![\"\"](\"http:\/\/cdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/Helen_Flanagan_1647273a.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNot me personally, I mean. I’ll be going to work until Friday and then popping up to Glasgow for a weekend of debauchery, drink and devilment.<\/p>\n
I mean the club.<\/p>\n
Year after year we see the same pattern. Lots of wee tales about players coming in, followed by lots of tales about he we just missed out on them, and then the arrival of a few disinterested no marks who head straight for sickbay with an injury that was unknown to all except the club who dumped him on us.<\/p>\n
We are told, ( though not this year, its more of a “lets hope they don’t notice “) that \u00a0if we get into the Champions League then we can buy players who will help us compete, but having not qualified now for a couple of years, that plan has never really been tested.<\/p>\n
Thats a little harsh on the players who -if they did -got us there, who will find that having absorbed the pressure and dealt with the more than tricky games to get there, they will now no longer be needed. so, in fact, you can’t really blame them if they don’t approach these games with the fire burning and the passion raging. Truth is, you’ll be lucky if they remember to bring their boots.<\/p>\n
And the “superstars ” who will come in to boost the squad ?<\/p>\n
Well, Joe Allen excepted, are any of them worth racing down London Road to get into the game before the parking becomes impossible ?<\/p>\n
Shane Duffy ? Isn’t he the guy out of Boyzone ?<\/p>\n
Scott Sinclair ? Done nothing for years, but he is spending his life with Helen Flanagan, once of Coronation Street and probably on her way back to the show now they’re a couple of young lassies short. Fair enough though, with her in the house its probably a blessing he’s got the strength left to do anything other than lean against the wall and try to get his breath back.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Oddly enough, with my sciatica, I have to do a similar exercise in the morning. Perhaps she’s a sufferer as well.<\/p>\n
Who else is there ? Oh, yeah. The Welsh right back, is it Gunther ?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/digitalspyuk.cdnds.net\/14\/37\/1280x1921\/gallery_ustv-james-michael-tyler.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The guy who crossed the ball for someone to head home in the Euros. I think thats him in the picture. He’s got a \u00a31m release clause in his contract.<\/p>\n
Great work by the agent. If a player goes for less than that these days he’s either been injured, already injured or going to hurt himself getting of the bus.<\/p>\n
Anyone else you can think of ?<\/p>\n
The lad Flanagan at Liverpool ? He’s managed a kick about with his mates on a pub car park recently, so he could be approaching full fitness at about the same time John collins gets anopther job in management, and I’ll avoid the jokes about signing Flanagan and Allen because in Lawwell and Bankier we’ve already got a music hall duo leading us on a merry song and dance.<\/p>\n
Its beyond a joke now.<\/p>\n
Same shit, different year.<\/p>\n
There is talk that a number of deals will be concluded this week. Maybe there will, maybe there won’t.<\/p>\n
If I’m completely honest, I’ve lost interest.<\/p>\n
That may be that because for all the talk, there’s that horrible feeling that we’ve seen it all before.<\/p>\n
I find it hard to believe that any negotiations with any top players have even taken place. The best we can hope for is a rising star , perhaps the best example of which is Dembele or Ajer , who thinks his career can afford to take time out in Glasgow to improve his game, get a bit of European experience and pick up a medal or two.<\/p>\n
No ?<\/p>\n
Okay, forget for a moment you are a Celtic fan.<\/p>\n
You’ve just had a call from your agent, and there’s an offer on the table from Celtic.<\/p>\n
The money is considerably less than you’ll get elsewhere, its always raining in Glasgow, usually freezing cold and raining, but you will be playing in Europe, possibly the champions League, and will maybe get the life sorting contract from an English club after you’ve done well.<\/p>\n
Even though you’ve probably got one of them on the table already, and playing in England will get you noticed by a bigger club quicker. Especially if you play well against them.<\/p>\n
But, champions League you say ? Thats something to think about. And guess what, the player-thats you in this scenario-decides to wait and see if Celtic qualify.<\/p>\n
Why wouldn’t he ?<\/p>\n
He’ll walk straight into the team, the hard work already done, and be heralded as some kind of a messiah by a support just happy that we’ve signed someone who has a better than average chance of apssing a medical.<\/p>\n
Or, if Celtic don’t qualify, as is more likely, he’ll end up in England , on more money and not give it a second thought.<\/p>\n
My point here ?<\/p>\n
Well, its fairly simple.<\/p>\n
There’s some talent in the squad as it stands. Quite a bit , as it happens, which maybe needs a little bit of experience to help it out.<\/p>\n
Scott Brown and Emilio Izaguirre, arguably our two most experienced players arent going to fulfill that role. Izaguirre, isn’t the greatest of communicators, and Brown, well, he’s not risen to the captains role, with the exception of a couple of match winning stares and one time, standing in front of a player with his arms outstretched, which instantly elevated him to the status of legend.<\/p>\n
Which he isn’t. There’s a chance he could redeem this, but on the evidence so far he’ll just wind a few opponents up, stare at them for a bit and do his impression of a collie dog chasing a bin bag on a beach.<\/p>\n
Experience is needed.<\/p>\n
This snippet in yesterdays Diary, reproduced here shows exactly what we are missing, and the more i think about it, the more we need this attitude , combined with this level of experience and achievement , at Celtic, if we are to make any sort of progress on the European stage.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/CnapzDBWIAA03Rf.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Joe Allen remains a possibility, as does Kolo Toure, but its looking less likely as the month goes on. same with the other names mentioned, the most recent being Jerry St. Juste, a 19 year old centre half at Heerenveen, and a couple of Polish guys I saw on twitter but can’t be arsed looking for.<\/p>\n
As ever, the board have sold us a pup.<\/p>\n
We got the big name manager, who so far , in competitive games has managed a spot of damage limitation by keeping the score down in Gibraltar against a side who actually set out to do some damage limitation of their own.<\/p>\n
By getting the manager in, and lifting the spirits of the support, desperate for some life to be breathed into the club, enough to sell some season books, is it job done for the board, conservative both in name and nature ?<\/p>\n
Are we going to see the same old excuses and despairing last day moves all over again ?<\/p>\n
Or are we going to get the Shane Duffys, the Scott Sinclair and whoever else the board can get, and try to convince us that the \u00a35m or so spent has put us back in the big time ?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What we need is a Steven Gerrard. Or someone else of similar calibre, Kolo Toure , to be fair would do equally well, to come in and help a promising group of youngsters. There is potential in the team, a potential that could be nurtured and grown in such a way over the next few years that finally the club will have some stability, and not have to rebuild every year after someones head is turned south for two , three or even four times his wages.<\/p>\n
Similar to the plan Ronny Deila had, but with quality players helping out where it matters, on the pitch, because from the games played so far, its perfectly clear that there is no leader on the field, no one who can make a difference.<\/p>\n
This first became apparent when Patrick Roberts missed an open goal against “rangers ” last season , and there was no one there to put an arm around him and try to rebuild his confidence.<\/p>\n
As a result, he was lost during the game, and if you remember, it was his lack of pressing the defender, that allowed the Ibrox club freedom to move tha ball around at the back.<\/p>\n
Not his fault, because he’s just a kid, and there was no one there to offer encouragement, and to talk him through what must have been a shattering moment for him, which rendered him hopeless for the rest of the match.<\/p>\n
Other youngsters are showing similar lapses in concentration, similar signs of wanting not to hide, but at the very least to become unnoticeable, and again, there is no one there to coax them out of their shells.<\/p>\n
However, there is someone there to stare at anyone who kicks them, so thats useful.<\/p>\n
We need a right back ?<\/p>\n
Okay, Calum Paterson at Hearts.<\/p>\n
A centre half ?<\/p>\n
Any of those guys who played for Iceland. In fact, get them all in.<\/p>\n
Though Kolo Toure would do for now, adding experience at the back. He’s not going to play every game, but it will still be more than Simunovic. And Eoghan O’Connell would benefit fro having him around, another player who like Dedryck Boyata , is more scared of doing wrong than trying to do right.<\/p>\n
No wonder .<\/p>\n
You’ve seen the shit Efe Ambrose gets from the support. Which has now transferred itself to a gleeful media, ready to pounce on any sign of disunity in the camp.<\/p>\n
Steven Gerard in the middle, just prompting and encouraging the youngsters, telling them whether to run, or to pass, or to shoot. Litttle bits of help that are not there now. Even Scott Brown would benefit from this, if he’s still willing to learn.<\/p>\n
Up front, there’s a few who could go on to be legends.<\/p>\n
Griffiths in particular stands on the edge of a kingdom once dominated by Henrik Larsson, and he has the chance, and the ability and attitude, to claim the crown from the king of kings.<\/p>\n
Even Nadir Ciftci, written off by many, looks a different player than the one who went out on loan to Turkey.<\/p>\n
Thing is, the board aren’t going to lift us to the next level, its going to have to be us.<\/p>\n
The support.<\/p>\n
Especially on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The whole season could fall apart before its even begun, because as was shown in players attitudes last season, its very , very hard to get back on track and find enthusiasm \u00a0for the game after you’ve just been knocked out of the seasons biggest tournament.<\/p>\n
By someone you hadn’t even heard of in a country you thought was part of another country.<\/p>\n
Its not going to make you feel good, is it ?<\/p>\n
As a support on Wednesday, we are going to have to go out and make the players feel good.<\/p>\n
It’s that simple.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Not me personally, I mean. I’ll be going to work until Friday and then popping up to Glasgow for a weekend of debauchery, drink and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9393,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/etims.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Same_424f6c_1511145.gif","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2J7If-2ru","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9394,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9392\/revisions\/9394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}