Celtic’s preparations for the new season kick up a gear this week when they face Sporting at Estadio Algarve tonight, before facing Middlesborough at Celtic Park on Saturday. With so many players involved in the World Cup, work for the official kick-off has been restricted. There is only a friendly against Milan to come before Dundee’s visit a week on Monday.
My general rule of thumb is that good ‘results’ in preseason are unwelcome. Ange Postecoglou’s 2-6 hammering by West Ham five years ago was a welcome tonic in this respect. Kyogo, Jota, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Juranovic and Joe Hart would soon arrive to kick-start our current five-in-a-row run. I expect my rule of thumb will be facilitated by Sporting later. Maybe for the best.
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Bashi Bazouks @ ages ago
I think that’s a fair point 14 from 15 and the board look to the trophy haul and the now ridiculous bank balance, as proof that the model has been a success, DD even blurted it in his spectacular evisceration “ successful structure “
Where opinion pushes back, is that success has come despite the model rather than because of it, definitely last season. The biggest advantage Celtic have is the financial gap over the rest of Scottish football. That margin for error has allowed poor recruitment windows, constant squad churn and a lack of succession planning without it proving fatal domestically (just). Two year tops for a manager, has gone to one year for MON, – then we do it all again next summer.
A well-run trading model shouldn’t just generate profits; it should consistently improve the quality of the squad, match day experience, stadium , you name it – we’re not improving it? Planning two or three windows ahead is impossible instead, we seem to lurch from one transfer window to the next, reacting rather than executing a clear strategy. Can’t sell because we’ve no replacements can’t buy because we can’t find.
The fact we’ve still been successful says more about the strength of Celtic’s supporters position than it does about the quality of the trading model. Imagine what could be achieved if the club had a defined football structure, clear accountability and recruitment that was genuinely proactive rather than bid low sell high opportunism.
Our only true strength is 53,000 ST holders.
With an interest in a winger worth £2 million …are we now seeing ALREADY us going down the lists
I’ve only seen one player of note being mentioned over 5 million and that seems to have cooled
Are lessons being learned ?..
Where are the midfield players that are so desperately needed ?…..even more so when Engels and Hatate inevitably leave!
Celtic40me @ 1:34 pm,
“That is absolute guff.
You’ve had it explained to you three times by me alone….”
Now, is this a serious post or are you agitating again?
What is your capacity within Celtic that gives you this understanding of the recruitment model?
Where is it documented?
The closed I’ve seen to it explained is this…
“Our successfully proven strategy has delivered stability and footballing success over many years and remains the same. We must balance the signing of players that can be developed and sold when conditions are optimal alongside the need to sign players who are able to make an immediate impact and deliver footballing success.
The execution of this strategy is increasingly challenging owing to wage and transfer inflation, but this formula has underpinned both our footballing success and financial stability over a number of years now and it is vital that we adhere to it.
Peter T Lawwell, Chairman
September 18, 2023”
Which pretty much gives the Board flexibility to buy and sell a high percentage of players in the market.
Hail Hail
glasgowbhoy on 14th July 2026 2:22 pm
Quadrophenian, agree re Coldwater, Ewan Bremner is brilliant in it!
Absolutely: he channeled a born-again Begbie and was supported by a solid cast !
“5 years ago we didn’t have diffident Mickey as CEO and square jaw McGraw as CFO.”
Chris McKay was appointed to the board as Finance Director in 2016.
Is that who you are referring to? Or are you being literal in that no one going by the name you refer to was CFO at Celtic 5 years ago?
Michael Nicholson of course was appointed acting CEO in September 2021, 4 years and 10 months ago, following the sharp exit of Dominic McKay.
TBB
I stand corrected on the beloved McKay.
The timeline for Nicholson’s appointment supports the key point. P67’s benchmark pre-dates his reign (such as it is).
Drinks to remember
I, me and myself, winds up the clock and knocks dust from the shelf
Home is a love that I miss very much
The past has been bottled and labelled with love.
Christopher Difford/Glenn Tilbrook 1981.
Paul67 et al
It is getting to the point where our host, and resident naysayers and naemairers are sounding like they are singing from the same hymn sheet……….looking forward to a defeat for the mighty Celtic FC. I’m sure there is something Hegelian in there somewhere, a spirit of the age kind of thing, the result of which will lead to a new Celtic, a modern Celtic, perhaps clad in yet another new Adidas strip……..
Not the view then of the man sitting on the back seat upstairs on the Clapham Omnibus…..
I very much understand much of the criticism levelled at Michael Nicholson. I’ve bored enough folk on here with my own opinion of him – a respected Sports lawyer, a hapless business leader.
But criticism of Chris McKay’s performance baffles me. His job is to control the finances, account for all revenues and and outgoings, generate forecasts given assorted assumptions, manage risks, and generally provide the financial context to support decision making.
Are we upset at his approach to asset depreciation? Are we not hedging our currency risks appropriately? Is the financial reporting breaching IFRS standards?
What is it that he does or doesn’t do that justifies the criticism thrown at him?
I mean, he seemed to be doing just fine for the first 8 or 9 years in the job. What’s changed?
Worth noting a potential correlation/causation problem in Paul’s leader.
Did we get pumped by West Ham because we didn’t sign quality players early enough?
Or
Did we sign Jota, Carter-Vickers et al because we got pumped by West Ham?
Yvonne Ridley 4 Glasgow
@yvonneridley
The #Norwegian football team rocks! #fifaworld2026
https://x.com/yvonneridley/status/2076733154258305147
^^
Norway donates all World Cup proceeds to Gaza Aid.
🇮🇪 We are Zeitgeist supporters faithful through and through over and over we’ll Log in to you 🇮🇪
The Jam- Heatwave.
https://youtu.be/O6YXZBLankE?si=o61NNjUOkbp1sS3I
Wonder if our management team will bring all our new signings on En-masse in the second half ?
I thought Duran Duran had a tummy bug and wasn’t playing 🫣
Well the new app has posted the players and apparently he’s down as a sub!
bournesouprecipe on 14th July 2026 12:30 pm
Vietnam war era hippy or a Govanhill global warming type hippy?
*I recall the ould huns used tae sing “kai yai yippee the Pope’s an effin hippy”
Sinasalo
CCV
Scales
Murray
Donovan
Calmac
Luke
Osmand
Forrest
Balikwisha
Bernardo
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 14TH JULY 2026 3:16 PM
From my perspective, the criticism of McKay has little to do with his role as CFO, and I’ve said previously that he is possibly one of the most qualified individuals we have ever had in the position. Having learnt his trade at Deloitte, he joined the Celtic board as a NED in 2016 before effectively replacing Nicholson as CFO in 2021.
As you well know this is in itself not good process. Publicly traded companies with proper governance don’t just shuffle the deck like this. The sequence of changes was very poor, as Lawell departed with Nicholson moving into his role as CEO, and McKay stepping out of the non-exec role and into Nicholson’s old job as CFO. Next up, was the return of Lawell as Chairman of the board. All way too cozy.
However, I think that the real issue with McKay is that as an executive he has offered nothing. If he was of strong enough stock to be a non-exec director of the board, then the only reason to offer him the CFO position would be to get a competent finance guy who also had more to offer. The idea that he might just be “staying in his lane” doesn’t wash, as anybody could be balancing the books – he was surely there to offer more.
With that said, I don’t think DD could be happier with his two exec puppets doing exactly what he asks.
TONTINE TIM on 14TH JULY 2026 4:22 PM
………..
👏 played
“he joined the Celtic board as a NED in 2016 before effectively replacing Nicholson as CFO in 2021.”
No harm, but you need to do a little Google now and again.
McKay was appointed Finance Director in 2016, an executive position.
Nicholson was the club’s in-house counsel, a lawyer not an accountant.
Does anyone think we really don’t want CL football?…I’m seriously thinking the board don’t want it…they’ve got enough in the bank…another 40 odd million would just heap more pressure on them to spend some …say we sell 40 millions worth …then if they manage to spend 15 …there’s 25 in the coffers
Another 40 on top just puts far too much pressure on the incompetents !!!!
MN fell up the ladder in Lennoxtown
Anthony Joseph@AnthonyRJoseph
FairSqaure – a group which promotes accountability in sport – has filed a complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino with the International Olympic Committee.
They claim Infantino has repeatedly breached IOC rules on political neutrality.
FIFA have declined to comment.
A development to watch
Pre season results not important and no indicator as to a successful season
For regular starters in the first team squad its all about minutes in the legs
For the fist team bench warmers, an opportunity to impress
As usual lots of changes second half
Celtic40me @ 1:34 pm,
“That is absolute guff.
You’ve had it explained to you three times by me alone….”
So I’ll take it you have no great inside knowledge of the recruitment model..
That whether you explain it to me three times, thirty three times or three hundred and thirty three times…
It matters little… you don’t know
What you have just done is reinforced my point – the “model” is a myth…
Hail Hail
Does anyone think we really don’t want CL football?
I think MON would like a chance to put Seville right. Pity there’s no 3rd place drop from the CL to the EL any more.
I wonder if Paul will do an article on his pal Bloom’s latest acquisition?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cy7370x2yp7o
£46m? I think it’s what they call re-investing at a higher level to produce greater returns.
Looking forward to the real final tonight – two great teams. Not too convinced about Spain’s “rock solid defence”. It’s hard to concede goals when you have the ball for nearly the whole game, which they won’t tonight.
Probably just about edge towards France, but could go either way.
We want CL football
We just dont want to spend (with the uncertainty) of getting there, or not
I appreciate the boards quandry in this
What the need a good kick in the bollox for, is not spending to make us the best team in Scotland
We should run away with the league, every year
Last year was too close a call
And it looks like the board have learned nothing from it
Nothing
No scouting, neds, board members, signings etc etc etc etc
A hefty kick is needed and fast
https://share.google/Z5Jj9C5CYYojsSQ8H
Link for game
Any sausages?
Thats the one I have but its portuguese…
Its not Celtic TV
But its english
http://www.fawanews.sc/Sporting%20Lisbon%20vs%20Celtic%20—%20HD.html
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 14TH JULY 2026 4:47 PM
My apologies for the confusion, I misspoke!
He was of course taking over from Eric Riley as Finance Director in 2016 before being appointed as CFO at the same time Nicholson was promoted to CEO.
To be clear, aside from being a lifelong Celtic fan, he had no previous formal association with the club. With better recollection of the facts, I would have properly highlighted the concern at the time being nothing more than a new FD being appointed with no prior board of directors experience. In 2016, it was the Celtic FC Ltd board that he joined, not the Plc board. This trading subsidiary only handles the day-to-day business operations, while Celtic Plc controls the main corporate and club assets. His ascension to the CFO role effectively brought him inside DD’s tent.
Regardless, my point remains, and it is his invisible nature alongside Nicholson that irks fans. This may be a backhanded compliment to PL, but he was a well respected leader, even if not always doing what the fans wanted.
Nicholson may be a competent administrator, but offers no obvious and visible leadership of the club. McKay might be an excellent finance guy, and that should not be undervalued (happens to be my trade), but one would assume that he should contribute more than just accounting competency.
To be fair, we don’t know, and he may just be damned by association with his CEO, but between them they are not giving off any “leadership” vibe.
looked good for the first 5 mins
sporting had a few chances last min or so
Is anyone actually getting this game on CelticPlayer. I signed up today and can’t get the game just a lot of short build up videos
good break from us
corner comes to nothing
Chris McKay was appointed to the board of Celtic plc on 1st January 2016.
He was externally invisible from his first day in the job, just as it ought to be for that role in the majority of companies.
You’re making something of a dog’s breakfast of this. I suggest you move on quietly.
TOSB
cant find it anywhere on the web
which looks like it means ctic tv, or whatever they have rebranded to, has sh@t the bed
again