celtic must guard against complacency in quest for four-in-a-row

Is complacency going to stop Celtic winning the SPL this season?

There seems to be a feeling about that Celtic just have to turn up to win the league this year. I, for one, don’t share that attitude.

Rangers ran us uncomfortably close last time and I haven’t seen anything this summer to suggest it won’t be as tight again this season.

In a summer where Rangers have on the face of it spent approximately £18m Celtic, at the time of writing, seem to have returned an era reminiscent of the old days of parsimony and prudence above all.

As we go to print, one week before the transfer deadline, Celtic seem short in a few positions, particularly left fullback. Yet, the signals coming out of Celtic Park suggest that the manager and, we have to assume, the board, are happy that the current squad of players are good enough to not only win domestically but also are capable of competing in the Champions League.

The mystery of why Celtic, of all the teams in the World, are unable to sign a quality left back continues to baffle.

To be fair to WGS – a manager I have backed and supported since his appointment – he has at least tried to address this problem. However neither Mo Camara nor Lee Naylor could be said to have been a resounding success.

Given the waffle the Celtic support are subjected to from the great and good at Celtic Park as to how proficient our scouting system is, here’s a question for them: If the scouts are that good then why, one week, before the transfer deadline, do we not have a decent left back?

Mark Wilson, a right footed defender, is having to cover that position and that is just not good enough.

The board were delighted to announce a few weeks back that Celtic’s finances have never been better. We are only just over £3m in debt.

I have friends who owe more than that on their credit card.

However, Celtic are a business which turns over around £75m per annum. While no one wants to see the club burdened by overwhelming debt surely the board can loosen the purse strings a little?

There is a delicious carrot dangling at the end of the current season. As I understand it, the winners of the 2008-09 SPL championship will once again go straight into the Champions League group stages, while the runners up will have to go through the nerve-shredding hassle of the qualifying stages.

Direct entry to the Chanpions League is widely reckoned to be worth at least £10m. Therefore money spent now on quality players could be easily recovered if we win the league. If the hope among the powers that be is that the current squad are good enough to win the SPL this season they could be in for an expensive and rude awakening. Not qualifying for the Champions League would have serious financial repercussions.

We are in a position of strength compared to Rangers. Money wisely spent on quality players this year could firmly entrench Celtic as Scotland’s dominant team. Surely it is better to spend (invest if you prefer) when on top than panic spend in response to poor results or injuries later in the season?

We are in a position where economically we can set the agenda not react to an agenda laid down by others. Now is the time to reinforce our superiority.

Complacency also seems to exist away from the direct football front. When will the management start to spend some money on making improvements to the approaches to the stadium? The area immediately behind the Celtic End is like a jungle. Why not make use of it or at least tar it over before the council declare it an urban nature reserve? Surely they are not going to wait until 2014 and get the tax payer to fund it in time for the Commonwealth games?

What message does that send out? Improved access, fresh paint, better facilities are ok for those dignitaries and spectators attending the commonwealth games yet aren’t necessary for the Celtic support who turn up every week?

If we let this opportunity to reinforce our superiority over Rangers both on and off the pitch pass then the directors and manager will deserve all the criticism that will come their way.

GEORGE OF THE NORTH STAND