Celtic’s next boss must ruthlessly gut out this squad.

The other day I wrote a piece on Shin Yamada and called him the poster boy Celtic’s failed transfer policy. Today I want to talk about the poster boys for where this Celtic squad finds itself. I’m not going to be overly critical of these players, because they’ve all served the club well, but they are the definition of why we are here.

The oft-repeated wisdom is that a side is only as good as its weakest link. This isn’t even about these players dragging us down game by game. It’s about something more fundamental. These players do not belong in a top-class Celtic team in the first place.

And everyone already knows the first name I’m going to say.

I have gone through the full cycle with him. I have defended him at times, criticised him at others, and ultimately, I keep coming back to the same basic issue.

Liam Scales has performed far better than any of us ever expected him to. He is a good soldier, a good servant to this club. He has grown into a player with real experience and, within the context of the SPFL, he performs well.

But as long as Liam Scales is the starting centre-back at Celtic, we are not as strong as we could be. There are better defenders out there. We all know it. And Liam Scales should not be one of the first names on the team sheet at a club with serious ambition.

Recently, I got into Peep Show and found myself fascinated by Mark Corrigan. He is one of the most brilliantly written characters I’ve ever encountered because he feels so real. Corrigan is repressed, anxious, and constantly settling. He settles for a job he doesn’t like, relationships he doesn’t want, friendships that do him no good.

He settles because it is easier than risk. Easier than embarrassment. Easier than conflict.

All of us do a bit of that in life. We compromise and settle.

We talk ourselves into accepting things we know are not ideal.

It is deeply frustrating to watch Celtic do the same.

We know that Liam Scales is not the level we need, but he is familiar. He is safe. He is there. And so, whether it is fear of the cost, fear of getting it wrong, or simple inertia, we accept him as if he is the best we can do.

That mindset has run through this squad for years.

We kept Greg Taylor far longer than we should have, almost as if he was the only competent left-back available. Yet we had Kieran Tierney before him, and we’ve since seen players like Marcelo Saracchi come through who were clearly operating at a higher level.

We persevered with Tony Ralston as our backup right-back for far too long. That was preposterous. It has taken Martin O’Neill very little time to recognise that Ralston should not be near a Celtic first-team squad. That is one of the smartest calls he has made.

And again, this is not personal.

Tony Ralston is a good soldier. He is dependable. He is a Celtic fan living the dream every time he pulls on the shirt. That earns him respect. But respect is not the same thing as suitability. He is not good enough, even as a backup, and his presence has allowed the board to avoid spending money on a proper alternative.

Earlier in the week I praised Paulo Bernardo. I think he is a player with real potential, someone who could become an important part of this team over the next few years. I do not feel the same about Luke McCowan.

Luke McCowan has not taken his opportunity. He is an SPFL-level player, and that is the truth of it. He can do a job domestically, but as long as he is occupying a place in the squad, that is a place that could be filled by someone better. His presence becomes another excuse not to improve.

And that is the common thread running through all of this.

Settling. Accepting. Convincing ourselves that “good enough” is enough.

The job in front of Celtic this summer is enormous. It is daunting. It is intimidating. But if that job is left half done, if players like Scales, Ralston, McCowan and others are seen as acceptable for a squad that is supposed to improve, then we are never getting to the next level. That is the reality.

We will know how serious this rebuild is not just by who comes in, but by who remains.

All three of those players should be thanked for their service. They have given what they can. They have done their jobs to the best of their ability. But if this club is serious about moving forward, they should be moved on.

Yes, that makes the rebuild harder. Yes, it increases the scale of the task. But it is either done properly or it is done half-heartedly.

And we have had enough of half-hearted. That is how we got here in the first place. People at this club convinced themselves that this level was acceptable. It isn’t.

In a stronger, more ambitious Celtic, those players would not be near the starting eleven. They would not even be near the squad.

The whole point of building a squad is that every player in it should be capable of stepping in without a drop in quality.

We have seen enough to know that is not the case and we also know that there are better options out there. It is time we went and got them.

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