It feels like the aftermath of the Young Boys game has set us on something of an uphill slog. All the energy and hype that so many of us felt before that match—well, a lot of it was drained in its wake, with the news about Kyogo.
My initial reaction was to dismiss outright the idea that we might sell him. In the days leading up to the Aston Villa game, I couldn’t conceive of any circumstances where we would. There was only one scenario under which it could be remotely justified, and that was if we had a direct replacement lined up.
But we didn’t. We still don’t. What’s worse, we still don’t seem to have any clear idea of what we’re doing next. Maeda is not a striker, yet some people are still pushing that solution, even though Brendan Rodgers has explicitly said he doesn’t want to do it.
As we near the closure of this transfer window, I’m increasingly convinced we’re not going to get the outcome we want.
Worse still, we’re also set to lose one of the more promising players from the academy, with Daniel Cummings heading to West Ham. I don’t believe our lack of strategic focus is limited to one area of the club.
Our failure to do transfer business in a joined-up, coherent way and our failure to retain our most promising youth players are not separate issues. They are both symptoms of an overall malaise that has taken root inside Celtic Park—one that belies all our success and all the money in the bank.
In fact, it’s precisely because we’ve been successful on the pitch and profitable off it that the signs of rot are not screamingly obvious to more people. If we were struggling domestically, perhaps the people running the club wouldn’t have convinced themselves that they have all the answers.
But this article isn’t about them. This article is an introduction to what I am certain will be a long week. And I want to be wrong—please understand that from the off. I want to wake up on Tuesday morning buzzing and go into Wednesday night’s game knowing that we’ve made quality signings, and feel that the whole mood around the club has been lifted ahead of the game against Bayern a week later.
We’re recording our next podcast on Tuesday after the window shuts, and I want it to be a triumphant one. I want all three of us smiling, convinced that the club has taken the right path and addressed the glaring weaknesses in the squad. I want us to be able to say we see signs of intelligent decision-making at work.
But I fear it’s going to be a post-mortem on what’s shaping up to be a disaster. And that disaster won’t stop with the window closing—because there are still two trophies to play for, there’s still a European campaign to fight, and if we end up with a weaker squad and suffer even a couple of injuries, we could be in real trouble.
At times like this, I ask myself what my job is.
Everyone who does this should ask themselves the same thing.
Are we cheerleaders, or are we here to hold to account those running the club? Even if you think everything is fine on the financial side and that the team is winning trophies, you must recognise that some areas of the club do not function as they should. And questions should be asked about that.
I’m not a cheerleader. That’s not what I do here. My concern is for the well-being of Celtic overall, and that doesn’t come down to what money is in the bank and what trophies we pile up in the cabinet. There is a whole structure at Celtic and it is painfully clear that some of it functions far below what a top club can do.
I’m not here to praise directors, managers, or players when it’s not warranted. And I am absolutely convinced that there are serious gaps in the superstructure of this club. At least some of them stem from our hiring practices, which seem to prize the wrong qualities. We are not a meritocracy. We do not prioritise bringing in the brightest and the best—except perhaps occasionally in the dugout.
And the reason I’m writing this article is to mentally brace myself. And I want you to do the same. Because if this transfer window turns out to be a disaster—if, at the end of it, we’ve only stuck sticking plasters over glaring weaknesses while tens of millions sit in the bank—then next week is going to be a long one.
And my long-term readers know that’s not the kind of week I want to have. It’s not what I want to spend the next seven days writing about. I don’t want to feel that sinking feeling in my gut every time Adam Idah goes down in a game or Greg Taylor struggles when he’s the only left-back at the club and out of contract in a few months.
There are things I will be writing about regardless. Daniel Cummings’ departure is a serious concern—not because he’s been an outstanding player for us or because we’re missing out on a generational talent.
We don’t even know what Daniel Cummings is yet.
He has scored some goals at UEFA Youth League level, which is impressive. But the rest of his goals have come in the Lowland League, and that does nothing for me. And nor does the fact that our academy players are still operating in that ploughed-field, blood-and-thunder football environment.
But I know more about what’s been happening behind the scenes with Cummings than I’m comfortable with. And I fully intend to share that on Tuesday night because by then, his move to West Ham will be confirmed, and I’ll be able to speak more freely.
That aside, I don’t want to spend the week on a downer. But if we don’t get our act together in the next two days—if this club doesn’t deliver in this window—then that’s exactly what my week is going to be. A post-mortem. And it’s going to be grim.
I want you to be prepared for that. And I want you to know it’s the last thing I want to do.
But I’m not a cheerleader. That’s not my job.
Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images
The reason myself and many others read and prioritise your blog is BECAUSE you’re not a cheerleader James.
Truth to Power mate. Keep it up for the good of Celtic.
If you do a post mortem James, could you include what the hell Paul Tisdale’s role is exactly
There is an obvious inference to be drawn from the board’s actions and inaction, namely, that the club is being fattened up with a view to a takeover: does Dermot Desmond wish to sell his shares? The assets are being husbanded carefully, and expenditure is largely restricted to what is necessary: whatever happened to the hotel and the other facilities that were proposed? The “biscuit tin mentality” is still present inside Celtic Park, but I suspect that the reasons are different from those that prevailed in the past.
You beat me to it Dan. I understand that two elements of his role are:
Identifying and developing talent in line with the club’s objectives
Overseeing recruitment and performance
He has been in role for 3 months and I would like to think that he knew the position with regard to Kyogo on his first sit down with BR. He presumably would also have a list of the Academy players coming out of contract and which ones BR wanted to keep.
Our Board are there to be shot at and held to account and quite rightly so. But it’s not the day job of our CEO to scout players and develop academy prospects.
I get internal appointments in the past have been weak and wrong. And I get he is only 3 months in. But you don’t get much time in football and there should have been clear priorities for his first “100 days”.
As far as I can tell James McCarthy has made more of a contribution than Paul Tisdale – I hope the next day or so prove me wrong.
There will be NO signings by close of the window – Scales as back up LB and Maeda as Striker…..the Bayern game will likely be £60 MINIMUM – time to vote with your feet or stop complaining
Good win today – Played well enough but it’s always heart in the mouth time when often one is never enough…
Got it in the very end and absolutely fuckin well DELIGHTED and OVERJOYED for Jota !!!
James what do you mean when you describe someone who is a cheerleader?
Is it someone who supports a team that has just become the most successful team in Scotland as far as trophies won.
A team that has dominated Scottish football for the last 25 years.
A team that is probably one of the best run clubs in Britain.
A team that will never be liquidated or run an illegal tax avoidance scheme.
Yes I think I am a cheerleader.
I always expect the worst from this and almost every other celtic board I can remember and being born in early 60s I go back quite a way. It will never change the more the fans (in my opinion not nearly enough of us) vent their fury the more determined Nicholson and Co will ignore us and refuse to bring in the transfers we need and deserve,all the trophies we have acquired over the years is in spite of them not because of them.
There is something rotten at Celtic Park, for us to lose so many promising players from the academy is puzzling. What’s the point of having an Academy if the graduates up and leave, before we get any benefit from the time and money spent on the coaching they get through the years . What I would wonder about is what kind of contracts are they being offered, is there a bit of penny pinching going on.
Our transfer policy is also strange, quick to sell and slow to buy seems to be the policy.
The L/B and Striker position at this time is strange, I watch Gregg Taylor and see a player who contributes to this team far more than a lot of people seem to think. During games he links up with our M/F and wingers really well. I know that Kieran Tierney adds a new dimension, but I’m pretty sure that BR would like to hold on to Taylor as part of the pool. As far as I hear there hasn’t been much of an effort made to hold onto Taylor by the moneymen at Celtic Park.
I’m also pretty sure that the plan is to get to the seasons end with Idah, Maeda and Kenny in the striking position.
The next 24 hours will be interesting, I think a couple of loan signings until the end of the season is what we can expect. Hopefully Tierney will be one of them.
We can’t go on relying on the Ibrox club being mismanaged forever.