With two friendlies and eleven days to go before the start of the SPFL Celtic are considerably weaker than the side that pulled off a league and cup double driven by the determination to succeed of Brendan Rodgers. As Chairman Peter Lawwell is calling every shot.
Back in February and into March things were touch and go, there was no depth to the squad to cope with the loss of Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Cameron Carter-Vickers through injury.
Without competent wingers Kyogo Furuhashi was a shadow of the player that had driven a domestic treble the previous season.
After winning the Scottish Cup through the efforts of two loan players supporters expected lessons to be learned to take the team forward, the influx of projects under Mark Lawwell had produced one first team starter from four windows- Alistair Johnston.
If funds were limited supporters would have rejoiced at the double success but last season’s close run thing was an incredible act of self harm, almost brinksmanship.
Rodgers pulled it off, changes were expected but other than a change of goalkeeper nothing has changed.
The squad has been weakened. Adam Idah and Paulo Bernardo are elsewhere, it seems only a matter of time before Matt O’Riley switches from the team sheet to the Balance Sheet to the sound of high-fiving in the boardroom.
Back in February Chairman Lawwell recognised the dangers, to himself as chants at the home matches against Hearts and Kilmarnock had demonstrated.
The former CEO now had the title of Chairman, around him an executive team that he had put together in his own likeness, sharing his one and only value.
Fans, shareholders and Season Ticket holders were growing restless, in the 2024 Interim Report Lawwell seemed unusually apologetic, writing:
Since the opening of the transfer window in June 2023, and up to the end of the winter transfer window which closed on 1st February 2024, we have committed £23.9m in player investment. Within this we renewed and extended the contracts of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liel Abada, Matt O’Riley, Anthony Ralston and Reo Hatate.
The Board’s commitment is to strengthen and improve the playing squad in every transfer window and although resources were available, we were unable to further add to the squad due to the unavailability of identified targets. This was disappointing to us all, and never the intention.
The January transfer window is notoriously difficult as clubs are very reluctant to let their best players go at such a crucial time of the season just as we are. Indeed, we resisted strong interest in our players from other clubs.
A week after the Interim Report was published Lawwell Mini was looking for the next opportunity, according to his Linkedin profile he remains at Celtic.
It seems that with Lawwell as Chairman the summer transfer window has also become notoriously difficult to sign players. The £23.9m wasted on the 2023 projects would barely raise £8m id put up for sale, all of those players know that the four and five year contracts that they are sitting on won’t be matched never mind bettered elsewhere.
On arrival at Celtic 13 months ago Rodgers assessed the squad and concluded that four positions needed strengthened, proven starters ready to make the sort of impact that Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda had in January 2022.
Under Mark Lawwell as stream of projects were brought to the club with only Luis Palma making a meaningful impact in the Champions League. Marco Tilio, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Maik Nawrocki never even made it into the Champions League squad.
As Rodgers was assessing the squad he was losing Jota, Carl Starfelt and Aaron Mooy, at the end of his first year in charge Joe Hart and Liel Abada had also moved on.
Less than two weeks to go before the SPFL opener at home to Kilmarnock it looks like no new outfield players will be starting that match.
A three match trip to the USA was the ideal opportunity to introduce new players to the side, get them settled and good to go for the start of competitive football.
Now it looks like any new signings will have to be introduced to a team that is already in competitive action with the clock ticking down towards the madness of the final days of the transfer window.
After four grim windows directed by Mark Lawwell there was a naive assumption from many fans that things would be different this time, Rodgers was back, had salvaged the league and a guaranteed Champions League spot.
It looks likely that three successive places in the group stage of the Champions League will end with a weaker squad than the one that lifted the 2021/22 title, driven by the recruitment of Postecoglou.
The accounts and Balance Sheet will make for outstanding reading but it seems like staying a point or two clear of the 2012 Ibrox Triute Act will be the consolation to another serious of demoralising Champions League results.
Business as usual with a few knock-about gags at the AGM to reassure supporters how fortunate they are to be living through this golden age.
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3 Comments
by J
Get Lawwell tae f**k b4 we end up cash cows like the manky mob across the city. Lawwell hinks hes a smart arse leaving coz he f****d the 10iar fur us bt slides into the club through the back door as if wur f****n daft. He’s nuffin but a wee fat penny pinching pr**k who holds the club back. Lawwells and Desmond are the new Kelly’s and mcginns fae the 90s. Pair eh horrible c***s!!
by BriBhoy
Sadly there seem to be some similarities here with ourselves and that lot in Govan. A squad bloated with overpaid projects that the manager clearly has no faith in, that are not in his plans, that he didn’t want to begin with, but that he can’t now punt. FFS, even James McCarthy will still be there next season draining a considerable wage.
Even allowing for that, though, financially, we are far better placed than them to bring a few decent quality players in. On that basis, the board is certainly being complacent, using last year’s success as evidence that nothing needs fixing, rather than accepting that the club “got away with one”, which we all know was the reality of it, and learning the appropriate lessons from it.
However, getting rid of some of the deadwood might help to strengthen BR’s position with regard to getting the board to spend some decent money, finally, on some quality players.
While he’s there, he can maybe point out that players tend to be unavailable at any time of year, when all you do is continually offer ridiculously low bids for players that no one is ever going to accept, instead of ponying up the money to make a prudent, but realistic, offer that reflects a fair valuation of the player.
While I think we can aim even higher with the funds we have in the bank (and no harm to them), the likes of Idah and Bernardo could have been on the plane to the States – with maybe a Miovski in there too – had it not been for the same penny-pinching that has seen us lose out on players like John McGinn and, going back further, Steven Fletcher, in the past.
by frank forrest
Bri, I cannot disagree with one single word of your post. I will never believe a single word that comes from Lawwell, neither of them. I think it’s about time to drop Idah, we cannot and should not be held to ransom by Norwich, Norwich. Let that sink in. If they don’t want to let him come, as he obviously wants to, then they will be left with one very, very unhappy player who will not approach the heights that he hit whilst with us. Offer Aberdeen 5 million and sign Miovski now. We can afford to start the new season with one striker, granted there will be things happening in the background we’re not aware of. Now look at the defence, or rather the lack of it. Scales had a good season last year, but he is not a long term solution. Look at his performance last night, it was pretty poor on the whole. I’d be happy with Scales as a back up, but we still need a proven CB. I like Greg Taylor. He has been solid and has been playing to the best of his abilities for the last season and a half, but we need better, but who? I’ve no doubt that Rodgers will have some targets in mind but having them in mind means nothing, as Lawwell and therefore Desmond, hold the purse strings. I want both of them out of my club as neither have made any contribution to European progress.