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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Bada Bing
1st Aug 1.03pm
You are a liar. Simple.
I know who the Charlatans are and it isn’t the Manager of Celtic FC.
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 2ND AUGUST 2025 12:01 PM
“Celtic should have the balls to get rid now.”
“DD will hopefully see through this charlatan.”
Finally out in the open…must be a relief eh?
—————
He’s just raging because his source made him look like a clown re Brendan sitting on his new contract offer until the window closes.
Brendan put that well to bed yesterday. 😂😂😂
B78
Any other business would have him disciplined. Celtic should have the balls to get rid now.
Your pal lawwell should have been gotten rid off with his performance with john mcginn .a few seasons ago . . We truly are a club like no other . It’s doubtful if we will qualify for the CL , heck it’s doubtful if we will win our league .
Stivs
I’m with you that it’s been an okay window thus far. Maybe the Board will amaze me and get their finger out but I fully expect the usual last minute panic depending on whether we qualify or not. That’s a nonsense level of caution given our cash reserves. Speaks volumes about what’s important to them.
Burnley
I had the same thought that if Rodgers wants to leave without the ire of the fans this time he has placed the Board firmly in the blame frame. However, they created the opportunity for him to do so by their accelerated serial grasping/hoarding. So frankly they can eat it.
BTW please stop boring us with the ‘who would you sign’ patter as (presumably) some deflection from club inactivity. The fact we don’t have the skills, knowledge, access to information etc that people very generously paid to do that job have does not invalidate our criticisms of their performance. The logic of your position excuses accountability.
Imagine the scene.
Surgeon to Burnley – sorry bud, I’ve removed the wrong kidney.
Burnley to surgeon – no problem doc, it’s not as if I could’ve done a better job myself.
Charlatans …..
The ones not upgrading the stadium and infrastructure of the club and telling the paying supporters what the strategy and plan is for our club like Fergus done and done delivered over 3 decades ago.
BSR @ 11:54 am,
Yes quite…
What is the most prolific mantra…
Om mani padme hum.
In Tibet
Arne, Auston, A.dam.
Among the Lawwell coterie
Yes, we live in hope, a well overdue transformation that will see our senior citizens out of the Boardroom.
Not soon enough for this window though.
Let’s hope his shot across the bows wakes them our their slumber eh.
Hail Hail
Burnley78 @ 11:55 am,
You told us that Brendan Rodgers was offered a new contract and has refused to sign it.
Brendan Rodgers has said he hasn’t yet been offered a new contract.
You also told us that Mark Lawwell was an expert in his field and would be a big loss to Celtic, you said he was going as head of recruitment at Liverpool or Man Utd.
You don’t always tell us the truth do you?
You tell us you have insider knowledge but you don’t, you are an insidious placement that works an agenda aren’t you?
Hail Hail
Oh dear,hit a nerve with the Old Firm sponsor.
The manager doesn’t sign players, it’s left to amateurs like Nicholson and Lawwell, if all else fails,blame the manager.
B78 , you do realise it not the fans job or responsibility to provide players for Celtic to consider , we have people employed to do that job.The lowball offers we allegedly have put in for players ,if true, is quite frankly embarrassing. We expect clubs to accept low offers whilst they watch as we sell players for large sums then put in derisory offers for their players.
Saint Stivs ,hi , thanks for reply.I did ,as you pointed out in your reply , say thus far.There is still almost a month to go in this window but I would like players in now or even better in July so that they can be ready for the qualifier.KT is a great player hopefully he can stay fit,he signed a pre contract in January.Nygren looks good too.Im hoping the Japanese boys do the business but along with the Fulham boy Osmond? they fall into the traditional Celtic project signing.I asked earlier on ,when was the last time Celtic had a net spend in a transfer window? Other clubs seem to get players in without too much difficulty whilst we seem to have great difficulty in doing so.We have already made £20 M in this window from the sale of Khun and the sell on clause from Frimpong and we have a huge cash surplus yet we try to lowball clubs .I’m hoping for a few more first team players before the qualifier but it’s the same every year that we have to play one or more of these games ,Celtic wait to see if we qualify before maybe spending instead of buying players to help us qualify.
Rodgers is a charlatan who has got lucky with his record breaking Celtic runs…
Meanwhile our current chairman who signed off on 10,000 mile round trip during a global pandemic that resulted in half the squad going into quarantine is irreplaceable…
A bit off the mark to say other teams get players in without too much difficulty. Look at how long it took Arsenal to sign Gyokeres and Man U to get Mbeumo. Alongside that Spurs thought they had Gibbs-White sorted and he has now signed a new deal at Forest. Teams do sometimes get business done quietly and effectively but not every deal is as easy as:
– we want to buy player A
– we’ll give you £x amount for him
– selling team say yes
That said we know what we need and we should be more effective in getting those players in, particularly with a UCL play-off.
Burnley78 on 2nd August 2025 11:55 am
No surprises for me to see our managers self serving nonsense yesterday.
Lawwell V Rodgers.
Wonder who the vast majority of the support would want to stay?
The sheisters in the boardroom are treating both our manager and our support with contempt.
Like any oligarchy, their time will come….
I have a great book and highly recommend it written by Stephen O’Donnell
Fergus McCann v David Murray
The wee man put the supporters first and foremost.
How we miss him and I find it absurd there is nobody with the same business acumen and vision working for our club.
God bless you Fergus
1.26 Romford dogs
Trap 2
Hail Hail Celtic
what do you mean dog racing is bent so your not betting it?
😁
HOG and PLB
just one wee observation on my part.
So far in this transfer window, I havnt really seen a transfer where I thought, we should have bought him.
We are getting told to compare with similar sized clubs, the pot 3 and 4s if you will, our CL competitors, but as they buy people, I think , we couldnt afford them, or indeed is he that good and we have missed out.
Brugge have bought a 19, 20 and 21 year old, all at 6m euros each, They have brought in 9 in total, with a total spend of 27m euros, but get this average age is 20.
Meanwhile they have sold 4 for 45m average age 25.
They finished below us in last seasons champions league positions.
Where would an accountant and solicitor that fancied themselves as professional football scouts be on a Dunning Kruger graph ?
Maestro on 2nd August 2025 1:19 pm
The problem is that the board consists of self serving arseholes who couldn’t give a flying **** about the supporters. We are simply customers there to be used and abused when it suits them.
Garbage spouted about Lawwell and his pals being “real Celtic people” could not be further from the truth.
Fergus made his plans clear from the start and delivered on every one.
And the non-responding (as always) B78 runs into a corner to hide from the well deserved flak which is not for his opinion, more for his hypocrisy…
1.26 Romford dogs
Trap 2
Hail Hail Celtic
what do you mean dog racing is bent so your not betting it?
—
naewhere.
fkn Lawells fault.
wouldnt invest in the proper dug food.
Kelvinbhoy on 2nd August 2025 1:12 pm
I worked in Corporate Real Estate, deliverd literally hundreds of projects over 20 years.
I took a lesson very early on from an older colleague, very wise, ver experienced,
He told me every project plaaning is the same, but every one of them is different in execution.
I feel that way about the transfer market.
If I could change one thing about football, it is the transfer windows. Created wealthy agent, puts business into a deadline, and inflates the market.
Free movement of assetts should be just that free movement at anytime.
MAESTRO on 2ND AUGUST 2025 1:19 PM
He was a man of great vision, but he wasn’t seen that way at Celtic at the time.
Flag day always brings back memories of him getting booed
This Lions game is a horror show!
What is a realistic target for the club and how would this relate to agreement on Brendan’s contract extension.
Being a regular Top 8 teams in Europe seems an unrealistic target for us , not impossible but not every year or even other year. Top 16 maybe but how much money would we need to shell out in transfers and wages , a lot, to progress to 2 further ties In Europe
It seems improbable that there was not been a meaningful discussion between DD and BR and reading the tea leaves feels as though there is an impasse. Outline of a contract discussed , not agreed , depend on budget , players brought in etc. Not an unreasonable approach at this stage.
Brendan is however pushing his luck at the moment , with some but not all of his public statements , he is clearly a good manager and it will be a bad day when we lose him ( hopefully many seasons from now) but this pantomime act every transfer window needs to stop or it risks upsetting DD.
Hopefully just a lot of preseason noise , we sign a bunch of players ( which we’ve have done anyway ) and Brendan can take the credit with the fans , if it keeps him happy.
Modernfootballiscrazycfc
BURNLEY78
If I’m served up an inedible meal in a posh restaurant and tell the owner he needs to sack his chef, I wouldn’t expect the owner to say, “Who should I replace him with?”
SAINT STIVS on 2ND AUGUST 2025 1:30 PM
Maybe not by design but the transfer window creates a huge amount of interest in the game in the close season. Celtic could do without the hysteria but for owners of big clubs in England for example it keeps the eyeballs on their precious brands
B78 loves a question but not a fan of answering them.
BRRB ,
What’s happening on your manor ?
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/everything-you-need-know-govanhill-32175715?int_source=nba
‘Perception is reality’
‘We see things not as they are but as we are’
Whoever came up with these phrases was definitely onto something.
CELTIC40ME
That was driven and set by the newspapers hacks Jim Traynor especially and radio outlets back then it certainly wouldn’t happen nowadays.
Jimtim @ 12:21
“It’s doubtful if we will qualify for the CL , heck it’s doubtful if we will win our league”
Yes it is JT ….
.. and that is EXACTLY how sport should be
BTW, I for one think we have a good chance of qualifying for the CL group stages and a very good chance of winning the league.
Time will tell.
EKBhoy on 2nd August 2025 1:40 pm
What is a realistic target for the club and how would this relate to agreement on Brendan’s contract extension.
Being a regular Top 8 teams in Europe seems an unrealistic target for us , not impossible but not every year or even other year. Top 16 maybe but how much money would we need to shell out in transfers and wages , a lot, to progress to 2 further ties In Europe
———————————
I really was pessimistic going into last seasons new league format.
When the draw was made I just hoped we wouldnt get repeated thrashings.
I was really suprised though that many of the bigger teams (Liverpool apart) seemed to struggle with the no repeat fixtures, so the one off ties seemed to faze them.
But, that changes once it went to knockout ties again, interesting to me anyways, Brugge and Villa got further than us, and I thought we gave them decent accounts . I would have though went all defensive after getting to 2-2 with Villa.
By quarter finals , the tradiotnal big5 leagues are all that is left.
Gettin to last 16 would be a dream, last 8 would be incredible, making it happen, that is another thing all together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%E2%80%9325_UEFA_Champions_League
MAESTRO on 2ND AUGUST 2025 1:58 PM
That’s not how I remember it, it certainly didn’t feel like it that day to me. The fans were genuinely furious about Wim Jansen
EKBhoy @ 1:40 pm,
All flim-flam and nonsense.
Brendan Rodgers has a contract with Celtic, he stated quite clearly what the position is.
Brendan Rodgers was given assurances when he came back to Celtic.
Our CEO is on record as saying Celtic are an ambitious Club who aim to be world class.
Our manager obviously has reservations about the way this transfer window is going, and said he wants to stay with Celtic if they remain an ambitious Club
That is fair dos and a more than reasonable approach.
If Celtic have changed their mind on ambition and being a world class club them they are renegaing on the deal they have with the manager.
That being the case, the manager will continue to work hard and continue to deliver his side of the deal for the forth coming season.
All the smok’n mirrors you and Burnley78 and the like try to pin on Fraudgers won’t wash this time.
You guys need some education…
My recommendation…
Contracts 101
Hail Hail
Fred Colon 1.54
Very colourful celebration of the wonderful Govanhill. Great to watch while having a cold beer 🍺.
CELTIC40ME
Fergus was criticised constantly and constinrlcley of that there is doubt surely you must remember MURRAY WAS DARLING with his lapdogs and Fergus was the devil.
CELTIC40ME
Fergus was criticised constantly and consistently of that there is doubt surely you must remember MURRAY WAS DARLING with his lapdogs and Fergus was the devil.