Celtic at a crossroads

If a week is a long time in politics, a year can be a very short time in football.

2012-13 saw Celtic scramble their way out of a very difficult Champions League group and into the last sixteen.

In 2013-14, they finished rock bottom of their group, picking up only 3 out of a possible 18 points.  Whereas last season they defeated Barcelona at Celtic Park and were beaten at the Camp Nou only by a last gasp Jordi Alba strike, this time around they lost to the Catalans at home and, on Wednesday night, completed their lousy campaign by losing a dead rubber match 6-1 to the Spanish champions.  Meaningless game or not, you'd have expected the players to be lifted by the opportunity to play such feted opponents; the performance was so bad that you'd have thought Ross County's back four were playing.

No question, Celtic are drastically weaker than they were last season.  Out went Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama and English forward Gary Hooper, for £18 million in total transfer fees.  Neither have been replaced even remotely adequately. 

I know a few Celtic fans who were quite blasé about Hooper's exit, claiming that his goals-per-game ratio in Scottish football was far from outstanding, and who claimed that Georgios Samaras and Anthony Stokes were superior players.  Yet Hooper proved last season that he could be an effective lone striker, and goalscorer, at continental level.  Stokes' electric start to the season might have convinced Neil Lennon that he could take over that mantle; however his goal against Motherwell last week was his first in any competition since the start of October.  Samaras looked the part last season, especially when playing wide, but has been struck once more by a return of the malaise that plagued his game for so much of his first few seasons at Celtic Park.

Meanwhile, I was lucky enough to see Wanyama in the flesh for Southampton about six weeks ago, when down south.  Against Fulham, he strode around the pitch like he owned it...and it seemed like he did, given his dominance in the middle of the park.  He was simply a special talent, and it's not surprising that Lennon didn't have anyone in the squad who could fill his role.

They were unable to find adequate replacements in the transfer market either.  Lennon summed up the problem himself - "players sometimes won't come unless you have Champions League football guaranteed.  Then, after (you've qualified), it's pretty difficult to get the kind of player you want".  The bottom line is that the club can no longer attract elite players from elite leagues.  They cannot pay these players enough, or offer sufficiently prestigious competition.  Gone are the days that the likes of Chris Sutton, John Hartson or Lennon himself could be signed for huge fees - the equivalent players of 2013 just aren't interested.  After all, Hooper considered Norwich a step up.

So instead they rely either on bringing in cheaper players with potential, or, frankly, rejects from bigger leagues.  The former category included Wanyama and Hooper, who were successes.  It is hard to see many others in this Celtic squad who could be sold on for similar, large transfer fees, however.  Fraser Forster would be the obvious candidate.  Virgil Van Dijk, unquestionably the most successful of the new faces, has been imperious domestically but his limitations were dreadfully exposed in the final two group matches against Milan and Barca.  A couple of years ago, I'd fully expected Emilio Izaguirre and Beram Kayal to be sold at huge profit, but neither has been as impressive in the last twelve months as they were when initially signed.

Even if some players are sold off for big bucks, then what?  Celtic might be able to afford to splash the cash on better players, but, as stated above, how many of them would actually want to come?  The example of Teemu Pukki is not reassuring - the Finnish striker was let go by a Bundesliga club, Schalke, and who has largely looked like he has been phoning in his performances, rather than showing the hunger expected of a player who cost £2.5million.  It would be easier if they had a clutch of impressive youngsters waiting in the wings, but, James Forrest aside, only two academy products (no, Charlie Mulgrew doesn't count, pedants) have started a game this season - Tony Watt, punted on loan to a Belgian club at the end of August, and Dylan McGeouch, who played in the League Cup humbling to Morton.  The best of the club's youngsters is full back Darnell Fisher, who was actually signed from Farnborough in 2011.

To an extent, Celtic are being held back simply by being in Scotland, playing in a mediocre league (which now means three Champions League qualifiers just to get to play with the big boys), dwarfed by it's neighbour south of the border.  Players want to play in the higher quality, more competitive, Premier League instead.  The fans want to watch it on telly instead.  The sponsors want to throw their money at it instead (remember, the Scottish Professional Football League - still!!! - hasn't got a title sponsor).  But the lack of competitiveness up here has come about because of the dreadful imbalance in prize money during the SPL years, and that in turn led to the lack of interest from anyone with money, and the subsequent drop in quality.  Celtic, and of course Rangers, were rather in favour of that at the time.  Now, it's a hindrance.

And I don't see how it is reversible.  The return of the other half of the Gruesome Twosome to the top flight won't change it quickly - I don't believe for a second that Rangers, with all their off-field issues, will be able to turn it into a two horse race quickly...and that's if they make it through another year and a half without another administration event, which is far from a given.  And there is zero chance of escaping to England - what on earth have they got to gain from having either Glasgow club in the league, other than their baggage?

So Celtic are stuck with their lot.  And it's quite likely that their manager and players are increasingly aware of that.  It would be surprising if Forster doesn't respond positively to suitors.  Samaras and Joe Ledley appear reluctant to sign new contracts.  Someone may take a chance on the potential of Van Dijk, Forrest and Adam Matthews.  Lennon?  Save a League Cup win, there is nothing realistically achievable at Celtic Park that he hasn't achieved already.  I can't help feeling that his love for the club may be trumped by his ambition.  After all, 5-0 away wins in the SPFL must be becoming pretty boring for him; they're certainly boring for the rest of us.

L.