Celtic fans have united together in a way that has not been seen since the mid-90s, when the Whites and Kellys were ousted from Celtic Park because of their massive failings and using the club as a top up for their piggy banks. Just over 30 years later and we have come full circle with the men in control under the spotlight once again for their version of mismanagement. Yes, the club is in very sound financial stability but the Celtic Transfer Model has not been adhered to as we have not replaced players we sold for big money. Scrapping around for signings that will cost £1-3m thinking that will be suffice to take on the Elites in the Champions League.

It is like Groundhog Day every time we go into the Champions League qualifiers when we send the team into the biggest game of the season with one arm tied behind their back. Players not deployed in their usual position, Squad members and youngsters being used due to lack of depth and necessity. This strategy has been proven inadequate time after time with the promise of big signings when we qualify but cutting our cloth to balance the books when we don’t. The latter has become the norm with us losing out on Champions League places seven times in the last nine attempts.

The list of clubs who have disposed of us in recent years is an utter embarrassment for a club of our size and operating on a budget that dwarves the following teams. Maribor, Malmö, AEK Athens, Cluj, Ferencváros, Midtjylland and Kairat Almaty all putting Celtic to the sword. Teams we should be beating easily. All the fans want to see is us prepared for European competition and to progress from there but the latest instalment against Kairat was the straw that broke the camel’s back.



The management and playing squad, haven’t covered themselves in glory either in this debacle. The two biggest games of the season and we showed no spark, no movement, no leadership and no interest in two games that would make your eyes bleed. We failed to score a goal over 210 minutes of football against a team ranked 315th in Europe with the Kazaks actually ranked lower than Linfield or Shamrock Rovers. Let that sink in. We could have played our reserve team and they might have fared better.

Was this the marker that signalled disharmony in the dressing room? Has the boardroom antics filtered down to the players?

Brendan Rodgers stepped back into his role in 2023 and promised a new era where he would work on improving the quality on the park to improve our European status. It was a positive sign that he had patched up his differences with the board and they obviously have promised him the financial backing. This in turn appeased the fans and the majority willing to give Brendan a second chance after he dumped us mid-season in his first stint.



He inherited the backbone of Postecoglou’s team and set about signing his own players to put his stamp on the team. Everything was taking shape and up to as late as May this year he has gave us continued success, as was expected, with significant improvement in the Champions League last season. In the space of four months Rodgers has seen his first team squad decimated with the Board shifting main characters in Kyogo, Kuhn, and Taylor for very healthy profit. A fair amount of squad members have been disposed of also and then it was reported that Maeda was unhappy as the club stopped his transfer in the 11th hour along with Yang. Even Hatate looks like his mind is elsewhere as he has shown next to nothing in around 18 months.

Rodgers was very vocal about what he needed for the season ahead. Two wingers, two strikers and another Left back were desperately required and the Board failed to act on it, preferring to drag their heels. Go Ahead Eagles chief even made a joke at our expense when we contacted them about selling Jakob Breum. The Dutch club valued their player around £5m but they were offered a derisory £1.5m which is embarrassing. Given that the same club sold their other winger, Antman, to the Huns for £4m. Van Dop said “Things moved very quickly around Oliver Antman and Glasgow Rangers. Celtic could have taken a leaf out of Rangers’ book, haha.”

Whilst this team may have enough firepower to deal with domestic competition, it will be the Europa League that will tell, when we come up against decent opposition. Our results in Europe have mostly been laughable in the last 20 years and still we look so naive when we travel. Even at home there has been some poor results in that time also. We need to start improving.



The Celtic fans are often referred to as the 12th man and when we take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park this weekend, the fans will hold a protest. They will not enter the stands until the 12th minute where they will be very vocal until the final whistle. This was decided at the fan meeting midweek and is only the first of several actions planned. It was also stressed that we need to give Rodgers and the Team our full backing.

Brendan held the press conference on Friday and he touched on several issues. He called out the club insider who leaked a story to The Sun newspaper that the manager talked too much and was engineering his exit from the club. Rodgers called it a “cowardly action” and he expects an investigation to be held.

He also talked candidly about his tenure at the club and how there has been no offer on the table to extend his contract.



If Brendan Rodgers was to extend his contract, there must be changes at the top. There has to be a strategy and plan going forward to ensure we get the first option players in early to have them prepared for the Champions League. Rodgers said himself a while ago that ideally the targets would be signed in January and is something I have always thought.

Domestically, we are already pulling away from our biggest rivals and we have been unbeaten with no goals conceded. It will be down to Brendan and Callum McGregor, to an extent, to get this group firing on all cylinders so we can watch some decent football again. Come the end of the season, I hope we see all these problems in the rear view mirror.