Forget the board - it's thunder time

I have never met a man with a moustache who I really trusted. Likewise a trimmed beard. One can argue all day that to grow facial hair is to accept that natural state of man - fair enough for those who accept a tousled mop in their custard - but the crafting of such as a bodily adornment always gives me pause.

The bible makes no mention of the Remington Beard Trimmer; no apostle is drawn with a Mexican handlebar. So when I see a man who has cultured his own lip rug my inner psychologist comes in to play. What's he trying to say? What statement is he making about himself. Does he think it makes him more attractive, more powerful? Doesn't it get crusty with snotters in winter?

And so, dear reader, I need hardly tell you that Dermot Desmond is a man of whom I have long harboured suspicions.

And yet this is not a time for any division amongst Celtic fans over some lip-rugged shyster or sharp-suited charlatan. There is time ahead for recriminations - for asking why we sold Artur Boruc without securing an adequate replacement, why chronic back pain should affect Aiden McGeady just before a Champions League qualifier, why we have a plethora of midfielders but not a proven, reliable goalscorer or for any talk of Shaun Maloney at all.

Celtic, and one man in particular, needs us. For sure, losing 3-0 away to Braga was not our club's finest hour. Nor, mind you was it remotely comparable to the Artmedia Bratislava or Neuchatel Xamax fiascos. But those who have given up do their club and its traditions an injustice.

Not so long ago, another Portuguese side, Benfica, was thrashed 3-0 at Celtic Park before returning the favour in their own ground a few weeks later. That is just one example of many occasions on which the atmosphere at Celtic Park - enough, according to Johann Mjallby to have had a seasoned visiting international vomit through fear of entering the arena - has been enough to empower our own side and crush the will of the opposition.

On Wednesday night, Celtic Park must play host to a good, old-fashioned, blood and thunder expression of united defiance. We can beat Braga by enough goals to go through and we must. For now, everything else is a side-issue.

And let's not forget the man under most pressure. Few have given more for or to Celtic. He served us well for years as captain of our most successful side for years. And let's not forget that he has endured the most vile racist, bigoted abuse for his troubles, culminating in his being attacked by thugs and left for dead in the street only to be taunted by Scotland's tabloid press.

Can we do it for Neil Lennon? Can we do it for Celtic? Bring them on.

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Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

John Lydon, 1978

Cast your minds back to December 2008. Celtic were Scottish champions and coasting to the SPL title. We played the R-word in January, establishing a 7-point lead in the SPL table. We were heading for a fourth title and bemoaning two title blips under Martin O'Neill that had spoiled what should have been a historic run of championships. All was right with the world, right?

Well, not quite. Few of us were actually fooled into thinking we had a good team. Complacency had appeared to set in at every level of the club.

Gordon Strachan had already submitted his notice (as suggested here), despite lies to the contrary. As with almost every man who knows he is marking time in a job, his demeanour changed. He was that bit less angry and more dismissive.

His ideas - when he appeared to have any – increasingly looked tired and predictable. The performances on the pitch were reflective of an attitude that everyone seemed to be guilty of – going through the motions in a slightly disinterested expectation of eventual success.

The team on the park was leaderless, gutless and lacking any spark of creativity or passion. The players turned up, regularly failed to win and went home, only to take the same approach week after week.

The fans were unhappy but there was little that could be recognised as a consensus. Some said the football was boring. Others said they were unrealistic and should be thankful of the inevitable title, however it was achieved. Some questioned the board's fiscal policy. Others told them they were the sort of people who brought Leeds Utd to financial ruin. Some feared for the future. Others told them the club was in the best hands but that average Celtic fans were too ignorant to understand the strides being made at boardroom level. Some were angry, some were bored and, frankly, some didn't seem to give a damn.

But we had one consolation. We were going to win the title because our nearest rivals were an abysmal team, almost totally bereft of talent, and in such a financial hole that there was damn all they could do about it.

Then came the long, cold January of 2009. It is a time that will live in ignominy in the history of Celtic. Rumours abounded that Celtic directors had reneged on promises to improve the team in the summer. The arrival of Willo Flood had all the impact of Neil and Christine Hamilton turning up at a charity event as surprise celebrity guests.

The rest is so much history – the title was lost, the manager vanished, he was replaced with someone who had just had his team relegated after the manager of Burnley turned us down (only to later be lured by the bright-lights-big-city of Bolton). And, yes, we were told lies about that too.

Well, the chickens have come home to roost. On this blog, I expressed concern about the sort of managers Celtic had approached, not even considering someone like Davie Moyes who was clearly interested. But, in truth, I suspected that they would get away with it.

I had a hunch that a new manager would see players more motivated, kick a few backsides, inject a few ideas and comfortably outclass the other teams in Scotland. Shouldn't have been too hard, should it? To outclass St Mirren? Or the Scottish champions who had actually got weaker than that side we were lolling past just 14 months ago?

For those of you who deplore the blame game, look away now. It's high time to indulge in recriminations with gusto.

I blame the Coolmore Mafia's Dermot Desmond, a man with an ethical business record that makes David Murray look like Richard Branson. Brian Quinn has not been forgotten.

I blame Dr John Reid, who spent a lifetime betraying and backstabbing political colleagues to get what he wanted, who had no qualms about killing children in an illegal war, yet has shown no stomach to fight for Celtic.

I blame Peter Lawwell and Eric Riley, partners in crime who have made huge sums of money while Celtic have declined.

I blame the players – nearly all of them – who have shown no sense of understanding that it is a privilege to play for Celtic.

I blame Tony Mowbray, who I urged to resign with dignity several weeks ago, and who appears to lack the most basic footballing intelligence.

I blame the Scottish football establishment and their friends in the media who perpetuate the myth that, just because we are playing badly, we are not entitled to impartial officiating, while another team that is playing badly is gifted points and has players let off scot-free after committing assaults just because of who they are.

I blame the Celtic supporters, who in five years under Martin O'Neill started to think of winning trophies as something that just happened.

I blame the insidious campaign of propaganda and disinformation masquerading as “independent” comment on a certain blog and I blame the adherents to that blog's “party line” who smugly derided fans who just wanted to adhere to Celtic's traditions, including trying to win things. They are perhaps the worst of all. They have embraced decline and declared themselves to be financial geniuses in doing so. Rest assured, the volunteer men who built the first Celtic Park with their bare hands did not do so for the likes of them.

A club and a support divided? So be it. Draw the battle lines, prepare for idealogical warfare. We must root them out, whatever the cost. We are not even serving in heaven, but in hell.

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Time for Celtic to abandon Scotland?

No, it's not that old “let's go to the Premiership” line that we know is not going to happen in the foreseeable future. It's an even older line – but one that seems to have reached its peak at the most improbable time – the relationship between Celtic as a club and body of fans with the Scottish national football team and association.

This angst goes back at least as far as Jimmy McGrory, the highest goalscorer in the history of British football who was awarded just seven international caps – scoring seven goals.

Many will hark back to the era of Jimmy Johnstone and deciding to turn their back on the national team after hearing Scotland fans boo a man who was acknowledged as one of the finest players in the world. Others will point to the absurd – the surprise omission of Kenny Dalglish from the Scotland squad coincidentally preserving the consecutive caps record of former Rangers player George Young.

Sit in any company of Celtic fans and each will have his favourite story of a Celtic player overlooked for selection (Harry Hood being a decent example) or abused by the Tartan Army at Hampden (too many to name – let's plump for Brian McClair).

Yet somehow, today's Scottish football hierarchy has contrived to scale new heights in alienating the Celtic support, discarding all honour in their efforts to assuage the ire of Rangers fans – within and without the Scottish media.

In the interests of accuracy, it should be noted that honour – or even basic fairness – have never been attributes highly valued by the SFA. In the 1990s – when Rangers were riding high and Scotland still occasionally qualified for tournaments, the period was remarkable for the national team's ability to reach the latter stages despite sudden call-offs from certain Rangers personnel who were almost invariably fit for their club's domestic and European encounters.

Far from being criticised for their repeated acts of disloyalty, the practice was almost invariably either dismissed as bad luck or seen as some sort of virtue: to lead the charge for Rangers but let the country fend for itself. There were no worse offenders than the future Scotland and Rangers assistant manager, Ally McCoist and the terrorist-supporting criminal associate Andy Goram, who were nevertheless reinstated without question when the glamour matches came around.

However, even in those days – when Celtic fans had more pressing worries – there was rarely the level of unqualified anger that has surrounded the relationship between the Scottish football establishment bodies and their favourite team.

Ever since the media clamour to sack the incumbent Berti Vogts and replace him with Walter Smith (with then media pundit Gordon Duffield Smith the vanguard Bear), the SFA has flitted between accommodation and capitulation to the interests of Rangers FC, regardless of the conduct of their officials or rabble element amongst their players.

Walter Smith, who had been out of work as a manager since his sacking by Everton 18-months previously, had clearly briefed pundits such as Duffield who were able to say that they “knew” he was willing to take the job.

For this salvation from football's scrapheap, he rewarded his employers by abandoning the country without notice at a vital moment in a Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. David Taylor claimed to have been very unhappy about the whole show yet compensation was never pursued, Smith was praised in the sections of the media that would like to claim to be impartial and the interests of Rangers were seen to be still paramount in 21st-century Scotland.

Back at Rangers, and far from having any sympathy with George Burley, (who had replaced another former Rangers manager at the national team), Smith's players continued the policy of his previous period of tenure – some selective withdrawals added to loutishness and malice to the point of sabotage. Some, like Kenny Miller and David Weir, continued to support their nation's cause on the football field.

But the scurrilous behaviour of Kris Boyd, Lee McCulloch, Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor would have appalled any Scottish fan who cared about his country. It appeared neither to worry Walter & Ally nor Gordon & George (Peat), who made occasional rumblings about behaviour being unacceptable before making Burley the scapegoat for all the episodes. Is it a coincidence that all the issues of conflict or ill-discipline in Burley's Scotland came from players of the club whose players withdrew from squads most regularly?

Given that Duffield and Peat admitted to meeting with Rangers officials to change the date of the Scottish Cup final to give Rangers an advantage in their SPL campaign and announced this to the Daily Record without consulting their members or the other finalists, it might have been thought that the Ibrox hierarchy would feel a personal debt if not one of national allegiance.

But the story of Scottish football remains that the Rangers manager is untouchable – by the authorities or the reporters like Darryl Broadfoot, well-known Murray and Rangers lapdog, who finds himself appointed as a media professional by the SFA.

Duffield and Smith are adopting old-time policies in a new media age, which makes their reinstatement of the Ibrox four all the more apparently an act in the interests of Rangers over Scotland. Their control over the referees seems only to extend to supporting decisions that have clearly disadvantaged Celtic and in the process silently abandoning the much-vaunted anti-diving campaign that, if implemented, would have robbed Rangers of the services of Kyle Lafferty and Nacho Novo along with Miller and Boyd.

In the face of media complaints – from hacks close to the Rangers manager – Celtic players are disciplined retrospectively with the SFA refusing to define the rules of procedure when Celtic wish to appeal. When Lafferty carries out one of the worst fouls seen in Scotland in recent times on Andreas Hinkel, there is silence. When Boyd elbows a player, the definition of offence is altered by the referee to obstruction, allowing him to avoid suspension, though a direct free-kick was awarded.

McGregor is involved in an “incident”, which he declines to report until it has been reported in the media, and Fraser Wishart – another former Rangers player involved in “fixture-gate” – decries an “assault” on a footballer “just for the jersey he wears”. He should be called as a witness as McGregor allegedly told police he did not know what happened or even where, frustrating their efforts to examine CCTV footage.

When the naked bias only involves tabloid headlines, we can choose to ignore it. But the insidious relationships at the heart of Scottish football are now blatantly undermining fair competition. For too long Celtic players have carried the immigrant's burden – having to try harder to show loyalty in order to earn an acceptance that is often grudged and rarely translated into “equality of esteem” as our ASBO neighbours might call it.

Amongst Celtic fans, it is always a contentious issue with many thousands born in Scotland every bit as passionate about their country as fans of any other club. However, the SFA-RFC-SPFA axis (with dishonourable mention to the SPL, led by another former Rangers player) has shown itself to disdain all normal rules of fair competition. The only pressure Celtic can exert is by boycotting the games – at least as fans. In the meantime, some of those hard-nosed executives and directors at Celtic should make their own voices heard in the corridors of power.

The inescapable conclusion seems to be that you can now support Celtic or Scotland – not both.
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New Celtic lies and spin can't mask abject failure

Wade through the euphemisms, the obscure language and the evasive waffle and Celtic's interim accounts, published yesterday, represent a total failure of the heralded strategy at Celtic Park.

So catastrophic has this been that, in any other company, the Chief Executive and chairman of the Board of Directors would be looking for new jobs.

Let's get one thing straight. Celtic chose not to invest adequately in the team during season 2008-10. Their rationale was this – that it would be in the club's financial interests to be “prudent”, to reduce debt and favour “banked cash”. Those of us who pointed to the fact that failure to invest in strengthening a defective squad would lead to us losing out on future revenues were decried as reckless or naïve.

The prevailing wisdom as espoused by that new breed inhabiting an increasingly notorious supporters' blog (it may be noted that an “independent” fan's site was able to publish the figures even before the official club website) was that this policy equated to wise stewardship of the club and it's much-vaunted pursuit of “zero debt”.

Well, while the accountants, the politicians, the spin merchants and their allies have been carrying on their programme of obfuscation, let's address some simple facts:

Debt increased from £0.97m to £3.13m
Turnover decreased by 22.8% to £36.11m

Perhaps it is time for someone at Celtic with the integrity, honesty or “moral courage” to confess that some of those fans who were so long taken for granted as fools, easily parted from their money, were right.

Celtic lost out on approximately £2m that would have been earned from the Peace Cup alone – due to the club's failure to win the SPL and automatic Champions League participation.

Celtic lost out on somewhere between £5m and £8 from Champions League participation.

The club also missed out on prize money that should have been attainable from the Scottish Cup and SPL title.

Now, while we await the accountants producing their boxes of tricks to tell us that around £10m in prize money and participation fees would not have wiped out £3.13m debts and left £6.87m over for player investment, let's look at the other elephant in the room.

Celtic plc – Dermond, Reid, Lawwell, Riley et al – calculated that they could pursue this policy and still expect Celtic fans to fund an approach that had abandoned the principles of competition, never mind the sporting traditions of Celtic. They were catastrophically wrong as attendances have shown.

They can point to the success of the away kit (conveniently overlooking the “international kit” that is unlikely to be needed any time soon) but more pertinent is the fact that increasingly the direction of Celtic resembles the flight of the bumblebee.

We are asked to believe that it is the “sustainable economic and business model” and financial stability” that “has delivered the continuing support of our kit manufacturer, Nike”.

And to think some of us thought that Nike invested in high-profile clubs with positive brand associations. We now know that they do not value a worldwide fan base and successful participation on the European stage but are instead keen to invest in businesses with the least radical accounting practices.

When the lies, selectively presented facts and evasion have passed. What will be left of Celtic?

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Celtic need a turnaround specialist

Apologies for the recent site glitches which were caused by allowing TwitterFeed access to the blog. Beware.


With the season – and any prospect of Champions League qualification – disintegrating before our eyes, Celtic need a steady hand on the tiller now more than ever. And with the latest rumblings being that change is imminent, it seems like a reasonable time to assess some of the likely candidates to take on the job, even on a short-term basis.

Needless to say, that means that the key man must either not be in a managerial job, for a short-term appointment, or must be in a job he could be tempted to leave in favour of a Celtic that is being run like a church raffle.

Here are a few of the likely and not-so-likely lads to be in the frame.

Wim Jansen
Don't rule it out. Jansen's one and only season at Celtic ended in a famous league title win. To do so, he took a talented squad inherited from Tommy Burns and basically just organised them. The football was nothing special and the team eventually stumbled over the line – failing to win two consecutive league games from February to May. However, his back-to-basics approach might be just what Celtic need.

Verdict: Stranger things have happened

George Burley
Not everyone's ideal choice, not least because he has been thought of as favouring Glasgow's most debt-ridden club. However, having been constantly undermined by the Blue half of the Tennent's sports sponsorship, Burley would relish the chance to cement his credentials as a coach.

He understands Scottish football and don't forget that his Hearts team was top of the SPL when he was sacked.

Verdict: Could do worse

Csaba László
Another man sacked by Hearts, which is no indictment of his abilities, László would be keen to take the job and knows the current SPL teams intimately. In his time with Hearts, they sometimes went from the sublime to the ridiculous but he has at least demonstrated some tactical awareness and motivational abilities.

Verdict: “Age and height restrictions apply”

Willie McStay
Long been rumoured as being groomed for the job one day, his first stint as a manager, with Ujpest, has been encouraging. Ironically, will know little of the current crop of players and has not really shown anything to suggest that he would make a dramatic short-term difference.

Verdict: No-risk option

Howard Wilkinson
Yes, let's consider a few left-field candidates. Wilkinson is not everyone's cup of tea but his coaching credentials are impeccable and he is the current chair of the League Managers Association. Let's not forget that he is still the last English manager to have won the English title.
Verdict: Safe hands

Kenny Dalglish
The last manager to have won the English title with two clubs, Dalglish infamously played a part in the John Barnes “Dream Team” briefly taking over as caretaker before being sacked on the say-so of Martin O'Neill. Some were disappointed in his time as coach but, dealing with an often fractious dressing room he axed a few stars and fired warning shots across the bows of a few others. He also had no fear of the Scottish media.

Verdict: Doesn't need the hassle.

Graeme Souness
And why not? Because most of us still despise the man? Yes, okay, but he's just the sort of person people turn to when they are desperate, though he often makes things worse. Would have to beat the R-word twice and win both remaining trophies to gain supporters trust.

Verdict: Aye, sure!

John Collins
Surprised many with his short-term impact at Hibs, winning the CIS Cup but leaving after a short time. Would almost certainly want to appoint Tommy Craig for his famed abilities to coach in the “pressing” game.

Verdict: Decent outside bet

Mick McCarthy
Wouldn't be everyone's choice and his relegation fight with Wolves would draw parallels with Tony Mowbray. However, he did perform very well with the Republic of Ireland and clearly actually wants the job.

Verdict: Unlikely

Roy Keane
The shadow looms again. What's more important – to be a good manager or to be a close associate of Dermot Desmond? Had a near miraculous start to his managerial career with Sunderland, taking them from bottom of the Championship to division winners in a few months. However, from then on it has all come apart at the seams, much like his adventure holiday as a Celtic player. Has a record of signing appalling players and is currently doing his best to get Ipswich relegated. Has also shown himself to be a quitter when the going gets rough.

Verdict: More probable than any rational person would dare to imagine

Paul Lambert
Many rumours that the powers that be have discussed the possibility of Lambert taking over, perhaps with Henrik Larsson as an assistant. Does a record involving Norwich City, Wycombe Wanderers, Colchester United and Livingston really mean you could step up to be Celtic manager? He has many admirers amongst the Celtic fans, though largely those who wouldn't know a pass-back from a pie and Bovril.

Verdict: Cheap, populist option likely to end in even more tears.

Roy Hodgson
Aye, we know. He already has a job, in London with a Premiership club. Hodgson has been linked with the Celtic job many times and his recent criticism of the “sugar-daddy culture” of football surely makes Celtic, where daddy comes home drunk and eats every morsel in the house, the ideal step up. Believed to be of sound mind so his appointment is therefore admittedly unlikely.

Verdict: At least he's not Sam Allardyce

Co Adriaanse
Yes, let's give his name a run-out. He has been keen to manage Celtic in the past and is currently in one of those “technical advisor” roles that coaches have instead of calling themselves unemployed. A legendary disciplinarian with eccentric methods, he has experience in several countries and won the Portuguese title with FC Porto.

Verdict: Wouldn't be dull

Giovanni Trapattoni
Everyone wants Trapattoni. The current Republic of Ireland manager is currently being courted by Nigeria to guide their World Cup bid but who says he couldn't do any two or even three jobs?

While those who dismiss the possibility think his proponents are living in Cloud Cuckoo Land, most have forgotten one thing: his wages in his current job are being partly covered by an Irish businessman; one Denis O'Brien.

And in what club do you think O'Brien currently holds about a 3% stake?

Verdict: Intriguing prospect

Slaven Bilić
One of the hot tips when Celtic decided to offer the job to Owen Coyle and then Tony Mowbray, Bilić has time on his hands, having recently failed to take Crotia to the World Cup. Very highly rated and thought to be destined for great things, he has nevertheless, never managed a club side but is an excellent organiser, tactician and motivator.

Verdict: Fate decrees otherwise

Leo Beenhakker
Another of the men perennially linked to our job and everyone else's, Beenhakker's recent failure with Poland did nothing to inspire confidence though he remains one of the outstanding coaches of his era. Famously decided enough was enough with our very own Artur Boruc and was described as a disaster for Polish football, which surely made the ears of our Financial Director, Eric Reilly, prick.

Verdict: Would revel in our Dutch defensive abilities

Mark McGhee
Yes, we know. This is what will probably happen. A solid Celtic man who played well for us, McGhee's famed lack of loyalty would ensure that he wouldn't hesitate to run out of Pittodrie without even checking that he had switched the chip pan off. You can tell that he scents an opportunity by his continuing reference to being a Celtic fan, though he would just as quickly manage the Huns, if given a chance.

Verdict: More than likely

Davie Moyes
Practically asked for the job in the summer but, given that he is one of the best British managers in the game, our leaders immediately discounted him from the running. Having seen what is happening with recruitment, he would probably have second thoughts about taking on the job but would be a wonderful appointment.

Verdict: Too good to be true

Mark Hughes
One of those much-touted British managers who has never really matched the hype with measurable achievements, Hughes is, however, conveniently out of work. There is every chance that he could turn the fortunes of the team around with the application of some common sense and a short-term project might appeal to him. However, there would then be the risk that he would be successful and the board would be under pressure to try to keep him, which would fill them with fear.

Verdict: Wouldn't say no

Steve McLaren
Gave us some great laughs as England manager, having been appointed on the basis of a mediocre record with Middlesbrough but McLaren has proved a point about his managerial abilities with an excellent performance in charge of FC Twente. Whether or not he would learn the language as well has he has mastered Dutch remains to be seen but the loveable prat of English football is clearly not a daft as he strives so successfully to appear.

Verdict: Bring your brolly, Steve

Artur Jorge
“... will today be named as Celtic's head coach, ending a ten-week search for the man to take the club into a new era.”

Verdict: Hugh Keevins vindicated at last.

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An open letter to Tony Mowbray

"It is not easy for men to rise whose qualities are thwarted by poverty."

"Hold it the greatest sin to prefer existence to honour, and for the sake of life to lose the reasons for living."

Juvenal

Dear Tony,

I rarely like to call for a manager's head, especially one that is such a short time in a job. However, the time has come for you to make your most important contribution to Celtic to date.

Tomorrow morning, I would urge you to call for a meeting with Peter Lawwell. At that meeting you should hand him your letter of resignation, stating only your willingness to remain in position until such time as a replacement can take up his new post. You should also make it clear that you will not be swayed on your decision.

I bear you no ill will. I remember your playing days and, though they were largely unsuccessful, you were always a committed professional and a credit to Celtic. In fact, that has been true of your behaviour as a manager and, while I believe your position to be untenable, I would also insist that you should feel no shame in failing to produce even a competent Celtic team.

I suspect that you have been working with one hand tied. Despite your claims to have wanted to sign Zheng Zhi – a decent footballer who nevertheless rarely plays – it was remarkable how quickly the Celtic marketing people produced a Chinese language version of the club's website after he signed. It was also a surprise that he made his debut in the most televised game of the season – against Rangers – given that he had come from a radically different footballing environment and local culture.

Strangely, when we signed Ki – another talented player, mind – there was apparent disappointment that he was ineligible to make his debut against Rangers in the next most televised match.

Okay, I'll come out and say it: I don't believe you have full authority in recruitment or even in naming the team. I believe that Celtic have maintained Japanese, Chinese and Korean players largely for the purposes of brand exposure and that these factors have directly influenced team selection.

It has been widely rumoured that you were unaware that Celtic had agreed to sell your then captain Stephen McManus to Ipswich and it is abundantly clear that you had no part in the signing of Robbie Keane. Of all the club's recent signings, I believe Keane to be the best and I for one am happy to have him.

However, it would be naïve to believe that this particular deal was not made at the behest of Dermot Desmond, who is assuredly culturing very influential alliances that may be extremely useful to him in the future.

Apparently you did want to sign Danny Fox, who was then sold in record time to be replaced by a loan signing, Edson Braafheid. Had you ever seen Braafheid play? He is certainly talented but far from being an assured defender. Had you ever seen Rogne, Hooiveld or Rasmussen? I am not saying that any of these are bad players. However, as I am sure you are aware, there is more to building a team than collecting players.

Who is the leader? It appears to me that it has been years since we had one. Surely any manager realises the wisdom of having “old heads” to help younger players learn some game craft. A loose association of individuals rarely succeeds at anything.

You are not alone in facing this problem. Gordon Strachan had Marc Crosas, Roy Keane, Thomas Gravesen and Du Wei, among others, foisted upon him by a coalition of scouts and executives. It was clearly this he was referring to when he insisted that at Middlesbrough, he was certainly not going to sign players he had not seen. For that he has been scorned in some quarters for signing players from the likes of Hibernian and Dundee Utd.

There are some who believe that the role of manager is unimportant – that he should just make the best of the materials provided to him. Those who believe that are at best fools and at worst cynical elements who will damage our club.

But, for all my sympathy – and I believe you should protect your reputation by revealing this, if it is true, rather than signing a confidentiality agreement – you have to take a major portion of the blame. The last straw was the substitution of Robbie Keane with 20 minutes remaining against Aberdeen. You must have been the only person watching that match who believed the points were safe at that point.

You had only to look at the fact that Aberdeen had been allowed to score twice already - against an allegedly full-strength side – to conclude that there was a clear danger that they might do so again. Before that, I thought that you would never make a more bizarre decision than to replace Aiden McGeady with Lee Naylor. How little I knew!

You have consistently shown yourself incapable of putting out a team that can control a game at its most crucial moments. Brian Clough always said that a team is at it's most vulnerable either side of half-time and just after they had scored. Why have you consistently failed to realise this?

Who told you that Marc-Antoine Fortune – again a decent footballer who panics when he has time on the ball in the box – should be your main striker? Why do you change the few functioning areas of the team from one week to the next? And do you really think that it was wise to mention Alex Ferguson's five lean years at Manchester United? Perhaps you have forgotten that we expect to win the league every year – especially against a club that is so debt-ridden that it is unable to sign players.

There is much that is rotten at the heart of Celtic and I feel sorry that your period of tenure is being tainted by it. I also sympathise with your disappoinment and it is clear that the Scottish officials are conspiring as never before to further hamper your ambitions. You are worthy of better. But so are we.

It seems that you are incapable of fielding a team that can match flair with the most meagre form of expediency. The problem is that someone else could yet win this league, even given the absurd points differential accrued on your watch. That is why it is important that you go now, while there remains a faint flicker of hope.

I sincerely hope that you will do as I ask and, if you do, I will wish you well. Don't let the fans' disappointment turn to bitterness.





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