The news isn’t great at the moment. In fact, there’s no news.
There are now less than seven hours to go and we’re where this website and a few others feared we would be with the business being left so late; watching the clock and racing against it instead of sitting pretty with everything in hand.
In spite of what some people might think, there is nothing fun or exciting about last day business. It’s just stupid. This should be just another day for our club, not one fraught with tension and which almost always ends in extreme disappointment. The idea that it’s hard to get business done early is ridiculous. It’s much harder to get it done right now.
Clubs and agents know where you are going into the last day. When every newspaper and blog in this country was screaming about our need for a striker and a left back you can bet your bottom dollar that any club we approached would have known it too.
Clubs who at the start of the window might have been willing to sell for a reasonable fee know that in the closing stages they can chisel even more money out of you because the stink of desperation is wafting off you. It is certainly come off Celtic in waves.
Nobody can think this is a good way to run a club. These aren’t throwaway priorities; these are critical parts of the squad which we had to sign in this window and the failure to bring in quality of the sort we needed is deplorable.
We’ve already accepted the utter mediocrity of the striker choice – not the player, we don’t know about the player, but the amateurishness of waiting this long to bring a Norwich academy player on a loan without an option to buy – and most of us fear the worst on the left back, if we can even get one in. But the clock is ticking and optimism is fading with it.
The news that we’re also chasing a midfielder now should fill me with a bit of pleasure because I did say this morning that with Turnbull leaving, we need one, but when you leave it this long there is very little chance that you are going to be able to bring in quality.
I have no confidence that we will because the striker and left back positions were critical and we aren’t bringing in quality there. The midfielder will probably be another loan; another problem to fix this summer. We’re setting ourselves up for a huge job then, and based on our way of doing things it will probably be transfer revenue neutral if we’re lucky … in short, depending on selling at least one key player to fund it in spite of the financial position we’re in.
It’s just left five. There are six and a half hours left, and this unseemly scrambling makes us look ridiculous and sums up the complete lunacy of our approach.
The fans love and live the club, the board continually show that they don’t give the slightest damn about the fans! And the accusation that the support is spoiled is ridiculous. Celtic have a massive financial and crowd attendance advantage in a very poor league. They should win every season and losing the 10 was negligence from the board on a grand scale. Most Celtic fans see Europe as our real competitors and we are woeful on that stage and our board show no interest in improving this and are happy to see Rangers perform better in that arena. Right now I really don’t care anymore
Yep – Our Board probably in fact definitely call them ‘Rangers’ Dan – But I don’t think any of our fans should though…
Since June 2012 – It’s always been Sevco from me !
Who is funding Peter Lawwell and Son to be this pitiful?
Is it Celtic or is it Ibrox . . .
If we win the league it will be the same old same old probably sell O’Reilly and not have a settled team to at least challenge in the Champions League , it’s Groundhog Day with the board every season. Hail Hail ??????
According to reports Jonnie Van Driver is on his way up the M74 to Parkhead. The fast moving Dutchman has just disposed of some dross.
The board are rank but there are enough good players and a decent manager here to win this league in spite of them. HH
It’s an embarrassment for a club of our size and standing in European football. We need a Fergus 2.0 to oust these idiots. And if we drop points on Saturday at managerless Aberdeen- all hell will break loose at the next home game.
Its a disgrace that celtic cant sign quality players in this window..they should have spent money on misovic from Aberdeen or shankland .instead they signed a Norwich man on loan and a winger .no quality at all. The previous manager didn’t mess about where signings were concerned. He got them in the door quickly. Also kiogo is struggling under Rodgers style.
Jonni Van driver has arrived and delivered a low budgie Canary. No need to pay, he’s just the deliverer and there’s no option to buy anyway.
So Board of our transfer misdealings so take the rubbish away to the midden Jonni. One way no return plz. Support the team. HH
So a board have released him Away From The Canaries to a board that’s Away With The Canaries !
I’m very easy going and will give them the benefit of the doubt in these last few hours…
But, But, But rest assured they will get the wrath of my thoughts and my keyboard rebellious fingers bigbtime if things stand as they currently stand at 6.52pm hours !
Amateur hour from Lawwell. Same as it ever was.
Well, obviously the CEO Nicholosn will be having words with the
Head of Recruitment in the following days, with perhaps a view to
moving him on from our club after 2 shocking windows?
Ha!
No chance.
That’s the ridiculous manner in which our club – and the plc – is run.
Accountability, responsibility?
Well…that depends on who your Dad is…! 🙁
This is one of the worst windows I can remember. As the day has progressed my utter contempt for this shambolic board has escalated further if that was even possible. I hope at the next home game the whole stadium let’s them know exactly what we think. Of course the Lawwell apologists won’t do it but they’re parked so far up his arse they probably aren’t aware what’s going on. As for Rodgers he can go now as he is clearly Pedro’s patsy. I had hoped he had only come back with the promise of having some kind of control but instead he has been shown up to be far too weak and indeed he has done the board’s job for them by stringing us along since he returned.
The reaction on the Norwich chat sites seem to be get any money they can for the striker – he wont be missed
It’s down to BR now. He inherited a treble-winning team, minus Starfelt and Jota. We signed about 10 players in summer, and BR said he ok’d them all. After we had the bad spell in early Dec he said he’d be bringing in quality in Jan. If he’s not happy, he should leave. If he stays, it’s on him. Plus we’ve lost 3 first-team players, in Taylor, CCV, and Hatate. £60m at stake in next year’s CL, and we should have spent £10m to make it a certainty.
A really good post James… Interesting press conference tomorrow ahead !
It’s obvious to us all that Lawwell has no interest whatsoever in taking Celtic to the next level and investing in quality players for the first team. All that man is interested in is lining his own pockets.He’s even found a position within the club for his own son! who after some investigation one can learn that he has no qualifications whatsoever for the position he holds at our great Club, contrary to what he claims on his CV. Lawwell junior was an office boy (a content manager/ scouting information ) at City Football Group not Head of Scouting & Recruitment that he claims!. Jobs for the family – ripping off the ordinary hard working supporters with their big salaries & bonuses. Their utter contempt for the supporters and how out of touch they are is epitomised in their pathetic efforts in the last two transfer windows. Time for us supporters to get real here and get this shower out the door
As i see it.
As it stands, Celtic are in a reasonable league position, although it was much better a couple of months ago.
Financially they are in the most envious place imagineable and If it is the case, with the board having over 72 million£ available to spend and improve the team, it virtually guarantees them the league championship title.
They hadn’t spent well in the summer window, and chose to spend even less in the present one.
unless there’s a surprise waiting before 11 pm tonight it doesn’t appear thats likely to change.
If the fans who have handed over and spent their hard earned cash on match tickets, only to see their beloved team lose this league now, especially after having such a huge lead, is the most unforgiveable crime the Celtic board can commit.
It would be the biggest cheating episode of the Celtic fans possible and definitely since the Rangers liquidation and demise.
After glibly taking their money, then seqestrating their own wages and extorting their bonuses from it, Celtic fans don’t care for or want a single coin left in the bank’s coffers if there’s a player out there we can buy to better the team… and there’s plenty players out there.
This window has been a shocker, we’re going for 100million in the bank. Our rivals are far too close for breathing space, they have no money to spend, yet borrowing what they can’t repay. No-one knows how they do it yet the SFA grant them everything they ask, even allowing them to picking their own referees, while still in cahoots with the boys in black,
If we …. our board blow this league while taking our st money there has to be an aftermath of utter carnage over it.
No forgiving with both Lawells, both chased into the Clyde… literally.
As I suggested in an earlier blog the narrative will turn to those we almost signed. 4 days padded out news on a loanee lays bare how things were taking shape (Or not).
The manager will no doubt be happy at the Friday presser that he didnt lose anyone significant.
And there is the story of Celtic’s January transfer efforts.
I think given 1and a half hours till this farcical transfer window closes the 2 departures most celtic fans would celebrate would be the news that the Messiah complex Peter lawwell and his woefully inadequate underperforming son would be the 2 most welcome departures of this transfer window , we would happily welcome that at least the failed dynasty of the lawwells has paid the price and jointly fell on their sword before being pushed on it , his return has been a grossly underestimated failure from top to bottom, currently where we are due to his meddling since his ill timed return.
The biscuit tin is alive and kicking while he’s still in control
An utter shambles. I’m no fan of Rodgers but Peter and Son have used our club to settle a battle of the egos. The Lawell family should be removed from their positions immediately. They have left a team significantly weaker over the last 3 windows. Selling proven international footballers and replacing them with projects hasn’t worked. On the financial side, if we loose this tight title race we miss out on around £40M in champions league income. That money goes directly to our domestic challenger. The Chairman, CEO, and head of recruitment are 100% to blame for this shambles. They are unfit for office and have no idea how to take us forward.
So David Turnbull has signed for Cardiff for £2m and Mike’s Johnson’s completed a loan to WBA but we sign Adam Idah from Norwich on loan with option to buy while Norwich sign Sydney Van Hooydonk on loan with an option to buy.
Are we really below Norwich in the pecking order?
In Ireland 1st Feb is historically the first day of spring according to the Celtic calendar. However for fans it must feel like deep winter, as the club has committed the biggest act of collective self harm since Japan attacked Pearl Harbour.
A board complacent at best, willful in its arrogance that Sevco are not a real threat have put at risk 50 million revenue that will benefit shareholders, because of their failure to do due diligence and spent 5-10 million to guarantee 50 million. For those fans who are obsessed by board being full of Tories, my concern is they are not good business people and their lack of business flair for the club is holding the club back and risking big sums from EUFA. Time for a new board in the summer.
They are indeed very wilful in their arrogance that Sevco are not a real threat Brian…
They probably thought that they wouldn’t have the balls to sack Beale but by fcuk Bennet and Bisgrove fairy showed them there for sure and have more bravery in their toenail cuttings than our old grey bar stewards have in their whole bodies and in every sinew of their fibre beings –
Sevco ARE a threat and if the Ross County debacle continues then it’s only a matter of time until they overtake us in the league and then I think they’ll be no going back…
Who sanctioned so many brittle and injury prone players ?
Who sanctioned a one millionth winger and a loan striker with a pish poor scoring record ?
Who sanctioned hardly a poverty penny being spent with your brittle players dropping like flies and the rest at a contentinal Championship of which the dates were well known in advance ?
Our spineless scummy custodians – That’s fcukin who –
If only, If only We had guys like Bisgrove and Bennett in charge of our £72 million !