Davie Provan has issued a warning to Celtic after their loss to Rangers in the Old Firm derby while slamming ‘smug’ club bosses regarding their lack of activity in the transfer market.
The Hoops lost to their bitter rivals for the first time in 12 matches when Rangers emerged 1-0 winners at Ibrox last weekend, with the scoreline flattering Brendan Rodgers’ side, who were dominated from start to finish.
Former Celtic ace Provan has now called on the club to get spending in the January window, claiming they would waltz to an eighth-successive title with some investment while issusing a stark warning on Rangers’ progress.
In a column for the Scottish Sun, he said: “The mauling Celts took last weekend should have alarm bells ringing throughout the club. It should put a rocket up the players who melted in the Ibrox cauldron, and a manager who seems to have lost his Midas touch.
“It should be a wake-up call for Lawwell and the rest of those smug Celtic directors. What use was their bloated bank balance when the team was being steamrollered in Govan? This is a board that boasts a £27million cash surplus. Turnover, at £100m plus, is more than three times that of Rangers.
“They were sitting on a squad who had hoovered up another Treble for the best coach in the country. With a bit of investment Celts would be strolling towards an eighth successive title. But instead of putting Gers in the rear view mirror the Hoops are cocking it up.”
OPINION
It is hard to disagree with Provan’s assessment of the situation at Celtic. The Hoops have been the dominant force in Scottish football for so many years now it seems as though complacency may have set in at the top. Celtic are by far and away the richest club in the country, and yet they are being outspent and outmanoeuvred by Rangers, who are making some big movements in the January window already. Their seems to be an aura of superiority at Parkhead which will undoubtedly contribute to their downfall if it does not cease soon. Rangers are closing, there can be no doubt about that, and something must if Celtic want to prevent that from happening. There is a desperate need for several January signings to be made, and while there are definitely some on the way, they still pale in comparison to the deals which Rangers are pulling off. The situation is becoming critical for the Hoops, who are slowly losing their grip on Scottish football due to the inactivity of these bosses Provan has so rightly slammed.