[Matchday] FC Salzburg v Celtic EL-Thurs 4th October 2018 Kick Off 17:55, Result... 3-1

Half of our squad believe they have arrived and half can’t wait to leave and that’s exactly how it looks from the outside. You can’t single players out for our failures because it is a team sport and a lot more these days. It’s what league your lucky enough to be in and how much TV money you can pull in. UEFA have turned our game into the importance being put on the money you can shovel into the clubs bunker and less about the prestige of facing teams with a chance of getting to the big prize. Massive and proud clubs with previous stature of being feared in Europe are now on their knees and have no idea or help from the association they are members of.

This is bigger than McGregor off his game or not settling the team up to play to the lads strengths as I’ve seen it. It’s not Jack Hendry either and I am guilty of slating his displays but not the player. This kid is suffering so much from inept displays gathering more clumsiness and lack of concentration. Looks like he is over trying now and he is frozen with fear to the point he doesn’t know wether to stay or go. Brendan needs to look after this lad and get him to * outta the headlights. If he is Celtic class or has big positives in the making then save him. You could kill this bhoys career forever and it won’t be his fault. We need experience in the defence and Boyata who has started his professional career two years ago at the age of 26 will not do.

Ntcham doesn’t looked settled any more. Rogic doesn’t look 100% as he hasn’t played his delicious brand of football since the new contract was signed. Griffiths didn’t look fit tonight and is being used to sparingly since Rodgers arrived. Griff needs to be a constant player to get the final product he produces. Tierney needs rested because burnout is looming as he hasn’t stopped for breath apart from injury. Lustig looks *. Playing through the summer has him at the end of season stage. His body has been punished once too often.
Broony and Jamesy get pass marks as they are the only joy to watch on the park. You can see them try and pass and run and be direct. Thank * Forrest didn’t leave with Deila when WE ALL wanted the wee man out.

Then there is the titanic battle of the management v boardroom. Let’s get more to the point. Rodgers v the board. They don’t want to give him any more funds. They are pointing to wages and new contracts, the size of the squad and what exactly they are getting for their money. They are pointing to output in funds going up massively eqch year. We can’t see it because we are failing to see any quality in performance or great players on the park. We are being failed by the board and management and we deserve much more and especially from the group of players selected to play. Brendan for all the trophies and success seems to have a blue print for how he wants to set out a football team. He knows the shape and style they should play. Problem for Brendan is, he won’t receive the funds to buy the right players he needs and anyone he can afford just ain’t fancying SPL action. Europe’s great but it’s a catch 22. These guys want to make a step up and play in knock out stages in Europe. They will look over our record and see no better than Rosenberg, Malmo, Young Boys and AEK.

Now what do we do from here. We don’t want to turn on the manager or the team and when you think for long enough the board are being cautious. They don’t want to outlay and outlay with no improvement and that is totally acceptable. It’s like when an American school gets shot up and kids killed. Trump shouts “more guns will sort it.” It won’t and doesn’t. We need to start from the academy up. If it takes five years to start bearing fruit then do it now. It’s what Tommy Burns was all about. Growing our own and a conveyer belt of young lads playing football the Celtic way. At the moment we are playing no better than the Partick way. Scotland schools and amateurs need to look at its culture. Gone are the days of taking part is brilliant. It isn’t because it’s getting harder to even take part. No clubbing, no drinking, no drugs (it’s rife among trainees and pros). Drill it into the youth the hard facts of how to make it. The league is full of average mundane players who eat and drink what they like. Start from scratch, announce it and the fans will back you. Rodgers will leave at the end of season because his hands are tied. And I hope it is with best intentions on both parts. Let’s take the academy up 2/3 notches of professionalism and to have all star kids breathing down first teams neck. And for * sake get the Tories out of our boardroom because it feels like a conservative conference is at play when it comes to incoming and outgoing of funds.
Mr. Desmond we back and support you. It is up to you to get a team and management that the fans and yourself can be proud of and be pleased to watch.