We’re ten days out from the league opener against St Mirren, and 25 days away from a Champions League qualifier that could shape the entire season.
Yet here we are. Underprepared, understrength, and, quite frankly, undermined by the club’s lack of ambition.
You’ll struggle to find a Celtic fan who’s happy with the state of the squad. It’s not just that it’s light, it’s that it’s blatantly short in key areas. The state of the wings is embarrassing for a club like Celtic, with only three fit wingers, one of whom is Yang. He was being written off by large sections of the support weeks ago, but now we can’t afford to lose him. On the bench in Como on Thursday was James Forrest, who hasn’t managed a consistent run of fitness in years. And Maeda? Celtic’s Player of the Season last term, one of my favourite players in the current squad, but he’s either electric or anonymous. That’s the reality.
We still haven’t replaced Kyogo. We haven’t replaced Kuhn.
The board might point to profit margins and financial sustainability, but what about football? What about building on success and making a real impact in Europe?
Our recruitment model is stale. Our transfer policy, passive. And our timing, once again, is way off. Even if we do bring someone in this week, they won’t be ready to start against St Mirren. Which means we’re going in with a patched-together squad, yet again.
The excuses are already loading. We’ve heard them for years. And yet, somehow, Feyenoord, Club Brugge, Young Boys, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bodo/Glimt – all clubs on similar or lower budgets than Celtic who have faced the hoops in recent years – managed to complete well in Europe, and do some smart business in transfer windows to allow them to do so.
These are clubs with a plan, with urgency, with intent. We’re sitting on a massive summer profit and acting like we’ve nothing to play for.
Rangers will be better this season. All they have to do is beat other teams in the SPFL and they will win it. They’ve shown they can do it against Celtic last season.
I hate moaning. Most fans do. We’d rather just back the team and get on with it. But the lack of ambition this summer is unforgivable.
If Celtic had spent a bit of cash in January – say on bringing Kieran Tierney back, which was an option – would the Bayern Munich tie have played out differently? We lost by one goal over two legs. One of their goals came from a right-winger being shown onto his stronger foot. Margins like that decide knockout ties.
We are drifting. And it’s not just frustrating, it’s dangerous. The silence from the club is deafening. The fanbase is awake and watching. And unless serious reinforcements arrive immediately, we are setting ourselves up for a season of regrets.
No more spin. No more excuses. Celtic need players, and they needed them weeks ago.
