Those fans amongst our number who believe that our board has deliberately adopted a policy of trying to stay just one step ahead of Ibrox will be immeasurably strengthened in that conviction should this transfer window close without major additions to this squad.
Because if you listen to their chairman, the club at Ibrox is essentially giving up the fight. They’ve acknowledged our supremacy.
They said they cannot keep spending money they don’t have. They are trying to copy our transfer strategy. They are vowing to keep the faith with the manager even if he doesn’t immediately win things. This is an acknowledgement that the “Espanyolification” of their club is complete. The chairman’s statement confirms what Tom English and other journalists have heard from “club insiders” who are adamant that the free spending days are done.
Their club has made a conscious decision to slam the breaks on.
They have decided, in a sense, to go backwards. No replacing key members of the squad with similar “quality” – haha, written with no attempt to keep a straight face. No big spending unless it is matched by corresponding sales. Their fans are being prepared for hard times, the very hardest, and the kind of enforced austerity they simply aren’t used to.
This is the moment when a club which wanted to could pull away and leave them behind forever. And this makes nothing but good sense. We get an advantage in Europe, and in European income. We make more prize money here at home. The club can build on the back of success, with this season particularly important in that respect because it is the season where we can overtake The Survival Lie and render it utterly redundant.
We are sitting on a massive cash pile. We have posted such large profits in the last few years that we are well within the parameters for a one-off spend to take us to the next level. Not fortunes. Not compared to England. But enough to put this title race out of sight before it even starts, and enough to make us at least competitive for European football.
To do nothing with that advantage is a grotesque abrogation of responsibility. And furthermore, it represents the most reckless, stupid and needless risk in our history. If this board does not make sure that this squad is stronger – by several players – coming out of this window than it was at the end of the last campaign, fans are fully entitled to believe that this opportunity was deliberately sabotaged by those inside our own house, for reasons they should have to explain.
These people don’t care at all, that’s what’s become clear over the course of this summer, and their in-house shill, John Kennedy, actually had the brass neck to sit in front of the fans nearly two months ago now and promise signings within weeks … it was a completely fraudulent claim.
They are going to take their seats at the weekend and bask in the glory of a victory in which they played no significant role. In fact, they endangered that victory. Their colossal failure to add more quality in January was an insane risk which could very easily have cost us not only the title but all that flowed from it, including that big Champions League jackpot.
They got away with it only because of the brilliance of the man in the dugout, the man they have scandalously let down here. He couldn’t have been clearer last summer what he needed and expected. He made the same plea in January. He was equally vocal before this window opened, and they have utterly ignored him over and over again.
These people should be taking a curtain call tomorrow, because to all intents and purposes, the war is over, and our club has won and they should be able to point to themselves and say “we did that.” Or at least they helped to do it. But there have been defeats snatched from the jaws of victory before and that’s the risk they would force us all to take.
And as I said in the emergency podcast, these aren’t even bad people. If they were bad people I would pound on them 24 hours a day and I’d be standing outside Celtic Park protesting their presence even if I was a one man band. They aren’t bad. They are just exhausted old guys who have run out of ideas, and who lack the confidence, courage and vision to see anything past this shabby local rivalry which long ago should have been ended as a contest.
Our eyes should be fixed on Europe. That’s where our future is. That’s where our challenge is. But they don’t have the belief in our club to properly step forward onto that stage. They have locked themselves, and us, into this cycle and that cycle is what gives Ibrox hope even now, even when they’ve dropped any pretence that they can even stay in the game if we be all we can be. At the moment they’ve announced this we’re moving backwards just as quickly.
And if we haven’t fixed that by the time this window shuts, what other conclusion are people supposed to draw except that we’ve made a conscious decision not to push forward, and to keep them in the game? What other conclusion can we draw but that this is what some people have long been determined that it is; deliberate sabotage, for the benefit of Ibrox, because this Celtic board cannot see a future without them as a significant player in it?
How much would these people have us sacrifice, in terms of where we might be, to keep the Ibrox club in the game?
That’s a question I never thought I would ask about a Celtic board.
Celtic FC & SPFL don’t need Sevco to prosper! They did perfectly well without them when they were in the lower leagues. The board need to recognise that our future lies in the European arena.
We as fans are nothing to them. They proved it last season and now with even more money in the bank they still wont back our manager at least sevco have an excuse for not backing theirs they ain’t got it. We have spent £1m on 1 player and we kick off our season in 5 days. Fans should boycott all merchandise purchases until they get there finger out. This board seems to think the money in the bank belongs to them. We have got remind them its not. It’s our clubs. HH
Well written article and ah think pretty much covers the situation. It’ll be a tellin few weeks ahead.
“How much would these people have us sacrifice, in terms of where we might be, to keep the Ibrox club in the game” ?
A lot James – actually a helluva lot as we only know too well…
Get this Pathological Survival Lie blown to smithereens and then stamp on them from a great height and finish the new club and surely that’d be it all over then (The Pathological Survival Lie)…
But that’s me talking and not these genial old yellow men in grey suits though…
If the boot was on the other foot then bloody hell rest assured they’d crush us to ashes and dust so they would…
The Legless one (and I don’t mean one of their drunken fans when I say that) had a helluva good go at it with ultimately taxpayers money but thankfully failed but only just…
Thankfully most of them (The Sevco Huns) detest the cripple these days !
The disability reference is a disgusting way to mock anybody, and the second time in a couple of days, if I’m not mistaken. It demeans this blog, it demeans the club, but most of all it demeans you. Has it occurred to you that people in that same position read this blog? Stop it.
Perhaps in the cold light of day it is indeed a wee tad crass 18871888 but I’ll tell you one thing – Neither yourself buddy, nor chick nor child, nor Oliver’s Army, nor anyone else’s is gonna make me like David Murray not today, not tomorrow, not EVER…
What he did to Scottish Football to massage his own bloated ego was disgusting to the core…
A good competitive league year after year destroyed to suit the egotistical maniac that he was and probably still is…
And Celtic suffered more than most though not alone by any means…
And Celtic suffering meant me suffering – and you as well at his cheating hands…
As a Celtic supporter I hate him… As a Celtic supporter you ‘should’ hate him for what he did…
But do you ?
As I said, Clach, it was a reference which was beyond despicable, and what I think of Murray and his club and the new club is irrelevant. You’ve descended into Trumpery, and like him, you’re trying to divert attention from the original topic. Finally, I’d appreciate you not telling me who I have to hate.
I think 18871888 that I actually did not divert from the original topic and the fact that I admitted that ‘perhaps in the cold light of day it was a wee tad crass’ completely negates that particular ascertation for sure…
That’s fine that you wanna keep your thoughts of Murray, his dead club, and the new club private then that’s your prerogative, equally as it’s mine to air ma views on this excellent forum…
Again that’s fine with me your request to not advise you who to hate – again that’s your prerogative…
But just for absolutely clarity –
I FUCKIN HATE and DETEST and DEPLORE Murray…
And you know, so do the vast, vast majority of Celtic supporters and Sevco fans around these shores as well…
All about opinions I guess and variety is the spice of life !
They happy they have supplied a manager who can win the domestics ?
Get us into the euro money.
After what can only be described as a complete and utter tragedy at Southport yesterday where absolute evil visited the town, I shall not worry what happens at our club of Scottish football for the rest of the season. It’s only a game after all. Not life or death. Thoughts and prayers to the little souls taken from us so early. God bless them and their families. I’m sure the rest of the celtic family feel the same.
Well said HGB, I totally agree with those sentiments, everything else pales into insignificance compared to that horrendous act. May they rest in peace,
If you agree with this strategy you should be paying a massive amount less for season tickets etc.
If you disagree, the only way is to stop buying season tickets and merchandise at all.
This is 2003 all over again. We got to a European final, lost money and Lawwell reigned in the spending. Martin O’Neill held on to the existing players and left shortly after. We’ve been downsizing ever since.
A deliberate sabotage for the benefit of ibrox. You made me weep with this comment Mr Forrest.
This is exactly what’s happening here.
The current celtic board are sabotaging the club for the benefit of ibrox.
This is happening in our lifetime, before our very eyes. This is bigger than them dying in 2012. The fact that we’re doing everything we can to keep them alive.
This is the biggest moment in our clubs history since 67. I can’t believe this is happening.
I’m disgusted by this utterly disgusted.
Shameful. You know what, I dont even care about them. The fact we flat out refuses to progress is sickening.
The Absentee Landlord and His guard dog have to realise that they are custodians of OUR club and what THEY DD n PL are doing is Gross Negligence……They need to be sent a serious message on Sunday ,wether that embarrases the club or not I don’t personally care , but OUR message needs to be heard loud and Clear