SENTINELCELTS

Sftb,
Many thanks Sir and as usual a well written piece asking very valid questions.

For me the heart of the issue is the soul and direction of Celtic discussed recently. Choose your course and the rest of the jigsaw will fall into place imo.

We all know our history until this point. But standing near the end of this regime with a course needing plotted, where and what happens is still a mystery.
While Covid makes the short term uncertain, and with a support unlikely to pony up to the max long term if not in actual attendance, we now have another three potential disrupting events for the club, PLC and support on the horizon.
Brexit,Irish unity and Scotland ceding.
When pondering what will happen and how would things go after these events, and possible implications, one could well wonder where to start and stop.
Political trouble in parts of Ireland would no doubt see the support drawn in for instance.
The Club may well also become the main focal point for an entire section of the community should independence for Scotland become a reality.
The travelling support may face new checks and barriers with new borders.
Etc Etc Etc. Its a wormhole.

However we have a collection of elderly upper class,so it’s hard to see them wishing to wade into such contentious issues, plus they will surely realise there may be choppy water ahead, very stormy waters for football clubs especially, so I believe these events will only cement the desire to call it a day from most of the faces on the board currently thus kicking the can down the road when it comes to the huge issue of our modern identity.
Many would think it correct they dont take such a momentous decision on the clubs behalf no doubt. I tend to agree.

Although we could probably come up with a consensus on here, the new board should and I’m sure will have their own ideas, but quite how they manage to sate the supports desires and expectations remains to be seen.
A global fanbase across a networked world will expect to see modernization at some stage, however that is almost at odds with the domestic game which :relies upon old school ways and means to achieve its aims, an Old Firm duopoly providing easy cash alongside jobs for the boys at Hampden, and for local lodge members.

A forward thinking collective of actual Celtic fans, not businessmen with a passing interest, should show the Old Firm the door, and insist on justice for each and every trespass, alas there will be many. All Celtic Football Club need to to kill off the dreaded O.F. and its hangers on is act professional.

Ways in which we could do that is a working scouting system which ties into your article re the transfer policy. The list of players you mention actually doesn’t read too bad, as approximately half went on to play significant parts for the first team, but couple weeks ago we seen Bada Bings list of those who have played less than thirty games for the club before being deemed of insufficient quality or not fancied, and there must have been somewhere in the region of one hundred million blown between fees, wages, and lose taken.
We clearly have the resource to tackle this huge drain by hiring a DOF and setting up a scouting system, yet dont opt for it.
I believe thats a huge conflict of interest on Peter’s behalf, perhaps the entire boards.

Despite the lack of a formal structured scouting setup we have achieved good domestic success and good financial success. I think it’s fair to say if modern systems were put in place in order to kiss less frogs, alongside blooding a higher percentage of youth, the above could be not only continued but enhanced.

The new setup should wish to implement their own footballing vision, that would ideally see us lay down foundations for our long term success while reducing the O.F. to merely a sideshow. The correct path would naturally see us emerge ahead of the pack by product not of our financial superiority but as a result of correct decisions throughout the footballing department.

A club playing the same style from top to bottom is a great start, and even better would be a partnership with another club that also have this particular style of play so that our talented youth could accept a loan spell away as simply par for the course and part of the learning process,rather than what used to mean not good enough.
In having the luxury of a second platform to develop and display our wares its hard not to see players sales revenue go up having more than usual display room.
With four tiers available ie
1,,Glasgow Celtic first team
2,,Glasgow Celtic squad
3,,Sister Club first team
4,,Sister Club squad
we could chart a course for any youth player with the aim of rising a tier per season etc.
In this scenario most youth should be getting that which matters most, game time. I fail to see our kids think they are going to benefit other than going out on loan, and the recent revelation young Dembele wants to leave allied with the fact Bayern have snapped up some of our kids is no surprise to me because frankly it’s the very last place I would have my precocious talent signing for, and that’s with green specs on.
That’s the naked truth, and to be honest it’s a bloody disgrace.
A travesty for the club and support, hell the world, saw what the local youths could do when we slew the beast, but yet we didn’t even turn to youth when given as much of a free run at successive titles as you can get.
That issue particularly vexes me, how we lost the golden opportunity to blood and make winners of our youth.
The recent KT snippets also dont help give off the impression that they arent extremely valued assets thought of as tomorrows next big thing. Why is that, because they are or at least could be if given the chance (Andy Robertson)?

Over the last couple windows we have signed some youth that do look talented, I’m not the only one said Connell looked very tidy indeed, but when they dont get a sniff it begs the question why stockpile them? Simply a case of one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing?
Or preparing for the next guy in the dugout, which would need all or most out playing on loan?
Whatever the deal is, for the youth it isn’t currently working.
I’m staggered we dont take more advantage of that endless flow.

The footballing department currently see’s a young player brought through as a bonus, and perhaps most fans would like an exotic foreigner over a local 18 year old.
Not me though.
The club and support are in unprecedented times aye, but yet some type of course must be decided upon.
It would be the utmost folly to ignore the Celtic nations youth, so perhaps future transfer strategies could incorporate them into the bigger picture with a predetermined disposition to fill gaps from within, something a lot easier when the entire setup is geared towards playing one way, a philosophy our club of choice clearly hasnt embraced.

In asking how to measure a successful transfer policy the metrics certainly shouldn’t be funds positive and negative, for even though I dont believe we conduct our business well in that department we have amassed quite a sum, or at least had.
It’s a very interesting question.
An increasing ‘hit rate’ would seem the natural answer alongside the simple fact you dont get em all right.

Do we get bang for buck? I cant see how anyone can claim that. The list of flops is long, too long to claim lessons were learned, much too long to claim the current approach is justified, even if it did turn a nice profit.
But then that’s where we divide, PLC and support,, the profit, the money.

They might see that nice bank account, at least it was, as a pat on the back.
I see it as a global scouting system, maybe that indoor training centre we had planned upgraded.
Something, anything that really helps the club overall. The fact we were kept in the dark is a slap in the face when one hears more than a club or a club like no other.

Which ties into your final question, the soul of the club. Auldheid worries over it, and he would know,, that alone should garner a lot more conversation, and consternation.
Everyone is different yes, so it will come down to the individual but theres only so much you can ask of a support, and our support have been asked for a lot.
The Big Lie hovers over all of us.
Res12 saw deceit from our own board.
Yadda yadda.

The soul of the club, and the direction of the club, are intertwined.
The boardroom has lead for a long time, the result has been a drifting away from what many thought we stood for.
No fighting causes, game worse than ever, still hated by Hampdump etc.
It’s high time the fans started taking much more of a hands on approach at our club. Its happening at others, it would only be right if it was us now after all we have endured, or been fed depending on your viewpoint.
We will communicate, infiltrate, cajole and demand if needed, but the fans must have some say.
We must try to save the clubs soul now, for if left to others,,,,

Thanks again and Hail Hail