So here it is—our last game before the transfer window closes and even with a weaker squad than before confidence is high going into this one, but you can’t help but notice that we’re short in one or two positions on the pitch.
Maeda will be back today. Carter-Vickers will be back. But if something happens up front, we’re without a recognised striker. If something happens to Taylor, we’re without a recognised left-back. And with Daniel Cummings on the brink of signing for West Ham, we can forget about him offering us any kind of option in the future.
I wish I sounded more upbeat. I actually am looking forward to the game. It’s matchday. I should be buzzing. We all should be. Instead, we’re nervously checking our phones every five minutes to see if there’s any sign of movement on players coming in. It’s hard not to feel like this club takes the piss out of us.
I’m sure I’ve said before that I hate transfer windows. They always start with so much promise and usually end like this—with us all wondering what in God’s name is going on and whether this club has any professionalism, ambition, or common sense at all.
Right now, with so many stories in the papers about players we were looking at—only for clubs to jack up the prices and for us to walk away—the act of selling Kyogo looks like one of the worst instances of self-harm this club has ever committed, and as for the deal to have virtually been announced the day after the Young Boys game? It’s an insult. A slap in the face to every supporter.
It’s like them saying, “You’re only allowed to have so many nice things. We think you’re getting too spoiled, so we’re taking something away from you.”
The idea that this board views us with contempt gets harder and harder to shake. And I’ll tell you something that sums it up for me. I once sat in a meeting with Peter Lawwell, and he talked about how the Ibrox fans never get on the back of their board while ours always do. His contempt for their club radiated throughout.
But what I’ve always found remarkable about that wasn’t that he was calling their fans pliable and dumb—it was that I always got the impression he wished ours were just as pliable and just as dumb. Nowhere in his self-pitying screed was the slightest indication that if only he and others at Celtic did their jobs better, we wouldn’t be complaining.
And what should be clear all this time later is that these guys have convinced themselves that they’re the smartest kids in the class.
They truly believe they can’t do anything wrong—that they are the Masters of the Universe.
Michael Nicholson probably has that preposterous article from last weekend about making him chancellor pinned to his wall as proof of his genius, instead of seeing it the way we did: as proof that our media doesn’t have a clue. The same writer is sneering at the Ibrox fans today for turning on Philippe Clement, and yet it wasn’t that long ago that he was one of the guys digging Clement’s grave.
Well, those are the people who think our board are geniuses. Those are the only people who believe they’re the smartest in the room.
In the meantime, the rest of us just have to get on with it. We have to hope that behind the scenes, things actually are happening, that deals are being negotiated, and that something is going to get done.
Luckily, we do have the football to look forward to. And despite the obvious squad gaps and the positions that badly need to be filled, I think we look good for three points today. I’m actually looking forward to watching us play. In particular, I’m excited to see Adam Idah start up front, knowing that he’s got his mojo back.
I’m looking forward to seeing Maeda back in the team because God knows we missed him in midweek. I genuinely believe that he and Carter-Vickers might have been the difference between the result we got and the one we might have had. And, of course, everyone is eager to see what happens when the Portuguese wizard comes on—which I am absolutely sure he will.
I think this could be another game for Luke McCowan to show us what he can do. Another chance for Johnny Kenny to come off the bench and show us what he’s got. Other than that, the team pretty much picks itself, as it should on a relatively straightforward day. Hopefully, we can rack up some goals. And if Idah scores a few of them, I think we’ll all be pretty happy with that.
But off the pitch, this club’s leadership has to start upping its game. Because right now, the so-called higher-ups are looking highly, highly unimpressive—and that’s part of a pattern that goes back a long way.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
It does indeed go back a long way. I suspect no doubting that’s why they’re the target for fans ire but we’ve hired apparently satisfactory scouting & here we are. Some responsibility has to lie there.
I’m hoping something last minute will brighten us up a bit. I hope today will be a welcome distraction and AI grabs another goal or three to boost him and us. Hail Hail
You used the spoiled word, it is the club that is spoiled because 60,000 fans turn up to home games in not the best standard league, this generates the cash to win trophies and to attract sponsors and players. If Ross County had a gate of 60,000, they would win some league titles and qualify for some CLs. Our board get spoiled the wrong way round
James the most infuriating thing about this transfer window is we knew months ago kyogo was going to leave wether it was now or summer but we had plenty time to look for a replacement and pinned all our hopes on that brondby striker,it’s like don’t look for anyone else in case we muck that one up like we did with mcginn,unlike other players that left on short notice we didn’t have much time to find a replacement but we knew with kyogo months ago,same as how we’ve known how precarious our left back situation is , Taylor not renewing,valle getting recalled,we need a tougher ball winning midfielder which would allow calmac to move forward into his best position,and probably a cover for centre back,we knew all these things and did nothing.One more thing Rodgers should be kicking up a stink with Desmond over the way liewell and the board treat him, surely he was promised the earth when he comes back to us but it’s the same old story,and the amount of happy clappy board lovers on these sites is amazing, after all these terrible transfer windows there are still fans who think the board can do no wrong,it’s unbelievable.
I am afraid that that’s the last minute nature of many transfers. The selling club holding out to achieve the highest fee possible.
Think we will probably have 2 loan signings at striker and left back before the window closes.
Why bother with a B team if all our best players leave for England?
I get what you’re saying Terry about last minute transfers fair enough but my point was this didn’t have to be a last minute transfer, we’ve had months to scout around and size up what players suit us and are within our budget but it’s like we’ve done neither of this,as usual waiting till the last minute so we don’t have to pay a month’s wages and as usual it ends up biting us on the arse thanks to the big time poker player liewell and his silent cohorts,it’s a disgrace and this club should be aiming higher than sevco and the SPFL we should be looking to be a continuous half decent success in Europe.
Ah well – THIRTY SIX (36) Hours to go…
Are we any further forward yet !
‘…..that’s part of a pattern that goes back a long way.
James, do you honestly, within your heart and soul, having seen the evidence over all those years of
The Man’s overarching arrogance and contempt for the average Celtic supporter, do you really think
he and the puppet CEO give a flying fuck for what we think.
Our hopes and ambitions for the Club take a back seat to their business plan going forward. Protect and Preserve the ‘O## F###
Business Model.
Due to their own intransigence and lack of real negotiating talent the Club had to overpay not once but twice for our identified targets last Summer and we’re now undergoing a repeat performance. However I truly believe that this time around the performance is actually a charade and that the Board has no intention of purchasing any of the Manager’s targets. It’s purely Performative Art for the masses. “We tried, honestly, hand on heart and hope to….’.
The Football Club has exceeded the most optimistic expectations of our Board this year and they are quite content to add the EUFA Bounty of £35M approx to the £70M+ wasting away in the bank. Why risk more is the Boards view. Looking out across the river and they gamble that it’s going to be several years before the Tribute Act will, if ever again, be in a position to seriously challenge us.
They assess in financial terms that its not good practice to recruit EUFA Level players , bearing in mind the Larger fees and salaries involved, to win the SPFL with its pitifully small financial return. So they’ve pulled the plug on Brendan’s plans. Last year was an aberration in the Board’s Transfer dealings. Now that Jean Luc has taken over the helm of the Starship Austerity south of the river Celtic will be, for the next few years cruising along in first gear, maintain the Gap, just enough to stay ahead and no more. Protect and preserve the business model.