The look of a transition season

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Kelechi Iheanacho (28) fills the Adam Idah shaped hole in the squad a day after agreeing to terminate his Sevilla contract.  The striker left Leicester City last summer after seven years but endured a torrid time there (11 appearances, no goals), then on loan at Middlesborough (15 appearances, one goal) for the second half of last season.

Brendan Rodgers worked with Kelechi for four of the strikers best years and managed him through his most productive period.  The manager has a clear preference for experience and for footballers who have played at the highest level, he will know better than me what he can get out of Kelechi.

From a strategic position, it’s not on the plan I thought we were following.  Squad and first team places are scarce and (with few exceptions) should be occupied by players with potential to develop to a Champions League level, be sold and release funds to be reinvested.

This increasingly has the look of a transition season.  A paltry £13m spent with only Callum Osmand (19) under the age of 23 is a strategy that will not deliver sustainable development.  This has the look of a ‘one season and out’ project.

Welcome to Celtic, Kelechi.

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294 Comments

  1. Hot Smoked,

     

    Nothing to do with the transfer window.Everything to do with the already 6 point gap.

  2. Blogger GM

     

     

    Closed minds and ignorance from the malcontents.

     

     

    Most have been sharpening their bitter wee pitch forks for 22 years hating that Celtics dominance gave them so little to be angry about. Now it’s a window we don’t know much about. A window we don’t even know has not been successful but never mind. As you suggest.

     

     

    The same clowns were probably as angry with Abada Hatate Maeda Kyogo MOR CCV etc.

     

     

    Follow the popular narrative. Celtic are badly run etc. The manager with an Irish name must be a good guy.

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  4. Turkeybhoy

     

     

    What do you know of Pussey ?

     

     

    All I know is he was very well rated at Man City and spat the dummy because our tier 1 manager did his usual and tried to piss him off.

     

     

    Do you know more ?

     

     

    FYI tier 1 failed to beat Kazak outfit in CL. Not yet sacked for it. How many managers would survive that disgrace ?

  5. !!BADA BING!! on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2025 8:51 PM

     

     

    We should be run by people like Marc Overnars who got the sack from Ajax for sending Willy pics to a member of staff. Hes now at the the mighty Royal Antwerp who just sold us Balikwisha

     

     

    Or Edwin Van der Saar who resigned from Ajax after a season when they finished third, got hammered by everyone except for the Huns in the champions league and got knocked out of the Europa by Union Berlin.

     

     

    Or Pavel Nedved who resigned from the Juventus board and is under investigation from the Italian authorities for false accounting, stick market manipulation and obstruction. Banned from being a director

     

     

    Or Mark noble who is doing the same job at Celtic as Shaun Maloney

     

     

    Or Chielini who spends his time these days investing in women’s football.

  6. !!Bada Bing!!

     

     

    Over the last few days I’ve been quite shocked by the number of die hards I’ve heard of cancelling the HTCS.

  7. AuroraBorealis79 on

    I am beginning to think tier 1 manager is now a liability. So much so, I am now thinking he is the team leaker. I have seen this shit before. Quite an extraordinary claim to make. Everything he has done in recent months is questionable. I know he too is being screwed but, if that is the case, he should walk, not sabotage. Give up his pay off & expose the lot

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  9. No more cash will be spent by the support next home game tens of thousands will hold aloft the banners and scarfs telling rhem how we feel that is certain.

  10. Burnley,

     

    The sheer arrogance of you thinking,you and your probablyy ,10% of Celtic fans,are correct,while everyone else,including every Celtic pundit,every ex player,are all wrong,is staggering.You really are besotted with PL,like Caroline Leavitt,the dumbest Press Secretary in history,, withTrump,,making an absolute fool of herself,defending his every utterance and action.You sound like a ridiculous fool.

     

    😀😀

  11. Direct quotes from Dolbergs agent

     

     

    “The moment we knew we had a chance for Ajax, it just felt like it was right.

     

     

    “When it was real, it was probably before the deal went through and even then I didn’t think it was going to be possible because of time maybe finances.

     

     

    “Nobody knew at that point what Brobbey was going to do.

     

     

    “He [Kasper] got a good sensation over the last 37 hours”

     

     

    “A big thank you to Anderlecht, he had a promise with the club he could leave for a certain price.

     

     

    “They could have done something earlier in the window but the right project, place and club was not there.

     

     

    A lot of respect to Anderlecht who honoured their word with him and that’s because he is a good guy, a professional guy.”

  12. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Bada, you certainly will not be and it’s completely within your and others right to do so.

     

     

    It’s a bit like the merch – if you think it’s too expensive and you’re being ripped off, don’t buy it.

     

     

    What I will say (and please take this in the spirit it’s intended), for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction.

     

     

    If all cancel the home ticket scheme and none buy Europa tickets, the budget will be balanced somewhere.

     

     

    Hint: beware of unintended consequences. I doubt it’s from cash reserves.

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  14. Burnley78 @ 9:49 pm,

     

     

    Here’s a paragraph I think I’ll be referencing a few times this season;))

     

     

    “From a strategic position, it’s not on the plan I thought we were following. Squad and first team places are scarce and (with few exceptions) should be occupied by players with potential to develop to a Champions League level, be sold and release funds to be reinvested.

     

     

    There are only 24 players allowed in the squad.

     

     

    So why would Pusey get a place in the UEL squad before Dane Murray?

     

     

    Also, surely when the B list is announced a few of the players listed, will transfer to the B list.

     

     

    Thus freeing up spaces for other players.

     

     

    Players that show potential, players that have a great attitude…

     

     

    Dummy Spitters need not apply.

     

     

    Has Mark Lawwell gone back to Man City do you know?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  15. Interesting that Brentford chose to replace Wissa with a loanee in Reiss Nelson.

     

     

    Wissa took the Isaac route to getting his move. Wonder if Marc Guehi is wondering if doing the right thing wasnt such a good idea after all. Isaac is at Liverpool, while Guehi isn’t

     

     

    With Leverkusen looking for a new manager tha Palace owners probably decided that keeping Glasner was more important than getting a fee for Guehi so they killed the deal even though Guehi was in Liverpool and had agreed twrms and done his medical

  16. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    “The sheer arrogance of you thinking,you and your probablyy ,10% of Celtic fans,are correct,while everyone else,including every Celtic pundit,every ex player,are all wrong,is staggering”.

     

     

    Is this written in Turkic?

  17. Burnley,

     

     

    Mate,I think you have crossed the Rubicon,nailed your colours to the mast.Every poster on here now knows you are not on the side of the Celtic fans.You know,the ones that love the team.If others are still willing to converse with you,up to them.For myself,you are to now be ignored like Kev J.

     

    Adios.

  18. CHAIRBHOY on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2025 10:09 PM

     

    Burnley78 @ 9:49 pm,

     

     

     

    Here’s a paragraph I think I’ll be referencing a few times this season;))

     

     

     

    “From a strategic position, it’s not on the plan I thought we were following. Squad and first team places are scarce and (with few exceptions) should be occupied by players with potential to develop to a Champions League level, be sold and release funds to be reinvested.”

     

     

     

    There are only 24 players allowed in the squad.“

     

     

    Reference away – the article wasnt talking about the Europa League Squad, it was about the squad for the season

     

     

    What happened to the squad management you predicted, I don’t remember easing about a Jock Stein squad with 29 players in it?

     

     

    We were supposed to be removing rhe deadwood from the squad but we’ve just signed a load of players who aren’t good enough for a place on the bench in the Europa League

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  20. The Blogger,

     

    Sorry,God forgive my dodgy,double Y.Dodgy keyboard.

     

    So glad that’s all that’s important to you.

  21. Turkeybhoy

     

    Your are wasting your time with him.

     

    I have ask him direct questions,he has never answered.

     

    He is. Puppet / muppet of PL .

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  23. Hello again all you young rebels

     

     

    Won’t join in on the ongoing angst here, mainly because

     

    I’m old enough to remember the real bad days lol.

     

    Just a wee addition to Celtic clubs world wide.

     

    Melbourne No1

     

    St Kilda CSC

     

    Brisbane CSC

     

    Mornington Social Celts.

     

    Perth CSC

     

    These are just a fraction of them here in Oz, think about

     

    that, and smile.

     

    H.H. Mick

  24. The board will be acutely aware of the malcontents.

     

     

    Realistically pricing of the Europa should be high on the agenda.

     

    Consequential avoidable collective failure is certainly not the fans fault.

     

    Price it ” right” , especially for kids and give us a decision to make.

     

     

    HH.

     

     

    HH.

  25. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Turkey – just having a laugh.

     

     

    You’re as authentic as the kebabs I bought from Tesco this afternoon.

  26. Celtic40me @ 10:34 pm,

     

     

    Well yes, definitely a bit of a head scratcher that one…

     

     

    On the plus side look at our squad housekeeping since Ange left.

     

     

    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 Turnbul

     

     

    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

     

     

    FW. Adam Idah

     

     

    Lots of deadwood there.

     

     

    Plus over…

     

     

    120,000,000.00

     

     

    Of player sales.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  27. The blogger…

     

     

    for every inaction there’s a greater and opposite reaction.

     

     

    wonder what maldini, iniesta, ronaldo et al would have thought about playing at CP with top tiers shut.

     

     

    maybe we should play our EL games at Easter Road. Why not, the board seen fit to play euro games at Murrayfield, denying our new manager the chance of a home atmosphere. (and all for the feckin Empire games) Murrayfield was absolutely shite btw.

     

     

    And we’re told that those upstairs are good at business, good with money, etc etc

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  29. celtic40me- a wee bit obsessive,but I think you might see my point in getting football people in football positions

  30. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Turkey – I’m off to bed, but here’s a thought.

     

     

    Maybe your keyboard would work properly if you stopped smashing it to bits in faux outrage 😂

     

     

    Night, night or nuit nuit as you probably say in Turkey.

  31. Fanadpatriot @ 10:39 pm, Turkeybhoy,

     

     

    Truth…

     

     

    Wonder is his chum BURNLEY78 will answer my questions:))))))))

  32. Bhoy From The Boyne on

    Hopefully Rodger’s see’s the 4 guys left out of the UEL squad as having a big part to play in the league this season for their development.

     

     

    Those post European league games will require the full extent of the domestic squad.

     

     

    Pretty sure Rodger’s also said last season that he has the final decision on all new signings. Let’s hope these 4 omitted tonight can develop their game domestically over the course of the season.

  33. B78

     

     

    “Follow the popular narrative. Celtic are badly run etc. The manager with an Irish name must be a good guy’

     

     

    Quite a barbed comment on the Tic support from the establishment end. Why didnt you call them simple, thick, plastic paddies.

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  35. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    Cheers Spike, there’s ma dinner.

     

     

    All I did was suggest something to consider and you take it as gospel.

     

     

    Fine, batter on and close the top tier and let’s see what happens.

     

     

    Should be an interesting watch👍

  36. CHAIRBHOY on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2025 10:49 PM

     

     

    Well yes, definitely a bit of a head scratcher that one…”

     

     

    Isnt it just. Do you think the whole thing was a load of bullshit and there was no strategy to it at all?

     

     

    I think our dogs dinner of a squad reflects the confused thinking that you’ve been coming out with over the last two years. I’d like to think our manager has a bit more about him than that but I’m really doubting it right now

  37. !!BADA BING!! on 3RD SEPTEMBER 2025 10:51 PM

     

     

    celtic40me- a wee bit obsessive,but I think you might see my point in getting football people in football positions

     

     

    Perverts, crooks and failures 👍