CELTIC WOMEN: SACKING THE MANAGER WON’T SOLVE THE PROBLEM
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
After last season’s dramatic last minute league win, it’s been a shocker of a season for Celtic’s Women.
It looks like the team could finish as low as 5th in the table. Naturally, calls are growing for the manager to be sacked.
Personally, I hope this doesn't happen.
Elena Sadiku may well end up leaving Celtic Park as a result of this season’s failure. However, her departure will not solve the underlying issues.
Celtic Women at a Crossroads, Either Back Them or Shut it Down
Regardless of what you may think about the women’s game (I personally enjoy women’s football but I know its not everyone’s cup of tea), the fact that is that Celtic as an organization can and should be doing more.
We are far and away the richest club in Scotland, yet both Glasgow City and Rangers invest far more in their women’s teams than we do.
Every season it’s the same. Celtic Women consistently lose their best players because we simply don’t pay them enough, or offer them a sufficient path for career development and ongoing success.
Building momentum for consistent success is impossible when the heart is ripped out of the team every summer. That is something the manager has no control over.
Elena Sadiku isn’t entirely blameless here. The argument is that we are still the 3rd best-funded women’s team in Scotland, so finishing lower than that really isn’t acceptable.
However, the truth is that teams such as Hibs and Hearts have grown in stature this season, whilst Celtic have visibly regressed.
Some of our results are, undoubtedly due to managerial mistakes and player underperformance. However, there’s only so much a manager can do when she’s effectively working with one hand tied behind her back.
The best players are sold every season, and the manager effectively has to begin with a new group. That’s not long-term planning.
It probably isn’t intentional, but Celtic’s attitude to the women’s team gives off an attitude of “going through the motions”.
There is so much more we could do to grow the team, grow the support and improve performances. It starts with the board at least matching the levels of investment and commitment shown by other teams in the Women’s League.
Celtic are the biggest, richest and most influential team in the country. It’s time we enabled our women’s side to show that same strength on the pitch.
And in time, this will also help them to grow their fanbase, to the point where, eventually, they will be self-sustaining.
But as the basic rules of economics go: “You have to speculate to accumulate”. It’s time for Celtic to get a bit more speculative with the women’s team.