We spoke a while back about clubs’ footballing identities. The Red Bull stable, City Football Group teams, as well as those using Jamestown Analytics have similar characteristics to each other (despite enormous differences in resources, on some occasions).
Even unsuccessful clubs can have consistent identities, think Manchester United, or Newco, who rinse and repeat the same plan year-after-year. While some clubs can be successful without a coherent identity – they simply buy better players then their opponents.
If Celtic are to maximise their potential, they need a clear identity and that should be to find and develop players like Callum Osmand (19). It is a crime against football that Callum had not seen a minute’s professional action until six days ago. It is a crime against Celtic that he sat on the bench against Kairat Almaty in August, alongside Johnny Kenny (22).
Callum and Johnny have a long way to go to develop into Champions League players. You and I know to expect that, at most, only one of them will make the cut. However, they were good enough to deliver in a crucial game on Sunday and might have done the same in August.
We signed Callum on 30 June. No deadline day dramas, no fighting off Ajax, just the recruitment department preparing throughout the season and getting approval from the manager to bring in an out-of-contract player.
Johnny has been a Celtic player since he was 18 and was sent out on three loans before happenchance left a space in the squad this term. Then an injury got him a shirt. Can we develop him into a better player? Probably, but at a point, we need to commit to a football identity consistent with doing so.
There is an expectation that Hearts’ league challenge will suffer when Celtic and Newco spend their greater resources in January. I am more concerned with whom Tony Bloom could bring to Edinburgh from Brighton or USG. Hearts remain outsiders this season, but the challenge is coming. For Celtic, Callum Osmand is the model. Get good at it, get a manager who pays more than lip-service to it, or prepare for some harsh times.
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BSR @ 9:11 pm,
Yes – they seem rather obsessed
The Post,BR,Disorder is real…
Hail Hail
I’m still celebrating. Is there no end to my folly?
Celtic40me @ 9:10 pm,
Yes, between April and May we scored five, four times – I wouldn’t bet against us getting back to that sort of form.
Hail Hail
————-
sure it was horseshoe fitba they told us.
boring to watch.
Trent Alexander Arnold roundly booed as he comes on for Real Madric at Anfield. Best fans in the world my arse.
Tam 9.43
That was really disappointing.
“BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 4TH NOVEMBER 2025 9:11 PM
Chairbhoy
They must be logging in to make sure Brendan still away 👍
CHAIRBHOY on 4TH NOVEMBER 2025 9:30 PM
BSR @ 9:11 pm,
Yes – they seem rather obsessed”.
The awkward moment when 2 people are responsible for more than 30% of the posts and they start calling others obsessed.
The Blogger Formerly Known As GM @ 9:51 pm,
So “we” are now responsibile for the posters the leads and comments you and your ilk have posted and driven true Tims from the forum!?
Hail Hail
Saint Stivs @ 9:43 pm,
Yes – 159 horseshoe goals last season…
Hail Hail
Geordie Munro
Marvellous
Turkeybhoy.
Aye you’re spot on.
Shearer probably the most boring and most partisan commentator out there was calling for it.
Another Boyd.
CHAIRBHOY on 4TH NOVEMBER 2025 9:59 PM
Larson and Sutton up front at their last game 👍
BSR @ 10:16 pm,
Celtic 3 – 1 Dunfermline
Fixing Jimmy Calderwood and the cheats.
Hail Hail
Inter Milan 21/20. -3 goals
Bet responsibly
https://x.com/TamseIIicsonIII/status/1985816797933641878?t=0h5546o9tW_fIFI_GMSV3g&s=19
https://x.com/nocontextfm1/status/1985821473601159605?t=psWXbwrL68JY0YolWe58Wg&s=08
Van de Ven goal…
Unbelievable Jeff…
Wee Shaun Maloney
https://celticfc.tv/videos/80027036
Maestro on 4th November 2025 10:36 pm
https://x.com/TamseIIicsonIII/status/1985816797933641878?t=0h5546o9tW_fIFI_GMSV3g&s=19
———-
That’s a fair old shove the linesman gives Johnny Kenny at his goal.
Talks of signing David Watson from Killie.
I like this lad and would add plenty of dig to our midfield.
Just imagine how many goals we might have scored if we hadn’t been obsessed with keeping possession under our former manager. We are well rid.
Wow.
What an incredible ridiculous level of denying reality.
To suggest one single ounce of player development value this past few years sits wit BR is totally and utterly deluded.
Which player did BR sign …. After he had got the previous guy sacked, who added a penny of value ?
Answer not one. We lost on Adam and may lose on others perhaps.
Kyogo MOR and Jota all signed prior and delivered value.
None attributable to BR.
Kuhn signed by previous recruitment team and sold for profit despite early Rodger’s ambivalence at best.
Please go get help. It is crystal clear what this guy was about. Only you and a few malcontents don’t see it. Similar to 20 years of feeling left out of it all. Please get help. These have been great Celtic times for some of us. Maybe most of us.
Precious addressed to dear Chairbhoy.
Thank goodness that no user Rodgers hizny reappeared! 😑
Why do I worry about a devious sleekit backdoor return for Rodgers?
Well because auld MON is a fkn wonderful hell raiser.
BUT.
Auld MON is getting on a bit eh.
And maybe the MON & Shaun appointments was just a trick to derail the THOROUGHLY untrustworthy Celtic Collective?
A collective of “throw thur grannies aff the bus” level of dim Tim sleekitry as Ireland slips further still down the chute into the sewer of betrayed history without a single word never mind a chant from Parkheads many pretentious rebels.
At least Scotland’s big sleekit swinney was scared enough Shhhhhh to prevent the further destruction of once bonny Scotland. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scottish-mail-on-sunday/20250921/281840059829142 lol
What a time to be alive.
No NATO – No Wars – No Boats – So Simple.
Workers-Party-of-Britain & ALBA-Party-Scotland.
WPB & APS will set you free from the Lobby and their rigged economies, elections, puppet filled parties who would drown you before they’d look at you etc.
MON & Shaun YNWA.
HH
oot.
Good Morning Celts – Grand Day To Be A Tim.
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy @ 9:24 pm,
Excellent comment full of uncommon sense.
Bheaver @ 11:19 pm,
Yes, good lad, he’s the Captain of Scotland U21s and doing a great job there alongside Kyle Ure.
Burnley78 @ 11:47 pm,
You need to drop the obsession with Brendan Rodgers.
BR&CO have moved on, so should you.
MON&Co have made an excellent start and we should be concentrating on the present and future
BR&Co’s record is now part of our illustrious history and they will be highly regarded.
However, your disingenuous comments must be “addressed”.
Why do you not answer the questions people ask you and get involved in real debate?
That is, of course partially rhetorical as your ways and means are known to me….
I asked the other day who leaked the information on Brendan Rodgers’ potential new contract to you? And if it was you or them that deliberately misdirected CQN?
Now I ask yesterday what is the “strategy” you talk about? You are so keen to tell us Brendan Rodgers didn’t buy into it, yet you don’t say what it is.
Obviously despite your falsehoods, it is clear BR&Co overdelivered on the stated “official” strategy.
Whilst working to the strategy, BR&CO managed to take us up a level in Europe which was Brendan’s stated objective.
I remember you going on about Nico Raskin and Celtic’s failure to buy him before R2ngers did – that’s until it was pointed out Raskin was signed by R2ngers before BR joined and in the middle of Mark Lawwell’s tenure.
You told us Mark Lawwell was highly regarded in the Football industry and would be head of recruitment at Liverpool or Manchester United after leaving Celtic – yet no sign of him.
You told us Chris Davies was the real success behind previous BR&CO successes and told us he would make a great manager.
Of course we wish Chris every success and it’s early days for him as Manager – yet you have gone quiet on Chris since his mediocre start in the second teir of English football.
Numerous examples of twisted facts – falsehoods and Brendan hate you’ve peddled over the years – yet you continue to circulate falsehoods – why?
Under Brendan’s two seasons – four trophies, our reputation in Europe restored…
Record player sales, record revenues, record profits, record money in the bank.
That’s what the “facts” will tell us in the rich tapestry of Celtic history and his Captain’s words succinctly encapture BR&CO’s legacy.
My prediction, despite MON&Co’s best efforts and our new Manager’s “bounce” when it occurs – our player sales value will fall, our revenues will reduce, our European exploits will fall away.
You know this don’t you? It’s why your obsession with Brendan continues, it’s why you must continue to trounce his reputation unfairly.
Let’s move on eh…
Hail Hail
BSR @ 10:47 pm,
Yes, great interview by Shaun, really is a smart amd committed coach.
Talking about the impact of the senior players, AJ and CCV coming in to support the interim team – reiterating a what Calmac was saying about Celtic’s football structure and set up.
Interesting he was talking about certain changes they made like getting in behind the defences – made a huge difference to the strikers imo.
KT as a wingback as well as the wingers and strikers will flourish under the interim team imo.
It will be very interesting to see the team for tomorrow.
Midjylland are top of the table and we are 21st – yet a win for us tomorrow and we will be 7 points to there 9, so early days in that league and play-offs and even automatic progression is definitely within our grasp.
Past, present, future – there is something very special about Celtic Football Club and it’s the people who have been around it, get it, as it’s passed down the generations.
Aff oot…
Hail Hail
Happy 39th Birthday Today to Kasper.
Has CALLUM OSMAND been drafted into Celtics Europa League Squad due to Kelechis injury ?
IS CALLUM OSMAND a LOAN Signing with Celtic ?
I have very high hopes for CALLUM OSMAND from what I have seen so far.
HH.
Big Jimmy – Callum has a contract with us until 2029.
chairbhoy@5.16
“…..on Chris since his mediocre start in the second tier of English football”
Problem with that narrative is that, after a poor run, Chris Davies’ Birmingham have won their last two EPL games 4-0 against low lying Portsmouth and high flying Millwall. Not only that they are now 9th in a very competitive EPL. Just in front of Ipswich led by Kevin McKenna much touted by some to be the next Celtic manager. Mmmm
A very good morning to you all. Meeting Leggy at 12 in the Crystal Palace for a wee wander around art galleries and museums. Also known as pubs.
Unfortunately while Brendan can walk away and move on the rest of us have to deal with the terrible start to the season, our second worst in 25 years, we’ll feel the effects of it all season, so it’s asking a bit much to not talk about it.
Watching the same group of players play so much better doesnt help either, despite the Honda Civic chat we were clearly capable of better performances and results. It’s what we watch Celtic for, after all.
A few days of Martin and Shaun has shown us what could have been, a slight tactical change and a different attitude. Shaun’s interview yesterday was what the team and individuals need to hear, a straightforward positive message:
About Callum:
“He’s definitely ready for this opportunity.
“I think when we’re discussing the bench and between him and Shin – and Shin’s definitely got attributes as well that can help his team – but Stephen’s worked with Callum.
“We’ve all seen him now train and he’s now getting to a point where you can’t really hold him back. And then it’s how the boy takes the actual opportunity.
“I knew with Martin coming through Tuesday night when I met him for dinner to go through the squad and the players, I knew he would love Callum.
“He’s the exact type of striker that the manager would like. You can sense that sort of bond between the manager and Callum already, that he feels his trust.”
“We’ve made slight changes in terms of anything tactical. I mean really slight.
“Probably the biggest one is the mentality to try and hurt the team from behind, run more from the field and the wide players. “But again, these are things that sometimes you just have to remind them of.
“I’ve watched this team for four or five years and when they’re at their best, they’re a hell of a team.”
THE BADA BING on 4TH NOVEMBER 2025 10:36 PM
Staggering goal
Love how you can hear – at about 1:24 the barely audible voice in the crowd – “What a f***ing goal that is!”
DeniaBhoy on 5th November 2025 7:47 am
Big Jimmy – Callum has a contract with us until 2029.
…………….
Cheers mate.
CALLUM OSMAND….I really like this kid.
I hope that he gets some game time on Thursday .
HH.
“Unfortunately while Brendan can walk away and move on the rest of us have to deal with the terrible start to the season, our second worst in 25 years, we’ll feel the effects of it all season, so it’s asking a bit much to not talk about it”.
Aye, they hitched their bandwagon to the Rodgers train, which hit the buffers.
They needed him to keep things on track in order to continue a witch hunt against “the board”.
Most Celtic fans could see he was at it long before he was sacked, but now Desmond and MoN have actually exposed him as charlatan we’ve all just to forget about him and the damage he’s caused.
Move along, nothing to see here but don’t forget to like and subscribe 👍
big jimmy
Not sure that wee Jimmy is in the 25 man UEFA squad….
Probably wont see him Thursday apart from on his own at Lennoxtown.
Paul 67 et al,
I think the really disappointing thing is that despite the poor transfer window we knew that we had a large squad of players that we we weren’t optimising.
We were not utilising what we had at our disposal and for one reason or another, those who were playing were not being the best they could be.
This was soooooo obvious during the shambolic Kiaret Almaty games.
And so it has transpired , not unexpectedly I may add that this was indeed our season defining games.
I am still conflicted at BR and JK departure.
Oh to be behind the scenes.
But what is undeniable we look a better team with the arrival of MON and mad fozzzy.
HH, the journey continues.
Appreciate some info …. Heading to Tenerife, Costa Adeje , new resort for me and Mrs EKBhoy. Looking for a Celtic bar to catch the Killie game , I’ve checked the celticbars.com but I’ve found that a bit ropey in the past.
Thanksinadvancecfc
When Lawwell is bypassed again when a new manager is appointed, some dual posters will need to create another sign in,to troll him constantly…..
Osmand replaces CCV in EL Squad
B78 Last night.
I’m broadly receptive to the notion that recruiting players has never been Brendan’s strong suit.
Let’s give just a little credit on developing (the already in the building) Matt O’Riley though?
Statistically, Matt improved when Brendan was coaching him.
Now some might argue this was inevitable development by a smart young player keen to improve.
Maybe there is something in that.
But it happened on Brendan’s watch .. so, IMHO, it is reasonable to infer BR had a hand in it.