Lazio’s shock (or not) last ditch winner at Celtic Park had everyone barring the Italians holding their head in their hands in abject despair. Like, we’ve never seen this scenario before!
Well, guess what, I have. Many times, and it’s becoming tedious. It’s becoming like the old adage, ‘Brave Scots go down fighting’ as we’ve heard time and again in days gone by when the national team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory-again.
There’s a time for sympathy and there’s a time for reality. Every time we fall flat on our faces for whatever reason, we get the same old outages from the manager, “It’s a tough lesson.” “It’s a sore one, but we’ll learn from it,” etc, etc, etc.
The question is, and it’s a rhetorical one, do we really learn? If we do, where is the evidence to support this claim? I’m not seeing it. All I’m seeing is a record which stands alongside the Govan mob in the embarrassment stakes, i.e. the most defeated team in the Champions league since inception, a stat I viewed through my fingers today.
That’s not simply bad luck, it’s poor governance from the penny-pinchers who refuse to unleash the beast in terms of finance when it comes to fulfilling our European ambitions. There is none!
Boasting millions in the bank and mutually back-slapping whilst the team on the park are being royally shafted year-on-year in the grandest competition of them all is a smokescreen designed to keep the proletariat cheering the B-Movie!
We don’t want that! We want some level of success among the A-listers, no matter how well they dress. Remember Lisbon? Milan, (although we lost out in the Final?) We’ve always punched above our weight, until recently. Henke, The Evil Genius and Big Bad John took us to the promised land too, but that was twenty years ago!
I get the financials, I get the graft from the bodies who set these competitions up, but for God’s sake Celtic, splash a bit of cash in a bid to win at least a couple of games in the group stages!
£3-4 million on prospects is never gonna cut it. The proof of that is evident, and last night only served to highlight this. I’m sick and tired of seeing my family and friends pack Paradise, sing their songs with hope in their hearts, only to be deceived by false promises and squirrel-esque predictions from management. We deserve better and should demand as much.
READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic v Nastio
The men on the park yesterday were superb-within their limits. I apportion no blame to them; in fact I applaud them. They worked like Trojans and fought like lions, but, for the second game running in this competition, came away with nothing when the match was there for the taking.
THEY deserved better, even a competent ref! The uncomfortable truth is that some of our number are simply not European class. With players out/returning but not quite match fit, we need better in reserve, and need to spend to achieve.
The club need to speculate to accumulate. I’m not for one second suggesting we do an Ibrox job and scuttle the ship with ridiculous transactions, I’m simply asking, in Oliver Twist fashion, “Please sirs, can we have some more?”
Eddie Murray
Join The Celtic Star at the Kerrydale on Thursday 19 October when we celebrate the launch of Matt Corr’s new book Majic, Stan and the King of Japan which tells the story of Gordon Strachan’s first season as Celtic manager. We’ll have the trophies that the Celtic team won that season plus well delighted welcome our special guests John Hartson and Stephen McManus, both stars of that Celtic team.
And we have other guests to be announced later this week plus there’s live music from the wonderful Boolavogue. Tickets are selling fast for what is sure to be a wonderful night of Celtic conversation and music and you can order below…
Millions in the bank keeps us going, it requires almost limitless funds to make an impression on the euro status quo. What we need is resolve to keep what we have invested in and a stable management team that wants to stay too. As fans, deserving doesn’t come into it. If our team is playing well and successful week in week out, that’s fine. If our team struggle, we support. I’d rather watch a team of mediocre lions who love the club, than one full of mercenaries. ‘Mon the Hoops!