St Mirren, who are ninth in the Premiership controlled yesterday’s Scottish League Cup Final and won the trophy with an historic and deserved 3-1 victory. Celtic had the bulk of possession but were unable to turn that into enough chances to deserve anything more from the game.
For the third game in succession Celtic went behind from the first corner they had to defend in the game. That weakness was a painful feature of the Covid season is back. Those who successfully campaigned for a return to four at the back will have to contemplate the fact that the defensive formation is well down the list of problems Celtic have. Celtic were exposed at the back throughout the game, St Mirren had more shots on target and more attempts from inside the box, measures of which team was always more likely to score.
For the 35 minutes he was on, Kelechi Iheanacho gave Celtic a taste of what an effective striker can bring to a team. The recurrence of the hamstring injury which has limited him to fewer than 90 minutes since October cast a long shadow over an already dark day.
The performance was consistent with so many this year. When pressed one-on-one, Celtic players get rid of the ball quickly – and often backwards. Reo Hatate was the only one who took the ball in and attempted to get past his man. Without taking any opponents out of the game, there are no options for a forward pass.
In the hierarchy of responsibility, Wilfried Nancy has to take his share, but he is not at the top. The squad is not up to the task and needs a radical overhaul. Such an overwhelming reluctance to take responsibility on the ball indicated they are playing without confidence. Who can blame them? Managers have come and gone, one having publicly undermined them, while the feedback loop when a ball is mis controlled or a pass goes astray would have the best of us hiding on the field.
The challenge facing the new manager is significant. He needs to restore confidence to a squad who look shattered, impose a tactical regime which creates chances and fortified the defence, while nurturing the most fragile collection of hamstring muscles in sport.
You and I laughed at Newco fans who were so unable to cope with defeats they hounded a succession of managers out Ibrox and made the job toxic. That’s not how we fix this problem. The man needs our support right now as do his players.
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B2B
Yes they have a stranglehold on the shares hence my point they might burn the club down alongside themselves. Only they can make that decision but they gave no control over the fans withdrawing their support.
See that thing were you buy something expensive on impulse , and there’s a cooling off period , you know , you can change your mind …
Can Celtic no dae that …? 🙄
I’m usually not one for over reacting when a new manager comes in. The team is weak and it’s not his fault. However, the quality I look for in a manager is Aura, Presence, Gravias – this helps players believe in themselves and gets results you’d otherwise drop. Martin O’neil has this in abundance and we stabilized. We were still poor to watch – BUT you always had that feeling something special could get us over the line.
WHY CHANGE THAT!! Especially now that we’ve heard MON would have stayed on if asked. It’s a shocking decision from a board blind to the psychological impact on football players and teams. 3 managers , 3 systems , injuries etc. in 4months.
Onto Nancy – What have we learned. He didnt sit down at length with MON and his staff! LEARN about the players attitudes , strengths and weaknesses. He didnt retain some of the coaching staff (Maloney to challenge him) , he changed a system after spending 2 training sessions , he talks of philosophy and dream scenarios , he played players out of position and changes match to match.. He panicked in the 2nd half – McCowan left wing, Forrest through the middle, Ralston wing back , No Bernardo despite him showing well against Roma – it goes on an on.
I feel sorry for him but simply put – he is not a leader of men at this level of football. it’s not all his fault but we’ve learned this aint gonna work. Dont trust him with January money.
Our board are a disgrace this season – almost like they are deliberately sabotaging the football club. The board needs overhauled.
Can they save face ? NO – can they save our season – yes – get decisive and bring in a professional football staff that the players respect immediately – this is serious business not a video game!
I reserve the right to be completely aff ma napper.
Bertrand Russell 1954.
I called for him to go after last Thursday’s debacle and was told to get back onto FF now same posters are calling for the same, apart from from 90 mins what changed
Nancy isn’t the root of the problem but he is part of the problem. With each passing game he appears more of a dud. He’s also unlistenable to. Nothing he says is engaging, even allowing for English being a second language. It’s all dull platitudes and I’ve yet to make it to the end if one of his interviews. He’s the final wrecking ball to our season. Ronny Deila without the trophies.
We are a house divided.
From Dermot right through the board ,the management team ,The players ,and the fans .
We are in trouble .
Unless Dermot Dermot takes positive action to right the wrongs and build bridges with the fans ,this will spiral downwards .
Leadership comes from the top .
Nancy won’t right this ship .
The players don’t have faith in him .
It’s how long we have to suffer that is in question .
I have my ticket for Tannadice on Wednesday in my wallet .
I will support the team ,and won’t be singing any sack the board chants during the 95 mins we play .
The team gain nothing from anti- board chants .
But Dermot and his board are to blame for the mess that we are in ,on the field .
On a personal note .
I am angry with Dermot and the board .
But I am on the road to apathy .
When the lifelong supporter contemplates ,spending their money on things other than Celtic .
It is a very sad day .
I have seen us humiliated in Almaty and now at Hampden ( twice) this year.
My wife. Has attended these matches with me .
If the board won’t match our commitment as supporters ,then why should I bother ?
A big few months coming up .
But for the first time since the early 90’s I am questioning if it’s worth the financial outlay,considerable leisure time ,and the emotional angst .
TT
Tinytim 5.18
But for the first time since the early 90’s I am questioning if it’s worth the financial outlay,considerable leisure time ,and the emotional angst .
Aye indeed👍
Headtheball on 15th December 2025 3:54 pm
I was stunned when I heard Martin say that he only had a ten to fifteen minute handover with WN. Surely this required an extensive overview on every player, their strengths/weaknesses and best positions etc?
————————————-
In my old industrial days when taking over a new department I would seek out the departing manager, get a tour of the worklace, be introduced to every person, make a point of being visible and already talking to them …………
that however was after I had been through a full deck of the departments function and objectives, and meeting hr for a review of the last 5 years employee appraisals. These reviews had the employees own words, their comments on their own strenghts and weaknesses, and an agreed individual development plan
Often taking people by suprise that I would know what their skills were, and what they were working on for self-development.
I am pretty sure that these methods are common practice in all organisations, I do despair when someone says “but these people dont know football” , because simply that is a specialism, but man-management is not really, it is the same for all departments.
Now, that Nancy decided not to take on board any help what so ever, even if he doesnt agree with what is being said, is a complete own-goal. As is forcing changes through quickly, and ignoring the only impoartant metric at this juncture …… WINNING FOOTBALL MATCHES.
I was high up in the south stand, with a birds-eye view of our leader in the technical box, I hate to say it, but he (and his staff) looked bewildered. I am sorry but he looked like a lower league manager, not the next big thing. A slave to the system, rather than getting the best of the strengths of the players he has got.
The guy taking the subs through the drills on the touchline, looked like a youth team coach.
He got my support yesterday, but it was a folly rather than earned respect.
Bring back John Kennedy.
Next, In a bizarre way I went to the game with hope in my heart, the team read out with 2 players who normally are traditional full back. The intervie with Robinson, were he said, he had a plan to hopfully cope with a 4-3-3, but in reality they had practised all week on combatting a 3-4-3. He sounded nervous.
Then wilfie comes on ,,,,,,,,, declares it is a back 3, and the players can get it , because, and then waffled on.
That hope in my heart sunk instantly.
Having said that, going behing early, the next 30 minutes we got the equaliser and had I think 5 other chances, when Ineacgo goes off I thought we would rue alll the misses, and so it proved.
By the way, KT and Kelchi were our best to that point.
Now onto other matters, I do not know if I am long in the tooth, less rebellious, more sensitive to the support, but the mood around me in the que to get in , in the concourse and then into the stand, this was not a happy go lucky its a cup final to win crowd, it was ugly, mean, and angry, before the game even started.
The guy next to me stopped short, just, of booing us on the park, but he was well gone. His support of the team decided when we lost the first goal, calling Kaspar a fat useless bassa, and Reo as chicked hearted.
And on it went. And worse.
I have to go back to 94 and that huns 2-4 game as being as toxic. When there are near 40,000 Celtic fans there but half the singing is sack the board, well, honestly, at 2-1 and the mass exodus begins, I do not see how that backs the team. Heads went down, it did translate to on the pitch.
We had a cup-final to win, that people are saying I am ok with getting beat because it forces them out, it doesnt, nothing but hard cash does, and with that in mind be careful what you wish for.
The flood out at 3-1 , a comeback for the team was never going to happen.
I am scunnered with everything to be honest, Been here before, but my god this time is painful.
We are reaping what we sow.
TINYTIM – nicely written. This is different from the 90s when they were spending money (albeit beyond their means) and we couldn’t compete financially. We still supported the club and team despite agonizing results and losing titles season after season.
We are the dominant team in the league, we had great managers, we are financially better off than at any time in our history, the fans were pouring money into the club and buying the 2,3,4 kits. Everything looked great.
What could go wrong ? The wrong people if vital positions at the club – usually happens when complacency and arrogance creeps in. Usually occurs when greed creeps in. This can happen with successfull organizations in any business or industry.
I thought Dermot was ruthless , he can smell the rot – he can look a man in the eye and see he is a leader. For some reason, he is blind to what is going on.
He alone can save this situation – by making big calls and overhauling the board. He gave them space to make decisions and they’ve shown him the mess they make.
Do nothing and our season is finished! No manger , no player can overcome the negative press, the uncertainty off this situation unless we have the right structure , freshness needed.
What I think will happen – nothing until is too damn late – that’s the mantra of this board and key shareholder of late! I hope I am wrong!!
Bournesouprecipe @ 4:35 pm
Yes, quite, excellent stuff as usual
The January window as our oasis in the desert might be a bit of a mirage…
Maybe Tony Bloom will think it’s a great time to strengthen his Jam Tarts
We know that the new R2ngers guys are going to splurge
Rude of them not to stand still while we get our act together.
Enjoy the baby sitting.
Hail Hail
‘the man from nowhere’ who has single handedly destroyed any remaining semblance of credibility they had, inside seven days using his favoured 3-5-3.
——————
ah, that explains something, Kaspar was the centre of the back 3, i cant be the only one who had the fear heas was going to lose another goal form the other half, he spent the last 15 minutes up the pitch,
stebhoy on 15th December 2025 5:32 pm
TINYTIM – nicely written. This is different from the 90s when they were spending money (albeit beyond their means) and we couldn’t compete financially. We still supported the club and team despite agonizing results and losing titles season after season.
——————-
That “still supported the team” bit is far off from the reality of those days, The real hardcore home and away support was maybe 12,000.
We had home games versus the likes of Dundee and Clydebank with match day attendnaces leass than 15,000.
Our home support now is 58,000 ish.
For a lot of people coming off the hcts and not taking up a ticket for Hampden, we sold out a near 40,000 allocation.
We are on a different scale now, and the “board” are unmoveable while people keep turning up.
“St Mirren had more shots on target and more attempts from inside the box, measures of which team was always more likely to score”
” The squad is not up to the task and needs a radical overhaul.”
Two cups lost in less than a year with how much sitting in the bank?
Tiny Tim – supports my point. If fans with your profile stop going the club is goosed irrespective of shareholdings.
Stivs – good posts. And agree, the only language they understand and value is money.
Celtic are heading towards a massive downward spiral.
If Dermot wants to save the club he needs to fire Nicholson, Nancy & Tisdale
Otherwise he will not have a club.
KINGLUBO on 15TH DECEMBER 2025 3:46 PM
Old cliche, but Rome was not built in a day.
——-
True , but , at least domestically , we don’t need to build Rome.
We just need to ensure we don’t have Caligulas in charge who fiddle while watching Rome burn itself to the ground.
Fun in the sun and some pocket money.
“Former Celtic boss and trophy magnet Brendan Rodgers will reportedly bring John Kennedy with him to the Saudi Pro League. The Irishman is on the brink of agreeing a money-spinning move to Al-Qadisah.”
SAINT STIVS on 15TH DECEMBER 2025 5:44 PM
‘the man from nowhere’ who has single handedly destroyed any remaining semblance of credibility they had, inside seven days using his favoured 3-5-3.
——————
ah, that explains something, Kaspar was the centre of the back 3, i cant be the only one who had the fear heas was going to lose another goal form the other half, he spent the last 15 minutes up the pitch
———————-
Ouch
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 15th December 2025 1:06 pm
rebuswad @ 12:12 pm
Most people want unity
I suspect you are right, rebuswad.
Problem is, those wanting unity aren’t even publicly saying so
(let alone doing anything about it).
The public discourse is heavily influenced by those in one group who value rebellion over unity …
… in direct response to those in power who value their own exclusive form of continuity over unity.
If those wanting unity don’t stand up as forcefully as these factions?
==============
My agenda since 2009 has been unity with the idea of a Membership Scheme as the vehicle to deliver it
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YLx0rSblacwA0VYlTRLsKwwdHp4BpTkyOvSL1cwltfI/edit?usp=sharing
The idea got DD’s attention and I got involved with their Commercial Exec on what form it would take.
In the event the SLO Role arrived and that created the Fans Forum as the chosen vehicle to improve communication. I did not like it as it would be perceived as a one way exchange run by Celtic and not conducive to building trust between The Support and The Board, trust being an essential requirement to make dialogue happen. However it was better than a vacuum.
I think time though has proven me right The divide is wider than ever..
However undeterred I stuck to my unity agenda and as matters this year reached what I feared as a result of disunity – a house totally divided – I went back to the drawing board with what I renamed a Membership Service based on the original idea but with a significant change.
It would be run by supporters for fellow supporters funded by them and being more representative across all of the Celtic supporter landscape not just parts of it that would then give the support at large a voice loud enough and authoritative enough for The Board to listen to, cooperate with and align behind the kind purpose that caused Celtic to come into being.
That kindness has got lost over time and needs restored, especially now.
The Membership Service merits have been recognised by Celtic, who separately have undertook to The Collective to consider a Membership Scheme which is part of The Collective agenda, but has got lost in the rush to sack the folk who might make something of its ilk to happen.
It is high time in my opinion that the support took some responsibility for their part in the continuation of the divide and took steps towards ending it by being responsible in their actions.
What a Membership Service is all about can be read at a Q & A published on Celtic Star site and copied here.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nh8ogzR2YQE-am3GXApTtA-Kh_Fjk3o7/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107947982974245186134&rtpof=true&sd=true
Instead of “Sack the Board” banners, a huge one saying We Want Unity – lets talk about it ” would open the door to something completely different, using the ideas in the Membership Service even if by the turn of the year football results reduce the heat or DD heads into the sunset.
They’ll get the outcome of a fight they chose not to fight, plain and simple.
“Rodgers left Celtic under a cloud in October after he was slammed by minority shareholder Dermot Desmond in a scathing statement after a summer of discontent over transfers. Kennedy also left the club amid the fallout – abruptly ending his 26-year association with the club.”
The business case that needs a Feasibility Study to check assumptions which are illustrative is at
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ueh2IEHoSQk97H99mu2w4-VQpf7B483w/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107947982974245186134&rtpof=true&sd=true
and the same Celtic Focus Forum interplay used in the original Membersip Scheme proposal in 2009 to harness supporter opinions is at
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uTbC5m713b3vkmiiH4cM4YMlaRpHUFgsttXYOsLbdOM/edit?usp=sharing
” They’ll get the outcome of a fight they chose not to fight, plain and simple.
got orphaned from the original comment.
every day is a school day.
—————-
Maolmuire Ó Muirgheasa (also spelled Énrí Ó Muirgheasa in modern Irish) was a notable Irish cultural figure, known as a scholar, teacher, and a collector of folklore and placenames.
Key Information
Life: He was born on January 14, 1874, in County Monaghan, Ireland, and died on August 13, 1945, in Strabane.
Profession: Ó Muirgheasa worked as a teacher.
Scholarly Work: He is best known for his extensive work in preserving Irish culture and language. He collected numerous placenames, folklore, and historical information, particularly from the Ulster region.
Surname Meaning: The surname Ó Muirgheasa is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name Muirgheas, which translates to “sea-valour” or “sea-choice/chief”. The name is often Anglicized as Morrissey or Morris.
For further information on the surname and related historical records, you can check resources like Library Ireland and Irish Ancestors.
Brendan has secured a big money job 2 months after leaving Celtic.
Meanwhile, coming up on 2 years since he left, Mark Lawwell has a fabulous garden.
I’m sure Clubs will be lining up for Nicholson and McKay should they become available…
Engaging on terms that undermine your goal is a strategic surrender.
The moment you accept unfavorable rules, you become ensnared in a labyrinth of legalese designed to distract, delay, and deplete you.
That is the trap, and your participation is the trigger they are banking on.
just a wee bitter-sweet but I think we should be happy for Delaney Dunky nephew and St Mirren captain Marcus Fraser, the formet bhoy never has a bad word to say about Celtic ,
his uncle would have very mixed emotions these days.
he is speaking very well on clyde tonight.
nurse ratchet, who is that guy in the corner that thinks he is napolean
Fans forum was in the first instance a Celtic Trust proposal
In 2018, the Celtic Trust was an active participant in the newly established Celtic FC Fans’ Forum, a consultative body formed following a shareholder resolution passed at the 2016 Celtic PLC AGM.
The engagement activities in 2018 included:
Participation in Meetings: Three formal Fans’ Forum meetings were held at Celtic Park in February, April, and October 2018. The Celtic Trust was one of six “recognised supporters’ organisations” invited to all sessions
WHAT IS THE STARZ on 15TH DECEMBER 2025 12:27 PM
The problems started when we let Kwon go
…
This post rips my knitting , please desist
HH
As the cost of season tickets, cup tickets Domestic and European continue to put pressure on the pocket of fans, already embattled with continuing rises in the cost of living
Forking out for a membership scheme will is not a feasible financial proposition
Not a chance I will give Celtic FC money for a membership scheme
In 1904 Ó Muirgheasa published the book titled “The Shoneen”
Saint Stivs on 15th December 2025 6:16 pm
Had similar thoughts myself .
watch the first 30 of the game – we lose a goal from a corner – we’ve been vulnerable for years at set pieces. After that goal we rolled all over the top and could have had 3-4 goals.
St Mirren got hope and could smell opportunities mainly in that period from Liam Scales – he had an absolute nightmare. Miskicking the ball , heading to st Mirren players , etc . he lost possession 5 or 6 times putting the team under pressure and giving them hope. We were dominant and creating – then Ineacho went off and the system collapsed.
Unlucky on the manager, but his panic antics on the sidelines , decisions on player selection and not adjusting ruined the day.
We dont have the speed or ability to play scales as a left wing back , playmaker , central defender
Board seem happy enough to burn the house down,rather than build a better/modern house.
It’s going to be a long season
Our home support now is 58,000 ish
—
but it isnt, is it?
against hearts last week, yes. against the hun in a couple of weeks, yes.
but most other games there are a good few thousand empty seats.
im just stating a fact, and in no way getting involved in why that is the case.
i can see with my own eyes that there arent 58000 at most home league games.
Absolutely brilliant article in the Irish independent this morning. Desmond won’t be happy..
Eamonn Sweeney
Celtic deserve better than Dermot Desmond. Enough is enough. Things can’t go on like this. Ireland’s leading Bismarck lookalike and his minions are dragging the club down the drain. It’s hard to imagine things improving on their watch.
Their League Cup final loss to St Mirren was one of the most humiliating episodes in Celtic’s history. This was “Super Caley go ballistic Celtic are atrocious” territory.
The game was a 90-minute embodiment of the dysfunction which has enveloped Parkhead this season.
St Mirren have won just three of 15 Premier League games. They lie ninth out of 12 in the table and are the league’s lowest scorers. It’s 99 years since they beat Celtic in a cup final.
The idea that they would not just beat Celtic but outclass them would have seemed outlandish, but the paradox is that you could almost see it coming.
Celtic have cruised towards disaster with the blithe unconcern of the Titanic entering a field of icebergs.
Something like yesterday’s fiasco was on the cards. The surprise was that little St Mirren, to their credit, were the ones to take full advantage.
It’s not a case of hindsight being 20/20 vision. The omens were clear after a pre-season transfer window widely derided as the worst in club history.
Just nine months ago Celtic came agonisingly close to bringing Bayern Munich to extra-time in the Champions League round of 16. It was the kind of European performance which had almost vanished from the club repertoire.
The expectation was that Celtic would kick on and strengthen the squad significantly in the close season. Brendan Rodgers certainly expected it.
Instead, the board took the miser’s route and left the manager with a weaker side than last season. Champions League qualifying-round humiliation at the hands of Kazakhstan’s FC Kairat (currently 36th of 36 in the league phase) followed.
Rodgers barely tried to hide his dismay but his departure at the end of October still came as a surprise. More surprising still was the statement which followed soon afterwards in which Desmond described Rodgers as, “divisive, misleading and self-serving”, accused him of “creating a toxic atmosphere” and “fuelling hostility” towards the board.
Dermot Desmond (right), Celtic’s chief shareholder
Dermot Desmond (right), Celtic’s chief shareholder
The chief shareholder’s extraordinary outburst reeked of plutocratic entitlement. Anyone spouting such invective was hardly in a position to complain about others being divisive, self-serving and toxic.
It further inflamed the atmosphere within a club descending into chaos. Celtic’s AGM had to be adjourned after five minutes when shareholders heckled board members and called for them to be sacked.
On its resumption, Ross Desmond, son of Dermot, decided it would be a good idea to read a statement describing the board’s critics as, “irrational” and “bullies”. The reaction to this led to the meeting being abandoned altogether.
The board’s one good idea was to bring Martin O’Neill in as caretaker manager. O’Neill won seven of eight games with the victories including a thrilling win over Rangers in the League Cup semi-final and an outstanding 3-1 away defeat of Feyenoord in the Europa League.
It would have been wise to leave O’Neill in charge until the end of the season. His experience would have been invaluable at such a fraught time.
Instead, Celtic brought in Wilfried Nancy, late of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew. They still had the option of leaving O’Neill in charge for the tricky trifecta of a league match against title rivals Hearts, a Europa League tie against AS Roma and the League Cup final.
But they threw Nancy in at the deep end and his credibility has instantly been damaged by three terrible losses. Questions are already being asked about his suitability for the job.
Nancy is a somewhat odd choice whose managerial experience consists solely of four years in Canada and the US. Very few managers have made the crossover to European football from North America.
The most notable was Jesse Marsch, like Nancy a former MLS Manager of the Year, who flopped at Leeds United. Maybe someone at Celtic thinks Ted Lasso was a documentary.
The way Nancy’s team steamed blithely forward into attack only to be picked apart on the counter suggested a certain naivety on the new boss’s part. The English and Scottish league experience of Saints manager Stephen Robinson seemed to prepare him much better for yesterday’s challenge.
Wilfried Nancy has had a nightmare start to his time at Parkhead.
Wilfried Nancy has had a nightmare start to his time at Parkhead.
Liam Scales, Arne Engels and Daizen Maeda are players of proven quality whose dire performances suggested a certain puzzlement about Nancy’s change of system. The constant internal turmoil at the club is hardly helping player morale either.
The new manager’s disastrous start presents the board with an instant dilemma. At what stage do they cut their losses if the experiment isn’t working? Their extreme parsimoniousness will make them reluctant to pay out a contract.
Yet waiting in the wings is Ange Postecoglou, who knows the ropes, is a fan favourite and was expected by many people to succeed Rodgers after fortuitously becoming available around the time of the resignation.
Perhaps the board will be governed by what appears to have become its guiding principle. Namely that it can do what it wants because no matter how badly Celtic is run, the team will still win the league.
Hearts may currently be top of the table but the odds are that for the 14th time in 15 seasons Celtic will prevail in the end. The board may feel that everything will be forgiven when the league trophy is once more paraded around the ground.
Yet such victories ring increasingly hollow as a catalogue of humiliations betray a proud European tradition. A club which once considered itself the equivalent of the English giants has become a north-of-the-border Norwich City. The fans are told they shouldn’t expect anything better.
Christmas is coming and Tims both tiny and large are being tormented by the Scrooges of the board. It’s time for the Ghost of Celtic Past to arise, rattle its chains and make them change their ways.
Otherwise, God help us everyone.