COMPLACENCY IS THE CELTIC FEAR

St Anthony on Celtic's next steps

I rarely listen to football discussions on radio much these days. Too much hot air and bluster for my liking. The only time I am likely to tune in is occasionally when I am out driving. Last week on Radio Scotland the ex-Rangers player, Derek Ferguson, was asked if the huge gap between Celtic and Rangers was ‘bridgeable’ for next season, and he replied that it was. And I found myself agreeing with him wholeheartedly.

The problem which Celtic and Brendan Rodgers have, is that they are never able to build on a position of strength. Every season Celtic will lose one or more of their biggest playing assets as the board seek to cash in at the maximum price and recycle the money on less expensive new recruits. Last year it was Matt O’Riley. The year before that it was Jota and Carl Starfelt. This year it could be anyone from Maeda, Hatate, Engels, Johnston, or Kuhn. Whilst there is financial sense in keeping with the plan, the frustration is that any Celtic manager cannot build, which means his team is in a constant period of transition.

Another problem Celtic face is that they cannot replace like for like. Selling one of their best players and re-investing the money gives no guarantees of purchasing the same class of player. Most of the time this will mean that the side is weakened. If Celtic do sell a couple of their big hitters then that will definitely reduce the gap between them and their rivals from the south side. On the Rangers front, they will be employing a new manager shortly and are set to have new owners who are said to be keen to invest in the club. If they were to appoint someone astute with an eye for a player, then this would reduce the gap even further and would result in a real dog fight for the title. It’s also difficult to see Rangers being as inconsistent as they were last season.

There are precedents for this, as Celtic fans with a keen interest in history will be keen to remember. Guys my age will remember Rangers winning a treble in 1978 with Celtic finishing a distant fifth and trophy-less. A change of manager that summer (Jock Stein to Billy McNeill), a couple of inspirational signings (Davie Provan and Murdo MacLeod) and Celtic won the league in 1979 in the most dramatic of circumstances. That season was unforgettable. In 1987 Rangers won the league and Celtic were a total shambles, losing four of their best players – Brian McClair, Mo Johnston, Murdo MacLeod, and, Alan McInally – and sacking their manager, Davie Hay. Things looked desperate with Rangers now well ahead financially after Graeme Souness’ arrival, with most pundits predicting that Celtic would actually finish fourth behind Rangers, Aberdeen, and Hearts. However, Billy McNeill returned once again and some more terrific signings saw him lead the Celts to a league and cup double in their centenary season. That season was exceptional. Then in 2000, Dick Advocaat led Rangers to the league and cup double, finishing an incredible 21 points ahead of Celtic. The ‘Little General’ then met his Waterloo when Martin O’Neill turned Scottish football on his head the next season by leading his Henrik Larsson inspired Celtic team to their first Scottish treble for 32 years. That season was monumental.

But, as much as I agree with Derek Ferguson’s assessment that Rangers can provide a stronger challenge in the next campaign, there is one matter which he, and the other Scottish football pundits, conveniently forget to acknowledge. Before each season starts, Celtic have a 10,000 seat advantage in every game. In simple maths, over the course of a 25 game season, Celtic will have 250,000 more paying customers through their gates than Rangers. At an average of £35 per seat, that amounts to an £8.75m financial start on their biggest rivals. Fergus McCann was a shrewd visionary who foresaw the benefit of building a bigger stadium with a capacity of 60,000. He showed great courage in the mid 1990’s when most observers thought a 45,000-50,000 limit would be appropriate, but Fergus took the bold step of going further and it now pays off for Celtic every single year.

When you add in the fact that Celtic currently have something like £70m in cash reserves, then regardless of any Rangers challenge, the Celtic board are in a position of strength to cope with any increase in competition which may come their way. The biggest problem Celtic will face is complacency. Sooner or later they will face a strong challenge within the Scottish game and they need to be prepared for it. This will be a huge summer on the transfer front. The board must make sufficient funds available to improve the team, not only in the domestic game, but in the European arena. The manager and recruitment team also have to get their act together. £25m was spent on three players last summer and not one of them has improved the team. It’s a case of must do better this time round. It would also be good if business could be done early, rather than waiting to the last days of the window, when clubs can push up the price of players and hold any buyers to ransom. Apparently this happened with Idah and Engels last summer when we paid way over the odds. So let’s hope it’s very much a case of lessons learned on that front.

So, as much as Derek Ferguson was correct to say that it is now insurmountable for Rangers to mount a challenge in the next campaign, the ball is still very much in Celtic’s court. When Alex Ferguson won his first league title for Manchester United in 1993, they were still 10 titles behind Liverpool. Ferguson made it his professional ambition to surpass the Liverpool figure, and by the time he left Old Trafford in 2013, United had amassed 20 league wins to Liverpool’s 18. The 2025-26 league season in Scotland will be keenly fought. The Scottish media still love to collude in the illusion that Newco Rangers bought over the trophies of Oldco Rangers. If we allow this to be the case for the moment, both Celtic and Rangers are currently on 55 titles. This may be Brendan Rodgers’ last season as Celtic manager. The board must give him the means to create another piece of Scottish football history and allow Rodgers the chance to leave a legacy at Celtic which people will remember, just as Ferguson did for Manchester United. This is too good a chance to miss.