Two down and two to go. A massive week ahead both on and off the park.
As early as 26 August is, it is already the halfway point in a four game stand off as to how Celtic front up to the season ahead.
Following the tactical **** up that was Cluj at Celtic Park the Club’s European ambitions have been relegated to the Consolation Trophy from the elite Champions League dinner table. Again.
All this ironically as Peter Lawwell joined the big table of Champions league re-alignment, Celtic were relegated to European also rans for the fourth time in six seasons.
The 4-3 defeat to the Romanian Champions showed Celtic are somewhat lacking in performance and results when compared to the supporters European ambitions.
That hasn’t stopped Peter Lawwell having the brass neck to show face and demand changes based on Celtic’s historical importance. It is a bit like preaching about the neighbours blackened windows when you yourself have chosen to forego the window cleaner’s payment requests for quite some time. I must admit I lack confidence in his credibility and his relevance in such company. I can only hope his abilities at least match his ego. Should that happen we have hope at least.
It would appear the preference for our Chief Executive is to have Celtic’s co-efficient having precedence over that of our nation. Probably best he moves fast on that, we’re slowly becoming as irrelevant as our national team and club side also-rans outside of our own parochial walls. Most of that is down to his own lack of strategy and dare I say ambition.
Since the Cluj defeat Celtic have played three home games. We’ve defeated Dunfermline after extra time and despatched AIK 2-0 before defeating Hearts 3-1. Credit must go to Neil Lennon and the troops for getting us through some choppy waters, though I’d say three home wins is the least I’d expect as a way to reaffirming some faith at least that Lennon has the tactical and motivational nous required for the season ahead.
The two home ties against Hearts and AIK have been plain sailing thankfully and sorry to mix my metaphors, but as every mountaineer will tell you the ascent is only half the battle. The descent sees far more casualties than the upward slog ever does.
So we move on. Thursday night sees Celtic defend a 2-0 lead in Stockholm before three days later facing The Rangers at Ibrox. Far from a happy hunting ground last season.
Both these ties will give us a genuine understanding as to where we stand both on a domestic front and on a European level. It may not signal the outcome of the War but these early battles could well breed the early confidence with which to spring forward.
This week is the last week of the transfer window in Scotland. A battle then on three fronts that we must show we have the stomach for in the changing room and in the boardroom.
Let’s take AIK in Sweden first of all. One away goal will force our opponents to require four goals scored to progress. One thing I’m as confident with Celtic as much as our ability to concede is our strongest wares are from middle to front. We can and should score. Should that happen then we are home and hosed with some European football, though less of a platform than the players deserve.
This tournament should we make the group stages may well paper over some cracks but when the European anthem rings out and it’s not Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ we will all be wondering what could and should have been. To exit on Thursday would lead to some serious questions being asked. I don’t however expect anything less than progression by hook or by crook.
A win in Stockholm will breed the confidence ahead of a trip across the City come Sunday lunchtime. 800 supporters paying £52 a head and massively outnumbered will face up to a UEFA confirmed cesspit of hate, racism and sectarianism. It won’t have taken UEFA to tell our die hard supporters they’ll face such an atmosphere of hatred but at least at long last it has been recognised as such. We of course wait on the Scottish governing bodies to catch up, just as soon as they’re finished hanging, drawing and quartering Tom Boyd. We all prioritise our workloads of course, I’m certain it’s on the ‘to do’ list.
On the field we will face up to a massive battle at Ibrox. Our supporter’s voices will have been muted but our players will have to push their chests out and fight for all of us. Last season we were found wanting of course on their turf but we did at least have some mitigating circumstances.
December’s meeting saw us lose 1-0 and we were lucky to leave there conceding only one goal. It was down to the heroics of Craig Gordon (who strangely was made the scapegoat by being dropped post winter break for Scott Bain) who manned the fort and stopped a far heavier defeat. Having to play McGregor at left back and Mikey Johnston as a striker showed we weren’t exactly at full strength. Though we did deserve to lose we did have our reasons for it.
The second visit was a dead rubber, though our 2-0 defeat in May was just as poor as the December turnaround we had already bagged our eighth consecutive title. Celtic were very disappointing but with a Cup Final ahead and a Treble Treble on the cards a defeat was understandable and even forgivable. This Sunday however we can have no excuses.
The first Glasgow derby of the season is an acid test. This fixture will put to test the skills of the management team of Lennon, Kennedy and Duff and shine a light on the recruitment to date of both Nicky Hammond and Peter Lawwell.
Progression in Stockholm is expected, we can do that even by losing on the night. We cannot however afford to lose at Ibrox and expect our confidence not to be affected and our rival’s belief not to grow. A win however could spring us forward and the fragility of our opponent’s conviction they can challenge could be punctured, possibly irreparably.
So far the management and team have risen to the challenge. The defeat to Cluj caused an angry reaction amongst supporters. To Lennon and some of the players it could be argued that it was one game and an overreaction. To many supporters however we’d seen this movie before and the ending was becoming more and more disastrous at every turn. The fact it was once again self-inflicted caused the most frustration. Neil Lennon’s tactics on the night were responsible though a lack of choice in key defensive areas did force his hand somewhat.
The transfer market and player recruitment is where the Celtic board had two weeks to show they’d realised the errors of their ways and that they intended to right a few wrongs when it came to backing their man. They have one week left.
While the manager and players have responded the Boardroom has remained somewhat quiet. Some things never change.
While the players are giving their all on the field of play the support by way of defensive recruitment is lacking from Lawwell and Hammond.
We now have one week left to sign the necessary defensive cover. So far we’ve taken a goalkeeper on loan from Southampton in the shape of the returning Fraser Forster. It is unlikely even that would have happened had Scott Bain not been injured and on the back of early season form that questioned if trust could be continued in him.
Should we wish progress on both the European and domestic front it is in the transfer market where we can show we are serious about this. We could in fact gain a few yards by getting some quality in for key positions in the week ahead prior to our visit to Ibrox.
It is well documented what I’ve thought of our transfer dealings to date. It’s been cost cutting and downsizing. It’s already been a gamble taken and lost with Champions League football yet again and now we’ll see if that gamble will extend to the UEFA Consolation Cup and domestically the 9 in a row campaign.
Our defence is lacking in depth. Kris Ajer has gone off injured on a couple of occasions of late and every time he does my heart sinks. We are only a couple of injuries from disaster in that area of the pitch. So all eyes are on the Board yet again over the next seven days. Neil Lennon requires both left and right full backs as a minimum requirement. To leave him short in these areas when the window closes will be nothing short of board negligence.
By Sunday at 2pm we will know whether Celtic’s downsizing has already had an immediate effect on our European and domestic ambitions. It will be clear if Neil Lennon is being backed or left high and dry. It will show if the board put the importance of a well-stocked squad high on their agenda or if the shareholder returns take precedence.
It is a massive week ahead for Celtic FC and Celtic PLC. It should never have had to be this way.
Niall J
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