Blame the board? Blame Brendan!

We’ve completely * it as a club. It’s done now though and we need to improve. If Lawwell can’t get the job done on transfers then maybe it’s time to appoint a DoF or Sporting Director to work alongside Lawwell and Rogers. Maybe we’ve just had a bad year and can push on now. Only definite is that the recruitment MUST improve one way or the other.

Let’s get into the Europa and sort out this honking defence.

 

FFS folks - Brendan got his miff-on because he didn't get backing to sign a bench-warming Midfielder. I'd have had some sympathy for Brendan had McGinn been a * Defender and it was knocked back, but McGinn's not a * Defender.. and we didn't NEED him.

We NEED Defenders! This tie was 100% proof of that!

 

Too much of a discrepancy in the teams dynamics. The attacking midfield players and strikers we've signed and continue to sign are at the expense of a solid back line. I don't think Eduoard for 4 million is good business when the back 4 is like that. It's just bad economics, especially when you consider the attacking players already up front. In a few years it might pay dividends if the club plans to sell him on but what good is that if we don't get 10 in a row, which is a real possibility if your defence can't defend.

 

And every position (with maybe the exception of kuoassi) Rodgers has spent decent money on the outcome has been positive. Ntcham, eddy, Sinclair, our more expensive singings have been good value. He hasn't spent decent money on a defender. If he was given decent money for defender we will see an decent return

 

It’s difficult, if not impossible, to know who should take most of the blame but I agree that Rodgers certainly isn’t blameless. All we know about the way we identify players and conduct transfer business is largely speculation.

Maybe Rodgers has identified some brilliant players and Lawwell has been unable to secure deals.

Maybe Congerton has unearthed some hidden gems and Rodgers simply can’t identify a defender.

Maybe Rodgers/Congerton are identifying unrealistic players and it’s simlly impossible for Lawwell to entice them to Scotland.

Nobody really knows. My gut feeling is that Rodgers was happy with the defence as it is and believed it would be enough to see us through to the CL, where he could then leverage our position in the CL to attract a higher quality of player. It was badly miscalculated if that was the case. Lawwell though deserves to take a awful lot of stick for not sealing the McGinn transfer.

 

Spot on, Paddy.

Our defence is a total shambles. He's had 3 years to sort it out and he's failed. £1.5 million on Hendry? Laughable. He was punted from the lower divisions in England and had played about 20 games for Dundee. Pathetic signing and Rodgers' comments at the time make it even worse. He had him as the next big hope for the Scotland national team.

Simunovic has considerably regressed in the past two seasons. At this stage he's an absolute liability. Sviatchenko regressed before being punted.

Compper is a sick note. Gamboa has actually done okay but for whatever reason keeps getting tossed to the side whenever he's not needed.

I don't trust him to sign a decent centre half. Which is extremely worrying because right now we look like conceding against just about anyone. Couldn't even keep a clean sheet against a * dreadful Livingston team at Celtic Park.

 

And who's fault is it he's not bought a decent defender?

Can't blame the board for that one, blame lies at Rodgers' feet and his scouting team.

Lennon managed to beat Barcelona with Efe * Ambrose and Kelvin * Wilson ffs, it's been said on here before and Liverpool fans have said it for years, the guy doesn't know a defender if one was stood in front of him.

Starting to believe that now.

 

We always seem to be miles ahead of them... and then all of sudden we're back level.

And the common denominator is not that they enhance their squad with quality - they don't. It's that we drag ours down to their mediocrity. The wheels are set in motion for that to happen yet again.

Unfortunately, Celtic, as a club, has never had the ambition to be the best. It's happy to just get by winning a wee cup every now and again and letting off a few wee balloons. That's because those charged with running Celtic always have ulterior motives fueled by personal ambitions.

After all Celtic is a business. A big business. And the Establishment always has a keen eye on those who run their businesses "efficiently", which is right-wing speak for the benefit of the shareholders to the detriment of all others.

The most important thing for Peter Lawwell and co. is to run an efficient business with a large surplus and to crush political dissent on the terraces so that the club can project a more "acceptable" image to the Establishment.

The personal rewards will be political patronage such as a place in the House of Lords or a Knighthood from Her Majesty's government.

 

I agree with most of that mate, but I have to ask again - Why was BR chasing John McGinn and not a Defender? And why did the Board have to back him in the transaction for John McGinn? For me, a blind man could see that money needed spending on the Defence long before more Midfielders were considered.

The McGinn debacle suggests (to me!) a flaw in BR's management rather than a flaw in the Boards spending strategy.

 

He's as much to blame as the board in my opinion. our starting 11 hasn't changed anywhere near as much as I thought it would when he arrived here. 2 years on and we still have a right back who can't play our style. He constantly talks about finding the right quality then brings in guys like Hayes and Hendry. There's an entire football world out there that we're ignoring. Preferring to wait til the end of the window to shake the EPL loan tree and see what falls out. It's a myopic approach to recruitment that has cost us tonight.

There are * hundreds of players all across Europe who could improve our first 11, and they don't cost the earth. Simple fact of the matter is AEK have a group of players who perfectly suit the way they want to play, and we don't. Brendan is as much to blame for that as anybody.

Having said all that. * the board. They knew the manager wanted McGinn and they * about thinking they'd save a few hundred grand. I don't think McGinn would have made much difference but it's the principle. And I wonder how many other players we've missed out on because of this.

 

Lennon did exceptionally well to find decent CBS for pennies granted. But to suggest the failure of a decent back line lies with Brendan is wrong. We wouldn't put £3M for McGinn. Do you not think it's probable that Brendan has identified defenders to improve and maybe the board haven't wrapped the deals up?

 

You said it in your own post - signing McGinn was unlikely to make much of a difference. You know it, I know it, other fans know it, and it seems that the Board also know it.

No Board worth its salt is going to authorise unnecessary spending on the point of 'principle'.

 

The more I think on it I end up at this conclusion myself. Some of the signings would suggest not but I just have that nagging feeling we get our squad players signed no issue but our marquee signing attempts fail more often than not.

 

Yeah, you're absolutely right mate it's nothing to do with Rodgers.

Tell me, if he hasn't had the funds to buy a defender, then why was he after McGinn at £3m for a midfielder (the most full with players in the whole squad) rather than use those funds on a defender where it was most lacking?

Saying Brendan has absolutely no blame for the defence is just a * poor attempt at deflection, nothing else.

Buck lies with the manager.

 

Tbh I see your point I see his what I will say in reply is... No boards wants to waste money.... Then why the * sanction the Hayes transfer or commper I blame Brendan ultimately for that aswell because if we couldn't get his targets then he should have just brought youth players through for depth because on going evidence they have gave more than some of the signings recently

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^^^AMEN^^^

 

He brought in de Vries - disaster

Gamboa - can't even get a game

Compper - panic signing, has someone sent out an SOS for him yet?

Hendry - painfully woeful, which is a shame because I find it hard to not like him

Scott Bain - nothing more than back up

Izaguirre - another panic signing, although one I'm happy to have at the club as back up


Those are his signings other than the midfield and forward areas, which he has invested heavily in.

Utterly shocking.

 

This kind of * is * ridiculous.

 

Don't know why we didn't * at the chance of 9million. Boyata * about and the whole world knowing he wants gone and we want rid may well bring his price down.

 

And I believe your deflecting blame from the board. It's a matter of opinions.

Either way Brendan has been vocal about finding this window frustrating. I firmly believe Brendan would have a list of defenders he be would have wanted. We haven't signed any. I blame the board, you blame Brendan. We will have to agree to disagree