The Hoops’ loss of first place in the Premiership has sparked an intense outcry.
This season, the epithet “entitled” has been used frequently to disparage Celtic fans who are pushing toys out of strollers more frequently.
It might be time to change the title. Untitled, perhaps. In any case, it appears doubtful that the word title will be used in any capacity at Parkhead before the end of the semester. With Rangers leading by just two points, it would seem a bit premature to make a statement. However, a wealth of data indicates that things are only going in one direction. For fans, this feels more like the end of the queue chase than the beginning. When Celtic play Motherwell on Sunday, Rangers might already be five points ahead in the Premiership.
Though it remains to be seen where the seismic shift in form is coming from, the white flag will not rise. It’s not as though Celtic aren’t competitive. They take this form. Top players are not inactive. Those who are only average may not have sufficient levels to advance.
Reo Hatate was not able to break into the team at the beginning of the season and won’t be back until March. Although Cameron Carter-Vickers’ campaign is already on the verge of being written off, it will nevertheless help. It’s unlikely that we will see Liel Abada again, let alone expect him to resume his high level of goal and assist production from the previous two seasons.
This team is heading completely in the wrong way. This season, Celtic has already dropped seven games, one more than they did the entire previous campaign. And three of those occurred the previous year following the engraver’s handling of the Premiership trophy. Celts are now expected to finish with ninety points, which could be sufficient to cross the finish line in some scraps. However, not this year. Not with the Germans finding ways to win and gaining significant momentum under Philippe Clement.
Last week, Brendan Rodgers put up a brave front by pointing out that his team was leading and had won eight of the last nine games. Both the lead and that stat are gone. Furthermore, he would have known in his heart that performances would eventually catch up with results.
Though the initial quarters weren’t all that fantastic either, the second-half performances against Ross County, Aberdeen, and Hibs were concerning previews of what was to come against Kilmarnock. For a long time, Celtics supporters have known where this is headed. Boos and jeers have replaced complaints and moans. Anger is building, and it will only get more audible. Rival supporters will be chuckling and labelling Celtic supporters as spoilt brats. They may simply be out of luck as they have won the majority of the cups and 11 out of the 12 crowns. They have rights. That may or may not be true. They may take winning for granted since they have been accustomed to it. However, Rangers are not afraid to spend big money and have a greater wage bill than Celtic.
Although this squad doesn’t have the old Ibrox appearance, they have a great operator in the dugout and have never been as dreadful as some people would have you believe. The days of caretaker managers doing headstands on the touchline and gaffers arguing with supporters in bushes are long gone, but Michael Beale was by no means Pep.
However, that doesn’t mean Celtics supporters should accept that this isn’t their year and brush it aside. Not when you take into account the club’s past accomplishments and current position.
The Celtics’ guardians take great pride in the stable and well-managed organisation. The mid-term financial reports are now two weeks overdue, and if they are holding out for a quiet moment, it might take until July for them to be made public. There will be plenty of money, but a large portion of it will come from supporters chipping in a considerable amount. Celtic is among the top 20 European clubs in terms of revenue generated by their fan base.
They get a respectable income from player sales and the Champions League. However, as much as 50% of the money received comes straight from the purses of the gamblers.It’s the sales of over 50,000 season tickets, the packages to Europe, and the acquisition of the newest, most egregious comic strip release. Both in the stands and with their hard-earned money, Celtics supporters cheer on their team. They are free to inquire as to how a team that is riding high on a triple crown and has a tonne of cash in the bank compares to the third-best squad in the nation at the moment. They haven’t been watching Hearts lately if that sounds crazy.
Celtic’s back four, meanwhile, wouldn’t look out of place in Aberdeen or Hibs uniforms. They have suffered from injuries, to be sure, but in the last two years, there has hardly been a signing that has lived up to expectations.
More than £20 million has been spent, but it has been dispersed much too thin and went towards overpaying for possibilities when significant funds need to have been allocated to crucial areas to strengthen the team rather than just barely keep it together. Rangers were never far behind, so assuming that the final two windows would be sufficient to repel them was either ignorant or arrogant, not to mention that they wouldn’t want to get their asssaulted in Europe again.
Now that Celtic has wounded themselves, the predictable phase of protest is about to begin. If all goes as planned, the money the Rangers could make next season will change the landscape of titles and races for many years to come.
Celtic fans have the right to demand better, regardless of how events unfold in Parkhead or elsewhere over the next few weeks.
