The Celts are Here

Surveys, symbolism, and strategy: fans protests are needed but should be handled with care

2025-09-17T23:00:00.002+01:00

There's still an opportunity for change but be careful not to overestimate support

Anyone who's ever read this blog knows that a theme of roughly 20 years has been disquiet with the Lawwell-Desmond model of club ownership and the consequent lack of ambition.

I honestly can't remember exactly when I started swimming largely against the tide saying that this board’s vision was one of keeping a nose above the Ibrox entities.

It was considered eccentric by many but I smelt a rat fairly early on. Recently, I reposted articles I published from 16 years ago.

Now, I'm well aware that self-referencing is one of the most annoying forms of pomposity. But, back then, you could draw a lot of flak from the “Celtic family” for saying that you didn't find things hunky-dory - and that we were being led, inexorably, to where we find ourselves in 2025.

Being a voice crying out in the wilderness isn't always a lot of fun and there have been those, over the years, who would cheerfully have seen my head on a silver platter.

I can't even remember when I first had that sinking feeling of tumbling to the fact that we were being told conflicting stories by two little birdies - one called Peter and one called Paul.

One incident that stands out was the unexpected elimination of Rangers from the Champions League by FC Kaunas of Lithuania. (2008/9 - I had to look that up.)

It hit me particularly hard because we had been led to believe that Celtic were preparing to invest significantly in the squad, for our own Champions League challenge. (We were drawn against Man Utd, Villarreal and Aalborg.)

But, that Rangers result had barely sunk in when a blog considered close to Peter Lawwell changed the narrative, espousing the benefits of cash in the bank.

No mainstream outlet had wind of this and it had to be either wild speculation or informed from the only authoritative source itself.

It was of profound significance. We were touting plans to compete with Rangers, based on us both having Champions League income. When Celtic were guaranteed the entire pot allocated to Scotland, it would allow us an exciting opportunity.

The blogger was right - we banked the cash, finished fourth behind Aalborg and a policy direction was made blindingly and painfully clear.

That UEFA Cup Final defeat to Porto in 2003 really had been the watershed some claimed. Brian Quinn and his fellow directors had decided that the spending model had to change - and the fans had to be cajoled into acquiescence.

The intervening years have only vindicated being an outlier while others saw Celtic as a cash cow or a means of gaining a profile.

But we are where we are and a significant proportion of Celtic supporters now see that inaction will only guarantee decades more of emotional ping-pong - feeling that we're going somewhere only to be cut down to size by our own shareholders and directors.

That's great but it's also vital to seize on a wave of popular opinion without the missteps that will condemn any efforts to failure.

When supporters feel shut out by the boardroom, it’s natural to look for ways to make their voices heard. Consultation, protest, and fan media are all part of that. But if we want to be effective, we need to recognise the traps – and avoid the kind of missteps that can weaken rather than strengthen our case.

The recent fans’ consultation is a case in point. The intentions were good, but the execution was rushed through.

Attitudes research is a sophisticated process. There are known pitfalls that are not always immediately obvious and that can lead to significant error. I remember being at a meeting when a senior figure, who had commissioned a survey, gleefully called in representatives of every department to announce that the results had fully supported his preferences.

Anyone with a smidgeon of knowledge of statistical analysis could see that the results had been distilled to convince the man who paid the piper that the survey had echoed his tune. The result was a disaster, convincing him to commit to an expensive path that was unsupported by the actual data.

The Celtic fans’ survey was a good idea but the execution was sub-optimal, leaving too much room for bias. Almost every question was framed as “Do you agree with/would you support X?” with yes/no boxes. That leaves itself open to what's known as acquiescence bias – people are more likely to say “yes” simply because of the way the question is asked.

Additionally, there was no vetting of the respondents. That's not a criticism of the organisers – it's virtually impossible to have an open survey with control over who responds.

However, it does need to be factored in. With surveys such as this, those with the strongest feelings will typically dominate the respondents, skewing answers to the more extreme end of the scale.

That's only one issue. Another is the fact that there's a likelihood that a significant number of responses could potentially come from rival fans, set on sabotaging the results through supporting the most disruptive proposals.

This happens, to some extent, with virtually every survey involving polarising issues and it would have been wise to take that into account before claiming more than 90 percent support for every proposal.

The obvious outcome was numbers that looked far stronger than they were.

Headlines of “90%+ support” gave the impression of a mandate. But when the first protest – the late entry at Rugby Park– took place, around a quarter of fans refused to join in. Others voiced their disquiet online and in the stands. What looked like overwhelming unity in theory quickly turned out to be fragmented in practice.

Potentially worse was the fact that the protest sparked angry comments about not supporting the team and about the makeup and conduct of the away support.

This is why we should be wary of rushing in. A movement built on a misunderstanding of survey data risks its credibility and carries the risk of future unpleasant surprises.

It's far better to take the time to test the ground properly, refine the strategy, and build a consensus that will hold up under scrutiny.

SurveyMonkey’s own guidance makes the point: avoid leading questions, broaden the answer options, verify your respondents. If we want real legitimacy, that’s the standard we should aim for.

Another area worth reflecting on is fan media. Reducing presence at press conferences or briefings but still keeping some representation achieves little. It sends a half-signal that is neither a real boycott nor genuine engagement. The board barely notices, and supporters see no tangible gain. Symbolic gestures only matter when they’re unmistakable.

So what does work? The blunt truth, as argued here and nauseum, is that boards respond to one thing above all: money.

Season tickets are prepaid, so there’s no leverage there. European tickets, cups, and away games can make a dent, but they may also split opinion – many supporters won’t stomach walking away from the team itself. That leaves merchandise, matchday spend, Celtic TV, and commercial partnerships.

This is where a united front can be powerful. Refusing to buy official strips, food, or drink is more than symbolic – it dents revenue streams and, rattles sponsors. No commercial partner wants to be associated with declining sales or visible supporter discontent. Pressure from sponsors is a language directors cannot ignore.

Symbolism can still play a role, though. For example, rather than sporting the latest Adidas clobber, perhaps fans could go back to the days of wearing anything green and white that isn’t official merchandise – knitted scarves, homemade hats, gear bought from independent sellers.

It would show support for the team, starve the board of income, and hark back to traditional roots. It would also lend itself to the sort of optics that could draw media attention, without risking team morale.

Just as old songs like “Putting on the agonies, putting on the style” have been revived for nostalgic power, so too could a return to community-made colours strike a chord. It keeps the stands full of colour while sending a clear message: we are Celtic, but we won’t bankroll complacency.

The aims of these protests are sound. No one doubts the frustration with the lack of ambition from the board. But if we want action that matters, it needs to be measured, disciplined, and strategic.

And some of those who embraced flawed data with excessive enthusiasm could do worse than be open-minded to that fact, if they want success rather than the ability to insist that they were right.

Hasty gestures based on flawed data risk backfiring. Financial pressure, carefully applied and visibly coordinated, offers the best chance of making directors and sponsors listen.

If we take the time to get it right, we don’t just protest – we influence. The opportunity remains – let's watch out for unnecessary knocks.

Missteps on a road paved with good intentions

2025-09-14T14:04:00.000+01:00

The protesters are sincere in their intentions but their late entry is divisive and ill-considered

The road to meaningful change at Celtic is paved with missteps, and today now supporters’ protest is in danger of turning into yet another one.

I don’t doubt the sincerity, the passion, or the sense of injustice that drives the majority of people who finally said, “enough is enough”.

But sincerity without strategy is a blunt instrument, and this latest plan has all the hallmarks of the kind of half-thought gestures that make noise, divide fans, and leave the boardroom untouched.

The “late entry” protest is a textbook example of what happens when you rush to action. Hundreds of people debated scattergun proposals and, instead of distilling the survey feedback - of 38,000 responses - into a handful of well-considered ideas, they reached for the most dramatic gesture. That is not strategy, that is impulse. Unsurprisingly, the backlash has already been significant. Before a ball is even kicked this protest has become an own goal.

It has taken what was arguably the biggest show of fans unity in Celtic’s history, and been met, in many quarters, by frustration, derision and anger. What a start!

On paper it sounds dramatic: no Celtic fans in the ground at kick-off, thousands filing in after twelve minutes. In practice it will be a trickle, managed by stewards and police.

That ensures friction, it frustrates paying fans, and it gifts the board a perfect alibi. If Celtic put in a lacklustre performance and drop points, the late entry will be blamed. If there is disorder in the stands, it will not be Celtic carrying the can.

This whole operation will be stewarded by Kilmarnock and Police Scotland, which means if it goes badly wrong the board can wash their hands and point the finger at the organisers. They will look like amateurs while the directors shrug.

Worse still, there is a genuine safety issue. Anyone who remembers the history of Ibrox the Ibrox disaster knows that crowd movement, whether an early exit or a late entry, carries risk. To risk fans and disrupt the team in pursuit of a poorly conceived point is reckless, not radical. That's also why the late entry will not be allowed to happen as the protesters think.

Celtic’s hierarchy themselves are masters of poor communication. For years I have argued that this club does not understand reputation management, public relations, or even basic respect for its own supporters. The White-Kelly era is remembered precisely because it combined arrogance with tone-deafness.

Yet somehow, elements of the fan movement have stumbled into mimicking the same mistakes: high on gesture, low on strategy, blind to consequences.

And let us not kid ourselves, there is a hierarchy here too. The notion that certain groups can drape banners over seats as if they were towels on sun loungers says it all. For all the rhetoric about unity, the reality is different factions jockeying for influence, with some familiar names seeking status and profile more than progress.

The Celtic Trust, which many of us warned years ago was not the vehicle for change, now stands exposed. Others, no less pompous in manner, have been quick to fill the vacuum. For almost 20 years we have been here, the same warnings, the same mistakes.

The tragedy is that the Celtic family has the talent to do far better. Among our support are people with the brains, skills and experience to mount a campaign that is coherent, safe and effective. Instead we get decisions made on the hoof, shaped by voices too keen on their own profile to let better ideas come through. The result is division, not unity.

It is not as if there were no smarter options. Ticket boycotts were dismissed because rebels were afraid of losing their places on the waiting list. That would have been a genuine sacrifice. Instead of hard choices we get grandstanding.

The survey looks like being another squandered opportunity. Poorly designed questions, no proper analysis of qualitative data, and a box-ticking exercise that produced a misleading ninety per cent “approval” figure. It gave the illusion of consensus where none really exists. That was not consultation, it was theatre.

People tick yes to, “Do you agree” or “Would you support” questions. Hence in referenda there are endless debates over the wording of questions and battles over which side of the argument votes Yes.

What could have been done? A properly constituted attitudes survey. Careful analysis. Clear proposals that could be evaluated on safety, strategic, financial, and cultural grounds. Building consensus, not splinter groups. Real communication with fans, not another copy of the board’s arrogance dressed in green and white.

And yet here we are. A protest that risks alienating fellow fans, risks safety in the stands, risks disrupting the team, and all to make a point that will be shrugged off by a board sitting on one hundred million pounds in the bank and more than happy to sell a player if there is any shortfall. That is not pressure. That is indulgence.

The call for change at Celtic is right. The board are culpable. The club’s communication is a disgrace. But until we find a movement with strategy, vision, and respect for the whole support, we are destined to repeat the cycle: loud gestures, fleeting headlines, and another opportunity lost.

Brendan, signings - and the "spectre" of Shaun

2025-07-18T08:29:00.002+01:00

There's something oh-so-familiar about this close-season.

It follows a pattern we've come to know well. The team looks shakey - they come good - we start to look like we've got the makings of something with real potential - players become restless - we sell more than we buy (in financial terms) - there's speculation about the manager.

As ever, fans are divided.

"The board's not backing the boss!"

"We can't invest for a manager who won't commit."

"Why are we hoarding cash in the bank?"

"Do you want us to go bust?"

I've been a Celtic supporter long enough to have become jaded by the whole carousel.

But amid all the angst, the navel-gazing and the infighting, something is going almost unnoticed.

The return of Shaun Maloney.

I'll make it clear that I like Shaun and respect what he has achieved in football. I have nothing whatsoever against him or his appointment as "professional player pathway manager".

And change was evidently needed in that department. In recent years, Celtic's youth development has been like a production line with nobody to man the end of the conveyor belt, while talent was whisked off by opportunistic clubs offering baubles and big dreams.

As with most things, that led to all manner of finger-pointing within the development setup as well as the manager "not giving youth a chance".

That's another conversation but there can be little doubt that Shaun, with his CV including coaching Belgium under Roberto Martinez while the country was ranked 1st in the world, has huge talent and experience to bring to the role.

But are we being told the full story?

This isn't the first time that Celtic have appointed Shaun to a similar role. The previous occasion was in 2017 when the first-team coach was... Brendan Rodgers.

Of course, things were different then. At that time, Peter Lawwell was CEO, not chairman of the board, as he is now.

There are those who will tell you that anyone who thinks the Chairman directly influences policy doesn't understand business.

Those people, in my humble opinion, are either liars or fools. You can forget about the extent and limitations of the remit of an executive role when personal relationships are at play.

Celtic tried an outsider as CEO - Dominic Mackay lasted approximately two months before he left in mysterious circumstances, only for insiders at Celtic to brief against him for failing to take Lawwel's advice in the transfer market.

That caused a ripple of disquiet before Ange started exciting us with some sensational football and issues like club governance seemed too dull to consider.

But Shaun, like John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan, is very much an insider with key members of the board.

Unlike most clubs, the Celtic board have kept an iron grip on the coaching team for years, with the core being board appointees, rather shaped by changing managers.

There can be a lot to be said for the stability that brings, especially with little interest in retaining ambitious managers, but it's also a strategic bargaining chip when dealing with those same head coaches.

It means that replacing the head coach is a relatively simple logistical task and that weakens the hand of someone like Brendan Rodgers, when the prospect of a new contract arises.

I'll come straight out and say it - I believe that's the main reason for Shaun's appointment.

"You want guarantees over quality signings and control over who comes in? Well, we've got alternatives to you already in place."

Many will dismiss this as nonsense but, from a strategic point of view, Celtic have coaching team in place, that could be headed by Shaun "on an interim basis" at the drop of a bunnet.

Add in the prospect of the up-and-coming Ayr United boss Scott Brown or - gawd help us - the ever-available Dunfermline boss Neil Lennon - and you have the sort of continuity options that would require Peter Lawwel to have his sheets changed.

Is that a coincidence, as there are again hints that signings have been brought in without the enthusiastic support of Brendan?

Do key members of the board want him to stay?

All will be revealed by the end of the season but you can be sure that those who refuse to communicate with the fans directly already have their PR ready for when he next "abandons" us.

Imagine starting season 2026-27 with the dream team: Head coach, Shaun Maloney; assistant manager, Scott Brown; team coaches, John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan; Direct of Football, Neil Lennon - all happy to work within the existing recruitment strategy.

The only downside is, of course, that Shaun's forays into management have been less than stellar.

But, of course, should he fail, Scott could step up "on an interim basis", with Neil as "a safe pair of hands".

It all makes perfect corporate sense.

Farewell to Kyogo, welcome back, Jota - and the prodigal son’s return?

2025-01-27T22:38:00.005+00:00

Celtic fans are no strangers to the emotional bagatelle that comes with supporting the club.

This week, however, has been a particularly bittersweet ride. The news of Kyogo’s departure to Stade Rennais has left many of us with a lump in our throats, while the return of Jota from the same club has sparked joy and optimism.

It’s a strange feeling, akin to welcoming one family member home from abroad, only to watch another pack their bags, perhaps never to return.

Kyogo’s time at Celtic has been special - at times, nothing short of magical. His energy, relentless work rate and world-class finishing combined with his humility and evident joy in playing in the Hoops to make him an easy player to love - and most of us still do.

Comparisons to Henrik Larsson are not made lightly, but Kyogo’s goals return and range of finishes put him in that rarefied air. He wasn’t just a goal scorer; he was a symbol of Ange Postecoglou’s revolution, a player who embodied the attacking, fearless football that brought excitement, trophies and great memories.

It’s hard to begrudge Kyogo his move, if that's what he has to do to have a chance of potentially securing a spot in Japan’s World Cup squad.

But, personally, my instinct is that this move might not work out as he hopes. Stade Rennais, having dropped into the relegation places in Ligue 1, have struggled to get the best out of Jota, and their chaotic season doesn’t inspire confidence. We can only wish Kyogo well and hope he finds the success he deserves.

On the flip side, the return of Jota is giving most of us the warm and fuzzies and feels like an encouraging sign that Celtic are not just a selling club but one capable of attracting players of his quality and price bracket.

What’s even more impressive is the financial acumen behind the deal. To have made a profit in the region of £8 million over various transactions involving Jota, while still securing his services for five and a half years, is exceptional business.

However, Jota’s return comes with a caveat. As Callum McGregor often says, there’s “zero credit in the bank.” Jota will need to hit the ground running, proving that he’s not just here to relive past glories but to create new ones. The same applies to Kieran Tierney, should his much-anticipated return materialise.

Speaking of KT, the prospect of his return feels like something that should happen, even if some reasonably question his ability to remain free of injuries.

For me, like many others, KT never felt like he stopped being “our Bhoy” and if he does come back, it will feel like a longed-for return for a player who was only ever studying away from home.

Yet, like Jota, Tierney will need to approach his return with the "zero credit " mindset and I have confidence that both can make it work.

The experiences of Jota and KT, along with the recent struggles of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, serve as a reminder that life outside Celtic Park isn’t always the promised land. (You can't get greener than Celtic!)

James Forrest has often spoken about ex-teammates who regretted leaving Celtic, and their experiences should serve as a cautionary tale, for all the allure of bigger leagues and bigger paychecks.

Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from this transfer window is the growing sense that Celtic are positioning ourselves as a club to come back to, for players in their peak years, rather than a stepping stone to “higher things” or a place to enjoy a pre-retirement sojourn.

There have been false dawns before, but just maybe, there has been a mentality shift and Celtic are on the way up.

Brendan’s shot at Celtic fans was well off-target

2025-01-06T16:38:00.001+00:00

There’s an old story — which may or may not be true — about Jock Stein’s attitude to the fans. The tale goes that a game wasn’t going well and Jock had chosen to drop Dixie Deans, much to the disgruntlement of many of the fans.

When Jock finally decided to make a change and told Dixie to warm up, the fans started to chant his name. At that point, it’s said, Jock told Dixie to put his tracksuit back on and sit on the bench — a strong message to the supporters that he, and he alone, decided who would play for Celtic and when.

I was reminded of this by Brendan Rodgers’s decision to berate supporters who chanted for Kieran Tierney during the win against St Mirren.

Brendan usually has his communication spot on, so it was interesting to witness the tetchiness in his response, after a solid win. You can argue that he was simply defending Greg Taylor at a time when he has still not signed the contract extension offered to him, drawing speculation that he may leave Celtic in January or at the end of the season.

Some will say that’s good management; that it’s the job of a manager to publicly support his players when there’s a perceived lack of appreciation from certain quarters. You could say that the message he is sending to the dressing room about having his players’ backs is more important than the signal he sends to supporters.

However, I can’t help feeling that Brendan has called this wrong on a number of levels and has only made a delicate situation worse with his strident comments.

Only recently, Brendan was talking about “narratives” deflecting from victories. Why, he then chose to introduce a negative post-match narrative after a solid recovery, following an abject defeat to The Rangers, only he knows for sure.

Was it partly inspired by petulance, still smarting from the defeat at Ibrox? It seemed a possibility.

Yet Brendan, along with others, has talked about the winning mentality and pressure to perform at Celtic. If fans are often over-the-top with their criticism when let down by the players, perhaps that just goes with modern football.

But Brendan shouldn’t kid himself. The tensions towards Greg have been largely driven by the player and manager themselves.

Greg has an important decision to make and he’s entitled to take his time making it. At 27, he no doubt sees that the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie and Kris Ajer have left Celtic to make excellent money in the English Premier League and probably feels confident that he could make a similar move to a team in the lower half of that competition.

In that sense, Greg probably feels it’s now or never for him. To sign on, I’m guessing that the main considerations are likely to be a long contract near the top of what Celtic can offer within the pay structure and that he will be a major first-team player in what promise to be exciting times ahead.

As well as these factors, is his position in the Scotland squad where he faces fierce competition and will have to be playing regularly if he is to have any chance of featuring in the next World Cup.

These concerns are all quite legitimate but, by the same token, fans tend to get restless when players fail to make the big gestures of loyalty that supporters kid themselves they’d all make in a heartbeat.

And, frankly, that hasn’t been helped by Greg’s form this season, which has been somewhat patchy. That’s something else that can come from a player having other things on their mind and, while understandable, isn’t helping anyone.

Then we come to some of Brendan’s own comments. When asked recently about Greg’s contract situation, Brendan was careful to praise his contribution to the club and emphasise that he would like Greg to stay. However, it can’t have been lost on Greg or his representatives that Brendan continually used the word, “squad”.

Any player with the concerns listed above would surely be concerned that that was code for saying that his position would be diminished in future. Saying this at the same time as the growing speculation around Kieran Tierney’s possible return was unusually tin-eared of a manager who usually prides himself on his diplomacy and media-handling.

Now, Brendan has gone one further and made the narrative around Greg being that it’s him or Kieran — which is not just crass but follysome.

Personally, I’ve always been firmly in the KT camp, though Greg deserves more recognition and appreciation than he has sometimes received. But, with Kieran still to prove that he can get over the injuries that have affected him (and that explosive power he has always carries the risk of some injury recurrence), Celtic may well go into February with a top fullback being managed into performance condition and a loan player while Greg explores pastures new.

That’s largely on Brendan, in my opinion. He is often eloquent in his managing of sensitive issues. Sometimes, however, the great communicator would be well advised to heed the words of fellow Irishman, Ronan Keating: “You say it best when you say nothing at all.”

Celtic’s future captain? An early prediction — but no pressure, Luke!

2024-09-09T17:22:00.002+01:00

Callum will be our captain for years to come but we’ll soon need to prepare a successor

It's the international break, there's no real football, so it's time for nitwits and fools to indulge in idle speculation.

Here I go. Something that's been on my mind recently is who will follow Callum McGregor in taking the captain's armband when Callum finally hangs up his boots.

Hopefully, that's years away but, unlike the last few years of Scott Brown's captaincy, when Callum was the obvious candidate, there are few players who look to be both suitable and likely to be at Celtic in around four years time, when Callum will likely be ready to move on.

Step forward, our new midfield signing, Luke McCowan. Celtic through and through, 26 and with an impressive attitude as his most recent press conference demonstrated, we might just be looking at the man right now.

Now, I’m not saying McCowan’s ready for the captaincy any time soon—he hasn’t even played a full game for Celtic yet—but there’s something about his attitude that makes you wonder.

In his recent press conference, he came across as a player with not only ambition but a solid, grounded mindset. At 26, he’s the right age to grow into a leadership role, and would be around 30 when Callum would likely be winding down so the timing might just align.

Of course, we’re talking about potential, not guarantees. McCowan still has to prove himself on the pitch and show he’s not just a solid squad addition but someone who can inspire and lead.

But the fact that he’s a true Celtic man, combined with his previous captaincy experience at Dundee, makes him a name worth keeping in mind when we look to the future.

It was also notable that Luke left Dundee with the universal good wishes of his club, coaches teammates and fans. That's a rare occurrence and it speaks to a solid character.

Listening to him talking, Brendan Rodgers must have been beaming, as he said everything you expect of a new signing, humble but confident, focussed on working hard, learning from everyone around him and doing whatever it takes to make the most of his opportunity.

There’s always a need to plan for the long-term leadership at Celtic and the captain’s role is more than just wearing the armband; it’s about embodying the spirit of the club, guiding players, and maintaining the standards set by legends like Callum and Scott.

Greg Taylor might be another candidate, but with McCowan’s age, attitude, and work ethic, he’s certainly one to watch as the years progress.

For a Celtic man at heart, the ultimate reward for Luke could just be the bhoy's own dream.--

Blood on the screens! Celtic content family goes to war … over what again?

2024-09-08T15:01:00.005+01:00

There’s a time to choose your battles and a time to keep your powder dry. Wazzocks, take note!

There's trouble at t'mill! Or at least the Celtic blogging community. By community, I of course mean the those-and-such-as-those content creators who see themselves as inside the tent pissing out, with the sense of self-importance and entitlement that comes with making an income from daily talking the kind of pish that this blog gets around to occasionally.

Any parent will tell you of the risks that the school holidays give idle little hands some devilish work to do and, for Celtic, it seems that the accursed international break is doing the same.

Excuse me while I put down my tiny violin and explain that this is all about - drumroll - the transfer window.

Happy with the window - aye, naw, mibbes?

I have to confess that, as we were doing our usual due dithering, I considered breaking off from my important tasks to write a piece with the working title: “The Celtic transfer window — the annual betrayal”. However, I wisely kept my powder dry — and, after all, we’ve had successful windows in at least three of the last 15 or so. Accuracy is important, and there’s always next year.

The latest transfers in have left many Celtic fans excited in a way that was once only experienced by torchlight under the covers and, I am also optimistic.

However, as every adolescent learns, such unfamiliar ecstasy often leads to premature reactions and the immediate crowing from certain quarters with an undisguised adoration of Celtic’s corporate plan is perhaps ill-timed.

The attempt to eviscerate the arguments of all and any who question whether there’s an alternative to signing players in the last 48 hours was delivered with a quite brilliant blend of smugness, pseudo-intellectualism and downright idiocy befitting a forum attracting the Aloyisians and Hutchesons’ old-boys within the Celtic support, along with those still feeling resentful that mater and pater cursed them with comprehensive education. (Say what you like but we’re inclusive.)

That led to the shedding of blood on the screen as one of those who found his platform there before branching out on his own threw a barb and was then rounded on with some fairly vitriolic abuse.

This, in turn, prompted an alcohol-fuelled lament over receiving the sort of nastiness that, by his own admission, he dishes out but is less comfortable receiving. In doing so, he alluded to a long list of people who tell him what they think of him in language that he uses himself, bizarrely blaming his political past. (I think he meant he’s the kind of “socialist” who tries to win debates with the F-word and personal insults. Basically, he’d like to be Irvine Welsh but is actually an alloy of the rhetoric of Kevin Williamson and the preciousness of Mike Small).

Perhaps the most farcical element of this is the timing. There’s plenty of room for being cautiously optimistic, but It might be wiser to hold off on the statues and banners until we’ve actually seen the new signings on the pitch.

The signing of Kasper Schmeichel has been met with a universal acclaim that is understandable and securing Adam Idah and Paolo Bernardo, turning their loan deals into permanent moves is welcome and sensible.

I was one of those particularly pleased to see Luke McCowan joining the club and I am as excited as anyone to see how our record-breaking signing Arne Engles performs. As for Auston Trusty and Alex Valle, I am as hopeful as anyone.

But there’s an important caveat — hope is rarely a solid platform for the sort of in-your-face derision delivered by Peter Lawwell’s most trusted independent blogger.

And nor do we need to start raining on parades when the team isn’t even active.

But haven’t we been here before? Has everyone else fallen victim to the same Orwellian memory hole that has allowed the summer 2020 to be something we just don’t talk about?

Then, too, “the board spent big” on sure-fire stars like Christopher Jullien, Vasillias Barkas and the legendary Boli Bolingoli-M’Bombo, joined by the loan signing of Shane Duffy. All would feature prominently in our losing the chance to win ten-in-a-row — or even a trophy that season.

I believe that there’s a different feel to this window and, coupled with strong performances at the start of the season, there are grounds to believe that we are taking an important step forward.

But that will only be proven with victories over the likes of Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys Bern, Club Brugge and Dinamo Zagreb — all of whom have lower resources than Celtic and who play outside the Big Five leagues.

There are many lessons to be drawn from this tawdry situation (and dishonourable mention goes to the other content-providers calling critics ”c&&&s” for challenging their analyses).

One is that presuming the success of new signings who have played approximately 50 minutes for Celtic combined is a fool’s errand.

Another is that the internecine warring between self-important fans with laptops yet again explodes the myth of the “Celtic family”. (I say this having been the recipient of efforts to actively sabotage this blog when it was actually read occasionally. Yes, it was quite obvious where it came from.)

The Celtic support is increasingly divided, with more and more fans seeking their own niche and their own platform, demanding acclaim and being motivated by self-interest, arrogance and jealousy. The term, “wazzocks,” springs to mind, in the interests of politeness.

Fight on boys — knock yourselves and each other out! But, first, it might be wise to have a clue what you’re actually fighting — or even talking — about.

Is it time for Scottish football to embrace new realities?

2024-09-03T19:12:00.003+01:00

The would-be supremacists are facing up to life as Scottish football's Hunderclass

The dust is still falling from the Sunday swatting of The Rangers and perhaps the most remarkable thing to digest was how routine the 3-0 victory was.

Most of us have too much experience to take anything for granted in football but, for me, I was finding it hard not to expect a comfortable win.

I couldn't see how we could lose, draw or even win narrowly and the 3-0 score seemed to be the likely acceptable minimum.

For fans of The Rangers, it seems, the expectations were exactly the converse. The saying goes that it's always darkest just before the dawn but for the antisocial neighbours, it seems that the dawning was of the realisation that their position is now cemented as Glasgow football's (possibly permanent) Hunderclass.

Listening to the media phone-ins and post-mortem discussions following such fixtures can be a task for fools, usually a mixture of delusion and denial, punctuated with some genuinely funny moments of anger. The aftermath of the latest statement of Celtic’s superiority, however, had an altogether different tone.

Pundits had run out of straws to clutch and fans of The Rangers took to the internet and airwaves to declare their hatred and contempt for everyone representing their club and utter despair for the future.

Where once everything was an act of defiance, bloggers, vloggers, Twitterers and callers lined up to sing from the same sheet: “Celtic are superior in every department and the gulf can only get wider.”

Suddenly, the notion that has sustained Scottish football that it must be an endless duality between a Celtic, still unloved by most paid to comment on the game, and the indestructible, immortal, risen Rangers seems shattered.

Fans and media shills who could not and would not accept the fact of the death of Rangers in 2012, now seem increasingly resigned to The Rangers MKII languishing eternally in purgatory, ever looking upwards to Celtic revelling in Paradise.

If many Celtic fans who endured the daily “in-your-faces” experience of the financial doping years will be hesitant to display the same hubris that came before the Rangers fall, there is nevertheless a compelling emerging narrative — that, this time, it’s different.

Strange things do happen in football — often through corruption nodded through by authorities that are more than willing to turn a blind eye to financial unfair play — so The Rangers may yet find a wealthy saviour of similar character and competence to the rogues gallery that have held sway at Ibrox since the 1980s.

But, without moving goalposts to artificially level the playing field, the dominance Celtic enjoys looks set to remain.

After finishing last season as champions but with a squad that most supporters agreed was inadequate for the challenges ahead, Celtic emphatically dominated the match with outfield players who had all been regulars when title 54 was secured. On the bench was approximately £30m of new talent, including our two record signings.

The game was all but won before Celtic paraded Arena Engels, Luke McCowan and James Forrest for his 500th club appearance.

With the transfer window now closed until January, it’s difficult to see what circumstances could allow The Rangers to close the gap and, with Celtic enjoying the superior wealth of the Champions League, the club looks likely to be set for further development over the coming 12 months.

Anyone who has seen a football club die, only for its imitators to be hailed as the real thing by authorities and media alike will know better than to take anything for granted. On the other hand, as an increasing number of The Rangers partisans are coming to terms with, the difference between our dominance and the old Rangers’ swagger show is stark. Ours is founded on a solid structure while their’s was built on sand.

And, if that does come to pass — “Espanyolification”, as it was once known or “being Everton to their Liverpool” as one desperate caller put it -- would it be such a bad thing? Paul Lambert may believe that Scottish football needs a strong club accepted as Rangers but their demise might well provide an opportunity for clubs from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Ayrshire and Dundee to find new opportunities and build something sustainable as Scottish football is realigned.

Before that is allowed to happen, we can expect the sort of dirty tricks that would put a referendum campaign to shame but, with fair play, it looks increasingly likely that Scottish football may have to be ready to accept new realities along with the surrender of the would-be supremacists.

No, Celtic don’t need “a strong Rangers” and neither does Scottish football. However hard The Rangers may scramble to reach for it, it seems that penny is finally dropping.

The banning of the Green Brigade - another tawdry chapter in a tired old story

2023-11-01T16:11:00.004+00:00

I was talking to a socialist friend some time ago when he brought up the International Brigades who fought against Franco's fascists in the viciously brutal Spanish Civil War. The Republicans, for whom the International Brigades fought – many hailing from Scotland – ultimately lost, resulting in Franco's undisputed power to violently oppress dissenters and persecute any expressions of culture that didn't fit with his view of Spain.

I referred to the savagery of the war and the wilful slaughter of approximately 7,000 Catholic priests and nuns. “Could anyone justify that?” I asked. “Of course not.”

“But those killings were carried out by the International Brigades – almost every division of them.”

I never received a satisfactory answer to how someone can give blanket support to the International Brigades and claim to be appalled by deliberate slaughter carried out as part of a process that subordinated humanity to their espoused ideology.

If you're reading this, there's a fair chance that you, too, would consider yourself an intuitive supporter of the Spanish Republicans and almost certainly not a fascist. And, in my experience, the majority of people who hark back to those days of the glorious fight against Franco know very little about the sordid details of what really went on.

Because, frankly, most people who shout from the rooftops about militant causes are too intellectually lazy to really inform themselves about the inconvenient details. As humans, we have a tendency to favour binary choices – you're with us or against us; the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

And in doing so we naturally amplify the horrors of those perceived as our enemies while muting or mitigating the wrongdoings of “our side”.

So people who would castigate Ulster loyalist terrorists for targeting Catholics for murder can praise the International Brigades for far exceeding those crimes without a moment of self-reflection.

But facts matter and so do principles and so do human lives – all of them.

And so we come to what really should – but probably won't – be the final chapter of the Green Brigade Saga – or “How We Took an Esteemed Football Club and Made it all About Us”.

I have already made my feelings known about the Green Brigade's most recent attention-seeking behaviours.

The suspension of approximately 200 tickets has been met with predictable ire amongst fans to whom the Board of Directors can do no right and thus, through the “enemy of my enemy” doctrine, decided that the Green Brigade are being unjustly punished.

Despite the lengthy list of complaints against them – many of them extremely serious – the popular view of that is “TLDR”; “They're being banned for opposing genocide”; “It's cos the Board are Tories!”; “I stand with the Green Brigade”.

So you stand with the violence and intimidation towards other Celtic supporters and people who work at the ground, many of them Celtic fans and mostly doing low-paid, casual work. Could you tell me is that being done in the name of socialism, Irish republicanism or the people of Palestine?

The pyro (yes, it's dangerous as well as illegal and both safety and punishments against Celtic matter); the breaking into Celtic Park, rushing gates, trying to break in through fire exits. You stand with that, too.

The “Pigwatch” whereby this clan of juvenile delinquents publish photographs of police officers, seeking to identify them and put their details online. Of course you stand with that because “ACAB!”

The Green Brigade have drawn much praise for their displays and their charity collections (though the list of groups and individuals that have used charity work to whitewash their reputations is peppered with people with whom decent folk would rather not be associated).

But this is what it's about for them – their own profile and Celtic is just a convenient platform from which to project their logo across the Internet.

And in doing so now, they are not just flying the Palestinian flag but hiding behind it. They are taking the symbol of an oppressed people and using it like a cheap throw to cover some nasty stains.

And, if social media is any guide, most supporters are falling for it hook, line and sinker.

This group, mark you, doesn't see you as its equal. With its secretive membership, and privileged status within the club allowing it to make territorial claims, home and away, has come an elitism to which many fans have become only too willing to doff their bunnets.

Because, wherever there are bullies and self-appointed bad-boys, there are snivelling suck-ups who think they can get some reflected cool points for supporting them. They are the Richard Hammonds to the Jeremy Clarksons of the world.

And then there is the Celtic Trust – another group that sees itself as speaking for Celtic supporters in their own elitist way. They have spoken out in support of the Green Brigade, presumably to emphasise how much better they are than the directors whose positions they covet.

Celtic should – but almost certainly won't – stand firm until the Green Brigade stops becoming a topic. I say they won't because the Board seems to be filled with cowardly stuffed shirts who understand conservative financial policies but nothing at all about strategy.

So it seems inevitable that they'll sit down with the usual suspects who reckon they represent the intelligentsia within the Celtic support.

And they'll thrash out a tentative agreement, again! And the Green Brigade will break it, again! And we'll go through the same process, again.

And we'll be urged to stand with the Green Brigade, again!

If only this time was the last time.

Green Hamas Banners and the banning of the Green Brigade

2023-10-21T23:01:00.085+01:00

Another international break is past, another visit to Tynecastle looms, another Champions League week to whet our appetites - and what, against a backdrop of unspeakable evil on the world stage, are we talking about? The Green Brigade.

I've expressed mixed feelings about them in the past: I've condemned them, criticised them, praised them and defended them.

And all of that is quite appropriate. Because as for Oscar Wilde, the only thing worse for the Green Brigade than being talked about is not being talked about - and that can't be allowed to go on for long.

The last two weeks have seen yet another division based on whether the Green Brigade do or don't “speak for me”. Has there ever been a precedent for a fan group that quite deliberately sets itself apart from the main, diverse body of Celtic supporters and demanded that everyone pick a side? (Of course there were other fans' groups who either faded away or lost some battle for pre-eminence as the only show in town – but we don't talk about them.)

01.05.2022🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Celtic vs Celtic (Bhoys left green brigade) right fighting because recent comments in telegram chats https://t.co/Fjy3xrlEmQ #CelticFC #celtic #hooligans pic.twitter.com/bAmBfbNkv1
— Hooligans.cz Official (@hooliganscz1999) May 1, 2022

There have been statements authored by the types we all know. The people who call themselves republican socialists who don't so much believe in those values as they project them like vegans declaring the heinousness of carnivores at dinner parties.

And, all the while, they get the support of mediocre academics and white, middle-class fan media commentators who see their bread being buttered on the side that exalts cosy rebelliousness from people who would have to run to the toilet if they heard a car backfiring.

To the last rebel

Rebels? Really? There's a difference between being rebels and being belligerents; modern-day Wild Ones answering, "What are you rebelling against?" with, "Whaddya got?"

The views the Green Brigade claim to espouse chime with those of fans who see our club as being born of oppression, a reaction against prejudice, racism, religious bigotry and injustice.

Yet it's possible to believe all of those things without feeling that only the Green Brigade can preach the revealed Word; just as it's possible to consider yourself a Labour Party supporter who is neither a blindly loyal adherent of Jeremy Corbyn nor Keir Starmer - and maybe feel that you preferred something about the party in another era.

Their latest show support of the Palestinians would be laudable were it not for the sheer crassness of its timing and the manner in which it was done.

It's no exaggeration to say that when I woke up to the shock of the Hamas attacks, my thoughts were firstly with the people harmed and in terror; followed by a sickening anticipation of just how brutally Israel would inevitably respond and then, “I wonder what the Green Brigade will do to make it about them?”

Centre: Green Brigade banners and (l) Sideshow: Celtic players

They didn't disappoint.

Do people have a right to fly Palestinian flags at games or elsewhere? Yes. Is there a wider context? Also yes - more than one, in fact - but they are not easily conveyed with a spray-can.

But it would be unforgivably dishonest to ignore the fact that the Green Brigade's actions (at Celtic v Kilmarnock!) were justifiably interpreted as an expression of a palpable glee that Hamas had launched such an audacious attack and that many Israelis had been killed, wounded, kidnapped or terrified. There would have been no reasonable room for doubting that even without the “Victory to the Resistance” banners and – as appalling as it was ludicrous – Hamas-ispired flags.

(There have been risible claims that the green flag with white writing in Arabic saying "ultras Celtic" just coincidentally evokes the style of the official Hamas flag. They belong with excuses that the Totenkopf flag with "936", flown at Ibrox, was just an unfortunate choice of clipart for an ICF flag - in the bin.)

Let me make it clear. I can very easily relate to why many Palestinians, abandoned by what purports to be the civilised world, choose to support Hamas or, even if they don't, refuse to be drawn into condemnation of them. Equally, I can relate to the many Palestinians who are opposed to Hamas, tolerate them distrustfully or even suspect them of actively working with the other side. (Despite what some would have you believe, all of those views can be found by both Palestinian and Israeli individuals.)

As if we did not know!
Netanyahu: Money to Hamas part of strategy to keep Palestinians divided | The Jerusalem post https://t.co/V1CdsOMBg4
— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) March 11, 2019

Let's also be clear: there can be no false equivalency between the plights of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. It should also be understood that death, suffering, fear, and grief are universal experiences, felt as keenly by all, regardless of nationality, culture, or beliefs. Decent people should recognize that the victims of war have an equal right to compassion. This is a truth often understood by war survivors but scorned by armchair warriors for whom battle is merely televised entertainment.

And, just as I would never dare to condemn any Palestinians – whose connection to the horrors that are ongoing now, and who have been suffering persecution and injustice since their land was taken from them – for how they see their plight best expressed, neither would I presume that they must share my perspective of the issues that affect them viscerally.

And, yet, with their typical sledgehammer understanding of politics and war, that's just what the Green Brigade did with those Hamas banners.

They conflated Palestinian solidarity with support for a group that is in direct opposition to the Palestinian authority and many of its people. A group that controls Gaza, largely thanks to Israel's blockade.

It's as egregious an error as conflating Judaism with the state of Israel, Protestantism with the Orange Order or Irishness with the Provisional IRA – and we know where the Green Brigade stand on those positions.

But worse – far worse than that – is the irreparable harm that flying those banners will have done to Palestinians themselves. Why? (Perhaps this was being profoundly pondered as the spray cans hissed and the delicious prospect of being shared by Ultras social media channels was being drooled over).

Because the major excuse Israel has given for blockading Gaza and intercepting aid on innumerable occasions has been that it may be a front for smuggling weapons.

Aid worker Mohammad El Halabi was
alleged to have funnelled $50m to Hamas

Right now – without exaggeration the Mossad will be paying close attention to everyone involved with the Green Brigade's “fund-raising efforts for Palestine”. Of course they are – you have a group that continually sings about the Provos, who were closely affiliated to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, another organisation that Israel and its western allies deemed terrorists. Naturally, the majority of the political sages in the Green Brigade are too young to remember the PLO's iconic leader Yasser Arafat, and most of them weren't born when the Provos officially disbanded.

The facts that Arafat was able to win admirers through his efforts to make peace with Israeli governments that considered him a terrorist or that Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness understood that ultimately peace must be negotiated would be of little consequence to the Green Brigade because cheering on the fight from a safe distance is more fun.

And this “football fans'” organisation which embraces low-level criminality as a cultural tattoo believes it can swirl all these issues into one big pyro sing-song and have their charity to Palestine waved on without a raised eyebrow from the Israeli security services.

Has anyone stopped to ask if the flying of the Hamas flag would be worth one aid package to Palestine being blocked? Of course not.

It's worth noting that while many Palestinians interviewed in the Western media avoided criticizing Hamas, others did distance themselves from the attacks and express sympathy with the victims. Few expressed enthusiasm for the events celebrated so vibrantly by the Green Brigade.

To require the Green Brigade's delinquent expressions as thought-leadership is both intellectually lazy and morally vacuous. (I await the charge of being a “snowflake”.)

In recent years, some fans have rightly complained about outrageous harassment from special units of Police Scotland. It's almost comical to think that some of the very same would be thrilled to be elevated to the status of a security threat by Mossad.

Calling on the Green Brigade to consider their values is a futile exercise; they take such entreaties as personal affronts. But any fan has the right to say the Green Brigade speaks only for themselves, not for the club or its supporters as a body.

Yes, they bring banners; yes, they bring noise and yes, they bring colour. But there are those who believe that should give them carte blanche.

Admittedly, they have done well in the aforementioned charity drives for Palestinians and others. Equally, the Celtic Charity Foundation raised £400,000 from one dinner this month and, across the world, countless fans have and still do raise money for charity - large amounts and small.

Charity is part of Celtic's identity and all of it is to be welcomed but it didn't start with the Green Brigade and it certainly won't end with them.

The Green Brigade have been given privileged status by the club and, with that has come a sense of entitlement. They seem to feel that they, and only they, have the good of the club at heart and that, coincidentally, is always what raises the profile of the Green Brigade themselves.

Many say people don't understand Ultras culture, as if we are all too insular to see how football fans organise in central and eastern Europe. We do – ultras culture is most often associated with the far-right that the Green Brigade so despise. It's also associated with the “not here to take part; we're here to take over” culture more often linked with clubs of a nationalist/imperialist agenda.

Green Brigade's IRA-themed Brendan banner

Several of their banners have been out of order, not least when Brendan Rodgers had to criticise them for attaching his image to political messaging he had good reason to wish to eschew.

Unlike most of the Celtic supporters, they have declared Brendan irredeemable, not so much because he left as because they produced a typically childish banner after his move to Leicester from which they cannot step back. Because they can never step back: they lack the maturity for introspection and self-criticism, never mind accepting any from outsiders.

And outsiders are everyone who doesn't worship at their altar. Many do. Many have come round to the board's idea that Celtic is about atmosphere and being loved abroad before fielding a competitive team.

The sort who constantly post selfies in their latest Adidas kit – and doesn't it go well with the latest Stone Island range? The people who boast about how much they spend on merchandise and join in the modern football selfie culture. “Look at me – I'm at the game – amazing atmosphere – goosebumps!”

The irony shouldn't be lost on anyone that Celtic continually tolerate and try to work things out with the Green Brigade because they're a useful marketing tool, who the club uses like a minstrel show. It's one of those tawdry, unspoken deals that serves the interests of both parties – until it doesn't.

The board of directors have acted, with abysmal timing that appeared tin-eared as Israel's bombardment of Gaza escalated. This can be attributed to a "jobs for the boys and girls" culture within Celtic that often renders their media and PR activities amateurish and counter-productive.

The board was partly motivated by the understandably hurt words of Nir Bitton and concerns for Liel Abada, who found himself in an invidious position. Unlike most Celtic fans, both are directly affected by the Hamas attacks and the ongoing war and they have every right to express their feelings robustly during this emotional time.

Due to Celtic being, as ever, behind the curve, events have brought so much misery to the Palestinian people have worked in favour of the Green Brigade. Most fans are no admirers of the board, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has solidified their support for the Palestinians. So, being asked to pick a side has had predictable results.

Green Brigade banned by Celtic for away games amid rising fine fears ⁦@NCCeltic⁩ This has been a long time coming. I was bullied out of my seat last year in Madrid. Unacceptable behaviour goes a long way back https://t.co/2CrbCG0Bex
— petrolhead biker (@PetrolheadB) October 20, 2023

However, reports of fans being bullied out of seats, ticket forgeries, and attempts to rush gates and burst open fire exits, among other transgressions, may leave the club with no choice but to take long-lasting action against the Green Brigade, irrespective of the fall-out for their show of support for Hamas.

It is their very determination to live up to the "last rebel" image that evinces the reality that they will never keep to an agreement. It's against their identity and recidivism is inevitable.

If that happens, and Celtic do draw a line, expect fan anger and a flurry of statements from performative rebel socialists. But the club will survive, fans will sing again, and perhaps energies will be refocused on the team and the football.

You know, regressive stuff like that.

Enzo Maresca to Celtic: the start of a thousand-mile journey?

2023-06-11T00:09:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Manchester City on becoming the third team from the UK to secure a treble including the European Cup/Champions League.

Of course, the first team to do so were Celtic, who completed a quadruple, also against Inter Milan (or a quintuple, if you include the Glasgow Cup).

The match was a tight, tactical affair, with City winning, 1-0, in contrast to the thrashing many pundits were expecting but Celtic fans had an additional interest due to the involvement of Enzo Maresca, currently hotly tipped as a potential successor to Ange Postecoglou at Celtic.

Maresca, a former midfielder with a playing career, in Italy, Spain, England and Greece, has been catching the eye in the coaching world, with Pep Guardiola the most notable admirer. Maresca's journey in football has seen him play for clubs such as West Bromwich Albion, Sevilla and Juventus, coming on as a late substitute in the famous 4-3 Champions League game at Celtic Park.

After transitioning into coaching, Maresca joined Pep Guardiola's Manchester City backroom staff in July 2022, after coaching the Elite Development Squad to their first-ever Premier League 2 title 2021. That link will surely be of interest to the Celtic board as they seek a manager who can deliver success through player development, rather than the chequebook.

The similarities between Guardiola's and Postecoglou's styles should make for a smooth potential transition to Celtic and there are also obvious parallels with Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. Additionally, he would bring elite level performance coaching experience, which should now be a standard qualification for any Celtic Head Coach.

If many are uncomfortable giving the job to someone with no managerial success (his brief spell with Parma ended controversially), it's worth noting that the Celtic manager role has often been a platform for less experienced, but highly promising managers.

Neil Lennon had no coaching experience before first being appointed Celtic manager. Similarly, Ronny Deila – who, like Maresca and Ange Postecoglou, was also nurtured by the City Football Group stable – had only coached with smaller clubs in Norway.

It's also worth remembering that the highest level of coaching includes strong focus on the psychological aspects of the game, which Maresca will certainly be well-versed in, if he has, so far, had few opportunities to lead a top-level group.

While Celtic have a host of interesting candidates, the prospect of Maresca taking the reins at Celtic is an intriguing one.

No appointment is without risk, of course, the “safest” option remaining Brendan Rodgers. Maresca, though, seems to have as strong credentials as it's possible to get, in the absence of a track record of managerial success.

Then again, as the Chinese proverb goes: a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

*This article was updated to include the result of the Champions League final.

The Rodgers return? – don't fool us twice

2023-06-08T19:18:00.004+01:00

The feelings left by his exit will not be easily overcome but there were faults on more than one side

Whenever I hear the words, Brendan Rodgers, I get a horribly distressing feeling of confusion like a boy being held down by a big brother who's shouting, “Why are you hitting yourself?” as he pounds the poor lad's fists into his own face.

I was dead against his appointment before it happened; concluded that I must have been an idiot not to have seen how great he was and then despised myself for not listening to my own infallible first
instincts after that infamous exit.

Now, there's talk of his return and you know it would be something like Combo getting out of jail in Shane Meadows' This is England – sure, it's possible he'll be a reformed character but, even if it doesn't end badly, a lot of people will be upset along the way.

Rodgers, for all his faults (and there are many), did bring us unprecedented domestic dominance. European results were disappointing but he played Pep Guardiola's oil-rich Manchester City twice without losing.

He spoke about football with the authority of an expert in his field, calmly analytical and avoiding the tired clichés that tend to pepper pre and post-match interviews.

But then, when it came to talking about himself, there were shades of Walter Mitty and a lot of “Did he actually say that?” moments.

As for the way he left - it looked cowardly, self-serving and disrespectful to the fans and players. The feelings of shock, disappointment, betrayal and even humiliation have not been easily overcome.

That said, it's also worth noting that he had the support of Scott Brown and, apparently Callum McGregor, who revealed that he immediately texted Rodgers on signing a long-term deal, presumably because there was interest in taking Callum to Leicester.

There's no doubting that Rodgers is a coach of the highest calibre, who won the FA Cup and the Community Shield in his time with Leicester. His last season at Leicester should be taken in the context of being under Financial Fair Play restrictions, albeit he had benefited from financial imprudence in previous seasons.

Among the negatives from his time at Celtic, were the matter of his incendiary fall-out with Moussa Dembele and Mikael Lustig's pointed comments about fans not walking out in February. And then there's the story about Danny McGrain, which needs to be addressed in a way that preserves Danny's dignity and place of honour within Celtic.

But, if many will find it hard to forgive Rodgers, let's not kid ourselves – Peter Lawwell was only too happy to let him go.

By running off into the night, Rodgers allowed Lawwell & co. to spin the nonsense that the club couldn't stop any of the staff leaving without even giving a normal notice period.

The fans were so angry that most forgot the term, “gardening leave,” and the fact that a coach under contract can't just take up another job the next day without the permission of the club he's contracted to.

I'm sure the reported £11million compensation salved the wound somewhat.

I must also be remembered that, while some of Rodgers's signings were bad, he was clearly having other players signed behind his back – like Lewis Morgan and Marian Shved – as well as the unexpected arrival of Peter's protege, Shaun Maloney, to the technical staff.

Reading between the lines, it's not hard to conclude that an undignified deal suited both Rodgers and Lawwell, some of whose interference could have amounted to constructive dismissal.

If Rodgers is to come back, let him come and the fans should support him. Hopefully, he'll have settled down enough to spare us the saccharine waffle and get on with preparing a team that can sweep all before it in Scotland while making us a club to be feared in Europe.

And if he bumps into some club legends “in their normal clothes”, let's hope he lets his coaching brain take charge of his mouth.

Life after Ange: a host of thoroughbred candidates -- and the usual donkeys

2023-06-07T14:38:00.009+01:00

There is no shortage of interest in being Ange's successor and the board must show ambition to keep progressing

As the dust settles on Ange's departure to Tottenham, the usual ill-informed speculation about who will be the next to take the helm at Celtic Park. In this spirit and tradition of ignorance, here's my take on some of the likely candidates.

First up, we have Brendan Rodgers. Now, we all remember how he left us in a moonlight flit (with the collusion of the board) but he knows his football. He's got a proven track record and could potentially bring some stability back to the club.

However, his past actions have left a sour taste, and it's hard to forget the Danny McGrain debacle. Rodgers' return would certainly be a talking point, as it would reopen old wounds but whether it's a realistic prospect remains to be seen.

Jesse Marsch is another name that's been thrown into the hat. The American coach has a high-intensity approach an impressive CV, having led Red Bull Salzburg to consecutive league and cup doubles. His high-intensity approach could fit well with the current squad, but rumours suggest he's holding out for the USMNT job.

John Kennedy is both linked again and said to be wanted at Spurs to help bring Ange's brand of football to a new squad. Consistently admired by the coaches he has supported and reportedly well-liked and respected by the players, it feels like, if John was ever going to be our head coach, it would have happened by now.

Scott Brown, our legendary former captain, is also being touted as a potential successor. His decision to start his managerial career in the lower leagues shows wisdom and a willingness to learn. His dedication to the club is unquestionable and, if he pushes on from an impressive start with Fleetwood Town, could be destined to occupy the manager's office in the future.

David Moyes, a former Celtic player and a well-respected manager, could bring stability. Despite rumours of his potential dismissal at West Ham, Moyes has expressed a desire to stay put. However, the allure of a return to Celtic Park would be tempting if things change at the Hammers.

Kjetil Knutsen, the man who led Bodo/Glimt to their first-ever title win, is an intriguing prospect. His exciting, attacking style of football would be welcomed if he could adapt to the high demands of the job. His limited experience could draw comparisons to Ronny Deila's tenure and he would need strong support from the dressing room and the boardroom. However, we should be wary of dismissing him the way fans and pundits have done with Ange.

Enzo Maresca, with his Manchester City pedigree, could be an interesting choice if he could translate his coaching experience into managerial success. His understanding of Celtic's playing style is a plus, but his lack of managerial experience raises questions about his ability to handle the pressures of the job.

Graham Potter, despite his impressive stint at Brighton, left the club under questionable circumstances. His style of play could be a good fit for Celtic, but his departure from Brighton while they were top of the Premier League raises eyebrows.

Rafa Benitez, a name that always seems to pop up when there's a vacancy at Celtic, is another potential candidate. However, his repeated use of Celtic as leverage for other job opportunities has left many fans feeling sceptical.

Frank Lampard, despite my expectation that he would be one to watch, has struggled to replicate his playing success as a manager. That's a euphemistic way of saying he's been utterly garbage while managing Chelsea and Everton and he would be unlikely to endear himself to the fans.

Steve Clarke, while a knowledgeable manager, is likely content with his current position. His defensive style of play may not be to everyone's taste, but his experience could be valuable.

Neil Lennon, despite his previous success at Celtic, his most recent experience as Celtic manager should definitely be his last.

Shaun Maloney, an ex-Celtic player with impressive coaching credentials, would once have been a realistic candidate. However, his short tenure at Hibs and relegation from the Championship with Wigan suggests he may never be a number one but could possibly feature in a future backroom staff.

And finally, we come to Roy Keane because someone always mentions him and he's billionaire Dermot Desmond's good pal. His inclusion in the list of potential candidates is more comedic than realistic. The idea of Keane as Celtic manager is likely to be met with more laughter than serious consideration – but always underpinned by a Karmic dread that it might actually happen one day.

As ever, Celtic have a range of options and it is to be hoped that the appointment of Ange's successor with show some ambition to progress from the solid platform we now have in the squad.

That has to come quickly with the new manager committed in plenty of time to work with the squad and manage changes in playing personnel.

Ange Postecoglou: a man of integrity and excellence

2023-06-06T15:37:00.000+01:00

Managers who perform exceptionally will always be targets for clubs in wealthier leagues

As the Celtic family comes to terms with the confirmed departure of Ange, it's essential to remember the man for what he truly is - a leader of integrity and excellence. His exit from Celtic Park is not a tale of betrayal or deceit, but rather a testament to his success and the high demand for his managerial prowess.

Ange has been nothing short of outstanding during his tenure at Celtic. He has not only fulfilled his contract but also laid a solid foundation for future success. His departure is not a case of a manager leaving like a thief in the night but a professional making a career move after achieving significant success.

The notion that the board was blindsided by this development is either a product of delusion or dishonesty. The signs of Ange's potential departure have been apparent for several months. It's beyond belief to suggest that those within Celtic were unaware of the situation.

Celtic's current reality is clear – if we secure a top manager who achieves success, it's almost inevitable that he will leave within three years for a bigger league. This reality underscores the importance of Celtic's focus on becoming a force in Europe. Regular participation in the Champions League is within our grasp, provided we strategise effectively.

The alternative of joining another league, such as the English Premier League, is not appealing. Celtic should not become a target for wealthy states with questionable human rights records. Unless an Atlantic League becomes a reality, Celtic must remain a Europe-focused club. After all, we are superior to the teams competing in the Europa League and Conference League finals this season.

Achieving this goal doesn't necessitate reckless spending but does require investment at a level that gives coaches confidence they can compete. Coaches like Xavi and Roberto Mancini have stated that Celtic would be an attractive proposition under these circumstances.

We should always aspire to have a coach who is lured away due to the excellence of his performance. Ange has done nothing wrong. His departure is disappointing, but it's because he did such an outstanding job. He leaves us with an excellent springboard for further success, and for that, we should be grateful.

He also sets a mark for a successor to match or better. Let's hope he's up to the task.

---

Let me know if you need any changes or additions!--

With or without Ange Postecoglou, the future's bright - it's green and white

2023-06-05T12:56:00.006+01:00

Celtic must make sure the achievements under Ange are the foundation of an enduring legacy

As we brace ourselves for the seemingly inevitable departure of Ange Postecoglou from Celtic, what matter next is not about the clichéd passing of the baton, but rather the enduring legacy he leaves in his wake. The squad's vitality and youthfulness, the equilibrium of power with our noisy neighbours, these are the true measures of his impact.

Unlike the aftermath of Tony Mowbray's reign, where we were left picking up the pieces of a

WALKING AWAY? What happens next is vital

disheartened, subpar squad, or the tumultuous times following Ronny Deila's departure, where a fractious, undisciplined dressing room overshadowed our championship status, Ange's exit paints a different picture. (And let's not even get started on the calamitous situation Neil Lennon left us in, with a squad of talented players we couldn't retain and others we couldn't shift even with a power washer.)

If, as seems almost certain, Ange's departure is confirmed, his successor will be stepping into a club that's in a robust position by every metric that counts. This isn't a case of a team simply resting on the laurels of a treble win. Even champion teams can age together or reach the end of a cycle. But this Celtic squad? It doesn't feel like that. None of our key players are nearing the end of their contracts this summer.

Players like Kyogo, Greg Taylor, and Carl Starfelt all have two years remaining on their contracts, while others like Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda, and Liel Abada have three, and Jota and Alistair Johnston have four. It's also a youthful group. Among the first eleven's outfield players, the “ridiculously successful” McGregor is the oldest at 29.

That said, Ange would surely be eyeing a few of those players for his next project and one challenge will be to retain players and keep them happy and motivated for next season's endeavours. (Memories of Olivier Ntcham's lengthy dummy-spitting exercise after being denied a move to Porto have not yet faded.)

McGregor has emerged as a pivotal figure – the captain we all hoped and believed he could be after replacing Scott Brown and any new manager will have a captain they can rely on to keep driving the team forward.

CalMac resisted the lure of the English Premier League before, after the departure of Brendan Rodgers, and we can only hope he would do so again.

Under Ange, our players have improved technically, tactically and in terms of the amazing resilience that seemed to take even the manager by surprise.

For me, it was telling to hear so many players refer to “hard work” at the end of our treble-winning cup victory. Yes, it's normal to refer to graft and sacrifices at such times but the fact it came to so many players minds – with Greg Taylor referring to his predominant feeling being one of tiredness – says something about the professionalism and application that has marked the past two season.

Equally significant was Callum's reference to enjoying the treble for a short time but immediately emphasising that the team starts next season with “zero credit in the bank”. This is the sort of elite mentality that should give us real confidence that we can push on next season, with the right boss at the helm.

For Celtic, it is vitally important that the next manager has modern ideas and methods, has a support structure in place to enable him to achieve success on his own terms and, preferably, favours the style of play that the squad and coaches have been working on for the past two season.

That means more of the approach that Michael Nicholson has been able to adopt since he took over as Chief Executive and steering the club away from the instincts that guided Peter Lawwell in the role, now that he has returned as Chairman.

There are still issues, all the same. Last week Ange warned that this may be the most challenging window they have faced for two years because of the prospect of attractive bids which could tempt some of their key men. How many of these offers may come from Spurs, we'll have to see.

But we will also need either increased investment in the squad or a specialist in unearthing diamonds, as Ange has been, if we are to move forward, not backwards, next season.

If this is it, the end of the road for the man from Down Under, he has been an outstanding Celtic manager who leaves us riding high.

But, until we actually reach the top, we must - as a wise man said - never stop!

Jay Baruchel: the BlackBerry star is a proud member of the Celtic family and will be cheering us on in the Scottish Cup Final

2023-06-02T23:30:00.004+01:00

For Celtic supporters, it's always a buzz to see our club getting recognition from unexpected quarters.

Right now, it's none other than long-standing Celtic man, Jay Baruchel, the star of the critically acclaimed film "BlackBerry," who's been proudly waving the green and white flag.

Actor and comedian Baruchel, has been a Celtic supporter for many years, a fact that he is celebrates with pride.

His passion for the Hoops is so profound that he even starred in a documentary titled "Celtic Soul," where he embarked on a journey to explore his Celtic roots alongside US-based Irish sports journalist, Eoin O'Callaghan.

Celtic Soul is a touching and often very funny tribute to our club and our Irish heritage as O'Callaghan takes the proudly Jewish-Irish-Canadian Baruchel on a geographical, historical and emotional pilgrimage, showcasing the deep connection and camaraderie that binds supporters across the globe as the Celtic family, however they find their way to paradise.

Baruchel is very much a heart-on-sleeve Celtic fan and was visibly moved when presented with a Hoops shirt by Canon White on a visit to St Mary's in the Calton.

Jay and Eoin also get to go behind the scenes at Lennoxtown (in the Ronny Deila era), evening taking part in a cross-bar challenge with Scott Brown and Charlie Mulgrew.

If anything took the gloss off the feelgood factor of the film, it's Baruchel's disconcerting habit of encouraging our players with cries of "AttaBhoy!" (O'Callaghan fails to correct him on this.)

Presumably in the seven years since Celtic Soul was released Baruchel has learned the more acceptable, "Gaun yirsel, big man!"

The BlackBerry film, in which Baruchel stars, has been receiving rave reviews - currently Rotten Tomatoes has a 92%-positive viewers rating with 98% of critics giving it a positive reception.

Baruchel's own performance has been widely acclaimed and looks set to propel Jay to new heights in his career.

As we gear up for the Scottish Cup final against Inverness Caledonian Thistle and a possible record-breaking eighth domestic treble - which would be our fifth in seven years - no doubt Baruchel will be chanting, "Come on you Bhoys in Green," in unison with Celtic fans across the world.

Speaking of "BlackBerry," it's worth noting that Baruchel's co-star in the film, best known for his role in the hit comedy series "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". (UK and Ireland viewers will know the Sunny star, Danny De Vito better.)

Howerton's "It's Always Sunny" co-star, Rob McElhenney, along with Ryan Reynolds are, of course, the owners of Wrexham FC.

We don't know if Baruchel has been evangelising the Good Word of Celtic to Howerton or if they may some day decide to follow McIlhenny and Reynolds into the world of football.

But maybe an appeal from Hollywood's most happening Celtic fan might persuade Ange Postecoglou to stay for another season?

Baruchel and BlackBerry look destined for next year's Oscars ceremony in Hollywood.

It's not in quite the same league as collecting a treble-winning Scottish Cup at Hampden - but it's not bad!

Remembering Billy McNeill: A towering figure in Celtic's rich history

2023-04-22T20:22:00.005+01:00

On the sombre anniversary of Billy McNeill's passing in 2019, it is only fitting that we cast our minds back to the days when his towering presence commanded the heart of Celtic's defence As the iconic captain of the legendary Lisbon Lions, the first British side to lift the European Cup, Billy McNeill left an indelible mark on the beautiful game, not just in Glasgow, but across the continent.

Affectionately known as 'Cesar' for his resemblance to Cesar Romero in Ocean's Eleven, Billy was a symbol of unwavering loyalty and dedication. He was a player whose commitment to the green and white hoops of Celtic was absolute. In an era when the notion of a one-club man was far from a rarity, McNeill's 18-year playing career at Celtic Park, encompassing 790 appearances, still stands as a shining example of unwavering devotion to the cause.

In the shadows of the shipyards and tenements of Glasgow's East End, a Bellshill colossus strode forth, his granite-like determination and unyielding spirit making him a natural leader of men. Billy's physical presence belied the astute footballing brain that lay beneath, and his calm, composed demeanour in the face of adversity gave his teammates the fortitude to march on, even when the odds seemed insurmountable.

Under the guidance of the great Jock Stein, Billy flourished, his talent and work ethic recognized and nurtured by the genius that was Stein. Together, they forged a side that would forever etch its name into the annals of footballing history. The storied day in Lisbon, when Celtic defeated the formidable Inter Milan to clinch the European Cup, would define Billy's legacy. As he hoisted that trophy aloft, the pride and joy of an entire nation swelled within him, his broad shoulders carrying the hopes and dreams of countless Celtic supporters.

The bond between Billy and the Celtic faithful was one forged in the fires of countless battles, both domestic and international. As a player and later as a manager, he guided his beloved club through the tumultuous landscape of Scottish football, where the rivalry with Rangers threatened to overshadow the beautiful game. Yet, amidst the chaos, Billy's stoic leadership and unwavering moral compass ensured that the sport's essence was never lost.

Beyond the field, Billy's affable nature endeared him to fans and foes alike. His humility and grace in victory or defeat showcased the true spirit of sportsmanship. His rapport with the fans was legendary, and Billy understood the importance of their unwavering support. In return, he gave them his all, every time he donned the Celtic jersey.

As a manager, Billy's success mirrored his playing career, and his tactical acumen was evident as he led Celtic to numerous domestic titles.

It is no exaggeration to say that Billy McNeill was a central figure in the golden era of Scottish football. Alongside the Lisbon Lions, he set the benchmark for future generations of players, instilling in them a burning desire to succeed and an unwavering commitment to the club's values. His impact on the Scottish game, both as a player and manager, is a testament to his enduring passion for football.

As we remember Billy, we are reminded of a man who transcended the sport, a figure of towering stature whose impact on the world of football was immeasurable. For many, Billy embodied the very spirit of Celtic, and his memory continues to inspire generations of players and supporters alike

A we stand in quiet contemplation, we remember a man who was more than just a footballer. We remember a leader, a symbol, and a true legend of the game. Billy McNeill may be gone, but his legacy will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the Celtic family. Hail Cesar, and may you rest in eternal peace.

They said about Billy McNeill

Jock Stein: "Billy McNeill is a born leader. He has an inborn ability to command and lead men."
Sir Alex Ferguson: "Billy McNeill was a giant in Scottish football, a man with an incredible presence, and I'll always cherish the fact that we entered professional football at the same time."
Sir Kenny Dalglish:"Celtic meant everything to Billy McNeill. He was a fantastic servant, a great captain, and a great manager."
Pat Bonner: "Billy McNeill was a man of great stature, great presence, and great leadership. He was an icon in the world of football."
Willie Wallace: "Billy McNeill was the type of man you'd want beside you in the trenches. He was a true leader and a great friend."
Graeme Souness: "I respected Billy McNeill immensely. He was a great competitor, a great football man, and a great man off the pitch."
Bertie Auld, former Celtic teammate: "Billy McNeill was a born leader, a captain on and off the park. He was a great man to have beside you."
Roy Aitken: "Billy McNeill was a colossus in the game. His stature, presence, and leadership qualities were second to none."
Brendan Rodgers: "Billy McNeill was a man of great integrity, a fantastic leader and someone regarded as Celtic royalty."
Neil Lennon: "Billy McNeill was a huge influence on me when I was at Celtic. He had a presence that you can't buy, and he's left a legacy that will never be forgotten."

Desmond and Lawwell: the unacceptable faces of Celtic

2020-12-05T00:48:00.004+00:00

Lawwell briefed every friendly hack, ex-Celtic employee and blogging shill that the supporters could stick their views where the sun don't shine

I freely admit that I've had mixed feelings about the Green Brigade.

They have undoubtedly improved the atmosphere at Celtic Park – most of the time – their displays are often magnificent and I generally share most of their politics.

On the other hand, I sometimes feel that they believe themselves to be the self-appointed heart and conscience of Celtic; they can be too eager to be seen as European-style “ultras” (with that “style” perhaps more important than substance) and their displays sometimes miss the mark, occasionally to the club's overall detriment.

I was not in favour of their “Time to go, Neil” demonstration at Celtic Park last Wednesday. Not because I disagreed with the message but because it seemed like just the sort of action that, not so long ago, ultras of another local club would have pulled to the great amusement of Celtic supporters, as another episode of the “banter years”.

But, as a fan who has had almost no faith in the powers-that-be at Celtic for well in excess of a decade, even I had failed to anticipate the extent and brazenness of the contempt that the Celtic suits were prepared to direct towards the supporters.

Thousands of supporters had paid hundreds of pounds for season tickets for matches that there was never any real prospect of attending because they wanted to support the club through extraordinary times and help secure the ten-in-a-row record that matters to those of us who care about football.

Many more had spent eye-watering sums on Adidas kit – which is lovely – but, unless donned by players performing to the standards that should be expected of a Celtic team, is nothing better than lipstick on a pig.

I, for one, was not in the least surprised by the capitulation to Ross County last weekend. Admittedly, I had been taken aback by some of the worst European performances in my lifetime, suffering back-to-back 4-1 defeats by a Sparta Prague side that is, frankly, not a good team.

But as a veteran of the now-infamous 1990s, I know a team that has the Indian Sign over it and this Celtic side definitely qualifies. When a team is in this type of form, naïve fans hope that one good performance will turn it around while others know it usually goes from bad to worse.

So, I had every sympathy with those Celtic fans who got off their backsides and told the Directors, coaches and players what they thought of the whimpering defeat by Ross County.

Were there some regrettable moments? Yes – but spontaneous displays of anger are, by their nature, difficult to control and the essence of the demo was to confront the many impostors currently benefiting from the cash eternally pumped in by the fans with the feelings of the majority of fans.

In response, Lawwell briefed every friendly hack, ex-Celtic employee and blogging shill that the supporters could stick their views where the sun don't shine.

So, my views of the latest Green Brigade banner are more supportive. I have chosen to crop out the image of Neil Lennon because he does still deserve some consideration for his overall contribution to Celtic.

However, he assuredly does not deserve to be Celtic manager.

Neil can remind us of all he has done over twenty years and he is right. He has, in the past, endured obscene abuse for being a Celtic captain and manager who had the temerity to be an “uppity Tim” in a country that is still nowhere near as welcoming to some communities as many of its citizens would like to believe.

But that doesn't mean that he has the credentials to lead a club that its fans would still like to believe should be a major player on the European scene.

Let's make no mistake – this isn't about the ending of any possibility of a “quintuple treble” – and the quadruple is no formality. (If Ross County was Lennon's Caley Thistle, Hearts could easily prove to be his Raith Rovers.)

This is about an ever-more power-crazed Chief Executive, so determined to control every facet of the club that he has now sabotaged the dressing room. Anyone who has ever worked for one of those managers who prefers to sow division in their own department – making each appointee beholden to them personally – will understand how toxic and fatal to aspirations of success that is.

Lennon is a problem because he is not up to the job; though his reluctance to give up his last big opportunity in football is somewhat understandable.

Peter Lawwell is a problem because he increasingly appears to be a narcissistic megalomaniac, who would cheerfully watch Celtic disintegrate as long as his bonus was paid and no one challenged his monumental ego.

And above the two of them, Dermot Desmond is a problem because he doesn't give a dam about football, never mind Celtic, but sees the club as a means to getting even more money through getting Celtic into another league and turning his investment from lead into gold.

Much is unacceptable about Celtic now – the performances, the professionalism, the attitude of some players, the coaching set-up and the manager.

If there is another demo at Celtic Park on Sunday, the main targets will be Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond – the real unacceptable faces of Celtic Football Club.--

Tom Rogic - the Magic Man conjured wonderful memories

2020-08-19T20:49:00.002+01:00

The news that Tom Rogic is heading off to Qatar will not fill many Celtic fans with great joy.

But I think that many will feel a certain sense of satisfaction and happiness at a signing who worked very well for us and delivered some fantastic moments getting a move that will probably suit his body as much as his wallet at this stage of career.

If completed, the move should suit all parties and thinking of Tom's Celtic career will be a time to "smile because it happened".

When Tom arrived at Celtic from Central Coast Mariners in 2013 few fans could claim to know anything about him.

If any were inclined to look for mystical signs, they may have thought back to Celtic's previous Australian of Balkan descent Mark Viduka - who came, went away again, came back, delivered and left - admittedly for big money - but under a cloud.

(Most of us who remember both players in the Hoops will overwhelmingly agree that Rogic will be the more fondly remembered and the more sadly missed.)

Tom's arrival initially had all the hallmarks of a speculative development move and the early days didn't give many signs of what was to come.

It wasn't really until Ronnie Deila joined Celtic - and after some intensive physio and coaching - that Celtic fans began to see just why the Magic Man had been brought to the club.

We discovered a first touch that would be the envy of many a top quality footballer, balance, two-footedness, upper body strength, wonderful close control and the kind of vision that allowed him to create threaded chances and finish with both feet.

But when he returned to Australia on loan to Melbourne Victory in 2014, a lot of us thought we might never see him at Celtic again.

But he returned and showed the old-fashioned guts and determination needed to prove that he could more than just cut it at Celtic and shine.

Yes, injuries and physical endurance issues would often be a footnote when discussing what Tom could ultimately achieve but, for Celtic fans, I believe there was a silver lining in that.

There was a very good reason why Brendan Rodgers persisted in playing Rogic for 60-minute stints in his most successful time at Celtic and it was the same reason I believe we have been able to retain Tom for the seven years he has remained.

Quite simply Rodgers recognised that Tom had few peers in the Scottish game when it came to ability.

And I believe that, had he not had the physical issues (which were none of his his doing), he would have been playing at a high level in one of the "Big Five" leagues long before now.

Rogic had and has Champions League ability but was simply not blessed with the physique to maintain it for an intense 90 minutes, twice a week, for a full season.

Ultimately that bad luck benefited Celtic as he possesses the quality that we could rarely afford to buy and keep for long.

If he does complete his moved to Qatar it will be with the best wishes of the fans and gratitudefor the memories - none of which are greater than that incredible moment where lightning struck as he scored the goal that secured our treble in 2017.

As a crowning moment to his most exceptional season in green and white, that would take some beating.

Thanks Tom and all the best. Don't be a stranger to Celtic Park.

Celtic's Bolingoli fiasco – one idiot, many culprits

2020-08-13T09:38:00.013+01:00

Rather than continually waiting for the next act of stupidity or deliberate wrecking of the competitions,
we should call for the charade to be ended and the season to be suspended now

Only a week ago the greatest problem vexing the minds of most Celtic fans was the awful prospect of signing a 33-year-old Steven Fletcher and the fearful possibility that he was being considered as a replacement for Odsonne Edouard.

And if a week is a long time in politics, it can seem like a lifetime in football.

Some of us thought we had problems on Sunday when a repeat of the performances we've seen all too often over the last two or three years at Rugby Park saw us dropping two points in our second game of the season.

The team showing was contemptible, Chris Jullien showed again why he won second prize in the wet paper bag fighting contest and there were serious questions over the approach of the coaching staff who have yet to find an answer to the Kilmarnock high press on their admittedly poor pitch.

If Jullien thought he would be the major talking point there were plenty of other contenders, namely the tiresome lack of availability of Tom Rogic, the paper-thin squad (particularly after the departure of Simunovic, thankfully, and Jonny Hayes), Bayo not being available and the mystery of Shved continuing.

Five substitutions should favour teams with stronger squads but with misfiring in all departments in a tactically hopeless mess, Neil Lennon clearly felt short of quality options to replace the underperforming players on show on Sunday.

Ironically one chink of light came in the form of Boli Bolingoli Nbombo who, coming on late, contributed to three good chances that our foxes in the box managed to foxup entirely.

Those few moments from Bolingoli were the equal of anything he has produced in his risible time at Celtic and if not quite a hurrah they will certainly represent his last contribution to the club.

The facts of what happened are indisputable. Bolingoli went on a moonlight jaunt to Spain for reasons as yet unclear and broke Covid-19 regulations, actually having the audacity to play at Rugby Park without telling anyone at the club about his exploits.

That provided Nicola Sturgeon and her SNP leadership cult with a perfect opportunity to indulge two of their great pleasures: deflecting from negative at media attention directed at the first minister and taking a swipe at Scottish football.

So, under pressure from the Joint Response Group, which was under the direction of Nicola Sturgeon, the SPFL decided to cancel Celtic's next 2 League games; one with Aberdeen who also had their Covid-19 issues.

If the facts of what happened are clear enough, who's to blame and what should be done do not lend themselves so easily to such simplistic answers as might be imagined.

Bolingoli is certainly to blame. His actions were inexcusable and indefensible and no amount of apologies - sincere or otherwise - can mitigate those actions in any way.

He should certainly be punished to a far greater degree than the £480 fixed penalty notice imposed by police Scotland even if the apparent prompting of the Justice Minister, of whom the police are supposed to be independent, should cause concern.

In my view his punishment should be the maximum fine allowable under the rules as well as a substantial ban, preferably taking him beyond the next transfer window.

But simply ripping up his contract should not be an option. There were some suggestions on Twitter yesterday that Celtic could even sue him for breach of contract and recover some of ridiculous outlay they paid for a player who will surely go down as one of the worst purchases in the club's history.

To me, suing would be a step too far unless it could be proven that his trip (which looks very much like it was intended to discuss a transfer) was planned as some intricate scheme to get thrown out of Celtic. I doubt very much that he possesses is that intelligence.

On the other hand making a free agent of a £3m-pound footballer we dare not play - and who wants a move - would simply be rewarding a scurrilous activity that has already damaged Celtic and has been to the detriment and peril of Scottish football entirely.

Those actions should be non-starters but so, too, should be the suggestion of sending Bolingoli out on loan with an option to buy. That would be in the club's best financial interests but it would do nothing to protect the integrity of football or to protect Celtic or the game in general from potential sabotage through such reprehensible actions, in times of crisis, such as these.

Of course, the club must be careful to observe the law and not give Bolingoli any opportunity to leave through constructive dismissal or breach of contract. This is where the football authorities should show leadership and impose the most significant penalties within their powers.

But we should also remember that Bolingoli's culpability is not in any way diminished by having other targets in our sights.

The SPFL

It may been news to some that resisting the attempts of The Rangers to bring Scottish football to its knees - and force last season to be voided due to the pandemic - is not the same as endorsing the

leadership of the SPFL.

I do not and never have believed that this season would be completed.

Successfully completing the season might be possible in countries where there are clear policies and rules; effective, disciplined compliance and competent administration of the game.

Scotland is not one of those countries.

The SPFL may believe its guidelines are clear and that they can be sure that every club has communicated them effectively to young athletes of varied backgrounds, including different linguistic origins.

But there's a problem with that. With the best will in the world, it's difficult to convey a clear, simple message concerning complex and often vague conditions.

That may somewhat mitigate the actions of the Aberdeen players who went to pubs, legally opened and overcrowded, and found themselves in breach of distancing rules and guidelines over groups from more than 3 households.

And to Aberdeen's credit they did nothing to try to escape the consequences of their players' actions - and were even quite ready to face what would surely have been a sound drubbing at the hands of a full-strength Celtic team, minus eight first-team players.

But the SPFL, having been quite frankly too afraid to punish the Rangers after fielding players without waiting for their covid-19 tests, have created an atmosphere in which it is difficult to know if any transgressions will be taken seriously, even in the unlikely event of every player understanding their responsibilities.

On top of that, the SPFL simply rolled over in the face of pressure from a government that has been hell-bent on attacking Scottish football ever since the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act was repealed.

Let's not forget that the government were threatening to intervene in Scottish football over crowd-control issues for more than a year, pre-covid-19, and now it has flexed its muscles over eight players in a pub and one player on a trip to Spain.

With weak-kneed leadership, being feart in the face of the Rangers and completely capitulating to the Scottish government, the SPFL and SFA have walked into a situation whereby the Scottish government can constantly threaten to bring the game crashing down.

And, if they can do so while apportioning the blame to others, they will.

SNP and Tories

Celtic are now in the unenviable position of being at the centre of an unedifying fight between the SNP and the Tories for the votes of the Rangers supporting loyalist Orange members of Scottish society.

We are often called paranoid but with buffoons such as Professor Adam Tomkins and Murdo Fraser openly courting the Rangers Supporters online; with their new Tory leader Douglas Ross insisting that he will still run the line in games; and on the other side with Ibrox Park being in the constituency of Nicola Sturgeon there is every reason to believe that damaging Celtic and stopping 10 in a row could be a major vote-winner fin next year's elections.

It doesn't help that Labour in the LibDems are so appallingly ineffective that nobody in their right mind would vote for them.

But, with the SNP, it seems that there is a genuine distaste for football and the football supporter. The Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, first introduced by Alex Salmond and defended to the hilt by Nicola Sturgeon criminalised ordinary actions in the context of football that would not be seen as illegal elsewhere.

There is every reason to believe that football supporters are still considered an underclass in Scotland that is despised by the SNP.

It is also a convenient scapegoat while negative headlines are attached to the party or its leader.

Without strong, effective responses from the SPFL, including Peter Lawwell, who is on its board, Scottish football will continue to be battered by the Scottish government and Celtic will be the biggest losers.

Celtic

And as a club just what have Celtic done about all this?

They issued the usual necessary statements against Bolingoli but have they done anything to defend the interests of the club and the fans? I see little evidence of that.

What they have done is completely capitulate when, without any requirement under the rules, our club has been penalised by politicians.

Thee club is exceptionally vocal when touting season tickets for matches that they know are unlikely to take place and even less likely to take place in front of fans. They indulge in wall-to-wall marketing of football strips, merchandise, Celtic media and every opportunity for the fan to put money into the clubs coffers. But when the fans need someone to stand up for them, Celtic - Dermot Desmond, Peter Lawwell and Ian Bankier - observe a "dignified silence".

While these people indulge in a high-stakes game of corporate Moneyball the last thing on their minds is the interests of the fans who simply want to see a strong team on the park playing on an even field.

And what no one in the media - mainstream or independent -seems to have asked is did anyone in Scottish football really believe that this season would be completed when they were selling season tickets in advance.

It defies all expectations of scientists and public health professionals and I for one believe that together they have perpetrated one of the biggest frauds in sport

The people who run Celtic are a disgrace but they have been enabled.

Fans

But the fans also have to take some share of the blame.

Firstly, by the annual act of faith of buying 53,000 season tickets, clearing the shelves of strips and pouring money into the club all on promises that are rarely fulfilled.

Yes we have won 9 titles in a row and that is a memorable achievement. It theoretically puts us in a similar category to Bayern Munich, who have achieved the same in the Bundesliga, and one step ahead of Juventus and New Quay Saints of Wales who have both won eight consecutive titles.

The point is that being a little better than extremely poor for a very long time should not be the aspiration of Celtic fans.

But it has been enough to mollify sufficient numbers to stop any protests in the only meaningful way possible - by hitting the club and its executives and directors in the pocket.

Similarly, amid the backlash against Bolingoli, numerous Celtic fans were only too quick to bend over and accept any punishment meted out, like children in the class all being belted over the transgressions of one and accepting that it was fully deserved.

What chance do we have of fairness, never mind improvement, while our own fans play into the hands of those who either don't care about us or despise us?

This is the club we've made and this is the game that our club has allowed to become.

Rather than continually waiting for the next act of stupidity or deliberate wrecking of the competitions, we should call for the charade to be ended and the season to be suspended now, with all season tickets being valid for 2021/22.

That may seem like a crime but I would see it as a mercy killing.

Who will be the next Celtic manager? The tan and teeth guide to following Brendan Rodgers

2019-03-03T21:51:00.001+00:00

It's that time again - and it will probably last for three months.

It's the time when every loon, attention-seeker and "in the know" tosser gives their tuppenceworth on who should be the next permanent manager of Celtic.

Many of the would say that I know little to nothing about football. But I would counter that that makes me as qualified as the most successful football pundits in Scotland, so why not share my wisdom?

(Rather depressingly, many of the names below have been literally copied and pasted from a previous article on this site, at the end of the Ronny Deila era.

So, here goes:

Neil Lennon
Like the vast majority of Celtic fans, I have admired Neil as a player and coach since he was first signed by Martin O'Neill.

That said, I was against his appointment first time round (due to his inexperience) and I wasn't convinced that he would be a huge success when he left us.

But his time with Hibs seemed to demonstrate that he had far greater tactical knowledge than I had given him credit for.

Perhaps being with Hibs, not Celtic, he was more likely to be questioned on what happened in games than pressed for a big headline or perhaps he has just developed but he seems to have shown that he can evolve as a coach, which is a vital quality.

He has also, of course, won three titles and experienced the best and worst that the job can bring.

My personal view: still tending against it but softening somewhat (more on that later.

John Kennedy
There have been rumours that Kennedy is highly regarded by both the players and the board. But is he ready for the big job right now? Probably not.

Marco Rose
One of the more intriguing suggestions. He has worked wonders with Red Bull Salzburg, who took maximum points from our Europa group.

Salzburg also work with a limited budget in a minor league, but with world-leading facilities.

It would be a huge coup but the Bundesliga surely awaits him very soon.

Roberto Martinez
Has been linked before and heavily touted as a candidate.

After a very successful World Cup with Belgium, his stock is high and would be a candidate for any number of top clubs.

Still, he has Shaun Maloney in his coaching staff.

Mark Hughes
The English football pundits' idea of a football manager.

That's why he should manage a team in the lower half of the Premier league or the Championship.

Doesn't know how to smile.

Steve Bruce
See the entry for Mark Hughes above.

Jack Ross
Doing a solid job with Sunderland having been Scotland's manager of the year, last season.

He certainly talks the talk but would be a huge gamble.

John Collins
Absolutely not. Collins has the air of a self-annointed aristocrat of football. Rumours of him rubbing people up the wrong way seem all too credible because he just exudes smugness.

Plus, we must be careful of making white teeth and a permatan a tradition in our managers.

David Moyes
Moyes might well do a good job but he has spent the years since leaving Everton, for the most part, making his own club's supporters cry. I don't think so.

Gordon Strachan
It seems that Gordon probably has no appetite for the intense pressure of the Celtic job again. So, that rules him out.

Martin O'Neill
No doubt he could deliver titles again and may even be tempted to leave the bright lights of Nottingham but it would be very much back to Martin's way, which is not going to progress the club.

Plus, he would bring Roy Keane.

Roy Keane
Let's hope not! The man punches people who ask for his autograph.

In his second autobiography (because one is never enough) he stated that going to Ipswich was a mistake because, having taken the job, he discovered that he couldn't motivate himself to put his heart into a team in blue.

He should be in a secure unit on an island somewhere.

Mick McCarthy
Good old mick. I have a soft spot for him and he gives the impression that he would nut a lamppost if it caught him on a bad day.

I'm not sure that's what the coaching blend needs right now.

Henrik Larsson
Not this again! We all love him and respect him utterly. Let's keep it that way.

Alan Stubbs
He'll reckon he could do the job but recent evidence is that he's a far better pundit than a manager.

Steven Gerrard
On the plus side, he both knows Rodgers's methods and has experience of breaking his heart.

Negatives (too numerous to list) include the fact that he thinks £1m is an eight-figure sum.

Derek McInnes
When hell freezes over.

Michael O'Neill
No doubt his name will crop up again and I wouldn't put it past the board. He's good at what he does with meagre resources but it would be suffocating football.

Malky Mackay
A name only suggested by a mainstream media pundit to stir things up. He would be a PR disaster and has a reputation for liking to spend on players.
But you can bank on his CV already being in.
No.

Steve Clarke
A popular choice who has apparently said that he doesn't want another job in Scotland.

Probably would be very successful and has excellent credentials.

Steve McLaren
Just the sort of tosser Celtic plc would like to foist on us, accompanied by a puff piece on a well-known blog, telling us how smart a move it is.

Paul Lambert
That guy who will always believe that he is a much better manager than he is. He should be managing Aberdeen or a club of similar stature.

Owen Coyle
Would bring all that Bolton and Raith Rovers experience - and appoint someone like Lambert as part of his "dream team".

Jose Mourinho
Made a comment about Rodgers having left at the wrong time and started an Internet rumour in the process. It's one of the more fun rumours but a non-starter.

Arsene Wenger
Let's stick with the silliness. He can certainly coach players, has big-time experience and might even see Celtic as a stepping stone to Leicester some day.

In reality, he'd probably prefer to manage a French or maybe Belgian club and there would be no shortage of offers.

China or the MLS would also be more likely than Celtic.

So, that's just a few of the people who probably have no chance of being the next permanent Celtic manager.

But, going back to Neil, there is a possible scenario in which his appointment works.

I hope for a management team that can retain the best elements of the Rodgers reign but with greater tactical flexibility, the ability to compete in Europe while entertaining without being kicked off the park.

Having worked with Rodgers for two-and-a-half years, John Kennedy will have retained the knowledge of the good things he did - top-level training/coaching, analysis, etc.

But Neil is probably better tactically, equally good at motivating players and has the experience of being in the firing line but delivering a winning team.

So, maybe the Lennon-Kennedy partnership could work for, say two years, with a view to readying John for the big job.

Shaun Maloney might also be enticed to join, bringing his experience of working with Roberto Martinez.

Why not develop a high-tech "boot room" combining all the elements that a modern club - but identifiably Celtic - needs?

If Neil were to agree to step aside in May 2021, the next man to join the group could be Scott Brown, with the hope of three-to-five successful years under Kennedy to prepare him for the job.

The downsides could be that it would look like "all Lawwell's men" and that these plans are never guaranteed to succeed.

However, I'm convinced that we need the above elements and we are unlikely to recruit someone who brings all of them.

So, to quote a famous advert, "It's a long shot but it might just work."

Celtic fans have a right to protest over Boyata and more but we should keep our powder dry - for now

2018-08-27T07:24:00.000+01:00

It's remarkable, after two consecutive trebles, to be talking of Celtic getting "out of the woods" but the actions, inactions and inexcusable failings of some at the club have contrived to dampen the mood

amongst supporters.

One of the key figures in this unrest - though by no means alone - has been Dedryck Boyata.

Now, I am no fan of Dedryck. I would have been content to see him leave before any of the recent fiasco that led to him apparently refusing to play for us when we needed him most.

So, I sympathise with those who booed him during yesterday's match with Hamilton Accies.

Personally, I would not have booed him in the current circumstances, though I take no issue with those who felt it right to do so.

Likewise, the Green Brigade's banner declaring him unfit to wear the Celtic shirt reflected a sentiment that would be shared by many Celtic supporters but,which I took as indicative of their desire to be noticed as “thought leaders” as much as making a noteworthy statement.

On the other hand, neither did I agree with applauding Boyata's every early touch, though again some felt that appropriate.

But, more to the point is the elusive issue of what is best for Celtic at this time.

We have had a couple of weeks to not so much forget as to recover from.

Exiting the Champions League, a bad defeat to Hearts, transfer chaos, negativity and speculation.

But we have a crucial seven days ahead that will do much to define our season.

We have a job to do against Suduva on Thursday and, while we should be more than up to it, complacency is the absent father of delinquent humiliation.

We also have a match with our newest rivals The Rangers on Sunday.

And, if we should not define ourselves in relation to any other club, never mind one in its primary school years, it is clear to see that the fans of The Rangers, particularly those in the mainstream media, take great comfort from any perceived relative negatives that we experience.

So, while not one of those bloggers who would dare to tell Celtic fans that they have no right to protest, I would humbly suggest that our immediate interests would be best served by keeping our powder dry until Sunday evening.

What we need from our team is to settle down, calm the defence and get back to dominating our competitors.

I hoped for a better score against Accies but we got three points and a clean sheet.

A solid win against Suduva without conceding would set us up for the match against Steven Gerrard's super-staunch wonderbears.

Now, we don't know what personnel will be available to us and that will be significant.

But, if we have the luxury of starting with Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard, I will be highly confident of our ability to score against a much-praised defence that has conceded five goals in three league games.

And that is by no means to dismiss the considerable talents of Leigh Griffiths, who really should score his 100th goal for us on Sunday. I simply feel that the power that both Odsonne and Moussa possess should overwhelm most defences.

I don't know who we'll have at the back and I'm not sure who we SHOULD play (except for Kieran Tierney and Kristoffer Ajer - praying that we will still have both).

But the next week will also be highly significant for our next Scottish opponents, who will be returning from a trip to Russia that will be highly significant to their finances.

And then they will face the best team in Scotland, hopefully on the way back up and united both in the stands and on the pitch.

Sometimes, even when faced with legitimate grievance, canniness is more useful than catcalls.

And that's where "keeping your powder dry" comes in. It means choosing to fire at the time that suits us, not our opponents.

There will be time enough to discuss the villains worthy of our opprobrium from the early evening of Sunday onwards.

But, if the management, players and fans can unite for the good of what Tommy Burns famously called "the cause", then we should have happier discussions.

We're still the best in Scotland. Let's remember that.--

Celtic - we have the drama. Let's not turn it into a crisis

2018-08-23T11:19:00.001+01:00

I still think that we must be positive, even if recent events may have resulted in this article being "a little uneven".

Well, it is what it is, as Americans might say. Our transfer activity has been disappointing, to say the least.

That has clearly irked our manager, despite what anyone tells you.

And I'm not going to become an apologist for any of this.

We should have done much better and, as a fan, I have been angered as well as disappointed by the failings since we won our historic double treble.

I am also deeply disappointed, though not surprised, by our Champions League exit.

Deep down, I thought that four qualifying rounds would probably be too big an ask.

And, faced with a squad that is weaker than the one we finished last season with, that looked likely to end in tears.

With adequate recruitment, we probably could have pushed through.

And there is little consolation in the fact that we are in the Europa League.

But we are where we are and we still have a chance to reset the surprising plunge into negativity in recent weeks.

And we must.

In terms of European football, reaching the last eight of the Europa League should be the target. That would constitute progress.

To do that, we will have to recruit quality players - ones identified and approved by Brendan Rodgers.

We all know that we need defenders, probably a midfielder and most likely a striker. (Persuading Moussa Dembele to extend his contract would deal with the striking issue.)

But the point is this: Celtic have prospered riding a wave of positivity since the day Brendan Rodgers greeted the fans as our new manager.

Yet, in recent weeks, the atmosphere has changed to the extent that everything seems to be viewed in a negative light.

That is not all the fault of the mainstream media, however much the established titles have actively lost the trust of Celtic fans through their own failings and often deliberate actions.

But the important thing is that it all plays into the hands of those who wish to undermine us and bring an end to our success.

And, especially when faced with real domestic challenges, we should not allow that to happen.

The transfer window remains open and the opportunity to strengthen the squad, meaningfully, is still there.

However, on the back of the John McGinn fiasco, the club has mired us in another embarrassing distraction over Scott McKenna, who, we are now told, will not be joining us.

There is still a chance for everyone at Celtic or who supports the club to rewind and, again, push a positive mindset.

And I believe that we need to do that.

What we have now is an atmosphere of recrimination, which I have done my small part in creating.

I still have little time for Peter Lawwell and his "plan" and that includes the recruitment of Lee Congerton in the "what's he for?" category.

People talk about Marvin Compper being a bad signing - Congerton and Lawwell seem to have contrived to actively repel players from joining us. And, all the while, several of our rivals seem to be getting stronger.

But the transfer window doesn't shut until 31st August.

And so, without "happy clapping" or diminishing any of the real let-downs of the past few months, maybe we all need to contribute to the positive focus that has been vital to our recent success.

And, by "we", I naturally include Peter Lawwell and the board.

Those lauded individuals should be the ones to take the lead, face up to their own mistakes and prove that they will take all necessary steps to secure the players who the manager prefers.

So let's have an end to the insinuations that the problems we have faced are largely to do with coaching.

(You know, the people who question the "convertion" rate of the forwards while stressing that the defensive lapses are not due to poor recruitment but coaching.)

We need not and cannot go on in a manner that only assists those who do not wish us well.

We can all play our part in creating the most positive environment possible for our team to play in.

But we need to see signs that complacency is not an issue, either from the executives or that they believe that the fans will be complacent while they mess up.

The issues that concern us are real.

But we should address them in a way that makes us stronger.

We have a little more than a week to do that, to reassert our hard-won dominance of the Scottish game and compete in European competition in a manner to make us proud.

Those who wish to see that, will be the ones prepared to stand up publicly, instead of hiding until the storm passes.

We will learn a lot in the coming days. --

Celtic PLC – Peter Lawwell Capitalism

2018-08-16T09:36:00.003+01:00

I have never met Peter Lawwell. And I don't care to.

This is unlikely to cause him sleepless nights.

I somehow suspect that there would be a minimal interface between our values but that doesn't matter a jot.

I have no desire for titbits from the top table, the kudos of being considered "in the know" or being able to humble-brag about landing a high-profile interviewee.

As a minor blogger, I have little of substance to offer and, as a Celtic fan, my importance is inconsequential. Easily-dismissed, barely missed and of negligible cash value.

Like you – or at least the vast majority of people who may take the time to read this blog.

(I hope you will not feel insulted by my being so presumptuous as to lump you in with me.)

But, as someone with no traction within the Celtic support to offer, there are other reasons why I suspect that Lawwell and I would have little in common.

To do with Celtic – in terms of ethics, vision and values.

I should start with my caveats. I don't believe that Lawwell is incompetent or unethical in the sense that would debar him from other executive positions.

He's no Craig Whyte, Charles Green or Dave King.

I don't believe that he would break the rules or bend the law in the manner that people at some clubs have done and do. And nor, I am sure, would he sanction such practices.

But there are other values, ethics and even professional practices that are anathema to me and which I believe will continually hobble Celtic unless they are rooted out.

And that, I believe, will only be possible when Peter Lawwell takes a bite of one of those sweet, fat cherries that we are continually told are regularly dangled in front of him and brings his expertise to another club.

Apparently, there are many to choose from.

Now, there are many Celtic bloggers, including some which you and I know are "close" to Peter Lawwell and the board of Celtic plc.

These are popular as their adherents like to believe they are close to the inside track at Celtic. By being on first-name terms with some blogger, they may boast about "one degree of separation" from the head honcho at Celtic Park.

Many of these like to bring their own knowledge of the business world and the complexities that naive, plebeian fans could never hope to appreciate.

It's not "the economy, stupid", as William Clinton used to say, it's "asset-management, idiot", in case you didn't know.

Because, you see, there are things at football clubs that lowly football fans can never understand.

You may think that football players' primary value relates to their performances on the pitch.

Oh, how you are to be pitied – with as much kindness and understanding that will allow you to recognise your foolishness but not alienate you to the extent that you will stop investing in the club.

Let me delicately tell you that footballers – Celtic-players, if you wish – are like property (real estate, as our American cousins might say).

It doesn't matter how nice or impressive they look, and far less how well they perform their notional function.

No, you see – and don't be embarrassed (because a lot of fans are as misguided as you) – football players are assets to be bought low and sold high.

Stay with me.

Take Scott Brown. One major Celtic blogger, who campaigned against buying players from Dundee United and Hibs, considers the signing of Scott to be a disaster.

For years, the said blogger was advocating selling Scott.

Don't feel stupid if you disagreed – even the smuggest blogger in the Celtic blogosphere regularly boasts about thinking that Scott was a great signing.

But don't you see why signing Scott was an abject failure?

Yes, I know. In your innocence, you probably think that signing a young Scottish footballer with huge potential, one who went on to captain his country and our club to a historic double-treble was a success.

11 years of outstanding service, blah, blah. Taking his place amongst the Celtic all-time greats, yawn.

Have you no idea of how much money Celtic could have made if we had sold Scott Brown before he reached his peak?

Now, I know you aren't stupid enough to have thought that, because Brendan Rodgers clearly wanted to sign John McGinn (painfully great debut for Villa), that spending about a third of the fee that we recouped for Stuart Armstrong would have been good business.

McGinn was already a Scotland International and 23 – so not a young player – and so there may have been a limit to his growth potential as an asset.

These are just a few examples of Lawwell-omics, the view that the playing squad is simply a collection of assets to be managed –bought low and sold high – which conveniently makes Peter Lawwell the most money.

Is this in any way compatible with building a team and gradually improving, year-by-year?

Of course not!

Continually seeking performance improvements is literally inconsistent with managing an asset portfolio based on buying low and selling at peak value.

You see, ideas that you may have of seeing promise in the team and looking forward to getting a little better the next season – and again and again ad infinitum – simply show you to be a fool.

Like me.

A few days ago, I noted that no Celtic manager since John Barnes had been sacked but neither had any left for a better job,. That's pretty damned amazing.

Equally amazing is that none of these managers have uttered a bad peep about their time at Celtic.

There are various possible explanations for this phenomenon.

1. Everything was just peachy and these guys left for reasons unconnected to the activities of the board.

2. No outgoing manager since Barnes wanted to rock the boat (Wim Jansen did a bit of boat-rocking but only criticised Jock Brown. )

3. They all sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of their contracts with Celtic and therefore can't say that all in the garden is not rosy.

Think about the times we have had – the managers who have come and gone – the times of great hope that were followed by deep disappointment due to the quiet policy of managed decline.

What are your values, hopes and aspirations with regard to Celtic?

Mine are to see a team of players on the field worthy of carrying our tradition as one of the great clubs in world football.

I want the best players to be encouraged to stay with us in their best years.

I want to see us building on success, in a sustainable manner, and believing that the next season should be better than the last.

I want to see us supporting Brendan Rodgers in every way, particularly in his club-building efforts, and never undermining him.

I want to see us focusing on football, not obsessively on finance.

One of the biggest weaknesses we have, in my opinion, is the fact that we do not have football people by any measure working with Brendan Rodgers but, instead, have one of the best coaches we have ever had working with a specific form of capitalism.

You see, in my world, there is more than one type of capital.

For example, the people who buy season tickets, merchandise and plough their money into the club in various other ways, invest more than money.

To me, those fans who invest money – often more than they can afford – are also investing a kind of capital.

Sadly, it's the most easily-scorned form of capital, and yet the purist. It's the emotional capital of hoping that their investments in the club's vision will bring pride, joy and lasting memories.

But, as with the boiler-room scammers who robbed countless pensioners and other vulnerable people of their savings, Celtic's Peter Lawwell Capitalism cares nothing for those who staked their real money on an unreal dream.

And that is the problem for Celtic supporters.

The evidence of Peter Lawwell's entire tenure as Chief Executive points to a supporters' experience of constantly building hope, investing their money and being disappointed when things were really looking up.

Every tantalising dream results in frustration.

Again and again and again.

Would it be so bad if – this time – we kept our exceptional coach, Brendan, and experimented with a new Chief Executive, and one who doesn't make money out of selling our best players?

It could be win-win for everyone.

Peter Lawwell gets the money his talents apparently deserve; Brendan Rodgers has to deal with a "Head of Recruitment" he believes in and the club formulates a plan that sees continual improvement on the field as a good thing, rather than a reckless ambition.

Think about it – it's not so crazy.

Is it? --

We all love Emilio - but Izzy the answer for Celtic?

2018-08-10T21:43:00.001+01:00

After a trying week for Celtic, one piece of news with the feelgood factor was the return of Emilio Izaguirre as cover for Kieran Tierney at left-back.

It's not at all hard to love Izzy and most fans do.

A player who is never gave less than his all (as he noted himself) those years of flying down the left wing have not been forgotten by the fans and he left to real affection and well-wishing from the supporters.

That's all well and good and I'm happy for him as he seems so pleased to have made his return.

From a football point of view, however, I'm not sure quite what this tells us about recruitment policy at the club.

Those who remember Izzy's early days will recall the expectation that those exciting early displays would lead to big-money bids from English clubs (with speculation that Manchester United were considering a move).

But, such is the power of social media that before long the wise amongst us were mostly agreeing online that there was a problem with his positional sense.

For my part, I predicted that Izzy would leave as, fine player that he is, I couldn't see him fitting into Brendan Rodgers's style of play.

His running and crossing can be excellent - he could easily have found a place in Martin O'Neill's Celtic teams - but I didn't think his touch was quite right for the quick passing that Brendan favours.

So, what has changed?

Was it a blunder to let him go and did Brendan really rate him and want to keep him? (He will have made good money in Saudi Arabia and good luck to him for that.)

Or is there more to the move than meets the eye?

Calvin Miller has looked promising but, at 20, is perhaps not considered ready to be considered as reliable cover for that 21-year-old veteran Kieran.

That's fair enough and if the Izzy move is to take pressure off Calvin while Kieran remains as our left-back, then we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

But let's be clear about something.

Having Izzy supporting Kieran is fine. Bringing back a popular player because, for example, Kieran might be sold is not fine at all.

We can all make mistakes and reversing a bad decision (if that's what letting Izzy go was) is smarter than ploughing on, rather than admitting a mistake.

But two days after Brendan expressed his displeasure at missing out on John McGinn, there is room for scepticism as to whether bringing Izzy back is a move that Brendan really wanted or an admission that Peter Lawwell and the board have no intention of supporting Brendan in terms of developing the squad.

So, who signed Izzy - Brendan or Peter?

And, if the answer is the latter, then no amount of love for Izzy is going to bring us much joy in the time to come.
--