Time to take advantage of our financial muscle, starting in the January transfer window…
Recently theRangers supporters were warned by their new manager Philippe Clement not to expect wholesale changes in the upcoming transfer window at the new club’s AGM. Clement will get the chance to lift the League Cup this weekend at Hampden with Barry Robson’s Aberdeen and the consistency that he’s found in the Scottish Premiership reaped it’s reward at the weekend with Celtic losing at Rugby Park to bring the title race back to life.
Celtic are now just five points ahead of theRangers but have played a game more. And as Clement’s side are at Hampden this weekend for the League Cup Final, Celtic can increase that lead to eight points on Saturday, where Hearts are the visitors to Celtic Park and there’s the second Glasgow of the season coming on 30 December, again at Celtic Park.
This time it’s only Celtic supporters who will be in attendance after it was home fans only at Ibrox back in September when a brilliant Kyogo goal just before the interval gave Brendan Rodgers’ side the three points.
The Scottish Premiership goes into a winter shutdown after 2 January 2024 and of course by that time both title challengers will be well aware of where the table stands as they look at January signings.
It might have come as a shock to theRangers fans to hear bad news on new signings as they were expecting an influx of new arrivals in this transfer window, but to the rest of us it’s not that surprising. After all they are a financial basket case flirting on the wrong side of FFP rules, not to mention they have just announced yet more losses in their recent financial results.
Add to that they are still paying off two former managers and will soon be facing yet another money draining court case, it’s not that difficult to comprehend the brutal truth that money is in short supply over at Ibrox.
Conversely the rekindled challenge for the Scottish Premiership title – which is worth a sweet bonanza of £40m due to the revamped Champions League – must be a wake up call for cash rich Celtic. The Celtic supporters certainly believe that it’s time to take advantage of the club’s incredibly healthy bank balance, by investing in the team and adding top quality, experienced signings.
After watching that second half shambles on Sunday afternoon few could argue that this is unnecessary. Put simply the Celtic Board must back their manager and give him the resources to shape a title winning side that will be thereafter be ready to participate in the Champions League next season.
Celtic have the lead in points, although there is now little margin for further errors. Celtic have let theRangers off the hook by allowing them back into the title race with some of their supporters now eyeing a domestic treble. Celtic can’t allow that to happen and have the financial muscle to make sure that it doesn’t.
We are in a great financial position and should use our extra resources to push further ahead of the latest Ibrox club in January. Splashing the cash wisely would put us in a favourable position and within touching distance of a third consecutive league title and give us that guaranteed Champions League money next season.
Winning the league not only guarantees us an automatic spot in the new look Champions League, it also pushes us further ahead of theRangers financially.
Celtic have failed to take advantage before, and we can’t do it again. To stand still would be unforgivable. We can’t sleep at the wheel.
Easier said than done all the same imo?
Currently Rodgers has had plenty of time to assess the player’s he’s already got, yet this team is still lacking an identity with a style of play, that’s seems suitable for so many of the established players currently imo?
So no longer as easy to actually identify the players Rodgers would be looking for, to actually see where they would fit in, to make the all round look of the team better than it currently is imo?
Some big decisions await also?
For example do we get a new keeper in for the remainder of the season and drop Hart to the no2 role?
Are we going to stick with a back 4 where the LB position has to be addressed, and hoping Taylor is prepared to play the backup role?
A new striker, but what type?
One that’s prepared to drop deeper in linking up the build up play, or the target man within the penalty area?
You could go through the whole team and identify areas where improvements could be made, which isn’t good enough currently imo.
To many established players hardly playing to there strengths on a regular basis, so does that mean they are no longer suitable for the plans of Rodgers now?
There has been some amount of tinkering with the team set up to date, a lot of it not making much sense either upon some of the decision making that has taken place also imo?
So without any idea of what Rodgers plans are for how he’s wanting to set this Celtic team up, and within a style they look comfortable in playing, it’s not so easy to identify where the improvements are required, especially with so many on show currently imo?