In an alternative universe, Wilfried Nancy took over with Celtic having two in-form strikers to make the most of the bounty of chances his radical new formation creates. Yesterday in this domain, he had to watch seven good chances passed up in the first half, while the woodwork was struck four times in the second period. A game which could have matched the legendary 9-0 win over Aberdeen in 2010, came within minutes of ending in stalemate. These are strange times.
After the equaliser, Insightful Kevin paraphrased another Frenchman by saying, “Give me a lucky general”. Bonne chance has been in short supply since Wilfried breezed into town.
The second goal courtesy of an 88th minute Kieran Tierney header. It felt familiar. Four years and six days earlier, Kieran’s right-sided colleague Anthony Ralston, rose even later in a game at Ross County to put Celtic 1-2 ahead, and orientate Ange Postecoglou’s side in the direction of their first league title. Special mention to the guy behind me who couldn’t cope with the prospect of Colby Donovan replacing Anthony, and left before Colby’s match-winning cross for Kieran.
Everything is relative and this Celtic team is weaker than any since 2021. It can still be a league winning side. Yesterday’s win, coupled with the result at Tynecastle, gives the title race more of a two than three-horse race feel, with Hearts unmatched ability to close-out a season the biggest impediment to our success. If you fancy the title going to Ibrox, you can get eight times your money back in five months.
Those of us who have watched Celtic all season might find that a bit generous. I would not be daft enough to put money anywhere near any of the title aspirants. What I know for sure is that every game right now is crucially important. Yesterday’s win was celebrated lustily; rightly so.
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Brendan did have an agenda
Get the best team possible on the park.
Get two or three quality players in to take us further in Europe
Get the Board to spend the money to reach these goals.
Get the Board and their lacky to stop bringing in projects.
Stop wasting my time,hitting my head off a brick wall.
The selfish,self serving,egotistical snake that he was.Damn that scoundrel.
Chris Rea has driven home for the last time
Turkeybhoy
Hitting it early today sir. Still it is 5pm or so over there so acceptable I guess.
Loved it yesterday. 20 similar performances this season helped by a few re-enforcements and a few salvaged souls from the Brendan wreckage (those he has referred to as not quality for 18 months) will be fine for me.
A few 5-3 or 6-2 wins are just fine. We might just save our season if he gets 3 or 4 in and if we can get to the end of January with AJ Jota Sarrachi and others due back.
I realise not everyone could fully enjoy yesterday but personally I loved it.
Turkeybhoy on 22nd December 2025 3:03 pm
Pushing an open door with me
67ECW
I realise our manager is giving us all palpitations with his seeming lack of interest in properly defending. Personally, I would rather be entertained (and hopefully winning 3-2) in games, than watching the boring stuff we had to watch much of last season and early this one. That most certainly was not football played the Celtic way.
Bada Bing – Funnily enough my Dad arrived over in Denia today for the holidays and, out of the blue, he asked me if I ever watch the Reeves and Mortimer fishing programme. He was telling me Chrs Rea had been on it as he remembered me playing the Shamrock Diaries album a lot back in the day. That led us to wondering what age he was so I did a search on it. 74. A few hours later I read your post.
His Auberge album is a big favourite of mine. The Gravel voice combined with his slide guitar technique made him a bit different to most.
Interesting to say the least, couldn’t agree more.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/martin-oneill-shares-honest-celtic-36441980
MON interview on Talk Sport earlier today.
https://youtu.be/-bOu2z5NBT0?si=siluRK_xNRhvaJ9N
” playing a high line with 3 defenders lacking pace and experience in a 3 man set up is making the team vulnerable, ”
So, why does a professional Manager choose to play in this way?
Is it because he doesn`t know as much as a participant on an Internet Blog?
PS My questions are general and definitely NOT solely directed at the original poster of the above comment.
Our needs dont make things more likely to happen – Just wanting players to sign for us in the first two weeks of the window won’t make it any more likely. It’s magical thinking.
Taking about it, getting worked up about it won’t make anyone sign for us any earlier or a club sell any sooner but it will add to the hysteria thats turned the club into a madhouse.
The script has already been written for this window, I doubt very much Wilfried will understand how he gets the best out of a squad in the middle of the turmoil that follows.
It’s self-harm, perhaps that excites some of us.
Chris Rea YNWA RIP
HH
Gerry
How lucky are we to have and still have James Forrest? 🌲
Sign players for the whole of the rest of the season and the next couple of seasons, not for a game against Hearts, or we’re compounding our previous mistakes.
If Wilfried is really to be given a chance we need to give him the players to win the league in May.
Try to sign players who want to come. Dont chase unicorns and end up with no one.
Sign the best players as early as possible, not the players who’ll come as early as possible
Secret Santa for our gang now — online makes it easy.
However I popped into Glasgow today as it’s good to get the Christmas feeling. One thing I did notice not one Celtic Shop bag on display—maybe because there is no shops ?! or the boycott is super effective.
Why give the Scrooge Board more cash when they will have minimal spend in the window. Nancy will not do — went to game yesterday. Amateur.
Ps Prada Paradigm nice prez for Tic bhoys. Nearly
Sold
Out everywhere
Really enjoyed the game at the weekend and hoping a corner has been turned as even in the previous losses there were signs of good attacking play though we were defensively all over the place and seemed to tire quickly too, perhaps understandably with the mental side of change, the thin squad and the negative atmosphere as much as anything else.
It seems all talk of the dressing room being lost etc. was perhaps premature afterall as the players put on a show, worked hard for their manager and each other and kept going despite a sucker punch.
As I see it the board have no choice but to back their man in January for their own sake as much as his/ours. Hoping business gets done early and we push on though I wont hold my breath.
Someone on the live match thread I read on the bus back mentioned the crowd doing their bit though muted (Clunks?) and I have to agree. Not sure if there was a silent protest going on but the usual corners were quiet (less vocal both in the positive and negative sense) and the crowd seemed more organically supportive for me, a wdlcome change especially after Tannadice which made me long for the days when I was stuck with watching us on TV/PC.
The script has already been written for this window, I doubt very much Wilfried will understand how he gets the best out of a squad in the middle of the turmoil that follows.
Should read:
The script has already been written for this window, I doubt very much Wilfried will be able to get the best out of a squad in the middle of the turmoil that will follow if we don’t make signings in the first week or two.
Chris Rea…RIP
Hot Smoked on 22nd December 2025 3:54 pm
” playing a high line with 3 defenders lacking pace and experience in a 3 man set up is making the team vulnerable, ”
So, why does a professional Manager choose to play in this way?
—–
I don’t know the answer to that, but would point out:
1. very few do. I can’t think of any other serious team that does. Those who go with three centre backs tend to play five at the back.
2. The results from WN’s first four games, and the ease with which teams create chances against us, including yesterday, maybe explains why very few do.
It gives me the fear and I remain a firm sceptic until we secure more than one win (against a weak and pretty exhausted team).
“If Wilfried is really to be given a chance we need to give him the players to win the league in May.”
I get the point and I don’t dispute it, but it’s kinda tough to win the league in May if you’ve blown it by February.
Notwithstanding seller’s reluctance, given the fiasco of the summer window and the clear and present need, I am rather hoping that Celtic’s recruitment team delivers a performance at long last. And that means capable players signed in time to make a difference.
The day late and dollar short that has characterised our approach for too many years simply can’t be tholed now.
Turkeybhoy on 22nd December 2025 3:03 pm
Brendan did have an agenda
Get the best team possible on the park.
Get two or three quality players in to take us further in Europe
Get the Board to spend the money to reach these goals.
Get the Board and their lacky to stop bringing in projects.
Stop wasting my time,hitting my head off a brick wall.
The selfish,self serving,egotistical snake that he was.Damn that scoundrel.
============
Pish
Just who at Celtic park will be identifying the players for WN this window? Unless he does it himself there is no one who can be trusted.
Could be the quietest window yet.
Maybe all of the board members are on the beach with Tisdale complete with fake moustaches and dark glasses. They’ll play musical chairs to sort out who is running the talent identification department this time around.
https://www.celticway.co.uk/sport/25701098.wessam-abou-alis-national-team-manager-celtic-links/#Echobox=1765973446-3
Not sure if this Board would sanction this one
I would doubt that very much. The tories couldn’t cope.
Sionnaigh @12.01pm – naw.
An Dun @12.14pm – quite.
Well done Wilf. He’s the Hitman Hearns of football management. Gotta knock the opponent out before they figure out you have no defence of stamina.
If the miserly incompetents can buy him a striker early in the window who can take chances we will batter teams in the SPFL into submission before that risk is realised.
Sadly I fully expect the usual procrastination, followed by a shite loan deal signed off at 5 mins to midnight on transfer deadline day by the moustached autocrat when Hertz are already out of sight.
Go on, surprise me Mute Mikey and Spivdale. Actually understand where the real risk lies and act with purpose and urgency.
family are tucking into the quality street already😡
Nancy looked in danger of drowning in stormy waters when Aberdeen snatched that equaliser yesterday with the clock in the red until he was thrown a buoyancy aid courtesy academy lads Kieran and Jamsey’s late strikes. Martin was a good manager but a lucky one and with all the chances created in the last couple matches perhaps the unfortunate Frenchman was the opposite.
We had a healthy goal tally this time last year courtesy Kuhn, Daizen and Adam with seventy goals between them alone. Now we are left with a striker a novice young Kenny and a guy who makes an appearance once in a blue moon. Daizen still good but not as prolific as last season. January is notoriously bad to time in the transfer market so remains to seen who will be available.
Hopefully yesterdays result will be a turning point for the Hoops and the new manager.
Auldheid,
“Pish”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,
I thank you for your kind considerations and speedy reply.
Burnley,
Maybe you never read my post on the game. I enjoyed it immensely.I did venture,best display of the season.Only playing Ralston,when 2 RS CHs available,my worry.
Never mind,not too long now until your beloved Board-1,furnish the manager with everything he needs and I am sure,was promised.
Just not on a Yacht in Majorca.
The Palestinian striker,sadly,has a very poor injury record.
TRUMP
Time he took a bullet, what an absolute prick
Its like Scotland declaring war on the Orkney Islands
kingLUBO
Encouraging assassination of democratically elected leader is not advisable.
Conte sporting a haircut looking like a butch Mary Quant.
One for the older chaps.
Decent game.
King Lubo,
Or Epstein Island
We all know why Brendan was so keen to leave. He had a mega-money offer from Saudi Arabia and couldn’t get out quick enough
Turkeybhoy on 22nd December 2025 6:58 pm
Auldheid,
“Pish”
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂,
I thank you for your kind considerations and speedy reply.
=============
De nada.
You started it in response to something BTB ( I think) described as wise words so I was just waiting for a chance to reply. :)
I could have responded more seriously but I would have to have mentioned the context of FSR and I thought it will be an eye glazer and its the season to be jolly not serious.
Neil Diamond RIP
Rodgers wanted out as soon as it was clear the board had no wish to back him. Nothing to do with his new job.
I dont mind the 3-4-3 formation but we cant wait for injuried players to return to make it work. We need a forward, rcb, dcm and rwb. Any new players need pace, power, good engines and teckers to make the system work. Its gonna need to be a busy window and succesful transfer window and even then we need to make sure we dont drop points im the meantime
HH