Reading Auston Trusty talk about his performance against Atalanta last season was illuminating. Having played for bottom of the table Sheffield United in the EPL season 2023-24, he was adjusted to defending deep every week of the season. Season 2022-23 was spent with Birmingham, who finished 17th in the Championship. Celtic’s more natural game, where central defenders play high up the field and have lots more possession, would have been alien to the default style the player arrived with.
We got the breaks against Atalanta but it required a super-human effort by Auston, Liam Scales, Alex Valle and Alistair Johnston to get to the end of the game without conceding. Even if Auston was ready to hit the ground as a back-to-the-wall defender, there was a requirement to develop his other (potential) talents.
There will be more back-to-the-wall games in Europe this season but we should look for growth in Auston in possession.
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Back to Basics
Clunks
It really is the most basic thing a company can do, agreed.
I don’t believe our preference shares bestow voting rights. So Desmond wields control with a 33-34% shareholding. I can’t think of another multi tens of millions business run like us.
CHAIRBHOY on 29TH JULY 2025 1:26 PM
“I agree with the offocial strategy”
You spent years arguing against it, changing your mind and agreeing with it now doesnt change that.
Arguing semantics kind of proves that
“That could mean £50m+ spent on 6 players where we have to cut our loses”.
That’s “could” Chairbhoy, “could”.
Nowhere did I say there are loses.
Please stop putting words in to other people’s mouths.
As an aside the narrative on Engels has been a movable feast: we’ve gone from “he didn’t have a pre-season” to “he didn’t set the transfer price” to “he’s a development player”.
If it’s now the latter, £11m is a stupid price to pay for something that has a low probability of success.
CHAIRBHOY
It’s a pretty unique talent to be able to argue so aggressively and consistently against something and then to be able to argue so hard that you weren’t doing it at all. And so hard in favour of it.
Indefatigability indeed
Burnley78 @ 2:19 pm,
Well that certainly is in line, at least partially with my way of thinking.
My thoughts were when Ange came in he revolutionised our recruitment, though not necessarily outwith the overall strategy.
We sold over 30 mn in players in his first window.
He continued to motor along with early signings through his tenure.
Of course after the first window we never had the HVPs available to sell.
We had got to the stage that Ange had spent 45 mn on players, far more than we sold.
At the end of 2022, Ange looked hungry to spend even more yet still no sign of selling players, let alone HVPs.
So Peter coming back as Chairman, seemed to indicate (coincidentally or not) that the approach would change and the books would again be balanced as they were in January 2023.
Hail Hail
An Dun
It is proxy votes he has. Plus there is usually alignment with Chris T on most issues.
I can think of plenty tbh. If anyone wanted to make it different then it would have been easy to step up back in 2003 or whenever when it was haemorrhaging cash and make a mark then. No one else did and these guys followed their money and embarked on a strategy to stay solvent which PL delivered on. Like it or not.
An Dun, as I said, “don’t quote me”. 👍
An Dun
At various times I have advocated we could have been more ambitious. Especially re the environment we play in (Scottish 5 million glass ceiling etc). Our ownership didn’t see potential / opportunity or need. I guess it is not my money but if they had then maybe it could have justified investment ahead of return and greater potential with less jeopardy. As it is with current and projected CL qualification scenarios we maybe won’t see risk taken. Although there is no reason why some of the war chest can’t be utilised if the right opportunity for the right players does emerge in my opinion anyway. Hope that makes sees re the backdrop as I understand.
Blogger GM 1.54
Spot on with all 3 points.
THE BLOGGER@1.54
In a perfect world ‘oven ready’ first teamers would come in and make an almost immediate and noticeable difference.
I’ve got all my fingers and toes crossed ,that Trusty , Idah and Engels are second season bloomers . Not sure that they will be . Imagine a situation where we sign lets say , another two £6m+ players and all 5 have an unconvincing season ? For that reason alone I’m resigned to getting business done late if it means getting it done right .
Celtic40me,
You obviously dont understand what I’m talking about and have no compulsion to put some grey matter into the debate.
I have made my position as clear as I possibly can.
Your inability to comprehend is nothing to with me.
I’ll tell you what, one more go…
Your quote from earlier…
“There is nothing systemically wrong with Celtic now our recruitment strategy and the goose that consistently laid golden eggs has moved on”
We are now following the official recruitment strategy and I’m happy with that.
Those with an agenda that were pushing for moneyball to be our exclusive approach would argue it made us loadsa money.
My point was often that if you added up our sales and forgot about the cost then that was true.
However, if you posted all the money that was spent on signing then there was no profit.
On top of that we had wages and had to pay staff and use other resources on the players
So, there was no golden goose laying VVD shaped eggs.
It was a myth
Put forward with those with an agenda to make moneyball the only show in town
In September 2023 Peter Lawwell clarified our strategy and clarified it had been our strategy for quite so.e time.
Now, if you looked at our signing you can see we’ve never been exclusively moneyball.
At certain times it certainly has been the prominent model, but never the overall strategy.
I’ve been against an exclusive moneyball approach and I still am.
That doesnt mean I’m against it as part of an overall strategy.
Now, you’ve either hot it or not
Either way, I’m aff ooot
Hail Hail
Last week BBC Scotland sports writer posed the question ‘are Celtic weaker ?’ , this week big Sutton responds in the affirmative , in between the manager droning on about quality.
Youcouldn’tmakethis crapupcfc
BSR from earlier
Frogs is it ?
Shin , Inamura could well get some game time on Sunday . And they won’t be hopping around on frogs legs either -)))
Ribbetribbet csc
Good to see BBC Scotland now covering Champions League qualifiers.
???????
Good old Bob Geldof !
Accountants, eh !!!
I was in business most of my life, and whilst accountants are essential, they should NEVER run a business. sure they are bright enough , but are hard wired to look on the financials only, and to neglect the actual the actual commercial side , often to the detriment of the business.
That said, we should have a real businessman leading, a person who sees the big picture, rather than just the finances.
KInglubo
By the way, the German sense of humour is no laughing matter
KINGLuBO
Saint Stivs on 29th July 2025 1:18 pm
%
Or we could starve the PLC gravy train oot and then we won’t need a whip roon when some folk are already working 2 – 3 jobs just to pay for £1,000+ season tickets to get into the One horse league, and 4 new strips every season, etc.
The solution is simple, financially starve oot the PLC, and if they don’t resign then get the old Jungle steel toe capped boots on, kick the front door in, and drag the creeps out by their twirly moustaches, out of Your club, not theirs!
Then hand the keys to arse kicking Kings of Timdom:
The Lions Roar, Canamalar, Ernie Lynch, and you’ll soon know that Celtic FC will be in NON corrupted, NON back door manipulated, real Celtic hands!
Why these 3 Tim Titans, hunners of reasons, one of the main reasons for me, these 3 guys won’t dip Celtic FC’s Soul[if it still has one?] into any obedient, nodding dog, woke slime.
Look what happened to the EPL Billionaire led clubs, spot the English Man lol, take the knee, clap for this that and the next thing. Suckullents.
Celtic fans were real people once, and then the university snowflake era took hold, and fans haven’t had a leader since 1994, when Thatchers all seating scam created a society of obedient sheep, who stand for nothing, and fall for everything!
Most of the all seated era of Celtic fans religiously believe every word reported on the fake news media and know zero about all of the stuff that media does not report on.
In short – Thatcher is still horsing you all from the grave.
Also, get a manager who does not need 10 new players at every transfer window FFS!
Ray Winstone’s Big Disembodied Heid on 29th July 2025 12:20 pm
:-))))
Have we ever had a CL qualifier live on BBC ?
Genuine question.
CHAIRBHOY on 29TH JULY 2025 2:
“We are now following the official recruitment strategy and I’m happy with that.”
So what you were so opposed to all this time was the club wasnt following their own official recruitment model, the one you didn’t understand back then and needed me to explain it to you, and instead were following their own unofficial strategy. If they had followed their own official strategy as opposed to their own unofficial strategy we wouldnt have had any argument about it.
But now you’re happy that the club has changed to the official strategy that it hadn’t followed before even though it hasn’t changed strategy. But had this year.
This makes perfect sense in someone’s mind
I think the biggest problem with your argument is that you’ve had years of arguing against our model and just saying it didn’t happen, I was arguing against something else or I don’t think that now doesnt change it.
But I’m glad you understand it now and im looking forward to you using your unique talents to promote it to the people who seemed to agree with your previous stance
Burnley78 on 29th July 2025 2:34 pm
An Dun
It is proxy votes he has. Plus there is usually alignment with Chris T on most issues.
——————–
since the early 90s I have had maybe an unhealthy interest in who owns Celtic, and what they actually mean to us.
Offcourse if you lived through the takeover, supported Fergus, got a chance to part own the club, well why wouldnt you always be interested.
I find it it a bit strange that multiple channels rant and rave about the board and perceived outcomes, still generated by the media but also by bloggers (being paid by clicks) who comment on every line produced.
Todays daftness – comparing transfer window with the “cleaniest stadium award, wtf that actually is and really, seriously who cares.
But still they rant.
Now beyond that , they are advocating protests and disobedience, in particular to “the real culprit” Dermot Desmond.
They preached for a long time, the very emotive clarion call – he is an absentee landlord, who prefers golf and gets results phoned to him.
But now he is too hands on, delays transfers because he is the ultimate sign-off and hates tattoos.
He is neither the majority shareholder, not indeed the owner, a principal shareholder, with 34% voting shares, but there is circa 40% of other notable shareholders who could vote against him but they dont.
They support him, even though they do not get dividens (only Tom Alisson and DD do).
So what is it, is he too involve and dictates still via PL ? who hovers over MN to do the owners bidding.
It amazes me that people still dont know who actually wons the plc/fc.
FORBES REAL TIME PROFILE
Dermot Desmond $2.3B – #1664 richest person in the world.
$0.27M (0.01%) Real Time Net Worth as of 7/29/25
————–
I dont think people really relaise what that actually means.
He has 2,300 million $.
He made $27m this morning.
but we are led to believe he holds back sign off for Celtic plc decisions, and wants to know the ins/outs of transfer activity.
maybe he does. I doubt it.
Hot Smoked on 29th July 2025 3:31 pm
Have we ever had a CL qualifier live on BBC ?
Genuine question.
%
Ajax, Basle, during MON era, and WGS First game for us Bratislava were we lost 0-5, I think, and 2nd leg were we won 4-0, and Dynamo Moscow in BTM era.
Might be more can’t remember.
BBC are broadcasting to the majority of Scotland which has always been Huns in my 190 year old lifetime.
Celtic should just ban the feckers.
Give the reason that the BBC vermin taught the Western World’s media how to lie to their populations, so get the fck off of Celtic’s lawn!
Celtic should take a stance and, call a media conference to tell our fans that if they want rid of the lying BBC, STV, Ch4, Ch5, Sky News, GBBC news, then vote for the WPB in the Scottish elections next year, and when the rest of the UK, EU, Irish, US, etc people see how free the Scottish people, are then other places will want that freedom as well.
And Celtic FC will long be remembered in countries were Freedom till abounds.
still abounds
Burnley78 on 29th July 2025 2:10 pm
An Dun
It doesn’t exceed his share if his proxy’s are included.
Also worth highlighting Chris T and family are next largest with 10% or so. Generally he and DD align on most things although not all and not always…
____
Doesn’t Lindsell Train own something in the mid teens %,?
Celtic plc’s current issued share capital (as at 15 May 2024) is as follows:
94,670,261 Ordinary Shares of 1p each (“Ordinary Shares”)
12,676,257 Convertible Preferred Ordinary Shares of 100p each (“CPO Shares”)
15,769,724 Convertible Cumulative Preference Shares of 60p each (“CCP Shares”)
683,606,121 Deferred Shares of 1p each (“Deferred Shares”)
CCP Shares do not carry voting rights. Deferred Shares are not listed, are not transferable and carry no voting rights or substantive economic rights.
Significant Shareholders
As of 15 May 2024, the Company was aware or had been notified that the following individuals or organisations held 3% or more of the classes of shares comprised in the Company’s listed issued capital:
ORDINARY SHARES OF 1P EACH
Line Nominees Limited 32,772,073 | 34.62%
Bank of New York Nominees Limited 16,875,235 | 17.83%
Christopher D Trainer 10,424,194 | 11.01%
James Mark Keane 5,909,847 | 6.24%
Tom Allison 3,357,505 | 3.55%
July scorecard :-
Queens Park 0 Celtic 1
Cork city 1 Celtic 2
Estrela de Amadora 3 Celtic 2
Sporting 0 Celtic 2
Celtic 4 Newcastle 0
Ajax 5 Celtic 1
Al-Ahli 1 Celtic 1 (4-5 after penalties) *
P7 W4 D1* L2 F13 A10
Only one game played at home .
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM @ 2:28 pm,
You did say losses
There are no losses
OK!!
Hail Hail
Celtic40me @ 3:35 pm,
Think I’ve sussed why you struggle with this dialogue thing.
You don’t tell me what I’m thinking
I tell you what I’m thinking – See
Works much better that way and you dont give the impression you’re talking to yourself
Hail Hail
July scorecard – scorers :-
Kenny 2
McCowan 2
Hatate 2
Yang 2
Engels 1
Trusty 1
Donovan 1
Idah 1
Scales 1
CHAIRBHOY on 29TH JULY 2025 4:38 PM
Ok, to clarify what you are actually thinking:
Did the club previously have an official strategy that they weren’t operating to?
Were they operating to a different strategy, and if so, why and who was responsible
Are you happy because the club changed from the “unofficial” strategy to the official one?
If so, does this mean there has been a change in strategy?
How does arguing “no more prospects,” signing only experienced players, not selling your best players fit with the “official strategy” you would have been happy to have in place?
celtic40me on 29th July 2025 3:35 pm
:-))
Engels is a talented kid who will become a very good player. Still 21 years old, ‘Will become’ is operative. At the moment he’s learning the trade and improving by fits and starts. Cut him some slack and give him the space to grow.
Idah is 2.5 years older but has just 30 career appearances more than Engels, much of which as a substitute. I’d hazard a guess that they’ve got a similar number of minutes played in senior football. My sense is that he’s got a decision to make on whether to put in the hard yards needed to get to the level needed of a Celtic/Champions League striker. Or not. This is perhaps a career-pivoting season for him.
Trusty turns 27 years old in a couple of weeks. He should be entering the peak years of his career. Perhaps he has already. Or perhaps he will emerge as a ‘late developer’. The concern is that he’s performing at a level no higher than Liam Scales, also 26 years old, also with a birthday next month, also entering his peak years. Let’s hope it’s a statement year for one or other.
Point being, and as others have said, you can’t compare the three ‘big’ signings of last summer. They’re each at different points in their development and on different trajectories. Dispassionately, I’d say the money spent on Engels will likely prove the soundest investment.
Hot Smoked @ 5:00 pm,
There was me thinking my wee troll had joined the grown ups….
Hail Hail
FRED COLON
Pedantic I know but in Como, Celtic won the shootout 5-3.