Former Celtic goalkeeper and BBC Sportsound pundit Pat Bonner isn’t panicking about the situation at the Bhoys.
Celtic look ill-prepared for the season ahead and still have a raft of big signings to make in key positions.
New manager Ange Postecoglou takes the squad into a vitally important European qualifier on Tuesday night against FC Midtjylland. It’s fair to say anxiety is in the air about the tie.
Some pundits, such as Chris Sutton, even think Celtic’s season is doomed to failure already.
However, Bonner is taking a more philosophical view of the situation.
Speaking to The Sunday Post (18/07 print edition, Post Match supplement page 10), he said: “The important thing for Postecoglou right now is to make Celtic competitive again. The club has to put its own house in order, rather than worry about what might be happening across the road.
“The big advantage Celtic had going into this pandemic was that – unlike most clubs – they weren’t carrying any debt. They’ve also raised good money this year through selling Jeremie Frimpong, Jack Hendry, Kristoffer Ajer, Hatem Abed Elhamed and Cameron Harper, which should help offset the losses they made. They could make even more if Odsonne Edouard and Ryan Christie go as well.
“Nobody said this would be an easy fix, though. Celtic were so slow in appointing Postecoglou that it has created a few issues for him in terms of getting the players he needs into the club.
“The Australian talks a good game, and he sounds like a leader. But we’ll soon find out. If Celtic don’t find a way past Midtjylland, they’ll just have to suck it up and see where it goes from there. It’s been a traumatic year for Celtic – but this isn’t the time to panic. They can’t afford to focus on anything other than the job they have to do.”
We can’t lose our heads about the Ange Postecoglou era at Celtic yet
The list of things that have gone wrong, or been badly handled, at Celtic over the last 12 months is a long one. We’ve been over it all before. We’re not trying to hide away from it or dismiss anyone’s concerns.
But Bonner is right here. If you thought Celtic were going to peak less than two months after Postecoglou’s arrival you were dreaming. That includes both what we see on the pitch and the changes off the pitch.
Worrying about Tuesday night is natural. I’m not wholly confident myself. But Midtjylland are not unbeatable and this tie doesn’t define our season. There’s lots more hard work for Postecoglou and whatever recruitment team we have in place at the club right now.
There’s a long road ahead and we have to remember that. The manager is still focused on day-to-day improvement. It comes slowly. There will be setbacks, progress, highs and lows.
It’s true that Celtic, as a board and a club, have had ages to prepare for Tuesday night. However, Postecoglou is only just in the door and it’s him driving the football department right now. He needs time to get it right without everyone losing their heads around him. That includes pundits and fans.
In other news, Lubo Moravcik is excited about Kyogo Furuhashi’s arrival at Celtic but urges patience.
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