Celtic Could Watch Their £66m Drain Away Without Ever Using It.

For years now, one of the biggest questions surrounding Celtic has been relatively simple: what exactly is all that money in the bank for?

The last set of accounts showed Celtic sitting with around £66 million in cash. Supporters have debated the purpose of it, joked about the mythical rainy day and repeatedly asked when the club intends to use its financial strength to actually strengthen the football team.

But something occurred to me while discussing it on The Bhoycie Bus today.

What if Celtic never really use it?

What if, instead of investing that money from a position of strength, we simply watch it slowly drain away as the consequences of the club’s lack of ambition begin to bite?

That’s a genuinely worrying thought.

Celtic had a golden opportunity this summer.

They had money in the bank, another league title behind them and Champions League qualification sitting there waiting to be secured.

Yet only one new signing, Camilo Durán, played any minutes during pre-season.

Think about that.

Celtic brought in a number of players over the summer, yet the manager was expected to prepare for crucial European qualifiers without the vast majority of his new recruits available to work with beforehand.

We know what happened next.

My argument isn’t that Celtic should have emptied £66 million from the bank account and started throwing money around recklessly. Nobody sensible is asking for that.

It’s about speculating to accumulate.

Imagine Celtic had taken even a significant proportion of those reserves and properly backed the football operation when the opportunity was there.

For argument’s sake, take half of it.

Add £20-odd million of genuine additional investment to what Celtic were already spending and suddenly you’re shopping in a completely different market and building a squad capable of dealing with the challenges ahead.

Qualify for the Champions League and a substantial amount of that investment can effectively be replenished by the revenue you’ve just secured.

Simple finances.

More importantly, you’ve improved the team.

You’ve kept supporters on side and buzzing to buy tickets and shirts with their new heroes names on the back.

You’re building coefficient points.

Also you are giving yourself a better chance of returning to the Champions League again.

You’re strengthening from a position of dominance rather than waiting until everything starts going wrong.

Instead, my concern is Celtic could end up doing the complete opposite.

That £66 million becomes £55 million.

Then £55 million becomes £44 million.

Before you know it, the enormous cash reserve everyone spent years discussing hasn’t been used to take Celtic forward at all.

It’s simply been eaten away keeping the wheels turning while the football operation goes backwards.

That would be unforgivable.

Celtic have won 14 of the last 15 league titles. For huge periods of that time, they’ve possessed financial advantages over the rest of Scottish football that nobody else could realistically compete with.

Whilst people use this statistic as a stick to beat us unhappy fans with, ask them this – which one of those 15 years should Celtic not of won the League title, considering the advantages we possess?

There have also been seasons where the route into the Champions League was considerably more favourable than it is now.

Those were the moments to capitalise.

Build the strongest possible Celtic team. Establish yourself as a Champions League club. Increase revenues, improve the coefficient and make qualification something Celtic expect rather than something we approach every summer with our fingers crossed.

Now the landscape is becoming harder.

Even winning this season’s title would leave Celtic facing three Champions League qualifying rounds next summer.

Suddenly that massive bank balance doesn’t look quite as clever.

I’ve always wondered what Celtic’s rainy day actually looks like.

My fear now is we’re going to find out.

Not because the club finally decides to use its financial strength to build something.

But because the opportunities created by years of domestic dominance have been allowed to pass, revenues begin dropping and those millions are gradually required just to maintain what Celtic already have.

Imagine the irony of that.

Celtic could spend years refusing to properly use their £66 million because they’re determined to protect the club’s financial position.

Then watch that same £66 million drain away because they didn’t invest enough in the football team to protect it in the first place.

Keep Your Eyes On The Board.