As Rangers fans rage at Martin's haircare, Celtic's money men take centre stage

As Rangers fans saw their struggling side battle to an undeserving 1-1 draw with Dundee on Saturday afternoon - thanks to a VAR approved dive from new boy Djeidi Gassama - they could only watch on as their Vegan loving Buddhist enlightened manager stroked his luscious locks in an attempt to create enough static that he wouldn’t hear the boos ring out around Ibrox as the final whistle blew. Clearly, the latest in a long line of revolutions at Ibrox is already in trouble and while it is music to the ears of Celtic fans once again - who have heard it all before and proven right once more - their focus is firmly on the crosshairs which are aimed squarely at Celtic’s money men, despite a 2-0 win over Aberdeen on Sunday.

With just over two weeks remaining of the Summer transfer window, and seven signings down - five of whom are nothing more than project players - Celtic have been severely weakened with the departures of Greg Taylor, Nicholas Kuhn, and the January departure of Kyogo. And despite Brendan Rodgers issuing a not so subtle ultimatum to the club’s hierarchy - the threat of him walking away from Celtic for a second time doesn’t seem to have ruffled any feathers at all.

Journalist Stephen McGowan’s article on Monday, alleged that Celtic’s money men do not appear to trust the football department in their scouting abilities and this has resulted in a number of low ball offers that have not only pissed the selling clubs off but has led to several long term targets leave for pastures new elsewhere - while Celtic are still scrambling around the back of the sofa for a few more coppers to offer.

While the risk of Rodgers leaving is real, the real threat to the Celtic hierarchy isn’t the manager leaving for a second time. It is the Celtic supporters turning on them. The Celtic board may be sitting pretty just now reading their bank balance as they run the club like another one of their client portfolios from their banking days - they need to realise that they are not the club. Even if their egos don’t allow them to admit it - they’ll soon realise that if they continue to strip Celtic of all their sellable player assets to add a few more zeros to the bank balance - they’ll start to lose a lot more in the long run as the fans turn their back on club merchandise, ticket sales, hospitality, and much more.

But while Dermot Desmond is too busy worrying about a MetroLink rail line in Dublin, there is a real threat of Celtic not making the group stages of the Champions League, because the absentee landlord, Lawwell, and his little mini-me Nicholson think they know better than the football men at the club. Sending offers to clubs of amounts that are more at home 10-20 years ago in the transfer market than nowadays.

Paul Tisdale, Celtic’s so-called Director of Football Operations, has been in the job since October 2024 and his duties include talent identification, development, and analytics, with a focus on supporting high-level football performance. Has he done anything to warrant his wage in his time at Celtic Park? If he has, let the fans know - because it looks like he’s picking up a wage for doing sweet fa.

Questions must be asked of who the hell appointed this guy in the first place? A guy who quit English League Two side Stevenage in March 2022 after 3 wins out of 21 matches. What did he do to deserve a job at Celtic? No club in England trusted him to manage their side in the two years he was out of the game - yet Celtic give him the keys to the castle? If he is a supposed ‘football doctor’ then he’s Celtic’s Harold Shipman killing off any chances of progression in the Champions League.

If the money men at Celtic don’t trust the football department to identify players, then surely they should do a sweeping clear out of said department? From the failed coach turned fake doctor to the scouting department to the analytics team and any one else involved with looking at potential signings for the club. Or is it more to do with the rampant nepotism at the club - with Dermot bringing his kid into the hierarchy and Lawwell trying and failing in getting his own spawn’s claws into the club - falling on his sword due to transfer failures funnily enough. At least he has his little adopted ginger son in Michael Nicholson to fall back on - to see his legacy continue.

We got rid of the Kellys and the Whites of the world once, and we can certainly get rid of the Desmonds and the Lawwells when the push comes to the shove. And trust me any more departures of first team players this summer - rumours of Trusty and Maeda potentially departing - without quality replacements will see the pitch forks being sharpened even if we win the league again this season.

McGowan claims that Celtic are readying the potential signing of four players before the window closes on the 1st September, but we all know they’ll wait until we qualify [if we qualify] for the group stages of the Champions League to finalise the deals - even though we have close to £100 million to play with. Including £25 million from this summer alone - after spending just £3 million in transfer fees.

The Celtic board are clearly calling Rodgers’ bluff and even though they may eventually bring in some new players - it is clear to me that Rodgers has had enough of the board’s fannying about and will leave next summer after leading the club to another league title - going out on a high.

McGowan highlighted Fergus McCann and his time at the club, which wasn’t plain sailing with times where he was public enemy number one for the Celtic fan base, but now as he sits among the Celtic fans free from the nepotism that has taken up root in the boardroom that he once reigned over, there is no question his legacy has resulted in Celtic’s domination of Scottish football this century. Sadly, Desmond and Lawwell’s legacy pales in comparison and will reek more of arrogance, self-centredness, and avaricious - they will never see the same adulation that Fergus earned.