Ineptitude, moving into the realms of sabotage even. The Champions League exit was bad enough | OneFootball

I needed a bit of time to absorb all that yesterday. Ineptitude, moving into the realms of sabotage even. The Champions League exit was bad enough, not sure I was ready for the next gut punch. Anyway let’s look at moving forward, in spite of them…

‘My lips are sealed’ – Michael Nicholson, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Celtic, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and Club Brugge KV at Celtic Park on November 27, 2024 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We can expect radio silence today. Michael Nicholson won’t say a word — because that’s the boardroom playbook, and we all know why. Reasons, or excuses, for Celtic’s transfer window mean nothing now. Outside of stage-managed AGMs this club denies transparency to its support because with transparency comes scrutiny, with scrutiny comes criticism, and with criticism comes accountability.

The transfer window, in truth, worked to a point

The transfer window, in truth, worked to a point. Our defence is arguably stronger, as is our midfield – if Benjamin Nygren is classed there. The attack is another matter entirely.

Early deals made sense, as did most exits — though let’s not hand out too much credit for getting rid of players from the last disastrous window only two years ago. The real test is whether those we’ve just moved on become tomorrow’s troublesome wage carriers. Time will tell.

There’s always a place for projects at Celtic. Players we identify early, put on a pathway, and either mould into Celtic players or sell on for a profit. Hayato Inamura and Callum Osmand fit that bill.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha. theRangers v Celtic,31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Others don’t. Jahmai Simpson Pusey has already played first-team football at Manchester City. Shin Yamada is first-team ready and already called up to Japan’s national side. Ross Doohan is a third-choice keeper but experienced. Kieran Tierney is an upgrade on Greg Taylor. Nygren looks an astute, value addition. Michel-Ange Balikwisha, chased for over a year, is a good addition to the starting XI.

Of ten new signings, only two are true “projects”

Seb Tounekti has talent but needs polish. We’ve probably overpaid, but he’s ready for minutes. Marcelo Saracchi is a rotation option whose versatility will matter as Tierney builds his fitness and Alistair Johnston recovers.

Of ten new signings, only two are true “projects.” The rest should be pushing for first-team football now.

Kasper Schmeichel theRangers v Celtic,31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Between the sticks, Celtic have real strength. Vil Sinisalo and Kasper Schmeichel provide healthy competition for the No.1 jersey, while Ross Doohan remains in the background as an emergency option, more there to train and be ready than to play.

At full-back, Kieran Tierney and Marcelo Saracchi cover the left, with Hayato Inamura also capable of stepping in. On the right, Alistair Johnston is the standout choice, backed up by Tony Ralston and young Colby Donovan, who still needs minutes if he’s to develop into a long-term option. Saracchi’s versatility means he can also cover there when required.

Liam Scales of Celtic wins a header from a corner during the Scottish Premiership match, theRangers vs Celtic, Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, 31/08/2025. Photo Colin Poultney PSI

In central defence, there’s balance and depth. Auston Trusty and Liam Scales can rotate on the left side, more than capable of handling Scottish football and solid enough for Europa League nights. On the right, Cameron Carter-Vickers is the rock, with Dane Murray as his deputy. Jahmai Simpson Pusey adds flexibility, able to push for a role on either side of the central pairing.

The midfield picture is clear too. Paulo Bernardo deserves more minutes in the holding role, particularly with Callum McGregor needing his gametime managed more carefully than Rodgers has so far allowed. Ahead of them, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren offer quality, while Luke McCowan and Arne Engels provide depth and rotation. There is an argument, not without merit, that a more physical presence would be beneficial, but six players for three positions is a manageable midfield.

It is in attack where the questions start.

Sebastian Tounekti, Photo Celtic FC

On the left, Michel-Ange Balikwisha looks the first choice, with Seb Tounekti an alternative as he settles in. On the right, James Forrest and Yang will battle it out, though both Balikwisha and Tounekti can switch flanks when needed. It is short, but if we pull in Daizen to assist, we might have enough to get away with it. It shouldn’t be that way, too much creativity and too many goals and assists have been lost but we have to find a way.

Through the middle, Daizen Maeda carries the burden as the main striker. Shin Yamada is the natural rotational option, an ideal fit for this Celtic side if Rodgers trusts him, while Johnny Kenny slots in as third-choice but may be required when Maeda is moved wide to cover injury and suspension. Callum Osmand, raw and untested, will likely pick up minutes when the fixture list becomes relentless, an opportunity that could help his development more than a loan spell might have.

This is a squad a manager can work with. It may be short in places, but it has enough variety and enough talent to function. With the right leadership it can be moulded into a unit, foster the necessary trust and togetherness, and build the siege mentality that will carry Celtic through a demanding season.

Kyogo applauds the fans. Ross County v Celtic in Dingwall. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

It’s seems public knowledge now that frustrations may have leaked from a normally closed Celtic dressing room. Players saw Kyogo sold while flying in the Champions League, Kuhn moved on despite his goals and assists, Jota crocked in April without a replacement until August, Adam Idah promoted to first choice, then sold, without a replacement, and a manager they trust still unsigned to a new deal and being undermined. To any dressing room that must be both baffling and frustrating.

That the squad has limited itself to quiet whispers rather than outright revolt says much about their respect for Rodgers and the support. But that dressing room is now in siege mode. And we need to be with them.

This summer’s failures weren’t in the markets where Celtic traditionally hold sway. Deals in Japan, Scandinavia, or through the City Group pipeline were secured without too much difficulty. Players with an emotional connection to the club, and happy to see out the final years of their careers in Glasgow, could be persuaded. Those transfers got done.

Where Celtic came unstuck was in the markets that required real competition and carried a degree of jeopardy. These are the spaces where properly run football departments thrive, where relationships across the game are built over time, where communication lines are open, and where decision-making is quick and decisive. In those areas, Celtic looked out of their depth.

Yang Hyun-Jun of Celtic Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 August 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

The list of missteps is telling. Birmingham City were left frustrated over the handling of Yang, a move that reflected badly on the club and our treatment of the player alike. Go Ahead Eagles, a modest Dutch side, felt comfortable pouring scorn on our approach — a provincial club treating Celtic as amateurs in the market. Rapid Vienna had Isak Jansson, a player we bid £2.5 million for, only for Nice to snap him up for £10 million just 48 hours later. That’s not just bad luck – it’s being completely out of touch with the market.

Marco Tilio of Celtic Sporting Lisbon v Celtic, Pre Season Friendly, Football, Estadio Algarve, Portugal – 16 July 2025 Estadio Algarve Portugal Photo Carlos RodriguesShutterstock

The Marco Tilio saga was another embarrassment, as Celtic initially backed away from a deal they had already agreed. The Adam Idah situation was worse still: a player sold against the explicit wishes of the manager, leaving Rodgers publicly exposed. With Kasper Dolberg, hesitation proved fatal. The player was available, the selling club wanted a deal, and yet Celtic dithered. Time kills deals, and in this case, time brought in competition that shut the door.

By deadline day, desperation had set in, the knockbacks were plentiful and don’t need listing, but the scramble for Kelechi Iheanacho was the most glaring example of our desperation. Here was a player who had already rejected us in January but suddenly became the focus of a frantic last-order push. It was the sort of move that reeked not of planning but of panic, the hope of a board looking for a headline rather than a solution.

This isn’t modern football practice. This is an executive stuck in its own fiefdom, congratulating itself on domestic dominance while failing to evolve. They benchmark only against a neighbour who re-emerged in 2012, rather than against the European clubs we should be measuring ourselves against. And the result is reputational damage that stretches beyond Scotland, damage that will take more than one transfer window to repair.

We don’t need Iheanacho, nor any other washed-up stopgap parachuted in to save face. What we need is honesty, direction, and investment — but the board won’t give us that.

Brendan Rodgers at Ibrox theRangers v Celtic,31 August 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

So, we go with what we have. Brendan Rodgers has little choice now but to focus on the players at his disposal, to turn frustration into fire and build that siege mentality which has carried Celtic teams through difficult seasons before. If he does that, and if he pulls the fans with him, then he will have our full backing — even as the board cowers in silence until November’s AGM.

Because right now, the board is out of the picture. It’s players, fans, and coaching staff together. The fight is ours, not theirs. The board can be left to the supporters to deal with in our own way, in the stands, at the AGM and beyond. What matters most is that when kick-off comes, the players know the fans are with them, and the fans know the dressing room is united.

This squad is not perfect. It is short in areas, patched together in others, and missing the quality that might have pushed us over the line in the Champions League qualifiers. But it is still good enough to retain the league, to make noise in Europe, and to fight on all fronts. That will only happen if we unite — if the coaches focus on their football, if the players focus on each other, and if the fans focus on giving them every ounce of backing when they step onto the pitch.

Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay applaud during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The executive may have failed them and us, but Celtic has never been about the men in the boardroom. It has always been about the bond between those on the pitch and those in the stands. That bond is what will carry this season. If the players and coaches can count on us, and we can count on them, then despite the chaos behind the scenes, this team can still deliver a season to remember, and in spite of those who claim to be custodians of our club.

Niall J

Celtic in the Eighties – Out Now! In Celtic shops on Friday…

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter, out now!

Celtic in the Eighties by the late, great David Potter is published this Friday 5 September by Celtic Star Books. All pre-ordered copies have now been signed by Celtic legend Danny McGrain who has also written the foreword for David Potter’s final book.

These copies have now been posted to everyone who has pre-ordered with copies being send all over the world. It’s been an incredible response, so thank you to each and every one of you who will be receiving your signed book shorty.

Celtic in the Eighties will be available in the Celtic superstore and all other club shops from Friday 5 September. And don’t forget that you can still purchase your copy from Celticstarbooks.com for same day postage. The next 30 orders will also receive a FREE copy of an earlier David Potter book, Alec McNair, Celtic’s Icicle then that wonderful David Potter book will be out of stock.

Order Celtic in the Eighties today, you’ll be glad you did, it’s a fabulous read!

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Foreword by Danny McGrain. Published on Celtic Star Books on 5 September 2025. Click on image to pre-order.

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