17 Aug 2019 09:41:29
So that’s twice in six years we’ve qualified for Champions League! Or four in ten years, or 10 in 20! Effectively, we’re a team that, at best, qualifies every other year or, more recently, once every three years.

Truth be told, we’re kidding ourselves if we say we are a Champions League team. Yes, there should be more Champions in the competition, but we forever moan about how hard it is to qualify when the simple fact is we’ve qualified less that half the time over the past ten years. Excluding the top five leagues, we’ve been outperformed by:
Porto;
Benfica;
CSKA Moscow;
Zenit;
Ajax;
Olympiacos;
Galatasaray;
Shakhtar Donetsk;
Basel.

There’s probably no shame in that, but we’re also on a par, in terms of qualification over the past ten years with:
Anderlecht;
Dinamo Zagreb; and
Bate Borisov.

I’d expect us to be around the same level as Anderlecht. But Zagreb and Bate? Depressing stuff!

Key issues - scouting and succession planning! We need a better player trading strategy than we have! Our current strategy sees us buy a lot of rubbish which is compensated for by the odd gem - Wanyama, Forster, Van Dijk; Dembele; who make it seem profitable or cover our failings - actually without those four, we’d have made a loss on our transfer dealings!


1.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 10:21:09
Player recruitment is a major issue, it's scary the amount of guff we have signed then managers blame the board for not backing them😂😂.


2.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 10:39:21
It’s not always the manager making the signings though. Arzani and Bayo has nothing to do with Rodgers. I’m sure there’s a quote from McCourt saying Gordon S didn’t have a clue who he was when he turned up for training.


3.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 11:07:46
I am sure most fans would be delighted if every season we had champions league qualifiers that we got 2 or 3 quality players in to start in the side before it kicks off. Instead of spending small amounts on a number of players hoping one comes good. My god we have signed some rubbish over the last few years and it adds up to a lot of money wasted. Much prefer quality over quantity.


4.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 11:47:41
Good post spidey.

Right now as it stands we will be doing well as a team and club to perform well in the Europa league. I want the best for Celtic and for them to be playing in the big time and getting the financial benefits that it brings but at the moment we have stood still this year and last and until we start showing the ambition we will be doing well to repeat the run wee O’Neill took us on with Henke and co.

Middle to front we are looking awesome again we need to sort out the back end of the team. Hatem, Ajer solid in their positions big Jozo is a good player but can be unreliable due to injuries. If the fullbacks of Meling and Ellabdellaoui are added along with big foster all of a sudden we will be solid back to front.


5.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 12:48:38
Bayo was a Rodgers signing and he went on the advice of toure.


6.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 14:26:32
Shved had nothing to do with Rodgers as remember him whining about us having a million wingers already.


7.) 17 Aug 2019
17 Aug 2019 14:37:15
My mistake Kev, must have been Shved and Arzani then as knew 2 out of those 3 had nothing to do with Rodgers.