Celtic Transfers 2024

Totally get where you're coming from and as far as transfer activity goes it's spot on. Rodgers across his entire career has a very underwhelming record, with far more misses than hits, irrespective of budgets at Liverpool, Leicester or with us etc, he has spunked absolute fortunes on very ordinary and underwhelming signings, and seems almost entirely fixated on limited markets.

That is not to say that very clearly there is a pretty significant disconnect between the thinking at the executive level at the club and what the fans are seeing on the park. And that is a caveat that cannot be ignored in all of this either, but that doesn''t disguise Rodgers is limited in his dealings - even taking into account considering how much of a stink that he made back in 2018/19 about the lack of support in the transfers etc prior to his departure, that there is no way that he would've agreed to return here without not just verbal assurances but conditions set in stone written into his contract regarding his control of transfers &/or budgets, and no way all of those summer signings were brought in without his greenlight at the very, very least.

But genuine question, are we getting the best out of Rodgers the coach either though? Who is a better player today than they were in June? The value of someone like O'Riley and Scales has gone up, but how much of either is actually due to Rodgers improving them as players?

O'Riley was already on this current tradjectory under Ange, while Scales really made the most of the opportunity given but it came out of necessity than anything else, and in truth it was his loan spell at Aberdeen, especially in the second half of last season that really sae him coming onto his game. Again, nothing to do with Rodgers.

And by extension, has Rodgers improved the team as a whole? Are they collectively playing better, more effective or entertaining (on the whole) than we were under Ange? So it does beg the question.

 

Would take a couple of man city rejects right about now

 

I think we’re genuinely at a stage now where we need to boycott games or protest in a way that will actually open these * eyes … Canny believe I’m saying this but I’ve never felt so much apathy and downright hatred for so much surrounding our club.

It needs to end.

 

Scum just about to announce a winger. Colombian guy. They are fairly showing us up but we aren’t reacting.

 

We shouldn't need to react. This is the whole point. We are the number 1 team in the country. We have huge cash reserves. We can build from a position of strength.

We need(ed) to act!! Not react!! Too late now. All the injuries over this window have just compounded the utter shambles going on. I think we have just handed them - basically on a plate - £50 odd million.

 

*, he's hardly kicked a ball for us this season, gets fit just in time for the Asian Cup and now this. This season is cursed.

 

I agree with a lot of this, but O’Riley wasn’t on this trajectory under Ange.

He couldn’t get a game for us in the big fixtures last season.

We were poor in the second half of last season as well, so you could argue the trajectory of many players’ performances was already on the way down before Rodgers arrived.

It was clear to every man, woman and child that we needed genuine first team quality players to supplement what we had. Rodgers is not responsible for this not happening.

There is a * load of revisionism about Ange’s time here as well. You’d think we were like Pep’s Barca every week the way some people talk about him.

We had plenty poor performances under him, several naive performances under him, and we made plenty * signings under him as well.

 

We tried the likes of Kobayashi, Turnbull, Bernabei, Bain, Oh and Ralston for the final 6 games after we effectively sewn up the league. We had a horrendous end to the season.

Drew 1-1 with Motherwell at home, beat Hearts 2-0 at home, battered by the huns 3-0 away, battered by Hibs 4-2 away, drew with St Mirren 2-2 at home and beat Aberdeen 5-0 on the final day at home. 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses.

Incredible bit of revisionism when it comes to Ange and the back end of last season especially.

 

I think it’s harsh to say O’Riley was on this trajectory he looked that way back in 2022 but the first half of 2023 he had fallen way down on his performance levels and been displaced in the starting 11 by Mooy until his injury.

I was more talking about longer term career Rodgers helped talents like Suarez, Courtinho, Sturbridge, Maddison, at us Tierney, Dembele, Armstrong, McGregor to kick on. Now those guys all obviously had something in them anyway.

Being honest I am not overly trying to defend Rodgers as he is giving off the impression of someone past his best and being pretty half arsed about his return to the club.

What I do think this season has shown is how good Ange was. Ange had a system that he could clearly spell out to players and even if they were limited as long as they carried out there instructions the system would see them through. Rodgers has never been like that and where he isn’t the extreme of a Lennon in that sense he sets up his team in a way that is aimed at getting certain people on the ball and them doing something that will unlock a game for the team through individual ability.

Ange’s system had guys like

Johnston
Taylor
Maeda
Abada
Ralston (at times)

Looking like good players where the reality is they are very limited. Even Kyogo who has got world class movement, is very limited in elements of his game including his basic passing and at times control of the ball. However the team was set up that it was all about getting the ball to him in areas where his movement could give him space to apply the finishing touch.

Probably some of Kyogo’s best goals have been the two against them this season outside of that one of the ones against Dundee Utd comes to mind and the one against Ferencvaros but a lot of the goals were due to his ability to find space in and around the 6 yard box.

 

Thought we were poor in every game against Rangers in the latter half of the season, with the exception of the League Cup Final.

Despite winning the Scottish Cup semi and last game at Celtic Park, they weren’t great performances, and we stole a 2-2 draw at Ibrox as well as being battered there 3-0.

Our recent performance against them is the best I’ve seen for a while, and that was against a much better and more organised Rangers team than the one Ange faced last season, and without a PE teacher in charge as well.

 

And we will * them the last two games as well this season

 

Have never really read Paul Brennan & CQN - have a look at his latest effort - as if written directly by Lawwell. A quote:

"Idah is a curious signing for me. Unlike the recent arrivals of Lagerbielke, Nawrocki, Bernardo, Holm, Palma, Yang, Tilio and Kuhn, Adam was not automatic first choice at his previous club. None of the others were technically speaking “projects”, they were all being replied upon week-in, week-out, in leagues comparable to or better than Scotland."

Whit

 

I think that's referring to the roles those players had in the teams we signed them from. (Bernardo not at Benfica but was a core first team played every game he could at Pacos on loan then 2nd half of last season)

All of them were core 1st team players. Idah isnt, he's been a half of the time player for Norwich

 

It is quite funny really this Man City connection. There was a point in time when we got a few players off them on loan or permanent and most were decent but that was a number of years ago now.

Frimpong being the last and even that was us going and signing a fringe player to their young team singing in 2019 so still 4 and a half years ago. Turned out a great success and we haven’t really tried that again since or at least actually landed someone.

Denayer, Guidetti, Roberts and Boyata being the others I remember and all at least contributing for at least half a season. However we have had nothing really from them for some time now and long before Lawwell’s boy joined us.

 

Aye we all seen us drop off a cliff when we changed up the team at the tail end of last season. We then had to play some of them and others who were even further out the picture in the first half of this season. So it’s no surprise our form was ropey. I think Rodgers has done well to have us top in fact. Football has been shocking to watch at times, no doubt about that, but that’s why we all knew we needed quality additions in the summer.

 

We will win the league this season, but this window and summer window will catch up too us next season and I wouldn't be surprised if Rodgers walks before next season.

Banking millions upon millions, likely to bag CL money for winning league this season and what do the board do? Spend as little as humanly possible to just about keep fans coming to matches, until fans get so * off that the manager leaves, board then * bricks and get in a name, back them to hilt for first season. Then rinse and repeat as we spiral downward.

The only times they seem to fail to back a manager is if it is a guy they bring back for a second stint. At which point, the board just * things up so badly that our season is immediately put in jeopardy before a ball is kicked.

I do honestly believe that we win this season, but it will far closer than it should ought to be and next season... IF Rodgers is still here will result in a surrendering of the league. Because we will decline even further as it is clear to me that the board have no interest in backing Rodgers at all.

I don't mean Rodgers will single handly lose us the league in a fashion someone like Lennon did during 10iar... but the culmination of everything being so dour will that every aspect of the club will be toxic.

 

Im not even dissapointed or angry anymore, i fully expect us to rush through some loans at 11:59 and thats it.
Quotes tomorrow will be...BR i am happy to work with the players we have.....the CLub everyone worked really hard this window to bring you * all.
Only club in the world who cant buy a LB and Keeper,both should be in place by now or at least replacements being trained ready for next season.

Just MEH.

 

Honestly don’t know how anyone can say this with confidence at this stage.

 

Didn't particularly want Miovski but would much rather abandon this deal with Idah and go for him now Robsons been sacked.