Thousands of Celtic fans and Brendan Rodgers can see exactly what this club needs, yet the board seems oblivious to it. Therein lies the problem
Eric Knott 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
As millions of pounds lie sitting in Celtic’s bank account, steadily gathering interest, the transfer window clock ticks inevitably towards it’s conclusion.
Six transfers, which now can only be construed as ‘projects’, have arrived in the door since the transfer window opened.
Because these players, in reality, are unknown quantities, we cannot refer to them as players who will strengthen our squad.
Therefore, they cannot be classed as upgrades either.
They may turn into players who net us big transfers down the line, but right now, none of us can predict whether they will or they won’t.
What we can confidently predict is that if we end this transfer window with no further additions, we will be significantly weaker than we were when we entered it.
What we can also confidently predict is that we will not progress in the Champions League with our current squad.
This is a simple fact.
A simple fact that was further galvanised by Sunday’s abysmal performance at Rugby Park.
We know it, Brendan Rodgers knows it, and if our board didn’t know it, they sure as hell do now.
Yet they seem to be completely oblivious to the evidence that was presented to them on Sunday.
Celtic is a football club with a huge worldwide fanbase.
I can pretty much guarantee you that there is not a single Celtic fan out there today, who does not recognise the fact that we need significant reinforcements before this transfer window closes.
Not one could say that he or she is satisfied with the transfer business we have done to date.
If they did say they were, then they’re clearly not paying attention.
To put this into perspective, here are a few sobering facts:
To date, the Ibrox club, which is broke, has spent £13.8million on player transfers.
We have spent £15 million on our 6 player purchases.
The Ibrox club have acquired 9 players, but 5 of these were free transfers.
They spent £13.8 million on 4 players.
Are they finished?
Who knows?
Michael Beale is a rookie manager, who has won nothing, yet the Ibrox board has backed him to the hilt.
For them, it’s shit or bust, it always has been.
But they are not afraid of bust if it means stopping Celtic.
They probably have one hand already on the League Cup after yesterday.
Celtic on the other hand have millions in the bank.
£30million from the sales of Jota and Starfelt, two first team starters.
£40million possibly incoming from Champions League participation.
A manager who won 7 out of 7 trophies in his previous tenure with the club.
Who then went on to win an F.A. cup with Leicester City and took them to a European Semi-final.
The Celtic board feels that it is satisfactory thus far to supply him with 6 players who have 8 international caps between them all.
These belong to Gustaf Lagerbielke (1) and Marco Tilio (7).
The other 4 have no senior international caps.
Of the 9 players acquired by the Ibrox side, they have 79 international caps between them.
So who’s getting the raw deal here, the rookie or the manager who is vastly experienced?
The answer is pretty clear and the facts don’t lie.
Now, I might be jumping the gun here, the players acquired by the Ibrox side might turn out to be duds, but I can’t predict that any more than I can predict that the players acquired by Celtic will be a success.
However, what I can confidently say is this:
If you have any realistic aspirations of progression in Europe, leaving £10’s of millions sitting in the bank while spending a paltry £15million of it in the hopes that maybe 2 out of 6 projects might come good will guarantee only one thing.
Failure.
I can see it, Brendan Rodgers can see it, and every other Celtic fan on the planet can see it.
You would also have to assume the board can see it too.
But as the old saying goes, you should never assume, it makes an ass out of u and me.
And when it comes to the Celtic board, assumptions are a serious gamble.
Hell, this board loves to gamble.
Ange Postecoglou seemed to put them into rehab, but since he left, they’re back to their old bad habits.
The question is, does Brendan have the will or the fortitude to curb it?
Is he as strong willed as Ange Postecoglou was?
Refer to the article I published on Sunday evening, and you’ll find part of the answer to that question.
So now, as Callum McGregor said yesterday, we find ourselves at a crossroads.
The board can choose to bury their heads in the sand and gamble in the hopes that the current acquisitions, combined with players returning from injury, will scrape us through the season ahead.
Or they can pull their fingers out of their arses and supply Brendan Rodgers with what he needs to gain respectability in the Champions League and to retain the league and Scottish Cup.
Namely a goalkeeper, a left back, a winger and another striker.
Mathias Kvistgaarden, Daniel Podence, Dominik Livakovic and Quentin Merlin would do nicely.
But here’s the problem, when you allow a handful of men to control something that millions follow, inevitably, they will only look after their own self interests.
After the 2020/21 season debacle, Peter Lawwell should never have been allowed to set foot near Celtic Park again.
Yet he is now the Chairman of the club.
How the actual f@£$ is that even possible?
I mean genuinely, when you think about, it’s actually insane.
And we all know what the definition of insanity is, don’t we?
Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.
We’ll find out in the next 10 days whether Ange Postecoglou broke that cycle of insanity for 2 years.
Or whether it was always lurking there, just waiting to rear it’s ugly head again once he departed.
The big question here is this, if the required player acquisitions aren’t made in the next 10 days, will we just sit idly by and accept it?
Will we accept horrendous humiliations again in Europe?
Will we allow a rookie to challenge us for the title?
Are you confident that we could beat the Ibrox side on their home patch after Sunday’s performance?
Will we simply accept that his club’s board was willing to invest more in financing his challenge than our board was?
They’ve as good as handed the League Cup to Beale already.
Only he can screw that up now.
Well, the simple fact is we won’t have to accept any of that if our board gives the manager what he needs.
Anything less than that will be utterly unacceptable, and a serious indication that managed decline has returned.
In essence, the lunatics will be running the asylum again.
Will we just stand idly by and let them?
Let’s just hope it never comes to that.
Aodhán Ó Conchobhair 
What a great and honest article . You have hit the nail firmly on the head . I was hoping the biscuit tin mentality was a thing of the past , but obviously not … I fear for us this season and can see Rodger’s walking again !!!!!!
we require an experienced goal keeper,centre back,left back and striker to have any chance in europe
That was a brilliant analysis of where Celtic are at and why. I feared for the club the moment I heard that Lawwell was being appointed to a new role in Celtic. It’s now obvious that he’s pulling the purse strings again. Brendan Rodgers was sending out an SOS to the Board after Sunday’s game when he said “quality has gone out and quality needs to be brought in to replace it”. So, you’re right, Rodgers knows how week the team is for the campaigns ahead. But did he know the biscuit tin would return along with him? I doubt it.
I do have to say in fairness that Rodgers himself bears some of the blame for changing the way the team plays, leaving the players confused and disjointed. He inherrited a good team with a good style of play, yet he had to change it and ruin it. Still, he must be given serious money to spend and quickly or we’re looking again at something akin to the 10-in-a-row season, no question. Ultimately, if the deterioration continues, it will be Brendan Rodgers the fans will want sacked. And, if it does come to such an unthinkable scenario, he would deserve it for not having the Ange-like courage to demand resources. But, and let no one ever forget this, if we get to that stae of affairs, let every fan demand also the instant sacking of Peter Lawwell, who should never have been allowed to set foot back inside Celtic. He must be a Mason!
It was inevitable that BR was going to change the brand of football we played under Ange, its not his style of football. Where the club messed was not bringing in the Bodo Glimt manager, his style of play is similar to Ange and he gets him team to punch far above their weight, he would have done brilliant with our players.
I think our board believe “the rangers”need to be in close competition with us. And the money in the bank will see a good return for Desmond and a healthy bonus for Lawell. Turning up in Europe is good enough to collect appearance money. It’s always been so.No ambition. Season tickets sold. Why risk spending money on a few decent players for no gain
spot on Clara, Knutsen should have been the number one target. he has worked wonders at Bodo, given them standing in Europe,been astute in the transfer market, making inexpensive scandinavian purchases, developing them and selling them a few seasons later for a big profit added to which he plays an entertaining brand of football which gets big results.
Don’t believe the Scottish media on the £ they have paid for players, look at the press from the country that the players came from
How much money do Celtic have in the bank? Not made up numbers, how much exactly?
How much working capital does a club with our outgoings need to see out the season?
I can see demos at Celtic Park in the coming weeks. BR should tell DD he wants a meeting regarding his hands being tied in the transfer market, if DD says that’s the way it will be, then BR could, and probably should, get his agent to find him another club.
I don’t think BR is strong enough to force the current board to part with the required funds to strengthen the squad which means we will struggle to win anything this season and as for Europe we will be a disaster
The board don’t care about the fans or club.
That’s why BR and PL are back.
Painful watching the last two games and the boring Rodgers style of 50 passes to get to the edge of the opposition’s 18 yard box just to make 5 passes back to Hart.
We have not had Euro quality centreback pairing in 10+ years.
We have not got that midfielder that can create magic like Rogic or Mooy used to and we have not replaced Jota.
These type of players needed to be signed in pre season.
Even if the board pony up the dough for all the players we need to advance in the Champions league, they would not be up to speed until we are already eliminated.
We were teased with all these great names for our new manager and ended up with the guy who ran out of ideas last time and jumped before he was pushed.
Until Desmond sells the club we will see the same old penny pinching. Lennon will be the next manager when Rodgers is sacked by Christmas.
Don’t be kidded, BR knew exactly what the plan was when he signed up. He is now part of it and undoubtedly will be well rewarded if we can stay a step ahead of sevco.
CL qualification and profit on a few projects while protecting the OF brand.
Lawwell involved = zero ambition.
We need to stop laughing at the gullabillies!!!
The lawell situation is sickening! Also come on he has his son scouting and running that department, so he has 24 hours access to interfere tgere also ! No lawll should be near our club! Its pure nepotism and all run from afar very sfar by Desmond we should be sitting in a 72,000 seater ground which it wouod be if symmetrical but cause we want the huns ti be hust behind we dint do it! Madess! These people make it up as they go along !Ok dont spend money on the players finish the ground then! As its an embarrassment with those resricting views big a ckub we have the biggest ” real fan base ” on tge planet that is a fact wirking and living overseas i saw that even more! We have thiusands of fans all over England ti for God sake never mind Ireland we are everywhere! But are run but a biard with no real ambition, Desmond has on the whole done ok but at his age whats the future!! Big change was needed a decade ago sadly we had the chance through the Trust to really oush in in covid season but few good results then all is forgotten to the extent lawell is now back front and centre! Not now ” non executive ” hmm that was tge feeler eh as no now he the chairman!! Unbelievable! We need change!
Sorry right few typos sent to early, but think you get the jest of it eh
I have a feeling that this exact situation of Celtic FC and the need for proper transfer players not being bought ,was a primary reason Brendan Rodgers left so abruptly first time around ! What does it take for the club’s board to realise that this situation ,especially with the injury list growing by the day , could become a serious problem if the inactiveness continues ? Take off the welder’s goggles and see the light for Christ sakes !
If Knutson had come in he’d have had to agree to the penny inching board as well. Would he have done that, if so no use to us. We strength at board, management, captain and player level. All seem to have gone AWOL. What more can he do with this bag of bones and juveniles than the current proven manager. I’m afraid the manager’s not the issue here other than agreeing, if he did, to coach kids. The blame lies firmly with our leaders and that includes snr players, Cal, Rodgers and the board. We have just over a week to sort this out or weak is exactly how we’ll remain. HH
Demos are exactly what needs to happen, calling for that board to resign for a start.
If the board dont want to spend for the champions league why should the fans spend there hard earned cash we already no the outcome fair chance we re getting what sevco got last year humiliated
We need strength in midfield to lightweight mgregor is not a Scott brown
The tactic used by DD and PL to keep the fans quiet is the same tactic used by the old Roman emperors to keep their serfs quiet. Given them bread and sport, a loaf and the arena, and the majority will be satisfied. So, that’s what the fans get for the money they fork out, only in this case it’s crumbs and Scottish games most of the time while they pocket the profits the fans provide for them. They know that the greater majority are either too meek or too stupid to protest against them in any meaningful way, hence the reason why we’re back in business as usual under Lawwell. They’re having a great laugh and making a fortune into the bargain. Celtic will never be anything outside of this tiny country.
Rodgers needs to walk to for his own sanity. The fans need to not turn up and support this this absolute rubbish we are watching. Champions league we will be made a laughing stock of europe. Postogello made a few duff signings as well. Kyogo and maieda apart but the later isn’t that good either apart from running around let’s face it he was absolutely no where against Kilmarnock. Spend the money because no use in the bank. Hart is brutal can’t go for crosses don’t pass to him nightmare. Seriously wow so so bad I give up
Starfeilt away vickers injured Welsh injured narowfkis injured hatati injured oye injured kit man injured that’s next. Stop buying players from ages of 21 to 23 for up to 4million start buying 25 up year old with experience and give them the wages sick of maybe going forward to backwards Rodgers should not have taken the job because he has now become there puppet again. Sack lawell now he’s so old he makes my dad look great he has no ideas and is just taking the money. Desmond is just as bad do they all play golf together and laugh. Must be one of the only teams in the world who have money in the bank but we keep giving them out hard earned cash
We will never fulfill any potential in Europe as long as Desmond and Lawwell control the club, it’s all about profit and board bonuses. Any player with any quality will be sold no matter the bid,we also bring them in and make promises about wages and don’t honour them so causing unrest this is also a ploy too move player’s on.You cannot build as quad if you are continually selling most of you star player’s every year.It does not matter how much money we bring in each year they still want to sell player’s for profit. Another thing they wait that long to spend any money that the Barrowfield development was originally going too cost £5million now they are saying £20million they are never proactive because they do not want to spend money. Desmond has to much power for his shareholding in the club.
This board is acting like the board that was kicked out of Celtic Park. Lawell and his buddies are acting like the Kelly’s of old. And the fan’s verdict, “ They The board, HAVE TO GO”.
The board have done us fine the last 20 years. Peter Lawell has done is fine the last 20 years. The greatest threat to our season is people not trusting them all. I trust them and I base that on a responsible and reasonable track record. No matter what they do and achieve, there will still be those who want to be negative and knock them.
If you’re talking about the little third world league of the SPL, then yes, I guess they’ve done ok, apart from that one major milestone they failed us in – the 10-in-a-row. If, however, you’re talking about Celtic achieving in Europe, then no, they have failed catastrophically. The last time Celtic made an impact in Europe was IN 2003, following which this Board you think are great took control and all European progress was destroyed.