Brendan Rodgers did not deliver good news to us last night, did he? There are no signings immediately on the horizon. You look across the city, and whether or not you understand the logic of what they are doing, you cannot deny that they haven’t wasted time getting their plans into place. We screwed up royally this summer in failing to strengthen the front line.
People above the manager didn’t think that was a priority although this blog and others were virtually screaming “ASIAN CUP!” the whole way. Do they get it yet?
It is lamentable if we’ve not got options ready to go. What in God’s name is our “head of recruitment” doing if we don’t have three or four deals already well in progress and just about over the line? There is messing up and taking the piss; this is the latter. In spite of claims that we are “prepared” for the Asian Cup I see no sign whatsoever that we are.
Rodgers seems calm about this. Calmer than he should be perhaps. He has to know that if they drag their feet he is the one who might pay the price for it. Once in my living memory – once – have we treated a transfer window like an opportunity and not an embuggerance. That was January two years back when we had the business done early and won the league because of it.
But that was before Lawwell & Sons were in the building, and already we’ve reverted to type with uninspiring summer business, a club more interested in the balance sheet and people dragging their feet inside the walls. There is no excuse for this cruddy, shoddy way of doing business. These people have had months to prepare their target lists and get to work.
If they are selling this manager short here then they are doing more than gambling with his job and with the league title. They are gambling with the mood in the stands, a mood that is ready to get ugly and has already exploded in frustration in this campaign. And the fans will know who to blame for it, the chairman and his blue eyed boy.
This club is so amateurish at times. It is so backward and unfocussed. We should be coming out of the traps hard and fast, because time is a factor here and there is none of it to lose. Players will be soon be departing to their assigned duties on the other side of the world, our whole forward line, and if we don’t have someone in place it will cost us big time.
There are already grave, grave doubts about the skillset of the guy who heads our recruitment department, and some of the names we are linked with are highly unimpressive; another Korean League player with one full campaign behind him? In the ball-winning midfield slot where we’ve already squandered uncounted millions in recent years?
It’s like a joke, and the joke is on us. I’ll tell you, if this goes wrong, if these people fail to deliver something the boss can work with I have little doubt that we will lose this league and he will pay for that. But that man will not fall alone. The last time he left this club they escaped scrutiny and dodged responsibility. People still blame him for that to this day.
Not this time. No chance. If it comes to it, this time they will pay that bill.
Our board does not want us to be well ahead of the Rangers, if you understand that then you’ll understand their reluctance to improve the team.
Son’s often support the same team as their dad, an his dad’s Pedro the Hun…..just sayin
Agree with every word of your very good assessment James, except the ‘fall alone’ bit. I hope you are right, but as far as these people are concerned, they are doing a great job. Their plan is proceeding nicely in their OF world, and they feel there is little to reproach themselves for, infact it will be back pats all round, once the manager is punted ofc.
James, please have a look at Ewan Murray’s impeccably timed defend referees article from today. This includes a direct reference to Celtic fans again.
‘Mark’ my words – Mark Lawwell is utterly utterly useless – The summer recruitment proves that beyond doubt…
Another far flung ‘project’ that will need plenty time to ‘settle in’ if ever at all and won’t fancy playing in a Morth Sea Blizzard of a freezing rain monsoon at Kilmarnock on a plastic pitch as we clearly seen three weeks ago –
Say what you want about Sevco but they try, try, try and like the critical ten in a row season sometimes they’ll strike it lucky and if they prevail as champions this season they’ve struck gold, gold, gold…
If only ‘peepil’ like Bisgrove and Bennett were Celtic Supporters –
We might well try to put the jackboots on Sevco’s throats if that was the case !
We will do the usual and rush to sign someone at end of window, we are not winning the league no matter what happens today, we have been dreadful for most of season, we are not suddenly going to go on a long undefeated run, Rodger’s will be away shortly as I’m convinced he is not getting the players he is asking for. I hope he plays Meada through the middle today as Kyogo is just not doing it.
James, said the Lawwell pair were the source of all the issues at CP. but people have defended them saying BR should be able to play a tune with what he has got. If this season is a failure BR will get the blame. I hope I am wrong, but the evidence is there from the Lennon fiasco.
The most infuriatin thing is that, this ibrox mob are, as well as totally full of theirselves, way over rated. If we get 4 or 5 good signins in for Jan we would bury them imo. Leave them behind. If this board don’t deliver its, nothin short of criminal contempt and surely tae fk the last straw for our support.
My feeling, James, is they’re going to ask for the games to be postponed, as is their right. But it’s no excuse for the shambles of the last 2 windows.
Lawwell and his son should not be anywhere near Celtic!!!
Lawwell cost us 10 in a row, and, in my opinion, was responsible for Brendan Rogers leaving!
Is Lawwell doing the same thing again?
… It looks like it to me!!! ?
Lawwell and his son should not be anywhere near Celtic!!!
Lawwell cost us 10 in a row, and, in my opinion, was responsible for Brendan Rogers leaving!
Is Lawwell doing the same thing again?
… It looks like it to me!!! ?
Embuggerance. Lolz. Brilliant.
Lawwell’s out.
Of OUR board don’t complain about today’s officials,then we as a club are well and truly fcuked,because there was not one word about our second half penalty on sky and both will be said on servo BBC tonight Scottish football is the biggest scam in world football ,and we the fans have been getting screwed for decades.
Seems that Liewell is making sure his son is doing a half assed job of recruitment and that another transfer window coming is going to be filled with junk that Lawwell jr and father think are Celtic standard players. And across the city at ibrokes I hope uefa are watching as any players that come in and not many go out the door they will be asking where the money is coming from and they are abiding to FSR rules.
“ if it comes to it this time they will pay that bill’.
Somehow I don’t think so. The Board will ignore the clamour from the stands and return to their nice Tory lives doing nice (sic) Tory things. And Celtic fans will week on week continue to pour £Millions into the Club’s coffers while still shouting abuse at the Board. That is until they’re escorted out the ground by the Stewards. The following week the money will still flow but the dissenters will be less vocal.
The Celtic Board are not Football people, they are Business Men/Women.
Lawwell senior, despite his early indoctrination at Secondary School (he was a couple of years below me and contemporaries of my brothers) he is first, last and always a Businessman.
A Businessman in so far as he is a glorified ‘bean counter’ who was lucky enough to be promoted beyond his skill set and became a ‘place man’ for DD.
His record as CEO at Celtic, in a financial sense, for a Club of our size and stature was totally underwhelming. Risk averse, lacking in imagination and paying lip service to the Football aspirations of our Managers, Players and Support. If his early years as CEO were ‘underwhelming’ his post 2012 record is totally abysmal considering there was no Rangers around and only a pale shadow, a Tribute Act making its ‘ journey’ through the Leagues.
His behaviour over Res12 was scandalous. His failure, as the Head of the biggest Club in the Country, to garner support for modernisation of the SFA and Football Governance is the principal reason SEVCO has evaded scrutiny over Finances, the probity of some of its Club Management and Officials, the murky areas relating to the source of much of its funding and last but not least it’s total disregard for the interests of all the other Clubs in the SPFL/SPL and it’s selfish disregard for the rules that bind the Clubs together.
That’s why we have a rampant, debt ridden, bully of a Club masquerading as the original Rangers with the blessing of the SFA Hierarchy and the on field corruption of the Laws of the Game by the MIBs and VAR men.
When Rangers DIED Lawwell was quoted as saying that this would cost Celtic 5 million a year in lost revenue. If the subversion of the League Title this Season is achieved due to the dithering, procrastination, connivance or rank amateurishness of our Board then Celtic WILL lose a hell of a lot more in years to come.There WILL be a reckoning then and it won’t be pretty and it will be far too late to shackle their ‘O@@ F@@@‘ partners.
Spot on once again James?
I keep saying it, this is what Rodgers signed up for. If it wasn’t he’d be bleating and whining and quitting. I suspect he’s on a Bode Glint style contract (our greedy greys would have liked that set up). We know Rodgers has no integrity and we know he likes money, his job is to promote and sell what’s there for commission!