Brendan, signings - and the "spectre" of Shaun

There's something oh-so-familiar about this close-season.

It follows a pattern we've come to know well. The team looks shakey - they come good - we start to look like we've got the makings of something with real potential - players become restless - we sell more than we buy (in financial terms) - there's speculation about the manager.

As ever, fans are divided. 

"The board's not backing the boss!"

"We can't invest for a manager who won't commit."

"Why are we hoarding cash in the bank?"

"Do you want us to go bust?"

I've been a Celtic supporter long enough to have become jaded by the whole carousel.

But amid all the angst, the navel-gazing and the infighting, something is going almost unnoticed.

The return of Shaun Maloney.

I'll make it clear that I like Shaun and respect what he has achieved in football. I have nothing whatsoever against him or his appointment as "professional player pathway manager".

And change was evidently needed in that department. In recent years, Celtic's youth development has been like a production line with nobody to man the end of the conveyor belt, while talent was whisked off by opportunistic clubs offering baubles and big dreams.

As with most things, that led to all manner of finger-pointing within the development setup as well as the manager "not giving youth a chance".

That's another conversation but there can be little doubt that Shaun, with his CV including coaching Belgium under Roberto Martinez while the country was ranked 1st in the world, has huge talent and experience to bring to the role.

But are we being told the full story?

This isn't the first time that Celtic have appointed Shaun to a similar role. The previous occasion was in 2017 when the first-team coach was... Brendan Rodgers.

Of course, things were different then. At that time, Peter Lawwell was CEO, not chairman of the board, as he is now.

There are those who will tell you that anyone who thinks the Chairman directly influences policy doesn't understand business.

Those people, in my humble opinion, are either liars or fools. You can forget about the extent and limitations of the remit of an executive role when personal relationships are at play.

Celtic tried an outsider as CEO - Dominic Mackay lasted approximately two months before he left in mysterious circumstances, only for insiders at Celtic to brief against him for failing to take Lawwel's advice in the transfer market.

That caused a ripple of disquiet before Ange started exciting us with some sensational football and issues like club governance seemed too dull to consider.

But Shaun, like John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan, is very much an insider with key members of the board.

Unlike most clubs, the Celtic board have kept an iron grip on the coaching team for years, with the core being board appointees, rather shaped by changing managers.

There can be a lot to be said for the stability that brings, especially with little interest in retaining ambitious managers, but it's also a strategic bargaining chip when dealing with those same head coaches.

It means that replacing the head coach is a relatively simple logistical task and that weakens the hand of someone like Brendan Rodgers, when the prospect of a new contract arises.

I'll come straight out and say it - I believe that's the main reason for Shaun's appointment.

"You want guarantees over quality signings and control over who comes in? Well, we've got alternatives to you already in place."

Many will dismiss this as nonsense but, from a strategic point of view, Celtic have coaching team in place, that could be headed by Shaun "on an interim basis" at the drop of a bunnet.

Add in the prospect of the up-and-coming Ayr United boss Scott Brown or - gawd help us - the ever-available Dunfermline boss Neil Lennon - and you have the sort of continuity options that would require Peter Lawwel to have his sheets changed.

Is that a coincidence, as there are again hints that signings have been brought in without the enthusiastic support of Brendan?

Do key members of the board want him to stay?

All will be revealed by the end of the season but you can be sure that those who refuse to communicate with the fans directly already have their PR ready for when he next "abandons" us.

Imagine starting season 2026-27 with the dream team: Head coach, Shaun Maloney; assistant manager, Scott Brown; team coaches, John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan; Direct of Football, Neil Lennon - all happy to work within the existing recruitment strategy.

The only downside is, of course, that Shaun's forays into management have been less than stellar.

But, of course, should he fail, Scott could step up "on an interim basis", with Neil as "a safe pair of hands".

It all makes perfect corporate sense.

Farewell to Kyogo, welcome back, Jota - and the prodigal son’s return?

Celtic fans are no strangers to the emotional bagatelle that comes with supporting the club. 

This week, however, has been a particularly bittersweet ride. The news of Kyogo’s departure to Stade Rennais has left many of us with a lump in our throats, while the return of Jota from the same club has sparked joy and optimism. 

It’s a strange feeling, akin to welcoming one family member home from abroad, only to watch another pack their bags, perhaps never to return.  

Kyogo’s time at Celtic has been special - at times, nothing short of magical. His energy, relentless work rate and world-class finishing combined with his humility and evident joy in playing in the Hoops to make him an easy player to love - and most of us still do.

Comparisons to Henrik Larsson are not made lightly, but Kyogo’s goals return and range of finishes put him in that rarefied air. He wasn’t just a goal scorer; he was a symbol of Ange Postecoglou’s revolution, a player who embodied the attacking, fearless football that brought excitement, trophies and great memories.  

It’s hard to begrudge Kyogo his move, if that's what he has to do to have a chance of potentially securing a spot in Japan’s World Cup squad.

But, personally, my instinct is that this move might not work out as he hopes. Stade Rennais, having dropped into the relegation places in Ligue 1, have struggled to get the best out of Jota, and their chaotic season doesn’t inspire confidence. We can only wish Kyogo well and hope he finds the success he deserves.  

On the flip side, the return of Jota is giving most of us the warm and fuzzies and feels like an encouraging sign that Celtic are not just a selling club but one capable of attracting players of his quality and price bracket.  

What’s even more impressive is the financial acumen behind the deal. To have made a profit in the region of £8 million over various transactions involving Jota, while still securing his services for five and a half years, is exceptional business. 

However, Jota’s return comes with a caveat. As Callum McGregor often says, there’s “zero credit in the bank.” Jota will need to hit the ground running, proving that he’s not just here to relive past glories but to create new ones. The same applies to Kieran Tierney, should his much-anticipated return materialise.

Speaking of KT, the prospect of his return feels like something that should happen, even if some reasonably question his ability to remain free of injuries. 

For me, like many others, KT never felt like he stopped being “our Bhoy” and if he does come back, it will feel like a longed-for return for a player who was only ever studying away from home.  

Yet, like Jota, Tierney will need to approach his return with the "zero credit " mindset and I have confidence that both can make it work.

The experiences of Jota and KT, along with the recent struggles of Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham, serve as a reminder that life outside Celtic Park isn’t always the promised land. (You can't get greener than Celtic!)

James Forrest has often spoken about ex-teammates who regretted leaving Celtic, and their experiences should serve as a cautionary tale, for all the allure of bigger leagues and bigger paychecks.  

Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from this transfer window is the growing sense that Celtic are positioning ourselves as a club to come back to, for players in their peak years, rather than a stepping stone to “higher things” or a place to enjoy a pre-retirement sojourn.

There have been false dawns before, but just maybe, there has been a mentality shift and Celtic are on the way up.

Brendan’s shot at Celtic fans was well off-target

There’s an old story — which may or may not be true — about Jock Stein’s attitude to the fans. The tale goes that a game wasn’t going well and Jock had chosen to drop Dixie Deans, much to the disgruntlement of many of the fans.

When Jock finally decided to make a change and told Dixie to warm up, the fans started to chant his name. At that point, it’s said, Jock told Dixie to put his tracksuit back on and sit on the bench — a strong message to the supporters that he, and he alone, decided who would play for Celtic and when.

I was reminded of this by Brendan Rodgers’s decision to berate supporters who chanted for Kieran Tierney during the win against St Mirren.

Brendan usually has his communication spot on, so it was interesting to witness the tetchiness in his response, after a solid win. You can argue that he was simply defending Greg Taylor at a time when he has still not signed the contract extension offered to him, drawing speculation that he may leave Celtic in January or at the end of the season.

Some will say that’s good management; that it’s the job of a manager to publicly support his players when there’s a perceived lack of appreciation from certain quarters. You could say that the message he is sending to the dressing room about having his players’ backs is more important than the signal he sends to supporters.

However, I can’t help feeling that Brendan has called this wrong on a number of levels and has only made a delicate situation worse with his strident comments.

Only recently, Brendan was talking about “narratives” deflecting from victories. Why, he then chose to introduce a negative post-match narrative after a solid recovery, following an abject defeat to The Rangers, only he knows for sure.

Was it partly inspired by petulance, still smarting from the defeat at Ibrox? It seemed a possibility.

Yet Brendan, along with others, has talked about the winning mentality and pressure to perform at Celtic. If fans are often over-the-top with their criticism when let down by the players, perhaps that just goes with modern football.

But Brendan shouldn’t kid himself. The tensions towards Greg have been largely driven by the player and manager themselves.

Greg has an important decision to make and he’s entitled to take his time making it. At 27, he no doubt sees that the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie and Kris Ajer have left Celtic to make excellent money in the English Premier League and probably feels confident that he could make a similar move to a team in the lower half of that competition.

In that sense, Greg probably feels it’s now or never for him. To sign on, I’m guessing that the main considerations are likely to be a long contract near the top of what Celtic can offer within the pay structure and that he will be a major first-team player in what promise to be exciting times ahead.

As well as these factors, is his position in the Scotland squad where he faces fierce competition and will have to be playing regularly if he is to have any chance of featuring in the next World Cup.

These concerns are all quite legitimate but, by the same token, fans tend to get restless when players fail to make the big gestures of loyalty that supporters kid themselves they’d all make in a heartbeat.

And, frankly, that hasn’t been helped by Greg’s form this season, which has been somewhat patchy. That’s something else that can come from a player having other things on their mind and, while understandable, isn’t helping anyone.

Then we come to some of Brendan’s own comments. When asked recently about Greg’s contract situation, Brendan was careful to praise his contribution to the club and emphasise that he would like Greg to stay. However, it can’t have been lost on Greg or his representatives that Brendan continually used the word, “squad”.

Any player with the concerns listed above would surely be concerned that that was code for saying that his position would be diminished in future. Saying this at the same time as the growing speculation around Kieran Tierney’s possible return was unusually tin-eared of a manager who usually prides himself on his diplomacy and media-handling.

Now, Brendan has gone one further and made the narrative around Greg being that it’s him or Kieran — which is not just crass but follysome.

Personally, I’ve always been firmly in the KT camp, though Greg deserves more recognition and appreciation than he has sometimes received. But, with Kieran still to prove that he can get over the injuries that have affected him (and that explosive power he has always carries the risk of some injury recurrence), Celtic may well go into February with a top fullback being managed into performance condition and a loan player while Greg explores pastures new.

That’s largely on Brendan, in my opinion. He  is often eloquent in his managing of sensitive issues. Sometimes, however, the great communicator would be well advised to heed the words of fellow Irishman, Ronan Keating: “You say it best when you say nothing at all.”