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State of the Club Report, December 2021

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

My friends in Celtic, 2021 is the year Celtic lost its first domestic trophy since 2016, for the first time in over a decade, the trophy cabinet was bare.  We lost our manager in February, spent three months failing to land his chosen alternative, lost two chief executives, the captain retired and at the turn of the year we are six points behind in the league table.

So why are you all feeling so positive about things?  If was not obvious at the time, but Celtic have been on the slide since at least September 2017.  That month, we won our first European group game in 17, a 0-3 victory away to Anderlecht.  They were the only points collected in that campaign, as the Belgian side won the return leg in Glasgow and PSG scored 12 over two games.

Remarkably, the club won another three trebles, but by early in the following season the trajectory was clear, as was Brendan Rodgers’ commitment to the club.  Season 2020-21 was an unmitigated failure for Celtic, with the possible exception of the previous season’s Scottish Cup semi-final and final, played six months after they were first scheduled.

When Eddie Howe eventually got off the pot in May, Celtic moved swiftly onto Ange Postecoglou.  Like Ronny Deila before him, Ange was on the periphery of City Football Group, the investment company behind Manchester City.  Celtic’s links with City remain active and Ange came strongly recommended.  Those close to Celtic who knew him, thought he was a better manager and better prospect for Celtic than Howe.

Ange was appointed on 10 June and then had to go through a period of isolation in a hotel room before being able to travel to Scotland and meet club representatives in person for the first time.  Before he met the players, he was appraised that our top striker and top defender were both in the last season of their contracts and were not going to sign a renewal.

He had to rebuild a squad with scouts inhibited from travelling for the previous 15 months, while trying to qualify for European competitions and keeping want-away players interested.

Champions League qualification was never going to happen but the failure against Midtjylland highlighted how far Celtic had dropped.  The first three away games in the league were lost: at Tynecastle, Ibrox and at the Plastic Pasta, it was a gloomy start to the new era.  Newco were short odds to retain the league title, their only drawback was a remarkable 1-2 home defeat to Malmo, who came out for the second half losing 1-0 and down to 10 men.  The consequences of that second half will be felt for years.

Little did we know, but the best thing was to get rid of Odsonne Edouard and allow our new Japanese signing, Kyogo Furuhashi, to play through the middle.  With Kyogo as our focus, Celtic were transformed.

Domestic form has largely been excellent since those early away defeats.  We are back to our trophy winning ways, taking the League Cup in a thrilling final against Hibs, but the gap at the top of the table has not moved in our favour.  Newco continue to win most games, leaving Celtic to reflect on the cost of dropping points to Livingston, Dundee United and St Miren.

In any previous season, a six point gap at the top of the table would lead to insurrection, but there is a clear understanding of the direction of travel; Celtic are in recovery mode.  That does not mean we are going to win the league.  You can double your money in six months if you think we will be champions in May.

Newco remain in the driving seat, seem to be immune to isolating illness and domestic red cards and coped well with their managerial transition.  They will travel to Celtic Park after the break knowing they will leave top of the table whatever the result, they are in a great position.

Last season was all about history, this season is all about the future.  The Premiership winners will almost certainly automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage.  If Newco get there, the money will provide them with a temporary bandage and may allow them to make an operational profit for the first time in their history.  Failure would precipitate inevitable decline.

I worry the six point gap is too wide, that while we have delivered a high number of wins in recent months, we were vulnerable to Hibs and even made uncomfortable for a brief while against a truly awful St Johnstone.

The anticipated three new arrivals from Japan cannot have the impact of Kyogo.  I see a lot of faith riding on these players, football often disappoints such belief.  Whatever voodoo Newco have over the red cards domestic referees hold and Test and Trace procedures will doubtlessly continue.

In short, it will take a miraculous performance for the remainder of the season from Ange Postecoglou and new chief executive, Michael Nicholson, to delivery the title.  But this is Celtic, where miracles do happen, so strap in and enjoy the rest of the season.

Very best wishes to you all for 2022, continue to stay safe.

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  2. Friesdorfer on

    PCS

     

    Great start to the New Year 👌

     

     

    Lions Roar 67

     

    Class from Chris Sutton 👏

     

     

    HH

  3. Timbhoy163 on

    All the street parties postponed going into 2022,My Hometown Glasgow which I believe don’t do Hogmanay and The Bells at Midnight,in my youth Glasgow Cross was always packed with revellers,sadly over the past years it seem to have disappeared,why was that allowed to happen.

  9. lets all do the huddle on

    “AN SPFL rule states that Celtic will be able to apply for a postponement of the new Old Firm derby fixture date with Rangers should enough players be away on international duty. ”

     

    —

     

     

    did old firm fixtures not get permanently ‘postponed’ a decade ago?

  10. lets all do the huddle on

    the shed

     

     

    but until venue owners like this start to take action against the totalitarianism that is ruining them then nothing will change

     

     

    its been nearly 2 years now, thats plenty time to get some sort of democracy back into this country so we can decide what freedoms we want taken off us amd which we would like to keep

     

     

    none of this shite was in any party manifesto for obvious reasons so we havent had a choice on it

     

     

    but 2 years is taking the piss

     

     

    they cant hide behind emergency laws forever

  12. petec on

    I tell you “what”….The Maestro made he Happy, there was another in the Celtic Team I Loved so well.

     

     

    Feed the Bear.

     

     

    Franz Klammer mistook!!!!!

     

     

    God Bless All on CQN and other places.

  15. An Dún on

    So we can apply to the SPFL board for a postponement should the Japanese lads and Rogic be away on international duty.

     

     

    An application I’d imagine can be granted or refused…

     

     

    Should it be accepted, the huns have another ‘injustice’ against the SPFL board to moan about. They’ll of course ignore the fact they availed of this rule previously and no journalist will remind them.

  19. An Dún on

    We’d be better served if the Japanese lads were called up.

     

     

    If Rogic was the only call up, we’d have to play the match and he’d be a huge loss.

  22. scullybhoy on

    Saint Stivs on 1st January 2022 5:52 pm

     

     

    St.Anthony

     

     

     

     

    @Stephen4_2

     

     

     

     

    ·

     

     

     

     

    Dec 30, 2021

     

     

     

     

    Ten therty, the Big Yin and the Blessed Martin. How good would it been to have listened to those three back then ? The patter would have been flowing. Three amazing men in so many ways.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    “here, did you hear the one about the …………..

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://twitter.com/Stephen4_2/status/1476483183575109632/photo/1

     

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

     

     

    Cheers – thank you mhan.

     

     

    HH

  23. fairhill bhoy on

    Happy new year my fellow Celtic supporters/fans.

     

    Happy new year everyone else on here 🍀

     

    Fuerteventura tomorrow.

     

    Where can I watch the old firm game 😉

  24. setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on

    This song was written by a man from the townland of Mucker who failed at farming so his da said “you’ve broken every implement on the farm except for the crow bar and you’ve bent that”.

     

     

    It was inspired by a 22 year old Co. Kerry girl, studying Medicine at UCD and they met in 1944. Though the words of the poem and song are beautiful, the words he spoke to the lass herself, when he rejected him were a bit less fanciful and much more prosaic:-

     

     

    “I am no longer mad about you although I do like you very, very much. I like you because of your enchanting selfishness. Your friendship, our love or whatever it was, was so curious and so different. There has never been and never will be another woman who can be the same to me as you have been.”

     

     

    Her name was Hilda Moriarty and this was the song:-

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMOAT3Mua-Y

  25. setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox on

    The Lady who is the inspiration for this song is named in the title and she never knew anything about it.

     

     

    Christy never wrote this; it was by the late Barney Rush who also wrote “The craic was 90 in the Isle of Man”

     

     

    He thought the lady’s name was perfect for an Irish ballad love song but the facts do not quite match.

     

     

    Nabct was an upper class English journalist and a lesbian. She was killed in an air crash going to Aintree to cover the Grand National and he knew nothing about her but the headlines. Barney was only 18 at the time

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPOjXKe0LdQ

  26. Celtic Mac on

    Paul67 et al

     

     

    Bit late I know, spent all day searching through the New Years Honours List, even the small print.

     

    Nope, nothing, again, not even the garter.

     

    Not to worry, I’m still a Celtic supporter, home of Princes, Saints and Kings, and here to wish all and sundry on here, if not a Happy Year at least a better year. That much we can hope for.

     

    So here is to 2022, best wishes to all!

  30. Melbourne Mick on

    Hello again all you young rebels

     

     

    From a much cooler paradise down under.

     

    SFTB

     

    Lovely songs just there, loved them.

     

    Down to our soccer parks today, wee bit of work to do, and

     

    let’s me see who got new soccer tops for Chrissy.

     

    You know the ones I’ll be looking for 🇮🇪☘️ 👍

     

    H. H Mick

  31. Hrvatski Jim on

    I spent two days in hospital in October. The night shift lead nurse was called Nicola. Her hair was black and her eyes were blue and she came from Galway.

     

     

    I will never be able to watching Mundy and Sharon Shannon perform Galway Girl without thinking of her.

     

     

     

    New year’s day hasn’t been good to us. My wife and I are sitting up with our 15 year old black Labrador Max who is dying. We are comforting him as he slips away. If he is not gone by the morning, we will take him to a vet .

     

     

    It won’t just be ourselves and family who will be sad. He is the most popular dog around our area of Bishopbriggs. All the other dog walkers love him as he is so docile and often calms down the more excitable dogs.

     

     

    I will miss him so much.

  35. Hrvatski Jim on

    Thanks Melbourne Mick and Friesdorfer.

     

     

    I will have plenty of good memories of Max including a photo of him with Ronny Deila after we won league in 2015 outside Celtic Park. That maybe the one which will be framed and displayed beside our previous King Charles spaniel Lucy.

     

     

    When she died, we went to the animal rescue centre to get a white cockatiel and came back with a black Labrador. Easy mistake to make.

  37. Melbourne Mick on

    Off to do my little tasks now.

     

    Hasn’t the blog been so good lately, no nastiness, just

     

    good Celtic bhoys and ghirls having some banter, luv it

     

    See you all soon 🇮🇪

     

    H H. Mick

  40. Greenwells Glory on

    HRVATSKI JIM Salve salve ;- Believe me, I know your pain, I lost my best friend a year passed on Nov 5 th she was a wee westie, and was always my first thought in the morning and my last thought when I went to bed.

     

    Over the years, she brought me so much joy and was always my steady companion. I take great comfort in the fact that she met and interacted with my twin grandchildren ( a Boy and a Girl , Boy Blonde Girl ginger)

     

    and I have the photies to console me. I will spare you the details of my westie’s end peaceful though it was, but I carry my westie with ne wherever I go.

     

    I f eel for you my friend.

     

    Greenwells

     

     

    Omnes una manet nox.

  41. Hrvatski Jim on

    Thanks TH and GG

     

     

    We have been building up to this for a while so we are prepared as best as we can be.

     

     

    We had him away for 3 lovely days last week in a fantastic village called Dalavich on the west bank of Loch Awe where he could paddle and enjoy some short walks. Precious time with him which we will cherish.

  42. Hrvatski Jim on

    I am going off line now to get as much rest as I can.

     

    Thanks to all on this wonderful site for all the camaraderie.

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