After four painful defeats, Celtic steadied the ship with a late win over Aberdeen and a bizarre one over Livingston. We are entitled to recognise that as progress, however, despite the direction of travel, we should be prepared for anything to happen at Fir Park tonight.
Wilfried Nancy will have learned lots from those wins, just as he did from the earlier defeats. He has significantly improved the left side of the team since his initial games in charge, but the right side remains less effective.
Without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Anthony Ralston has filled in at the right side of central defence in preference to Colby Donovan. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey fits the bill on paper, but the Manchester City loanee has now sat on the sidelines for three successive managers at Celtic. You and I might know more about a few in the Celtic squad than Wilfried does, but that does not extend to JSP. If there are to be changes on the right, it is likely to be Colby for Anthony.
After a win and a clean sheet, a goal for Johnny Kenny would be very welcome. The player clearly lacks confidence, a state which will only be resolved by putting the ball into the net. He is miles off the levels shown in the League Cup semi-final win, when he bossed the opening stages and scored with an excellent header. A deflection off his knee tonight could be the fix.
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Happy “GG Live Updates Day” and Wednesday eve.
Hopefully our friend in the Maldives has a few bob in his pocket.
Victory please Celtic Go to work
HH
I disagree…I don’t think Nancy has learned anything….
Coybig
A touch of the ball would be a start for Kenny
GP @ 11:52am – re honours. Interesting.
“Whether you like the largely symbolic honours list, it matters not.
However it is an acknowledgement by others that something of value to society”
——–
Yip. Accepted. Sort of.
Agree it matters not (When considered among other things that do matter).
That “acknowledgement by others” of our value contribution though?
At the risk of pedantry on my part?
… depends on whether we value their acknowledgement?
Personally, I don’t.
Celtic will NEVER be the establishment club.
IMHO, our ethos and raison d’etre almost automatically preclude this.
Sure, we’ll be the biggest, strongest, most dominant sometimes … but still outside that fancy looking tent … and healthily so.
BTW – I believe Celtic is non-establishment rather than anti-establishment.
Big difference and important distinction
For my own part, I have zero interest in railing against, resenting, fighting or attempting to overthrow the establishment.
… Or joining it of course.
Instead … I prefer to just ignore it.
A win is essential nothing else matters, he doesnt have a right side of the team offensively or defensively, Donovan could play right wing back at least he has pace, with Forrest ahead of him, Yang can replace Forrest at Half time, not impressed at all with AR and he lacks pace as well as job awareness, the team set up seriously concerns me and defensively wise I think we are in for a doing soon.
TBB- Shows we all see the game differently, I thought Tierney was dreadful on Saturday, sold the first goal,not passing it quicker,no pace……..thinking what’s happened to this guy?
An 8-4 victory would take us top of the table.
“BTW – I believe Celtic is non-establishment rather than anti-establishment.”
not when you’re hosting the Empire games
Really non plussed with the honours system, but why did it take till now and why have Celtic not honoured Fergus? Yet we still have the ‘North’ stand…….
the timimg of the gongs is a so see thru….
Never again voting Labour
Decent line up on ACSOM today
https://www.youtube.com/live/tnw8V5XAr9U?si=sL-EmTPJ0NQ_08C5
Paul, great minds. Just posted a similar observation on the previous thread. We’re getting a lot of good things from the Tierney-McCowan-Maeda collective lately, but much less both in possession and defending from the Ralston-Engles-Yang group.
Funny thing is, we don’t know what the archetypal Nancy defender looks like but I don’t think CCV fits the bill on the right of a three, that’s more an AJ role, I think.
And when CCV (eventually) returns, is he replacing Trusty or will Trusty move over one and push Tierney out, disrupting our shiny new left hand side?
Meantime, we need an upgrade on Ralston and a working alternative to Yang, while Engles needs some serious development to fit the plan. Perhaps it’s simply a case of him being brought down to the average of those around him? Who knows.
Moreover, “we should be prepared for anything to happen at Fir Park tonight” captures the reality of the Bonkersball played by WTAF FC. It’s a gripping new reality TV show.
On reflection, I think part of the problem is that Bro Wilf’s start was so traumatic, so catastrophic, that there is no confidence among the supporters that his approach is valid.
Listening to others – Alan Morrison for example on the Huddle Breakdown – and there are some causes for optimism despite the pandemonium we’ve seen in each of his six matches so far.
If he can convert the next two matches into 6 points he’ll have gone some way to settle the uneasiness and anxiety many of us feel each time he puts a team on the pitch.
Bada
Agree in part about KT at the weekend but still made my Jobo top 3.
Still giddy to have him back and in a stronger team he will only get better.
In more predictable news Hearts start the madness before the window is even open
A fee of up to 800k for a 22 year old right back from the Dutch second tier. According to the internet they beat Tony Bloom’s USG to his signing.
And at the risk of repeating myself…
I’m maybe a little too cynical, but I hear Fergus and Jim Craig are included in the New Year Honours and I immediately think… Labour government attempting to get some voter traction in a key electoral demographic ahead of Holyrood elections in which they’re forecast to bomb.
Surely he cant start Ralston or kenny
We keep waiting for Johnny K to turn into the striker we wish we had.
The lad is 23 and – like Adam before him – is finding truth in the statement that heavy is the head that wears the crown. After 4 years here, it just not happening for him. Like it didnt for Welshy. Or Ina. Or young Monty.
And if he’s a development player what’s someone really gonnae pay us for him – Bolton offered 500k. It hasnt worked from an asset appreciation POV either. Nothing against a good young pro, but how long do we wait??
Come back Kyogo; like Jota, like KT, all is forgiven.
It’s time to start showing some of our worldclassness
There’s only one King Billy MBE
Aff oot CSC
Bada, I agree it was a bad mistake by Tierney. However, he’s the guy that starts virtually everything for us on the left. We’ll start to see teams try to choke that soon enough. You could justifiably observe that Livi did exactly that for both of their goals, the second coming from Maeda losing the ball at the start of our sequence.
Of all the things that trouble us, KT’s performance is the least of it.
All that aside, I only hope JSP has a ‘can return to sender in January’ clause in his loan agreement.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 30TH DECEMBER 2025 12:42 PM
The right side is a conundrum I can’t see being solved without some really smart recruitment. Chris Sutton had it just about right when he said the back three need to be the best players in the team in Wilf’s system, the left and right sided defenders need to be big, strong, quick and comfortable on the ball. KT fits the bill as well as we can hope for, but I think CCV will struggle on the right, especially after an Achilles injury which could mean he loses some pace. Maybe the in middle with Trusty on the left and KT pushed further up, but the high line will still expose any lack of pace
BW played AJ exclusively at right wing back at Montreal but maybe he sees him as part of the back 3 here.
I wouldn’t write off Yang at wing back. He doesn’t have the defensive instincts of a right back but he looks like he’s trying to learn, he’s got pace, a decent touch and is good in the air
Aipple- TBB- We are all hoping KT can get back to decent levels but it’s taking longer than we thought, BTW watch Motherwell target Ralston
Alistair Johnston ( injured )
Callum Osmand ( injured )
Kelechi Iheanacho ( injured )
Marcelo Saracchi ( injured )
Odin Thiago Holm ( illness )
Jota ( injured )
Cameron Carter-Vickers ( injured )
“Je constate des améliorations à chaque match que nous jouons…”
Under BR we conceded 3 goals in 11 games through August and September.
Under MON we won 7 out of 8 games, losing only away from home to the team (then) at the top of the Europa League table. Aside from that defeat we conceded 3 in the other 7 games.
Between those two spells we lost 3-1 away to the SPL leaders and won a Europa League match, with the only really unexpected blip being the 2-0 loss to Dundee in a game where we had 82% possession and 23 shots at goal (to Dundee’s 10), but the ball just wouldn’t go into the goal for us.
We have now lost 4 out of 6 and are conceding more than 2 goals a game, scoring 3 fewer than we’ve conceded across those 6 games.
Celtic were a team that was getting mostly positive outcomes in spite of the turmoil and noise surrounding performances. A new guy has come in and ripped up the song sheet that was showing marked improvements in consistency and had put us into a cup final and a competitive position in both the SPL and Europa League, and he immediately took us to rock bottom with the worst sequence of results for half a century. To then claim that he can see improvements after two rollercoaster wins, one of which saw the league’s bottom team score twice against us in the opening 8 minutes, is at best disingenuous and at worst insulting.
My questions on the honour for Fergus –
Why has it taken decades?
Why a CBE when Murray got a knighthood?
Why had Murray been allowed to keep his knighthood after decades of cheating the taxman?
On Kyogo…
If Birmingham play hard ball and demand £7M+, would we be better spending a similar or slightly higher amount on Bowie from Hibs and Braga from Hearts? We’d be getting 2 for 1, both younger and with much better form and greater confidence, and both physically more robust than Kyogo. Best in mind also that if Maeda is on his way out, probably quickly followed by Hatate, Kyogo is likely to be no happier than he was before he left for France.
The cherry on the cake with the 2 for 1 is that it would also weaken two of our major challengers in the SPL.
Bhoys Town on 30th December 2025 1:11 pm
Ask the Forfeiture Committee why someone who has robbed the public purse should retain their title.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/having-honours-taken-away-forfeiture
Good luck tonight Celtic
HH
Bowie a yes from me,Braga a flash in the pan,with a catchy song
The Wilfried Window
‘ we tried right up till the last minute, to get the guy from Sheffield Wednesday on loan…….but January is a notoriously difficult Window…..’
despite the direction of travel, we should be prepared for anything to happen at Fir Park tonight.
——
A failure to win tonight would indeed demonstrate a clear direction of travel since WN took the reins off Martin.
Half Man Half Biscuit – The Referree’s Alphabet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMbWbI8-85k
Kyogo is a no from me …completely gone …7 million?….I’d struggle to pay 700k… he’s 31 and going down
Bowie Braga ..again …has to be better out there
I get soo depressed at transfer windows because we continually fk it up !!!!!
bournesouprecipe on 30th December 2025 1:04 pm
Alistair Johnston ( injured )
Callum Osmand ( injured )
Kelechi Iheanacho ( injured )
Marcelo Saracchi ( injured )
Odin Thiago Holm ( illness )
Jota ( injured )
Cameron Carter-Vickers ( injured )
……
Play long – get the ball injured – not the players.
Mr Stein said: “THE GAME IS A BEAUTIFUL GAME, A SIMPLE GAME. THEN THERE ARE COMPLICATED PEOPLE, WHO COMPLICATE THE GAME.
ITS ALL SO UNNECESSARY.”
He said that as Scotland manager as well.
Long straight or diagonal balls made BOBBY LENNOX into Celtic’s Greatest player imho.
Nobody played more long straight or diagonal balls than Glasgow Celtic FC.
WHY?
Because we attacked more.
AND THEN IN 1994.
Fergus McCann sprinkled an additional EXTRA 30,000 fans onto the already assembled 30,000 who NEVER had to pay for their School aged Children ie, the fans of future.
Fergus’s 30,000 brainwashed cliques dumped on top of the 30,000+ and their uncounted free entrance Children, all straight forward thinking JUNGLE DIE HARDS and had snobby, finger pointing, Celtic View, Anorak types who complicated the 30,000 ‘new starts’ and their easily manipulated minds with:
“THE WULLIE MALEY SONG” – and thoroughly corrupted the straight forward Celtic product on the pitch since 1888, of long balls up to the 2 wingers and 2 strikers were we scored barrow loads.
BUT NOW.
In the new progressive all seated era, Celtic only play with one striker!!!!
Jings – Crivvens – Help Me Boab!
What a time to be alive.
HH
oot.