Despite all the recent frothing at the mouth with pundits and fan media critics being “angry” there’s one clear reason for the recent inconsistency at Celtic and the apparent failure to game-manage Champions League matches against elite opposition. That incidentally was also apparent last season under Ange Postecoglou during his one and only Champions League campaign as Celtic manager.
To sum up Celtic’s problem in one word: experience, or perhaps the lack of it.
In my way of thinking, an experienced player, who can cope with on-field problems, is one who has played at least 200 games at the top level. Now when Celtic are recruiting players judgements are made on quality, suitability and so on but no such judgement is needed regarding experience. That is known yet seems to have been neglected as a consideration in recent times as the club has looked at topping up on project signings to develop and then sell-on for large profits further down the line.
Of course the level of experience is known but the other factors still have to be assessed. Three players who Celtic did sign in recent seasons who had the required level of experience needed to allow the younger players in the squad to learn from are Joe Hart, Aaron Mooy and James McCarthy.
Hart has been a good signing, although there are signs that this could be his last season. Mooy was magnificent in his short but sweet stay in Glasgow before injury concerns forced him to hang up his boots but James McCarthy never really got going at Celtic and must surely be set for an exit in the January window, if anyone wants to sign him that is. Curiously he was given the longest contract of the three players mentioned.
Recent domestic games and all Champions League matches this season have shown that the lack of experience is our main problem. At Rugby Park on Sunday the team was playing well enough and had a deserved lead at the internal. The tactical changes from Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes caused this inexperienced Celtic side to lose its way and their own game fell apart with long balls down the park merely serving to set up another Kilmarnock attack. Eventually they buckled under the pressure – from Kilmarnock!
According to my definition, in our squad (if you discount the disregarded McCarthy) we have only Callum McGregor, Joe Hart, and James Forrest with the latter two well past their peak and the captain showing signs of toiling with the load placed on his shoulders match after match, season after season.
When things go wrong, as has happened on Sunday, this has been our principal problem. In the Champions League opener in Rotterdam our chances ended with two inexperienced players getting themselves needlessly sent off.
Few if any of those Kilmarnock players on Sunday have the necessary quality to play for Celtic, so the problem lies elsewhere. Identifying that seems obvious with the Celtic support calling for quality signings. Let’s define that further to ask for experienced, quality players to be signed in the January transfer window.
Think about Stein’s or O’Neill’s best teams. Neither lacked experience or quality. Neither side allowed itself to be bullied as happened to Celtic at the weekend.
.In the modern era of football, the manager is not required to go sit in stands across Europe watching players. There is an entire department at Celtic looking at players as potential signings but they only work to the brief that they have been given. And clearly in the summer the brief was not really anything to do with Brendan Rodgers.
In the summer, regardless of what you think about the quality of players signed, you cannot argue that experience has not been a significant enough factor. That must change in January and then it’s a matter of seeing what’s available quality wise for the money Celtic are prepared to spend.
There will be experienced, quality players nearing the end of their current deals who will be affordable but there will of course be players outwith our reach for various reasons, mostly financial.
The attraction of playing in the Champions League for Celtic might be a little more appealing to potential signing targets if we can demonstrate tomorrow night that we are actually capable of winning a match in the competition. But the Scottish Premiership is always going to be a hard sell for targets who could have numerous options open to them in the so-called bigger leagues.
How much will it cost to add the quality and experience Brendan Rodgers requires in the January transfer window? The answer is probably more than we can possibly afford – even if they’d agree to play in the Scottish Premiership, with no European football until after the summer.
It’s little consolation to note that theRangers, are in an even worse state. They have had their title aspirations re-ignited by Celtic’s recent failings and could lift the League Cup for the first time on Sunday. That has their support dreaming of an unlikely treble and these things can happen, even when Celtic are better in all departments. Remember our Seville season!
They have very little financial muscle to be significant players in the January window, so Celtic have a clear and obvious advantage, one that must not be squandered. And starting tomorrow night, the Celtic support must get behind the team and give them our full backing. That should be aided by a return of the Green Brigade, hopefully this weekend.
Brendan Rodgers is an elite football manager. He is now well aware of what he already has at the club and will be assessing the squad as he looks at reducing the numbers to around 25 while adding sufficient quality.
Experience and quality Brendan please! But you already know that.
Our track record over the past number of seasons at getting in these so called experienced players has been appalling.
Hardly helped with the introduction of Philips this season also?
Agreed about experienced and quality would be an asset for ourselves, but can’t see to many prepared to want to fit into the bigger picture over a number of seasons also imo?
Trying to develop that required experience and quality seems to be the preferred option?
Not so sure if Rodgers is really on board with that outlook currently as not much signs of development taking place currently imo?