Supporters’ focus all on the next couple of days. Time for the board to deliver. Brendan told us: “We need to add quality… that’s the glaring thing that stands out really within this squad”…
Time is quickly ticking down on the January transfer window. Only two days remain for the club to deliver on the signings that Brendan and the Celtic supporters so badly crave.
January is always considered a long and depressing month, and for us Celtic supporters this year, it’s even more so. Yes, we have signed Nicolas Kuhn, but on the whole it’s been a severely disappointing transfer window, given what we were told was the plan by the manager at the end of November after we were for the second year in a row humiliated in Madrid, this time by Atletico.
Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Ross County FC at Celtic Park on January 27, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
“We need to add quality… that’s the glaring thing that stands out really within this squad,” Brendan said and every single Celtic supporter agreed with his assessment and reckoned that so would the club and this would urgently be addressed in the January transfer window.
So it has been evident for some time now that we are in need of a couple of fresh faces in our squad, and not what you would deem ‘prospects’ we need first team ready quality players and we need them now and this is just to succeed domestically. We are not even talking about building a side ready to compete – or at least avoid humiliating results and rock bottom finishes – in the Champions League.
A left back and a centre forward are urgently needed for domestic football – let’s park European ambitions to the summer. It’s obvious to everyone. The absence of Greg Taylor illustrated that on Saturday, and god forbid if anything happens to Kyogo as with Oh and Maeda still at the Asian Cup, we have absolutely no one able to cover a position of such importance.
Maybe Brendan’s plan was to play Rocco Vata there but the board have handled his situation badly for months and now with the clock ticking down towards the window closing he is still in negotiations with Celtic over the terms of the last minute dot com contract proposal Celtic belatedly offered the B Team forward.
That’s why the board have left themselves open to criticism, and it’s wholeheartedly deserved. They were praised to the high heavens when they had some very decent transfer windows under Ange Postecoglou but have slipped back into the old negligence ways. They have failed to listen to the manager and they have failed to read the room with the supporters, who clearly showed their frustrations at the final whistle on Saturday, at least the ones still inside the stadium did.
They have known for some time now that we are in need of boosting our numbers, but they’ve predictably dithered and now we are scraping around at the last minute looking for extra additions. It’s not good enough. It’s nowhere close to being good enough.
There is more in the way of outgoings, which is good as our squad needs trimming, but we want to see incomings, correction we need incomings.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is seen during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Livingston FC at Celtic Park Stadium on December 23, 2023 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
It’s time for those in charge to act, or they are likely to face the wrath of the Celtic supporters. Brendan may well be putting a brave face on things but listen to what he said in the video above and contrast to his comments at the weekend.
If the Celtic support is guilty of anything it’s the crime of listening and believing what we’ve been told. Now we know we are unlikely to get the quality signings needed we are instead fretting over zero cover for our one and only striker – the Asian Cup scenario was known about well in advance – and with only one competent left back who is now injured.
What a mess we’re in, it’s all so unnecessary and as a support we’ve every right to be worried and unhappy.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy