2016, the Northern Irishman recruited players like Scott Sinclair, Kolo Toure and Moussa Dembele from English sides, with all bar two of his first seven summer arrivals moving north across the border.”
Right away you’ll see the problem.
Those three were the headline players brought from England. Toure didn’t cost us anything cause he was available on a free. Dembele, we signed for a cool £1 million as a cross-border development fee.
So he didn’t cost us the Earth either, and Scott Sinclair cost us £3 million possibly rising to £4.5 million … £3 million wasn’t then or now a huge sum of money. So who were the other two signings from England?
They were Dorus DeVries and Cristian Gamboa.
Are we seriously expected to believe that this was some kind of massive effort on the part of our club to push the boat out? And are we really expected to accept that we can’t sign players from south of the border even of that low quality?
Someone wants to tap this guy on the shoulder and say “Joe Hart. Cameron Carter Vickers.”
This whole thing … where is this crap coming from?
We might as well just chuck it right now if that’s what the board are telling him or if it’s the message he’s sending us, because we have given up even the pretence that we’re a serious player.
We’re run as a for-profit. The world’s first top flight for-profit football club.
Imagine getting knocked out of the League Cup, facing Champions League football matches which already make me want to hide under the bed and which some people are already booking their trauma therapy session far in advance of … and then sending the manager out with the message that we shouldn’t expect too much in the next eight days.
We are being trolled here, and that’s made my decision about giving this club any further cash this season incredibly easy. They can keep their Champions League tickets, I’ll take those games seriously when they start to, and they don’t, and they won’t.
“That is a real challenge for clubs like ourselves,” Rodgers said, in defence of this transfer window. “Coming back here, that was something I had to understand better, and why I took that time to decide. The club has to be sustainable while being successful. But it’s understanding where it is at in terms of what you can and can’t do. I’ll always work with the players the club provide me and try to develop them to be best they possibly can. That hopefully makes the club successful and allows them to move on, make money and we go again.”
Well I know somebody who’ll be going again if it doesn’t work out, and this time there’ll be no coming back.
You’ll notice he’s repeated the suicidal mantra “I’ll always work with the players the club provide me.”
You’d be advised also to pay attention to his paragraph as well;
“I think that’s why you see the strategy of (recruitment chief) Mark (Lawwell) and the guys, going to markets that were maybe untouched and the deals you can get in.”
This is exactly what I said it was in a piece earlier in the week; a horse built by committee.
This is people picking components for a computer rig without any interest in whether they can do the job or not; they are throwing a bunch of cheap parts together and telling the guy who has to build it, “There you go.” It doesn’t matter to them if those pieces fit, it doesn’t even matter to them if those pieces work particularly well or not.
The architect isn’t in charge, he’s taking what he’s given and hoping – along with the rest of us – that he can build something that stands up straight and doesn’t burn down from all the cheap wiring he’s been forced to put in.
I mean, I’ve been scratching my head for months wondering why Far Eastern signings are the priority when we’re going to lose these guys for weeks, for the Asian Cup, at a critical part in the campaign.
I wondered how the football department could possibly not be thinking about that … but the football department isn’t running this, so of course it now makes sense, because the only consideration here is “Where can we get players cheap who we can sell on later?”
No-one in the power structure cares if this leaves us scandalous unequipped for games, because that’s what they pay the “head coach” to deal with when the time comes.
The idea of using his official designation of “manager” seems ridiculous right now.
We are in big trouble here, and I don’t think the next eight days are going to bring us any respite.
Why’s he giving an interview to The Daily Mail anyway?
This isn’t about coming games; this is a media interview designed to dampen down expectations about the next week and reinforce the idea that everyone at Parkhead is behind this policy.
And you know something? My expectations are now officially at rock bottom.
I’m not even hoping anymore that it turns out right.
Lawwell is back in charge, and we’re off to the casino again, and one of the problems this club has consistently had is that idea that all we’re really doing is gambling with pennies anyway.
But these people are gambling with Champions League qualification, gambling with the dreams and ambitions of this support, gambling with the standing of this club as one which allegedly sees itself as a European giant, and be afraid because these people are utterly incapable of coping if we get into crisis and you saw it with Lennon.
According to The Sun, Hatate has turned down a new deal, which is just what we needed on top of everything else .. so instead of securing the players we need to progress, brace yourselves because it might be about to get worse.
I don’t know what the manager is doing back here in the midst of this.
The only reason most of us were willing to accept Rodgers as boss in the first place after the last time is the presumption – terrible word and how we have been so daft? – that he wouldn’t have come back without serious assurances and total control.
He doesn’t sound right now as if he’s even interested, his whole demenour, his tone, everything about him is passive and accepting … he sounds like a guy who’s lost his shirt and wearily accepts it.
The lights are on, but no-one’s home.
(That’s also a wee in-joke about our absentee landlord, obviously such a good one that I have to explain it.)
It’s now obvious though that we are not in the midst of a serious effort to grow this club.
We gave up on that the minute Ange Postecoglou walked out the door, and having given that guy full control (and all we got for it were two automatic Group Stages places and five trophies out of six, so you can see why that caused a problem, right?) they weren’t about to make the same mistake again … and Rodgers went along with that.
Jesus God … we should be riding high and this is where we are.
Why do I feel that we are all being prepared for allowing Rangers to win the league this season? The Celtic Board are a disgrace. And I think we all saw this when Lawwell senior came back as Chairman.
My bro & I discussed last night exactly the same actions as you’re proposing & came up with the same outcome ie if Celtic FC don’t invest in strength, experience and proven talent before this transfer window closes then we won’t be giving the club any more money this season; for tickets to attend the CL games, programmes, pies, etc, during the season and merchandise of course (yes I haven’t bought that dreadful 1st team top but I would’ve). There’s also a good chance I will reduce attendance at home and away league games and therefore increase my disposable cash.
Demos and boycotts will be the way forward.
It’s damn shame if this what we’ve become. HH
We will get a couple of teens from the Man City development squad on loan & maybe a sevco style bling name who is 35/36.
I was gutted that I had given up my season book ,when Lennon was given the managers job, missing out on the 2 ange seasons. Now am quite happy I gave it up because this is shaping up to be similar to Lennons celtic
is it possibe ?…….if celtic are refusing to spend the money on bringing urgently required, first team starters…then is the money being set aside for another reason…? such as the current legal proceedings re the historical abuse case involving CBC and or CFC ? if it is proven, that CFC AND CDC were in fact one and the same entity, then CFC becomes liable for any compensation due to the victims….it was widely accepted/acknowledged at the time, that CFC/CBC were very much as one….so therefore, CFC becomes liable…
i know james, you and i have exchanged emails re the compensation and who is responsible for same…you understood it would be corporate insurance….but i just wonder ?
wouldn’t it be poetic justice, that one vile board of members of CFC, though there actions or lack of, same back to bite at the heart of another vile group of CFC board members ?
the only problem being, is that it would damage the club we all love….NOT that i think that statement involves our current board…only thing that lot loves is the £…….
Found the hun.
Depressing article and a 360 % turn from your position when BR first appointed – think we are all on the journey. What mystifies me is why as rich man such as BR [who doesn’t need the money due to his property portfolio] who want to trash his professional reputation by managing a Celtic side with more money available that his last time in the dugout, yet allows the board to determine who to sign? Why would any manager/ coach sign up for such lack of control? Ibrox game will be a disaster and just the kiss of life that patient needs
I think until the Celtic fans ST holders boycott home games this board of charlatans won’t take one blind bit of notice,vote with our feet,how would an empty stadium look for a televised game.I know this is drastic measures but we are in a drastic place at present if this is what Brendan Rodgers come back for ,to work under lawell again,what was he thinking? me personally I think he grabbed at the job lawell offered him because I think after Leicester I’m sure there wasn’t that many jobs open to him,so he’s clutched at Celtic again after lawell offered him it and obviously on lawells terms.yes a boycott is in order.
It looks as if Beale wrote the script for him. As I said at the time, all this James Bond mallarkey where they flew out to Majorca to meet him while he was taking a break ( couldn`t get anyone to give him a job), McGregor happened to be close by and they went for a meal together, blah, blah, flooking blah. They would have been better to put the tea lady
or gentleman in charge and told the players to carry on as per Ange`s instructions. After all, it was just the same procedure every week. Why does the whole team have to change the way they play, around 30 players having to adapt to a system that was a previous, boring failure, when all it needs is one person, just one person to carry on with a proven, successful style of play. It is not as if Ange held the copyrights: in fact, he would have been flattered.
I don`t think it is coincidence that Lawwell has shown face again and it`s back to square one. I fear for next week.
If they let that other mob win the league this year then they will never look back with all the cash that goes along with it.
Personally, I think Rodgers` best days are long gone. I have absolutely no confidence in him. And if Celtic just wish to make money, why don`t they all go out and sell scarves and macaroon bars around the stadium on match days or buy a wee sweetie shop in the Forge.
I don’t know why my comments await moderation then not printed ,there is no swearing no slander or libel yet not posted after waiting moderation, explain please James
Crikey! I’m shocked! Speechless.
As an Ange fan, I don’t have the passion that many true Celtic supporters have shown here. But I can’t believe the sudden turnaround from the joy of the Ange days to the possible devastation of the club.
I can only wish all Celtic supporters all the very best for a quick resolution of the apparently self inflicted wounds you all fear.
All the best from Oz!