Celtic fans have a right to protest over Boyata and more but we should keep our powder dry - for now

It's remarkable, after two consecutive trebles, to be talking of Celtic getting "out of the woods" but the actions, inactions and inexcusable failings of some at the club have contrived to dampen the mood

amongst supporters.

One of the key figures in this unrest - though by no means alone - has been Dedryck Boyata.

Now, I am no fan of Dedryck. I would have been content to see him leave before any of the recent fiasco that led to him apparently refusing to play for us when we needed him most.

So, I sympathise with those who booed him during yesterday's match with Hamilton Accies.

Personally, I would not have booed him in the current circumstances, though I take no issue with those who felt it right to do so.

Likewise, the Green Brigade's banner declaring him unfit to wear the Celtic shirt reflected a sentiment that would be shared by many Celtic supporters but,which I took as indicative of their desire to be noticed as “thought leaders” as much as making a noteworthy statement.

On the other hand, neither did I agree with applauding Boyata's every early touch, though again some felt that appropriate.

But, more to the point is the elusive issue of what is best for Celtic at this time.

We have had a couple of weeks to not so much forget as to recover from.

Exiting the Champions League, a bad defeat to Hearts, transfer chaos, negativity and speculation.

But we have a crucial seven days ahead that will do much to define our season.

We have a job to do against Suduva on Thursday and, while we should be more than up to it, complacency is the absent father of delinquent humiliation.

We also have a match with our newest rivals The Rangers on Sunday.

And, if we should not define ourselves in relation to any other club, never mind one in its primary school years, it is clear to see that the fans of The Rangers, particularly those in the mainstream media, take great comfort from any perceived relative negatives that we experience.

So, while not one of those bloggers who would dare to tell Celtic fans that they have no right to protest, I would humbly suggest that our immediate interests would be best served by keeping our powder dry until Sunday evening.

What we need from our team is to settle down, calm the defence and get back to dominating our competitors.

I hoped for a better score against Accies but we got three points and a clean sheet.

A solid win against Suduva without conceding would set us up for the match against Steven Gerrard's super-staunch wonderbears.

Now, we don't know what personnel will be available to us and that will be significant.

But, if we have the luxury of starting with Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard, I will be highly confident of our ability to score against a much-praised defence that has conceded five goals in three league games.

And that is by no means to dismiss the considerable talents of Leigh Griffiths, who really should score his 100th goal for us on Sunday. I simply feel that the power that both Odsonne and Moussa possess should overwhelm most defences.

I don't know who we'll have at the back and I'm not sure who we SHOULD play (except for Kieran Tierney and Kristoffer Ajer - praying that we will still have both).

But the next week will also be highly significant for our next Scottish opponents, who will be returning from a trip to Russia that will be highly significant to their finances.

And then they will face the best team in Scotland, hopefully on the way back up and united both in the stands and on the pitch.

Sometimes, even when faced with legitimate grievance, canniness is more useful than catcalls.

And that's where "keeping your powder dry" comes in. It means choosing to fire at the time that suits us, not our opponents.

There will be time enough to discuss the villains worthy of our opprobrium from the early evening of Sunday onwards.

But, if the management, players and fans can unite for the good of what Tommy Burns famously called "the cause", then we should have happier discussions.

We're still the best in Scotland. Let's remember that.--

Celtic - we have the drama. Let's not turn it into a crisis

 I still think that we must be positive, even if recent events may have resulted in this article being "a little uneven".

Well, it is what it is, as Americans might say.  Our transfer activity has been disappointing, to say the least.

That has clearly irked our manager, despite what anyone tells you.

And I'm not going to become an apologist for any of this.

We should have done much better and, as a fan, I have been angered as well as disappointed by the failings since we won our historic double treble.

I am also deeply disappointed, though not surprised, by our Champions League exit.

Deep down, I thought that four qualifying rounds would probably be too big an ask.

And, faced with a squad that is weaker than the one we finished last season with, that looked likely to end in tears.

With adequate recruitment, we probably could have pushed through.

And there is little consolation in the fact that we are in the Europa League.

But we are where we are and we still have a chance to reset the surprising plunge into negativity in recent weeks.

And we must.

In terms of European football, reaching the last eight of the Europa League should be the target. That would constitute progress.

To do that, we will have to recruit quality players - ones identified and approved by Brendan Rodgers.

We all know that we need defenders, probably a midfielder and most likely a striker. (Persuading Moussa Dembele to extend his contract would deal with the striking issue.)

But the point is this: Celtic have prospered riding a wave of positivity since the day Brendan Rodgers greeted the fans as our new manager.

Yet, in recent weeks, the atmosphere has changed to the extent that everything seems to be viewed in a negative light.

That is not all the fault of the mainstream media, however much the established titles have actively lost the trust of Celtic fans through their own failings and often deliberate actions.

But the important thing is that it all plays into the hands of those who wish to undermine us and bring an end to our success.

And, especially when faced with real domestic challenges, we should not allow that to happen.

The transfer window remains open and the opportunity to strengthen the squad, meaningfully, is still there.

However, on the back of the John McGinn fiasco, the club has mired us in another embarrassing distraction over Scott McKenna, who, we are now told, will not be joining us.

There is still a chance for everyone at Celtic or who supports the club to rewind and, again, push a positive mindset.

And I believe that we need to do that.

What we have now is an atmosphere of recrimination, which I have done my small part in creating.

I still have little time for Peter Lawwell and his "plan" and that includes the recruitment of Lee Congerton in the "what's he for?" category.

People talk about Marvin Compper being a bad signing - Congerton and Lawwell seem to have contrived to actively repel players from joining us.   And, all the while, several of our rivals seem to be getting stronger.

But the transfer window doesn't shut until 31st August.

And so, without "happy clapping" or diminishing any of the real let-downs of the past few months, maybe we all need to contribute to the positive focus that has been vital to our recent success.

And, by "we", I naturally include Peter Lawwell and the board.

Those lauded individuals should be the ones to take the lead, face up to their own mistakes and prove that they will take all necessary steps to secure the players who the manager prefers.

So let's have an end to the insinuations that the problems we have faced are largely to do with coaching.

(You know, the people who question the "convertion" rate of the forwards while stressing that the defensive lapses are not due to poor recruitment but coaching.)

We need not and cannot go on in a manner that only assists those who do not wish us well.

We can all play our part in creating the most positive environment possible for our team to play in.

But we need to see signs that complacency is not an issue, either from the executives or that they believe that the fans will be complacent while they mess up.

The issues that concern us are real.

But we should address them in a way that makes us stronger.

We have a little more than a week to do that, to reassert our hard-won dominance of the Scottish game and compete in European competition in a manner to make us proud.

Those who wish to see that, will be the ones prepared to stand up publicly, instead of hiding until the storm passes.

We will learn a lot in the coming days.   --

Celtic PLC – Peter Lawwell Capitalism

I have never met Peter Lawwell. And I don't care to.

This is unlikely to cause him sleepless nights.

I somehow suspect that there would be a minimal interface between our values but that doesn't matter a jot.

I have no desire for titbits from the top table, the kudos of being considered "in the know" or being able to humble-brag about landing a high-profile interviewee.

As a minor blogger, I have little of substance to offer and, as a Celtic fan, my importance is inconsequential. Easily-dismissed, barely missed and of negligible cash value.

Like you – or at least the vast majority of people who may take the time to read this blog.

(I hope you will not feel insulted by my being so presumptuous as to lump you in with me.)

But, as someone with no traction within the Celtic support to offer, there are other reasons why I suspect that Lawwell and I would have little in common.

To do with Celtic – in terms of ethics, vision and values.

I should start with my caveats. I don't believe that Lawwell is incompetent or unethical in the sense that would debar him from other executive positions.

He's no Craig Whyte, Charles Green or Dave King.

I don't believe that he would break the rules or bend the law in the manner that people at some clubs have done and do. And nor, I am sure, would he sanction such practices.

But there are other values, ethics and even professional practices that are anathema to me and which I believe will continually hobble Celtic unless they are rooted out.

And that, I believe, will only be possible when Peter Lawwell takes a bite of one of those sweet, fat cherries that we are continually told are regularly dangled in front of him and brings his expertise to another club.

Apparently, there are many to choose from.

Now, there are many Celtic bloggers, including some which you and I know are "close" to Peter Lawwell and the board of Celtic plc.

These are popular as their adherents like to believe they are close to the inside track at Celtic. By being on first-name terms with some blogger, they may boast about "one degree of separation" from the head honcho at Celtic Park.

Many of these like to bring their own knowledge of the business world and the complexities that naive, plebeian fans could never hope to appreciate.

It's not "the economy, stupid", as William Clinton used to say, it's "asset-management, idiot", in case you didn't know.

Because, you see, there are things at football clubs that lowly football fans can never understand.

You may think that football players' primary value relates to their performances on the pitch.

Oh, how you are to be pitied – with as much kindness and understanding that will allow you to recognise your foolishness but not alienate you to the extent that you will stop investing in the club.

Let me delicately tell you that footballers – Celtic-players, if you wish – are like property (real estate, as our American cousins might say).

It doesn't matter how nice or impressive they look, and far less how well they perform their notional function.

No, you see – and don't be embarrassed (because a lot of fans are as misguided as you) – football players are assets to be bought low and sold high.

Stay with me.

Take Scott Brown. One major Celtic blogger, who campaigned against buying players from Dundee United and Hibs, considers the signing of Scott to be a disaster.

For years, the said blogger was advocating selling Scott.

Don't feel stupid if you disagreed – even the smuggest blogger in the Celtic blogosphere regularly boasts about thinking that Scott was a great signing.

But don't you see why signing Scott was an abject failure?

Yes, I know. In your innocence, you probably think that signing a young Scottish footballer with huge potential, one who went on to captain his country and our club to a historic double-treble was a success.

11 years of outstanding service, blah, blah. Taking his place amongst the Celtic all-time greats, yawn.

Have you no idea of how much money Celtic could have made if we had sold Scott Brown before he reached his peak?

Now, I know you aren't stupid enough to have thought that, because Brendan Rodgers clearly wanted to sign John McGinn (painfully great debut for Villa), that spending about a third of the fee that we recouped for Stuart Armstrong would have been good business.

McGinn was already a Scotland International and 23 – so not a young player – and so there may have been a limit to his growth potential as an asset.

These are just a few examples of Lawwell-omics, the view that the playing squad is simply a collection of assets to be managed –bought low and sold high – which conveniently makes Peter Lawwell the most money.

Is this in any way compatible with building a team and gradually improving, year-by-year?

Of course not!

Continually seeking performance improvements is literally inconsistent with managing an asset portfolio based on buying low and selling at peak value.

You see, ideas that you may have of seeing promise in the team and looking forward to getting a little better the next season – and again and again ad infinitum – simply show you to be a fool.

Like me.

A few days ago, I noted that no Celtic manager since John Barnes had been sacked but neither had any left for a better job,. That's pretty damned amazing.

Equally amazing is that none of these managers have uttered a bad peep about their time at Celtic.

There are various possible explanations for this phenomenon.

1. Everything was just peachy and these guys left for reasons unconnected to the activities of the board.

2. No outgoing manager since Barnes wanted to rock the boat (Wim Jansen did a bit of boat-rocking but only criticised Jock Brown. )

3. They all sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of their contracts with Celtic and therefore can't say that all in the garden is not rosy.

Think about the times we have had – the managers who have come and gone – the times of great hope that were followed by deep disappointment due to the quiet policy of managed decline.

What are your values, hopes and aspirations with regard to Celtic?

Mine are to see a team of players on the field worthy of carrying our tradition as one of the great clubs in world football.

I want the best players to be encouraged to stay with us in their best years.

I want to see us building on success, in a sustainable manner, and believing that the next season should be better than the last.

I want to see us supporting Brendan Rodgers in every way, particularly in his club-building efforts, and never undermining him.

I want to see us focusing on football, not obsessively on finance.

One of the biggest weaknesses we have, in my opinion, is the fact that we do not have football people by any measure working with Brendan Rodgers but, instead, have one of the best coaches we have ever had working with a specific form of capitalism.

You see, in my world, there is more than one type of capital.

For example, the people who buy season tickets, merchandise and plough their money into the club in various other ways, invest more than money.

To me, those fans who invest money – often more than they can afford – are also investing a kind of capital.

Sadly, it's the most easily-scorned form of capital, and yet the purist. It's the emotional capital of hoping that their investments in the club's vision will bring pride, joy and lasting memories.

But, as with the boiler-room scammers who robbed countless pensioners and other vulnerable people of their savings, Celtic's Peter Lawwell Capitalism cares nothing for those who staked their real money on an unreal dream.

And that is the problem for Celtic supporters.

The evidence of Peter Lawwell's entire tenure as Chief Executive points to a supporters' experience of constantly building hope, investing their money and being disappointed when things were really looking up.

Every tantalising dream results in frustration.

Again and again and again.

Would it be so bad if – this time – we kept our exceptional coach, Brendan, and experimented with a new Chief Executive, and one who doesn't make money out of selling our best players?

It could be win-win for everyone.

Peter Lawwell gets the money his talents apparently deserve; Brendan Rodgers has to deal with a "Head of Recruitment" he believes in and the club formulates a plan that sees continual improvement on the field as a good thing, rather than a reckless ambition.

Think about it – it's not so crazy.

Is it? --