Celtic on verge of becoming football’s equivalent of the BlackBerry | OneFootball

I stumbled across an article yesterday discussing the fall of BlackBerry, the mobile phone giant who once produced the phone everyone wanted in the mid 00’s, who went from dominating the smartphone market to becoming almost obsolete inside just a few years…

Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay at TannadiceDundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

As I read about it’s downfall all I could think about was Celtic, and how the mistakes made by BlackBerry are so similar to the ones which have been made at Celtic Park.

So I’ll start by giving you a bit of a background story on what happened at BlackBerry. The company was at the forefront of the smartphone craze around 20 years ago, becoming the most popular device on the market by quite a considerable margin.

It’s free fall however was astounding, going from the leading manufacturer to completely inconsequential in such a short period of time. Much like Celtic, their hubris ultimately caught up with them and things crumbled from there.

Blackberry Due to technology such as the Blackberry mobile phone, office life is fast taking over peoples private lives. Now people can send emails and generally carry out office work whilst on the move. Date: 24.08.2006, Credit:Photoshot / Avalon

The main problem with BlackBerry, like Celtic, was that they rested on their laurels. When Steve Jobs and Apple entered the market they dismissed the challenge. They observed the new ideas Apple had (like the touchscreen keyboard) and ignored the idea of moving with the times, instead keeping the faith with the design and software that had made them famous and brought them so much success.

In lightening quick time they were left behind, never to regain their previous status.

So let’s forget about phones for a second and get back to Celtic and how we ended up in the current predicament we are in. Personally I think around the latter part of Neil Lennon’s first stint in charge is where the club felt they were perhaps running at their best.

Celtic Manager Neil Lennon celebrates with his team after winning the Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Motherwell at Hampden Park on May 21, 2011 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Rangers had died, which was perhaps a worry but also the club knew the flow of European money wouldn’t be ending anytime soon. The chances of them winning trophies domestically had also risen exponentially, so the club, even with the fear of interest from fans falling, knew we would be financially stable for the foreseeable future.

Gary Hooper gave Celtic the lead Celtic v Spartak Moscow, Champions League group stages Celtic Park on 5 December 2012. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Around this time our transfer strategy was also reaping dividends. We had found the perfect recipe of buying players cheaply, then selling them on for a tidy profit a few years later.

Victor Wanyama scores the first Celtic goal. Celtic v Barcelona match in the Champions League on 7 November 2012 at Celtic Park. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Perfect examples would have been Gary Hooper, Victor Wanyama and Virgil Van Dijk. We made it look so easy and to be honest we were probably ahead of the curve at that time using this strategy, and plenty of teams envied our success.

19.08.2015. Champions League Qualifying. Celtic versus Malmo FF. Virgil van Dijk. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

At this stage it really did feel like whatever we touched turned to gold.

The problem is other teams started to notice and copy our strategy. Clubs like Southampton, who were buying players from Celtic at the time started to think why don’t we cut out the middle man and go and source these players ourselves?

The difference is other clubs started doing it smarter, by using analytics.

These clubs didn’t want to risk bringing in players on the hunch of a club scout. They wanted hard driven data that would lessen the chance of bringing in a dud. Celtic? We stuck with taking the word of a scouting team we hoped had an eye for a player.

We stuck with what had been successful for us in the past.

Amido Balde of Celtic battles with George Saville of Brentford during a pre season friendly match between Brentford and Celtic at Griffin Park on July 20, 2013. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Over the years as more and more clubs became involved with using analytics, we continued to stick with what we knew. Sometimes it worked, but more often than not it didn’t. We stopped bringing in the Victor Wanyamas and Virgil Van Dijks. We started bringing in the likes of Amido Balde and Mo Bangura. It stopped becoming cost effective.

Mohamed Bangura of Celtic is tackled by Tim Clancy of Motherwell during the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match between Celtic and Motherwell at Celtic Park on September 10, 2011. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The attitude was it’ll be okay as we are only spending £2m on these players. But when you are constantly bringing in duds at that price and then being stuck with them on your wage bill, it becomes a problem.

The crazy thing is that it’s well over a decade now since this strategy started working for Celtic, yet we have never progressed it. We still bring in multiple projects, hoping we will strike it lucky now and again, and at times we have.

Matt O’Riley of Celtic celebrates scoring our second goal with teammates during the Scottish Premiership match between theRangers and Celtic at Ibrox on April 07, 2024. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

The likes of Matt O’Riley, Nicholas Kuhn and Jeremie Frimpong are examples of that.

We have been extremely lucky over the years, and I genuinely believe it’s been luck, that we have unearthed the odd gem that we have been able to sell on for profit. Having Ange Postecoglou and his knowledge of an untapped market also helped.

Our luck however has now ran out.

Recently we have been bringing in projects and none of them are standing out as a bright light in a dark tunnel. Gone are the diamonds we used to unearth, replaced by lumps of coal.

The thing is this was always going to happen. We all knew it, the club however either didn’t see it coming or, which is the more likely scenario, chose to ignore it. Clubs throughout Europe are using analytics to pick up the best projects out there. We are being left with the players no one else wanted.

Joel Mvuka of Celtic Celtic v Dundee, Scottish Cup, Fifth Round, Celtic Park, 07 February 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/ Shutterstock

That’s how we end up signing players like Joel Mvuka, Michel-Ange Balikwisha and the two Japanese club signings Shin Yamade and Hayato Inamura that were nowhere near the standard.

Michel-Ange Balikwisha of Celtic Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Premiership, Celtic Park, 27 September 2025. Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

So back to my BlackBerry analogy. Their story is so similar to Celtic it’s scary, and all I hope is that it’s not already too late for Celtic to turn things around and get back to being the dominate force in Scotland once again. Unlike BlackBerry however, we have to change. What worked previously isn’t working anymore, and won’t work again. Stick with this strategy and we will end up in a similar state to BlackBerry. Left behind. All that’s left will be a memory of when we were the top dogs.

Blackberry Due to technology such as the Blackberry mobile phone, office life is fast taking over peoples private lives. Now people can send emails and generally carry out office work whilst on the move. Date: 24.08.2006, Credit:Photoshot / Avalon

Whatever happens this season, our next move is crucial. Do we stick to the same old same old, or do we finally modernise? Doing nothing is suicide. This summer we have to set the wheels in motion for change. It starts at the top. People are already focusing on who the next manager will be but there’s a lot more changes more important than who sits in the dugout that needs to be implemented.

Celtic need to move away from the old ways where our manager has such a big hand in running the club. All these clubs we should aspire to be like, the Club Brugge and Bodo/Glimt’s of the world, who perform above what would be expected from them have an identity, a structure that dictates everything. A set recruitment system, an excellent academy, a style of play that the manager must work within.

Celtic fans and the Celtic Board at Tannadice. Dundee Utd v Celtic. Sunday 22 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou

Celtic for too long look for a big manager like Brendan Rodgers, Ange Postecoglou etc to come in and change everything. It should be the other way around which means the whole thing doesn’t need ripped up when they leave, you just get the next man in to work under the same system.

If we don’t modernise we will be left behind, scraping it out with the likes of Hearts and the Rangers in a league we should have outgrown years ago. Our hopes of becoming European heavyweights again left in tatters.

Celtic is at a crossroads. How we move forward from here will be a vital moment in our club’s history.

Let’s hope we don’t end up as football’s equivalent of the BlackBerry.

Conall McGinty

Post your own thoughts in the comments section below…

Quick Tip – Add thecelticstar.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!

Click to join Celtic Pools

More Stories / Latest News

Celtic on verge of becoming football’s equivalent of the BlackBerry

Mar 24 2026, 18:26

“A lot has happened,” Benjamin Nygren – “I understand that anger”

Mar 24 2026, 17:22

Save Our Season – Send for the Green Brigade

Mar 24 2026, 14:41