A last minute scramble to sign a player was what the press reported yesterday, but I am glad we never bought a panic signing. Don't take any notice of the tabloids' stories of final day mayhem as their guess is as good as ours as to what went on.
Here, I will have a look at the current state of the team.
To be honest, the departure of Henrik Larsson was always going to be a hard one to take. We all know that we will probably never see his likes again, but we have to move on and settle for what we have. Other outgoing players were Jamie Smith, Johan Mjallby and Steve Guppy, neither of the three will be missed.
Henri Camara has signed on a season-long loan from Wolves. His wages are fairly high (rumoured to be around £22,000 per week) and we have the option of signing him on a permanent basis at the end of the season. He is valued at roughly £4 Million. Camara scored on his debut, in a friendly against Newcastle United, then a week later against Spurs. At first glimpse he looked fast and keen, and seemed to be a welcome addition to the squad.
Camara has appeared in all of Celtic's SPL matches, but in truth has failed to set the world on fire. I am all for giving players time to gel with each other, but this is Celtic, and if you don't shine quickly, the fans lose faith in you. Just ask Harald Bratbakk.
Every time I watch Henri Camara play, I get more frustrated. He does appear to look clumsy but fast all the same. He tried to grab the limelight on Sunday by taking a goalscoring opportunity away from Juninho, when perhaps leaving it for the Brazillian would have been the better option. Camara and Hartson looks like a partnership that will never work, but we will see how things develop over the course of the season. Fingers crossed.
Last week, we saw the arrival of the 'Wee Fella,' Juninho. He was thrown in against Rangers on Sunday and won the Man Of The Match award on his debut. He showed some signs of his true quality and is going to be a star this season, no doubt about it. Juninho arrived for free but his wages will probably exceed £20,00 per week. But the guy is a class act, and he will be worth every penny, trust me.
Juninho is the type of quality player we should be aiming to sign. Over the summer, we were linked with Rivaldo, Alan Shearer, Iviar Basturk and Saviola - when it was announced we were going for this calibre of player I was very impressed with the Celtic board. However, things obviously didn't work out, but the ambition is certainly there.
Part of the problem, whether you believe it or not, is the current league we play in. The SPL is a joke - end of story. Celtic have been trying to lure players to Parkhead with the prospect of Champions League football. Telling Juninho the wonders on a cold Tuesday night at Dens Park wasn't the turning point in him making his decision to play at Celtic.
The truth is, we need to get ourselves out of this country as soon as an offer becomes available. We need to disassociate ourselves with Rangers, and fly solo. If an offer comes in to join a European league, we should grab it with both hands. Obviously, there are many complications, but anything that could act as a stepping stone to bigger things (such as the English Premiership) should be taken aboard.
We simply cannot compete with the financial windfall that is the English Premiership. When you realise teams like West Brom are receiving more television revenue than Celtic, it's really time to think about things. I, for one, am fed up being a big fish in a small pond. We only have a guaranteed minimum of six big games to look to in a season - playing Rangers is becoming just any other game these days.
Eduoard Corridon failed to impress on a trial, and there were complications with the Brazillian, Amoruso when he trained with Celtic. An egotistic agent made sure that deal went nowhere. The bottom line is, we have been trying to get the players in. The reason for the lack of signings is not money, it is not the board acting in a tight way, sometimes, things just don't work out.
Yesterday's fiasco included Dwight Yorke and Marcel Dessailly. Yorke was pictured at Celtic Park, and according to the club, was offered a "fantastic" deal, but the lure of the English Premierleague was too much for him. It was a will he - won't he kind of situation; one minute he had signed then the next he was off to England. Eventually, he signed for Birmingham City - a shitey club with a shitey support and going nowhere. It disgusts me that players are choosing mickey mouse teams like Birmingham over playing for Celtic.
With Dessailly, he is basically an old man looking for a club. We need cover at the back in case of injuries and he would have been a good signing in my opinion. The problem here was probably the wage demands. He is a French World Cup winner and that presumably gives him the excuse to demand high earnings even though he'll hardly play any games and will only be there for the season.
That is one thing I admire aboutour manager. If he doesn't like something in a player, he will show him the door. Take Nacho Novo. No way on this earth did he choose to sign for Rangers ahead of Celtic, through choice. He was in Martin O'Neill's office at Celtic Park, and O'Neill sniffed out something he did not like. That is why Senor Novo is not playing Champions League football this term.
And I must say, it is a sad, sad day when numpties Celtic Messageboards are calling for O'Neill to resign. I am not even going to waste any more of my time talking about it. Only a couple of weeks ago, everyone was praising the board for Celtic's end of year results. Celtic fans have such a short memory, it is at times, unbelievable. Two words: John Barnes.
Celtic's AGM is coming up soon and anyone who thinks O'Neill should resign should tell him then. They can take my ticket if they don't have one.
The SPL this season was a formality before it even started. At the end of the day, we have bigger fish to fry. So, onto the Champions League.
AC Milan, Shakhtar and Barcelona will give us a tough ride this season. I believe that, with the current squad, we will be lucky to go through our six games with no injuries. A third place finish will be a massive achievement, and into the UEFA Cup we will go. Would it be different if we had signed someone before today? Maybe, but the arrival of Dwight Yorke and Marcel Dessailly would not have guaranteed us progression into the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Folks, we are in for a fantastic season. The league is going to be a piss-case and we'll have a ball following The Bhoys in Europe; win, lose or draw! Do not panic as your club is in a sound state on and off the park. Hopefully, in ten years time we will be out of this country and taking stage amongst the big boys.
Hail Hail! Always.
Kevin Smith
Editor