Precious Cargo

Big Joe has followed Celtic for over forty years but he wasn’t a happy man when I met him this week. He muttered through his face mask at me, ‘Did ye watch that pish last night?’ He was of course referring to Celtic’s dreadful display against Sparta Prague. ‘A kick up the arse required for a few of those players,’ he went on. He then outlined what was going wrong with Celtic and pulled no punches. ‘Edouard- clearly wants away and not interested, Duffy, another player from the English league who thought Scotland would be a doddle currently getting a big shock. Lennon’s tactics are all over the shop and looking like he doesn’t know how to change a game. Don’t get me started on that defence! They couldn’t keep weans oot a fuckin’ close!  He finished with a warning, ‘If we don’t sort this out soon we can forget about the league this year.’

Joe, like many Celtic fans has seen it all in his time and isn’t given to overreaction but alarm bells are ringing for many Celtic fans over erratic form, dreadful defending and powder puff attacking. All of this is coming in a season which is weighted with historical significance. Only a fool would suggest Rangers aren’t a more solid unit this season. Their defence is the meanest in the land and they work better as a unit. They also have a hunger which seems to be less acute at Celtic Park at the moment. Anyone expecting then to collapse in the new year as they did last season may be disappointed so it’s up to Celtic to stop them.

At the start of this season Celtic seemed intent on strengthening the squad for a big push for the title. Millions of pounds were spent but that is only effective if you scout, assess and buy the right players. In recent times Celtic has paid big money for players such as Mulumbu, Burke, Weah, Bayo, Shved, Gutman, Perez De Vries, Compper, Hendry, Musonda, Gamboa, Kouassi and Morgan. None of them enhanced the first team to any degree. As supporters we’d all like to see one or two experienced, reliable pros come in to bolster the first team instead of so many projects. We understand Celtic’s policy of finding young talent, nurturing it and selling it on one day but in this season of all season’s we need good additions to the first team squad.

I believe there is a good team there, one certainly capable of winning the SPFL but it needs to be organised, galvanised and the dead wood shunted out the door in the January transfer window. If you don’t want to play for Celtic then off you go. We’ll find players who do and who have the hunger and fight required to wear the hooped shirt. Neil Lennon is of course feeling the pressure. One win in six matches is unacceptable at a club like Celtic and although some of his players have let him down, it is his responsibility to motivate and organise the tactical game plans for each opponent Celtic faces. The ease with which teams score against Celtic is hugely concerning and all good teams are built on the foundation of a good defence. Tommy Burns’ side played some of the best attacking football you could wish to see but it ultimately failed to wrestle the title from Rangers because all too often the back door was left open.  

Celtic has good attacking options when the players are in the mood and Edouard looks interested but the defence continues to undo any good work they do. Until that is sorted out the team will struggle against even moderate opponents. I believe Lennon should be given time to sort things out. After all he is one match away from being a Treble winning manager and has one of the highest win ratios in Celtic’s history. However, if Celtic continues on this inconsistent path until the turn of the year, the dream of ten in a row will be gone and most likely Lennon will be gone with it. Professional football is a ruthless sport; yesterday’s successes are soon forgotten if today’s results aren’t good enough. The rewards are high, Lennon will be receiving the sort of wages we ordinary fans can only dream of, but the price of failure is high too.

The Celtic Park trophy cabinet currently contains a precious cargo. All three major domestic trophies have resided there for the past few years and the biggest of them for the past nine. They won’t stay there forever but it is the fervent hope of every Celtic fan that the championship trophy can stay for at least one more year. In 1974-75 season Celtic failed to make it to ten in a row after a loss of form in the second half of the season. In 1997-98 the hoops stopped Rangers in similar circumstances on that tension filled last day of the season.

This season our football is being played out in the midst of a global pandemic and in empty stadiums. It really is the strangest season any of us will witness but Celtic must overcome all of that and focus on the task at hand. Sort out the best team and formation, get rid of those who are not committed to the club and remind every one of those players who pull on that shirt that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of us care passionately about our club and that they should feel the same. Save your angling for a move till the next transfer window, get out there and do the job you’re paid to do.

Playing for Celtic should never be just a job. Get the passion back, get the fight back and get the dedicated professionalism back. Otherwise the chance for a unique piece of history will swirl down the plug hole and that would be such a wasted opportunity.

The future starts today at Fir Park. Let’s make a statement of intent. There is a long way to go in this campaign so let’s see some traditional Celtic fighting spirit. We fans pour millions of pounds into Celtic to give those players lifestyles most of us can only dream about. The least every last one of them can do in return is to give 100% every game and demonstrate the same commitment the fans do.

We’re out here for you, we always have been, be out there for us.