Post-match, Martin O’Neill expressed frustration that Celtic dropped the pace after their electric start and taking an early lead at Pittodrie last night. Aberdeen were unable to get out of their final third, before a couple of fouls gave them a bridgehead to launch a forward push. Other set-pieces followed, in the form of corner kicks, and then a penalty. The subsequent equaliser was enough to fortify the home team into a battling performance for the remainder of the game.
There were two penalty incidents to discuss, highlighted by both managers in BBC interviews post-match. When asked about the equalising penalty, Martin O’Neill confirmed it was the correct decision. Adding that some managers could game the system, but instructing their players to place a leg in front of a defender intent on clearing the ball. This is what brought the Aberdeen equaliser, Olusanya placed his leg in front of Liam Scales. [The same player deliberately placed his studs on Kieran Tierney which should have resulted in a red card]. It was a correct award but it is worthy of consideration by rule-makers as it clearly contravenes the spirit of the game.
I am sure Martin was not talking about Aberdeen’s interim manager, Peter Leven on this occasion. Leven did enough talking in this context about himself. When he spoke to the BBC he suggested Lyall Cameron was not “streetwise” enough. Inside the Celtic penalty area in added time, Cameron drifted past Reo Hatate, who made a challenge on his blind side. No contact was made, however, Leven bemoaned the innocence of his player, who could have seen the opportunity and bought another penalty.
In his own words, Peter Leven told you what he wants his players to do in order to game the rules. Referees beware.
Benjamin Nygren is a one man league challenge. Without him, we would finish fourth this season. He competes for end of season rewards only with Liam Scales, who is the most 100% footballer we have seen in years. They are writing a chapter in Celtic history between them.
The relentless pace of Celtic’s season now drops. International breaks aside (when many of our of players have other games), we have had only four weeks without two games since August. Hearts have had four in the last four weeks.
The drop in intensity you, me and Martin O’Neill noticed last night could be a result of fatigue. Players are not machines, they need recuperation time like every other athlete. We will have six days to prepare for our next league game against Motherwell at Celtic Park. That is a luxury our players will enjoy.
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Tontine Tim on 5th March 2026 1:13 pm
Without VAR last’s night goal would have stood. The ref and assistant gave the goal. We were at the centre circle waiting to kick off while VAR deliberated.
A line has to be drawn
CELT55 on 5TH MARCH 2026 1:30 PM
Tontine Tim on 5th March 2026 1:13 pm
Without VAR last’s night goal would have stood. The ref and assistant gave the goal. We were at the centre circle waiting to kick off while VAR deliberated.
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More likely that, without VAR, the assistant would have raised his flag
https://x.com/zeshankenzo/status/2029520771492548985?s=48
Aye Willie….
the Bada Bing
I agree regarding Saracchi but think he’s held in reserve because MON knows KT is unlikely to finish many games.
TB, we could start on Sunday a MF of McGregor, Hatate, Saracchi, Nygren ,with Maeda and Yang up front, with Nygren supporting,leaving Saracchi to cover left MF when he’s doing this.
P67: “We will have six days to prepare for our next league game against Motherwell at Celtic Park. That is a luxury our players will enjoy.”
They’ll enjoy it a lot more if we have a cup semi-final on the horizon. Practise penalties, and saving penalties. I have no faith in Schmeichel ever saving one. I hope Sinisalo keeps his place. I also hope that we hammer them in normal time and I won’t need a defibrillator next to the telly.
Old fella in the Brazen “our scouts are worse than General Custers”. 🤣
Leven of Aberdeen clearly said his players had to be streetwise and to fall down when they feel a wee push. Is this not a clear example of instructing players to cheat? Game into disrepute etc. etc.
Just how many of our players will be away on International duty? They won’t be getting a rest. Even if our Japanese players don’t play in their games, the travelling itself will be exhausting, especially with the war in the Middle East making that journey even longer, I would presume.
James Forrest has shown he can have an impact on games and instead of doing it in the latter stages
he could also be good for a first half effort, then bring on Tounekti to run at defences at the end. The Invisible Man has still got it !
Show em yer medals Jamesie!!!!
vale bhoy on 5th March 2026 1:47 pm
the Bada Bing
I agree regarding Saracchi but think he’s held in reserve because MON knows KT is unlikely to finish many games.
*I was surprised that he started last night as I thought he could no longer play 2 games a week
TT
I hope it’s a sign of improved fitness for KT but with thugs like Olusanya I have my doubts.
CHAIRBHOY on 5TH MARCH 2026 9:59 AM
You highlight a handful of the failures, and there are certainly more.
Players come and go, managers change (not usually as frequently as 25/26 season), and there can be turnover with non-playing football operations staff. Competitors have their moments in the sun, and our form may ebb and flow.
The fact that we have struggled to find or sustain an established style/system could certainly be attributed to all of the disruption. It might also highlight that our recruitment has been incompatible with whatever footballing identity(ies) we have been trying to create.
All of these are frustrations, some which pass while others linger. My overriding disappointment is more specifically the absence of an overarching strategy. From such a dominant position in Scottish football, and with guaranteed UEFA (CL or EL) competition every year, we should have been able to develop a strategy that allowed us to build, and make constant progress. Celtic should have been leveraging this position of strength and making Europe the measure of success.
We will soon be hitting the “reset” button, and I hope that our board will be capable of implementing proper strategy – delivering ambition, while respecting the safeguards that provide financial security. The board should recognize that the right approach would have better insulated us from the moments of turmoil, such as those experienced this season.
In case anyone is in doubt, Aberdeen, all season, have been put out there to put the boot in.
Remember what Leven said, when playing for MK Dons.
He would ‘dissolve Celtic and the SFA’
Hun bigot!
quadrophenian on 5th March 2026 12:43 pm
Spot on !
AN DÚN on 5TH MARCH 2026 12:34 PM
One game a week will obviously help us keep players fit and hopefully get a few back from injury.
In terms of extra days training leading to a more recognisable Celtic team, I’m not convinced.
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Totally agree. The rest will obviously be welcome, but it will be interesting to see if the coaches can use the time to create more recognizable patterns of play and field a more cohesive unit.
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY on 5TH MARCH 2026 12:36 PM
Spot on regarding Benji. The athletic attributes he lacks are why he is playing with Celtic rather than in the EPL, but I think you also touch on a positive, as he can pick a pass better than most. It looks like there is a lot more to his game than just goals, and I think that he would be the type that really shines with better players around him. Let’s hope we find out.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 5TH MARCH 2026 12:40 PM
I’m torn, but you’re probably right.
I’d rather see Celtic just get on with it, and leave the theatrics to the lesser teams, but they are using it to effect against us, so we should be “playing the same game”.
I was struck by how poorly we saw out the last 10 mns last night. Time and time again we lost possession,
MArtin is working wonders, but this is a really poorly coached squad, Game management should come naturally to a team thats well drilled.
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 5TH MARCH 2026 1:09 PM
“Not interested enough to look it up myself”.
Sums it up! 😂
The law which transformed Liam Scales’ clearance into a penalty adds another chapter to the Cheats’ Charter. Any subsequent penalty is awarded solely at the ref’s discretion. Some Scottizh clubs remain immune to this interpretation of the laws. But Celtic seems particularly susceptible to any weaponisation of the laws of the game. Over the next 9 games ourdefenders must be aware of the potential for referee intervention.
Another thing: Forrest was again a game-changer.
Ian Croker – Nobody appealed
The endured rather than entertained season rolls on.
3 points up Norf is never to be sniffed at but it’s toiling watching us, both on the eyes & ticker. Brazil 70’s a different sport from what our league’s spewing up.
Yet, I’m desperate we win it, epecially for MON. Twice he’s tried to salvage our season from the shambles it’s been. His legend has been enhanced.
It must be like a freezing cold shower 1st thing in morning going from Henke, Sutton & Hartson to our current strikers. Their stats are bottom 6 SPFL standard. And yet MON gets us wins. He’s gold for us. Imagine the suits were as gifted, we’d be flying.
It’d be ubergrim without him.
Fans were great again.👏🍀
Forrest is our most effective winger . Hit the byline and cut back for our incoming forwards . Gets defenders turning and they don’t like it one little bit . They would much rather be facing the ball
Could teach Tounekti and Yang a thing or two .
parkheadcumsalford@2.08
Even if Maeda & Hatate are both in the Japan squad, doubt that travel should take too much out of them..
Scotland @ Hampden Sat 28 March 5pm
England @ Wembley Tue March 31 7.45pm
Does anyone think our players would be performing with so much tension had WN not shipped those 12 points and gifted 3 each to Hearts and rangers! But for that we’d have clear daylight at the summit and likely be playing far more confidently.
DeniaBhoy on 5th March 2026 2:04 pm
Leven of Aberdeen clearly said his players had to be streetwise and to fall down when they feel a wee push. Is this not a clear example of instructing players to cheat?
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Let’s hope the Aberdeen players have perfected the art by March 21st. 🤞😂
Aipple, thanks for the daily, Oglach Roibeárd Sands, diary excerpts.
Last night added to my concern that we will not win the league .
Indeed , I still believe that we are just as likely to finish 4th as 1st .
Our lack of quality and physical strength is well documented .
We are bereft of a good regular goal scoring striker .
We have 2 wingers who flatter to deceive .
Last night both wingers never beat a fullback ,with Yang returning to his utterly useless status .
We don’t have a ball winner in the middle of the park .
Our centre halves ( Henry has not played enough minutes to be fairly judged ,but played well so far )have vital mistakes in them .
Kasper is done .Sinisalo has made one terrific save ,but endangers us with his lethargic ,ponderous,and wrong decisions with 5he ball at his feet .
Saracchi,Arajuo,and Tierney have played well in the full back areas .
Donovan is poor defensively.
Cvancara is as weak as an IBS shite .He continually gets bullied looking for fouls .
Maeda when of form ,is the least technically gifted forward that I have ever seen in a Celtic shirt .
He foggy brain when given a goal scoring opportunity fires with premature ejaculation .
Our most talented players are the isolated McGregor and the huffy Hatate .
Our most effective player is ghost like scoring sensation Nygren .
It would be so much worse if it wasn’t for the wonderfully wise veteran than is the blessed MON .
I love this club ,but they have me close to a heart attack ,almost everytime that I watch them .
TT
We are 2 players short in every game that we play wingers in a tippy tappy possession borefest approach team.
We don’t need wingers – we need a runner feeding off of long outballs.
Which Neil Lennon-1 cottoned onto when he utilised Samaras to good effect.
Who could forget our play on the break outballs to Samaras at Ibrox New Year 0-2 victory for us in 2011 were Samaras scored both goals?
Same in 2 CL Group games away to Barcelona [best team ever] were Samaras put us 0-1 ahead in the first half, and Barca were lucky to defeat us 1-2 with 4 seconds remaining.
Then we defeated Barca 2-1 in our best night since the 2003 MON European run to the final of the Uefa cup in Seville.
What is the point in learning stuff and then forgetting all about it?
Calmac is programmed to slow the whole team down.
What we need to accept is that no team played more quick long balls than Jock Stein’s teams.
Where do you think all of those goals came from?
Jinky beating four defenders five times each will NOT happen nowadays.
Reality needs to take a deep chunk out of sleeping Timdoms dilly dallying erchies.
Sad are the homes….
KT, HAS 5 GOALS AND 7 ASSISTS.
According to some chat going around, this is the most minutes in a season since his last time at Celtic.
He has 26 from 29 league appearances.
Sunday and last night I thought he had a tremendous engine, and impact on both games.
That good old fashioned Celtic attribute of a will to win.
As to Benji scoring record as a midfielder, are we forgetting Matt o’rILEY Aall ready (and Kris Commonns)
TinyTim (3:36pm), I think you’re overreacting a bit. We’re only a Forster, Juranovic, Ajer, van Dijk, Izaguirre, Abada, Broonie, O’Reilly, Rogic, Jota, and Larsson from being a half decent team! 🤣
With the league poised as it is I have no doubt whatsoever those managers who’ve already schooled their players in using skullduggery will continue as the season comes to its climax.
I have seen little evidence that Martin O’Neill has resorted to such tactics, indeed some Celtic players have been naïve, even characterised as amatuer when they fall too dramatically from challenges in our opponents penalty area.
Yet again I repeat that Celtic players need to play the ref.
It’s too obvious which team managers have schooled their players, if you haven’t noticed just take note of those teams whose players fall dramatically when challenged on our flanks, thirty yards or less from our goal. Perfect set-piece plays to attack Celtic’ “suspect” defence.
Equally, on our high-press were a Celtic player harrasses an opponent in possession of the ball, it is instructive the defensive player turns his back on the Celtic player pressing him, then falls to the ground, winning an automatic get-out-of-jail free kick.
No doubt in this stats driven age there’ll be data about such incidents, Hearts look suspiciously adept in such sharp practice, maybe I’m wrong.
BABASONICOS71 on 5TH MARCH 2026 3:03 PM
It must be like a freezing cold shower 1st thing in morning going from Henke, Sutton & Hartson to our current strikers. Their stats are bottom 6 SPFL standard. And yet MON gets us wins. He’s gold for us. Imagine the suits were as gifted, we’d be flying.
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The “suits” don’t deserve him!
You mention the 3 star strikers, but consider even the supporting cast over his 5-years; Tommy Johnson, Burchill, Maloney, David Fernandez, Henri Camara
Poor MON is just being asked to keep the Honda Civics road worthy.
Couple of weeks ago the Record had 3 pundits , Sutton, Bazza, and Stevenson predict the scores for the next 5 fixtures for eaches team. Bizzare that they didnt add Celtic s 6th to ake it even up to the split,
Barry – full points for Rangers 15, including a 3-1 against Celtic and a 2-0 against Lii, so Barry is as good a forecaster as he is a manager. 2 points from 6. So he has 0 correct from 2.
Sutton – Celtic to only get 9 from 15, he predicted defeats to Rangers at 2-1. and a defeat to Mwell 2-0.
He thought we would beat Hibs which we have not. He did get Aberdeen score correct at 2-1 to us, so 1 result from 3.
Stevenson – Hearts to get all 15 points, inclding thumping wins against Falkirk, Dundee and LivingstoneLivingstone. They in fact had 2 skittish 1-0 wins. So the bold Ryan got no scores correct but the results are 2 for 2.
My summary, the “experts” are as pish at predictions as Joe Punter
Pick your preferred line-up from those players as they were then and today’s players as they are now…
Forster or Schmeichel or Sinisalo
Juranovic or Araujo or Johnston
Ajer or Trusty or CCV
van Dijk or Scales or Murray
Izaguirre or Tierney or Saracchi
Abada or Yang or Mvukuor Forrest
Broonie or McGregor or Engels
O’Reilly or Hatate or McCowan
Rogic or Nygren or Bernardo or Ox-Ch
Jota or Tounekti or Maeda or Balikwisha
Larsson or Cvancara or Adamu or Iheanaco
Answers on a postcard to Dermot Desmond, c/o Celtic FC, Celtic Park, Glasgow, G40 3RE.