55th April Special: Marquee Signings for Celtic? Look No Further

We are still no nearer to knowing who the new boss will be. A new one seems to be brought out every day and rejected by sundown. It certainly fills the time during International fortnight, which, as we know, can now and again get a little boring. I would like to think that the decision has been made, the business done and that it is only a matter of time before the new possessor of the poisoned chalice can be revealed.

Whoever it is will predictably be advised on who to buy, and the phrase “marquee signing” will be much bandied about. This will rally the support, we are told. OK, let me suggest a couple whom I saw playing for Scotland last night – Kieran Tierney and John McGinn. One we have had, and the other we should have had – but both are unrepentant and unreconstructed Celtic supporters, and that counts for a lot. Both will know what it is like to lose. They will not console themselves by going home to count their money, and plan their departure to another club. They will suffer like the rest of us do – and this year we have suffered terribly. Oh yes, and they are both good players!

There will be no problem with attitude. There will be none of the “I don’t want to be here” nonsense that has been all too prevalent this year. They will both have made their point about playing in England, and they will both, I think, want to return. Their families will want them back, and so will we. We will know just exactly what we are getting.

“KT was different class – three assists. Backing it up, helping me out, overlapping, always giving the option. People who say we can’t play together maybe got proven wrong.”

Andy Robertson gives his assessment of tonight’s victory over the Faroe Islands.#SCOFRO pic.twitter.com/IfWObkPByy

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 31, 2021

OK, they will cost money. No doubt about that, but we now have to ask ourselves the questions “Do we want to return to winning trebles?” “Do we want to be a permanent force in Europe?” I do. What about you, Mr Desmond? In particular, we have to reckon that we are going to have to pay out a lot for new players anyway. Surely better to pay for players that we know to be good. So often we have paid good money for foreign players who, frankly, cannot hack it in Scotland, that strange, cold, wet country with poor pitches, sycophantic newspapers, dark December days, and fanatical fans on the western edge of Europe. If we are going to pay top dollar, let’s do it wisely.

I repeat, I saw a couple of excellent “marquee signings” at Hampden last night, and I also repeat the question “Do we want a Celtic team worthy of the name?” I do.

David Potter