I believe that the natural suspicion that the Celtic support has for the succulent Stenography Corps is rather justified.
In the era of fake news, a healthy degree of scepticism apropos the output of the mainstream media is advisable.
However, if the hacks report something that happens to be true then it remains true.
Anyone who doesn’t think that Brendan is fuming at the recruitment process is in denial.
Yes, the stenographers are salivating at the idea of turmoil at Celtic.
The thought of Brendan Rodgers clearing his desk because he hasn’t been fully backed by the board sends them into raptures.
That doesn’t mean that such a scenario could not play out.
For the avoidance of doubt, I hope that this does not come to pass.
I’m told that there is a serious Celtic sit-down today.
As it stands I believe that the relationship between the manager and the CEO has broken down.
To say that Dermot Desmond is fuming mad about this would be to indulge in severe understatement.
The root cause of the issue is the failure to recruit the players that the manager wanted this summer.
My information is that Fabian Schär was identified before the World Cup as a player who could shore up the Celtic defence.
Brendan wanted him and the club was aware of the £3m buyout clause in his contract at Deportivo La Coruña.
As with John McGinn delays cost Celtic a player that the manager wanted.
Perhaps the failure to land the midfielder from Hibernian was the last straw for Brendan.
I think it is fair to say that Mr Desmond is less than impressed that someone within the club briefed against the Celtic manager.
Moreover, he is especially displeased that the BBC was chosen for the leak.
After being doorstepped by Mark Daly at Celtic Park they are not the Irishman’s favourite media organisation.
At the time of writing it is not clear if this rift between boardroom and dugout is fixable.
If it isn’t then personnel changes will have to be made.
Of course, those are the sort of high-pressure decisions that self-made billionaires have to contend with on a regular basis.
For me, it is a given that the most important person at any football club is the manager.
Therefore, anyone who tries to undermine him is the problem.
A very serious problem.
I’m sure that Mr Desmond will be aware of that.
Unfortunately for Celtic fans there are some downsides that their team is run first and foremost as a business.
This total balls up has an accountant’s fingerprints all over it,snide cheap offers blowing up in your face, not what Celtic fans expect.
I am sure the numbers have been crunched, the potential expenditure versus the financial benefits and on this occasion the computer says no.
You might be losing games but check out your balance sheet!
So if Dermot Desmond is aware of this why has he not stepped in and either sacked Peter LAwwell or told Brendan to report directly to him when it comes to transfers. Dermot Desmond is as guilty by his lack of action as Peter Lawwell is by his failure to back the manager.
If Seville have made a reasonable offer for Boyata take the money and get him out of the dressing room.
His agents claim of his client being disrespected and promises being broken smacks of the De Canio, Cadete circus.
Get him out of the dressing room now.
As for yesterday Celtic didn’t play well but when the opposition sets out to retain their most violent team in Scotland title, with the referee apparently unable to find his red cards, it’s not easy.
Now that the Morelos red card rescinding has established that kicking out at an opponent, when the ball is nowhere in sight, only carry’s at worst a maximum yellow card, then it’s open season.
Naismith did it twice within the same clash yesterday without any punishment.
It’s a ridiculous decision which no doubt will come back to haunt those responsible as referees have to make split second decisions on whether the severity of a kick merits a red, yellow or no punishment at all……as Beaton chose to do yesterday.
I take it you missed Brown’s lash out at Naismith? Any player warranting the title of thug, Brown fits the bill 150%
Tbh Phil, i think your own coverage of Celtic over the entire summer has been a bit suspect. I lost count of how many blogs you wrote re ‘3-4 first team starters’ coming in and on the way and all being well at Lennoxtown as the Celtic juggernaut catapulted to another fine season.
Celtic have been reveling in mediocrity for years – YEARS – with the Club run strictly as a business as the product on the park consistently downturns, yet it is rarely criticized by those with the stronger voice. Instead folk, including some of your blogs, make excuses for the Board or publish good news stories (sound familiar?) to pedal a certain agenda. That Board is a disgrace. They were spineless in the Resolution 12 stuff which its shareholders and fans demanded action upon and the latest no-action on the SFA wee tax case is just further evidence of the Board taking the absolute you-know-what as season books sell out and club merchandise fly off the shelves.The fans consistently do their bit, yet season after season, transfer window after transfer window or SFA hiccup after SFA hiccup the Board lay all manner of good return to its fans as the alter of financial self gain.
We are all quick to laugh at the PR coming out of Ibrox and how it entwines with the SMSM but some of what you wrote over the summer rivals it.
I enjoy your blogs immensely and I believe you to be more often than not the first guy with his finger on the pulse when it comes to converting spin to cold facts over at Ibrox. However, when it comes to our own Club……. you’re an apologist.
Our transfer window has yet to end, McGinn was a nice to have, we have plenty midfielders so not priority, his transfer & EPL level wages may yet be required to bring in the much needed CB & RB targets without EPL competition. This may be PL’s intention, and may be justified in the long run. I think Brendan is justified to be miffed, but although PL has to explain his tardiness to DD in spending, Brendan should not have gone public. Celtic need to have the trinity, Fans, Team, and Board all pulling in the same direction to be successful. Some heads will be knocked together over the weekend, but it should have been settled before now, any lead swingers should be binned and the value of Congerton seems in doubt and needs settled.
Hopefully today’s result will not be wasted on the suits, but I’m not convinced that will be the case.
My worry is that when Rodgers called McGinn was he doing this just to wish the lad well or was it because he doesnt believe what he’s been told by the board about why the talks broke down and wanted the inside scoop.
I have no doubt the board members know business inside out but they seem to have no idea about building momentum around the club and the fans and owning the narrative. 3 months after an open top bus parade to Celtic park with treble tied up we’ve got Rodgers saying he might have to walk away from the club.
Saying this I understand Rodgers frustration but I cant support him coming out before the end of the window in the middle of the most important matches of the season and feeding the machine thats looking to undermine the club at every turn.
If your a Celtic player offered an extension to your contract or a player weighing up coming to the club in this window hearing Rodgers give the impression he might consider walking away helps no one.
If I was BR I’d want Lawwell out. You don’t lowball Hibs for John McGinn, this ain’t a Johnny Hayes or Willo Flood signing last year or not. Maybe if you cannot afford the fee you lowball us but Lawwell has £30-40m in the kitty and hasn’t spent a dime when you figure in the Armstrong and VVD loot. We saw today at Tynecastle how badly BR needed McGinn. Now Celtic are going to have to spend a lot more (both fee and wages) on an inferior player to John McGinn. On that I promise you.
Great article Phil. Celtic absolutely bullied today, defence was terrified of their players. No way John Beaton was going to give them any protection and with new SFA rule that a kick of the ball is ok (see Naismith on Hayes) it was upto the players to be strong, unfortunately they were lacking and it is obvious the squad needs freshened up. Dermot Desmond is now in the spotlight – will he stand up to scrutiny – I dont know. Ten in a row is on but fail now and it is an opportunity CFC will never get again.
Being fair, Rodgers hasn’t exactly had a stellar record in the transfer market. I can think of only two successes, Dembele and Edouard. I think the Man city players were due to Lawell juniors influence, Ntcham and Roberts.
Look at some of the others and they’ve been very expensive flops for an SPFL club. Sinclair, good 1st season, doesn’t want to be here and not worth the wages. Toure, waste of money. Gamboa, waste of money. Dorus De Vries, waste of money. Kouassi, doesn’t look like a player, waste of 3 million and the wages. Benyu, wtf. Hayes, definition of ordinary. Hendry, not a good defender. Compper, one game v Morton then nowhere. Waste of money. Musonda, Rodgers raved about him then never played him. Waste of money.
In January Rodgers wanted quality players in so they were ready for the Champions League qualifiers. He said he was targetting first team quality so he went and signed Hendry, Commper and Musonda. None of whom fitted that description.
Where he’s done well is with the players who were already there. I believe they stopped playing for Deila and just started for Rodgers.
With all due respect how can you tell anything by what the press says. Its all speculation. Who really knows who says what and if anyone is telling the truth. ( Phil aside of course).
What’s he going to do bad mouth all the players he gets? That sounds so inspirational. Talk about getting the best out of a player.
PS If you have anymore inside scoops please let us know.
I’ve been following Brendan Rodgers like you folks follow Celtic every weekend since he helped promote Swansea to the Premier League. Watching him create attacking, pressing, winning teams is the reason I watch football. If Celtic want to pull a Liverpool on him then I’m fine with that. You don’t deserve him. I hope that someday he finds owners and fans that will let him take his vision to the limit. I saw two seasons of that at Liverpool and I’m not sure If i’ll ever see anything like that again. PS, You haven’t seen it at Celtic………….. yet. I hope that you do.
One loss and it’s melt down. Celtic are there to be beaten and if a team stops them from playing out of defense, they go to pieces, as shown today and last season. It’s time the old school managers stopped being afraid of the Glasgow two. It can only benefit Celtic in the long run. The simple fact that Celtic can buy any player, thus weakening the opposition shows short term thinking, they need a strong League to sharpen their instincts and buying up all the decent players does them no favours. Use the power of wealth to improve without weakening the rest and they will improve both in the league and in the Champions league.
Good win today for Hearts and they should be getting the praise they deserve.
It’s my understanding that DD keeps in frequent contact with key personnel and the manager (Neil Lennon) so he must have been aware of BRs recruitment concerns and equally must have been given some assurances that all would be well.
He has been let down and he must be thinking how the hell could they feck this up.
BR going public ensures that if he leaves then PL is going down with him as there will be nothing short of fury from the fans.
My own opinion is, how the hell can they feck this up ? Whether PL does all the negotiations or just oversees and sanctions either way it is clear that he’s dropped the ball to the detriment of Celtics reputation and that of BR our manager. This could and in my view should be fatal. I’ve tried hard and I can’t justify the JM failure. It’s time PL was shown a new temporary office, I doubt he’d stay long.
I hope Brendan still can.
I am utterly staggered that the CEO has not fully backed the club’s most successful manager since Jock Stein. Equally, I am staggered at Celtic’s reluctance to pursue the SFA regards Resolution 12. It’s almost as if there are personnel who are uncomfortable with the club being in such a dominant position – and they have to go.
Once again too many changes made for the game at Tynecastle by Brendan.
And yet again a defensive mistake has cost us big time, Simunovic giving the ball away despite being in comfortable possession.
BR has learned nothing from last season. You can’t make that many changes and expect to maintain momentum.
We shipped so many points last season that alarm bells should be ringing, especially since we have not improved that defence.
Time to take every game seriously and get this 8 in-a-row.
I find the idea that Brendan is somehow to blame in all this the most bizarre of all the narratives among Celtic fans. The fault lies quite clearly in the boardroom. And I was completely unaware of the Schar issue (no pun intended) – I fear now that there are no opportunities. If Celtic had done nothing else than sign McGinn, a top quality defender and secure Edouard, I’d have been happy. 1 out of 3 isn’t good enough. I think majority of Celtic fans would concur.
Lets hope DD is part of the ‘sit down’ and gets it fixed….
If somebody HAS to go then I think it’s clear (not just from an emotional point of view) WHO it should be.
If Peter Lawell was to be replaced it would have no immediate negative effect on the performance of the team…
If BR were to go it would see us lose key players and leave the team in turmoil.
An 8th in a row would be very tricky indeed.
I fear that a negative outcome on Tuesday could be the ‘key moment’. …
….If NOT resolved urgently.
For the avoidance of doubt…I tend not to believe a word written by Scottish Sevco serving hacks…unless they’re accompanied by an official quote or interview.
It worries me,therefore, that Big Boyata’s agent has ripped into Celtic this morning…and it does seem to be “Official.”
Now we find that Boyata is “injured” and unavailable for today.
Any knowledge of this Phil…?
Lawwell is at best a two dimensional negotiator, at worst a pigheaded loser. A good negotiator would have looked situationally to the wider consequences of breaking the McGinn deal. There are many of them out there who would do a better job. Petesy has to go.
I feared Celtic’s transfer ability would head in a downward spiral when Celtic appointed Lee Congerton (Head of Recruitment) from Sunderland. The Sunderland fans were very happy to see the back of him and I haven’t seen anything at Celtic to justify his appointment. The warnings from Sunderland fans about how incompetent he is seem to be true although I don’t know enough of whats going on in the background to fully understand the situation.
The scouting department compiles a recruitment list.
Then the manager gives his approval.
After that, it becomes the task of the CEO to make it happen.
I was under the impression that the Manager highlights the area of the Park that needs strengthening,gives them an outline of the type of player he is after and then the Scouts go to work compiling a list of those within the parameters set by both ability and budget?
Only then doe the CEO enter into negotiations with the players the Manager then highlights (in order of preference)?
The fact our CEO had the cheek to low ball Hibs I think has pissed Rodgers off more than anything given that the CEO is one for sticking to HIS guns on not budging on price when we are the selling Club?
The decision on McGinn has already backfired on Celtic and Brendan as Brown is being forced to carry a problem whilst Kouassi is evidently nowhere near the level required to replace him in MF?
McGinn was and is.
Today’s result will only anger Brendan more and I think Lawwell might well be frantically working on the deals he thought were out of reach due to his penny pinching ways.
We have the money he has no excuses.
It is my opinion Lawwell has around 3 weeks to save his job.
True Phil; but if the list possible recruits is not as good as it should be, or worse, is skewed towards certain desired results/players then it could be problem.
Not saying that is what is going on, but that system is open for it. Also, doesn’t the scouting department report to the CEO or if there is an intermediary, they take their orders from Lawwell?
Something strange is going on at club that’s for sure. Be interesting to see how this plays out.