IT'S been a week of what can only be described as panic amongst the Celtic support after it appeared Celtic were set to welcome the players back to Lennoxtown with no-one to blow the whistle and set the cones out for the looming pre-season.
But thankfully, someone at the decision-making level at Parkhead actually pulled their socks up and confirmation that Mark Fotheringham and Shaun Maloney would return as part of the coaching staff alongside Martin O'Neill was welcome news last Friday amidst the videos and pictures of players returning from their summer hiatus.
When Scottish journalist and personal friend of Martin O'Neill Graham Spiers reported last Wednesday that it looked "unlikely" that Fotheringham and Maloney would be named as part of O'Neill's coaching cohort, worry set in amongst Celtic fans.
The fear that another cost-cutting exercise could mean the appointment of yet another collective of inexperience and 'jobs for the boys' types saw a familiar cloud of pessimism settle over the club.
But almost as quickly as the story broke, another story followed claiming that the Celtic Board were set to make their decision by Friday in yet another case of 'World Class Basics'.
The very idea of the returning players training without a coaching regimen in place and Martin O'Neill blowing his whistle and sipping his coffee whilst the team ran laps around the training facility simply did not sit right.
Rather than get straight down to business by commencing crucial weeks of planning, Celtic thought they'd leave us all on tenterhooks wondering what was going on and then announce the existing coaching staff like a new signing on their social platform.
In all honesty, it feels like Martin O'Neill pulled rank and used his media friends to help grasp the attention of the Celtic Board and give them a shake right before they fell asleep at the wheel again.
The chaos continued as Celtic's technical analyst and first-team coach, Gavin Strachan, was confirmed to be taking up the head coach position at English Championship side West Brom.
For those of you who don't know what Strachan offered to the Celtic coaching staff, I have really only one answer: I don't think even he knew.
As far as I can see his job required him to analyse footage and he has effectively been the setpiece coach for the Hoops since 2020.
And if this sounds like a hit job, it's not. While there's no doubt part of his appeal was his father Gordon's legacy as Celtic boss, Strachan was kept in place through five management teams and you don't normally enjoy that longevity in football if you are not up to scratch.
Sometimes, and I stress sometimes, Celtic can throw the fans a curveball and they did so with arguably the first signing of the summer, as Heart of Midlothian's setpiece coach Ross Grant switched his allegiance to green and white, with the announcement coming on Sunday evening.
A club statement confirmed the boyhood Celtic fan was set to become the newest addition to the backroom squad, hopefully helping the Hoops improve in an area where they often struggle.
"The club has been working on developing its football backroom team in recent weeks and we are now also pleased to confirm that Ross Grant will be joining Martin O'Neill's coaching staff, with Ross having particular focus on set piece analysis and coaching," the statement read.
"Ross joins the Premiership Champions from Heart of Midlothian, where he was a hugely important part of their coaching team last season.
"Holding a UEFA ‘A’ Licence, he also previously worked with Dundee United for four years and has spent the last year with Hearts.
"A lifelong Celtic supporter, Ross has valuable experience in setpiece analysis, coaching and player development."
Celtic Manager Martin O'Neill said: "I am really pleased to welcome Ross to our backroom staff, I know he is a highly rated coach and look forward to working with him."
A quick indicator of how effective Grant was for Hearts last season is the stat that 21% of the Jambos' domestic goals came from set-pieces as Hearts hit the net on 14 occasions from corners and free kicks.
Celtic on the other hand earned 252 corners and found the net just seven times as a result, a paltry 2.8% conversion rate from a team who are consistently averaging close to seven corners per game. Fans will be all too familiar with the roar of frustration every time a corner sails over the bar, fails to beat the first defender or is easily cleared.
A week on from my rant against Dermot Desmond and his inability to read the room, I hope the swift replacement of Strachan is a sign of things to come, and despite no new playing personnel to speak of as of yet, I'll give them a chance to rectify that.
And if the excuse of the World Cup slowing or hindering imminent additions means waiting for Motherwell and New Zealand star Elijah Just to become the first signing of the pre-season, then I am all ears.
Let's have a positive summer, is that too much to ask? One that we can enjoy without fearing another Celtic transfer fiasco.
