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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Murderwell like the greeks…barn door banjo!
Gassama looks like the type who scores cracking goals every so often but apart from that does nothing.
Tavernier the unbookable. Taken Barrys crown.
90+ 3
Tavernier booked! Mark your diaries.
Have murderwell scored, livescore say its 1 1
1 all leftclick
90+5
90+6
Woohoo
90+7 ffs
FT
1:1
Thank you Jackiemac
lol murderwell shudv won that
despite all the gnashing of teefs till now, and a claim that Ranhers new hires are somehow better than Celtics,
well they were absolutely pish in that 2nd half.
Having played, one fixture more than Celtic, and getting to 4th place, I feel that will be the only time they will get ahead of us in the table this season,
normal service resumed.
👌
Meanwhile in a hurried Celtic board meeting- PL gets his backing for no more signings
If we can’t beat that lot !!!!!!!
Caught the last 5 mins of them’s game. The Rangers fans booing off their team. Going to be a long season for them.
The hun and motherwell are pish. Brendan and the players must be awfy worried.
Oh the (2nd)rangers are shite
Has anyone mentioned that, they hope the board are not watching
As we have nothing to fear
Someone must have lol
And on a different subject…..
I am hearing tavpens dad has put in a dna test for there new left back (he is tavpens double – masonic cloning, deep in the bowls of ipox allegedly)
The source from the above was from the same source that said Brendan had knocked back repeated contract offers
So it must be true
Bed wetters unite!!!
Tav still Sevco’s most dangerous player….by a mile and a half.
The only player in their history who would have got a regular place in our team.
From the bigot pit –
Russel Martin – when you order Postecoglou from Temu!
From bbc
At 19:15 on the first day of the Scottish Premiership season, Joe from Bellshill has been in touch to tells us he has had enough…
“Martin out.”
Hahaha. That is all.
Gene, you were first (but not before the celtic whatsapp transfer group had sent 30 msgs)
—————-
Gene on 2nd August 2025 7:27 pm
Meanwhile in a hurried Celtic board meeting- PL gets his backing for no more signings
If we can’t beat that lot !!!!!!!
Something weird about the BBC clock earlier – the game finished (correctly) on just under 95 mins.
I find it hard to be objective with that lot but 1-1 was at least deserved, if they have taken 3 points it would have been daylight robbery.
Pampers in the drawer, rubber sheets packed away, onto the fitba’ tomorrow. Mon the hoops! 🍀
How’s the Glasgow Rainjurz ?
Just seen murderwell goal,
Tavpen was poor
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AjsyLeR8U/
New Rangers manager got some moves going on… 😁😁
Laxalt on 2nd August 2025 7:31 pm
Tav still Sevco’s most dangerous player….by a mile and a half.
The only player in their history who would have got a regular place in our team.
————
Are you having a laugh
(like daizen does when he sees his name on the teamsheet)
braffield would have started before him
even your namesake
He can’t defend, struggles going forward
And scores a tonne of penalties due to the compliant referees (which dropped off after var – lol)
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on 2nd August 2025 5:47 pm
It always amazes me how many managers attempt to play football out from the back when they don’t have the players to do it.
The new chap at Motherwell seems to be another one.
____
I always remember big Jock saying he doesn’t ask the players to do something they can’t do or are uncomfortable trying to do. We’re guilty of it too sometimes
🫢
CLUNKS on 2ND AUGUST 2025 7:49 PM
I agree with you but the hate he gets from the Bluenoses is staggering.
Why he’s still there is baffling – from his personal , if not professional POV.
Maybe’s he’s just come to the view that the money outweighs the barbs and unbridled hatred.
Russell Martin says — Some of my players need to drop their egos.
The long wait – they haven’t received an offer
Of course it matters not iunless we win tomorrow
“Martin thinks he’s above wearing a collar and tie, despite every manager who preceded him having no issue with this but he has to be different.
Gerrard went on record as saying he’d prefer to wear a tracksuit but from day one bought into what the Club was about and respected it despite his faults.”
So, there you have it. It’s all about collar and tie and brown brogues.
Did King Billy wear brown brogues?
EKBhoy @ 5:00 pm,
This isn’t about a Manager and his ego…
This is about an elite Head Coach and the guarantees he got before he took up his position as Manager of Celtic.
Earlier you wrote…
“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.”
Your points.
…reading the tea leaves feels as though there is an impasse…
Brendan is however pushing his luck
…this pantomime act every transfer window needs to stop…
You don’t have to read tea leaves, you don’t have to watch a pantomime.
This time last year the Manager was asked how the transfer window was going, he said recruitment wasn’t straight forward, that staff were working hard behind the scenes to bring the players in.
That he was confident that Micheal Nicholson would be bringing in the necessary players before the window closed.
So your cliché won’t wash, it was a very different conversation last season.
And as sure as eggs is eggs, Michael Nicholson closed the deals at the end of the transfer window.
Now on the contract discussion, this nonsense about a Mexican standoff, whether BR is holding a gun to the head of the Board, or the Board is holding a gun to BR’s head was the narrative from last week.
Burnley78 assuring us he knew what was going on, that Brendan had a contract he was refusing to sign.
It is UNTRUE, Brendan has clearly stated he hasn’t been offered an extended deal.
It is all part of an agenda to undermine our Manager, that’s the pantomime, thats the game play – we have seen it for over two years from lead articles and numerous placemen.
Burnley78 @ 11:55 am today, letting the mask slip referring to our manager as a Charlatan.
When he left last time, Celtic’s journalist referring to him as Fraudgers, all very nasty, all very dark arts, all NOT CELTIC Class.
So BR has every right to say what he said in the presser, if you haven’t listened to it you should, if you have, listen again with the blinkers off*
So let’s forget about the Charlatan Fraudgers, let’s forget about what the tea leaves say, let’s get real…
When Brendan Rodgers was appointed the Celtic Executive gave the prospective manager under takings and guarantees.
BR then went to the London house of the Principal shareholder are got assurances.
Of course, he had to agree to his side of the bargain, which he has done, triumphing domestically, taking Celtic to “the next level” in Europe.
Going along with the Clubs recruitment strategy, developing first team players.
There has been a restructuring but in a very positive and sustainable way.
Since Ange Postecoglou left Celtic have sold well over 100 mn in footballers
MF Aaron Mooy
FW Jota
GK Conor Hazard
DF Osaze Urhoghide
GK Vasilis Barkas
DF Carl Starfelt
DF Bosun Lawal
MF Ismaila Soro
FW Albian Ajeti
MF Yosuke Ideguchi
FW Mikey Johnston
MF David Turnbull
DF Alexandro Bernabei
FW Liel Abada
GK Joe Hart
FW Sead Hakšabanović
FW Rocco Vata
FW Oh Hyeon-gyu
GK Benjamin Siegrist
DF Bosun Lawal
MF Daniel Kelly
DF Yuki Kobayashi
MF Matt O’Riley
FW Mikey Johnston
MF Tomoki Iwata
MF Liam Shaw
FW. Kyogo
MF Kwon Hyeok-kyu
GK. Scott Bain
DF. Greg Taylor
FW. Nic Kuhn
DF Gustaf Lagerbielke
FW. Luis Palma
There has been many players taken off the payroll.
Now Celtic PLC’s side of the deal…
This is what Celtic Chief Executive Michael Nicholson said about our ambitions in official statements….
When Peter Lawwell was appointed as Chairman…
“Our collective objective is to create a world-class football club that our supporters can be proud of, competing at the highest level, with a strategy based on growth and continuous improvement….”
When Brendan Rodgers was appointed Manager…
“…Having spoken to Brendan and discussed the club’s strategy and objectives with him, I can see the passion he has for taking the club forward positively and building on what we have achieved.
“We look forward to working together to deliver growth and success for Celtic and our supporters…”
So there it is, straight from the horses mouth.
Celtic A Very Ambitious Club.
If Celtic have changed their tune and the ambition is faltering that is hardly the managers fault.
The outlook two years ago when BR signed a three years contract was a positive one, a very ambitious one.
If the Board have changed direction that is their imperative, the support might not like it, the manager might not like it, the staff and players might not like it.
Yet it is what it is, and as has been said many times Celtic Board’s never build from a position of strength.
So, in that context, listen to the Manager’s presser, there is nothing sinister, nothing Machiavellian just straight forward, honest appraisal of where our Club is at and where our manager is at.
We often demand clarity from Celtic, now we have got it from our manager, we know where we stand.
*Not sure what Voltaire would have made of my mixed metaphor.
Hail Hail