Three seasons of direct access to the Champions League Group or League stage has isolated us from the anxieties of the qualification rounds. Risks come in categories. There are sides who are far stronger and always progress (such as Arsenal). Scandinavians who are midseason, with a vital fitness advantage, and tiny clubs who get everything right for a season or two in the sun (Malmo), some of whom are also midseason.
In seasons 2012, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 we entered Champions League qualification in the second round. That was bad enough. In 2018, 19 and 20 we entered in the first qualification round. This distorted preseason, denied us money-spinning trips overseas, and brought an unhelpful urgency to squad development.
Getting appropriate preseason games was difficult. Every strong club in Europe was either at a lesser fitness than Celtic, or were midseason and not interested in playing friendlies. There was learning throughout this process, but outcomes were disappointing.
This season starts with a league game against St Mirren on 3 August. By then, we will have played six preseason games, three against strong opposition (Sporting, Newcastle, Ajax). We will have two league games under out belt before the first Champions League playoff round game. There can never be too many, but eight games will move the fitness dial to some degree.
By then, Celtic will hope to have further strengthened the squad. The learning mentioned above will be beneficial. Never underestimate the importance of stability. I mention that to give some context to Newco, who have only one preseason game before they play Panathinaikos in Champions League qualification next week (the Greeks have four games).
There is so much change at Newco right now, ownership of planning and decision-making will still be bedding in. Clearly, the last guys did not leave them much in the way of a structure for the new season.
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Quiet today
Read article
Mr Stein .
https://x.com/TheDeeperGame/status/1945160365064565133?t=BnuqzjElbavqzywkP7yXhg&s=19
HH
C’mon the Hoops!
Would be nice to get a couple of players who would challenge for a first team place a few weeks before the qualiifier to give them a chance to assimilate.
Always jeopardy in knock out ties but we’re in a better position than for many years to deal with the challenge which is just winning.
We have the majority of the team that did so well in the groups and against Munich, and have improved the position that most people saw as our biggest weakness. We’ll miss Kuhn, our best player in the CL but we seem to have singed a decent replacement. We also have a team that is used to playing in a more pragmatic way in the really big games, and three years experience of champions league high pressure games throughout the squad.
Shin Yamada,
https://youtu.be/6Q32fdD5yaI?si=XZuzIfdW7IMaiO0N
Newco! Oh dear…….
We’ll be getting accustomed to qualifying for years to come. We’re likely to be facing 3 rounds in two years time. Please God our record in the next ten years will be much better than that between 2010-2020.
Brendan’s plea last season, to get players in as early as possible is falling on deaf ears,IMO they will want him to leave at the end of the season
Regarding multi-club ownership, UEFA have adjusted their rules regarding multi-club ownership, specifically with regards to entry into European competitions to state that (paraphrased):
Clubs owned by the same entity are now allowed to compete in Europe at the same time, provided that they are competing in different European competitions. So two teams owned (or controlled, or “decisively influenced”) by the same entity still couldn’t compete in, say, the Champions League at the same time, but they could both still participate in Europe, one would just have to drop into the Europa League. (Which one would drop down would depend on “sporting merit”, such as their domestic league finish, with association ranking the tie-breaker.)
This reads to me that if Rangers finished 1st in Scotland and Leeds finished 2nd in England, Leeds would be demoted to the UEFA League which I don’t think would go down well in Leeds.
If both finished 2nd, Leeds would have the higher ranking association and there would be riots in Glasgow (and a few other areas).
Just my interpretation which could be wrong or maybe legally challenged.
“By then, Celtic will hope to have further strengthened the squad.”
Having lost Kyogo, Taylor, Kuhn, and have a long term injury to Jota, if our squad has not been strengthened then there needs to be a clear out at the upper echelons of the club.
It is arguably already too late to get players bedded in and assimilated to the way we play.
Best wait to see what happens at Newco…..
Bada Bing 12.44
Yup his requests are falling on the deaf ears of HIS own recruitment team. They are finding out how hard the challenge is. As he is now he has no one to blame.
He has not put his own pen to paper on a very good long term deal offered. That suggests he is covering himself against a CL qual defeat and a hugely stacked fixture list through until December which does allow our rivals a real chance of building momentum (I know we had the same last year but it never seems like it as they have no hard away ties until end of Dec).
My personal sense is if we don’t qualify for CL and don’t win at ibrox he will go sooner not later. The fans and he will blame the board and he will be exonerated.
If we do win these games then his negotiating position only gets stronger. So it is a no lose for Brendan (he probably still has another move or two before folk realise his sell by date) and only Celtic fans and the club who have the jeopardy.
!!BADA BING!! on 16TH JULY 2025 12:44 PM
Brendan’s plea last season, to get players in as early as possible is falling on deaf ears,IMO they will want him to leave at the end of the season
He doesnt seem as concerned about it this season as last, at least publicly. It might have to do with improving left back and replacing Kuhn so quickly, or maybe its a change in his attitude. Or maybe its still to come. Theres certainly much less about it online than this time last year.
Just shattered
Agree. Recruitment should be questioned.
Surely there can’t be anyone on the site who expected Celtic to have a window where the first 11 would be strengthened in time for the serious stuff to start?
If there are posters who expected that I’d love to know what the confidence was based upon?
Some posters believe we are currently well staffed at left back so I suppose anything is possible.
B78, do you think our recruitment team has performed well at any point in the last 10years?
If yes then why was it successful?
I mean, imagine if we qualified and they didn’t. How bad might that be for the old firm…….
Money spinning games abroad, is that the important thing ? Well I’ll tell you this sonny bhoy , our biggest money spinning game abroad will be the qualifier ,not some jaunt to the Americas .😉😉😁
timmy7_noted on 16th July 2025 1:12 pm
B78, do you think our recruitment team has performed well at any point in the last 10years?
If yes then why was it successful?
———————
how do you want to mwasure it ?
football success ? 9 out of 10 titles and `3 cups, and progress in europe.
or money ? they keep o finding someone who will go for record fees.
Nygren is not a replacement for Kuhn. From what I’ve heard, he’s more like a Tom Rogic. He certainly doesn’t have the pace of Kuhn, who was the sixth fastest in the CL, last season. Much work still required, at the usual Celtic transfer window pace.
Burnley78 on 16th July 2025 1:08 pm
Just shattered
Agree. Recruitment should be questioned.
Strange, never seen you saying that when Lawwell and Hardy were signing duds,who we still can’t get rid of,do share about the contract extension…..at least you’re consistent, Brendan is to blame for everything and BTW, he doesn’t do the deals to sign the players, he has to leave that to amateurs
If we don’t sign any more players and lose none (2nd worst case scenario); we start the season like this
Schmeichel
Johnston CCV Trusty Tierney
Engels McGregor Hatate
Forrest Idah Maeda
sub 11: Sinisalo,
Ralston, Murray, Scales, inamura/monty
McCowan, ??, Bernardo,
Nygren, osmand, Yang
Not the end of the world domestically but light for the qual.
We are very light on central defensive cover but we seldom played nawrocki or lagerbielke last 2 seasons. Left back we had 2 loan cover players last year but a new full time back up is needed.
We have replaced Kuhn and we still have Palma if needed.
Still haven’t replaced kyogo but we have 2 young back ups to Idah
Under the radar (but my concern last year) was no direct back up to Mcgregor; we shuffle across if he comes off. I think we need an option in there
We have not collapsed as a squad but maybe these guys start the season and get through qualifier before the cavalry arrives
Strap in!
Spend the least amount possible and hope you sign players who get sold for 10 times or more of what they cost, what is the money in the bank for and what will it be gettng used for? Guess that is a question for the plc board but they don’t let anyone know their plans. I know Barrowfield is bought and paid for but is it finished? Lennoxtown has had money spent on it but still has McCart in charge[why]who has no association with Celtic nor has he provided players for the Celtic first team yet he continues in post.
!!Bada Bing!! @ 1:38 pm,
Yes, always worth harking back to the golden era when Mark was Head of scouting and recruitment…
DF Alexandro Bernabei
FW Sead Hakšabanović
MF Oliver Abildgaard
DF Alister Johnston
FW Oh Hyeon-gyu
MF Kwon Hyeok-kyu
FW Marco Tilio
DF Gustaf Lagerbielke
MF Tomoki Iwata
MF Odin Holm
MF Luis Palma
DF Maik Nawrocki
FW Yang Hyun-jun
If I say the answer is Alister Johnston what was the question?
Hail Hail
I’m not feeling any angst over our manoeuvres off the park.
On it, like Brendan said, I want us to win every game.
But we seem to have sold and bought pretty efficiently to date.
With another forward incoming tomorrow per several reports.
Keep the faith ‘n’ ‘at.
WhatsYamadaYou? CSC
GlassTwoThirdsFull on 16th July 2025 1:15 pm
I mean, imagine if we qualified and they didn’t. How bad might that be for the old firm…….
%
The Old Firm won’t be allowed to die. 60,000 dunderheid Tims will just go along with the PLC’s same Huns same ticket price trick like they did in 2016, and sleekitly hope that nobody notices.
The same Celtic fans who virtue signal waving the Palestine flag whilst the PLC recruit idf first team players all cheered on by fake Timmy virtue signallers.
The last shred of integrity at Celtic was when Neil Lennon walked out after being shafted in the transfer window after NL said:
“If a Scottish club has been winning trophies, medals etc, because that club was financially doped, then I, my staff, and cheated players, and fans, will be wanting those trophies and medals back.”
Neil Lennon was gone after saying that.
Did NL leave because we sold Wanyama and replaced him with Biton?
Or was it because of who Biton was?
Aberdeen have shown more integrity and steel toe-capped balls by signing a right good Palestinian striker, during the Palestinian Genocide.
Real Celtic FC 1888 – 1994 before we changed our name from:
The Celtic Football And Athletic Company 1888:
to, The Celtic Football Club in 1994.
How much duplicity will Tims accept?
Are there any real Tims left among the 60,000?
Or are they all krankie trained suckullent deceivers?
The other week there in one of the papers, The Sun I think it was, Connor McGregor, was draped all over Rodgers in some photos, the only one missing was Sir Rod The Fraud.
Celtic my erse!
CHAIRBHOY on 16TH JULY 2025 2:08 PM
Only fair to include Mooy, Kuhn, Idah and Bernardo in that list, surely?
CHAIRBHOY
“If I say the answer is Alister Johnston what was the question?”
Go on…
Celtic40me @ 2:22 pm,
You forgot O’Riley;)
No, Mooy was a Ange signing
Kuhn was a Rodgers signing
Idah and Bernardo were signed after ML left.
Hail Hail
CHAIRBHOY on 16TH JULY 2025 2:34 PM
My mistake
I thought Mark Lawwell was appointed in May 2022 for the Summer window and left in March 2024
I seem to remember there being talk of the January window costing him his job, possibly even from you, so surely if you’re talking about eras all the players brought to the club during that time should be included in your list?
If Bernardo and Idah we’r brought to the club when hexwas head of recruitment but signed permanently after he left then surely you’d include Jota, CCV and Maeda to the list. I wouldn’t but your logic would suggest you should?
My concern re the team is that we seem to have lost the knack of winning an important match.
The League Cup in December final was won on penalties aet
We were then pumped 3-0 by the darnel at Ayebroke
We beat Young Boys (hurrah!)
Then lost 4-2 to Villa
Then lost 2-3 at home to thems
And drew 1-1 away
Then lost the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen
That’s seven matches in 6 months and we won only 1 of them in 90 minutes.
What’s the plan for changing the record?
I could have added the two ties v Bayern, but tbh that wouldn’t have been fair as the quality of opposition was significantly better than all the others and would have skewed the trend…
Although… I ought to have added St Johnstone on the 6th April as that one was to close out the league. if you’ve forgotten, we lost 1-0 away to the bottom club.
Celtic40me @ 2:49 pm,
ML was head of recruitment and scouting for the best part of two years and on garden leave for one year.
So, you may slice and dice the recruits anyway you wish.
And you have a point, just like the current set up and the set up when Ange was first here – there is a number of routes the Club use to identify potential recruits and negotiate signings.
You would have to ask yourself though…
If Lawwell and Hardy were responsible for…
CCV, Jota, Maeda, Mooy, Kuhn, Idah, Bernardo then why were they sacked?
Hail Hail
There is no concern. We have signed 5 team ready quality players and BR has signed an extension.
However the board have got a super injunction in place so nobody knows a f@ cking thing. 😀
CHAIRBHOY on 16TH JULY 2025 3:07 PM
“ML was head of recruitment and scouting for the best part of two years and on garden leave for one year.”
I’m just going by the club announcements. “The Mark Lawwell era” as you described it began before the Summer 22 window and ended in March after the January 2024 window. If you’re listing failures and successes wouldnt it be fair to include all the players brought to the club during the time?
“If Lawwell and Hardy were responsible for…
CCV, Jota, Maeda, Mooy, Kuhn, Idah, Bernardo then why were they sacked?”
CCV, Maeda and Jota weren’t brought to the club when he was head of recruitment. Its as stupid to suggest they were as that Bernardo, Kuhn and Idah weren’t brought to the club when he was.
Why was he “sacked” if thats what happened?
The Lawwell haters and Brendan haters can freely carry out their daily ritual of arguing which end of an egg is the right way up.
Not interested in getting involved. Tedious.
I think Burnley78 makes a fair, reasonable observation (if I’ve read it correctly)
Viz … Recruitment is very difficult.
Good luck from me to the guys doing it … regardless of their job title.