10 Things That Went Wrong For Celtic since Seville
1 The PLC board’s spending policy. This isn’t a matter of blame, simply a matter of fact: Celtic are having to deal with the consequences of their cautious fiscal policy. The directors’ determination to avoid becoming another financial charity case like Leeds United or pre-Abramovich Chelsea (not to mention Rangers) is understandable. But the refusal to build on a position of strength – Martin O’Neill made only three permanent signings in the two years after Seville, for a total transfer fee of just £350,000 – meant stagnation and decline were inevitable. Celtic spent beyond their means on fees and wages to construct the team who got to Seville, but from then on deterioration was certain. As early as September 2003, O’Neill knew what was on the cards when he warned Celtic should get ready for “life in the slow lane”.
2 The Scottish weather. More precisely, the fact that Henrik Larsson was sick of it. After seven years of west of Scotland drizzle he decided enough was enough and it might be nice to spend the last couple of years of his career with the sun on his back. Barcelona would do nicely.
Speculation about how Celtic would attempt to “find the new Larsson” when he left 15 months ago was preposterous. Unless you are one of the elite clubs who can interchange one superstar with another, you never replace a player with Larsson’s presence, reliability and, above all, prodigious goalscoring. Celtic have never been the same without their icon.
3 Geraldine O’Neill’s illness. Once in a while real life intrudes on the football soap opera. Celtic had always envisaged the day when O’Neill may eventually leave the club but departure day was dramatically brought forward when his wife’s illness became more serious. O’Neill has insisted he would still be Celtic manager if he had not withdrawn from football to care for Geraldine. The handover to Gordon Strachan was seamless, but it still left Celtic having to replace an established, legendary manager with one who has much to prove.
4 Scott McDonald’s goals. It’s harder to feel too depressed when you’re still the champions, but McDonald’s late, late show for Motherwell meant Celtic were deposed in circumstances they found hard to take. More than that, being runners-up had tangible ramifications for new manager Strachan. If Celtic had been first rather than second last season they would have had another fortnight together before playing their first Champions League qualifier. They might still have gone out, but more time on the training ground would surely have enabled them to avoid the total meltdown of Bratislava.
5 Rangers slashing their £50m debt. In financial terms Celtic held the moral high ground when Rangers’ debt nudged over the £70m mark. Most supporters enjoyed the fact their domestic rival was in such a state, and the board of directors could subtly hold up the Ibrox club as the benchmark of how not to allow ambition to get in the way of financial reality. David Murray’s £50m hit removed those real and perceived advantages. At a stroke, Rangers’ debts became comparable to Celtic’s, while Murray made precisely the kind of personal investment/gesture that many would like Dermot Desmond to do at Parkhead. It also meant Rangers had a little more bargaining power in the transfer market, and – unlike Celtic – they have been spending well.
6 Craig Bellamy’s decision to leave. There was an element of inevitability about Bellamy’s Celtic career coming to an end as soon as his five-month loan deal was over. Even so, it somehow underlined the sense of a club no longer being able to hold on to big name personalities it would wish to keep (Larsson, O’Neill, Bellamy...).
7 Jackie McNamara being allowed to leave. Poor decision-making and rank bad judgment, symbolic of a club who had taken their eyes off the ball. At the same time as ludicrous concessions were being made to placate Bobo Balde, a more valuable member of the squad was manoeuvred into a position where he felt unwanted.
8 Strachan’s signings not performing. Maciej Zurawski resembles a striker who has requested a no goal scoring clause in his contract. Shunsuke Nakamura’s terrific debut was soon followed by a tame Old Firm game, which is exactly the fixture in which he will have to deliver. Between them they cost nearly £5m. Paul Telfer and Mo Camara have endured fierce criticism, Adam Virgo arrived injured, and as for Jeremie Aliadiere the less said the better. To put it bluntly, none of this summer’s arrivals would get into the Seville team. Each deserves much more time, but how come George Burley’s new signings have been able to hit the ground running?
9 The deterioration of the defence. It used to be the cornerstone of the team, with obelisks such as Johan Mjallby, Joos Valgaeren and Bobo Balde representing a wall that was only really troubled at Champions League level. The current defence? Three goals were lost at Ibrox, four at Motherwell, and five in Bratislava. In six games this season Celtic have leaked 13 goals. Falkirk’s opening goal at Parkhead recently proved that every opponent now regards Celtic as being more vulnerable than they have been for years. Strachan will have to sort it.
10 Chris Sutton’s injury. It has all gone wrong without Sutton. The score was still 0-0 when he suffered a fractured cheekbone in Bratislava. Since he left the field in the 17th minute that night, beginning a six-week absence, next to nothing has gone right.
10 Things Which Could Help Put Things Right
1 Time. If Celtic have found the right man in Strachan then eventually his judgment will be vindicated. In that case, Celtic should gradually improve as his signings settle in at the club. At least they have plenty of time before next taking on Rangers and Hearts. The Edinburgh club go to Parkhead on October 15 and Rangers don’t follow until November 19.
2 Their ugly ducklings turning into swans. Nakamura, Zurawski et al have to start delivering. Celtic need far more of a return for their significant summer spending.
3 Patience. If results continue to cause alarm, Celtic – the board and even the supporters – will have to hold their nerve in the face of intense media scrutiny of their manager’s future.
4 A major capital investment. Self-explanatory. Dermot Desmond considered underwriting a £15m preference share issue during the summer but the idea was shelved. With debts having risen to £19.5m some radical external investment, such as Murray undertook at Ibrox, may become essential if Celtic look in danger of heading towards long-term mediocrity.
5 Sutton returning to the team, and playing like he used to. The latter point is crucial. Senior, “O’Neill players” such as Sutton, Neil Lennon and Alan Thompson have to give Strachan the controlled, focused commitment they used to produce for his predecessor.
6 A truly competitive SPL this season. It won’t be quite so bad for Celtic to drop points here and there if Rangers are doing so too. So long as Hearts don’t disappear over the horizon, that is.
7 Finding a settled defence. Celtic’s back line is amorphous. Until a settled back three or four is decided upon, and forms that level of understanding enjoyed by players who know each other’s game, Celtic will be vulnerable.
8 Telling Fulham to sling their hook. Their interest in Stilian Petrov has dragged on for months. His value to Celtic can sometimes be overestimated, but it is far better for the club to have him than to have a £4m cheque and be looking for a replacement.
9 Japan. If the Far East market is the big deal that everyone in football makes it to be, then let’s see how much it is really worth to Celtic in hard yen. At least tall tales of the streets of Yokohama being full of hoops shirts will be a welcome distraction when no-one is paying attention to them in Europe.
10 Time...again. The Old Firm clubs go through peaks and troughs. Celtic face a long, hard winter but if Strachan can ride the storm he will take the club back into Europe in 11 months’ time. Assuming they qualify, that is...
28 August 2005
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Re: 10 reasons why celtic have declined and 10 ways to fix them
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