It looks like the Ibrox side are throwing the towel in before a ball is kicked, and maybe that’s why the Celtic board are throwing the transfer towel in…
Eric Knott 
Craig Foy - SNS Group/SNS Group/Getty Images
Celtic won emphatically in Washington DC last night.
A 4-0 victory showed everybody watching that Brendan Rodgers has his side well prepared for the coming season.
That he is clearly working with the players he has…..
Such an emphatic victory should be a good thing, but to me, its slightly ominous.
Why do I think that?
Well, one thing is clear, Celtic are continuing the momentum they finished last season with.
The kind of momentum that swept our fierce rivals aside.
To the board, this must be wonderful to see.
It must put a spring in their step, and an extra sheen to those lovely pound signs they’re always admiring.
They must also be delighted with the man who stole the show for Celtic against DC United.
Matt O’Riley.
He may have just added an extra million or two to his value, with two goals and an excellent performance at the heart of Celtic’s midfield.
For me, the loss of Matt O’Riley, should it come to pass, will be huge for Celtic.
There are two facets to that loss.
Firstly, our team will lose the goals he scores, along with the amount of assists he provides.
O’Riley can pick a pass from just about anywhere.
Who can forget the pinpoint pass he put on Kyogo’s boot against Hearts last season?
Secondly, Matt O’Riley will NOT be adequately replaced.
You know that for a fact.
Moussa Dembele was never adequately replaced.
Kieran Tierney was never adequately replaced.
Felipe Jota was never adequately replaced.
So you cannot expect that to change if Matt O’Riley goes for big money.
In fact, knowing our board, Paulo Bernardo will be considered his replacement.
And if that shocks you, don’t let it, because it’s totally conceivable.
Last night was ominous because it proved to our board that this team is getting better without significant investment.
It was ominous because they know Brendan Rodgers will get a tune out what he has at his disposal, regardless of how much they weaken it.
And you know that tune will only be required to keep the Ibrox side at bay.
Judging by what we’re reading in the media at the moment, that isn’t going to be very hard.
Over there, they are already throwing the towel in.
Fears are growing steadily that Phillipe Clement is going to resign because he’s made it clear he did not sign up for the shitshow he is now mired in.
Kris Boyd had the crayons out in that rag he works for on Friday, expressing his concerns about Clement.
Clement strikes me as a shrewd guy, he’s certainly not someone who suffers fools gladly. With that in mind, I genuinely fear he’s close to deciding the situation leaves him with only one option.
And that’s to quit. Rangers fans won’t enjoy hearing that but deep down they’ll all be fearing the same thing.
If the village idiot is capable of reading between the lines here, then its clear something is brewing along those lines.
If I’m being honest, I don’t blame Clement.
Much and all as I can’t stand the guy, he is on a hiding to nothing.
As I stated in Friday’s article, the chances are that Celtic will still beat the Ibrox side to a pulp next season.
Even if we’re weaker than we were last season.
The board has NEVER been interested in progression in Europe.
Right now, that much is crystal clear to me.
If they had any ambition whatsoever to progress, the players we require to do that would be in the door now, and bedded into the squad during pre-season.
They are only interested in breathing life into the dying entity across the city.
Strengthening our squad to a level required to compete in Europe would in turn kill the Ibrox side off completely.
And as I said in Friday’s article, that’s just bad for business.
But whose business?
Really?
Whose business is it bad for?
I’m a fan, I don’t see it as bad for business.
In fact, while I’m more than happy to administer regular hidings to the Ibrox side, I consider that to be a sideshow.
What I want more than anything is for our club to be respected in Europe once again.
I want Celtic Park to return to the fortress it once was in Europe.
I want sides to fear coming to play there again.
Right now, we are in no position to do anything in Europe.
Weakening our team only compounds that further.
Yet the board will launch a ludicrously over-priced Champions League package.
Then they will expect fans to pay through the nose for that, while they endure humiliation after humiliation at the hands of sides, who in some cases, will be operating on smaller budgets than ours.
Now, that is bad business.
That is taking the piss out of a fanbase that loves this club, and playing on that very love to make more money, which will not be re-invested in the playing squad.
Bad business, hell no, shit business!
A horrible way to repay such a fantastic fanbase for their unwavering loyalty.
And in doing so, this board is robbing that fanbase of it’s hopes and dreams, all while charging it for the privilege.
See anything wrong with this picture?
It is bad business, but to the board its great business.
Simply because the fanbase will keep on handing over their hard-earned cash.
They know this, and they take full advantage of it.
And it makes me sick.
It makes me sick because they’re dragging their asses when it comes to strengthening our squad.
Dragging their asses when it comes to securing Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah.
Just plain dragging their asses.
There’s no other way to put it.
Our season starts today two weeks.
We will start it weaker than we did last season.
That is criminal.
Unacceptable.
With £100 million sitting in the bank, it is mind-blowingly arrogant of this board to expect Celtic fans to accept that.
If the Ibrox side has thrown in the towel already, it’s plain to see that the Celtic board has thrown the transfer towel in.
Just wait for it, we’ll be spun the usual sob stories.
The transfer market is just so difficult and complicated these days.
We did our best, but we just couldn’t get the deals we wanted over the line.
It’s harder and harder to attract players to the Scottish game.
It’s all bullshit.
And if you believe it, more fool you.
Their arrogance is astounding.
To repay the manager like this, after what he achieved last season with one hand tied behind his back?
And to all those board apologists out there, do me a favour, wake up!
Wake up, and realise that you’re being taken for a ride too.
You’re part of the problem because you accept this garbage.
I don’t care what you say about me, it’s water off a duck’s back to me.
I’m past caring anymore.
I just want this board gone.
Because nothing is ever going to change under them.
It’s that simple.
If you can’t see that now, you’re blind.
Even Stevie Wonder can see it.
This was a sickening read, it’s exactly what will happen & every word is so sadly true! I hope I’m wrong & there is decent investment but I fear the worst.
Absolutely spot on mate, the board apologists consistently give them an easy ride. Lawwell’s downright lies about strengthening the squad twice annually have been shown up as total bullshit.
A shame the fans have no mechanism to collectively put a stop to giving those fckrs on the board their hard earned cash, because however badly we need new players Lawwell will ALWAYS make sure the money remains in the bank.
There are too many lemmings with season tickets who listen and obey.
I agree with you to a certain point. The board drag their heels every year when it comes to spending the money earned the year before. Buying cheap and moving on project players that don’t work out. I think we all would be happier if the board spent 25 million a season on 3 quality player instead of young boys with zero big game experience.
At the same time as a business owner myself I know you can’t listen to people telling you how to run things as these people couldn’t run a bath never mind keep this great club flourishing with plenty of money in the bank should things go wrong.
We all have opinions on how we would do things and that will never change but looking across the city at the other mob and how badly they are getting ran makes me feel lucky in some way that we at least will never be in the same situation with these guys on the board!
Agree with you 100% , it’s time we started being more vocal about this inside the ground and at the front door. Giving that mob a hiding is great but we need to be making a better showing in Europe, a couple of quality signings or more would definitely put us in the right direction but we all know the lack of spending money and ambition by the board will see us struggle to get anywhere. They’ll know all about it when we start playing qualifiers again to try and gain entry to the champions league, knowing them they’ll be happy with the Europa league or even worse the conference .
The Board wants to help the Rangers more than their own team….. it’s been like that for a very long time
Stop buying the jerseys and all other merchandise .
Like lambs to the slaughter every CL campaign.
The only way is for the fans to wake up and stop being shafted year after year 🍀
The only lemons are the board. Celtic need the supporters 100% buying no European tickets will only kill the team, as they need the supporters. Also I suggest that the tickets holders don’t go to the sevco games at home, and allow other non ticket supporters the chance to watch the game. And guess what that’s no chance. As we only get sold the tickets from the day b4 any game. And never a sevco game. Now you see why there’s alot of empty seats.
You’re right that’s what this board is all about money,we need to get a good run in Europe and stay with other clubs in the league but I can see what you are seeing it’s not changed since the Kelly’s in fact it’s no ever changed HH
Constantly comparing Celtic to the(2012) basket case down paisley rd west just gives the board all the excuses they want to downsize. The vast majority of the world wide fanbase will not accept this or the noticable increase in the waist sizes of said board.
So what’s the end goal?…win the league in the next 5 years with CL money of £50 million.. £350 million in the bank, when is it enough? 500?…if that the goal. Stadium, barrowfield, lennox training park all together is a club worth £500,000,000 sold to the highest bidder DD sails away to the cote de rhone.. Never to be seen again.
If thing’s don’t change on the tranfer front this season it is time for action from the season ticket holders.We need to make a show of strength to this board and Liewell and Desmond that we have had enough of their penny pinching and selling our best player’s as soon as some low ball offer comes in for our top player’s every year,the only thing that motivates then is profit and share price.Really hate to say this but we should be telling them to keep their Champion’s League packages as money is the only thing they understand.With the new format it looks like we will be weaker than ever and this could get embarrassing again.
Get that board tae fuck out of paradise they’re only interested in saving the biggest cheats in Scotland and MR MURRAY even tried to sink us in 1994 but our board are happy to help them well fuck off they can stick there ST up their arses I’ll not be back until that board is gone from paradise for good especially that fat greedy scumbag p.lawwell the RAT..
Won’t be buying champions league tkts this year if no new players are brought in.Im 59 years old and seen it all before,heard it all before.Another betrayal of the support and the manager if they fail to bring in at least 4 additional first team ready players to last seasons squad.Idah and Bernardo will only give us the squad we finished with in May.And we all know last season’s squad wasn’t good enough.No more exudes board do your fkn job.
As someone of an age where I can vividly remember us punching our weight and then some in Europe,this breaks my heart.I wouldn’t give a shiny shit if we never played s vco again if it meant we got our respect back in Europe,but won’t happen under this lot and their 5 way agreement.Time for them to go.
I absolutely agree with Kevin and that most supporters would rather have 3 quality players for £25m, than buy 6-8 projects for the same money and hope that at least 1 comes good and you make your money back from them and the rest is pure profit.
You mentioned Eric several times that it is terrible business, but you answered further on why it’s not terrible business by stating “ SIMPLY BECAUSE THE FANBASE WILL KEEP ON HANDING OVER THEIR HARD-EARNED CASH”.
It’s fantastic business if you can keep a constant growth in income, and less outgoings. However, you’re absolutely spot on by stating that it’s disgusting way to treat your customers. You wouldn’t get away with it in most industries and even most clubs, big or small, in the UK. As Celtic has one of the most loyal set of supporters, then they know the golden goose will just keep giving.
People will always continue to go to the games, but a boycott on merchandise will certainly put a dent in their margins.
2 weeks to go till our 1st league game and just over 5 weeks till the transfer curtain comes down, so maybe more foolishly optimistic than anything else, this board will shock the life out of us all and fully support the manager and bring in the players he wants…and needs
HAIL HAIL
KEEP THE FAITH🍀🍀
It seems that the true Celtic fanbase is united at last. For several seasons now there has been clearly divided opinion about the composition of the Board and who is calling the tune. My opinion, as I have expressed it, has not changed one iota. The Celtic Board is not an authentic representation of the Club’s birthright identity.
Our voices will continue to support our players, but our financial control remains out of our hands. Don’t be browbeaten by con-men who falsely pretend to express our true interests. Eric is correct, anybody with even half a brain can see that a positive intention to be part of the European Arena is not a matter of importance to the Lawwell mix. Financial power can be removed by the force of our United objection.
Agree with the article..the board need a paradigm shift..they need to see Europe as our primary focus and ..sounds arrogant I know..but the domestic scene as almost a given every year..the current state of rangers is …terminal..at least from a serious threat point of view..until the board move to a primary European focus nothing will change.
The Celtic board is full of ‘Usual Suspects’ as in a bunch of deceitful, lying Keyser Söze’s, lets remind ourselves of the way they have treated the fans and the club
The Celtic fans backed us the board/club during a global pandemic, we (the board) flushed £35 million down the toilet & blew the 10iar, erected barricades, and deliberately ignored the concerns of the Celtic support, we the board used the blue nose tainted elements of the British media to insult & labelled Celtic fans with untrue, deceitful slurs of ‘entitled’, ‘mob’, ‘scum’ & dirt, yet, after all that, they still came back for more of the same, renewing in their thousands ???? beggars belief (complete faithfully blind suckers), yous want Champions League fitba, aye right we’re downsizing! To help save Sevoc, now shut up & give us your money. Liewell and the board have:
1: Constantly interfered with the recruitment process
2: Continuously undermined managers to pursue their own ‘money-hoarding’ agenda
3: Wasted countless millions on project players & journeymen, with the insulting excuses of “We Don’t Want To End-Up Like Old Co”
4: They held back on money needed money for Champions League qualifiers
5: They’ve regressed Celtic to a joke & laughing stock of European football to the point we’ve become the whipping boys for Europe’s smaller clubs that operate on a fraction of our budget
6: Under Liewell and the boards ‘money-hoarding’ mismanagement, we’ve only qualified for the Champions League twice in the last eight years
7: Under Liewell and the board’s ‘money-hoarding’ mismanagement we’ve lost out on £280 million of much needed Champion’s League revenue
8: Under Liewell and the boards money-hoarding’ mismanagement, they flushed £35 million down the toilet, blew the 10iar & called it progress
9: Under Liewell and the boards money-hoarding’ mismanagement, Sevco have were resurrected to save the ‘Old firm’ Brand & the long-term financial future of the SPFL
Love it, Just love it. Keep the infighting going lads. It warms the cockles of the Famous Glasgow Rangers support.
Billy Boy
says:
22nd July 2024 at 7:35 pm
Love it, Just love it. Keep the infighting going lads. It warms the cockles of the Famous Glasgow Rangers support.
=================
I suppose any comfort is better than none!!
Your club doesn’t have a pot to piss in and Bennett is briefing journalists and media men behind Clements back yet you are on here.
What a fanny.