Big Bad John Hartson gave an outstanding interview yesterday in which every single word he said was something that I could agree with 100%. That’s rare. It’s been a long time since I read a former Celtic player in the media who wasn’t interested in sensationalising or picking holes in things at the club. He was optimistic. He gave out the praise.
Now, as everyone knows, I don’t want people who simply pour honey on us. But this wasn’t that. This is a guy who looks at the club right now and likes what he sees. He’s positive about the future, which makes a huge change based on the angst and the anxiety a lot of us are still feeling. Sutton never tires of poking holes in Celtic right now. It is good to hear from a player from that era who looks at the club right now and doesn’t feel he needs to.
He started with the summer to come. He thinks that it will be better than the one we endured at the start of this season. And why? Because he reckons that the board will see the mistake they made in not working to the manager’s blueprint, and that this time around they will do exactly that. Why do I think he’s right about that? Because they aren’t completely stupid.
Look, they cannot look at the wreckage of our summer window and even imagine that any good, that any positive, can come out of it. None of the players is going to do this manager. A handful of them will be shipped out on loan. The rest will be shipped out permanently. And none of them is going to make us a significant profit.
The players we brought in during Ange Postecoglou’s first two windows – the ones, let’s not forget, where he was in total control – remain the high value players at the club. Where are the big saleable assets outside of that? If Mark Lawwell was brought in to find the next series of high value players he had four transfer windows to do it … and he failed utterly.
So, these guys know that the “project policy” hasn’t delivered. We need to get back to letting the manager sign the guys he knows can come in and make a difference, and who fit his system. If we do that then we’ll get the kind of players who not only will make a big impact in the side but progress us on and off the pitch, by adding value to the team.
Hartson is correct that these people know they’ve made a mess of this and that they have to support the manager. He also senses, perhaps, that Rodgers has won his battles and is a much stronger position to make the demands that he wants.
He thinks that Rodgers being overlooked for the manager of the year shortlist is pretty absurd, and I agree with him even if I think the whole award is devalued and ridiculous because of the petty and insular attitudes of some of those who have to vote on it. One editorial yesterday said that managers from our club and the one across the city should not be allowed to win it; what a ridiculous notion that is. So if Rodgers has another Invincible season in the next campaign he shouldn’t be named the manager of the year? You might as well bin the award entirely.
Rodgers is on the verge of a double. That should put him in the running. Clement, some will say, is on the verge of a treble and he probably should be as well; argue that one until you’re blue in the face. But he won his trophy when someone else (The Mooch) had gotten them almost all the way there and Celtic weren’t in the reckoning. If Clement winds up with someone else’s League Cup triumph and four defeats and a draw against Celtic what then?
But Sutton is right. If you’re on the verge of the League title and the Scottish Cup you should be at least on the shortlist, and if Clement had appeared on it with him nobody could have rightfully kicked up a stink over it. Besides, if this adage is true that those with the greatest resources should be excluded, what’s the Ibrox women’s manager doing on the list, with their club spending more on their women’s team than any other side in the league?
Hartson is also right about who the first piece of summer business should be; Adam Idah, something I agree with wholeheartedly and believe is the right thing to do. The question isn’t about whether he’s the best we can get; he’s not, and we still need to bring in a top-quality striker as well. But he is a better player, by far, than Oh and that’s what matters here.
Adam Idah is a player we can count on, a player who when you see him coming on you feel good and confident, and not like putting your head in your hands and screaming. Hartson thinks he’s done a damned fine job and that he will continue to do well for us.
It is good to read someone talking about the club at the moment who isn’t at least partially focussed on the doom and gloom. Hartson has given an honest and sober assessment, and one which is very much in line with my own thinking on this. If we win this title we will have emerged from a very troubled campaign with the main prize, and a chance to set right last season’s wrongs.
My trust in the board is roughly zero. But I suspect, as Hartson does, that they will leave much of the real decision-making in terms of the football department to the man who sits in the dugout, which is precisely as it should be. That would go a long way to restoring some faith in them.
I don’t agree that the board will somehow relent and open up the purse strings for Rodgers. We all thought they would in Jan and look what happened. Never underestimate the power of Lawwell to hold onto the purse strings. The point about manager of the year? Nobody cares. Not even Rodgers. Now I have quite grown to Idah but we can and need better, especially for Europe. Miovski was the player to sign in Jan and for me is still the player. Kyogo has shown a difficulty in consistency this season and Miovski would give us two really good goalscorers fighting for position.
Manager of the season award lost all of it’s integrity for me when they gave it to Gerrard for winning the league when Callum Davidson won both cups with St.Johnstone which was far more impressive imo.
Spot On!
I guess the paragraph (10) beginning with, “But Sutton is right…”, should be ‘Hartson’.
Whether this board decides tae show some ambition, or go with their usual tactics remains tae be seen. Personally ah wouldnae be surprised if it we find ourselves down the same road, because ah don’t trust them one bit. Where Idah’s concerned, would agree he’s an improvement on Oh, tho the jury’s still out on him. Aye he brings a strong presence in the team, tho he squanders good opportunities a bit too regular. Still a bit early tae judge properly.
The board won’t release any purse strings. We laugh at the huns for being dillusional but where is the evedence that anything will change at Celtic? Nothing ever will unless Lawwell gets tae, and never comes back.
Delusional, not dillusional.
If we sign Idah, and I hope we do, we won’t bring in another striker. Kyogo and Idah will be seen as enough. I think Celtic are focused on making money where they are; in a relatively small league (that is often considered a feeder for the league down south) with an occasional European game. Brendan was brought in to develop players, he has told us that. Are we developing players to make Celtic stronger, or to sell them on and make money?
Because they aren’t completely stupid ? i agree James , for one they are certainly not stupid , but when greed and money dictate and not football matters , logic and what seems the obvious course to follow goes out the window , what else caused us to miss two transfer windows and putting the league title at risk , because that what has transpired this season , the only thing that will spur them on next season is if rodgers lays down a marker , i can’t see him taking the same sh!t for a second term as it is clear as day to us all that he needs an upgrade
I go back to what I said in the piece about the need for our club always to have high value assets in the team.
The reason Lawwell Jnr was bagged was that he had not signed a single one of them. Not one. In four windows. The club does care about that, and that’s why they will defer to the football people this time around, because they saw the results the last time they did.
I’m not so sure James. The course of events after Rodgers arrived got me thinking that DD wanted to take revenge on him for leaving the way he did. First he sent the posse over to Brendan’s holiday home and they promised him the backing to compete in Europe. Brendan took the job and one of his first statements was about taking the next step in the Champions League. Multi-million figures were bandied about regarding what Brendan would have to bring in the quality of players required. Next thing we see he’s being trotted out to declare that we need to reign in the European ambitions a bit, and that the development signings is the Celtic model now. He looked crestfallen to the extent it was clear these weren’t his own words, they were DD’s. Then in the January window Brendan stated that he would be bringing in several ready made players of the standard required, which also didn’t transpire. I think one of two things happened here:
1/ DD and the Board had a close look at the players rangers were signing and thought, “we’re going to win the league anyway so why spend £50m on players for Europe when that won’t be enough to bridge the gap”.
2/ DD had decided he was going to bring Brendan back and hang him out to dry, make him pay for his sins in leaving the club as he did.
I’m hoping it’s the first one because it probably made some kind of sense at the time.
If it’s the second one I’m hoping there’s a possibility that as well as punishment for Brendan, it was also a test of how he would respond. In that case if he wins the title then perhaps he could win back DD’s respect by showing a level of courage against such adversity.
Omg!
Are you serious?
Get a grip fella.
Am I serious about what?
I suppose it does sound quite an outlandish conspiracy theory JohnBhoy!
I was trying to get my head around why Brendan went so quickly from his usual exuberant self to down in the dumps, and that was the only explanation I could come up with.