Callum Osmand will be delighted to be added to the Europa League squad, made possible by the long-term injury to Cameron Carter-Vickers (only one such change is permitted).
With Cameron due to miss all remaining fixtures, and Kelechi Ihenacho due back soon, there must have been a temptation to bring in another central defender instead. We are left with Liam Scales, Auston Trusty and Dane Murray in the middle of defence, while Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (19) and Hayato Inamura (23) remain out the squad.
Central defence is a position which tends to pick up yellow cards and suspensions, while more injuries over the winter are possible. It is more than likely Scales, Trusty and Murray will all start before the league phase ends. Beyond this, we are looking at Kieran Tierney, who plays seldom enough in his first choice role.
There are a combination of influences adding to this choice. For a start, the next game is always the most important one. Picking up points now is all Martin can prepare for, and that’s before you consider that he has not been asked to plan for any period beyond the next game.
It would not be an easy choice for Martin to promote a player he has yet to see in action. Training sessions since he arrived last week will be recovery, preparation and tactics, not actual football games. I’m not surprised the manager opted for the striker he has already benefited from.
There will be plenty of games where Inamura and Simpson-Pusey will be able to play, if they have impressed the coaching team anything like as much as Callum Osmand, they will surely get their chance under a manager who listens when a coach tells him, “Wait ’til you see this lad”.
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Happy Wednesday all.
People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.
Well played Mamdani.
HH!
Most of us presume that neither Inamura and Shin were scouted by BR or the Doc.
Sad they’re not yet able to claim a spot as key members of our squad.
Aside, I’d rather have Stephen Welsh than Dane Murray as a CB deputy.
I’m not a SW fan but DM has a skittishness in him that borders on a pattern.
Hope I’m meringue.
Also, where can I buy a ‘Turn The Volume Up’ tee-shirt?
The concern on Thursday is defence – no surprise, it’s Celtic away from home in Europe after all, with MON – but we gifted a number of chances to R2ngers at the weekend from positions that oughtn’t have troubled us.
Work to be done to stop the pass splitting our centre halfs. Better sides would have punished our shortcomings.
EKBHOY
Been in Irish Rover and Temple Bar in Costa Adeje.
Mainly Irish rover as was there with my brother and Dad as dad was a tight > 80 year old.
Can be mixed crowd but vast majority hoops but odd Englander who whilst will quickly be shot down(not literally) if they make a snide remark about his granny being a better player.
Temple Bar which is literally 100 yards away is most likely to be more older couples etc(more expensive)
and more exclusively hoops supporters.
i said we are going there to watch us play PSG in CL a few years back had watched CL in Irish Rover night
before(banter between Liverpool Man Utd Arse supporters)
said to my mad brother we are not watching us get a hiding in Paris with all those snide comments about
OH and think Irish Rover more likely to have multiple screens with different games if Premiership on at same time.
Either will be fine just depends on what you are looking for more banter Irish Rover but if like me you dont like distractions when watching hoops Temple bar might be better.
aipple
Stunning victory, hard worked and hard earned. Liked his victory speech too.
The Donald was quick off the mark with; “And so it begins”…..
To which if I was Zohran would reply; “And so it goes”
Well done that young man!
I can’t get Tony Watt out of my head so it will take more than a goal in a big game for me to get over excited.
I wish the lad nothing but success, but you know he has a long way to go when MoN says (paraphrasing) “he might be quite good once he learns how to play centre forward).
CELTIC MAC re: stunning victory
A great night across the board good sir.
I think, hope, we’ll see a different formation on Thursday
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvg91gzpzl5o
The analytical approach that Matthew Bentham brought when he bought into them means they identified set pieces as a key marginal gain.
They have set piece coaches, analysts and spend a lot of training time on them.
Theyre a big team, we coped well with three big lumps on Sunday but this mob will be a different challenge entirely
No idea how we get a bunch of wee guys to compete but we’ll have to, somehow
Bringing in Osmand is the right thing to do.
We have 3 centre backs and 3 full backs ( Donovan, AJ and KT) who have played centre back before.
One thing I would ask is the fans don’t overhype Osmand.
We have a habit of hyping new or young players for 5/6 weeks and then after one bad game we want to discard them.
Give him a chance, he reminds me of a slightly slower Hooper, with a wee bit more physical presence, which is a good start point.
In cricket people talk about picking players in form. Maybe that’s true in football as well, or maybe it’s keech
CCB – re overhyping young prospects, I felt many were doing exactly that w Colby Donovan.
It’s good that he shows a great appetite and forward thinking mindset, yet he lacks a lot of what Tony R offers; esp experience, presence and physicality.
As others have said, we may not have lost to the Farts if Auston and Tony had been selected – as many called for – over BRs gamble with Colby and Dane. By all means blood the kids; but selectively and against ‘weaker’ sides.
SPILTMILK CSC
NYTOL CSC
The internet also says this about how they use their analytics:
“The club recruits players who fit their specific tactical approach, which has historically involved a focus on set-pieces and a physically strong, individualistic style of play. They look for players with specific attributes such as heading ability and long throws.”
😬
QUADROPHENIAN on 5TH NOVEMBER 2025 12:55 PM
Partick thistle in the jobby cup was the perfect opportunity
Quadrophenian
Playing both Murray and Donovan against Hearts was a major risk.
On the radio before the game,even that renowned tactical genius Levein was flagging it is a vulnerability.
If we had played one or other, imho, we would have got away with it.
We didnt, and it now looks like both are in the naughty chair, which is unfortunate, particularly for Donovan.
Many opinions on who the next manager will be, I want MON if he wants but I do know who I don’t want.
Robbie Keane ( he’s a ned) McKenna, not done much, not sure about Bellamy. I really want a TOP manager if one will come to us, that is the question.
But please no Mickey Mouse appointments
kingLUBO
“Work to be done to stop the pass splitting our centre halfs. Better sides would have punished our shortcomings.”
I agree. However, a lot of this stems from the lack of protection in midfield. Many have made the case that we need a stronger physical type of player within our midfield set-up for the harder games. Unfortunately, we don’t appear to have that within our squad, but I doubt that the interim manager will be unaware of this deficiency.
celtic40me on 5th November 2025 1:04 pm
It might have been the jobby cup v Thistle but it was polished to a high gloss when we papped out Sevco-))) !
Re. overhyping young prospects, another two or three goals and the clamour for an international call up for Wales will begin. We’ve seen it all before. Most recently with the likes of Ben Doaks, Billy Gilmour and, to a lesser extent, Lennon Miller for Scotland. Media massively over hyped them before they had a chance to mature a bit.
Callum has to grab his chance now while keeping grounded. He may find himself at the back of the queue again when the new coach/manager arrives.
As he is contracted until 2029 when he will be 23, I think, he has plenty of time to learn and grow. MoN said Callum needed to go away and watch DVDs of Henrik to learn how to be be more ruthless. Wonder if Martin knows that DVD players have been consigned to the bin? :)
👍
CROFTCELT – Maybe why we are being linked with Kilmarnock’s David Watson, Scotland u21 captain and out of contract this summer. As the story came from Stephen McGowan it may have legs, he was always one of PL’s men.
JC2 on 5TH NOVEMBER 2025 12:20 PM
Thanks for the feedback , I’m a sort of no distractions while I’m watching the game kinda bloke.
HH
Celtic Mac @ 8:07 am,
Yes, I’m absolutely routing for Chris Davies and wish him nothing but the best.
My point was simply about the loathers and their short term take on anything they can twist around to damage our ex-manager.
We’ve had Marco Tilio leads, Kwon leads, Miak leads…
Blaming Brendan Rodgers for not signing Nico Raskin…
Making out Brendan Rodgets has never developed a footballer in his life.
Not only is this nonsense disingenuous it is very, very damaging to our football club.
Have no illusion, what we are seeing here has little to do with Football and everything to do with business politics, status, careers and money.
It’s all built on lies and innuendo, it is a orchestrated campaign that hurts Celtic football club putting us in turmoil for no goid reason, only for business types ego and personal gain.
Wycombe Wanderers go up and down the second, third and fourth teir if English football.
It is very different from supporting Celtic but can be a fascinating watch.
Obviously you want instant promotion but at this stage of the season getting top six and a play-off spot is eminently doable for Chris Davies.
Once in the play-offs, form seems to go out the window and all bets are off – a lucrative trip to Wembley awaits
I fully expect Birmingham City to be involved and lots of Celts routing for them at the end of the season.
TOSB @ 9:59 am,
Yes, it was great hearing the gratitude that Calmac and Shaun had and how high regard they hold Brendan and John Kennedy.
The last ten years has been transformational for Celtic FC and the obvious professionalism and structure at the football club is first class.
The treble era was incredible but last season, watching us competing in the UCL was really special.
Enjoyed watching so many other UCL games as the results impacted on us or we were meeting teams later in the league format.
I watched the PSG v Bayern game last night and Bayern were phenomenal until they got a man sent off – I was thinking that’s where we were last season.
Personally my feelings are support MON&Co and I’m not too bothered about the next manager – this Board seem to have a rock solid financial structure but their their decision making at the club seems to be on a whim or hissy fit.
Kjetil Knutsen is a great shout and as you point out a great fit – we must hope the Celtic hierarchy are committed to getting this level of replacement on board.
Hail Hail
Wonder if Martin knows that DVD players have been consigned to the bin? :)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
I belive he actually said that Callum should go away and watch one of those kinetoscope ( I had to look it up) contraptions!
It would be good if we could replace the nepotism “coaches” we have just now, including McCart, McManus and McStay, to name a few. Youth setup has been a failure for some years but needs modernised but with qualified senior members of the board to recognise this and fix it. This rules out our current board.
Bellamy isn’t interested, move on
We finished the semi-final with 4 Academy players on the park! por cierto
Panama 0 Ireland 3
u17 world cup
60 mins played
HH
The Bada Bing – I very much doubt we were interested in him, just lazy media. I think (hope) it is the same with Robbie Keane. Craig has done nothing yet in club mngmt to get him onto the shortlist for the Celtic job. If the media asks him the question, he has the right to reply. Glad he has at least killed the speculation
As discussed this morning on previous blog, let’s make a statement and get Knutsen or Hayen in.
ChairBhoy
Watched PSG v Bayern too. What was Luis Fiaz thinking about? Two great goals and then a crazy challenge from behind during first half time added on. Great game ruined.
Last season I watched as many CL as I could because of the reasons you give above, we were there and other results affected us. This season, I’ve got very little interest in it and only watch if the very top teams are playing one another due to my bitter disappointment at our failure to qualify.
Panama 1 Ireland 4
u17 world cup
HH
That’s 3 days running now…..starting to get boring already
Little known Craig Bellamy facts: he was a father at 17 and a grand dad at 37.
TOSB @ 2:14 pm,
Yes, totally bizarre tackle, not necessary – you must be pulling you hair out as a manager when you see that. PSG play some great football at times but the English teams seem to have their number as did Byern last night.
Now as a competition the UCL has little interest and at this early stage the league seems to be dominated by the big boys already – it was really disappointing not to qualify – Celtic as a perennial UCL side was a real possibility.
However that needs real ambition, commitment and investment and that just wasn’t there, better equipped teams than us are struggling.
Hail Hail
Rodgers was a wideo who knew he could get away with all sorts of childish, sleekit, chinese wispering games, as the 60,000 fans heads were so far up Rodgers erchie that fans would just eat the words out of Rodgers hands no matter what he said.
If only there was a way to sack the current season ticket holders and their toxic twisted unhealthy narratives of
“Rodgers good vs board bad” bs, and expect everybody who does not see it that way to just suck it up, well no, we wulny.
Maybe MON will hang around long enough for the ULTIMATE CHALLENGE of his career?
Emptying 25 years of suckullent, happy clapping, and Snp’s lying mind virus twisting, cringe effect, on 60,000 Celtic season ticket [mainly] minds?
That would shoorley be worth a stand being called after the great MON, or a statue of him springing into the air after every Celtic goal?
Where was the whining and sulking Celtic Collective when the sleekit PLC put Rangers prices onto Sevco tickets to cement the same club lie? EYE!
Is it just the Rodgers violin that gets these fakes all hot and bothered?
NOT A PENNY MORE – and then their erchies will Collectively collapse on season ticket renewal day, probably with a MON & Shaun domestic Treble and a EUROPA LEAGUE TROPHY on the boardroom table as well too!
Celtic fans have not had a leader of the ENTIRE club SINCE MON walked out the front door with KEVJUNGLE in 2005, and now with big powerful DERMOT DESMOND CORRECTLY removing Rodgers lying match fixing toxic ass out of Celtic!
Celtic is about rattling cages, even fans cages.
The bad board gave poor wee Rodgers 30 Million+ in the windows of last season and Rodgers kept that 30 Million+ of players on the bench vs Kiarat Almaty and cost Celtic another 40 Million+ in CL money whilst he played the dim Tims about not having enough money????
And dim Tims all fell for it FFS!!!!
Shoorley they are away beyond dim now?
Rodgers should have had Celtic’s players UP FOR parking the bus and keeping out Dortmund and even mugging them with a couple of quick long balls to the unplayable pace of Maeda, Kyogo, and Khun, and also defeating Aston Villa AND Bayern Munich with their rooky manager but instead it was all about learning[Rodgers ego wont allow him to learn] and being the victims of facing big teams with lots of money.
NO!
Celtic are supposed to be the cage rattling shock troops, NOT, always the poor wee nearly men victims.
Hopefully these pathetic attitudes, and stinking bad management 75,000 Quid per week worth as well have left the building along with Rodgers.
And the stupid lying assed Celtic Collective full of Celtic Cyberspace duplicitous grassing snitching pretentious BBC/The/Guardian/Lobby/Controlled narrative sucking sleekits all danced along behind the Rodgers pied piper grift.
And then they expect the PLC to take them seriously????
If MON was in charge last season and got the same money that spoiled child Rodgers got there would have been a domestic treble vs skant domestic opposition on the boardroom table, which Rodgers failed to do as in my opinion, Rodgers threw the Scottish Cup Final to Aberdeen like he tried the season before to throw that SCF to Phillip Clement’s Hun team, and like he did back in the day when we went to Ibrox for a new year game and played Lewis Morgan as a lone striker, without a single ball being played to him lol, also with Callum McGregor at leftback to do his old pal Stevie G a turn! EYE!
BUT.
Bernardo and Idah went off script and won the cup for Celtic 2 years ago, and instead of being treated as Hun slaying heroes, these 2 players went straight into the Rodgers doghouse.
And dim Tims said…..”Oh we need to get rid of that useless Idah and Bernardo, etc.”
BUT.
Thankfully the PLC adults grabbed the Celtic bull by the horns and jettisoned Rodgers toxic ass off of Celtic’s premises hopefully forever.
Celtic Crest splitting managers are NOT the Celtic way.
Managers pulling Rabbits out of hats is the Celtic way.
Hopefully on Thursday MON & Shaun deploy a flat back four firing long balls up to big Kenny who can either feed his comrades or himself if the chance is there.
Johnny Kenny reminds me of the dilly dallying stupid mistake that we made back in the day and were too snobby to sign John Sutton from Motherwell.
On Thursday night a flat back four will generate a discipline throughout the team imho.
MON played a Flat back four to enable us to get round the McLeish led diving cheating 4-3-3 Hun cheats, but he should also have repeated this in Seville less than a month later imho.
It would have been interesting to see the rise of Celtic with a European trophy in the cabinet under MON in his prime.
Ach well.
MON & Shaun YNWA.
HH
oot.
Por Cierto on 5th November 2025 1:46 pm
We finished the semi-final with 4 Academy players on the park! por cierto
——————-
Am I right that 6 Academy players played some part of the game – Ralston, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Forrest, Kenny? Does Osmand count as no,7? Dane Murray also on the bench.
I agree with the comments that we need a bit of steel in midfield. I wonder if MON and Shaun can work any magic with Bernardo. He’s not naturally very physical, but he is a big lad.
Bhoys Town on 5th November 2025 2:57 pm
I agree with the comments that we need a bit of steel in midfield. I wonder if MON and Shaun can work any magic with Bernardo. He’s not naturally very physical, but he is a big lad.
……..
Hopefully.
That would be the Celtic Way.
Turning unfancied players into colossal components of Celtic’s make up.
Brilliant point.
MON & Shaun YNWA.
HH
oot.
chairbhoy @ 2.43
“….but the English teams seem to have their number….”
CL 2024-25
Round 16 – Knocked out Liverpool
Round 8 – Knocked out Aston Villa
Round 4 – Knocked out Arsenal
Or was it another PSG you were referring to?