14 Feb 2014 10:28:50
All right Ed 007 mate; are you feeling as deflated and frustrated as I am this season?
I would like to hear opinions on where we are going?
It's all very well having a healthy bank balance going into a season, but some of the decisions of the Board and the manager have seriously backfired on us.
Selling our top players too soon plus inferior replacements? No European football since autumn and young players seeming to be using a 'revolving door' in and out of the club before they get their chance. Exiting both Cups prematurely AT HOME!
Rumours of tension and bad feeling between manager - Board - players and of course supporters relations.

It is understood we need Champions League group stage football to keep financially healthy, but the more corners we cut and standards are allowed to drop it will be even more difficult to qualify?
Add to this the Murrayfield factor (we even had a hard time using Hampden as a temp venue) and with the CL qualifiers being so soon in pre-season plus the possibility of the manager stepping down?
Are our priorities needing to be re-addressed?

By the way is the site easier to manage with the log in system?

JJ

{Ed007's Note - If I am honest JJ I am completely disillusioned with the club this year, from the board right down to sections of the support. The site is better since we moved over apart from a few hiccups of losing people's posts, what do you think of it?}

1.) 15 Feb 2014
Agree with all the problems JJ lists. going to have to elaborate on that Ed. Always good to hear your views fella. Which sections of the support are you disillusioned with? Are you in the 'we should be reinvesting more into the side' camp? We need to start operating as a CL side not an SPFL side in my opinion. Do that, and domestic cups should largely take care of themselves. After all, we're football fans, not the pockets of major shareholders. We want to see money on the park and a better product. That said, we may be in need of a different playing style/coach too(?).

{Ed007's Note - It's the fans who are happy watching the club slowly decline into mediocrity who annoy me, then when anyone says anything against the board or manager all they can come out with is 'You must be missing Sevco' or 'Look what happened at Rangers', it's actually quite pathetic.
The board need to look at the wage structure and raise it to try and entice higher standards of players. The average wage in the EPL is £30k a week, we should be at least matching that for a couple of players to move the squad forwards. I would be quite happy with the board's spending if they were spending it on improving the team, far too many 3rd or 4th choice players are being signed, Leigh Griffiths' signing is a prime example of the decline in standards at the club, both on the pitch and off it. Remember NL said Griffiths wouldn't make his bench, did he really improve so much in half a season at Wolves that he is being championed as our big January signing?
Neil Lennon's time at the club is up, it's time he moved on and if he wasn't NL there would be a lot more fans calling for his head. His team selections are poor, he is tactically naive and his record in cup competitions is embarrassing. One result in Europe against Barca has blinkered fans to his overall failings and domestic loses to lower level teams. This unbeaten record thing is a joke, it's being used to try and keep fans interested in what has been a dire season at the club. It serves no purpose in the grand scheme of things, young players should be getting eased into the first-team picture rather than NL's favourite players playing in every match regardless of their form. Samaras starting last weekend is one of the strangest decisions I have ever seen from a CFC manager, who plays a player who is refusing to sign a new contract and could be talking to other clubs for all we know? The contract offer should be withdrawn and Samaras told he will never play for us again, if it was an amicable situation it would be different but Samaras is messing the club about, that is unforgivable.
That's a few things and without me mentioning the board splitting the support over the GB, their ignorance and general attitude towards supporters, NL having a merchandise line, the total dross style of football on the park affecting attendances (another point the 'Missing Sevco p!sh gets used against) etc.}

2.) 15 Feb 2014
Shouldn't need to up the wage bill to win in the Scottish and League Cup though.

Neil Lennon should be able to motivate his players enough to win domestically. With a Club like Celtic the expectation is always there to win every game and this is not something new for season 2013/14, regardless of what other fans opinion is.

I dare say some do miss the buzz of the Rangers games and that's up to them and an opinion they are free to have. Lack of competition would maybe make the Scottish League less appealing to a neutral but to a professional football player at Celtic to get away with this complacent, arrogant attitude they have for 2 seasons now is ridiculous!

Feel like a broken record but cannot believe our season is more or less over in February.

I just want to see the players show a bit of passion!

3.) 15 Feb 2014
Just another point, if Amido Balde is a 'work in progress' and a 'project' why aren't the likes of Adam Matthews and James Forrest? They are both younger than him and regular first team starts!

Think I've just reached the point I can't make any more excuses for what's been going on, fresh ideas and Managment does seem to be needed.

4.) 15 Feb 2014
15 Feb 2014 15:09:51
It's all good saying lift the wage sign more expensive players and make us a CL team .
What players want to come and play say 10 CL games and the rest the dross of Scottish football.
Do you really think the whole of the celtic fans don't wish we could sign great players and properly compete in the CL every season.
We done well last season mostly through luck then got done by a team who can spend 20m on players and still don't get out this seasons group stage.
We are undoubtedly held back by our league and unless the real big picture changes we'll never do much better in the CL than we already do

{Ed007's Note - You'll never know what players would come until you try to sign them, we talked Forster and van Dijk into joining. There are plenty of players out there that would happily sign for CFC and improve the team but the club won't pay the fees required to sign them and end up signing players that are a worse standard than what we already have. There is no point scouring the world for talent if the board aren't willing to push the boat out occasionally, preferring to always go with cheaper options. It's a lot more to do with our board's failings than the league we play in, that's just another excuse that gets peddled.}

5.) 15 Feb 2014
15 Feb 2014 16:28:15
Surely your examples of Forster and VVD wer cheap options.
The league we play in isn't a bad excuse it's the facts it's gash

{Ed007's Note - No they are perfect examples of the calibre of players that we can attract. Fraser Forster was always NLs first choice as GK so he was hardly a cheap option. Most footballers will go where they get paid the most irrespective of the league, from brand new clubs in the lowest level of Scotland to 'new money' clubs like Man City and PSG.
An increase in the wage structure would open up a whole new market for the club to shop in, even when it is Bosman signings. Next you will be saying that players won't move to Scotland because The Rangers/Sevco aren't in the league.}

6.) 15 Feb 2014
15 Feb 2014 18:04:41
What your saying is that gems can be found in the 2m market, giving VVD and Forster as an example. Do why not keep trying .
Are you trying to tell me that the old firm derby was not a major factor in some players coming to Scotland?

Am 32 am not accepting mediocrity a haven't seen Celtic in a better position than what we are now

{Ed007's Note - I'm not talking about transfers fees, can't you read? I am talking about the wages we pay. MB you are nothing but an apologist for the board. If you haven't seen CFC in a better position then as I have said before, I would question your knowledge of football. All you ever seem to do is disagree with what anyone says against the club without backing it up. Surely at 32 you can remember MON being manager, are you seriously trying to say that the club is in a better position now? Absolute b*llocks!
So you are saying players would sign for us to play four against Rangers but won't now for six matches in the CL? You should start reading what you type before posting, you're embarrassing yourself here.}

7.) 15 Feb 2014
15 Feb 2014 19:14:08
Go back read yours, the club won't pay the fees to get them is something what you said.
See when some1 starts using insults a think it shows plenty about them a don't insult you.
League 3 in a row CL last 16 financially sound can't see that being any worse than m Oneils time in charge. Not for a minute saying it was as good a team but we certainly ain't in a worse position

{Ed007's Note - I'm not insulting you, I'm saying you don't know what you're talking about. I was asked to give an opinion and I did but you have to pounce on it with the complete opposite. It's not an insult to think you're an idiot.}

8.) 15 Feb 2014
How exactly are celtic in the best position am only 28 and have seen far better from celtic the football this season has been woeful bar a few games and we as fans have been let dwn again with the boards lack of ambition in the transfer market the fact Leigh griffiths is paraded as a big signing is embarrassing I go to every home game mb and believe me a have seen much much better football being played as ed says ru saying the team that got to Seville isn't a better side than what we have now come on

9.) 16 Feb 2014
Thanks Ed. Totally on the same page with everything you've said. I hate people who have a go when I say we should be spending more or raising the wage bar. The 'look what happened to Rangers' line is pathetic. I think I'm of a stance now where the manager and board need changing, or just the attitude of the latter. What really narks me though are the lies, we can spend the money we recieve, we can go out and spend £6m on one player, break the wage structure, think outside the box bla bla bla. Leigh Griffiths.

{Ed007's Note - Don't get me started on signing Griffiths, there was no need to buy him when we have Watt and Atajic. The signing stinks of a signing for the sake of it and I expect he will let the club down with his off-field behaviour.}