Another day with no creditable rumour of any signings in the next few days. I think we have just a week to sign someone to help us qualify for the Champions League. Certainly not much time to bed him in and integrate him or them into our quite complicated game plan.
This is not unique, although we did start off with a flourish and had 5-6 signed in the first four weeks and my opinion, we were on the right road. But just when some of us were getting overexcited with the quality and quantity of new blood, it shuddered to a halt and unlike the weeks before, there didn’t seem to be much in pipeline.
The laughing joyful posts of the mid to end of July turned back to anger and anti Board like every year. However I think something is different, we all remember Brendan Rodgers (BR) our manager repeatedly telling us he had the final say in selecting who we bought in. Most of us know BR is a very good manager, an elite manager in UK football. His strengths are developing and coaching young footballers and integrating them into a team.
Managers even the best of them have often got one flaw or weakness in their role of duties. BR’s fault is his inability to have an eye for a footballer, Brendan is like all good managers, arrogant and doesn’t see his weakness in assessing a player.
BR caught the Board on the hop and they allowed him the role in picking the players we buy. However this has been a failure, BR is disingenuous when he says he doesn’t agree prices, but it was the Board trying to keep him happy bidding higher and higher for Engels, Trusty and Idah that they finished at the price they paid.
Did the board try to sell and find £4m approximately the most they were offered . On top of that our recruitment team and Board may have come up with what they considered Celtic quality players, 4-5 for every position that may be needed and BR turned them all down?
Surely that could bring about the abrupt stop of all real rumours and the manager, team and fans could all have to suffer, just because the Board in attempting to prevent Brendan walking away has allowed the only weak part of his managing to let him and us down?
As far as coaching, developing and creating his interpretation of how Celtic should play, which has proven very successful, we are unlikely to get as good to replace BR. I think he will leave next summer, even if we do finish with a good window.
Any longer may have him regarded as a great Celtic manager who hasn’t proved himself elsewhere. The new manager may not have BR’s coaching skills but maybe could identify better players and work closer with the recruitment team, he may also use some of our youth players as BR didn’t show them any real interest.