Decks cleared at Tynecastle

115

Tony Bloom was courting Hearts as an investment target in May last year when they appointed Derek McInnes but his Jamestown Analytics was already retained by the club.  A few of us were surprised; McInnes was a well-known quantity in Scotland, in particular as Aberdeen manager for eight years.

We expected that under Bloom’s influence, Hearts would be a bit more innovative, go do what Motherwell managed with Jens Berthel Askou.  That decision may well have cost Hearts the title.  If I am sure about anything, it is that they have talent targetted to take the club forward.  They will appoint a stronger manager next season.

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  1. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    René Hake?

     

     

    Never heard of him … which means absolutely nothing.

     

     

    Just more of the same old Pollocks?

     

     

    Or is he the Great White hope?

     

     

    Maybe he’ll ditch the long ball game and get in players who can see a Bass?

     

     

    If so, Cod help us.

     

     

    (Too much time on one’s hands clearly)

  2. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    celtic40me on 18th June 2026 1:34 pm

     

     

    Given they aren’t seeded in the playoffs theres a very high chance that Hearts won’t be playing European groups football next season. The teams they’ll get in the CL and the Europa qualifiers if they drop down are very tough

     

     

    ——

     

     

    Very good point C40me.

     

     

    I’ll go further

     

     

    I saw their pathway a few days ago.

     

     

    They’ve got a puncher’s chance

     

     

    IF that puncher?

     

     

    … is in hell swinging at a snowball

     

     

    Another reason for Celtic to focus on being at decent strength by 18 August.

     

     

    If we reach the Champions League group stages, it is virtually certain we’ll trouser the entire Scottish TV tranche.

  3. UEFA Champions League · 2nd Qualifying · Leg 1 of 2

     

     

    21 Jul 2026

     

     

    Sturm Graz

     

     

    Vs

     

     

    Hearts

     

     

    UEFA Champions League · 2nd Qualifying · Leg 2 of 2

     

     

    28 Jul 2026

     

     

    Hearts

     

     

    Vs

     

     

    Sturm Graz

     

     

    Hail Hail

  4. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    justshatered on 18th June 2026 1:05 pm

     

     

    In five years time will there still be digs at Brendan or will there be a new villain of the piece?

     

     

    ——–

     

     

    Lol JS.

     

     

    I’d hazard a guess and say yes.

     

     

    Some poor soul on here recently stuck up a John McGinn article FROM EIGHT YEARS AGO !!!

     

     

    🤣🤣🤣

     

     

    Dude, you asked her to go to the prom.

     

     

    She said no, and went with someone else.

     

     

    Get over it.

     

     

     

     

    As for Brendan, polite suggestions to two groups.

     

     

    1. Brendan captured your heart twice and left abruptly twice.

     

     

    Get over it.

     

     

    He’s not coming back a third time.

     

     

    2. Brendan took charge of your house twice and left abruptly twice leaving you to do some cleaning up.

     

     

    Let go of your resentment.

     

     

    He’s not coming back a third time.

  5. Hear that Hake has eyes on Scales…..

     

    If so we’ll have to weigh up the offer….

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  7. Ah – was it this one…

     

     

    “John McGinn is worth the £4m Hibs want for him.  If he was under contract at Celtic, we would not sell him for anything less.  But his sale price will be determined by the number of potential buyers in the market and where the player wants to move to, not his inherent utility as a football player.  These factors set his price.

     

     

    I would not be surprised if Peter Lawwell had the the words “171 days” marked on a whiteboard in his office.  That’s how long he will need to wait to put a pre-contract in front of McGinn.  Having signed such a deal, the player’s value would be no more than £250k, a drop of £3.75m over the period, reducing at just shy of £22k a day.

     

     

    You know Peter, it’s not going to happen.”

     

     

    https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/pay-4m-or-wait-171-days-for-mcginn-pre-contract/comment-page-21/#comments

     

     

    Aff oot

     

     

    Hail Hail

  8. timmy7_noted on

    Wouldn’t it be nice to get some commentary on the goings on at Celtic rather than Hearts?

  9. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Cheers Chairbhoy – that’s the one.

     

     

    I took, and continue to take (what I consider to be) a relaxed view on John.

     

     

    (My consideration could be dead wrong, of course)

     

     

    If he had really wanted to be a Celtic player?

     

     

    He would have been a Celtic player.

     

     

    He’ll now likely never be a Celtic player.

     

     

    Hey ho, us.

     

     

    Hey ho, him.

     

     

    He’s forged a very decent career darn sarf.

     

     

    I’m pleased for him that his career achieved some genuine substance last month

     

     

    … the Europa League being a VERY decent piece of silverware.

     

     

    Must have been difficult for him watching his most obvious footballing peer, Callum McGregor, winning trophy after trophy over the last 8 years.

  10. Timmy7

     

    Nothing is going on at the football dept, just the commercial one with the launch of another strip.

  11. BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 18TH JUNE 2026 2:07 PM

     

     

    I think they get a shot at the Conference League play offs if they lose the in CL and Europa qualifiers

     

     

    Probably not a bad outcome if they make it, I don’t think losing 3 ties on the trot while dealing with a hangover from the end of last season is an ideal start.

     

     

    Or they could qualify, the new boss is a instant hero and they’re flying straight away!

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  13. BABASONICOS71 on

    Quiet on here. You cod hear a fin drop.

     

     

    “There’s a fine line between fishing & standing on the shore looking like an idiot.”

     

     

    -Steven Wright

  14. The Battered Bunnet on

    If Hearts want to land Hake, they’d better get their skates on or eel go some other plaice.

  15. Good afternoon all,

     

    Given the ongoing silence from Celtic FC regarding backroom staff appointments, board changes, recruitment and fan engagement, the Steering Committee has agreed that it is appropriate to address these issues publicly.

     

     

    We have have compiled a number of statements and commitments made by Brian Wilson, Ross Desmond and Michael Nicholson over recent months. Our intention is to publish these over the coming days to highlight the Club’s failure to follow through on the assurances and commitments that were offered to supporters throughout last season.

     

     

    Alongside the first of these quotes, we will publish the accompanying Statement below. The content will be released across our social media channels later today.

     

     

    Celtic should not be entering another summer waiting for the transfer window to happen to them.

     

     

    More than six months after the departure of Paul Tisdale, the club still has no permanent Head of Football Operations. We continue with an interim Chair, uncertainty surrounding the CEO’s long-term position, and no confirmation of Martin O’Neill’s backroom staff despite their role in delivering last season’s league title. Other members of the coaching setup also appear to be on the verge of leaving.

     

     

    These issues matter when supporters are looking for evidence that this summer will be different. Instead, the lack of clarity at senior level raises legitimate concerns. The squad requires strengthening, and recruitment should already be well advanced. Celtic cannot afford another transfer window defined by delays, reactive decision-making and last-minute gambles.

     

     

    For a club that spent much of last season promising better communication, the continued silence is equally disappointing. Once again, this week’s messaging has centred on merchandise launches rather than providing supporters with meaningful updates on Club matters.

     

     

    Fans were assured that lessons had been learned and engagement would improve, but there has been little evidence of that so far. The “Not Another Penny” campaign therefore remains in place until meaningful change is delivered.

     

     

    In the coming days, we will share quotes from senior figures at the Club outlining the commitments that were made to supporters. The ongoing lack of progress on all fronts is frustrating.

     

     

    This summer cannot become a repeat of last year. Supporters are not looking for conflict with the Club – we are looking for commitments to be honoured and for Celtic to be led with professionalism, ambition and urgency.

  16. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    C40me @ 2:50pm

     

     

    Yip.

     

     

    Your post got me heading to my favourite non-Celtic football site.

     

     

    Bert does UEFA competitions better than UEFA does UEFA competitions.

     

     

    https://kassiesa.net/uefa/files/2024-27-uefa-club-competitions-scheme.png

     

     

    I thought (wrongly) Hearts were guaranteed European football.

     

     

    There’s an almost geometric cascade in this lark.

     

     

    Scotland seeded 11th for qualification purposes

     

    (We’ll be 14th next season and potentially lower again the following season)

     

     

    To save my fingers

     

     

    CL = Champions League

     

    EL = Europa League

     

    UCL = UEFA Conference League

     

     

    This time around ….

     

     

    Champions, Celtic. 🎉🎉

     

    Seeded in the Play Off round.

     

    Win – CL group

     

    Lose – EL group

     

    1 tie. 1 parachute.

     

    League phase no lower than EL guaranteed

     

     

    Hearts:

     

    3 ties. 2 parachutes.

     

    Win zero ties – oot !

     

    Win one tie – UCL group

     

    Win two ties – EL Group

     

    Win three ties – CL Group (pigs might fly)

     

     

    R2ngers:

     

    2 ties. 1 parachute.

     

    Win zero ties – oot !

     

    Win one tie – UCL Group

     

    Win two ties – EL Group (my preference)

     

     

    Motherwell & Hibs:

     

    3 ties and no parachutes.

     

    Win zero, one or two ties – oot !

     

    By some miracle either club wins 3 ties? UCL

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  18. the Bada Bing on

    Another squirrel article, the Monday night game will give us 2 more days to get a couple of coaches and 8 players in…..but it’s difficult to sign players when there’s a World Cup on……

     

     

    It’s difficult to sign players during a Transfer Window…..

     

     

    It’s difficult to sign players,when we don’t have a Football Department…

  19. SAINT STIVS on 18TH JUNE 2026 3:53 PM

     

     

    That should have been today’s article, not the pish about Hearts.

  20. These weak fish puns would surely be better tomorrow. After all Catholics prefer fish on Fridays(and fishy jokes)

  21. B2B1/2F

     

     

    Bert’s site is excellent.

     

    You have to be a little nerdy to follow everything, but time well invested.

     

     

    Thanks for the sharing the succinct summary.

  22. Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 18th June 2026 2:41 pm

     

    Cheers Chairbhoy – that’s the one.

     

     

    I took and continue to take (what I consider to be) a relaxed view on John. (My consideration could be dead wrong, of course) If he had really wanted to be a Celtic player? He would have been a Celtic player. He’ll now likely never be a Celtic player. Hey ho, us. Hey ho, him.

     

     

    *hmmm my memory of the time was questions on Celtic sites, including this one, of where would he play and who would we drop to accommodate him, he would have been a project, good on him to having advanced his career to the extent of where he is now

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  24. In response to the inaction of Celtic Plc, out of intense frustration I was going to throw something provocative out there, along the lines of “we’d be better off with a PE firm in charge”.

     

    We would certainly be clear on what their goals were, but then the old “careful what you wish for” adige started circling in my head, and…..

     

     

    Yes, it would be one plausible explanation for the current shambles that is our club, and perhaps they are in a due diligence process as we speak.

  25. Maolmuire O Muirgheasa on

    Celtic FC launches bespoke popcorn tubs in shops across Scotland.

     

     

     

    We can eat some Celtic popcorn as the shitshow unfolds!

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  27. I’m herring the hearts support are saying McInnis was a spratt,and they are hoping they don’t flounder this year,we smelt their fear last year so we sang

     

    We’re orfe to Dublin in the green…

     

    ===

     

    Coat , dug lead oooooootttt

  28. Perhaps the issue with Shaun and Fozzy is length of contract being offered and not necessarily the money

  29. Prestonpans bhoys on

    Gene

     

     

    Whatever the issue is, it should have been resolved by now.

     

     

    You get to the point of negotiations when you need to say take it or cheerio.

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  31. What a dreadful state of affairs we are in .

     

    But let’s talk about anything other than us .

  32. Something must be going on behind the scenes, my fear is a leveraged takeover buying Desmond out at a premium with the cost stuck on the balance sheet of Celtic , good luck clearing that. The Glazers did it with Man utd, does anyone know if people like this were to buy Desmonds share are they required to make an offer to all shareholders?

  33. Chairbhoy

     

     

    Digging back to PL and McGinn…

     

     

    It wiznae me.

     

     

    i did offer an opinion on Engles to you.

  34. When John McGinn retires he will tell a story of the then Celtic manager advising him to go to England……Fact.

     

    I always remember on the very day that KT signed 6 year contract that BR actually said….ye he won’t see it out he’ll leave one day.

     

    It made Brendan’s lies about being a Celtic fan😅 seem plausible.

  35. B2B

     

     

    Cheers. Thank god we won the league

     

     

    Talking of which, odds for next season:

     

     

    Double winning champions, shambles fc: 8/11

     

     

    Huns: 15/8

     

     

    Hearts 6/1

     

     

    I think those are pretty generous odds for a team that wins everything, but I like to see Celtic win which probably colors my judgement a bit

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  37. PeterLatchfordsBelly on

    Seems to me even P67 has had enough of les incompetents at our place. Enviously contrasting the deck clearing at Gorgie and his confidence in their forward planning. Seems also that Despot in his dotage has reached the no more fycks to give stage and will double down on the shambles.

  38. Auldheid on 18th June 2026 6:30 pm

     

    Chairbhoy Digging back to PL and McGinn…

     

     

    *I think that lot of our fans simply forget that there was no way that the hibbees chairman putrid was ever going to sell John to us, Scott Brown was a bridge too far for him whch is why he kept raising the transfer fee, I also think that we tend to forget who John’s grampa was and I have no doubt he consulted him before he made his decision, good possibility that he told young John to do a McAvennie and McGarvey who both played for a club that traditionally NEVER sold players to us amazingly the manager who bought him was given the sugar lump shortly after the transfer so again tt’s well done tae “Super John” for getting as far as he has

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