I made it very clear yesterday that, regardless of what the media seems to be implying, this is not a club in crisis. We’ve had a rough patch. The year hasn’t started the way any of us would have wanted.
Now that we’re into April, we’ve already chalked up more domestic defeats in this calendar year than we did across the whole of the last one.
But again, let’s put that in context—we’re not measured by the same standards as everyone else in this league. We’re held to the benchmark we set ourselves.
If we didn’t have the capacity for the kind of form we produced last season, there’d be no benchmark to begin with—and that would be something to really worry about. The fact is, this team did find the spark, the drive, the flair to take us to the summit and open up a sixteen-point lead. That’s why the frustration is so fierce. That’s why the concerns feel real.
In a sense, we’re victims of our own dominance. The past has created a bar we’re constantly expected to clear. And honestly, what else should we be judged against? No other side in the country can do what this one can.
The manager’s made his feelings known. I think he’s done what was necessary. I think it’ll prove to be enough. The responsibility now lies with the players. Callum McGregor clearly understands that, and he’s played the captain’s role to perfection—fronting up, backing the boss, and throwing down the gauntlet to his teammates.
They need to play a hell of a lot better.
And I couldn’t agree with him more—except to add this: enough with the chat. We’ve heard it before. After Ibrox. After the defeat at Celtic Park. Always the same platitudes. It’s not words we want anymore. It’s action.
Every fan I know is crying out for the same thing. Show us something. Show us that the lessons have been taken on board. That this squad isn’t just going to keep coasting through games. Brendan Rodgers has clearly given them the rocket they needed—there’s no doubt about that. Now we have to see whether it’s had any effect.
This weekend gives us the perfect platform. A home game at Celtic Park. Sixty thousand fans. A chance to make a statement. It’s got to be taken. There are players who absolutely must turn up and put in a shift. I said as much on the podcast last night—I believe they will. I believe the message has landed. And I think one player, in particular, will show exactly why he was tipped for Player of the Year honours. I expect Nicolas Kuhn to come out flying.
Every one of them owes us. And not just for some general dip in form—I’m talking about robbing us of the title party we should already have had. St Johnstone at home should have been a celebration. It was all set up. But that’s gone now. Instead, they’ve denied the fans that moment at Celtic Park—on our own patch, with everything on the line. They owe us for that. Big time.
And the time to start paying it back is now.
I believe Rodgers gets it. I believe McGregor gets it. They know what this club demands. They know what it means. And I believe both of them will do everything they can to get us back to where we need to be. But it can’t just be those two. Everyone at Parkhead needs to step up. The ones who’ve gone missing in recent weeks aren’t bad players—they didn’t lose their talent overnight. They’ve all got the quality. We wouldn’t be sitting top of the league if they didn’t.
What they have lost is that inner fire—the drive that got them there. They need to rediscover it. Channel it. Use it to drag us over the finish line. Because until we’re over it, there’s a danger, however small, of something absolutely unthinkable happening.
That, in itself, should be all the motivation they need.
We put out our latest podcast last night, “Crisis? What Crisis?”
Certainly James, we are nowhere near crisis point despite all the bad press. We are presently in the driving seat for winning a unprecedented world record 9th Treble and we should be on a major high when we consider that fact…..so why then does it all feel so flat? The answer of course is that the players have taken their eye off the ball, their hunger doesn’t seem to match ours and it is a tad frustrating that they cannot motivate themselves to finish the job quickly and get us all on a high again.
Like everyone else I am still confident that we will do it, just let it be sooner rather than later though, let’s get the adrenaline pumping again and let’s play with the fire and passion we have previously shown. It’s our time to shine and it’s surely time for the players to respond to their manager and captain’s urgings, they owe us, so get it done Celtic.
Crisis Club Wins Treble!
i can just see the headlines now.
Do these fannies know how stupid they look and sound?
Having lived as a Celtic supporter from 1989-1995 and six full years without a SINGLE Fuckin trophy – I am quite content with a 13 (effectively 14) point lead with only six games to go !!!
I think Khun’s prime motivation is to stay uninjured. Since the beginning of the year he has been subjected to several, savage assaults on the pitch that have gone unpunished and unremarked by the games Officials. It would be no surprise if he hasn’t already told his Agent to get him out of ‘Dodge’ ASAP.
Celtic have shown little or no interest over the years in calling out this lack of protection from the MIBs and I don’t expect them to start any time soon.
Sadly I think Kuhn is heading the same way as Odsonne Edouard, out of Celtic Park and into relative obscurity. His lack of application in the second half of the year is evidence of a flawed character, which does not bode well for his future.
Brendan got it spot on. Top players don’t do that. I have no doubt that he told Kuhn this in private before he found it necessary to repeat it in public. I don’t expect Kuhn to listen, or to ever make it as a top player.
I just hope potential buyers aren’t put off. Let’s take the money and use it on someone who is willing to apply their talent..