With two more signings in the bag, Ange Postecoglou is starting to look like a man with a mission.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Riley McGee, who we long to see, joined Johnny Kenny as the rebuild gained pace.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And admit it, your little heart stooped momentarily because you thought we’d brought back JohnJo Kenny from Everton.<\/p>\n
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One of our pish stained drunks found a phone on the car park outside Celtic Park, and out of curiosity switched it on and played back the messages.<\/p>\n
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There were dozens, and all of them were along the same theme.<\/p>\n
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A Irish voice, asking Mick to ring him fucking back and tell him what the fecks going on.<\/p>\n
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Otherwise, apparently, Peter will be back in and he’ll sort you fecking out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It’s actually quite clear what’s going on.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Some time go, Schrodingers Cat..not his rea name..published an article on this site, which discussed the Alpha Male factor.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Briefly, he argued that inder O’Neill, control of the team was in the dressing room.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lawwell took that back to the boardroom, largely because of the expense.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Celtic’s model , as we know, is not to spend freely, or ambitiously.<\/p>\n
It’s just to keep ahead of Rangers. Or, latterly, ” rangers”.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When Brendan Rodgers stopped by to resurrect his career, the control shifted back to the dressing room.<\/p>\n
There ensued a battle between the two which ended with Rodgers heading to Leicester and Lawwell rehiring Neil Lennon.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We all know how that turned out.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Lawwell went as part of the fallout, and with Eddie Howe refusing to come to Glasgow without his mates, Amge Postecoglou saved the club a lot of face by travelling halfway round the world, withoit his mates, to take on the job of putting the band back together.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Except he’s not putting it back together, he’s hired a while new rhythm section and a couple of energetic front men.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And he’s hiring the ones he wants.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Michael Nicholson, who replaced Dominic McKay, who briefly replaced Peter Lawwell, isn’t a particularly strong character.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When Postecoglou said he was easy to work with, i got the feeling he meant house trained.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, Nicholson is actually playing a blinder here, and prompting a rethink of his character.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It takes a degree of strength to acknowledge that sometimes , to get results, you have to let the most capable fellow just get on with it, supporting him when necessary, but also holding him back if he gets a bit carried away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So far, it’s plain he is doing the former.<\/p>\n
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As for the latter , we will.wait and see.<\/p>\n
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And that’s the only worry I have.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Not with Celtic. Not primarily , at least.<\/p>\n
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It’s the forces of darkness that threaten to envelop us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And with the support concentrating fully on the good stuff , which there’s plenty of, we seem to have forgotten one or two very important points.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Firstly, this season we’ve seen an active part played by officials in protecting and promoting the new club<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
They’re getting not favours or help as such, but the benefit of applied rules where perhaps others would not.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Soft penalties, softer free kicks, opponents sent off where maybe a little discreet warning would have been a more respnsible and sporting action.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That’s not cheating because the letter of the law is being applied, whereas the spirit is being ignored.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It will continue to happen when the season resumes.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You know that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I know that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Everyone knows that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What will we do about it?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As usual, nothing.<\/p>\n
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Unless we actively form a supporters and shareholders group along the lines suggested by Resolution 12 campaigner Auldheid, as mentioned in the last Diary, nothing will change.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We seem to be happy competing with a financially doped outfit in a rigged set up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ultimately, that may cost us the current manager. And a few of our top new men.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If the new guys are kicked about as freely as Kyogo has been, and labelled a cheat similarly, they won’t hang around.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Put simply, we need to get our act together to stop the inevitable drive to keep the current entity at Ibrox in place.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
If you were at the SFA, or the SPFL, you would probably be of the opinion that an Ibrox club is vital ti the well being of the game.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The blue pound is paramount , at least to their way of thinking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And as Monty Burns pointed out on a recent podcast we did, if the current Ibrox club went the way of the original one, wjere the overall business model is concerned, with what would you replace it?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
They have no answer for that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Indeed , Celtic have no answer for that either, which explains their collusion inntrying to save the original entity.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
With thinhs looking promising on the pitch, it’s important not to neglect matters off it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Let Ange get on with the job of winning, domestically and internationally.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Support him in building his vision, one which promises to get Celtic back to where they belong.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But don’t forget that by nature our board is quite conservative, and unless we get together to act as a control of sorts on them, sooner or later they’ll put the brakes on Ange.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We cannot allow that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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