‘Nancy blunder evidence of Celtic’s blurred vision’
The Frenchman talked about building castles in the sky. He struggled with the fatal impression that he had time to fulfill his vision and deserved patience. In his parallel universe, with his masterpiece in the making, he said winning isn’t everything.
It was all about the “process”. He urged people to look at his track record as proof of his talent. He also told reporters “Do your job” in the match where Motherwell lost 2-0 and lost 3-1 to Rangers.
Nancy and Tisdale had to go. It’s also clear that the club’s unfortunate situation goes much deeper than these two over-promoted characters. It’s about who approves their appointments and why. This goes to the extent of Celtic losing their way not only on the pitch but off the pitch as well. It goes all the way to the top.
Celtic have lost a manager, a head of football operations and a chairman (Peter Lawwell, who was sacked due to an abusive element in the support) since Hogmanay.
The club’s lack of communication is striking. Leave aside the extreme elements of support, casual fans – the vast majority – feel a deep disconnect, an alienation from what is going on.
There is a sense of entitlement among some, of course, and it’s easy to mock that given all the titles Celtic have won. But elsewhere there is anger that a club with close to £80m in the bank is making poor decisions and going backwards domestically and in Europe.
These supporters cite a lack of ambition, a lack of a plan under the current board led by CEO Michael Nicholson and major shareholder Dermot Desmond, and power in the shadows.
Celtic’s vision seems to be to stay ahead of Rangers and see what they can get out of Europe.
Brendan Rodgers balked at the idea and his relationship with the power brokers at the club crashed and burned. There was an insensitivity to her outburst and the cruel words Desmond said about her. Rodgers, for all his flaws, did not deserve this.
Deputy director John Kennedy also left at that time. Kennedy was at Celtic for 27 years as a player and manager, but was only given a penalty when he left. He deserved more. This is a legitimate question to ask; Where is the dignity and class?
There is no big picture or distinct image at Celtic. Celtic could have finished their own stadium and turned it into one of the best on the continent, with a capacity of close to 80,000 goals, but they haven’t done that.
They could build one of football’s greatest museums – God knows they have enough icons and great moments to fill them – but there’s no sign of it.
They could have deployed a modern and extremely sharp reconnaissance system, but they didn’t do that either.
They go around, cash-rich and happy to patronize insular ways, but even that is now at risk. The emergence of Hearts and the support they have received from Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics looks set to change the game in a major way.
Celtic thought they could take a gamble on Nancy because they couldn’t imagine a world where another team could compete for the league title, for the bread and butter.
