ascender

I think Celtic have typified the problem we have. I said it in another thread, but over the last 4 years or so, while I wouldn't necessarily want many of their players in our team, I would want their team spirit and fight. They've got that by the bucket-load which is why when they're a goal or two down they never give up. I think that's the key to their success at the moment.

Celtic have been reliant on team spirit and a core of experienced players for the last 4 years or so I think. During that time there's not been many players I'd look at and wish they were playing for us. But MON and now Strachan has had them playing as a team which has made all the difference. MON also realised that in the SPL, if things aren't going well, just resort to the long ball game. That's why Celtic signed a couple of big guys at the back and the front. Hardly a genius bit of management, but its worked for them. I still think Celtic are average at the moment, but with the money coming in from CL each year and their willingness to reinvest, I think they could stretch the gap even more between us and them on the pitch. This transfer window is vital for us. Leaving team rebuilding until the summer is simply not going to work, we need to have a core of a team in place now so that we can hit the ground running next season.

I think most are agreed that the current Celtic team are nothing special, which makes the league positions an even more depressing situation for us. My worry is that Celtic are spending more than us just now while DM seems determined to remain debt free if possible. It looks like Celtic have a healthy attitude to spending to accumulate. However, they are now guaranteed CL footy again next season, which, added to this season's revenue means that they are going to have significantly more money available for transfers and wages yet again next year. They've also made a very prudent signing in Nakamura which does help their global branding in what is a very lucrative market. I'm starting to see the off-the-pitch gap between us and Celtic widen which I think is very worrying. They've shown that while we don't get huge amounts of TV money, it is still possible to spend decent sums on transfer fees for players. They've also shown that they're looking to strengthen their squad with Scottish players at any opportunity and I really worry that we're in danger of behind here. DM is many things, but he's certainly not stupid. However, he has now backed 2 managers with hardly any funds when compared with Celtic. I thought the whole point of downsizing was to get to a point where you can then start spending money again but within your means? The wage budget was under control well over a year ago, but we've still seen no significant re-investment in our playing staff. Whatever happened to the rolling £10M credit that DM said would always be available to the manager? Because looking at the current squad, that is exactly the sort of money that must be made available to Walter Smith if he has any hope of moving us forward.

Sorry, those quotes were from the Sun. Which obviously need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but they are quotes rather than speculation. I see that Hearts have signed another keeper. I wonder if that means Gordon is on his way?

Who will come in? Not the Hibs lads by the looks of it.... Brown: "They are two massive clubs but now if Hibs and Celtic can come to an agreement then I would prefer to join Celtic. I know of Celtic's firm interest and I think any player with ambition would be interested in being a part of what Gordon Strachan is building." Thomson: "Being a part of what is constructed there makes Celtic the ONLY football option. That is now my preferred destination if a fee can be agreed with Hibs"

Going on what I've read, the problem seems to be much worse than I thought it was. I think a lot of the players need a serious reality check.

Don't forget that we've been lacking a midfielder who can weigh in with goals on a regular basis too. If we could get a more attacking midfield and a settled front pairing, you could probably take the pressure off one of the forwards for immediate results. Trouble is at the moment we're mis-firing all over the place. Say what you will about Boyd and maybe he does need a kick up the arse from Walter, but without his goals we'd be properly fucked and not have a hope in hell of second place.

But we don't know that, do we? PLG agreed to the budget in advance and if the rumours are believed, he could have spent more. I'd say he could certainly have spent more wisely as well. I'm all for change at the top of the club, but its starting to look more and more like PLG might have under-estimated the job at hand.

Oh, given Webster's injury, do you think Walter would try and get someone like Davie Weir in?

The 2M compensation thing was reported by the Sun. A few other reports have said that PLG and his team got nothing apart from their moving & traveling expenses paid for by DM. Again, we don't know what happened, but as it looks like PLG or his staff has been leaking stories already, then I doubt there was compensation involved.

Another bonus to McCoist coming in is that there was a difference in the strikers in the Scotland squad after he'd worked with them. If Sebo can't go until the summer, get him working with McCoist and give him a run in the reserves to boost confidence, then see where we are.

That's the thing that's in their favour Gribz, things simply can't get any worse. I am very interested to see how much DM will support them financially though.

Ferguson and a fit Prso are the only two quality players we have at the moment. A couple of the younger lads are showing potential, but you can't put together a successful team based on that. Thing is, Smith is now in a similar position to PLG in that he's going to have to be brutally honest and rebuild this team from the ground up. The problem for Smith is that he's not got much time to do this as he's also got to get 2nd place in order to get the CL for us. If DM gives Smith a reasonable amount of cash to spend, then I think some players will be in for a shock and will find themselves out the door.

I think regardless of who he signed, the biggest mistake PLG didn't make was not sorting out our defence. It was painfully obvious last season that we simply couldn't do the basics of defending well, but he didn't address that.

Thought I'd create a few threads for us to chat about the various issues that have clearly all added up to mean we're looking at another trophy-less season (although there's still the UEFA cup). How about we use this one to discuss PLG's role in the events of this season? We were pretty much all very optimistic and excited about his appointment and this was a feeling largely also shared by the media. In fact, at the start of the season, a lot of pundits were predicting we'd win the SPL back in his first season in charge. Could he have signed better players? Could he have got more out of the players who were already here? How about the transfer budget which he gave his approval?

Thought I'd create a few threads for us to chat about the various issues that have clearly all added up to mean we're looking at another trophy-less season (although there's still the UEFA cup). How about we use this one to discuss the players' role in all of this? Are they good enough? Have they underachieved or are they just simply not up the standard required to challenge for the SPL title?

Thought I'd create a few threads for us to chat about the various issues that have clearly all added up to mean we're looking at another trophy-less season (although there's still the UEFA cup). How about we use this one to discuss David Murray's role in all of this? Not sure if we should mention the Ferguson events of the recent week though as we don't have all the facts on exactly what happened yet.

I think Hartley might be the new captain if he does sign. Never realised him and Fergie were friends going back to when they played for the same team as kids.

Certainly a very pro-PLG article, especially given the bit which mentions how things were looking up for a bit from the Hibs game when quite clearly, nothing had really changed. I've heard some of the info in this article from other parts of the media this week, so some of it is worrying. I'm still a bit confused though as to how this all started off and how it de-generated so quickly. Also, this drinking culture thing is very worrying as we're talking about young players here who are supposed to be athletes ffs. I think it might be a long time before we ever know what really happened, but the story does seem to be taking shape bit by bit.

I wondered how long it would be until we were linked with Neilson. Its the silly season alright.

The latest story which seems to have been released to the usual pro-DM places is that.... DM and PLG have talked a few times about the future and it was decided to review things at the end of the season. However, with the transfer window looming, the subject of new signings came up and DM was asking PLG who he had in mind. PLG then said that he didn't intend to sign anyone, despite funds being available and it was at this point that alarm bells started to ring. It looks like it was then just a matter of when they'd part company rather than if and the BF thing was a final "fuck you" from PLG. I still don't think we know the half of what's gone on and its really disappointing that our Chairman hasn't come out and made a statement on what's happened. If PLG's side of the story is now being leaked in dribs and drabs, then surely DM will come out and tell us his side? The only other reason I can think that DM hasn't come out yet and spoken to the media is that he's working all hours behind the scenes to get the new team in place, new signings, the Ferguson situation etc. He's having to pull stuff together which would normally have taken months, in the space of a week.

Well there is that too! It'll never happen, but apparently his source is Hartley's agent who says that Rangers have expressed an interest. Has Chick Young ever had an exclusive which has turned out to be true???

BTW, when this last came up, I think Hartley denied saying it. Anyway, if the stories are true, the guy clearly knows the hassle he might get, but he obviously wants to play for Walter Smith. To me that is exactly the sort of player we should be signing as I'm sick of us paying ridiculous wages for players who come to Ibrox and think they're going to have an easy life. Like I say, we need players like Hartley, maybe not Hartley himself, if we're going to start winning the sort of tight games we've been losing lately like ICT away for example.

I had typed out a long-winded reply to this, but I know the sort of replies I'll get and it'll end up going way off topic. Personally, I don't think we should be worried about a comment made in a programme/fanzine 10 years ago by a player. If the guy wants to play for us then I think we should sign him and to give him a hard time or miss out on him because of something like this is just us cutting our nose off to spite our face. I'm just finding this sort of thing tiresome now tbh, but it might just be me. I totally respect people's opinions about how they feel about our club's past and heritage, but I don't think it makes me any less of a fan if I think we should move on in some respects.

Ah, so its come from the Dung? Total shite then. Or is it a sign we can't afford Thomson and/or Brown? FWIW I'd have Hartley in our midfield in an instant, he's just the sort of player we've missed in there recently. The sort of player who will dig in on a miserable night when we're playing ICT. It'll never happen, but I think we need someone like him to come in.