13 Aug 2026 04:49:30
Is it time to get excited?
I wonder if we kept the cash in the bank just for Martin, the quality with Hogh, Duran and Hassan is unreal, the OX has effectively replaced Bernardo as Bernardo couldn’t make a match squad. Baur coming in to replace Hatate.
If your Engels and Johnston i think you stay to see how things unfold, this could be a special season in Europe.
Do we need to drop to the Europa League to have a chance of a deep run in Europe?
13 Aug 2026 09:08:20
MON said quality over quantity which means we are finally buying players who are already proven and team ready, not projects who may or may not make the grade.
The dead have signed 9 and say there could be 4 or 5 to still come in.
They will need to shift a lot of dead wood but what does that say to the players already at the club, they are still not the level the club want, so why buy them.
You take in 9 players and they are still are not what Staunch McStauncherton wants, so you take in another 4 or 5.
That used to be our problem, we took in 6 - 8 players and most wouldn't get near the first team on a Saturday.
MON has changed that thinking by taking in less players but higher quality players, players who will immediately improve the first team.
It's taken a long time but we are looking more like a proper football club, recruiting properly for the Manager. This cannot be a one off, it needs to be how we operate in every window.
13 Aug 2026 10:40:52
Agreed.
These players should eventually go for big fees which allows us to invest even more in the team.
This is what Ange and BR wanted.
13 Aug 2026 08:35:50
Definitely, we're miles from CL level yet.
Although financially punitive, it would be a more enjoyable watch and possibly improve our co-efficient?
{Ed007's Note - With the new CL format there's no reason that most seasons Celtic should be capable of reaching the play-offs for the last 16 which takes us up to lateish February, I'll take that every year over any "Extended EL Run Trophy".}
13 Aug 2026 16:00:06
What is the negativity about with some people. We are buying team ready players with CL experience, which is a tectonic change for us.
Unless your Barcelona, Real, PSG, Man City or Bayern, who else are actually really CL level.
They have all the money and the best players, because they have all the money, so the rest of us are just trying to compete, win some games and make money. That is our reality.
Even with the riches of the so called 5 top leagues, only a few teams will realistically win the competition or go far in it.
Clubs with a lot less money than us have made their mark and have been competitive, that is all we can ask and hope for.
We are now spending significant sums on players we think might get us into the group stages and make us competitive.
Nothing is guaranteed but unless we do this every window we will end up on the outside of these big European matches, either in the Europa or Conference League.
We are not spending the sums we are to do well in the Europa League, we want and need to be in the CL to continue to develop and improve.
We are spending at the top of our ceiling, around 10m, anything above that is a massive risk for us, but unless we do this, then we will not qualify or compete.
The rewards in the other competitions will not pay for like for like improvements in the squad
We are not buying superstars, we know that but we are buying CL entry level players, which is the best we can buy within our financial structure.
We surely cannot complain about that.
We are having to buy higher level players just to try and qualify.
13 Aug 2026 16:13:40
100% Ed.
HH.
{Ed007's Note - ???