Halfway to Paradise
As we stumble towards the halfway point in the transfer window, we seem to have the accuracy of an Arne Engels pass.
Anyone of a Celtic persuasion watching that game last night probably ended up with as much hair as me.
Forget systems or tactics, that was professional footballers incapable of passing a ball from A to B.
The only excuse I can make for them is the squad is so depleted, it’s difficult to rotate and rest. That being said, no amount of rest would make a few of them good enough for Celtic.
Which makes the lack of transfer activity all the more baffling if not surprising. I asked a couple of agents what the problem was when dealing with Celtic.
They both said the same two things.
They are too slow and always have to defer to Dermor Desmond for everything.
I saw someone else get credit for it but it was this Substack that revealed that when Celtic were doing the Luke McCowan deal, Michael Nicholson had to keep leaving the room to phone someone.
Well, here’s another one.
When Celtic were dealing with Anderlecht to sign Kasper Dolberg, they had every aspect of the deal done.
They thought.
When Anderlecht wanted to clarify one last thing, they couldn’t get hold of anyone at Celtic. In the two hours it took for Celtic to call back, Ajax swooped in and signed him.
Dolberg has scored three goals in nine games for Ajax and that would lead to board apologists saying their usual “we dodged a bullet” catchphrase.
Completely missing the point.
I also know Martin O’Neill named two players currently at a Scottish club who he said last week he would like to bring to Celtic.
Yet so far there hasn’t even been a bid put in.
Oh wait, I forgot they are “working very hard behind the scenes”
Funnily enough, Brendan Rodgers thought that too.
Good article Paul, thank you for continuing to expose the embarrassment that is the Celtic boardroom.
I’m trying very hard not to become apathetic in all of this however, my patience, I’m sure like many others, is being tested to the absolute limit with the lack of any accountability in the cluster fuck we find ourselves in.
Right now I’m angry and frustrated. This has been all of our own making and completely the board’s doing, no one else to blame but the so called custodians of our club.
The managed decline has been alarming over many, many years. Sooner or later the Huns were going to get it right, yes we all had a great laugh at their expense over the years but nothing lasts forever in football.
Couple this with Hearts and the investment from Bloom with his analytics model, this season is looking like the one that catches up with us.
We should never ever have been in this position. Domestically we should have dominated for years to come while making big strides in Europe. Sevco even made it to a European final in their short history.
Instead we are in serious danger of becoming the Man Utd of Scotland, yes a rich club but ran by fucking dinosaurs so out of touch with the modern game.
Anyway, I’m off to pour another glass of the good stuff.
God bless Paul, keep up the good fight 🙏🏼☘️