The Bench

Celtic’s bench for last week’s 3-2 defeat to Rangers was quite remarkable, considering the club has £75million in the bank.

The ridiculously stodgy and bloated squad of 2023, has been ruthlessly culled in the last 18 months and this is to be commended but there is now, a real need to address the squad size. Quality as always, must be the main priority when recruiting players but it is also important to get the quantity right. Only a handful of injuries, has Celtic looking threadbare and a silhouette of the team, we saw in the first half of the season.

Rodgers has often spoken to an ideal of 24 players but this magic number seems far off and in the last couple of months - in important games - the benches named have been short, in any sort of established quality.

This is not to critique the merits or abilities of Jude Bonnar or Francis Turley – who both look like talented young players – but between them, they have 20 minutes of first-team football. Dane Murray, recalled from loan in the Championship, has two competitive appearances and Jonny Kenny has a handful of substitute appearances, totalling about 40 minutes.

At the other end of the spectrum, Greg Taylor is in his final days as a Celtic player and Anthony Ralston, has effectively become some stripped janitor at the club. Ever present but with little to do.

This is a pronounced problem that has recently started to limit Brendan Rodgers's options. Although the performance against Rangers was individually and collectively poor, only Adam Idah and Yang were deemed suitable and trustworthy to be introduced. In a game crying out for fresh impetus—in terms of legs and ideas—only two substitutions were used.

It was most noticeable away to Bayern Munich. In such a physically testing game, only two substitutes were used. Tiring and retreating, there were insufficient reinforcements to finish the job or provide additional energy. The performance was monumental up to 60/70 minutes, but a second wind and fresh bodies never arrived. Again, Celtic came to dine at the top table of European football with a packed lunch.

The contextual success of the European campaign has seen this somewhat overlooked, but it’s another indictment on a long list of missed opportunities. This is indicative of the club’s fur coat, commando, way of operating when it comes to building squads. Celtic’s lack of strategy - or qualified staff - in this area is cause for concern.

These are heady times for Celtic, or at least they can be. A strong summer in terms of recruitment can change the trajectory of this side. There’s a qualifier for next season’s Champions League to play in early August but we’ve known that for some time. Hopefully, the club is planning accordingly.