Thread by @AnthonyRJoseph

Celtic need to be thinking long-term in their planning now. Next season is going to need a huge rebuild from top to bottom, to sustain prolonged success in the future. With Rangers also in the #UCL, it won’t be good enough to fail to prepare for qualifiers. That money is vital.

If they finish 2nd, Celtic’s qualifiers are likely to be much harder. But it’s not just about next season - the next decade should be looked at. Where do Celtic want to be on a global scale, in footballing terms? If they want to make progress, they need modernising.

Celtic’s model isn’t very modern. Ideally they should have a sporting director and a head coach. Sporting director should deal with all the footballing business matters like transfers etc, instead of the CEO. This end of an era is the perfect time to think/operate differently.

A new way of thinking could see #UCL qualification laid out as a priority, instead of being seen as a bonus - to ensure key players stay and to bring better quality players in. But that means you have to recruit and invest wisely BEFORE the qualifiers.

If Celtic have serious ambitions and are consistently doing well in Europe then key players will be more likely to stay. Values will increase and some could be sold to the elite, instead of Southampton. Porto, Benfica, Ajax all sell directly to the elite for big fees.

If Scotland’s coefficient continues to progress, an automatic #UCL Group Stage spot will be available in the near future to the Premiership winners & 2nd place will go through less qualifiers. It all moves things in the right direction to plugging that gap with other Euro clubs.

To raise the level of how they operate, progress & sell assets, relative success in Europe - to a higher degree - needs to be made. Celtic accept the gap in funding as an excuse. But a shake-up of mindset and structure within the club can help to change things in the future.

This is by no means groundbreaking stuff. Many fans can see what’s needed. There appears to be a real lack of self-awareness at the club, who are still drunk on the domestic success. It’s been amazing & will be remembered forever, but Celtic need to plan for the future... now.