There’s seething discontent brewing with the board amongst both match-going & INTERNET fans. The failure to sign a left back is absurd. I wouldn’t trust Bernabei at home to Buckie Thistle & I know the SPL sides aren’t world beaters, but I’ll be pissed off if he’s doing his headless chicken routine at Pittodrie tomorrow & Easter Road in midweek. I would have switched Scales to left back if CCV was fit but there’s doubts about CCV’s availability now. Combine that with Hatate’s struggles & it’s a 50/50 title race I reckon.
On the wider squad building, overall strategy side of things, I think it’s 4 transfer windows in a row where it’s been below par but this is the worst one because they haven’t really done anything. The Maeda, Hatate, O’Riley one from January 2022 was excellent but it’s been a dereliction of duty since then. Some the signings since have been & gone already & offered little or nothing (Jenz, Abilgaard), others look like long-term projects, nowhere near ready for Celtic first team & have been loaned away (Kwon, Tilio), others are squad filler, don’t look up to the required standard & should really be moved on (Siegrist, Kobayashi, Bernabei, Lagerbielke). Others are young lads, mainly back ups for now & the jury’s still out on whether they can make a meaningful contribution (Oh, Holm, Nawrocki).
I haven’t listed all the signings since then but very few could be considered as successful first team players. Johnston has been solid at right back, Mooy’s season was very good before he retired & Bernardo & Palma of last summer’s crop are showing some positive signs mixed with displays where you’d have doubts about them. But it’s a terribly poor strike rate & there was a real lack of a statement signing or two to build from a position of strength.
Rodgers will have to prove his worth now to get this title over the line. Hopefully Kuhn & Idah can contribute - although the fans to a bhoy/girl were completely underwhelmed by Idah’s signing, the frustration is with the lack of board ambition & they’ll still get behind the players. If he comes off the bench tomorrow & rifles one in then more power to him.
I meant to post about warm up before the Ross County game. We do this back four warm up (that all teams seem to do) where the back four stand in a line and the coach plays some different balls into them and they have to react together. So one ball goes over one CB’s head and the other CB has to read that and drop off. Or the ball goes wide and then into the corner and the back four need to move in a line.
For all these exercises the two centre backs and Johnston were moving in sync. Even if the ball went to Bernabei, Johnston would move back in line with CCV and Scales would drop in and cover the header.
But if the ball wasn’t going to Bernabei he basically didn’t move. He wasn’t on his toes at all and just looked like he was sulking for the whole time. It looked really strange. He seemed like a complete dick
Rodgers on the transfer window. Walking a tightrope a bit - acknowledging supporter frustration but treading fairly carefully in his comments about the recruitment/board side & calling for unity as there’s a title to be won.
I don’t think he’s better then or close to Kyogo. I’d rather Oh with his age profile. So I wouldn’t be interested in signing him.
He’d probably do fine as a sub but not good enough for the next level.
So my rule of thumb is our signings should be improving the starting team or have high potential. Lots of our recent signings don’t fit into either category (though most were gambles on the potential angle for there then the odd weird one like James McCarthy). And Shankland doesn’t suit that model either.
The obvious problem being that all makes way more sense if we have actual ambition to sign someone better which is doubtful at best.
Thanks. I’d not seen much of him.
I think we are fairly thin ice now. Team look lethargic as does the club. There’s unease amongst the fans. The treatment of the green brigade (whilst they are only recently on the scene and fairly entitled)) was clumsy, and I actually think the fans are being misread. The results are ok, but the style isn’t, whereas last season bothe results and style were great. It’s the regression and stagnation and general air of lassitude about the club that is concerning.
Might improve in the spring, but the huns seem to have more bounce at present.
So CCV’s out for 3 weeks & Hatate for 6 cc @starryplough.
I think that ends any chance of moving Scales to left back, even if it was unlikely anyway. I’m not sure he’d be okay with a centre back pairing without either CCV or Scales involved. TBH I think I’d play Ralston left back ahead of Bernabei.
A source tells me that Rodgers blocked a number of signings. He felt they could not improve the team and were not better than what he had. He feels this also puts pressure on the board in the summer to spend on quality as fans are furious.
Rodgers has issues with recruitment and assurances he was promised regarding building for Europe have not been met. He is in for the long hall, 3 years he promised, and he will push the board until he gets what he wants.
He wants to make amends but suits aren’t helping him
It may be that players don’t want to play for him anymore.
If what you say is true, he’s perfectly aware he’s on a winner because he’ll get paid out either way, if that’s the way he’s inclined.
I think there’s a Strong chance Rodgers will be gone in the summer. His return has been underwhelming and this transfer window just adds to it. The huns will probably win the league too.
That’s a fair point , probably goes back to supporting Celtic in the 90s. I think there’s not much between the sides the last few years .where Beale was a spoofer who blew smoke up their holes Clemente seems a bit of a head case who players can respond to
