The Ibrox nostalgia project is the definition of desperation

Last night, I wrote about the Ibrox club’s decision to promote Nils Koppen to the role of Technical Director. Aside from his vague musings about bringing in Scotland’s “promising youth players,” Koppen has hinted at a sweeping transformation of their transfer policy.

Gone are the days of ambition, chasing players from top leagues. Now, they are adopting a thriftier, more cautious approach.

One standout part of his grand plan, however, is his commitment to bringing in “Real Ranjurs Men.” For Celtic fans, this was music to our ears. It’s the clearest indication yet that they’re in bigger trouble than even we imagined. This reeks of desperation and smacks of a man already out of ideas.

Who exactly are these so-called “Real Ranjurs Men”?

Let’s be honest: there are precious few top-class coaches with Ibrox connections.

The managers with any link to the club are hardly in the elite category, and we’re not even talking about managers here—we’re talking about coaches. People who will presumably be hired to loiter around the training ground, collect a wage, and tell new signings how marvellous the club is. These signings, mind you, will probably be wondering what they’ve walked into when they realise their new club is clinging to faded glories, having won just one league title in 12 years.

It’s hilarious, really. This latest strategy is not only loony but entirely backward.

This isn’t something a big club does. A giant club doesn’t need to remind players of its stature—it’s self-evident. Attempting to indoctrinate players with nonsense about the club’s DNA, as if that will somehow improve performances on the pitch, is small-minded and absurd.

Remember the Daily Record’s story about the so-called “kitroom shrine” at Auchenhowie?

They actually used the word “indoctrination” to describe what happens to players who visit it. Imagine signing for a club and being ushered into a room filled with memorabilia while someone drones on about history as if it’s a talisman for future success. Anyone with a shred of ambition or professionalism would be questioning their life choices at that point.

Unsurprisingly, the fans are lapping it up. It’s the one thing they like about the appointment. It’s the one positive some of them have been able to glean from it. On their forums, there’s widespread support for this nostalgic drivel. But let’s be clear: this is nothing more than a crowd-pleasing stunt. It won’t improve their squad’s technical ability or cohesion. It’s smoke and mirrors, designed to create the illusion of progress while achieving none.

We’re now being primed for the resurrection of figures like John Brown, Lee McCulloch, and others from the archives of irrelevance. These appointments won’t be based on ability but on sentimentality, a desperate attempt to cling to a bygone era.

And the media, predictably, will applaud this circus.

At Celtic, we’ve always embraced evolution.

Our success comes not from looking backward but from fostering a culture of professionalism and forward-thinking leadership.

When Ange Postecoglou arrived, he didn’t need to be indoctrinated into Celtic’s history—he simply understood it and built upon it. The players he brought in from Japan and elsewhere didn’t require lectures about the club’s DNA. They wrote their own stories, carved their own paths, and became part of something great.

That’s the difference. At Celtic, the weight of history inspires rather than burdens. It doesn’t need to be hammered home because success is tangible, visible, and ongoing. At Ibrox, it’s a shackle, a chain dragging them further into mediocrity.

This latest ploy is wild. At a time when they’re supposedly slashing budgets, they’re proposing to bring in a cadre of former players on cushy salaries to “boost morale.” It’s farcical. Nowhere else in football would such a scheme be taken seriously. It’s a glaring example of a club out of ideas and out of step with modern football.

So, brace yourselves.

Expect a parade of washed-up ex-players marching back through Ibrox’s doors, hailed as saviours despite having no tangible skills to contribute. And while their fans and media cheer this madness, the rest of the football world will watch, shaking their heads in disbelief. This is who they are.

And it’s precisely why Celtic’s dominance will continue, unchallenged, for years to come.