As the ball was placed down for the free kick a voice behind me could clearly be heard to say “it’s going to the left”, as the ball sailed into that exact spot my mind flashed back to June as I stood at Hampden and celebrated our 8th Treble.

How had we got to here in only 6 months? Being beating meekly at home by a frankly bang average Hearts team managed by an under 18-coach seemed to sum up the last few months. Not for the first time, I was again watching what I can only now describe as what over the last years has become Celtic well Celtic it.

How can a team top of the league have supporters calling for the board and individuals heads? Outsiders may think it all seems a bit strange, but they don’t know that the problem is we are simply in a place that this board has put us in before, we as a support have watched this horror show before. Think appointments in the shower, managers interviewed for number two roles getting the main gig, players signed who the manager clearly didn’t want. Our success over the last 15 years have been despite of all these decisions not because.

From a position of power and strength we again stand on the precipice. Bad recruitment, money wasted, downgrading of the talent coupled with managed decline of the squad and at times recently baffling tactics have again have let a team playing out of Ibrox have hope when none should exist.

We have again had an opportunity to simply extinguish any little light left and allowed it to grow into a burning flame, worryingly we have allowed a title race to develop that shouldn’t exist. We have had countless opportunities over the last years to break them and psychologically destroy an already unhinged supporter, but never seem to apply that final pressure, the number of times now is could be argued is a deliberate tactic?

This record has played before many times with the current board and incumbents not having the ability to see further than the balance sheet. The team seems to simply support the business, when as supporters we know and expect it be the other way around.

Again, this has resulted in the Celtic supporters having to watch as we play players, who I don’t blame, that really have had their day or aren’t up to the level required for Celtic. Yes, I admit other outside side influences such as unbelievable penalty runs and suspect refereeing haven’t and don’t help but this has and will depressingly always be the case, but in order to overcome these we know we need to twice as good and being honest no Celtic supporter could say that at present.

For me this all stems from the managed decline we now regularly go through, the manager is certainly not immune from criticism by any means at present but no one can convince me Brendan Rodgers was sitting in May thinking if I return to management, I definitely need to get Kwon and Tilio in my squad.

No this is a direct result of poor recruitment and the hope that we will sign 11 players in the £2 million bracket and they will turn to gold which in turn will add to the balance sheet, a tactic that we have proved very rarely comes to pass. A board managed by men set in their ways and out of touch results in days like yesterday.

A club imploding, fans divided, a team struggling, players appearing to going through the motion, a manager looking defeated, how has this come to pass in the short time since the glory of Hampden? Simply put a board no longer fit for purpose who have had their day.

I, as most other Celtic supporters never take winning for granted and days like yesterday will happen, we can’t and have no entitlement to win every game nor every trophy but nor should we need to tolerate the periods of decline which are clear to everyone stem from mismanagement by board who it really now feels have certainly passed their sell by date, football has moved on for better or worse and they have stagnated on the vine.

As I sit the morning after the day before I am left to wonder is this dynasty of the Desmond’s and the Lawwell’s really the legacy Fergus wanted, as once again these people have left me watching what I now refer Celtic, it again….

I wrote this in a blind rage as a long-time fan of the site.

Long time Celtic supporter,

Kevin Boyle

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