As the dust settles on last Sunday's result, where to now for Celtic and Brendan Rodgers?

03/20/2025 08:25 AM

One thing that is clearly evident today, is that despite last Sunday’s result, Celtic are still well on course for a domestic treble.

Should we achieve that, our place as Scotland’s most successful club cannot be disputed.

But the possibility of winning this treble, having lost three Glasgow derbies, is very real.

Because there is no guarantee we’ll win the next one either.

Unless, of course, there is a radical shift in the approach to these games from Brendan Rodgers.

There was once a time where losing three derbies would almost certainly ensure you did not win the title.

In fact, back in the days when the old club was alive, most titles were decided by the head to heads between us and them.

What is abundantly clear today, is that this is no longer the case.

Which begs the question, is the argument that they are now just another SPFL side a valid one?

And by that I mean, is it clear that we can be confident that other clubs will consistently take points off them?

Thus ensuring that the head to heads between us and them don’t really matter?

Well, that much has been clearly evident since 2016, with the exception of the Covid season thrown in there.

I have no doubt that other SPFL sides will take points off Barry Ferguson’s side between now and the end of the season.

There are plenty of SPFL managers out there who will not approach games against them with the same kind of tactical naivety Brendan Rodgers did at Celtic Park last Sunday.

Michael Wimmer has done it already with Motherwell.

I wrote an article yesterday evening on when I expect the bubble to burst for Ferguson, and my belief is that Ernesto Valverde of Athletic Bilbao will be the one to instigate it.

Or to quote a rather glib and shameless liar, he’ll be the one to bring it all crashing down like a house of cards.

For Celtic, it’s hard to know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Last Monday, on our podcast, we discussed the problems that bubble beneath the surface at Celtic Park.

We talked about how they seem to come to the surface, and are exposed by results like we saw last Sunday.

When things are going smoothly at Celtic Park, they lurk in the background.

Essentially, we don’t think about them because they are masked over by the fact things are going well.

Winning is a great formula for hiding some stark realities.

There are a lot of Celtic fans out there who are more than happy with what our board delivers.

But there are also people like myself, Joe and James, who are acutely aware of what lies beneath the surface at Celtic Park.

And we are not afraid to discuss it either, we frequently do on our podcast.

The issues we discuss are nothing new.

In fact, they are recurring issues which we dicuss regularly.

Things never change at Celtic Park, because nothing ever really happens outwith the walls of Celtic Park to force change.

The Ibrox club continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.

Which in turn elicits the same response from us, over and over again.

But last Sunday and what lies ahead makes you wonder if a turning point is imminent in Scottish football?

The signs are certainly there.

The recent statement from the Ibrox club and the Ifta ceremony held at Ibrox look like something that was instigated by their prospective buyers, rather than the current hierarchy at the club.

Which in turn means that the US takeover is looking likely to happen and that these people mean business.

That they are serious about stamping out the rampant racism at Ibrox.

If this is the case, they are to be commended for that.

And if they’re serious about that, then they are also going to be serious about running that club properly.

Which in turn will force Celtic’s hand, and make our board realise they’re no longer up against a band of millionaire fanboys.

But instead a serious group of businessmen, backed by serious money.

Now we know there are many facets to this deal, and that it’s not going to be as straightforward as everyone thinks.

But if it does happen, it’s not going to be a bunch of jokers and conmen running that club anymore.

Bearing that in mind, where do Celtic go from here?

Well, in the short term, Brendan Rodgers needs to figure out how to beat the Ibrox club on their home patch next month.

He cannot approach this fixture like he has the last three, even if Ernesto Valverde has brought the Ferguson revolution crashing back down to earth.

We need to restore some pride and sprint to the finish line of this League title.

Rather than limping over the line, similar to what we did in 2023.

The board then should have two objectives.

The first one should be extending the manager’s contract.

Despite his hand being tied behind his back on plenty if occasions, he has more than delivered since his return to the club.

Especially in the Champions League.

The second objective should be to get out ahead of what could happen at Ibrox.

And by that, I mean bringing in the players the manager requires to ensure adequate squad depth, and further strengthening the squad for the Champions League campaign ahead.

And possibly a much tougher domestic campaign.

In order to achieve this, asset stripping cannot be permitted in the summer window.

Inevitably, this always happens, but this summer would NOT be the time for that.

We should be entering the summer transfer window with intention of making a transfer profit, rather, we should be looking to spend some of the vast fortune we have sitting in the club’s bank account.

With a view to recouping this money by having a similar, if not better campaign, in next season’s Champions League.

The board knows the potential earnings in the Champions League.

Investing in this is the smart thing to do.

But by investing in that, it will almost certainly ensure domestic dominance as well.

Because in order to compete in Europe’s premier competition, you need to have a very strong squad.

If we have that, then domestically things should take care of themselves.

The big question here, is do the board see it that way?

Will the board see it that way?

And that’s the kind of thing that always worries us.

Are we in for a long, dragged out summer window, where all of our transfer business will be carried out in the last week of the window?

Or will events over at Ibrox dictate that the board gets out ahead of what could be coming down the line?

The board’s past record doesn’t exactly instil a lot of faith in you, does it?

But the unfortunate reality is that we have to rely on them to take the club forward.

That worries me.

It should worry you too.

Interesting times ahead, one way or the other.

Will our board stay ahead of the Ibrox club?

Or will they play Russian roulette and see what happens?

We’re going to find out.

One way or the other…

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