For a man in his 70s, Martin O’Neill is a model human specimen. He looks like he eats his exact calorific requirement each day and has never fallen below the 10,000 daily steps we are advised to take.
There is, however, a time in life when health issues and their subsequent treatments become a regular thing. For most, this happens a lot younger than Martin’s current age of 74. Expectations and plans need to be calibrated accordingly.
21 years ago he put health first, surely one of the best decisions he has ever made. I hope he takes whatever time necessary to fully recover.
Best wishes from the CQN community, Martin.
184 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Gineitis of Torino, reported as being our choice to replace Engels, was dropped from Torino squad on Wed night. That would be one to be excited about. All depends on Weat Ham meeting Engels evaluation
Good Morning Fholk – Grand Day To Be A Tim
BigChipsUK, discussed a best Celtic XI in our lifetime, a couple days ago, so as promised, it has been collated – not many enteries it has to be said, yet all who made the CQN XI made at least half the teams…
Forster
McGrain
McNeill
Virgil
Lubo
Murdoch
McStay
Jinky
Dalglish
Larrson
Lennox
As a “Mc” BigChipsUK’s Big Mc XI was interesting three of them making the main team…
McGovern
McGrain McAdam McManus McNamara
McGeady McGregor McStay McCourt
McClair McGarvey
Yet as suspected, not many seen the Lions at full pelt and so one of our older, more regular visitors to Celtic Park and CQN original put out the team that is the curren lifetime gold standard imo…
Parkheadcumsalford…
Simpson, McGrain and Gemmell, Murdoch, McNeil and Connolly, Jimmy Johnstone, Kenny Dalglish, Joe McBride, Paul McStay and Big Yogi.
As most say, very difficult to choose and on another day, we’d make different choices.
Thinking it through, maybe a best ever in our life time squad would be a fairer way to do it… 24 players to a squad…
3 Goalkeepers
7 Defenders
7 Midfield
7 Forwards
Most of my greats would be in there, we would still have a few niggles – too young to remember Tommy Gemmell but a world class player, forerunner of the modern fullback who scored in two European Cup finals.
Hail Hail
I feel our need for strong MF presence and legs is greater that our need for additional wide men. Our current wide men are adequate and at least one upgrade would be good but right now the MF is not strong or mobile enough and that should be priority especially as its clear we will lose at least one starter in there. Egyptian and Algerian wingers can wait for the MF reinforcements IMHO
From FF:
“I thought he’d come in, make us more organised and hard to beat.
I’m seeing absolutely nothing any different from the utter shambles we’ve seen every single season since we won the league.
A mess, an absolute bloody unorganized mess.”
“Poor players, playing under a worse manager. Who saw that coming…”
“Going as expected. Yet another manager that scrambles about at half time trying to correct his own mistakes with multiple subs. Sh
“Sadly have to agree.
For years hes seen close up what is wrong with us, especially last season – where he dismantled us a few times, yet he plays the same diddies and somehow makes us look like RM’s Rangers this time last year.
“Was expecting discipline and organisation as a priority early doors in the season, but having to hook your captain, make countless changes in both games and still stick with the same wasters is an early red flag for me.ouldn’t be a surprise to many.”
“McInnes name has been linked with us every time We’ve changed manager in the last 10 or so years, and I’ve never felt like he was a good fit tbh.
Very much hope he succeeds, but my gut feeling is he serves up utter dross and we make the change when the seasons gone.”
Good morning all. It’s Shipbank Friday!
Moisey
Don’t disagree that midfield is a priority.
Not sure we should see signing a winger and a midfielder (or even 2 as I think we will if Engels goes) as mutually exclusive.
The rest of the world of wingers won’t wait until we sign a midfielder before we come to them.
We don’t operate in a wee Celtic vacuum.
Maybe be pleased we have potentially made 3 big signings and aiming for more whilst our rivals are signing double digit levels of dross for half the value we are buying.
No one doesn’t see we need midfielders. If we get the Torino and German guys we lose Engles and we are only a full back cover (hearing the United lad doesn’t want to be KT back up) and goalie away from a pretty decent window. Massive squad ‘glow up’ some would say.
Burnley78 – Must be a month or so since we agreed terms with Baur which would suggest he was an “early” target. The reported difference that we are not meeting is 300,000. Care to offer your view on potentially losing out on a targeted player for such a small amount. A player who has already agreed to come to us?
Can we please stop comparing ourselves to that mob.
Like Barrs patting themselves on the back cos they’re better/bigger than Alpine.
(tho you’ll read that Barrs have mad an arse of things recently)
Its the year-in, year-out lack of ambition/preparation for euro qualifiers and ripping off of the supporters that folk are pissed with.
300K ? how much did we lose out on v MBoro campared with v Newcastle last year ?
how much did we miss out on v AC Milan ? Should have been a full house.
DeniaBhoy on 7th August 2026 9:07 am
FWIW
I remember having the exact same conversation about John McGinn
I thin the difference was £250k
Now that was bad business by us at that time
As for Baur
As a potential explanation only a guess as I was not in the room)
It’s not the suggested £300k
During negotiations a fee would be agreed (assume £4m) just before everything else gets finalised the selling club move the price from £4M TO £4.3M
The selling club assume that if they are prepared to pay £4m then they will pay £4.3
At this point Celtic probably feel that the selling club is taking the piss
So Celtic have a choice
Swallow £300k or tell them we will buy for £4m not a penny more
I would guess that’s where we are
Both clubs playing poker over £300k
I have no idea if the player is worth 4 quid or £4.3m
Just a guess on my part
67ECW
67 – From the day Celtic opened communication, Paderborn sporting director Sebastian Lange set a clear internal valuation of £4.3 million.Celtic’s Celtic originally believed a £4 million flat offer would be enough to trigger a sale because Baur had entered the final year of his contract. Paderborn immediately rejected Celtic’s £4 million approach, publicly stating the bid fell short of their valuation. They clarified that they have absolutely no intention of lowering their original demands, preferring to let him walk away for free next summer rather than accept a cut-price fee below their baseline.The current deadlock isn’t a case of the German club moving the goalposts; it’s simply Paderborn refusing to budge from the exact figure they demanded on day one.
(I fully expect we will get the player but he could have been in the door weeks ago and providing an option for the CL qualifier).
Some more stuff flying round my head this morning
The Egyption player Hassan
I have seen a brilliant mazy run against Argentina – but I have not seen much more
In the same game I think he gave away a penalty (not 100% on that) BTW Messi missed it
And I am not sure about cold wet nights in Aberdeen in November
I guess thats what £9m (or whatever the price) gets you today
But we have to hope he is an improvement on Balikawisha and Tonetki
67ECW
7 European Cup Winners on 7th August 2026 9:37 am
DeniaBhoy on 7th August 2026 9:07 am
FWIW
I remember having the exact same conversation about John McGinn
I thin the difference was £250k
Now that was bad business by us at that time
Hi, the only problem with the McGinn story is that according to John McGinn, Celtic would have been willing to pay what Villa paid, but Steve Bruce promised him first team starting football every week and BR wouldn’t. (he has said this more than once).
We have plenty of other examples that are more relevant to the point you are making, and in general the point seems to have some validity – just not the John McGinn angle.
HH
68 – On Hassan, I posted yesterday that his stats are not good in Spain, no goals last season and only 3 assists in 37 games (started 20, sub in 17). Team was relegated.
Real Oviedo (2024–Present)Goals: 4 (All 4 goals were scored during the 2024–25 Segunda División campaign).Assists: 6 (3 assists in the 2024–25 Segunda División and 3 assists during the 2025–26 La Liga season).
DeniaBhoy on 7th August 2026 9:40 am
DB you know more than me
I read that much rubbish during the transfer window I never know what is fact and what is click bait
If Celtic have not gone back with $4.3 then I assume they are playing poker for £300k
Hoping the German side blink
Stupid – if Celtic think he is worth £4m then £300k is peanuts if he is a player they want
Hey ho
Another day in paradise
67ECW
bashi-bazouks on 7th August 2026 9:48 am
Yes that theory rings bells
Still a silly mistake by us not to offer him First team starting
I know Hindsight and all that
67ECW
Bashi-Bazouks @ 9:48 am, 67 European Cup Winners @ 9:58 am,
With all due respect our failure to sign John McGinn – that’s the kinda’ pi$$ poor excuse we’ve been hearing for a decade from the Board now…
With poor recruitment decisions and a flawed strategy since Willo Flood came.
The few decent transfer windows have been the exception to the rule and have been due in the main to our managers, Ronny, Ange, Brendan and now Martin (fingers crossed).
Lee Congerton and Brendan Rodgers were after John McGinn from June 2018 he left in August 2018, that’s two months for the Board to do the deal.
We read on these very pages that Celtic weren’t going to do the deal, that they wanted a pre-contract agreement with John in January 2019.
<To quote CQN at the time “you know Peter, it isn’t going to happen”
It never did…
Hail Hail
Good morning CQN
Another fine day to be a Celt.
Quad @ 11:40pm last night. Thank you.
Agree with you – this is not a great look.
Unnecessary too. Hey ho.
B2B – yep; Broony’s sniping feeds the tabloid agenda against us; needlessly undermining.
Re Herr Baur; is it right for us to keep wooing a club for 4mill quid+ over a lad who’s seemingly a nice enough technician but, still, a slip of a lad from the German second divvy ?
We don’t haff ze plen B ?
Can it really be just two days until we see our beloved hoops again?
The real stuff, not the silly season.
Bring it on.
What shall we do meantime?
How about dredging up old transfer stories from the past?
For some unfathomable reason …
… I’m imagining the final climactic scene of the poker game in the Casino Royale movie
… overlaid with transfers to Celtic
“Show down please. Your cards gentlemen”
First guy smiles as he puts a John McGinn on the table.
Second guy grins triumphantly as he shows a Willo Flood.
The baddie casually trumps them both with a Stephen Fletcher.
After a pause, and to dramatic music, there are gasps as James Bond, from out of nowhere … shows a winning pair.
Joe McLaughlin and Steve Clarke !!!!
Enjoy the Ship bank Friday banter. Had it pencilled in but doing a roady to Hereford instead to see my last uncle who couldn’t make it up. Good to see incoming players, more required, I’d like to see more midfield players coming to cover Engels and Calmac.
Thought Peter the Pointer’s reply to Scott Brown was perfect.
Chairbhoy on 7th August 2026 10:14 am
Bashi-Bazouks @ 9:48 am, 67 European Cup Winners @ 9:58 am,
With all due respect our failure to sign John McGinn – that’s the kinda’ pi$$ poor excuse we’ve been hearing for a decade from the Board now…
I’m afraid on this occasion, and I’m not offering them a general amnesty, just on this one – John McGinn said Celtic would have matched the Villa offer but HE chose Villa. On this occasion , as 67ECW says _ hindsight should have Rodgers guaranteeing him a start. That would have been a Rodgers decision, not a board one.
We’ve got plenty of other examples that are relevant and should go with those, not ones that they they can actually say wasn’t them.
Jota training with 1st team
Now that is great news 👍👍
There’s been a lot of chat about Hasseim Hassan’s stats .
Just had a look at Didier Agathe’s for us , 9 goals in 113 games. Not sure about assists.
Borgo67 – not really been a lot of chat, just me posting that his stats for goals and assists are underwhelming to say the least for a winger we may spend 9 million on. Whether his all round play and potential justifies such a fee is open to argument but I would prefer Maswanhise from Motherwell myself.
Speaking of wingers and stats, have you clocked Kuhn’s season in Italy?
Or Paddy Roberts since he left Celtic?
New post giving 404 error.
I’m in VM; just refresh page and it settled !
New article posted.
Thanks, quadrophenian.