After Celtic’s 6-2 humiliation at the hands of West Ham yesterday, many Celtic fans will be looking on and wondering how the club have managed to fall so fast in such a short period of time.
It wasn’t so long ago the tam were finishing top of their Europa League group with two games to spare and beating Lazio in Rome in a result that sent shockwaves across Europe.
But since then, we have seen a massive decline in quality recruitment in the first team whilst the Celtic board have enjoyed watching the clubs bank balance swell with sales of Kieran Tierney, Jeremie Frimpong, Patryk Klimala, Hatem El Hamed and more recently Kristoffer Ajer, Vakoun Bayo, Jack Hendry and Marian Shved.
Over £60m generated in player sales in just over two years on those players alone.
The level of investment hasn’t matched the level of income the club have received and the fans have watched the board mismanage the first team to such a degree, that Celtic already face the biggest game of their season fielding two young centre backs that should never be near the first team at this present time due to their lack of experience.
But, we are where we are and the fans, as always, back the team by selling out season tickets once again, whilst the board continue their negligence by taking 106 days to appoint a new manager.
Ange Postecoglou has captured the imagination of the Celtic support and it does seem that the majority of the fans are behind the big Aussie, but how long will that last if results like yesterday’s continue, starting on Wednesday in Denmark?
Speaking after match, Chris Sutton laid out bare where the blame lies and absolves the manager for now, but in a stinging attack post match, Sutton fired a warning shot to the Celtic board and Dom McKay that they need to get their fingers out fast and back the manager, “But this isn’t on the manager, this is this is on the board this whole situation and what he has to work with.
“This isn’t on Dane Murray, a young centre half giving the ball away. He’s been put in a position where he’s up against a streetwise, top class Premier League centre forward, who gave him, and Welsh, a real lesson.
“I mean it’s a learning curve, but he hasn’t been given the tools. I said before the game on Tuesday night against Midtjylland and it was going to be tough as a Champions League qualifier, he hasn’t been given the tools to work with
“The board should have acted quicker. He said it himself the manager. It was men against boys it was so wide that gap. West Ham where different class and this wasn’t West Ham’s best team.
“They have four or five players coming back which is going to make them stronger. The gap is so big, very little to work with, and Wednesday night if Celtic get through, I said before that if Celtic get through it will be an absolute miracle.
“He needs players in and he needs players in fast and it’s up to the chief executive. Dominic McKay, who’s had a slow start. He needs to get the wheels in motion.
“Maybe this will be a good thing in the long term. How can you say it’s a good thing when you get embarrassed in your home park 6-2. It’s embarrassing!”
Many people will point to the imminent incomings of Carl Starfelt and Kyogo Furuhashi and the the impressive Liel Abada as the board getting behind their manager, but have those signings been made too late to make any kind of bearing on what the season holds for the Hoops?