Celtic will NOT return to Dubai at the start of next year but will instead head to a Southern European training base shortly after the Glasgow Derby encounter against theRangers on 2 January 2022.
Celtic have travelled to their preferred UAE winter training camp for the past five years and while the benefits were always apparent in the years prior to the Covid pandemic, no-one can claim that last year’s costly and ill-judged trip did not cost Celtic dearly on and off the pitch.
Of course those wishing to do damage through distribution of their sneaky photography certainly hit the mark. The same tricks apparently have been in operation, at least according to the CEO at Hibernian, ahead of the forthcoming Premier Sports League Cup semi-final the day after Celtic play St Johnstone.
Dubai cost Celtic around £600,000 in cash terms but the damage went much deeper than just paying the bills incurred by the trip. Neither Neil Lennon nor Peter Lawwell – the men who made the decision to go to Dubai in the middle of a global pandemic – are still in their jobs and sensibly with Covid still around Postecoglou, presumably after discussions with acting CEO Michael Nicholson has decided against Dubai and instead will make a short trip to maybe Spain or Portugal, looking for some winter sunshine.
Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that the club are currently finalising the alternative plans for a January training camp in Europe.
“We are planning for that now and we will certainly have some sort of camp. It will give the boys a bit of a break,” the Celtic manager said, as reported by Scottish Sun. “We just assembled this group of people together without really being able to settle them and create a real settled culture and environment with the football we want to play.
“A week’s training will be like gold for us and we will certainly use that time, but there is a lot of football to be played before then.”
Before Postecoglou can get around to playing that football, he has an anxious wait ahead of him as his players travel to join up with their national squads. “Obviously we want the boys to do well, the ones that go away,” Ange stated. “They have some big games and we are wishing them well. Hopefully, they get through unscathed.
“We have some here who will be at Lennoxtown, some who have played quite a lot of football and need a break.
“Others we need to put some work into, so it’s an important period and there is a massive game when we get back, so we want to be ready for it.”
Jota appears to have been given some time off – as indeed has Anthony Ralston (unbelievably overlooked by Steve Clarke, the Celtic right-back was sensational at the weekend contributing to the 4-2 win over Dundee with three assists) – with the winger pictured with some Celtic fans onboard a flight to Lisbon shortly after the game at Dens Park.
And you know where these supporters were heading to in Lisbon…WATCH HERE.
In Dundee for the match this afternoon so took the opportunity to make some local deliveries personally. pic.twitter.com/o7ykbURz16
— Harry Hood: Twice as good (@HarryHoodBook) November 7, 2021
