I didnāt pay much attention to the club statement when it was issued smack bang in the middle of the weekend (think during Ireland-Hungary) but it was indeed a bag of shite. A load of strawman arguments & lies that were easily debunked (e.g., the UEFA sustainability stuff) along with weird exceptionalism (Celtic are not the only club that has to navigate the world of agents & media & selling club & player demands to complete transfers) & the usual veiled reference to the huns going bust (like itās one extreme or the other). Just totally condescending & disingenuous stuff delivered in a ChatGPT styleā¦they couldnāt have, could they?
Anyway Iāve received several PMs querying why TFK wasnāt a signatory to the letter from fan sites & supporter clubs to the club. Esssntially we couldnāt in good faith sign the letter without having unanimous backing to do so but @Jake_Stevens insisted that the board are doing a terrific job & the current malaise is entirely Brendan Rodgersā fault.
I see the first fan protest measure has been confirmed for Sundayās league game - 12 minutes without the 12th man. The Celtic away support at Rugby Park will only take their seats 12 minutes into the game & will give the team raucous backing from then on. In solidarity Iāll only be tuning into Sky Sportsā coverage at 3.12pm myself.
I guess theyāre going for something thatāll be visually striking in the context of a live TV match. Theyāll probably nip in early & stick some āboard outā banners on the empty seats. Then pile in & get behind the team. Could work quite well unless Celtic go 2-0 down inside the first 12 minutes & supporters turn on each other. Protest measures could subsequently escalate to financial stuff like boycotting matches, merchandise etc. It seems this is an opening salvo on a potentially long road, the test will be if Celtic settle down & forge ahead in the league & do okay in the Europa Leagueā¦will it peter out or will there be an appetite to get into the trenches?
Rodgers is due to do his media stuff ahead of the game shortly. First time heāll have spoken publicly since the derby & he was wishy washy in the last few weeks of Augustā¦some occasions barely hiding his contempt for the board not signing players & other occasions covering for them (āthey bleed greenā etc etc). Itāll be interesting how he plays it because there was a story last weekend in the Scottish Sun where the board are clearly briefing against him. I reckon heāll try to sit on the metaphorical fence between the board & fans. You could hardly expect him to publicly agree with the fans wanting his bosses turfed out but heāll look like a patsy if he criticises the fans at the same time.
Members of The Bold Robert Emmet CSC have been protesting against certain elements within Celtic since the birth of that great supporters club.
Fighting with Gardai trying to take a bed sheet off a member with McCann Out, Brits Out on it.
The big melee in Touts Corner and fingers still pointing to this day.
And many a member took their seat early in the stadium before protesting against a boring first half by sleeping due to an early flight and numerous refreshments.
However the current situation is desperate. A dirty rat is spreading poison through our great club.
So much for Rodgers holding his tongue & dialling down the temperatureā¦he was asked about the Scottish Sun story where āsenior Celtic sourcesā were very critical of him:
"It was interesting when I was shown that. My honest take? I thought it was a cowardly action from whoever it is. Was I surprised by it? Not really. I was briefed upon the last time I was here.ā
I reckon heās doing what most people would do, trying not to give the board an excuse to fire him without significant compensation, whilst hoping for just that. Heāll be aware that he doesnāt want his star to wane or the next offer wonāt be a buyers market.
He was fairly clear in stating his support for Desmond. And described Nicholson and McKay as good honest people.
Basically all but named Lawwell as the person who has been acting against him. Confirming rumours that have long been circulating that Lawwell has been anti Rodgers.
The thing about the board though was he didnāt praise their competence. I donāt think heās working his ticket at all. He can hardly be more clear in his intentions.
Ultimately if thereās a real change in transfer policy and how recruitment and investment strategies are managed I could see him staying beyond next summer. Iām not sure anything significant will happen apart from some shifting around of roles though and heāll leave then.
I do hope itās ignited a bit of fire in Rodgers though because the whole team and tactics and energy has gone very stale.
Difficult to produce your best stuff with a malfunctioning hierarchy above you. I found that myself when employed by the likes of Anglo Irish Bank. Not only conspiring directly against him but unsettling the players he has to manage too. Iām hopeful the window closing will at least end the transfer uncertainty - both inward & for the likes of Maeda who wanted to leave - & the old fashioned siege mentality will be used to good effect.
Not sure if the intention is for him to play RCB or RWB. Itās probably a time when a loan signing makes sense given Johnstonās injury and the alternatives being nowhere near good enough.
No option to buy, 5 foot nothing and will be deployed at right centre half, last played in the league cup in August when he was sent off and likely be thrown in to the derby tomorrow.
I would hope weād get in another striker too. Heās been badly out of form according to anyone who has watched him play. But given the state weāre in Iād be very happy to see him return as a first step in sorting out our squad.
So replacing Kyogo in Jan 25 with Kyogo in Jan 26. Looking forward to replacing Idah Aug 25 with Idah in Aug 26. Recruitment is a joke for a club this size
I dunno about this, but if it means maeda can play wide where she should do and kyogo is both fit and interested then it should work.
Recruitment is awful though.
