Celtic’s bruising Sunday – a valid point and an excuse wearing thin

But while one has a valid argument, the other risks running out of excuses.

At New Douglas Park, goals from Sofia Maatta and Lisa Evans saw Glasgow City extend their lead at the top of the SWPL. Saoirse Noonan’s late goal offered brief hope for Celtic, but in truth, City were well worth their 2-1 win. Celtic goalkeeper Lisa Rodgers produced a couple of fine second-half saves to keep the score respectable, yet another frustrating afternoon ended in defeat for Sadiku’s side.

Afterwards, Sadiku was honest, perhaps too honest for some ears at Celtic, about the challenge she faces.

“Teams are investing strongly,” she said. “You can see how tight it is every season. Teams are getting better and better and we need to push in the same direction as well.”

She’s right. Glasgow City and theRangers are both pushing the envelope in terms of resources and ambition. Ambitious Hibs, the current Champions now has a budget Sadiku could only dream of. Celtic’s women’s side, now having the fourth-largest budget in the league, are fighting to stay in the conversation. That’s a difficult ask without the backing to match their competitors. For Sadiku, third place may be the realistic outcome, but it doesn’t dull the sting of days like these.

Some 80 miles away, Brendan Rodgers was in front of the microphones after a dismal domestic result, talking about being asked to drive a Honda but produce Ferrari performances.

It was a revealing comment, and not in the way he might have intended. Rodgers doesn’t need a Ferrari to drive to the top of Scottish football. He needs his Honda driven with focus, direction, and a manager who knows the road ahead. Europe is one thing, that requires high-end machinery. But at home? Celtic should still have more than enough under the bonnet to win this title.

For all his complaints, Rodgers has the biggest budget in Scotland, the deepest squad, and resources Sadiku could only dream of. Yet his side looks uninspired, and increasingly disinterested. It’s no wonder the supporters are restless.

No one expects Celtic to win the league by 15 points this season, we’ve long since taken into account the talent lost. But supporters do expect a manager of significant experience to find solutions, to motivate his squad, and to make clear that mediocrity won’t be tolerated. Europe may be a stretch, but Scotland? That’s non-negotiable.

When a player’s standards drop, it’s on the player. When several players drop, it’s on the manager. And when the manager himself looks spent, that’s on the board. Right now, Celtic are failing on all three fronts.

Rodgers’ flippant attitude isn’t helping either. When he jokingly asked a journalist a couple of weeks back if he could play right wing, it was a moment of misplaced sarcasm that said more than he intended.

Within a short space of time, Daizen Maeda was injured, Yang was back in the team, and morale was fractured further. For a player already disillusioned by a collapsed move to Birmingham, hearing his manager treat his position like a punchline can’t have inspired confidence. Yesterday, by half-time, Yang was hooked, on the back of one of the worst individual performances of the season.

Celtic’s malaise isn’t new. It’s arguably the culmination of years of drift and mismanagement, of a boardroom seemingly allergic to progress, a leadership culture that measures success in balance sheets, and now it seems, a manager who too often leans on excuses rather than action.

The Celtic Fans Collective has emerged as a rare beacon of accountability, pulling supporters together in an effort to challenge the complacency that’s taken root at the top. But that’s a long-term fight. In the short term, it falls on those in charge of their teams, Sadiku and Rodgers alike, to maximise what they have.

For Sadiku, that means pushing for second and consolidating a base for future growth. For Rodgers, it means waking up to his responsibilities, rediscovering his spark, and getting this car into gear. Drop the players who aren’t performing. Use the ones who’ve a point to prove. Inject urgency, belief, and accountability.

Celtic has invested in the new facilities at Barrowfield but their business model is clear and despite being made clear on The Celtic Star on quite a few occasions now, it’s not widely known.

If you want to know how much Celtic FC allocate this season and last and the season before etc then we can tell you it’s not changed. It’s the same sum. Nothing at all. The women’s team operates on its own steam and can only spend what it brings in. It’s word class shorted sightedness from Celtic FC and maybe this explains why for every player Sadiku signed in the summer two left.

So while two Celtic teams lost yesterday, only one can truly cite a lack of investment as a reason. The other is offering excuses that are now wearing thin.

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter, signed copies by Danny McGrain available from celticstarbooks.com 

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