Celtic started their Europea League campaign with a draw in an excellent game of football in Belgrade against Red Star. Despite Celtic controlling most of the possession during the first 45 minutes, it was the hosts who created the best chances – until added time before the break. Cameron Carter-Vickers broke free from his marker to get on the end of a Benjamin Nygren cross but could not turn his effort on target from 6 yards.
That chance seemed to ignite Celtic as they rolled over Red Star from the opening moment of the second half. An excellent move down the left saw Kieran Tierney cut the ball deep into the box for Nygren, but his shot went too close to the keeper. Moments later Kelechi Iheanacho must have thought he had opened the scoring with a close-range shot which again found the keeper.
The opener arrived on 55 minutes. Nygren collected the ball 45 yards from goal on the wing. He drove to the edge of the box, passed a defender with a step-over, before pinging a pass to Iheanacho. It was the best football played all night and a tier one assist. This is a player. Kelechi took a touch before despatching a left foot shot high into the net. Keeper Matheus got a hand to it but could not keep it out.
The lead was no more than Celtic deserved. Red Star rallied and equalised from a corner 10 minutes later, where they got the first three touches on the cross (sigh), culminating in Arnautovic knocking the ball home from 3 yards.
Celtic visibly tired as the game concluded and dropped deep to hold the line in the closing 10 minutes. Reo Hatate came in for some soft criticism on TV during the game, but it was when he wilted that Celtic found it difficult to build play. Still, Iheanacho had the best chance to win the game when again clean through, but his chip caught the keeper’s face. Whatever happened to him in Middlesborough, is no longer relevant.
In the old home and away double header days, we would have been happy with this result as Red Star looked like a team we would take at home. The manager seemed irked when questioned post-match about the search for an away win in Europe. It will be four years since our last non-qualification win on the road by the time we next play away. These games are significantly more taxing than anything we face domestically (which is a big part of the problem). Still, hope in our hearts, and all that? Belgrade is not Bergamo, no matter how long the tunnel.
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I think we all remember Didier Agathe being a good striker for Raith Rovers, then being an excellent RWer for Hibs and then possibly being the best RWB in our history ( I get/know it’s a relatively new position.
With that that in mind, I can’t help thinking that Arne Engels and Colby Donovan could be our right backs for the next few years.
And that’s no disrespect to Tony Ralston who is an excellent understudy to anyone.
I’ve been a Kelechi fan for a long time.
Wanted him at Celtic when he was a young guy who couldn’t break into the Man City first team.
Nothing more than idle want from a fan who looked at a player and thought he had something .. exactly the kind of thing many of us want our managers not to do.
Anyway, I got a serious reality check when he was sold to Leicester .. for £25m.
Sobering.
Out of our league just about summed it up.
Delighted we’ve got him now …
.. but am still strongly tempering my expectations.
He’s a quality footballer,no doubt.
But he’s hardly played, has had a few injuries in his time, and will take a long time (possibly never) to get fit enough to play 90 minutes – or a big chunk of – in big games twice a week.
Kenny and Shin will need to step up, do some shifts (efffectively) and carry some of the load.
If they can, and Daizen can find a wee bit of a spark?
… I think we’ll be OK in the striker department this first half of the season.
Not brilliant, but OK.
Hope so celtic40me
B2B…good insight…I never knew he went for £25m
I think we should look to sign a young guy who can’t quite make it at one of the top 20 elite clubs in January.
An Edouard mk2
…Kenny and Shin will need to step up, do some shifts (effectively) and carry some of the load.
_____
They need to be played before we can find out if they’re any good. Shin has hardly had a look in. I also think Inamura could have coped with what Scarrachi has faced thus far. We almost sent young Donovan out on loan. Look at how he’s performing. It was a similar situation with KT years ago. Give the boys a chance.
Laxalt – cheers.
Agree. Particularly if we sell Daizen in January.
Loan with buy option thing.
Ziggydoc1 – cheers.
Yes, they need minutes.
See my previous squawks about 66,000 minutes being spread more effectively across the squad.
I expect to see Kenny and Shin play those (on paper) easier domestic games particularly at home.
Problem Brendan has with that goes to the word he used recently.
Rhythm.
Needs repetition.
The fewer minutes you give your best 11, the more games it’ll take them to find that rhythm.
Tricky balancing act for anyone.
How can I get performance improvements based on better rhythm quickly enough to keep people happy and results positive? …
…. without playing my top players TOO often during the ridiculous schedules across October to December? …
… while creating opportunities for the wider squad players to find their rhythm too and improve themselves and the squad longer term?
Ziggydoc1 – re Donovan, agree.
Never waste a perfectly good emergency.
Modern, bloated squads stifle opportunity for young lads.
AJ out? Ralston out?
Throw him in, sink or swim.
The incessantly demanding fans will give a wee bit of a pass to a homegrown boy who makes the occasional mistake.
Unbelievably early days but he looks like a player.
I disagree on Inamura.
I think he’s looked good (sometimes very good) in possession but a wee bit lacking defensively (aggression and discipline).
Gunk versus Genk
The incessantly demanding fans will give a wee bit of a pass to a homegrown boy who makes the occasional mistake.
——————–
they wont. the home crowd can be very damning in an instant
over or under hit a pass, put a ball out of play. worse lose a goal, and he will quickly become a new escaped goat.
Genk 3rd bottom of league. V 3rd Bottom….huns being at home surely tips it …..they will definitely be back if they win tonight…not a peep.will be mentioned about them being 3rd bottom in Belgium!!!
Looks like the gob-shite owner at Go Ahead just got a home defeat to stick in his dick head cake hole.
Karma’s a bitch.
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/976/cpsprodpb/046a/live/495cb810-9997-11f0-8f08-cdce2dcdb379.jpg.webp
byCommunications DepartmentTuesday 23 September 2025 16:00Share With twitterShare With facebook
Manchester United have begun work on a significant expansion of rail seating at Old Trafford, with 6,000 additional safe standing seats being installed in Tier 2 of the Stretford End.
The project will double the current provision of rail seats inside the stadium, making Old Trafford one of the Premier League’s leading venues for safe standing.
The first phase of seats will be in place for the upcoming fixture against Sunderland. However, the section will remain licensed as seated for that game until the installation is completed and formally approved by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA).
The club expects the installation work to be finished by the end of October, though formal approval from the SGSA to use the area as safe standing may follow at a later date.
This latest development reflects the club’s ongoing investment in enhancing the matchday experience, with safe standing widely recognised for boosting atmosphere while also improving safety.
TexasTim on 25th September 2025 7:40 pm
Looks like the gob-shite owner at Go Ahead just got a home defeat to stick in his dick head cake hole.
Karma’s a bitch.
:-)))
I am defo on dram shout next time in Pot Still.🤣
Europa? Conference
HH
Jackiemac
Still giggling like a wean at gunk v genk comment
:-)
HH
TexasTim on 25th September 2025 7:40 pm
Looks like the gob-shite owner at Go Ahead just got a home defeat to stick in his dick head cake hole.
TEXASTIM, not a post I would normally associate with you. Is it because he dissed Celtic’s lowball bid for their player, Breum? Mind you, Breum played the whole 90 minutes earlier and didn’t help much (as well as his team mates).
Ave Ave
An Dun,@ 3.04,
Thanks for informing some on the facts surrounding the transfer ins and outs.Very simple,and very simply put.I have strong suspicions they understand very well,but truth hampers their wee agendas.
https://x.com/AP/status/1971201410025812065?t=S9xl4JB3Z3AIlyMyioI6JQ&s=19
Hope to God this is true
Israel punted out of uefa
Tam McLaughlin.
Well done you
That is what it means to be Celtic
💚
😊An T
An Tearmann – I’ll be holding you to the Pot Still promise.
Emeraldbee – I’ll take your surprise as a compliment – I am a two term survivor from a gob-shite president; it makes you more sensitive to ignorant trolling, when you hear it. In fairness, I know nothing about the GAE owner but I’m willing to bet that he made good money doing one thing, one time and now thinks he’s good at everything. Yawn.
The US is already opposing their expulsion from the World Cup which they host, so unlikely to happen but it should have years ago.
Oh has just missed a sitter
Genk hit the post
I’m sure someone on this site suggested we were wrong to sell Oh.
Oh is having a shocker
Theyre going to get a pen
Oh no!
Oh is a poor man’s Adam Idah…
Red card Diomande dirty dirty player.
Half way up the guys shin and from the side.
Mental few fenian minutes at the orange dome.
That Diomande is amazing….just spends the whole 90mins of a match fighting with any of the opposition. Absolutely incredible. But it takes a European ref to deal with him!!
Diomande normally gets away with a few tackles like that every week here .
Studs on shin … Mcoist reckons he got the ball .
The problem either Diomande is he gets away with his thug like behaviour in our league. In Europe no 😅🤣😂
Pen Genk?
Shocking pen by Oh