08 Nov 2023 12:56:13
BR said he'd like to come through the end of the transfer windoww stronger. Let's take MON's side of 2002/ 03. Front 3 of Larsson, Sutton and Hartson. By buying Maeda, Kyogo and Palma, is that stronger than the former? No chance.
Is Calmac a better captain than Lambert? No chance.
Is a midfield 5 of Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, Thompson and Petrov weaker than Maeda, O'Riley, McGregor, Hatate and Palma? No chance.
Is a defence of CCV, Scales and Nawrocki a better defence than Mjallby, Bobo and Valgaeren? Like hell it is.
We've now far, far too many project signings. Were there project signings in the MON teams? No chance.
What about the thunder and fortress that we used to have at Parkhead on European nights? MON used to dance and bounce around his technical area. Do we see BR doing that? No chance. I think he's resigned to the fact he's got a major problem on his hands with the squad he's now got.
Was that the Celtic we've known and loved last night? No chance.
I sometimes go and watch the Development Squad at the Excelsior in Airdrie. There's no spark and they're playing as if their hands are in their pockets.
At the AGM will the Board listen to the fans? No chance.
08 Nov 2023 14:37:26
Stengo a bit harsh comparing the present squad to the MON era. Players of that quality are not available and if they were they wouldn’t consider coming to Scotland and in this present day it’s the salary they are looking for that prevents Celtic signing that type of player.
08 Nov 2023 14:58:49
Oldkilly, it does seem a bit harsh but it was to accentuate that every transfer window, the manager always looks to come out it stronger than when he went in it. The rate of squad decline is massive compared to MONs. Even WGS's squad was better than this one and so to an extent was NLs. Joe Hart, Calmac and James Forrest are about the only three experienced players - and if we're looking at them to be the spine of the team then we have problems.
08 Nov 2023 15:54:08
That MON team couldn’t buy a win away in the CL either. I know as I was at all of them. We finished with three great home wins, but away we were utter rubbish too. Let’s not try and rewrite history. Away we have never been good enough for decades. Nowhere near it. It’s like a never ending tunnel where we haven’t a feckin clue how to get out of it so don’t bother. The last transfer window told us everything we needed to know. Not a single one of them is seriously challenging for a start. Palma was s getting played because Jota is away. For a winger he can’t dribble and beat a man to save his life. No service again last night and I don’t think we had a single shot, never mind a good one. I feel for the support. Going all that way, spending all that money to be humiliated like that. Totally disgraceful from those p ricks in blazers who only take money out the club with their shares that pay a dividend. Leeches and parasites the lot of them. Add in useless and here we are.
08 Nov 2023 16:36:56
Back then we were paying wages comparable to many of the EPL teams.
08 Nov 2023 17:32:21
Stengo some of the players u mention are now a bit past it . I think BR hoped to have a stronger squad at end of window . Than he had at start .
Your argument I think J stein had a better squad than MO’N.
08 Nov 2023 17:40:19
I think we have to look at the present and not the far past IMO we should have brought in atleast 2 or 3 first team players at the summer window to give us any chance of doing something in Europe But we didn't. Whose fault that was is up to debate.
08 Nov 2023 18:01:52
Celtic Calling, it wouldn't surprise me if some of MON's Cup Final team, if they took on BRs current team, would give them a game.
09 Nov 2023 21:52:15
Stengo of all the time I supported Celtic and God I had my share of both great times and bad times, I think my worse was at the end of 2003 season, when we won nothing . The team we had, a so called top manager, and we finished season with nothing.