‘Calm Doon,’ Peter Lawwell tells frustrated Celtic supporters

In my two previous articles posted on The Celtic Star I have been exploring some of the things Brendan Rodgers spoke about during his press conference in the lead up today’s game at St Mirren, and trying to delve deeper into what it all means as we come ever closer to the end of a transfer window where many thought Celtic would have been much busier recruitment wise.

The last question and answer I want to look at is one I find really relevant at this moment. The manager was asked about the average supporter saying ‘spend a little bit more money’ and whether it is as simple as that with fees and wages? I have given you the full answer Brendan gave below:

“Well, it’s not as simple as that but it is something that does help. You can’t question that. Listen, we would all love to buy a player for £1 million or £1.5 million then move him for £30-35 million – every club would love to do that.

“The game will tell you that sometimes you have to pay a little bit more to gain that extra bit of quality that is needed. That’s not to say that you can’t get players like Matt O’Riley, but it doesn’t happen a lot.

“I think if you’re always in that bracket, then the reality is you have more misses than you have hits. That’s the reality, especially with Celtic.

“This is a huge club, a massive club. If it was in a different league then this thing would absolutely take off. Where we are and the league we are in, it’s still a draw. This is an iconic club and we’re ambitious to be the very best that we can be here.

“So for that – and we have resources – we can get that level of player that can help us. I’m not one that says ‘only £8 million signings will succeed’ and the ones that are only £1-2 million don’t.

“I’ve been around it long enough and seen it long enough to understand where we’re at and what it takes to get that extra little bit – you have to pay for that. That’s something I’ll continually push for.”

A really interesting answer from Brendan. We have all seen and heard some of the over-the-top stuff coming from some in our fan base recently, and it pretty much happens every transfer window. Some fans will see our club making record profits, selling players for great money in Scottish footballing terms and landing bounties off UEFA for yet again making the Champions League and can’t fathom why we aren’t going out and spending money on players.

And you know what I see why they get so upset. We are quite easily one of the best run football clubs in Britain, yet we never seem to want to push for that next level where it really matters – on the pitch.

Personally I think there are a multitude of reasons why we don’t take that leap to the next level. Firstly I have to mention the obvious and that is the fate of our City rivals. Rangers FC pushed the boat out so much in their quest to be completely dominant in Scotland and also to try and match Celtic’s achievements in Europe that they saw their club liquidated.

Their reincarnation is currently going down the same road and have been doing so ever since they were founded in 2012. Watching them should make every Celtic fan feel glad that we are a club run by top business man and women who will never let our club see the same fate as Rangers FC did (RIP).

Now this isn’t to say that I think everything the money men at the club do is correct. Yes, they run the club amazing well as a business and we never have to worry about our club getting in financial difficulties with these people at the helm but at the same time we are football fans and while it’s great to feel your club is secure, ultimately seeing our club be successful on the pitch is the most important thing.

Does this mean however just throwing money about hoping that paying large transfer fees and wages will guarantee success? Or are we correct in making sure we spend our money wisely?

Brendan talks about this above. He states that there are times when you can get a player like Matt O’Riley for £1.5m and make him into a £30m player. He also states however that this is quite rare, and he’s right. We have been rather fortunate over the past few seasons that we have hit the jackpot a few times in this regard. We got Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda on the cheap and they have watched their value shoot up over the past two seasons. This was probably more to do with Ange Postecoglou knowing he could get a bargain in a Japanese market he knew really well than anything else.

Rodgers makes the comment that if you constantly shop in this market then you will have more misses than hits and he’s right. If it was easy to unearth these gems at rock bottom prices then every club would be doing it. As the manager says you often have to pay a bit more if you want that extra bit of quality. We have proof of that in some of our best players these last few years. Jota and CCV were in the £6-7m bracket and you could see their quality instantly. Same could be said about Odsonne Édouard who cost around £9m.

I fully believe that we should be trying to bring that higher quality player in, and as the manager says the resources are there to do so. It is the only way we can continue to progress as a football team otherwise we will regress. As we speak we are currently weaker than last season and that is a fact.

We have brought two of our loan players from last season in permanently and that is great business, as is securing the signing of Kasper Schmeichel as a replacement for Joe Hart but that leaves us pretty much as we were. But now we have lost our Player of the Year from last season.

Matt O’Riley will be a tough act to follow and that centre midfield signing will be crucial. He must be a ready made quality player. It’s as plain as day that we also need at least another left back and centre back. At a minimum. Another winger would also be appreciated but I’m not sure we will see one.

Crucially however they need to be the right character. I mentioned in my last article about player mentality and for a player coming into this current crop at Celtic Park it is vital that they possess the correct personality. It seems like a really tight knit group, there are no egos amongst it and anyone joining it must work hard for the team and possess that winning mentality that is crucial to thrive at Celtic Park.

This certain type of player isn’t easy to find hence why we look to be struggling to recruit. We all know however that most of the business gets done in the last week of the transfer window so let’s all hope the club has plenty of irons in the fire and that we can attract what we need. We must do if we are to have any hope of becoming properly competitive in Europe.

The next five days will see us all constantly checking for updates on who is coming in and I pray that we are all relatively happy when the transfer window slams shut.

We are playing good football at the moment and it feels like we are on a high but we all know that if we fail to do anything of note over these next few days that the current feel good factor will disappear quickly and leave a dark cloud in the stands of Celtic Park, something the players and manager don’t deserve.

So let’s keep the momentum going Celtic, give the manager what he wants and bring in some much needed players of quality and watch how a few good signings lifts the mood around the club to an all new level.

Listen to Brendan’s post-match media conference today (above) after the 3-0 win away to St Mirren. He makes the exact point that The Celtic Star made yesterday morning about the Celtic supporters selling out on season tickets in the Covid season despite having no chance of going to a game.  He talks frankly about the transfer window and how it’s not good enough being where we are with five days to go, but he hopes that we’ll still deliver the signings.

He also talks about having been back for three windows now that the structure simply is not good enough with regards to recruitment and that this will have to be looked at after the window closes and presumably rectified for January.

“We want to strengthen the squad and we will look to do that. I think it’s a very important week for us. In terms of the context of next week (Rangers game), we’re in a really, really good place. But over the context of the season, it’s really important for us.

“As a football club, we want to develop, we want to improve. We can’t be happy just to make our money and build our pot because the bottom line is on the pitch. That’s the bottom line. The supporters pay the money. I look back to the COVID times here, the Celtic supporters sold the stadium out and they weren’t allowed in it. So we have the duty to put the best team on the pitch. That’s what we’ll do and look to do.

“It’s taken a bit longer than I would have liked. If we can do it by Friday, and strengthen the squad, we’ll be in a really, really good place. The team is in a good place, mentally, and tactically, how they’re playing. But we want to strengthen and have that depth.

“It’s taken a lot longer than I would have liked as the football manager. That’s my brutally honest answer to it. But I will repeat this. If we get them in, then there’s still a long season ahead. So it’s important that we do get that. I have a belief that we will do,” Brendan Rodgers said.

“There are a number of things I won’t go into here. But it’s definitely something – having come back in and gone through three windows now – we have to put right as a football club. We shouldn’t have been getting into this last week in the position we’re in. That’s the reality,” Brendan said this afternoon.

Today the Celtic supporter frustration spilled over outside the stadium in Paisley with Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell being shouted at for the club’s failures in the transfer window yet again. The language was unacceptable and unbecoming but the anger is there, given the support is well aware that the funds are in the bank to secure the targets the manager wants.

Where will we be next Sunday evening I wonder?

Conall McGinty