Regrets, we have a few

While you, me, the manager and captain can agree we need to strengthen in January, the mood in the camp will not be entirely positive until several frustrated players move on.  There is a lot of work to do here, especially in central defence.

Nat Phillips is not getting much love these days.  This is unfortunate, as his has only been a small piece of a dysfunctional few weeks and he is by no means the reason we are floundering.  Still, form was never good enough to see his stay in Glasgow extended.  He is one of several central defenders who must be moping around Lennoxtown at the moment.  Yuki Kobayashi surely has his agent busy looking for a return ticket to Japan – can you imagine the mood in the Japanese camp with so a few frustrated comrades?

The situation with Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki is less straightforward.  Gus earned a full international cap for Sweden this autumn and had his day in the sun six days ago.  His five Celtic starts saw the loss of only two goals.  Four of those games were away from home and one was at Ibrox.  The 23-year-old must be wondering what’s going on.

Maik (22) was Celtic’s most expensive summer signing at €5m.  He has made a total three appearances in a Celtic shirt, all in August, and has not been seen since returning from injury.  I know his old club Legia Warsaw are on the lookout for a central defender next month and Maik might be wondering what he’s doing in Glasgow.

The need to clear out the dressing room, free up wages and (most importantly) create an atmosphere of positivity is clear, but I don’t like when we churn through promising talent without providing proper development opportunities.  Regrets, we have a few.