Neil Lennon’s claims yesterday that Celtic are “going backwards” were today rejected by Martin O’Neill’s number two, Stevie Walford. Both have got me thinking – are we going in the right direction?
For any of you who never heard of the quotes, here is a quick summary of them. After our 3-0 defeat in Donetsk on Wednesday, Neil Lennon was quoted as saying, "I can't tell the board what to do. However, if we are to progress in this competition - and if it's what we really, really want - then obviously we have to spend eventually. I think if the club could get a wee bit of backing we could really go places with this manager but, right now, we seem to be going backwards, rather than forwards.”
Stevie Walford told the Celtic website today, “I don’t think these quotes would have been made if we’d got a result on Wednesday. That was just disappointment at the fact that we lost to a team we should have beaten. You would always be disappointed with that, but I wouldn't say we are actually going backwards.”
Now, I do agree with Walford in the sense that we wouldn’t have heard Lennon saying these things if, for example, we had went to The Ukraine are turned Shakhtar over 3-0. But we didn’t. What we have to look at, with regards to the Champions League, is that we are conceding far too many goals, we are not scoring enough goals and our general play is not at a Champions League standard.
The only way to combat this is to spend money.
I have always supported the Celtic board and the work they have done in the transfer market. They have performed well in getting the debt down and I believe they will continue to do so. But for those who criticise the board regularly, ask yourself how satisfied you were when the club’s annual results were published earlier this year? I bet you were ecstatic like the rest of us.
Stevie Walford also piled the pressure on Celtic’s youngsters, saying “we really need them to perform at the highest level.” I feel this is unfair on our youth players, as the likes of Aiden McGeady, Ross Wallace and Stephen McManus all have a lot to learn before they are able to raise their game to compete with the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona and the rest of Europe’s elite.
At the end of the day, we are never going to win the Champions League. I am willing to accept that. But what I fail to register is Celtic’s obvious lack of ambition ahead of the Group Stages of the tournament. I feel the board are, like many have been saying, just happy to be here. The £10 Million we receive when we enter the Champions League is satisfactory for our board, and this will obviously not be spent on the squad.
So, in what direction is our club heading? I agree with Neil Lennon is the sense that if we do not splash some cash next season; we are going to fall lower in the European pecking order. Our players will all be a year older and for some, a yard slower. Other clubs will be a yard sharper and multi-million pounds better off.
I have said it before, but we are punching above our weight performing in the Champions League. For the lack of investment we have had into our team, we are doing pretty well, but compared to other clubs, and mixed with fans’ expectations, we are not doing well enough. As long as we stay in the SPL, this will always be the case. Thankfully, our board appear to be working to get us out of the country, and into a league where we can generate reasonable transfer funds.
My other concern is holding on to Martin O’Neill. He is one of the best managers in Britain, and he is the best thing that has happened to this club since Henrik signed. I believe that if he is not given reasonable investment, he will be off at the first opportunity. And he’ll probably take some of his players with him. The way it is looking, he won’t be getting much more funds next season than he had this season, so it is not looking good. I hope I am wrong.
We are not going backwards, but we are not going forwards either. Staying content at winning the SPL every year and just being in the Champions League is a serious lack of ambition for me, but as long as the board continue to hold transfer funds away from Martin O’Neill, we might as well get comfortable and settle down in this position, because we are going to be here for a long time.