Greg Taylor’s injury near-miss yesterday signifies how things at Celtic must change with recruitment…
For Celtic it was all about the result yesterday afternoon in West Lothian. Yes, we would all have loved a swashbuckling show of football from the Bhoys ahead of kick-off but if in doubt, just get the job done with little fuss as possible. With the dry and ragged surface we had been presented with to play on once again coming into sharp focus, we all knew the modus operandi was getting over the line; as it will be from now until the last game of the season.
It’s obvious now that we will not have a season to remember for the style of football we have played, but still could emerge from this stronger and more resilient from having blown a lead to clawing it back and winning (perhaps) a League and Cup Double. If that is to happen this year then we MUST avoid anymore more injuries to key components in this current Celtic team. With Cameron Carter-Vickers, Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate missing at times, we’ve really lacked our mojo.
That’s just plain fact.
Although when the dust settles on this one, regardless of the outcome, there must be a full-blown inquiry into the events that have been allowed to unfold behind the scenes at Celtic Park. It’s been unacceptable and is not conducive to a healthy footballing environment where all the multi-layered facets are singing together in perfect harmony. This year has been more akin to a local community choir of rogues screeching and whining. In short, it’s been unbearable at times.
That unbearable screeching nearly returned yesterday afternoon, when it appeared that Celtic’s ONLY recognised left-back, Greg Taylor, could have perhaps been carrying an arm injury. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, would have been what my old man would have rightly described as a four-letter word-show, ahead of Ibrox this coming Sunday. The fact that we have been left in this wide-open position is scandalous and another glaring admission that some folk at the club have abdicated their responsibilities for some time now.
This simply has to change this summertime. The time is upon us for real root and branch reform and change behind the iron curtain. For too long the football department has been masked in secrecy and having no definitive plan as to what or where we want to be as a collective. It was summed up perfectly as Greg Taylor stood clutching his arm in considerable discomfort in West Lothian on Sunday afternoon and could have resulted in us all having some very different conversations ahead of that trip across to the dark side this weekend.
Something has got to give at Celtic with recruitment going forward.
Let’s hope it is imminent…
Paul Gillespie
We can all call out these Saudi backed clubs etc spending squillions on players, but one thing the non Saudi backed clubs don’t do is leaving a reasonable amount of cash in the bank!!!
Our board have got this arse about elbows, having a cash rich club struggling with the size of playing pool helps no one…….only our competition!