Not Actually that Crucial a Summer as of August 2023...beginning to now think everything isnt fine!

Not Actually that Crucial a Summer as of August 2023...everything is fine!

Emergency! Emergency! Emergency!

 

Can’t even imagine us domestically the way we are playing

 

I don't think Brendan is a bad manager, but if he plans on playing his football in a similar style to how he did before, then he may have been a stupid appointment.

We have too many players that were signed for Ange's system, or were a great fit for it. It would explain why we're struggling to see clear patterns of play: we simply lack the correct profiles (for example, Taylor) to implement it.

The board have a lot to ask for if they don't back Rodgers and sign players who can fit his system and improve our team. We cannot go into the season with this team. The longer the window goes on, the less and less time we have to bed them in and the more points we'll drop.

 

It has been for some time too which only make the situation worse.

 

Scunnered with it all. Both on and off the park. Something is off. For it to affect Calmac like this as well is bad. This all felt the same prior to Ange coming in. BR body language and passivation. The lacklustre fitba. Recruitment is way way off. Can't be many clubs out there who sign 6 players and be weaker all done from a position of strength.

No idea where to begin. Next week is huge. If we lose against they *, it's gonna turn bad really quickly. And that is a probable with our current form.

 

The recruitment this week will absolutely define our season..

Some quality in, Huns pumped out CL, result at Ibrox.. could be a perfect week..

 

Could also get * in, huns could qualify and then scud us, i fear 2 scenarios coming to fruition.

 

Signings have little impact on what happens at the cesspit. If we do the tactics right, we may avoid a loss, regardless of whether we * money on a box office signing. We should be able to beat anyone in Scotland with our current squad. It's Europe we need a new GK/LB/LW for.

 

I prefer mine...

 

Wasn’t sure which thread to put this in but can’t help but think we are mentally a very weak side right now… No real winners or lads out there willing to fight for the victory. Even when you think of the likes of haskabanovic, Abada, turnbull (heard reports of him not wanting new deal also) and Hatate all seemingly wanting a move or not wanting to sign new contracts as they want to more minutes etc, none saying * it I want to stay here n prove why I should start. Can only imagine what the team will be like in that cesspit next week with no fans if things aren’t going our way. We need a couple of leaders in with a bit of steel and aggression to drive us on in games like today etc. Mental how We weren’t proactive in the window getting the right players in, right now it seems we’re not being even reactive effectively enough. Hopefully a couple players in next week on top of Palma to give a boost of morale

 

Ange left us for what he feels is a bigger challenge. He's gone. People need to move on. So much so that they want another manager that plays like him.

Most managers in the world will want to play their way. Let's be generous and say that BR has had 2 of his own signings in Rocky/Lager. No one else has come in for positions he has identified. We have lost 3 quality players. The one position he has strengthened has been hit with injury problems.

How many managers in the world would accept and do great in this position? We have been majorly let down by a club only interested in showing a great bank balance. Did BR just forget he wanted pace/power added to the team?

 

Said it elsewhere but Ange was essentially our head scout as well as manager whilst he was here.

From his first season, Hart, Scales, McCarthy, O'Riley and Abada were all signings from the board, and Giakoumakis was top goal-scorer in the Eredivisie so that might have been them too, but the rest I've no doubt was Ange. Kyogo, Jota, Starfelt, CCV, Hatate and Maeda all played in Ange's system to a tee.

Following season I'd say pretty much every signing was Ange's bar Abildgaard, who I think was simply brought in because the fans wanted a CDM, Siegrist and maybe Haksabanovic. Johnston, Iwata, Oh, Yang, Bernabei and Holm were all clearly Ange signings. (I know Holm and Yang were this summer but we were linked to Yang in January and Holm screams an Ange type signing imo)

Obviously there's a few stinkers in there (Bernabei, Iwata, Ideguchi) but it's a pretty decent success rate considering he's meant to be our manager and not our head scout.

I remember as early as March, 2022, when people started to worry about Ange leaving and how our scouting would look after he left. People dismissed it as we all thought he'd be here 3 years minimum (or even more) but with how utterly abysmal our scouting has been this summer, it's clear how heavily we relied on the big man for signings.

Except CDM, we're cursed to never bring in a proper one regardless of the manager

 

I think with Jota we were looking him before Ange arrived.

 

Fair enough, thought for sure Jota was Ange only, but it might have been a contact left over from Lennon.

Even if we win next week, the club need to put this current transfer model to bed.

Let's be honest, Hyeok is a bizarre signing, doesn't fit Ange's philosophy, doesn't fit Rodgers, he was only signed because he was highly rated in Korea, I doubt we did any due diligence on him. CDM was a position we needed a proper player to come in for, to challenge McGregor throughout the season. Now McGregor's only competition is a 22 year old from the K2 League, and Iwata, who Rodgers clearly doesn't rate.

Sounds harsh, but I don't get the Tilio signing either. Most Aussies were confused we went for him and stated he was a Hearts level signing. He could come good and I'd start him over current Maeda/Abada, but we could have brought a proper RW to challenge Abada this season, with Yang as the understudy on both sides.

Lagerbielke joined quickly after Starfelt purely because Starfelt's agent recommended him, and Palma clearly comes from an Izaguirre recommendation, that leaves Nawrocki as the only player we've properly scouted this window, which is beyond negligent.

It's why I do feel a bit sorry for Rodgers, there's no excuse in not beating St Johnstone at home, but he's definitely been dealt a raw hand here, club should have been far, far more prepared for this season, and Nicholson and Lawell JR have a lot to answer for.

 

Great post and I sincerely agree with everything you've said.

We lucked out on Ange who is a terrific manager and pretty much turned us around single handedly. The moment he goes we're back to square one and to the Celtic of old.

The club talks about European progression but everything they do (or more accurately don't do) contradicts this claim. Reaching our potential is significantly harder when we play in Scotland, but Christ it's even harder with the archaic dinosaurs running the club.

We'll never improve from a position of strength and never go out of our comfort zone when it comes to the transfer "model" - so we'll never actually progress. Sad but true.