The league was won by such a small margin and after so many tight games, it is possible to identify a dozen games and three times as many moments that can be considered crucial to the outcome. Not all of them by Celtic players.
Stephen Welsh’s 89th minute equaliser for 10-man Motherwell against Newco in February was one of them. Moments earlier Celtic scored an added-time winner against Livingston, while Newco led at Motherwell. That four-point swing kept Celtic hopes alive that the improbable was still possible.
Welsh featured in Motherwell’s post-split win at Ibrox and draw against Hearts, games which respectively removed Newco and Hearts from the position of bookies’ favourites for the title. As a Celtic player, he was unable to play in our 2-3 win at Fir Park last month.
Six years after making his Celtic debut, the player has been released from his contract a year early, with contract offers already on the table. The loan fee received from Motherwell, or expected for another year elsewhere, was not sufficient incentive to inhibit the player’s career or earning potential. Then there is the feeling that we owe him something.
Stephen’s loan to Motherwell was cut short when Celtic needed cover in January, but he returned to Lanarkshire after Benjamin Arthur arrived on load from Brentford. That decision looked curious at the time. Arthur was not as ready for action as Welsh, and we were potentially developing Brentford’s player, instead of our own. But Motherwell would have been weakened when playing our title rivals. It’s an interesting manifestation of the consequences of the loan market. Did it decide the title? Sure, along with +50 other decisions.
184 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- »
Wednesday!
Shoot
If anyone is going to Boston for the Scotland games hit me up at my blog name @gmail.com
Hits the post and Aipple heads the rebound for a glorious ⚽️
It was an unlucky shot PRESTONPANS BHOYS.
The goal should have been yours.
Welsh had market value. He excelled in a Motherwell team that drew plaudits from everyone. He should not have left Celtic without commanding a transfer fee, however modest it may have been.
Sorry to see Welsh going but it seems Celtic are doing well by him. We certainly owe him that.
KELVINBHOY
“ Good will gesture “ it seems world class in everything we do. Stephen was one of 7,500 in the Broomloan celebrations 👍🇮🇪
I’m not convinced of the idea that we ‘owe’ Stephen or any other player anything beyond their contract terms. They’re well remunerated for their efforts.
Stephen’s is an ordinary story, what additional value did he add or is he due?
Askou might have paid money for Welsh,or he could have been a makeweight in a transfer somewhere
Did similar with Tom Rogic who definitely had a market value . Think SW will be signing up in Europe shortly
I don’t mind Welsh being released. We burnt enough bridges with players and agents last season to last a lifetime, so repairing some of that reputational damage by doing good by Welsh has some immeasurable but tangible benefits for the club.
What I’m curious about is who made the call ? I’d imagine our new full time gaffer would have wanted to evaluate his squad, including Welsh with his home grown benefits.
Same person that gives Scales Forrest McCowan extensions.
The Quiet Man. CSC
Interesting article title Paul .
When I read ‘Did Market ‘ I thought it was going to be an article on our shopping in the January transfer window . Then I remembered that was the Diddy market .
A good gesture by the club, though wish we knew who at the club is making the calls.
Hoping this means the new mgr is known and already approving deals etc but I doubt it somehow.
‘Mon the quiet men.
I get responses re Welsh but its a strange one for me given the season he had. Maybe after the way we messed him about in January window he was offered this at the time in order to come back, hang about, play v Talbot then go back.
Either way I wish him the very best. A supporter who lived his and our dream of pulling on the Hoops.
Stephen Welsh was fantastic with my younger son when he met him last season. The sort of thing that stays with kids forever and does a lot for Celtic
aipple
Heading over next wed But me my boys my nephews and brother in law are all staying in SALEM.
It was considerably cheaper for accommodation.
Note youngest of the boys is 27 in case we sound like kindergarten.
We seem to be back to the Bob Kelly days of chosing players and the team, in what way would Scott Brown Stephen Glass and Jonny Hayes improve Celtic from the MON leadership and coaches we had this year?
Welshy was fairly injury blighted in his Celtic career: we paid him well when he was nae available for us.
For me we shoulda taken alleged Mechelen moolah for him when on the table.
Great to see him paying US back with good performances against the currants et al.
From Coatbrig to the Continent I hope rest of his career goes well
JC2 – cheap accommodation in Salem – It’s not the old Marsten House, is it?
dessybhoy on 3rd June 2026 1:24 pm
We seem to be back to the Bob Kelly days of chosing players and the team, in what way would Scott Brown Stephen Glass and Jonny Hayes improve Celtic from the MON leadership and coaches we had this year?
Exactly!
€4.75 million for Palma
Disappointed about Welsh. Thought there was a player there – brave, intelligent, strong. But what do I know…
But who decided this? Very odd.
And if he does really kick on from here we get no sell on fee.
A few things bugging me.
Why does DD need to interview MON, surely he just need to ask him if he wants to stay, too easy probably.
Second. I presume Robbie Keane keep abreast of social media, if he has any moral fibre he should pull himself out of the race to be manager.
Third. The board have been aware for months of the situation and should have been looking around the best available, but no, the easy, lazy option. If Robbie Keane was not Irish, with his mediocre track record, would he still be considered, thought not.
I said before, I want Martinez, and prior to the World cup, the deal should have been done so that at least he has contact wth the club and Maloney to put his stamp on things
Fourth The board should tell DD, look we are running the show, not you
KINGLuBo
Did it decide the title? Sure, along with +50 other decisions.
Yes and every single one of those 50+ decsions went against the mighty Ran2ers and the Hearts Glorious Hearts, aided and abetted by Celtic fans in the SFA and their referee appoinntees Beaton, McLean, Dallas.
That’s correct isn’t it? At least according to the SMSM.
Chairbhoy @ the very early 5:36am
Before Rodgers, Al Qadsiah were averaging 1.89 points per game, by far the lowest of the top five. By season’s end, that had risen to 2.40 – an improvement of 0.51.
——-
I hear you, CB. Genuinely.
Brendan is doing what Brendan is brilliant at
Delivering major performance uplift in the first 2 years.
Just as he did at Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic, Leicester, and Celtic.
Not a backhanded compliment.
A true talent in that particular space.
I’m glad we had access to that talent (twice).
That chapter has ended.
IMHO, its pointless re-reading it for further meaning.
With your arithmetic in mind?
1.89 became 2.40 ppg under Brendan at Al Qadsiah
Yip.
Another guy took 1.89 and turned it into 2.57
The 1.89 was Brendan’s (in year 3 at Celtic)
That guy is Martin O’Neill.
4M for Luis Palma
Kerching CSC
TBB
certainly not and i can assure you i will not go near any of those sort of things as a fully fledged
member of $hitebag CSC when it comes to scary things.
Ally McCoist still demanding a penalty for Sevco women
JC2
Good stuff. I get in Friday morning. Got lucky with a place close to downtown. Prices for most part were mental.
Bring back the good old days when we won f*** a**
Mal Content CSC
AULDHEID on 2ND JUNE 2026 9:07 PM
I think it’s unfair to post hear say on a forum attacking someone’s character.
I’m not the internet police so you carry on but it’s an unfair behaviour imo. People will always give a side of any story that paints them well and someone they dislike badly.
But even if BR was untrustworthy, there’s ways for a football club to behave then there’s what we seen from Desmond re his statement.
BR should have been publicly thanked for his success and left at that. That’s what I expect from Celtic. That’s the standard.
Desmond strikes me as having a moral compass not fully aligned to Celtic’s roots and I suspect we’ll see more evidence of that this week or next.
====
To clarify it was DD who repeated in public 5 weeks apart what he told me in private.
That we had that conversation I only mentioned after title won to provide a fuller picture from a person (DD) who in court would have to prove what he said in public was true not what I said was true. Hearsay is for the courts.
What I have said is because by the very nature and tone of the DD call I felt that what DD said was the truth.
That has not been tested in court and I very much doubt that if it was DD could not provide ample proof.
I was very careful about not going public and very surprised that DD actually did because the last thing it was going to produce was the end to the strife he thought would be the case when we spoke and he essentially told me not too worry, go smell the flowers as result of the effort I put in to The Membership Service proposal.
A much better approach than demanding heads should roll or throwing tennis balls on the park.
Something happened between 1A 9th September and 27 Oct to trigger DD going public.
It is certainly not the way I would have gone because of the consequences that were anything like smelling flowers.
Think for what we were looking for was £2100 for 7 of us for 5 nights.
Same type accommodation was around £6000 in Boston We reckoned £4000
between us paid for a lot of beers meals and taxis.
I found that in the internet age people are less inclined to read much into the delusions of others because it is so commonplace.
Talking of Welsh, imo, he would have been a better pick than those chosen to represent Scotland at Centre Half at the World Cup.
Mammy used to say
https://youtu.be/gAWnb1yxr5M?si=VqkWlN0L60BgZYz1
HH