My friends in Celtic, last season we enjoyed our fourth consecutive league title, a League Cup win, and a disappointing end to the treble pursuit with a penalty defeat in the Scottish Cup Final. That loss was only the sixth domestic trophy Celtic have failed to win in nine years, and three of those came amid the testing absence protocols Celtic observed impeccably in season 2020-21.
The season just finished also saw our successful participation in the first Champions League, league format, which we progressed from, before ultimately losing to an equaliser in Munich. A repeat in Europe this term will be enormously difficult.
Since then, Nicolas Kuhn, our scorer that night in Munich, has left for Como, Greg Taylor went to PAOK, while a number of fringe players also emptied their Lennoxtown lockers.
Kieran Tierney (28) returns to fill the left back slot vacated by Greg, and we have seen a welcome return to a strategy of investing in young players. I am even happier that we have revived our Japan policy, with the arrival of striker Shin Yamada (25 but not long out of uni.) and left-side defender Hayato Inamura (23).
The arrival of striker Callum Osmand (19), from Fulham echoes the road travelled by Moussa Dembele in 2016. The final notable arrival (so far) is Swedish winger Banjamin Nygren (23). Let’s not burden him with the obvious comparison. Past performance of talent sources does not guarantee anything, but we are entitled to be encouraged.
We are a month away from the transfer window closing and the I read that Chris Sutton thinks we are weaker now than at the end of last season. Chris watched more of Kieran last season than I did, and perhaps he watched a lot of Japanese, Danish (Benji) and Fulham reserve football too. If I can go out on a limb, though, this feels like an extraordinary claim without extraordinary evidence. Doom sells more than “Nothing much to report yet”.
I spent much of last term flagging concerns that Brendan Rodgers had gone off-piste. £26m on Idah, Engels and Trusty (not counting the rest) was an alarming venture into territory I hoped he left behind during his latter days at Leicester. Therefore, I am delighted to see the manager back with what looks like a strategic fit.
Moreover, this looks like someone planning for the future, which was a concern I raised after last season’s business.
The window of course is not over and if we are to see off this season’s version of a domestic challenge with our customary manner (customary treble seems unnecessary), while reaching and performing in the Champions League, work needs to be done.
Past performances might again be useful. Our most transformational transfer window in two decades was surely the summer of 2021. Ange Postecoglou arrived and brought in Kyogo, Starfelt, Carter-Vickers, Abada, Juranovic, Jota, Giakoumakis and Joe Hart.
At the end of July 2021, however, only Kyogo, Abada and Giakoumakis had been signed. Of course, we could have signed another central defender rather than wait for Cameron, and there was no reason to wait for Jota, Josip, Carl or Joe. Alternatives were available well before their signing dates.
Fortunately, Celtic decisionmakers knew their targets and set about getting them. A short-term hit wins today’s headlines, but honestly, do we really need short-term hits? Is it perhaps better to get your plan right and follow it to the end, even if it means signing the likes of CCV and Jota on deadline day again?
I cannot believe you and I have this conversation every year. People I know and like, clever people, forget so quickly how these things work. How “Same old Celtic” actually means what we did previously, not what imaginary thing did not happen before.
We win more than anyone in world football – take this for granted and I don’t want to talk to you. We achieve this while running a sustainable business model which is the envy of clubs everywhere. We will continue to spend and strengthen the squad until the window closes (despite having competitive football before then, sellers often choose to wait until near the end).
Michael Nicholson is almost four years in the CEO job. That period has seen our bank balance climb to levels many of us are uncomfortable with (that includes me!). Michael carries the burden of spending that money on our behalf, which does not mean spending everything at once.
Do you want to look at past performance again? Peter Lawwell spent every penny that came into the club over any multi-year period you care to mention. [Gasp! What did the Romans ever do for us?] My expectation is that Michael will do the same. Anyone who thinks this is easy, or that there is complacency, or that they would boss the football industry, sits on a peak on the Dunning Kruger graph.
These are special years, the inheritance of work done by some of the aforementioned, by Martin, Fergus and the 10,000 who backed him. By Jock and the Lions, who picked the club out of obscurity and taught us to aim high. By those who carried Celtic during the dark decades before that, and by those who cleared the ground, when it was decided, “A football club will be formed…..”.
Enjoy the new season and always enjoy supporting Celtic.
Thank you to everyone who attended the CQN Golf Day at Aberdour in June. Blantyrekev and Taggsybhoy recently dropped by at Spirit Aid to drop off the funds raised. The golfers raised £1019.67 which will go to help the most needy in Scotland. Pictured also is Spirit Aid staff Mary Kavanagh and James Ridley (out of picture the indefatigable Patrick Rolink). Bernard Ponsonby (centre) was our fabulous guest speaker. Spirit Aid are dedicated to improving the lives of young people. They are worth of our support and your attention. Celtic fans are always so inspiring.
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I’m old enough to remember us signing AJ and Oh before we sold Juranovic and GG !
Imagine replacing want away players before they’re sold…
Now Brendan has to wait months and no doubt finds himself being prepped for the firing squad should we fall short in key games this month.
Tom, Wow, I wouldn’t read stuff that I so vehemently disagreed with if it got me so angry.
Especially, as you believe, it is shite.
Tom McLaughlin:
Your own contribution to the debate around our club is stellar, of course, as has been ably demonstrated by your eruditition, wit and wisdom here.
Keep it coming.
Brendan Rodgers has revealed he’s yet to be offered a new contract by Celtic.
And the Hoops boss has made it clear he won’t stick around just to “maintain” levels.
Rodgers is in the third and final year of his second stint in charge and held talks with principal shareholder Dermot Desmond over the summer.
Asked if his future had become any clearer, Rodgers said: “There’s no further update no, and for the sake of honesty and clarity I can tell you exactly where we’re at.
“So I said when I came here first that I’d do three years minimum. People had me out the door at the end of last season or going various place.
“I said then and I’ll say it now – there’s nowhere to go. I love being here. I’ve done two years. I’ve got one more year to go.
“Dermot and Michael and I had a conversation over the summer on where we were at and where it sits with myself and everything else and I said I’m very happy here.
“There’s conditions we want in to be able to improve and be better because I’m not the type of manager that’s good at maintaining anything.
“If it’s just something to maintain, I’m not the manager for Celtic. It’ll be someone else. But to build and grow and develop and push, then of course I love being at Celtic.
“So when that time comes, when the club offer me a deal or not, then it doesn’t make a difference to me. Because every single day of my life I’ll give everything here to the very last day.
“So when the club feel there’s that time to make an offer then they will do but as I said it’s slightly different from a manager’s perspective to a player.
“Players and clubs need to ensure they’re tied in especially at this time of the year when there’s maybe only six months left.
“It’s slightly different for a manager but it doesn’t change my hunger and desire here for the work.”
But some on here said he’s been offered a new contract?
Very enjoyable article Paul. Respect.
Predictable response.
An Dun, quite a novel idea eh? Some would have you believe its dangerous to make decisions for the better of the football team unless there is a massive profit to be made. The bank balance always comes first.
Oh and remember, no one is allowed to criticise our recruitment unless they can demonstrably provide a better plan. I would suggest that the signing of AJ would be just such an example. Why did we not learn from it.
I wonder if the board ever conduct a lessons learned review?
So there you have it,back the manager or lose him
BADA BING!! on 1ST AUGUST 2025 2:43 PM
But some on here said he’s been offered a new contract?
—————-
Who would you buy ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
“Don’t know much” as Aaron Neville once sang.
But there are a few incontrovertible facts I do know.
The extent to which they are interdependent or can be safely correlated with other facts about the health of our club is, of course, up for grabs.
1. Celtic often sign players late in window
2. Celtic win trophies
3. Celtic are profitable
I’m cool with these aspects of “same old Celtic”.
Other aspects I’m not cool with.
An Dún on 1st August 2025 1:53 pm
Respectfully … are you genuinely suggesting our state of readiness for a single CL qualifier in 2025 is comparable to that which we lived through in 2021?
Night and day.
It’s also worth remembering that in addition to an early CL exit in 2021, Ange went on to make our worst start to a league campaign in a generation.
It takes time to bed new players in as we found out that year. This year is a repeat of 2021 in that we’ve got all the tougher away games in Q1 of the season.
I wonder where the majority of the praise should go on your 1,2,3?
The Celtic Da Uber Supporters Club – better commenters when they’ve flounced for the 200th time.
So Brendan has put to bed the talk of his ‘stalling’ on a contract- we haven’t offered him one.
Our most successful manager since Stein and we’ve yet to offer him an extension…
Sorry I also meant to add that no matter where you are on the debate I think it’s reasonable to assume that we could still achieve 2 and 3 with a more pragmatic approach to 1.
Brendans contract offer will probably arrive as he signs for his next job. Anything else just wouldn’t be Celtic.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 1ST AUGUST 2025 2:53 PM
I did not suggest that.
I did suggest that we once again have made minimal effort to strengthen in preparation for CL qualification.
Paul brought up the summer of 2021 as the example of our recruitment success, I think it fair to highlight that our manager at that time wasn’t happy and that we got knocked out of a winnable CL qualifier that summer.
An Dun, I think minimal effort is stretching it. Being down 4 first eleven starters doesn’t suggest any real effort.
Rapid Vienna threatening to pull the plug on Tillio deal,now that’s what you call fannying about
P67’s blogs matter because they reflect the views of the chairman. So let’s see how his/ their line stands up to the facts.
Let’s compare 2023 to 2024 windows based on the permanent transfer deals he keeps referring to to make his point. We can safely ignore 2021 as this was very much an Ange strategy with a wounded Lawwell sidelines after the 10 in a row season.
I characterise 2023 as the ‘full Lawwell experiment’ as the empire struck back after Ange’s departure. 2024 I would characterise as Rodgers pushing back.
Let’s compare the relative value of the transfer business done in each year from both a football and financial perspective.
2023 saw the permanent transfers of Nawrocki, Kwon, Yang, Lagerbielke, Palma, Holm and Tillio for a combined €21.4 (euros being the preferred currency on Transfermarkt).
As a measure of football value, those 7 guys have played a total of 7,085 minutes for Celtic – a rate of €3,021 per minute played.
As a measure of financial value, we bought Lagerbielke and Kwon for a combined €4.4m and have since sold for a combined €2.8m – a loss of €1.6m or 36.4%.
The other 5 haven’t been sold yet but are each on pretty sharp downward career trajectories with the arguable exception of Yang. We spent €17m on them and their current market value is €7.8m. So a projected further loss of €9.2m or 54.1%.
Based on actual and projected sales of those 2023 players we stand to make a total loss of €12m or 56.1% of that window’s outlay.
Quick digression. Holm is so out the picture at LAFC (where he has played a total of 3 games) that he’s been relegated to LAFC2’s squad. We paid €3m for him. Money down the drain. So much for investing for future profit return.
Okay, so let’s compare that to the 3 players P67 maligns so much re their value. Those being Engels, Trusty and Idah.
From a football value perspective those guys have played a total of 9,629 minutes for Celtic. This represents an average of 3,210 per player against 1,011 for the 2023 guys. They have not only contributed a lot more minutes they have all played a lot of (effective) minutes in the Champions League.
From a financial value perspective they have cost us €3,115 for every minute played (very comparable to the €3,021 per minute for the 2023 cohort).
We paid €30m for the three and their current market value is €19.5m. So a projected loss of €10.5m or 35%. Not great and were definitely done on both Idah and Engels (they account for the €10.5m between them), but that’s on the Board’s hopeless negotiation tactics. It’s also still less of a loss rate than the 56.1% for the 2023 cohort.
So from both a footballing and financial value the 2024 window was far superior to the disaster class of the ‘full Lawwell’ and don’t let P67 tell you any different.
Not that 2024 was a model window. Those guys improved the team (unlike 2023) and contributed hugely to our success. However, we overpaid and the future RoI ratios aren’t great. We should be aiming for more guys like Nygren who can offer significant footballing and financial value. Not easy to find but we must never return to the dark days of 2023.
The manager could not be any clearer.
It will fall on deaf ears.
Kennedy or Maloney next in line….
AN DÚN on 1ST AUGUST 2025 2:54
It’s also worth remembering that in addition to an early CL exit in 2021, Ange went on to make our worst start to a league campaign in a generation.”
Who could forget the predictions of struggling to finish 6th
We did go on to with the league with more points than least season so it worked out ok
Fred Colon on 1st August 2025 1:39 pm
Quad at 12.39 –
Van der graaf –
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=psODmzyaNp8
——–
Cheers Fred – my older cousin George spoke to me of Van Der Graaf but I was always more punky than proggy.
He gave me his old T Rex albums when his tastes moved on.
Despite me loving punk, I still hold Bolan as a genius of sorts.
HH
If it’s a combination of Lawwells lovechildren, Kennedy, Maloney,possibly Broonie, and Strachan as a Director of Football type,there will be a season ticket for sale
The board want a compliant yes man.
Downsizing all the way to the “old firm”.
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY
That’s all well and good but who would you sign?
As always, it’s where you finish. If you really want quality then give yourself the best chance of signing the best players you can
Or buy for the qualifiers and accept the compromise – you will risk not getting the best players for the whole season and the seasons thereafter
Bada. The Tillio fiasco would just put the tin lid on it. Probably sell Daizen to cover his wages.
When Brendan left for Leicester, the board very successfully made him the villain. We apparently were powerless to stop a man under contract from leaving…
Very different this time given as how he’ll see out his contract.
The board will find themselves under very intense pressure over letting Brendan go so they can bring in Maloney or Kennedy.
I’m convinced that’s why Maloney is in the building.
Brendan having a wee dig at the board on sky….
“ I have to convince the board to push to get the players in that we need for the gaps that we have, I’m clearly not doing that job well enough “!
All said with a wry smile !
🥴🥴🤔
I don’t know if BR has had a new contract offered or not. I am long past worrying if BR will stay or go. He’ll do what he wants. And that’s fine. It’s exactly what I expect.
In my view, if he has another decent and noted run in Europe then he’ll certainly not renew his contract no matter what Celtic offer. He’ll be back in the EPL.
what is the boards actions against the green brigade
ONENIGHTINLISBON on 1ST AUGUST 2025 3:14 PM
The manager could not be any clearer.
I think he could be, much. It gives us something to do – argue about what he’s actually saying and what his intentions are – but it’s also a huge distraction for everyone at the club, ahead of tge biggest two games of the season
Maybe I’m being cynical but i don’t think the timing just before our first home game is a concidence. A toxic atmosphere is pretty much guaranteed
CELTIC40ME
Are you blaming the manager for that?
I know what I think will cause the atmosphere to be toxic and it’s not the manager. Try having a look at the squad.
Brendan 2 days ago: “we know we have work to do by the end of the window”
Everything that’s being discussed on here at the moment was easy to forecast after the cup final.
It is not a surprise.