Some dim-witted Hoops fans appear to be relishing the current fiscal anguish in Govan just a little too much. While I will admit to shedding few tears, my advice is that we should concentrate on the illness currently affecting our own club, the symptoms of which were again evident last night against a pretty ordinary Jambos outfit.
The good news is that we are not going bust any time soon. Even though tomorrow's interim results are likely to show a dip, we are still in pretty decent financial shape. While this is good, it is not likely to appease a growing number of mainstream fans, like me, who feel strongly that investment in player quality isn't merely necessary, but a strategic financial imperative.
The entertainment value offered by the current managememt team and playing squad is, frankly, woeful. It's a long time since I saw a group of Celtic players so lacking in the basic techniques required of association footballers: accurate passing; control of the ball; running off the ball; shooting on target; tackling. Three further essential ingredients also appear to be missing: a gameplan, confidence and perhaps most worryingly, motivation. The headless chicken football displayed last night reminded me of many Under-11 games I have witnessed. These contests were typified by one clearly talented player (McGeady) getting the ball a lot and the other players (from both sides) chasing after him.
The product is simply not worth the admission money.
This is not new. Anyone whose been reading this blog over the last two years will know that I have had serious misgivings about quality and technique under one G Strachan. While I, like others, believe the loss of Nakamura is now being truly felt, it's also true that Tony Mowbray isn't getting as much from essentially the same group of players. That said, it's way too early to conclude that it's all Mogga's fault.
The bottom line is that even the most passionate fans will not stump up cash every year to watch - and fund - a deteriorating product. Forget about football being different. People do not like being taken for granted or, even worse, cheated.
It's time for the board to act. If there is no injection of player quality in January, fans will drift away during the remainder of the season. In the summer, they'll choose not to renew season tickets and the Plc board will, by default, be guilty of starting a downward spiral, which will prove very difficult to reverse.
I have opined previously on this blog that the board must devise a strategy which combines fiscal prudence, investment and manageable risk. The current obsession with global branding, low debt and bargain basement hunting has taken the club to a place of safety during relatively stable economic period. Perverse though it might seem, the same strategy is now both unsustainable and counter-productive during these much tougher times.
Anyone who's run a business will tell you that it takes roughly five times as much effort to win a new customer as it does to keep one you already have. I really hope this board doesn't wait to see empty stands before it remembers this rudimentary business lesson.