GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off First Leg match between Celtic FC and FC Bayern München at Celtic Park on February 12, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
The sense of disillusionment is very deep going into the last day of the transfer window.
I usually hate international breaks. I usually detest them. The team is normally riding high when they arrive – in which case you don’t want the momentum broken – or suffering a low, when the last thing you want is a couple of weeks before they can make amends. But right now it’s just flat and horrible.
It’s not even about the performances or the results, really.
Aside from the last two games, the results haven’t been that bad. We’ve got a six-point lead, and that’s not nothing. We should be pretty confident for the rest of the campaign, because the opposition is in such disarray and we can only improve. We certainly can’t get any worse. Yet everything just feels down.
There are doubts everywhere. Doubts about the players – some aren’t giving their all, some seem past their best, others leave us wondering if we’ll ever see what they can produce. Doubts about the manager – his attitude, his refusal to make tactical adjustments, and the fact his contract is up at the end of the season.
None of those questions are going to go away.
This is exactly what we feared would happen.
Out of the Champions League, dumped in a Europa League group with little glamour. Eight games that I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch, not one of them inspiring me to even want a European away trip. I’ve done them consistently for years, because there’s nothing better in the world than that. It would have been nice for Paulina to get away to one as well.
Not this time.
That flat feeling comes from knowing the passion the fans share for this club isn’t shared by anyone else inside it. Utter selfishness characterises too much of what is going on at Celtic right now. People putting their egos before everything else. The realisation is unavoidable: this club isn’t being run by people who know what they’re doing. We’re not watching a strategic, professional operation. We’re watching people make it up as they go along, and so we know that at some point there’s going to be a disastrous reckoning.
Fan groups and fan media might be speaking the same language – essentially saying the same thing in different ways – but there’s no sign of any coming together, no sign that anyone takes this moment as seriously as it is.
We’re not in crisis, but you can see the road that leads to one. You can see how we could get from here to a really bad place. It wouldn’t take much.
A lot of us have known for a while that this club isn’t run by serious people. But the depth of how unserious they are, how unprofessional, how utterly stone-stupid their “strategy” is, has been brought home to us in the last eight months like never before.
The sale of Kyogo whilst we still had a Champions League group game to play was lunacy. The failure to replace him was scandalous. The fact we’re here, eight months on, and that still isn’t done defies belief.
Of course Nicolas Kühn hasn’t been replaced. If we can’t replace Kyogo in eight months, we’re not going to replace Kühn in two. Yang will leave, Idah will leave, and we’ll replace those guys because what choice do we have?
But the players we really need, the reinforcements who would have made a difference – we’re not going to get those. We won’t emerge from this window with a side substantially stronger than the one that finished last season. At best, we’ll break even. We’ll be told to be content with a squad that is “just as strong.”
Just as strong as the one that got plaudits for the performance in Munich. That was the night when many of us hoped the club was ready to take itself seriously again, to move to the next level. But the truth is, the board was content just to be there.
They had no ambition to take us further. That never existed.
When The Village Idiot yesterday mouthed off about Celtic’s “glass ceiling,” he forgot we were two minutes away from a result against Munich. On another night, we might have won and gone through, suddenly in the last 16.
Had we done it, would that have been the ceiling? The top sixteen clubs in Europe? Doesn’t sound like a bad one to me. From there you’re only two games away from the last eight. All this glass ceiling talk sounds cowardly to me. It reeks of a lack of imagination.
That’s why it feels like this. That’s why it feels sickening.
That’s why we’re on a low.
It’s not because of the Champions League result or the dreadful performance yesterday. It’s not even because the manager tried to pin it on the players as if they hadn’t followed his instructions. We’ve watched the last three games. We know the team is playing exactly as the coaches have told them to.
If they weren’t, people would be kicked all over Lennoxtown.
Rodgers’ tactical inflexibility looks like another act of selfishness. He cannot think this is right for the team. He cannot think this is right for the club. The old Rodgers would have made five formation shifts in a game like yesterday’s just to get the points. It’s as if he no longer cares. And if he doesn’t care, then he should go.
The idea that those in the boardroom care is so ridiculous it’s hilarious.
All of that is why this feels so rotten. Because you realise they have hampered this club and will continue to do so. We are not where we are because of circumstances, or some overwhelming reason beyond our control. We are here because of choices – deliberate choices. Those choices have locked us in place. Those choices are regressive. Yet I’m sure there are people at the club who cannot, and will not, acknowledge that.
I don’t have good hopes for today. I see no reason to believe we’ll do enough business to make us stronger than we were at the end of last season. I don’t see any sign that Rodgers still has the fire in his belly he had five years ago. Too many at this club are going through the motions. Too many have gotten used to a soft seat.
I have never felt so disconnected from Celtic as I do right now.
I’ve seen worse days than yesterday. I’ve seen worse weeks than this. But I have never been so absolutely sick of so many people inside Celtic Park. So utterly offended by their mere existence. They take out of this club what hard-working fans put in and give nothing back but contempt. Don’t tell me they’re “good Celtic men.”
Good Celtic men would not watch this and allow it.
They don’t feel the way I feel today. Their detachment is of another sort entirely. And that’s been their way of running our club for a very long time. These deeply unserious people do not know how to take us forward. If they did we wouldn’t be where we are today.
Rodgers has been living off the back of the Eduard substitution at Ibrox for years. When was the last time a tactical change won a game for us? Rangers dominated us at times last season. The cup final v Aberdeen was crying out for a tactical tweak. I’m afraid he’s just not got it in him anymore.
Rodgers has been a mega succesful manager for us domestically. But we have failed in a numbmer of CL qualifiers in last 10 years. My view is the board have not invested in the squad repeatedly. Even the board over at Ibrox have spent loads more than us this summer. IF reports true they will spend 12-13m on two new strikers including Miojvski (they have already spent LOADS more than us this summer that is crazy when we have lots more money). It is very very VERY hard to write the following snetence………but it seems to me the board over there care more about spending to TRY to get success on the field than our board do at this time. Incredible it really is. We have 100m (even 50m) in the bank. Speed some on players our upgrade the main stand, dont just sit on it for goodnes sake.
‘Rangers’ couldn’t dominate us last season Tony12 as ‘Rangers’ are dead…
Other than that a fine ascertation there !
Here’s a question nobody seems to be asking yet, considering we know Rodgers will be away next season, who would everyone like as the new manager? The club gets criticised for not having players lined up, i think they’re just as bad if we dont have a manager lined up. Personally I am certain it’ll be Maloney, came back up from England to coach our youth side, he wouldn’t have done that if there wasn’t an incentive. He would be a good little yes man and welcome any and all “club signings”. I really hope I’m wrong obviously. Just wondered if anyone else had someone in mind?
Too little too late as we all expected this season. It’s like the board are fighting Rodgers and are incentivised to keep a solid bank account over improving their one and only product.
There has to be a clear out there and some fresh blood brought in with a strategy to make the product on the park the best it can be.
I’ve got to agree with your heartfelt feelings James, there is absolutely nothing to get us geed up at the moment. There is just an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach with no encouraging signs coming from anywhere or anyone. Nothing the recruitment team do today will change that either, too little too late, and it looks like we will have a long hard slog of a season ahead of us. 5 in a row is the target of course, but it is going to be an uphill struggle all the way for no one in the SPL need fear us, we are uninspiring and we are there for the taking.
If we get good payers in — Rodgers and by extension the support wins.
We want to play better football and good players help us get there.
If we do not get good players in — Rodgers and by extension the support wins.
We take the short term hit regarding football but the failure of DD and the board is there for all to see and hopefully this adds to the clamour for change.
They have used up all their excuses and now they are just trolling us.
Their ongoing failures is starting to get noticed by new areas within the support.
They are going to feel the heat sometime soon.
Last gasp trolley dash / bargains at the end of the window vibe.
To me that is a PL production and relates to his “Scarecrow” levels of business smarts.
For the record he doesn’t have any but he thinks he does.
He is the worst case scenario — the pushy / gobby unconscious incompetent.
If DD has made comments to support the transfer window trolley dash then please shout out as the ripples of his business brain have rarely reached Kiltoon.
Wizard of Oz scarecrow — much more intelligent than PL.
The Oz scarecrow knows that he doesn’t have a brain but wants one to become part of the mainstream.
PL doesn’t know that he doesn’t have a brain but shouts the odds / pulls the business levers as if he does and then gets his per interweb personalities to make excuses for his mistakes when they hurt the club.
He can recognise the mistakes but doesn’t know how they came about.
Useless / clueless / hopeless in equal measure.
Ah think your highlightin, what the vast majority of us are feelin right now. And on top of that, when we remind ourselves of the amount of money they’re sittin on, makes it 100 times worse.
Maybe even 100 million times worse Kevcelt59 !
If its such a good strategy why does no other club work like this? We are now chasing players wanted by others so we have only 50-50 chance. I also thin we might be chasing players not our first choice – they’ve gone.
Th Kyogo sale was insane. We’re told he wanted to go. I think thats because Rogers wanted to change him into something he isn’t
Nicholson’s salary in 23/24 incl bonus was over £800,000 and in exchange for this vast amount of monry he delivered a heap of whaleshit.
I too thought we had moved up a level last year, finally playing the sort of football that Bruges played last weed, unrelenting, accurate, irresistible – the type that whacks opponents 6-0.I thid we are now back at Lenny’s team.
At least Lenny’s team TRIED to attack sometimes……but you’re right.
The football is so flat and unimaginative, if Ralston and Tierney have the choice of a forward, sideways or backwards pass they always seem to take the third option. This negativity seems to be spreading to the likes of Nygren and even Balikwisha, who looked the opposite type of player on the video clips.
There’s more to this than players just losing form. Have the board succeeded in demoralising Brendan and the drain on his energy has passed on to the players? They could be trying to break his spirit to the point where he quits before his contract is up, which I feel would make them happy.
Very very good point that you raise there Danny Gal !
I’m not too bothered about that clusterfxxk of a game yesterday, The Rangers played at Ibrox as they always do. Run, Tackle, Snarl and keep the ball in the air, whilst falling down when an opponent comes within a couple of feet of you, and a compliant referee will award you a free kick. Put the ball into the box at every opportunity and see what happens, CCV,TR,LS and KT were immense in defence whilst most of our other players curled up and looked to me to be just wanting out of Ibrox with as little damage as possible.
Those in charge at Celtic Park really need to get their finger out and while they’re at it take a crash course in PR. BR really has to stop pissing around with the same old, same old system and motivate the team with a plan B at times. Our results this year in big games have been very disappointing, with the only exception being in Munich.
In a few weeks time hopefully the negativity will have lifted, the Euro League is our level at the moment and we’ll see what that brings, even if we had got through against Almaty we would have been Lambs to the slaughter in the Champions League.
BR’s signings from last season haven’t worked out, Kyogo before he left, and more recently Idah suffered from the lack of quality service into the box because of the system. Maeda for a spell had a purple patch of form last season, which covered up a lot of deficiencies.
A few weeks down the line, things hopefully will look a bit better, If not it’s going to be a long hard slog of a season.
Sums everything up pretty well! Concerning its past 11am and still nothing on the transfer front. Wouldn’t surprise me if the board just took a day off today as annual leave
Like most fans just now I feel totally deflated and totally expect to be feeling worse by the end of this window. On a side note James, can we please stop the arrogant comments that you would normally associate with sevco, we are not 6 points ahead, we are ahead on goal difference. That dismissal of other clubs will only lead to disaster.
I’ve never felt so disconnected to Celtic as I do this morning. The whole business needs a complete overhaul, root and branch.
I’ve always supported Brendan but I’m getting the feeling he’s lost his mojo and is now just playing out time.
The boardroom needs cleared out. £48 k for attending 3 board meetings per year ?
What do Brian Wilson etc do for Celtic? If somebody can please tell me I’ll stop calling for their heads.
Desmond ,Lawell and Nicholson should step down now. There’s got to be better options out there. Their treatment of the fans has been shambolic .
Please James, keep the pressure up and hopefully we’ll get change. KTF comrades.
@ lb1888. Aye brian Wilson. Years ago wafflin on about the ‘old socialist values’ of bein a Celtic fan. Now he sits up there anonymous, silent, doin fk knows what and takes in his big fat salary like the rest of the profiteerin bastards up there.
Brian Wilson is a Butchers Apron lover – Make no mistake about that…
As a former Butchers Apron loving Labour MP he has to be…
Last year he and his minions on The Celtic Board contributed £10.999 million towards that fuckin cow Reeves in The Treasury…
It’ll likely be far more this financial year…
Brian Wilson will be creaming himself – More cash for the cow that is Reeves, meanwhile the poor starve and freeze as their benefits are cruelly slashed by that utter tramp of a women Rachel Reeves !
Pure unadulterated frontier gibberish.
Aunty Rachel does not send up a bigger postal order to the Nats at Holyrood then they cannot try to bride the electorate with cheaper rail fares.
We don’t make a profit and give more corporation tax to Aunty Rachel then she cannot give the Nats a bigger postal order.
So we are currently cutting rail fares for Scotland instead of getting into the CL.
Interesting take on the social history of the club.
We might want to rethink our tax policy.
Income tax is generally higher than corporation tax.
Buy players and more of our spend goes on tax.
CL football would be a bonus.
If they don’t provide sufficiently by tonight this is beyond contempt. This’ll be sheer ‘we hold the cards’ arrogance. This will be them tellin us THEYRE in charge. Just give us your money and shut up. Greed and profit. If they don’t provide, it just means they’re no even botherin tae strengthen properly for Europe. So WHY THE FUCK would our support reward them even more, with buyin EL tickets and packages ?! Ah mean ffs…..hello !! These leeches feed aff and fill their stuffed bank accounts on Celtic supporters loyalty. If this transpires tonight, get them tae fuck out. This is our club. Buy nothin. Hit them in their pockets. Let them see where our support are prepared tae go now. Even if it means nearly empty stadiums.
For the avoidance of doubt… I’m as angry as anyone else about the lack of signings and our transfer policy in general…It’s a shitshow…Oh and I’ll support anyone who suggests we get rid of the Board…That’s a given…But put that aside for a minute and let’s say that we will get more new faces in today…My question is…What do we do with them?…The reason I ask..is…BR has us playing a style of football that is painful to watch…is boring…is slow…and sadly is ineffective…What difference will new players make if BR continues with it ?…. I’m as angry about that…as I am with all the other stuff.
Dwelling on the past won’t improve the future.
We as fans have to give a clear message to Rodgers and the Board.
Don’t pay a penny at the gate.
Don’t buy tickets for domestic cup games.
Don’t buy a ticket for Europa cup.
Buy taking this stance, Celtic will see that fans are not tolerating negativity.
Should we attend these games then stay quiet and take what you get.
I understand everyone’s anger just now and I share that anger, in fact any Celtic fan not angry with our board as things stand is not human.
However, talk of boycotting games is never going to happen, no matter how disillusioned that we are. “ Over and over, we will follow you” Those words overrule all, and they are not to be taken lightly. Celtic fans live and breath Celtic. Celtic is what makes us all get up in the morning, they are the essence of our life, they make us tick, they give a mundane life meaning and without them, how would we survive without our weekly fix. I’m at my lowest ebb just now, probably ever, I’m sick to my back teeth, but not supporting Celtic even for a short while isn’t an option. We will come out the other end of this malaise hopefully stronger and more resolute.
Keep the Faith….We will be true to Thee till death
@JG. What a load of fuckin pish. So in your view, we should all just sit back, dae fuck all and take it for as long as this board want and continue tae plough our money intae their pockets until THEY feel like chuckin it, even tho that could be for another decade. Seriously man, this board LOVE people like you. Where there’s a will tae oust this fuckin lot there’s a way.
You dae whit ye want, I don;t give a fuck, but will ye actually practise what ye preach?
For me in America, they’re a sports team. Not my life, as giving over control to something I have no control over is lunacy. I hurt when they lose or draw, but I shake it off and move on with my real life until the next opportunity to watch and escape for entertainment. I honestly don’t know anyone here that allows their entire life to be dictated by a sporting team. I understand, as much as I can, and empathize what die-hard Celts are going through right now. Born and raised here, I don’t believe I’m capable of such devotion to Celtic as you are. It’s both admirable and sad to imagine that level of loyalty. I can do that easily for my wife and family, my country. We here simply don’t have a culture of dying for a club. Instead, we proudly wear our team’s apparel and tell anyone who ribs us about the loss that we’ll get ’em next time. I wore my Celtic shirt and cross necklace over it and strutted about yesterday proud to be connected to Celtic, and the idea of it. You, the loyal supporters, are what attracted me to the club in the first place. I couldn’t believe my eyes that wtetched night of snow and rain at paradise vs Malmo. A full house screaming at the top of your lungs, beyond excited, completely ignoring the weather. It overwhelmed me and I fell in love with this club at once. This will always be my team. American though, I will compartmentalize and keep it in it’s place. I cannot allow it to materially affect my real life.
Selective Boycotts is the way forward?? Even a 10% Drop in Turnover Would Make the Self Serving Board think Again??
I feel the same. This is a new type of feeling with them and it isn’t pleasant. I have no idea what the answer is.
By all means have a go at the board, hold rallies, do whatever is necessary, I’m all for it, but always support the team, that is what Celtic supporters do, the team and the players are not to blame.
Nicholson is a freemason.
He wants the club to be ahead, but not too far that it kills off Rangers*.
Tell me I’m wrong.