St Mirren were level for a total of 10 minutes across 120 minutes play against Celtic in yesterday’s Scottish Cup semifinal, nine of which were either side of the fulltime whistle at the end of 90 minutes. That was enough to give Martin O’Neill reason to review strategy for the remainder of the season, but it also allowed the players, fans and coaches to receive a much-needed confidence boost. One which would not have happened had the game ended 2-1.
Perhaps benefiting from a classic Daizen Maeda goal in the opening minute, Celtic were in slick, dominant form in the opening period. When St Mirren keeper Ryan Mullen went down for treatment on 12 minutes, it gave manager Craig McLeish time with his players to readjust the system. Celtic remained dominant throughout the first half, but the League Cup winners were less porous.
Arne Engels pinged a shot off the post, then Yang hung a header back across goal which rebounded off the crossbar (like Larsson’s in Seville, only a few inches higher). With time-added at the end of the first half set to expire, the same player got free in the box and looked set to shoot, but instead backheeled the ball into space. Anthony Ralston had 13 yards to cover but when he connected with the shot, there was no stopping it. It was great vision from the Korean winger.
That looked to be an insurmountable lead, unfortunately, poor defending at two textbook setups put the game into extra time. Kieran Tierney was unable to get a block on Mikael Mandron to prevent the striker burying a header early in the second half, then the same player spun and raced past Benjamin Arther onto a long ball before smashing the equaliser in added time.
An incredible four goals in six minutes during the opening period of extra time settled the tie. Kelechi Iheanacho showed everyone how far ahead he is of any striker playing in Scotland. If he can play 60 minutes each game for the remainder of the season, Celtic will win the league. Benjamin Nygren and Luke McCowan got confidence-boosting goals, while James Forrest gave the supporters things to discuss on the way out of the stadium.
Should Forrest play when Maeda is through the middle, alternating with Maeda on the wing when Iheanacho plays? Every other combination has been tried, this one should be on the table.
Credit to St Mirren yesterday. Neither of the goalkeepers who played for them have started a top flight game of football. Ryan Mullen (23) made only his second substitute appearance in the Premiership at Celtic Park last week. 17-year-old Grant Tamosevicius made his debut in senior football competitions against Celtic on live TV. I hope they stay up and Craig McLeish gets the chance to take control next season.
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Happy Monday all!
Happy Monday right back at you.
HH DENIABHOY.
Been off work with family in town for last two weeks. Off to the office shortly.
Happy Monday from the Brazen Head. Gorbals looking marvellous in the sunshine 🌞
Philbhoy
Report to base please. Ya Bo’ness bampot.
Anyone else thinking that Mikael Mandron, a lower league journeyman, looks a much better striker than Cvancara?
Kelechi Iheanacho showed everyone how far ahead he is of any striker playing in Scotland.
From Honda civic man’s black book after our strategy and structure failed to deliver a striker over two windows.
Love the comparison of Yang with larsson. He wouldn’t have been one of mark Lawwell’s intake would he?
Still waiting on us “turning a cornet”. Hope it happens soon.
corner…
After the recent character assassination of Brendan (letting Lager go and bringing in Phillips) i wondered if praise would be given for the Hail Mary signing of Kelechi.
Alas, CQN has not reached that evel of emotional maturity yet.
Petty vendettas on behalf of others remains.
Ach well, next season is a clean slate – surely!
Great first half of ET performance. The rest was pretty evenly matched
Pleased with the result….but, had it been a league game two points dropped.Just saying CSC.
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BRRB
Go easy on the wobbly water John.
‘Unable to get a block on…’
Alas our homebhoy hero crumpled like a cheap tissue. He and Auston needed to do much better and yes to other poster, Mandron looks more of a handful that big Tomas
Still smiling after Raldos rocket!!
Joe
I’ll try me best mate. 😁
Agree that we actually benefited from being pegged back and going to extra time. Those goals will fester confidence and belief.
James Forrest is a class act. It would be an act of vandalism to allow him to leave the building in the summer.
I thought Engels was very good as was Tony Ralston who deserves high praise.
The support need to calm down. There was so much anxiety in the stands, even in the first half when were in control. At one point when the score was 1-0 I heard booing in D3.
We’ve had it easy for too long. I get the impression that some people don’t have the stomach for this fight.
Martin v Neil will be a great occasion.
The cause of St Mirren’s first goal was Yang giving the ball away carelessly in midfield. He then went chasing after it and left his position. Declan John was able to run free on the left and cross the ball. Simple possession was lost and had an impact.
David, you can add that CalMac didn’t bother his man – Declan John.
BIGRAILROADBLUES
Am here pal!
Doing fine thanks!
I do look in from time to time but it can be depressing at times and I’ve been there before, so avoid usually.
I know we are crap, have been most of the season and probably will be until we get our new manager and get some sales/purchases done. But I don’t shout about it on here or during the games.
Support the team and who knows?
Been a great few weeks here! The wee yin was 26, then we had a surprise 40th wedding anniversary party, then I was, cough 77 on Thursday. Had a family reunion on Saturday night in Edinburgh, wonderful, then a family BBQ here yesterday in lovely weather.
So, the drinks cupboard is locked and my wife has got the key, so my liver gets a break for a few days at least, a welcome break too, I might add.
Apart from that I am leading a quiet life!
Hope you are good J and if my arthritis allows I might make the Shipbank on Friday, We’ll see!
In the meantime – C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Could it be nicely falling into place for Martin to be able to just hand Neil the office keys at the final whistle on 23 May and avoid another shower episode?
Well, stranger things have happened and at Celtic they frequently do! And there’s no such a thing as too much old firmery, regardless of which half is guaranteed to be the beneficiaries.
Then again Neil might not fancy going to a club with less ambition than the one he is at…..
From what I can gather, from the 53 competitive matches Celtic has played so far this season, Kelechi Iheanacho has managed 401 minutes of football, completing just two full 90 minutes.
From what little we’ve seen he is a terrific footballer but he arrived with a chronic injury record and that has been the defining feature of his time here to date.
We can only hope that the remaining 6 matches of the season allow him to rewrite his contribution to this season and reset the course of his career.
I noticed Yang chasing his man to leave a big space that St M exploited, I thought it was a moment of honest ill discipline that was came from a genuine effort to make up for his error. He’s become a real Celtic player, his header was a moment of real quality, his back heal for Tony good calm thinking. He’s still learning but the talent is there.
Calmac didnt get near covering the space but I can’t blame him, hes clearly playing through an injury and will be until the end of the season.
Benjamin showed a lot more yesterday but as soon as Arne and Calmac dropped off in their levels our midfield looked too slow again. Hopefully it’ll change with improved fitness , our every levels improved significantly when Jamesie and Scaracchi came on, Tounekti, unfortunately is a problem when we dont have the ball – it becomes ineffective because he doesn’t work hard enough.
We’re getting there. Extra time looked like a turning point to me.
The press becomes ineffective
Outstanding physical effort from the team yesterday, it’s obvious to me, the reason we fall out of games after half an hour is Nygren playing midfield, he doesn’t mark or track his opponent ,and we get outnumbered in MF,added to that Callum doesn’t look 100% fit,we need Engels and Hatate in there, to get more control of games.
The big failure of the transfer window was that we weren’t able to persuade Kaspar Dolberg to come, but would things have been so much better? After scoring 3 goals in the Eredivisie he’s warning the bench at Ajax, behind a big donkey in the pecking order.
Our poor scouting and lack of imagination left us with Kele who is only now showing us what he’s capable of, after 7 months. Not to mention selling Idah which was one of the most bizarre bits of squad management
Bada
I thought Nygren pressed well yesterday and was a lot more involved than hed been recently
some general observations, less about the game, and more about the occassion.
After my own scaremongering about Celtic supporters not being able to take up tickets due to the early cut-off for digital sales I was quite heartened to see half the rangers end, and the debenture south stand rangers end full of celtic supporters right to the end of section N.
Only the last 3 sections of q top tear were empty, amd 1 section of the st mirren section a west stand. So probably about 2,000 unoccupied seats.
Those west end seats taken by celtic supoorters well they were general sales tickets, Joe and Josephine public were able to buy them because, Celtics 53,000 season ticket holders didnt take up their option to buy. I wonder does this mean they wont be offered a cup final ticket ?
Anyways, back to the experience.
I sat first half at the very end of the south stand top tier, in line with the st mirren goal, a great view, not my normal seat, but I wanted to see what it was like, and there were spare seats right at the end.
That people are “general sale” becomes obvious as they troop out the tunnel, smart phones in hand,and try to work out were their seats are, mostly parents with kids, and then the late rush of the under the influence crews.
These bhoys sure no how to spoil an event.
3 different groups, 4 to 6 strong, effin and blindin, cheeky to the stewards, abusive to those around them, taking up any empty rows, dont bother looking for their own seats, but a funny moment maybe 10 minutes in already before they realise Celtic had scored before they even arrived, they only notice when the keepr has to go off injured.
I tried to ignore them, but their general abuse towards any celtic player doing anything wrong in their eyes is met with derision . One guy tries singing, he calls everybody the c word for not joining in, he gets a response from another group , and then the fun starts as a third party gets involved , more posturing, but one big fella is inviting everyone out, then decides to have a go at another gobby guy, doonstairs, ootside, jacket coming off, families frightened, several moving the kids out the way,
It all escaleted pretty quickly, to be fair, the peace maker sitting next to me, older even than me, a guy from aidrie, he gets in the middle, and gets them to sit down and another group to move away.
Anyways, I moved for the 2nd half, over the the celtic end of south stand, a poor second half, I left at 2-1 , missed the extra time goals, more fool me.
Another cup final to look forward to.
Thanks Martin and the bhoys.
Nice to see big dan, great tik-tok of the old greenock celtic club, ta for that.
Is Sebastian Tounetki……the new James Forrest…..?
celtic40me on 20th April 2026 1:35 pm
Bada
I thought Nygren pressed well yesterday and was a lot more involved than hed been recently
I agree,but he doesn’t get goalside of his opponent, and 3 quickly becomes 2,and we lose the midfield, we need to play him because of his goals,maybe just behind the striker, if we go with only 1 winger
and a ps.
in section q there was a family group chatting about trouble out side the ground before the game, when a group of celtic supporters were escorted down past the saint mirrewn bus park.
why on earth would a celtic corteo be coming from that side of the stadium ?
see the videos today, why is this happening ?
SS- Ticket sales for yesterday, closed at 2pm on Friday, a ridiculous situation
saint stivs
When ye were counting the empties (seats that is) on the way oot……early doors
Did ye count yours in amongst them….?
Celtic Mac on 20th April 2026 1:47 pm
Is Sebastian Tounetki……the new James Forrest…..?
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There was a swell of bloggers opinions in the last few weeks with a narrative that Seb should be playing because he played good-ish for Tunisia, and somehow Martin wasnt being fair to him.
Hmm I tought, a flash of something every now and again does not a player make.
Yesterday, I got to watch him close up from on high, but it is simply this, beating a man means nothiing if you cant then pass the ball onwards to a celtic player. the bohys decison making is woeful, but even more for me,his speed of thought, he never ever ever does anything instictively quick.
KT getting it tight from some, I thought he very quickly made up his miond that it was pointless overlapping for Seb not to give him the ball, and leave a big gap beind.
Funny how we all see games different.
Celtic Mac on 20th April 2026 1:53 pm
saint stivs
When ye were counting the empties (seats that is) on the way oot……early doors
Did ye count yours in amongst them….?
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Pointless counting them on the way out, I left exactly on 90 mins, just as the 4 mins added board went up. I wanted to use the lift but guess what it was gaurded and they told me 2staff only2 i mean seriously wtf.
I was on aitkenhead road towards polmadie as the 4 goals went in, incredibly there were hundreds of fans allready walking the road, they must have left before me.
Philbhoy
Great stuff mate. 77 years old? Old git. 😁
I thought the first half display was good. I was on here at HT saying so.
The second half starts and not for the first time this season, I’m wondering what has happened to the team. Back passes and side passes rather than looking forward. Wingers constantly checking inside and playing backwards.
When St Mirren got their first, I took my phone out and stuck £20 on a 2-2 because it was painfully obvious what we were drifting towards.
If there’s one thing to come out of the ET performance then hopefully it sees a more positive Celtic side making forward passes, more cut backs into the box and more wingers hitting the by line.
We need to stop sitting on leads.
saint stivs
Rewatch Celtic’s second goal and tell me he can’t find another Celtic player……
Maybe couldn’t find Kieran Tierney on the overlap true…..
But that is because KT rarely made one…
Seb would, and I think has been, more effective with Serracci behind/in front of him
Like I said he’s the new James Forrest …..of old
Or as Auldheid described him…….”pretty useless”
Celtic Mac on 20th April 2026 2:12 pm
saint stivs
Rewatch Celtic’s second goal and tell me he can’t find another Celtic player……
Maybe couldn’t find Kieran Tierney on the overlap true…..
But that is because KT rarely made one…
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the goal, great it ended up with a goal, the backheel by yang being the creative bit, but even with that the wee 10 seconds of play does capture Sebs game.
He receives the ball wide left, takes 3 touches, KT overlaps inside of him into the box, easy channeled pass plays him in for a cut back. all very easy, natural , fluid, but fast and perpectual.
seb goes inside, takes another 7 touches to pass it across the face of the box left to right, yang has to go further wide to get the ball, and to backheel it.
i thought our best bit of football creativity to that point, but very generous to say seb made the goal.
anyways, i hope he contributes in the next 6 games, i personally just wouldnt start him.
Iheanacho is class, both as a player and a person. His fitness is the issue.
We can thank Brendan Rodgers if he wins us the league.
Tounetki is infuriatingly poor. Hammarby milked the panic buy price. More evidence of the failure of Celtic’s supposedly thrifty transfer model.
Yang remains raw at times (he was the main culprit in the first St Mirren goal, as others have noted), but you can see the improvement he has achieved through high quality coaching over the past nearly 3 years. 9 goals this season is very decent, particularly given the weakness of the team.
Busy Monday Club in the Brazen. Bunch of malingerers.