20 minute Tim’s article Column: Time to Look Beyond Trophies

He's right, domestic football has become a barrel shoot. Like playing the same video game on the easiest setting over and over again. I'm not saying it's meaningless but it means less than it did.

Given the drastic decline of basically every Scottish team, Europe is the true barometer for our success. And there we can see that we too have declined fairly considerably. Yes, we 'got out' of the group stage this year but we didn't really - we made it to a playoff round that never previously existed. We still didn't get to the knockout rounds proper. And even then, we just made it through possibly the easiest set of fixtures available.

There's two main things I think we need to accomplish to make progress.

The first is to understand that our main aim is to get into and progress in the CL every year. This seems obvious but we are frankly not set up to do this. We have crashed out in qualifiers in previous years because we didn't strengthen in time over the summer. We don't reinvest our money in the squad - it languishes in the bank account accruing interest that is pales in comparison to the year-on-year inflation of player trading fees. We are not exploiting the opportunities offered by European football sufficiently.

The second thing we need to do is to get out of the SPFL. It's done. The fat lady sang some years ago; the ship takes on more water every year. We need to get into England. If Swansea and Cardiff can do it, so can we. And let's be honest, money talks. It's money for the EPL mainstays, it's money for the FA, it's money for Sky. Peter Lawwel should be on the phone to someone down south every day for there is no endeavour more potentially profitable for this club's shareholders than getting into a league that rewards its worst clubs more ours rewards its best.

What has been happening is instead managed decline. Sure, we're profitable, but we have a billionaire owner that has watched us decline relative to European sides. We're the biggest fish in a shrinking pond and there's no future in it.

 

Watched us decline in Europe?

In comparison to what? Under Desmond, if you discount last season as you are, 3 times we got through group stages.

We got to a European final as well. Not any other time except with Stein in charge have we been that.

We are peerless domestic dominance. I have my issues with us not being ambitious enough at times, not being ruthless with what we could be but can you argue with results really? We can’t.

Biggest point for me is the qualifier one, yes I’m full there with you, and this season now we have one again I will be * seething if we revert to what we have shown through the years. But I also am aware that’s not only our fault, we can get higher level players if we are in the CL and they will wait to see if we are. And we’ve hedged our bets.


This year we have spent more money than we ever have in a season though, broke our record outlay for a transfer twice. 3 most expensive ever this season, Jota’s fee coming back as it was reported included being £10m (was a * swap I know but both clubs did not want it reported that way).

This year I’ll judge if the penny has fully dropped with us needing a playoff one. I think it has though, Desmond will back BR so he’ll sign up a new contract.

Everything else though? Pie in the sky. Desmond for one invested heavily using Cardiff and Swansea examples to get us into English leagues. That will never happen.

if the Super League set up happens we will be talking amongst being there like Ajax, Benfica and co.

For me, leaving Scotland shites over what we have achieved in Scotland

 

I agree with a lot of what the article says. It’s a bit of a catch 22 in the league. We all want to romp to an easy win, but when it actually happens I lose interest. Lack of jeopardy means I’m not getting up at 4am or 7am on a Saturday in Canada to watch us stroll over St Johnstone. I also end up on here a * of a lot less.

I think people need to be very careful about talking this way as if this season will happen in perpetuity though. I expect a serious threat from Rangers next season and we have been nowhere near good enough in every derby since the first one.

This season was a cakewalk and maybe the first time since the Deila days (empty upper stands anyone?) I’ve lost the fire a bit. However, next season we have a massive champions league qualifier and nothing is guaranteed in the league. The fire will be back just as quickly as it left.

Give Brendan a new contract and let’s see some new heroes in the door to go with your Jotas and Tierneys.

 

This season isnt really the norm though. I get over the last 15 years we have been dominant. But if you take from the point Rangers won their sole title, its not like every season has been like this one. Anges first season and Rodgers first season back it was fairly nip tuck and at times looked like we may not win the title. We only pulled away at the home stretch.

Rangers fell off a cliff this year but I still think its a bit too easy to blame lack of competition. We havent turned up in a lot of big games this season. 2 Cup finals, multiple derbies, trophy day etc. Those are big games. I think in reality the team has spluttered a bit and been very inconsistent over the second half of the season. Some of that may be the lack of a league challenge but if you are consistently not bringing your best to Rangers matches and Cup finals I dont think its solely down to that. And I think that accounts for the flat feeling despite winning the league again.

 

Interesting article....

I don't think the main premise is just Celtic either, modern sporting society also have become lazy/ needy, with ever shortening attention spans - for many it's all about single events, moments, 30 second video clips rather than the whole.

I do agree that entertainment and jeopardy is key, it's a huge part of why UCL nights have such a special atmosphere.

Europe really has become the only show in town for me, ask most fans their favourite season this century and almost all will tell you Seville - we won NOTHING that season,...
but what a fantastic ride with a great team, playing great football - with maybe too much jeopardy!
I'd give up all the recent trebles to lift a European trophy, even make a final - in a heartbeat.

Many Celtic fans strive for more and moan much of the time is that we also see what our club 'could be' - something very, very special - it's within touching distance.
Brendan knows that too, but convincing a bunch of old blazers that it's not about staying one step ahead of the Huns is no easy task.

With the right ambition and investment - regularly going deep in Europe or winning the Europa league is absolutely not beyond us.
We should not 'settle' for being kings of our own incredibly mediocre backyard.
If we do, we might just end up not even being that

 

We have declined relative to other top European clubs. That cannot be denied.

We got to a European final but that was over 20 years ago. We have since declined an incredible amount. We had teams with top players - Di Canio, Larsson, Lubo, Petrov, etc. We no longer attract players of the same class in their prime. We can't hold onto even ones a level below that, they're all away by 23.

That is what I mean by decline as a European force. As for our dominance in Scotland, it does mean something, but every year it means less. I hate it when it gets called a Mickey Mouse league but it's true. It's moribund - a sinking ship we must get off asap. England might be pie in the sky from where we stand today but it's where we need to be, we should be striving to make it a reality.

 

Compared to when we had Henrik etc 20 years ago, when we could compete wage wise? Henrik was 4th highest paid player in the UK at us, I think now the 4th highest is somewhere over £350k a week.

That team, by far the most quality and were * * unlucky for the point I’m about to make here but they also never got passed a group stage in the CL. WGS did 2 times, same points tally, less quality but he done it. Lenny in 2012 holds the record for best ever return points and goal tally in the group stage to get to the latter stages and last year the new format BR got us through as well.


All these teams that did, feel nowhere near as quality as O’Neill’s when I felt we were more on equal ground with any team in Europe and Henrik would bridge the gaps.

It’s weird though because I agree with you here as well but I don’t think we’ve hit our top level of potential as a club where we are. * we have £80m odd in the bank. We can do more.


I’d be so much against a breakaway of top teams from Scotland, Portugal, Netherlands etc. to form our own franchises closed shop plastic league. But if their is going to be one at all, well then we actually need to be there as well. I don’t like that but.

One thing I know, * begging to get the scraps of wealth the English have. * England. * the Premiership. * soulless entity puppeteered by Sky