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.

Is it time for Scottish football to embrace new realities?

The would-be supremacists are facing up to life as Scottish football's Hunderclass

The dust is still falling from the Sunday swatting of The Rangers and perhaps the most remarkable thing to digest was how routine the 3-0 victory was.

Most of us have too much experience to take anything for granted in football but, for me, I was finding it hard not to expect a comfortable win.

I couldn't see how we could lose, draw or even win narrowly and the 3-0 score seemed to be the likely acceptable minimum.

For fans of The Rangers, it seems, the expectations were exactly the converse. The saying goes that it's always darkest just before the dawn but for the antisocial neighbours, it seems that the dawning was of the realisation that their position is now cemented as Glasgow football's (possibly permanent) Hunderclass.

Listening to the media phone-ins and post-mortem discussions following such fixtures can be a task for fools, usually a mixture of delusion and denial, punctuated with some genuinely funny moments of anger. The aftermath of the latest statement of Celtic’s superiority, however, had an altogether different tone.

Pundits had run out of straws to clutch and fans of The Rangers took to the internet and airwaves to declare their hatred and contempt for everyone representing their club and utter despair for the future.

Where once everything was an act of defiance, bloggers, vloggers, Twitterers and callers lined up to sing from the same sheet: “Celtic are superior in every department and the gulf can only get wider.”

Suddenly, the notion that has sustained Scottish football that it must be an endless duality between a Celtic, still unloved by most paid to comment on the game, and the indestructible, immortal, risen Rangers seems shattered.

Fans and media shills who could not and would not accept the fact of the death of Rangers in 2012, now seem increasingly resigned to The Rangers MKII languishing eternally in purgatory, ever looking upwards to Celtic revelling in Paradise.

If many Celtic fans who endured the daily “in-your-faces” experience of the financial doping years will be hesitant to display the same hubris that came before the Rangers fall, there is nevertheless a compelling emerging narrative — that, this time, it’s different.

Strange things do happen in football — often through corruption nodded through by authorities that are more than willing to turn a blind eye to financial unfair play — so The Rangers may yet find a wealthy saviour of similar character and competence to the rogues gallery that have held sway at Ibrox since the 1980s.

But, without moving goalposts to artificially level the playing field, the dominance Celtic enjoys looks set to remain. 

After finishing last season as champions but with a squad that most supporters agreed was inadequate for the challenges ahead, Celtic emphatically dominated the match with outfield players who had all been regulars when title 54 was secured. On the bench was approximately £30m of new talent, including our two record signings.

The game was all but won before Celtic paraded Arena Engels, Luke McCowan and James Forrest for his 500th club appearance.

With the transfer window now closed until January, it’s difficult to see what circumstances could allow The Rangers to close the gap and, with Celtic enjoying the superior wealth of the Champions League, the club looks likely to be set for further development over the coming 12 months.

Anyone who has seen a football club die, only for its imitators to be hailed as the real thing by authorities and media alike will know better than to take anything for granted. On the other hand, as an increasing number of The Rangers partisans are coming to terms with, the difference between our dominance and the old Rangers’ swagger show is stark. Ours is founded on a solid structure while their’s was built on sand.

And, if that does come to pass — “Espanyolification”, as it was once known or “being Everton to their Liverpool” as one desperate caller put it -- would it be such a bad thing? Paul Lambert may believe that Scottish football needs a strong club accepted as Rangers but their demise might well provide an opportunity for clubs from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Ayrshire and Dundee to find new opportunities and build something sustainable as Scottish football is realigned.

Before that is allowed to happen, we can expect the sort of dirty tricks that would put a referendum campaign to shame but, with fair play, it looks increasingly likely that Scottish football may have to be ready to accept new realities along with the surrender of the would-be supremacists.

No, Celtic don’t need “a strong Rangers” and neither does Scottish football. However hard The Rangers may scramble to reach for it, it seems that penny is finally dropping.

Green Hamas Banners and the banning of the Green Brigade

Another international break is past, another visit to Tynecastle looms, another Champions League week to whet our appetites - and what, against a backdrop of unspeakable evil on the world stage, are we talking about? The Green Brigade.

I've expressed mixed feelings about them in the past: I've condemned them, criticised them, praised them and defended them.

And all of that is quite appropriate. Because as for Oscar Wilde, the only thing worse for the Green Brigade than being talked about is not being talked about - and that can't be allowed to go on for long.

The last two weeks have seen yet another division based on whether the Green Brigade do or don't “speak for me”. Has there ever been a precedent for a fan group that quite deliberately sets itself apart from the main, diverse body of Celtic supporters and demanded that everyone pick a side? (Of course there were other fans' groups who either faded away or lost some battle for pre-eminence as the only show in town – but we don't talk about them.)

01.05.2022🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Celtic vs Celtic (Bhoys left green brigade) right fighting because recent comments in telegram chats https://t.co/Fjy3xrlEmQ#CelticFC #celtic #hooligans pic.twitter.com/bAmBfbNkv1

— Hooligans.cz Official (@hooliganscz1999) May 1, 2022

There have been statements authored by the types we all know. The people who call themselves republican socialists who don't so much believe in those values as they project them like vegans declaring the heinousness of carnivores at dinner parties.

And, all the while, they get the support of mediocre academics and white, middle-class fan media commentators who see their bread being buttered on the side that exalts cosy rebelliousness from people who would have to run to the toilet if they heard a car backfiring.

To the last rebel

Rebels? Really? There's a difference between being rebels and being belligerents; modern-day Wild Ones answering, "What are you rebelling against?" with, "Whaddya got?"

The views the Green Brigade claim to espouse chime with those of fans who see our club as being born of oppression, a reaction against prejudice, racism, religious bigotry and injustice.

Yet it's possible to believe all of those things without feeling that only the Green Brigade can preach the revealed Word; just as it's possible to consider yourself a Labour Party supporter who is neither a blindly loyal adherent of Jeremy Corbyn nor Keir Starmer - and maybe feel that you preferred something about the party in another era.

Their latest show support of the Palestinians would be laudable were it not for the sheer crassness of its timing and the manner in which it was done.

It's no exaggeration to say that when I woke up to the shock of the Hamas attacks, my thoughts were firstly with the people harmed and in terror; followed by a sickening anticipation of just how brutally Israel would inevitably respond and then, “I wonder what the Green Brigade will do to make it about them?”

Centre: Green Brigade banners and (l) Sideshow: Celtic players

They didn't disappoint.

Do people have a right to fly Palestinian flags at games or elsewhere? Yes. Is there a wider context? Also yes - more than one, in fact - but they are not easily conveyed with a spray-can.

But it would be unforgivably dishonest to ignore the fact that the Green Brigade's actions (at Celtic v Kilmarnock!) were justifiably interpreted as an expression of a palpable glee that Hamas had launched such an audacious attack and that many Israelis had been killed, wounded, kidnapped or terrified. There would have been no reasonable room for doubting that even without the “Victory to the Resistance” banners and – as appalling as it was ludicrous – Hamas-ispired flags.

(There have been risible claims that the green flag with white writing in Arabic saying "ultras Celtic" just coincidentally evokes the style of the official Hamas flag. They belong with excuses that the Totenkopf flag with "936", flown at Ibrox, was just an unfortunate choice of clipart for an ICF flag - in the bin.)

Let me make it clear. I can very easily relate to why many Palestinians, abandoned by what purports to be the civilised world, choose to support Hamas or, even if they don't, refuse to be drawn into condemnation of them. Equally, I can relate to the many Palestinians who are opposed to Hamas, tolerate them distrustfully or even suspect them of actively working with the other side. (Despite what some would have you believe, all of those views can be found by both Palestinian and Israeli individuals.)

As if we did not know!
Netanyahu: Money to Hamas part of strategy to keep Palestinians divided | The Jerusalem post https://t.co/V1CdsOMBg4

— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) March 11, 2019

Let's also be clear: there can be no false equivalency between the plights of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. It should also be understood that death, suffering, fear, and grief are universal experiences, felt as keenly by all, regardless of nationality, culture, or beliefs. Decent people should recognize that the victims of war have an equal right to compassion. This is a truth often understood by war survivors but scorned by armchair warriors for whom battle is merely televised entertainment.

And, just as I would never dare to condemn any Palestinians – whose connection to the horrors that are ongoing now, and who have been suffering persecution and injustice since their land was taken from them – for how they see their plight best expressed, neither would I presume that they must share my perspective of the issues that affect them viscerally.

And, yet, with their typical sledgehammer understanding of politics and war, that's just what the Green Brigade did with those Hamas banners.

They conflated Palestinian solidarity with support for a group that is in direct opposition to the Palestinian authority and many of its people. A group that controls Gaza, largely thanks to Israel's blockade.

It's as egregious an error as conflating Judaism with the state of Israel, Protestantism with the Orange Order or Irishness with the Provisional IRA – and we know where the Green Brigade stand on those positions.

But worse – far worse than that – is the irreparable harm that flying those banners will have done to Palestinians themselves. Why? (Perhaps this was being profoundly pondered as the spray cans hissed and the delicious prospect of being shared by Ultras social media channels was being drooled over). 

Because the major excuse Israel has given for blockading Gaza and intercepting aid on innumerable occasions has been that it may be a front for smuggling weapons.

Aid worker Mohammad El Halabi was
alleged to have funnelled $50m to Hamas

Right now – without exaggeration the Mossad will be paying close attention to everyone involved with the Green Brigade's “fund-raising efforts for Palestine”. Of course they are – you have a group that continually sings about the Provos, who were closely affiliated to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, another organisation that Israel and its western allies deemed terrorists. Naturally, the majority of the political sages in the Green Brigade are too young to remember the PLO's iconic leader Yasser Arafat, and most of them weren't born when the Provos officially disbanded.

The facts that Arafat was able to win admirers through his efforts to make peace with Israeli governments that considered him a terrorist or that Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness understood that ultimately peace must be negotiated would be of little consequence to the Green Brigade because cheering on the fight from a safe distance is more fun.

And this “football fans'” organisation which embraces low-level criminality as a cultural tattoo believes it can swirl all these issues into one big pyro sing-song and have their charity to Palestine waved on without a raised eyebrow from the Israeli security services.

Has anyone stopped to ask if the flying of the Hamas flag would be worth one aid package to Palestine being blocked? Of course not. 

It's worth noting that while many Palestinians interviewed in the Western media avoided criticizing Hamas, others did distance themselves from the attacks and express sympathy with the victims. Few expressed enthusiasm for the events celebrated so vibrantly by the Green Brigade. 

To require the Green Brigade's delinquent expressions as thought-leadership is both intellectually lazy and morally vacuous. (I await the charge of being a “snowflake”.)

In recent years, some fans have rightly complained about outrageous harassment from special units of Police Scotland. It's almost comical to think that some of the very same would be thrilled to be elevated to the status of a security threat by Mossad. 

Calling on the Green Brigade to consider their values is a futile exercise; they take such entreaties as personal affronts. But any fan has the right to say the Green Brigade speaks only for themselves, not for the club or its supporters as a body. 

Yes, they bring banners; yes, they bring noise and yes, they bring colour. But there are those who believe that should give them carte blanche.

Admittedly, they have done well in the aforementioned charity drives for Palestinians and others. Equally, the Celtic Charity Foundation raised £400,000 from one dinner this month and, across the world, countless fans have and still do raise money for charity - large amounts and small.

Charity is part of Celtic's identity and all of it is to be welcomed but it didn't start with the Green Brigade and it certainly won't end with them. 

The Green Brigade have been given privileged status by the club and, with that has come a sense of entitlement.  They seem to feel that they, and only they, have the good of the club at heart and that, coincidentally, is always what raises the profile of the Green Brigade themselves.

Many say people don't understand Ultras culture, as if we are all too insular to see how football fans organise in central and eastern Europe. We do – ultras culture is most often associated with the far-right that the Green Brigade so despise. It's also associated with the “not here to take part; we're here to take over” culture more often linked with clubs of a nationalist/imperialist agenda.

Green Brigade's IRA-themed Brendan  banner

Several of their banners have been out of order, not least when Brendan Rodgers had to criticise them for attaching his image to political messaging he had good reason to wish to eschew.

Unlike most of the Celtic supporters, they have declared Brendan irredeemable, not so much because he left as because they produced a typically childish banner after his move to Leicester from which they cannot step back. Because they can never step back: they lack the maturity for introspection and self-criticism, never mind accepting any from outsiders.

And outsiders are everyone who doesn't worship at their altar. Many do. Many have come round to the board's idea that Celtic is about atmosphere and being loved abroad before fielding a competitive team.

The sort who constantly post selfies in their latest Adidas kit – and doesn't it go well with the latest Stone Island range? The people who boast about how much they spend on merchandise and join in the modern football selfie culture. “Look at me – I'm at the game – amazing atmosphere – goosebumps!”

The irony shouldn't be lost on anyone that Celtic continually tolerate and try to work things out with the Green Brigade because they're a useful marketing tool, who the club uses like a minstrel show. It's one of those tawdry, unspoken deals that serves the interests of both parties – until it doesn't.

The board of directors have acted, with abysmal timing that appeared tin-eared as Israel's bombardment of Gaza escalated. This can be attributed to a "jobs for the boys and girls" culture within Celtic that often renders their media and PR activities amateurish and counter-productive. 

The board was partly motivated by the understandably hurt words of Nir Bitton and concerns for Liel Abada, who found himself in an invidious position. Unlike most Celtic fans, both are directly affected by the Hamas attacks and the ongoing war and they have every right to express their feelings robustly during this emotional time.

Due to Celtic being, as ever, behind the curve, events have brought so much misery to the Palestinian people have worked in favour of the Green Brigade. Most fans are no admirers of the board, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has solidified their support for the Palestinians. So, being asked to pick a side has had predictable results.

Green Brigade banned by Celtic for away games amid rising fine fears ⁦@NCCeltic⁩ This has been a long time coming. I was bullied out of my seat last year in Madrid. Unacceptable behaviour goes a long way back https://t.co/2CrbCG0Bex

— petrolhead biker (@PetrolheadB) October 20, 2023

However, reports of fans being bullied out of seats, ticket forgeries, and attempts to rush gates and burst open fire exits, among other transgressions, may leave the club with no choice but to take long-lasting action against the Green Brigade, irrespective of the fall-out for their show of support for Hamas.

It is their very determination to live up to the "last rebel" image that evinces the reality that they will never keep to an agreement. It's against their identity and recidivism is inevitable.

If that happens, and Celtic do draw a line, expect fan anger and a flurry of statements from performative rebel socialists. But the club will survive, fans will sing again, and perhaps energies will be refocused on the team and the football.

You know, regressive stuff like that.

With or without Ange Postecoglou, the future's bright - it's green and white

Celtic must make sure the achievements under Ange are the foundation of an enduring legacy

As we brace ourselves for the seemingly inevitable departure of Ange Postecoglou from Celtic, what matter next is not about the clichéd passing of the baton, but rather the enduring legacy he leaves in his wake. The squad's vitality and youthfulness, the equilibrium of power with our noisy neighbours, these are the true measures of his impact.

Unlike the aftermath of Tony Mowbray's reign, where we were left picking up the pieces of a

WALKING AWAY? What happens next is vital

disheartened, subpar squad, or the tumultuous times following Ronny Deila's departure, where a fractious, undisciplined dressing room overshadowed our championship status, Ange's exit paints a different picture. (And let's not even get started on the calamitous situation Neil Lennon left us in, with a squad of talented players we couldn't retain and others we couldn't shift even with a power washer.)

If, as seems almost certain, Ange's departure is confirmed, his successor will be stepping into a club that's in a robust position by every metric that counts. This isn't a case of a team simply resting on the laurels of a treble win. Even champion teams can age together or reach the end of a cycle. But this Celtic squad? It doesn't feel like that. None of our key players are nearing the end of their contracts this summer. 

Players like Kyogo, Greg Taylor, and Carl Starfelt all have two years remaining on their contracts, while others like Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Reo Hatate, Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda, and Liel Abada have three, and Jota and Alistair Johnston have four. It's also a youthful group. Among the first eleven's outfield players, the “ridiculously successful” McGregor is the oldest at 29.

That said, Ange would surely be eyeing a few of those players for his next project and one challenge will be to retain players and keep them happy and motivated for next season's endeavours. (Memories of Olivier Ntcham's lengthy dummy-spitting exercise after being denied a move to Porto have not yet faded.)

McGregor has emerged as a pivotal figure – the captain we all hoped and believed he could be after replacing Scott Brown and any new manager will have a captain they can rely on to keep driving the team forward. 

CalMac resisted the lure of the English Premier League before, after the departure of Brendan Rodgers, and we can only hope he would do so again.

Under Ange, our players have improved technically, tactically and in terms of the amazing resilience that seemed to take even the manager by surprise.

For me, it was telling to hear so many players refer to “hard work” at the end of our treble-winning cup victory. Yes, it's normal to refer to graft and sacrifices at such times but the fact it came to so many players minds – with Greg Taylor referring to his predominant feeling being one of tiredness – says something about the professionalism and application that has marked the past two season.

Equally significant was Callum's reference to enjoying the treble for a short time but immediately emphasising that the team starts next season with “zero credit in the bank”. This is the sort of elite mentality that should give us real confidence that we can push on next season, with the right boss at the helm.

For Celtic, it is vitally important that the next manager has modern ideas and methods, has a support structure in place to enable him to achieve success on his own terms and, preferably, favours the style of play that the squad and coaches have been working on for the past two season.

That means more of the approach that Michael Nicholson has been able to adopt since he took over as Chief Executive and steering the club away from the instincts that guided Peter Lawwell in the role, now that he has returned as Chairman. 

There are still issues, all the same. Last week Ange warned that this may be the most challenging window they have faced for two years because of the prospect of attractive bids which could tempt some of their key men. How many of these offers may come from Spurs, we'll have to see.

But we will also need either increased investment in the squad or a specialist in unearthing diamonds, as Ange has been, if we are to move forward, not backwards, next season.

If this is it, the end of the road for the man from Down Under, he has been an outstanding Celtic manager who leaves us riding high.

But, until we actually reach the top, we must - as a wise man said - never stop!

--

Desmond and Lawwell: the unacceptable faces of Celtic

Lawwell briefed every friendly hack, ex-Celtic employee and blogging shill that the supporters could stick their views where the sun don't shine

I freely admit that I've had mixed feelings about the Green Brigade.

They have undoubtedly improved the atmosphere at Celtic Park – most of the time – their displays are often magnificent and I generally share most of their politics.

On the other hand, I sometimes feel that they believe themselves to be the self-appointed heart and conscience of Celtic; they can be too eager to be seen as European-style “ultras” (with that “style” perhaps more important than substance) and their displays sometimes miss the mark, occasionally to the club's overall detriment.

I was not in favour of their “Time to go, Neil” demonstration at Celtic Park last Wednesday. Not because I disagreed with the message but because it seemed like just the sort of action that, not so long ago, ultras of another local club would have pulled to the great amusement of Celtic supporters, as another episode of the “banter years”.

But, as a fan who has had almost no faith in the powers-that-be at Celtic for well in excess of a decade, even I had failed to anticipate the extent and brazenness of the contempt that the Celtic suits were prepared to direct towards the supporters. 

Thousands of supporters had paid hundreds of pounds for season tickets for matches that there was never any real prospect of attending because they wanted to support the club through extraordinary times and help secure the ten-in-a-row record that matters to those of us who care about football. 

Many more had spent eye-watering sums on Adidas kit – which is lovely – but, unless donned by players performing to the standards that should be expected of a Celtic team, is nothing better than lipstick on a pig.

I, for one, was not in the least surprised by the capitulation to Ross County last weekend. Admittedly, I had been taken aback by some of the worst European performances in my lifetime, suffering back-to-back 4-1 defeats by a Sparta Prague side that is, frankly, not a good team.

But as a veteran of the now-infamous 1990s, I know a team that has the Indian Sign over it and this Celtic side definitely qualifies. When a team is in this type of form, naïve fans hope that one good performance will turn it around while others know it usually goes from bad to worse.

So, I had every sympathy with those Celtic fans who got off their backsides and told the Directors, coaches and players what they thought of the whimpering defeat by Ross County.

Were there some regrettable moments? Yes – but spontaneous displays of anger are, by their nature, difficult to control and the essence of the demo was to confront the many impostors currently benefiting from the cash eternally pumped in by the fans with the feelings of the majority of fans.

In response, Lawwell briefed every friendly hack, ex-Celtic employee and blogging shill that the supporters could stick their views where the sun don't shine.

So, my views of the latest Green Brigade banner are more supportive. I have chosen to crop out the image of Neil Lennon because he does still deserve some consideration for his overall contribution to Celtic.

However, he assuredly does not deserve to be Celtic manager. 

Neil can remind us of all he has done over twenty years and he is right. He has, in the past, endured obscene abuse for being a Celtic captain and manager who had the temerity to be an “uppity Tim” in a country that is still nowhere near as welcoming to some communities as many of its citizens would like to believe.

But that doesn't mean that he has the credentials to lead a club that its fans would still like to believe should be a major player on the European scene.

Let's make no mistake – this isn't about the ending of any possibility of a “quintuple treble” – and the quadruple is no formality. (If Ross County was Lennon's Caley Thistle, Hearts could easily prove to be his Raith Rovers.)

This is about an ever-more power-crazed Chief Executive, so determined to control every facet of the club that he has now sabotaged the dressing room. Anyone who has ever worked for one of those managers who prefers to sow division in their own department – making each appointee beholden to them personally – will understand how toxic and fatal to aspirations of success that is.

Lennon is a problem because he is not up to the job; though his reluctance to give up his last big opportunity in football is somewhat understandable.

Peter Lawwell is a problem because he increasingly appears to be a narcissistic megalomaniac, who would cheerfully watch Celtic disintegrate as long as his bonus was paid and no one challenged his monumental ego.

And above the two of them, Dermot Desmond is a problem because he doesn't give a dam about football, never mind Celtic, but sees the club as a means to getting even more money through getting Celtic into another league and turning his investment from lead into gold.

Much is unacceptable about Celtic now – the performances, the professionalism, the attitude of some players, the coaching set-up and the manager.

If there is another demo at Celtic Park on Sunday, the main targets will be Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond – the real unacceptable faces of Celtic Football Club.--

Tom Rogic - the Magic Man conjured wonderful memories

The news that Tom Rogic is heading off to Qatar will not fill many Celtic fans with great joy.

But I think that many will feel a certain sense of satisfaction and happiness at a signing who worked very well for us and delivered some fantastic moments getting a move that will probably suit his body as much as his wallet at this stage of career.

If completed, the move should suit all parties and thinking of Tom's Celtic career will be a time to "smile because it happened".

When Tom arrived at Celtic from Central Coast Mariners in 2013 few fans could claim to know anything about him.

If any were inclined to look for mystical signs, they may have thought back to Celtic's previous Australian of Balkan descent Mark Viduka - who came, went away again, came back, delivered and left - admittedly for big money - but under a cloud.

(Most of us who remember both players in the Hoops will overwhelmingly agree that Rogic will be the more fondly remembered and the more sadly missed.)

Tom's arrival initially had all the hallmarks of a speculative development move and the early days didn't give many signs of what was to come.

It wasn't really until Ronnie Deila joined Celtic - and after some intensive physio and coaching - that Celtic fans began to see just why the Magic Man had been brought to the club.

We discovered a first touch that would be the envy of many a top quality footballer, balance, two-footedness, upper body strength, wonderful close control and the kind of vision that allowed him to create threaded chances and finish with both feet.

But when he returned to Australia on loan to Melbourne Victory in 2014, a lot of us thought we might never see him at Celtic again.

But he returned and showed the old-fashioned guts and determination needed to prove that he could more than just cut it at Celtic and shine.

Yes, injuries and physical endurance issues would often be a footnote when discussing what Tom could ultimately achieve but, for Celtic fans, I believe there was a silver lining in that.

There was a very good reason why Brendan Rodgers persisted in playing Rogic for 60-minute stints in his most successful time at Celtic and it was the same reason I believe we have been able to retain Tom for the seven years he has remained.

Quite simply Rodgers recognised that Tom had few peers in the Scottish game when it came to ability.

And I believe that, had he not had the physical issues (which were none of his his doing), he would have been playing at a high level in one of the "Big Five" leagues long before now.

Rogic had and has Champions League ability but was simply not blessed with the physique to maintain it for an intense 90 minutes, twice a week, for a full season.

Ultimately that bad luck benefited Celtic as he possesses the quality that we could rarely afford to buy and keep for long.

If he does complete his moved to Qatar it will be with the best wishes of the fans and gratitudefor the memories  - none of which are greater than that incredible moment where lightning struck as he scored the goal that secured our treble in 2017.

As a crowning moment to his most exceptional season in green and white, that would take some beating.

Thanks Tom and all the best. Don't be a stranger to Celtic Park.

Who will be the next Celtic manager? The tan and teeth guide to following Brendan Rodgers

It's that time again - and it will probably last for three months.

It's the time when every loon, attention-seeker and "in the know" tosser gives their tuppenceworth on who should be the next permanent manager of Celtic.

Many of the would say that I know little to nothing about football. But I would counter that that makes me as qualified as the most successful football pundits in Scotland, so why not share my wisdom?

(Rather depressingly, many of the names below have been literally copied and pasted from a previous article on this site, at the end of the Ronny Deila era.

So, here goes:

Neil Lennon
Like the vast majority of Celtic fans, I have admired Neil as a player and coach since he was first signed by Martin O'Neill.

That said, I was against his appointment first time round (due to his inexperience) and I wasn't convinced that he would be a huge success when he left us.

But his time with Hibs seemed to demonstrate that he had far greater tactical knowledge than I had given him credit for.

Perhaps being with Hibs, not Celtic, he was more likely to be questioned on what happened in games than pressed for a big headline or perhaps he has just developed but he seems to have shown that he can evolve as a coach, which is a vital quality.

He has also, of course, won three titles and experienced the best and worst that the job can bring.

My personal view: still tending against it but softening somewhat (more on that later.

John Kennedy
There have been rumours that Kennedy is highly regarded by both the players and the board. But is he ready for the big job right now? Probably not.

Marco Rose
One of the more intriguing suggestions. He has worked wonders with Red Bull Salzburg, who took maximum points from our Europa group.

Salzburg also work with a limited budget in a minor league, but with world-leading facilities.

It would be a huge coup but the Bundesliga surely awaits him very soon.

Roberto Martinez
Has been linked before and heavily touted as a candidate.

After a very successful World Cup with Belgium, his stock is high and would be a candidate for any number of top clubs.

Still, he has Shaun Maloney in his coaching staff.

Mark Hughes
The English football pundits' idea of a football manager.

That's why he should manage a team in the lower half of the Premier league or the Championship.

Doesn't know how to smile.

Steve Bruce
See the entry for Mark Hughes above.

Jack Ross
Doing a solid job with Sunderland having been Scotland's manager of the year, last season.

He certainly talks the talk but would be a huge gamble.

John Collins
Absolutely not. Collins has the air of a self-annointed aristocrat of football. Rumours of him rubbing people up the wrong way seem all too credible because he just exudes smugness.

Plus, we must be careful of making white teeth and a permatan a tradition in our managers.

David Moyes
Moyes might well do a good job but he has spent the years since leaving Everton, for the most part, making his own club's supporters cry. I don't think so.

Gordon Strachan
It seems that Gordon probably has no appetite for the intense pressure of the Celtic job again. So, that rules him out.

Martin O'Neill
No doubt he could deliver titles again and may even be tempted to leave the bright lights of Nottingham but it would be very much back to Martin's way, which is not going to progress the club.

Plus, he would bring Roy Keane.

Roy Keane
Let's hope not! The man punches people who ask for his autograph.

In his second autobiography (because one is never enough) he stated that going to Ipswich was a mistake because, having taken the job, he discovered that he couldn't motivate himself to put his heart into a team in blue.

He should be in a secure unit on an island somewhere.

Mick McCarthy
Good old mick. I have a soft spot for him and he gives the impression that he would nut a lamppost if it caught him on a bad day.

I'm not sure that's what the coaching blend needs right now.

Henrik Larsson
Not this again! We all love him and respect him utterly. Let's keep it that way.

Alan Stubbs
He'll reckon he could do the job but recent evidence is that he's a far better pundit than a manager.

Steven Gerrard
On the plus side, he both knows Rodgers's methods and has experience of breaking his heart.

Negatives (too numerous to list) include the fact that he thinks £1m is an eight-figure sum.

Derek McInnes
When hell freezes over.

Michael O'Neill
No doubt his name will crop up again and I wouldn't put it past the board. He's good at what he does with meagre resources but it would be suffocating football.

Malky Mackay
A name only suggested by a mainstream media pundit to stir things up. He would be a PR disaster and has a reputation for liking to spend on players.
But you can bank on his CV already being in.
No.

Steve Clarke
A popular choice who has apparently said that he doesn't want another job in Scotland.

Probably would be very successful and has excellent credentials.

Steve McLaren
Just the sort of tosser Celtic plc would like to foist on us, accompanied by a puff piece on a well-known blog, telling us how smart a move it is.

Paul Lambert
That guy who will always believe that he is a much better manager than he is. He should be managing Aberdeen or a club of similar stature.

Owen Coyle
Would bring all that Bolton and Raith Rovers experience - and appoint someone like Lambert as part of his "dream team".

Jose Mourinho
Made a comment about Rodgers having left at the wrong time and started an Internet rumour in the process. It's one of the more fun rumours but a non-starter.

Arsene Wenger
Let's stick with the silliness. He can certainly coach players, has big-time experience and might even see Celtic as a stepping stone to Leicester some day.

In reality, he'd probably prefer to manage a French or maybe Belgian club and there would be no shortage of offers.

China or the MLS would also be more likely than Celtic.

So, that's just a few of the people who probably have no chance of being the next permanent Celtic manager.

But, going back to Neil, there is a possible scenario in which his appointment works.

I hope for a management team that can retain the best elements of the Rodgers reign but with greater tactical flexibility, the ability to compete in Europe while entertaining without being kicked off the park.

Having worked with Rodgers for two-and-a-half years, John Kennedy will have retained the knowledge of the good things he did - top-level training/coaching, analysis, etc.

But Neil is probably better tactically, equally good at motivating players and has the experience of being in the firing line but delivering a winning team.

So, maybe the Lennon-Kennedy partnership could work for, say two years, with a view to readying John for the big job.

Shaun Maloney might also be enticed to join, bringing his experience of working with Roberto Martinez.

Why not develop a high-tech "boot room" combining all the elements that a modern club - but identifiably Celtic - needs?

If Neil were to agree to step aside in May 2021, the next man to join the group could be Scott Brown, with the hope of three-to-five successful years under Kennedy to prepare him for the job.

The downsides could be that it would look like "all Lawwell's men" and that these plans are never guaranteed to succeed.

However, I'm convinced that we need the above elements and we are unlikely to recruit someone who brings all of them.

So, to quote a famous advert, "It's a long shot but it might just work."

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? --

We all love Emilio - but Izzy the answer for Celtic?

After a trying week for Celtic, one piece of news with the feelgood factor was the return of Emilio Izaguirre as cover for Kieran Tierney at left-back.

It's not at all hard to love Izzy and most fans do.

A player who is never gave less than his all (as he noted himself) those years of flying down the left wing have not been forgotten by the fans and he left to real affection and well-wishing from the supporters.

That's all well and good and I'm happy for him as he seems so pleased to have made his return.

From a football point of view, however, I'm not sure quite what this tells us about recruitment policy at the club.

Those who remember Izzy's early days will recall the expectation that those exciting early displays would lead to big-money bids from English clubs (with speculation that Manchester United were considering a move).

But, such is the power of social media that before long the wise amongst us were mostly agreeing online that there was a problem with his positional sense.

For my part, I predicted that Izzy would leave as, fine player that he is, I couldn't see him fitting into Brendan Rodgers's style of play.

His running and crossing can be excellent - he could easily have found a place in Martin O'Neill's Celtic teams - but I didn't think his touch was quite right for the quick passing that Brendan favours.

So, what has changed?

Was it a blunder to let him go and did Brendan really rate him and want to keep him? (He will have made good money in Saudi Arabia and good luck to him for that.)

Or is there more to the move than meets the eye?

Calvin Miller has looked promising but, at 20, is perhaps not considered ready to be considered as reliable cover for that 21-year-old veteran Kieran.

That's fair enough and if the Izzy move is to take pressure off Calvin while Kieran remains as our left-back, then we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

But let's be clear about something.

Having Izzy supporting Kieran is fine. Bringing back a popular player because, for example, Kieran might be sold is not fine at all.

We can all make mistakes and reversing a bad decision (if that's what letting Izzy go was) is smarter than ploughing on, rather than admitting a mistake.

But two days after Brendan expressed his displeasure at missing out on John McGinn, there is room for scepticism as to whether bringing Izzy back is a move that Brendan really wanted or an admission that Peter Lawwell and the board have no intention of supporting Brendan in terms of developing the squad.

So, who signed Izzy - Brendan or Peter?

And, if the answer is the latter, then no amount of love for Izzy is going to bring us much joy in the time to come.
--

Celtic in Crisis? No, but bad omens after Lawwell loses John McGinn poker game

Too often blaming the mainstream media gives an easy out to Peter Lawwell and the Celtic board. We could lose Brendan Rodgers

Commodities

I once watched a documentary about craftsmanship in which a man proudly showed off one of his greenwood chairs. (A traditional method of woodworking using the natural moisture of the wood to create strong joints without glue or  metal.)

"That costs £700," he told the shocked person who inquired.

As justification, he said: "Well, I like to try to pay myself £10 an hour and it takes me 70 hours to make one chair."

Fair enough but when you can get a functional chair from IKEA for one twentieth of that price - both of which will support your backside quite acceptably, it's a tough sell.

But for some, only the greenwood chair would do while others will shell out even more for the one-off designer seat that captures their heart.

Now before you kindly offer help in recovering my marbles, let me say that I do realise that footballers are different to chairs in a number of key ways.

Firstly, they are people, not commodities, though the archaic transfer system might lead you to think otherwise.

Secondly, they have minds of their own and are capable of making their own decisions.

But, as a third point, footballers have something in common with any other item for sale - they are worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for them.

It is not clear that Peter Lawwell or the Celtic board recognise any of these key points. And that's a problem - perhaps a big one.

The John McGinn saga is one of the sorriest Celtic affairs of recent times, though by no means

without precedent.

Steven Fletcher and Kevin Thomson both spring to mind as players who the manager clearly wanted but who Lawwell either thought surplus to requirements or that he had a better-value alternative on hand.

With McGinn, you have read many unqualified opinions on the player's ability or lack of it - including from this blogger.

But a more expert opinion was apparently scorned - that of our manager Brendan Rodgers.

And, even if you have already declared McGinn of insufficient quality to get a game for Celtic, that should give you cause for concern.

The pluck of the Irish 

I have already put my  hands up to the fact that I was totally wrong about Brendan Rodgers before he took the reins at Celtic.

I could make excuses but the fact is that I didn't rate him as a candidate. And that causes me embarrassment. Because I really should have informed myself better, with a more open mind, and recognised just how good Brendan was and is.

We are extremely lucky to have him at Celtic and the shakers and movers at just about every switched-on club in Europe see that, too.

We have had a lot of excellent coaches in many ways but, in terms of being at the cutting edge of top-level football knowledge, I have no hesitation in saying that Brendan is our most outstanding manager since Jock Stein.

Anyone who reads this blog (and, if we can get the numbers, we might get a five-a-side team going) will, I hope,  realise that, while  not shy with my opinions, I rarely indulge in hyperbole.

But, as an admirer of Martin  O'Neill, Gordon Strachan, Neil Lennon and - yes - Ronny Deila, I have seen a level of coaching at Celtic that we would have been highly unlikely to have enjoyed had we not been a magical club who just happened to have a real Celtic man - a genuine one of our own - amongst the top tier of coaches.

The media will conveniently forget that the fantabulous Steven Gerrard, having played under Houllier, Eriksson, Capello and many more described our Brendan as the best one-to-one coach he had ever worked with.

But now, I fear, that's under threat.

3-5-7

When Brendan took over at Celtic, I listened to his interviews and he talked of having been "in a hurry", as young men usually are, in his earlier coaching career.

It was wonderful - let's not forget that he was made the bookies' second-favourite to be the next England manager within a couple of weeks of signing on at Celtic.

So, that, logically, brought the  numbers of 3, 5 and 7 to my mind.

If true to his word, he saw the Celtic job as lasting a minimum of three years - anything less would be consistent with a "man in a hurry", itching to get his next big opportunity.

As a coach and manager who has a reputation as seeing himself as a club-builder, five years would seem a more likely period in the job.

And, as Brendan has also said that he expects to be a coach for more than 20 years, a productive five years at Celtic seemed a solid prospect. Club-building, you see, involves player development with a view to the future.

To leave a club with a solid foundation for the future and to lay the groundwork for replacing a legendary captain over the next three or four years. Leaving something lasting.

For example, signing the player who Scott Brown himself praised to the heavens just a couple of weeks ago. Less secure players than Scott might have felt threatened by efforts to recruit a footballer who is so often compared to the great man himself.

But Scott signalled that there would be no tension between himself and John McGinn.

Can you see just how much McGinn was wanted by the football people at Celtic?

(For my part, I'll say that we might just have lost the captain of Celtic in 2021-2025).

My expectation was for a three-to-five-year tenure of Brendan. My wildest dreams were of seven years.

I dream of that no more.

Language, Timothy! 

Now, while the search facility offers copious evidence of my complaints against the Celtic board and Chief Executive - the vast majority of which I stand by - I am as sceptical of and hostile to the mainstream media shills who often do, in fact, mischievously sow the seeds of grief amongst Celtic supporters.

I've slagged almost all of them and, again I stand by almost all of it.

This week, the BBC's Chris McLaughlin was getting it for saying that the board were unhappy with Brendan's comments on the transfer window activity.

But, while I am decidedly NOT one of those "in the know" bloggers with impeccably-placed sources, dear reader, I do know a few things beyond the fiduciary duty of other clubs' executives (I know you read it, guys, because you parrot it occasionally with never a "chapeau".)

One of my interests is in the art of coaching, to which end I have read several biographies and autobiographies of football managers.

A recurring theme that I have noticed, from Alex Ferguson down (in the modern era) and from all the great Celtic managers is the importance of psychology.

And I can say, without fear of reasonable rebuke, that there is no manager in football more aware of the weight that his words carry than Brendan Rodgers.

(Trust me - you'll see this in other blogs, claiming that they always knew this.)

Now, remember that I don't know Brendan. If I did, I'd surely have trumpeted him from the heavens as the next Celtic boss.

But I do know, for example, that Brendan has studied neuro-linguistic programming for several years.

If you aren't aware of NLP, it can be roughly summarised as a practice attempting to achieve positive results through managing thought patterns through specific techniques, with a strong emphasis on language.

For example, when you make a silly mistake, do you say to yourself, "I'm so stupid", or something similar? Many of us do.

NLP theory says that the first voice we hear is our own and that we undermine our own confidence by using that language to ourselves.

Instead, why not say: "I made a mistake so I'll learn from it and do better the next time"?

Do you remember Jack Hendry after the Rosenborg match? (I don't believe that Brendan is educating players in NLP, but that they are echoing his positive language).

How often have you heard Brendan criticise the team or say anything negative about them?

How many times can you recall him saying, for example, "We didn't finish well enough" or "We didn't defend well"?

They are both negative statements, whereas "we could have scored more goals" and "we can defend better" are the sort of positive statements Brendan usually prefers.

On top of that, having been at one of the richest clubs in Europe, Brendan has had top-level media training.

That's partly why he is so adept at sidestepping the booby-trap questions that the media throw at him.

And the point of all of this is that Brendan is fully aware of the impact of his words.

So, when he chose to speak so negatively about transfer activity on the day his side had a vital Champions League qualifier with AEK, you better believe that he really is angry and that's not just another media fabrication.

I am confident that he will remain with us until the end of the season. Because, apart from anything else, he is on record as saying that managers should take new jobs before the season starts.

And, of course, in May he will have completed the minimum three-year period of a man not in a hurry.

Que sera, sera

But, dedicated to Celtic as Brendan is, he is also clearly conscious of his reputation and future aspirations.

For example, never mind the English Premier League, he is known to aspire to some day work in Spain.

He will not be so loyal to Celtic as to see his own reputation damaged due to the "Plan" of Peter Lawwell, who - let's not forget - gets a player-trading bonus each year and is therefore incentivised to favour selling over buying.

And the sad fact is that I doubt that Lawwell cares.

He has increasingly been allowed to run Celtic as he sees fit, seeing managers come and go, and using friendly "independent" Celtic bloggers to tell us that's just how it had to be.

He also knows that Neil Lennon and Steve Clarke would both likely jump at the chance to replace Brendan.

It's a remarkable fact that the last Celtic manager to be sacked was John Barnes.

It's equally remarkable that no Celtic manager since Barnes has resigned because he was lured away by a better offer.

Every single one has chucked it for different reasons that were never really made clear.

Time and time again, Celtic fans have thought we were on the road to something special, only to find that some unforeseen change had set us back.

Peter Lawwell and the board can keep Brendan Rodgers for the key five years and maybe longer if they want him.

But that will involve supporting him in his vision of building a strong Celtic for the future, not just pocketing the tens of millions of pounds that he has already made them.

So, do they want Brendan to remain at Celtic, continually building supporters' hopes in a manner that requires funding or do they want someone to make the most money out of the least possible investment while doing deals between Lawwell and his son, Mark, at Manchester City?

What is Peter's plan this time?
 --

Celtic Park no place for Bozos or Jozos - Simunovic has to go

In one of the most embarrassing misjudgements made even by this blogger, the defensive partnership of Jozo Simunovic and Dedryck Boyata was tipped as one to watch develop, a ball-playing defensive rock, powerful and calm, and one capable of holding its own against Europe's elite clubs.

That was after our first season under Brendan Rodgers and I suspect that many Celtic fans felt something similar.

But within a few months, Brendan was warning Jozo that he had to cut out the mistakes if he wanted to retain his place in the team.

Jozo didn't and he was promptly dropped with Brendan preferring Dedryck, Kristoffer Ajer,  Jack Hendry and even Marvin Compper, who increasingly looks like being a Gary Gillespie for the 21st century.

Through Belgium's World Cup exploits, another Compper injury and nerve-wracking recruitment, Jozo was given another chance against Alashkert - one  that he blew in some style.

With Rosenborg looming after an otherwise excellent early-season performance, what defender wouldn't lunge in with his studs showing, above waist height, in the middle of the pitch during the first 15 minutes?

Answer: any one with an IQ in excess of his continental shoe size - that's who!

While many were understandably putting team loyalty and disappointment ahead of the evidence of their eyes, Brendan was in no mood to point the finger at anyone other than the true culprit - the former Celtic defender, Jozo Simunovic.

I say, "former", as Brendan would surely trust Steven Gerrard with a pass-back rather than risk Celtic's fortunes with another outing from a player who is now causing some to fondly recall Oliver Tebilly.

Where he may go is another matter - perhaps some club without access to television might fancy him as a make-weight in a transfer move. Frankly, I don't care as long as he never again plays a competitive match for Celtic.

Trying to make real progress in European football is a difficult enough task without the booby-traps of random Simunovic moments.

It's a serious business with profound implications for our immediate and medium-term future.

It's not a job for Bozos - or Jozo.
--

Pride - in the Name of Celtic

Like many others in the Celtic support, I was brought up in a deeply-religious, Catholic family.

My mother was from County Donegal and an enthusiastic advocate - aka enforcer - of Catholic doctrine and dogma.

There were barely enough Masses in the year for mum, who grudgingly accepted the liberal reforms of the Second Vatican Council through deference to Papal infallibility, whether invoked by the Holy Father or not.

You could have accurately referred to her as a Catholic fundamentalist, well-versed in the Catechism that declared the only valid sexual activity as being "open to procreation within the confines of marriage".

I even once heard her quoting the American spiritual, "Give me that old-time religion".

I never said it was easy.

And like most brought up in the years before Eastenders scandalised British society with a pre-watershed Gay kiss, the idea of Gay equality was anathema to me.

Yes, I held the same prejudices as the vast majority of my peers and I doled out the homophobic epithets with the same frequency most "normal" people of the age.

I am not proud of that.

Though I refer to my Catholic upbringing, seeing homosexuality as some form of social disease was very much the accepted view of the time, outwith the extreme fringes of society.

I even remember a story of a young man who killed his cousin because he tried to kiss him. The charge was reduced from murder to manslaughter and he was given a short sentence as that sort of thing was considered extreme provocation outraging common decency.

Likewise, two men holding hands - never mind kissing - would be at a high risk of assault with charges unlikely to be brought against their assailants.

In my case, I gradually changed and I found myself a subject of grave concern when, as a supporter of the Scottish Fight the Clause campaign, literature arrived at the family home, the envelopes conspicuously stamped.

Ironically, the subject was considered too awful to talk about, so I was spared a grilling, which would likely have comforted my parents as I would truthfully have said: "I'm not Gay; I just don't think what's happening is right and I want to know more."

In 2018, we don't have to tiptoe around the subject of sexuality any more and many younger people may not recognise how different that is to the experiences of previous generations.

Sexuality is, in most societies, still one of the most vexed subjects in terms of morality and social norms.

One way or another, there always seem to be people looking to police what goes on it the bedroom (or other available venue) and we are usually brought up with values from our parents or others who we love and respect but whose values do not necessarily match ours.

My view is that we all retain the right to our own values and opinions but that we should not project our moral values on others who are doing no harm.

By that, I mean that tolerance means accepting the diversity of moral and religious or areligious values, most of which are genuinely held, as well as according equal respect to those whose expressions of their own selves are "different".

Celtic is "a club open to all". The Irish Catholics who landed in Scotland in the 19th century were "different" and branded unacceptable due to their beliefs, customs and behaviours.

And yet Celtic is  a club for Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Atheist, Agnostic or any other believer or non-believer.

I'm proud of that fact.

I'm also proud that Celtic can openly offer an equally welcoming environment to people of any and all sexualities.

Anyone who wishes to support Celtic should be embraced with equal respect and, if the first high-profile Gay footballer in Scotland should happen to play for Celtic, I am confident that he or she would find that support from the Celtic family that has sustained many in the past.

The words should be synonymous.

Pride in the name of Celtic.
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End racism - and Show Shay Logan the Red Card

I have a pal (really), Eamon, who has devoted most of his adult life to socialism.

He's one of those guys who left Labour behind years ago, as being a party incompatible with his socialist ideals. He is also the sort of guy who does unglamorous work in his community, like volunteering to referee kids' football matches that might promote integration and understanding between communities.

He is unlikely to ever get a medal for this and he would never seek one, despite doing more for the public good than many - more celebrated - elected politicians.

We broadly agree on the vast majority of subjects - politics of the left, trade unionism, anti-Fascism, ant-racism, a loathing of the Conservative party, disdain for Labour, being unconvinced by the SNP, etc. And we are both passionate about Celtic.

But we are also both forthright with each other and willing to let the other know when we disagree with certain opinions or actions.

One such occasion centred around one of those very matches that Eamon was giving up his free time to referee.

He recounted an unpleasant incident, when one boy accused another on the opposing team of using a racist epithet, during an increasingly niggly game.

Eamon immediately asked the other boy to apologise, which he refused to do, pleading his innocence. Eamon asked who had heard it and nobody else had.

The boy continued to deny using racist language and refusing to apologise until Eamon asked him, "Will you just say sorry, anyway - for me?"

The boy acquiesced, though still proclaiming his innocence,  which Eamon thought a good outcome.

But I disagreed and I said so.

Was that because I thought racism a trivial thing? No.

It was because I considered Eamon to have, in his well-meaning way, confused two fundamental principles - the right of someone claiming to be a victim to be taken seriously and believed against the right of someone facing a harmful accusation to defend his reputation, when faced with nothing stronger than the word of the accuser and innuendo.

These are sensitive situations and there are no perfect solutions.

But my point to Eamon was that some happenings are simply unjust and while nobody has a right to abuse another person, being coerced into apologising for something that you know you haven't done is intolerable to most people and, especially to a child, may leave a lingering scar and even plant the seed for an antipathy that was not previously there.

And so we come to Shay Logan.

We all know that Logan was racially abused by Aleksandr Tonev as it is a matter of official record with that redoubtable body, the Scottish Football Association.

Tonev was, you may recall, banned and his loan deal from Aston Villa cut short, based only on Logan's certainty that he had heard the words he claimed were uttered, though there was no corroborating evidence.

This decision was lauded by the likes of Tom English, to whom an accusation is as good as a conviction.

Now, if Tonev did make racist remarks, I would be the first to say that he should have been kicked out of  Celtic. And, even without that, I can't say that losing him has kept me up at night.

I know what it's like to be abused for my background and I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

I also don't believe that people from certain minorities should keep quiet for fear of drawing bigoted attention to themselves. After all, we heard the Scottish media saying that about Neil Lennon, who was undoubtedly racially abused on a regular basis.

But I do object to the good name of Celtic being smeared by any unsupported allegations, as is happening now - coincidentally on the say-so of Shay Logan.

I intended to ignore his latest accusation as the attention-seeking it clearly was.

Because, let's face it, Logan is an insufferable idiot who, when not getting attention, uses his Twitter account to send some antagonistic message to Celtic fans and who declared the derisive boos that he so clearly seeks to be racist, when nobody was talking or even thinking about the dishwater-potent talents.

In doing so, he evokes the same logic  shown by Neymar, when the Tartan Army were ahead of the curve in booing his cheating in a friendly international. Neymar, apparently unable to think of any other reason for his being booed, declared the reaction to be racist.

And that was what the first and most-read headlines said.

But, today, Show Racism the Red Card Scotland, decided to pipe in, days late, with remarks decrying the Celtic supports reaction to Logan as "racist".

Of course, SRtRC offers no evidence, as they don't need to. The slur is enough and SRtRC, who not for the first time, appear to be a selective Scottish imitation of the more respected UK-wide group, have decided to sling mud when it suits them.

Are there racists within the Celtic support? Undoubtedly, and sadly, yes, as with every other type of buffoon.

Is it fair to describe fans as racists because they boo a player whose very raison d'etre seems to be to make the news by goading Celtic fans? No, it is not.

Logan simply follows in a line of players such as Ally McCoist and Nacho Novo, who get a kick out of annoying Celtic fans.

Steven Naismith and his manager Craig Levein are currently doing the same at Hearts.

Most clubs have players who enjoy the notoriety of seeing opposition fans getting angry and we have had our own.

When the new season starts, you can expect to hear the fans rain down abuse on Naismith, Levein, Kenny Miller, half the Motherwell team and management, Graeme Shinnie and Logan.

There may well be idiotic remarks amongst them and I would call on any fan who hears racist abuse to challenge it whenever they hear it. They will be strongly supported by fellow fans.

Logan and SRtRC have reduced the serious issue of racism in football to the level of a Sasha Baron Cohen Ali G routine.

You may find this hard to believe, Shaleon, but few Celtic fans care about you at all and those who do - almost without exception - simply think you're  a fool.

And the same goes for the Scottish branch office of SRtRC. --

Celtic in for John McGinn? If you know the history, the move would make sense

Anyone who reads this irregularly-published blog more than twice a year can tell you that I never shy away from saying, "I told you so".

I make no apology for doing so as I simply have a near-perfect memory for those occasions on which I have been proved right.

A cynic might suggest that's because they are so few in number but that's not true.

In fact, they are too many to count on the free fingers of my hands while I type this.

One of those times was my enthusiastic support for Scott Brown, from the outset. Scott's critics are a lot quieter these days but I still have their names in a sealed envelope in my desk.

But the memories some hold of the days when Scott signed (for ten times the price of Kenny Dalglish) seem to have dimmed.

It went like this. Neil Lennon, the most-targeted player in Scotland - by opponents, fans and media alike - was coming to the end of his historic captaincy of Celtic and Gordon Strachan was openly musing that he would leave a gap that would be extremely difficult to fill and perhaps impossible for one man to replace.

What Gordon meant was that he wanted the talented, battling young engine-room of Hibs - Scott and Kevin Thomson - to provide the foundation for the future of Celtic.

We now know that Celtic's Peter Lawwell allowed himself to be beaten to the punch by Walter Smith, seeing Thomson head off to Ibrox, by his own admission, taking the first offer to get away from John Collins.

Many - not least Derek Johnstone - expected Scott to follow his close pal and team-mate but the player had other ideas. Massimo Donatti - a good servant to Celtic - was recruited by Celtic's clever scouting operation deeming him a player who could do what Thomson did.

Apparently, this cleverness had omitted to account for the impact on both players and Celtic's ability to replace Neil with what might have been to Celtic and Scotland a midfield partnership to be spoken of with the same relish as the centre-backs, Miller-and-McLeish, was to Aberdeen and Scotland fans in the 1980s and 90s.

Personally, I had always quietly admired Thomson, though I much preferred Scott. (I recall an English friend spluttering that Thomson must be a player if I was complimenting a guy who had played for Rangers.)

While I may have digressed, Celtic are coming to another watershed moment, though planning for it with rather more foresight than when Scott was thrust into one of the most unforgiving positions Scottish football could offer and basically told: "Perform!"

Referees and a minuscule sense of fair play permitting, Scott's legs have a few seasons left to run but the void that he will leave will be no smaller than when Neil hung  up his boots for Celtic.

He is Celtic's captain, unquestioned leader, icon and, in this blogger's opinion, still our best player.

So, we do need to plan for that sad day when Scott finally takes his last bow for Celtic.

And it would be utter folly to try to find a replacement at the time. A comparable player would be far beyond the means of Celtic and, even then, by no means guaranteed to make that step  successfully, never mind immediately.

So, we absolutely must plan for a slow transition. And that's where John McGinn comes in.

Forget false comparisons between McGinn and Stuart Armstrong, which many have made. Armstrong has all the technical tools to be a top footballer but had never shown the stomach to be a Celtic captain or midfielder ready to take responsibility for all the good and bad that may happen to the club.

And, aside from that fact, they are players of very different styles.

The more direct comparison with Armstrong would be the vastly-superior Olivier Ntcham, who is a footballer of the highest quality. So much so that I believe that next summer's clamour will be for the signature of Olivier.

To turn a metaphor on its head, Olivier could be described as a velvet fist in an iron glove. He has such a good touch with both feet, as well as superb balance and reading of the game, yet his powerful physique enables him to show these skills when under intense physical pressure.

He shares many of these attributes with Moussa Dembele and these are highly-prized at the top levels of the modern international game.

So, appreciate Olivier while he is here, as I expect Europe's top clubs to be using a battering-ram on Celtic's front door, rather than knocking.

That leaves Eboue Kouassi, for whom I still retain hope. Eboue has made two massive cultural changes in just a few years, going to Russian and then to Scotland before he was twenty.

So, it shouldn't be a great surprise that he hasn't made a major impact in a year-and-a-half.

Eboue is another obvious contender to assume the mantle of Scott but, as with Neil Lennon, replacing our captain may be too big a job for one man (even, if for some different reasons).

So, we come to Hibernians' John McGinn.

Is he as good as Scott? Let me join in with those wailing, "No!", as if any player in Scotland could be, with Scott having swept all awards last season.

Could McGinn be as good as Scott? With similar dedication and excellent coaching, I think it's possible.

I do think that Scott had a bit more than McGinn when he came to Celtic. Then again, I had rarely seen a player with that unstoppable dynamism that Scott possessed, coupled with his instinct to create an attack when, in those days, he invariably rose first from a crumple of bodies and immediately looked to play the ball forward.

But I do see huge potential in McGinn and, given great coaching and top-level experience, I think that he has what it takes to develop into a future Celtic captain.

It's easy to forget that the coaching of Gordon Strachan and Brendan Rodgers, in particular, coupled with Scott's own maturing and intelligence have combined to produce a player who I wouldn't swap for anyone else in the world.

The criticism of McGinn saddens me, not least because of its merciless negativity.

As the great Tommy Burns once said, you should always focus on what a player CAN do for you, instead of what they can't.

John McGinn - the best player in Scotland last season, outside Celtic - can already do plenty of things in midfield.

Learning from Scott and coached by Brendan, I would like to see what else his game has to offer in green  and white.

The Hooped kind, of course.
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