‘Absolute disgrace’ ‘Ffs Read the room’ ‘These Tories need forcibly removed’ Celtic board feel the backlash of fan anger over transfers

Without even a token new signing the Celtic board have launched another raid on the cash of supporters as they promote a £50 Celtic TV package to watch five pre-season friendlies.

It is fair to say that the Twitter announcement didn’t go down well with most of the replies commenting on the lack of signings and the greed of the club with around £100m believed to be sitting in the bank account.

Pre-season friendlies are rarely thrilling encounters but the chance to see a new signing or two usually creates some interest.

A year ago there was two Behind Closed Doors matches in Portugal before a two match visit to Japan where Odin Thiago Holm was the only new signing.

That was put down to Brendan Rodgers assessing the squad that he had inherited from Ange Postecoglou but as July turned into August with a Projects Only policy fans began to get concerned, rightly as it turned out.

Even the new manager agreed, after losing to Lazio in the Champions League he revealed that his assessment was that the team required four quality starters. It’s fair to say that wasn’t achieved, after failing again in January Mark Lawwell stepped down but there is someone else with that surname that thousands of fans would love to see move off into permanent retirement.

Pre-season training started last Thursday, June 27 for non-internationalists with very little media coverage given.

John Kennedy was put up for interviews with Sky Sports and Celtic TV alongside a video clip from training, similar to the dozens that are shared during the course of the season.

The training clip featured many of Lawwell’s 2023 Project singings, the ones that the manager tried to introduce before binning them for the business end of the season when he reverted back to the core of players that had delivered the 22/23 Treble. Minus Jota, Aaron Mooy, Liel Abada and Carl Starfelt.

Joe Hart can now be added to that list, with his contract expiring last month he announced in February that he would be retiring at the end of the season.

For a well run club that would mean cranking up their interest in goalkeepers, looking at age, experience, contract positions and likely transfer fees. There aren’t many Hart’s around looking for a final challenge.

Celtic have possibly been linked with 20 goalkeepers since Hart’s emotional farewell, none of the stories seem to have much substance with Scott Bain looking like starting the matches against Ayr United and Queens Park.

Most of the internationalists should be back in the fold before Rodgers has to name a squad to take to the USA.

Some training days are likely before a fierce schedule of matches against DC United, Manchester City and Chelsea on July 21, 24 and 27.

No doubt a few directors will be on board for that trip, some half hearted efforts will be made for promoting the brand but putting the Scottish Cup winning squad, minus Hart, Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah through those three friendlies could make for painful viewing.

Unless there is a glut of new signings ready to be rolled out there will be players going to the USA that weren’t in Rodgers’ plans last season.

Based on today’s tweet it seems certain that Celtic will curtail their social media activity which is a shame since it seems one of the few areas of the club that can relate to the support as they’ve demonstrated with a few borderline messages in recent weeks.