CELTIC HAVE 55 TITLES: NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD FOR 56 AND BEYOND
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 22 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The dust has settled, the sore heads have, hopefully, begun to clear and we can now reflect on Celtic’s latest Scottish League title.
My question is though, where do we go from here?
If any fault can indeed be leveled at a club with as much success as Celtic has enjoyed this century, it is that, historically, we sometimes fail to build from a position of strength.
Celtic Must Build from This Unprecedented Position of Strength
It happened in 2020, though admittedly many other factors were in play that season. For a time, it looked as if it may happen last season, but a win in the New Year Derby saw us turn the tide in our favor.
The position Celtic find themselves in now is unprecedented.
No club in Scotland can come close to us in buying power or in marketability, regardless of who may end up owning these other clubs come next season.
However, our losses in the two most recent derbies, as well as occasionally patchy form in the league are warning signs. For now, that is all they are, mere warning signs.
So long as we act on them this summer than that is all they will ever be.
I expect we’ll go out and beat Rangers next week at Ibrox.
But that shouldn’t distract from the fact that a team as far beneath us as them in terms of class still managed to beat us twice this season.
That can’t be allowed to happen next season. They won’t get the sugar daddy that their fans so desperately crave.
However, they may get the one thing that neither incarnation of the Ibrox club as had in my lifetime, responsible fiscal management, and with it, a long-term plan for competitiveness.
That is why we need to put our own long-term plans in place, starting now. This begins with getting our manager tied down on a longer deal, and ensuring our best players are also signed up for at least another few years.
However, beyond just the team, Celtic need to better exploit the market advantages that our own decades of responsible management have created for us.
We need to revitalize the ageing South Stand, we need to better tap into our international markets.
Celtic are one of the world’s most successful football clubs, and easily in the top 5 globally in terms of genuine supporter base.
Yet we don’t have the market presence or the brand value that such a position should command.
We will never get the TV money they get in England, but we could push to get something more in line with the likes of Belgium, The Netherlands, and other smaller European Leagues that may only have 2 or 3 historically strong teams in them.
Now, I don’t expect any of this to be in place for next season. These are the sort of things that take several years to come to pass.
But Celtic need to be at the center of the conversation. Scottish football needs us more than we need them.
That may sound arrogant, but it's reality. We should demand a better TV deal. One that is more in line with a club of our global standing.
The next few months, if all goes well on the recruitment front, could see us dominate Scottish football like never before, and build on our European rejuvenation this season.
The Champions League will only continue to expand. Indeed, I fully expect that within 5-10 years it will either evolve into or be entirely superseded by a full, multi-level European League.
Celtic need to be part of that, Celtic deserve to be part of that. The planning begins now.
But in the meantime, I’ll settle for new deals for Daizen Maeda, Brendan Rodgers and Greg Taylor.
And a long overdue skelping of our uppity rivals across town next week.
Whatever happens, there are exciting times ahead for us all.