Martin O'Neill has again been speaking about the wake-up call Celtic had last season, but it doesn't look as though the club is paying any notice.
The Bhoys did still manage a successful campaign of last, winning a league and cup double after O'Neill came in to save the day, ultimately winning the role full-time.
O'Neill was seemingly promised money to spend this summer after Brendan Rodgers was let down by poor recruitment last summer, but at the start of pre-season on Friday, there were no new faces in the building.
O'Neill on Celtic's wake-up call
Speaking to CelticTV, O'Neill said: "For the younger supporter at Celtic, I think it was a really big thing because the last couple of seasons, having the league won sometimes even before the split had taken place, or seeming to be winning easily, this was a real wake-up call."
He added: "A wake-up call for the football club, a wake-up call for maybe the younger supporter. I think the older supporter like myself would probably feel, yeah, that was really terrific, but as far as the younger supporter would think, ‘well listen, Celtic can make mistakes’.”
Mistakes were indeed made, and more have been made this summer already. Be it the Robbie Keane controversy or the trying to sign O'Neill's backroom staff to cheaper deals, the club has only angered supporters at every turn.
Then you have the lack of recruitment, and while there is plenty of time, the Bhoys have too much work to do to this squad, especially in the face of likely big-name exits, to be giving themselves only a month to do all of the business they need to do, which is now going to be the case.
It's almost certain that the list of to-dos will remain significant beyond the first game of the season, and that's the sort of unorganised approach that O'Neill has been warning about.
With no disrespect to O'Neill, because the blame needs to be placed well above him, with the decision-makers, Celtic fans keep being told about the 'wake-up call', but there is absolutely no evidence of anyone at the club having woken up.
Anyone with half a football brain could see that this summer required a proactive approach to recruitment, but we are a month removed from the end of the season with no clear progress.
We don't even know if Kelechi Iheanacho will be kept around, and his contract expires in two days, potentially leaving Celtic with one natural striker on the books for next season.
It is all words at this point, and if Celtic want to keep talking about this wake-up call, they need to wake the hell up.
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