Tim Williamson is Celtic’s Head of Physiotherapy and Medical Services, but in football he is more famous for an incident in the 1990s, when he was Partick Thistle’s physio. Thistle player Colin McGlashan took a head knock, Tim treated McGlashan and told manager, John Lambie, that the player didn’t know who he was. Lambie shouted back, “Tell him he’s Maradona and get him back on”. [Commonly misquoted as “Tell him he’s Pele”].
The joke works because everyone knows that if an individual is full of confidence, they will do better. The opposite is also true. Tell them they are a Honda Civic and are competing against Ferraris and they’ll win nothing. John Lambie knew this, good school teachers know this and good parents know this. Leadership is hard, but telling people you have faith in them is the easy part.
Dundee, Hibernian, Kairat, Braga and Newco are not Ferraris. We outspend, out-pay and out-sport-science all of them. Dundee were 11th before yesterday. Braga are 8th in Portugal – and have not won a league game since 17 August. By any measure, these clubs are minnows.
Dundee deserved their win and could have scored more. They knew their tasks, fought for their manager and wiped the floor with a team who looked like they had been told they were nothing more than Honda Civics.
It is impossible to win the league with that narrative and crucially, not everyone realises this. We are in a perilous situation and as long as the Campaign of Deflection is waged, it will get worse.
242 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- »
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 20TH OCTOBER 2025 2:46 PM
bournesouprecipe on 20th October 2025 12:12 pm
Chapeau 👏
—————
Cheers Tone hope you’re good young Papa 👍
Bad as things are at the moment two good results in our next two games would change the narrative and put paid to the campaign led by Paul67 and his able deputy Burnley78 on here. From what I could gather, listening to the Dundee game, and watching the highlights on Sportscene there was no lack of effort on our part, Hatate included. That and the fact that we had not lost up there since the late 1980s, nor against them since their win at Parkhead in 2001 in MONs time, then you have got to think well Dundee would eventually get a win against us. And so it goes….
Re the manager…
Given that his contract expires at the end of the season and he hasn’t extended his deal – whether one has been offered or not – it seems entirely likely that Brendan Rodgers will leave the club in the summer.
I don’t think that statement is at all contentious and given recent circumstances, I think many of us would be surprised if he was still the Celtic manager next season.
If the team was performing and the garden was rosy we’d be having a different conversation, but the team is underperforming and it’s increasingly clear that the club is struggling with disharmony at every level.
So fraught is the current situation that we travel to Tynecastle next week with talk of Hearts winning the title. If that doesn’t wake us up we’re sleepwalking into deserved and deep humiliation.
With the likelihood that Brendan will be leaving, any (ANY) competent board will already have started the process of identifying his replacement.
Given where the team is, should we find the right guy and agree terms in the coming weeks, there is good reason to thank Brendan, put him on leave and have the new guy start asap.
The new guy gets settled in, has the benefit of a transfer window in January and three quarters of the league season to get a tune out of the squad. We arrive at Euro qualifying in the summer with a bedded-in manager and a functioning squad. (Or it’s a disaster and we need a new manager, so no change of current status)
Neil Lennon said in interview at the weekend that this Celtic board doesn’t sack managers – last one was BTM 15 years ago, so perhaps Brendan will reman in post irrespective of results, provided he wishes to.
But we needn’t have a disengaged manager in charge of a discontented squad playing in front of disaffected supporters. We can change things. We can choose that.
And the time to make that choice is approaching.
Brendan Rodgers did make the Honda Civic remark.
That is not in doubt.
Even MON thinks it was ill advised.
Beep, beep; We move on,
Sinisalo,AJ,CCV,Scales,Sarrachi
Engels,Bernardo
Tounetki Calmac
Balik Iheanacho. For the Hearts game
A kinda 4-4-2.Balik through the middle.
Imho,Calmac is the biggest problem,so deep.Get him right up there backing up the strikers,and start shooting again.Try something.
Ach !
Those 3 letters sum up how I’m feeling.
Scunnered.
Brilliant posts on here though.
From a range of stances.
Too many to mention.
Greenpinta,
You have read the quote,I take it.No pace in the team was the meaning.ACH,suit yourself.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 20TH OCTOBER 2025 3:32 PM
The problem the board face is that as soon as the search starts for a new manager the word will get out, agents get involved, all hell breaks loose and Brendan is effectively done.
Still stunned by the Honda Civic – Ferrari remark.
A lack of self control and self awareness.
If our most important employee and the guy with the best resumé currently in the house is reduced to this?
… wow.
TET- Brendan knew nothing about Yamada or Inamura,and a few more I would guess
celtic40me – the search has surely started already! They already know he’s for the off, surely to goodness they’re taking steps.
C40me – I hear you.
I think a bigger more immediate problem the board have is that they do not have the authority to start looking for a replacement.
Perhaps a NED will resign on principle and open up to the governance failures.
Apologies – I need to stop posting for a bit and go to A&E.
While walking down the street something just swooped from above and kicked me in the head with one of its trotters.
GREENPINATA on 20TH OCTOBER 2025 3:33 PM
Thats a strong thing for an ex Celtic manager to say, especially when he came out with the “life in the slow lane” soundbite
Someone here said BR maybe our second best ever coach – possibly true
Someone else said it’s the worst thing a Celtic manager has said about the team in his 70 years of following Celtic – can’t help but agree.
Being the second best coach ever – if he is, which I doubt – doesn’t allow you to say the most demeaning thing.
We need to see if the players will still perform for him, but if they won’t, well then…
This Honda Civic story is going to run and run….
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 20TH OCTOBER 2025 3:49 PM
A “soft search” for sure but it wouldnt exactly be a rigorous process if it didn’t include several candidates, some of them in work already.
If theyre doing it seriously the chances of word getting out are dangerously high.
Maybe the risk is worth it, though
MONs thoughts on Honda
I don’t know why he said that, in all honesty,” responded O’Neill. “He will have his reasons for it.
“You just wouldn’t do that. This is a comment totally directed at the board for not supporting him. You wouldn’t do it. You wouldn’t publicly say this because it doesn’t go down well.
“Remarkably, believe it or not, after a while, it doesn’t go down well with the supporters.”
Brendan by being a smartarse now invites the world and his granny to compare our players with Hondas …..
Utterly indefensible…. One step at a time , get shot of Brendan now
HH
Furry dice, nodding dog for back shelf, dangly air freshener, fake tiger skin seat covers…apparently that is the January wish list Brendan has handed to Michael Nicholson. Let’s see if he has the authority to deliver.
Pimpmycivic.csc
BR and PL a match made in hell, thanks a lot DD.
…I forgot the Tim Alloy wheels.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 20TH OCTOBER 2025 3:49 PM
If the received wisdom is true theres only one person who chooses, although he won’t be the guy in charge of the process to appoint him
We’ve been lucky enough for almost all of our recent appointment to have been out of work or appointed from within the club but the negociations around appointing MON when he was Leicester manager were drawn out and very public.
The Battered Bunnet on 20th October 2025 3:32 pm
Agree 100% – Spot on.
I’ll turn 62 in a week .
I played juvenile football in my home county of Fife , with a very good Kennoway Colts side from the age of 12 to 15 .
At 15 we moved to playing in the Dundee/Tayside league .
We went from being top dogs ,to contenders .
The top dogs in Dundee were Dundee Celtic boys club .
They really were something special .
I played against Maurice Malpas ,Craig Levein , Davy Beaumont , and quite a few others of real quality .
But the best juvenile player I ever played against was Colin McGlashan .
He was a mix of the styles and statures of Gerd Muller, Dixie Deans ,and Jimmy Greaves .
He signed pro forms for Dundee.
He had a hole in his heart which limited his progression as an adult .
He came from the village of Newburgh, and also played for Bell Baxter High School in Cupar .
TT
Celtic Mac
Let’s CR-V what happens next
KINGLUBO on 20th October 2025 1:10 pm
AFTERMATH
Saw some pelters being directed to Hatate.
—————–
ARGUMENTS ELSEWHERE CLAIMING TO WITNESS BRENDAN GTF ABUSE AND BALL AIMED AT HIM.
while some are saying (typing) all that matters is removing the board, losing games doesnt matter if it quickens their departure. btw, the bed sheet art of the Board members with hoods over their heads is disgraceful, what are the support becoming.
Bada
Aye but he takes all the blame, as I said egos, they sure are toxic.
I also recall when we signed Virgil van Dyke, John Park got all the kudos for scouting him when in fact it was some other bloke whos name I can’t recall at the moment, anyways all he did was watch videos and collate stats and VvD was one of the players he found, he left not long after because of the lack of appreciation the club gave him.
We both know nothing will change, when BR does leave there won’t be anyone lined up to replace him, unless they are already in house, and the transfer windows will still be the same, and some will still try and blame BR for it.
Tim Malone- VG
One scenario:
We go for Knutsen at Bodø/Glimt
Knutsen goes to the owners, the owners tell us to get tae the faroes, very publicly
Another one:
A manager out of work, weighing up his offers, his agent, does his job plays several clubs of each other, tells the world his client has been offered the Celtic job, even if it’s just preliminary talks. The first sign he isn’t getting it he’ll blab
Parkheadcumsalford on 20th October 2025 2:47 pm
Imo, that comment yesterday by our manager is the worst I have heard in the best part of my 70 years supporting Celtic. How it helps anyone but himself is way beyond me.
————-
I agree.
Whatever the circumstances throwing the players under the bus ( or maybe the Honda…) and at the same time clearly having a go at the board is simply unbecoming of a Celtic manager, especially one who professes to be a Celtic man through and through.
Perhaps he felt emboldened by the fan protests and dissatisfaction. If so , I fear he overestimates the extent of his current popularity among the fans.
FWIW, I still think we win the league , albeit probably not comfortably , but it is increasingly clear that there is pretty much outright war behind the scenes and relationships have broken down , probably irretrievably.
An effective Chairman sorts that out, one way or another
TET- Tho whole club needs gutted from top to bottom, the happy clappers will be on soon telling you how many medals Lawwell has won
Chatgpt replacements for Brendan, just to get the ball rolling :
Recommendation summary
If I were to pick a preferred candidate in order:
Julian Nagelsmann — highest ceiling, elite European experience, modern tactical profile.
Thiago Motta — excellent tactical profile, proven “over‑achiever” fit, good for a rebuild with ambition.
Gerardo Seoane — solid fit, perhaps best if the budget is tighter and the club wants a “growth manager”.
linked with this guy for January, a goalscorer.
https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com/1293c890-579f-01b7-8480-902cca7de55e/41d1f2d3-00ea-4a79-92fd-9c427c58679c/2022.11.23-RossoneriMondiali-Honda-interna2.jpg?w=1280&auto=format
if we are to go 3 at the back then CCV and LS can play no part in it.
“The Battered Bunnet on 20th October 2025 3:32 pm
But we needn’t have a disengaged manager in charge of a discontented squad playing in front of disaffected supporters. ”
Whilst all three of those points MIGHT reflect reality, only the final one is actual reality.
Bada
It does drastically, thing is there is no way that it should be needed, but we all know whos fault that is >:)
a list of replacements on the blog , never a Celtic Supporter.
SS- He’s got a good engine on him
Carkey Ancelotti?