My friends in Celtic, you and I have discussed this subject for over two decades, seldom in that time has the club been in such disarray. No one football game determines the health of a club, but yesterday’s 2-0 defeat at Fir Park perfectly illustrates what a soft touch Celtic are.
Credit to Motherwell, this is as good a side as I have seen from them, but they are not a Champions League-level team. However, they out-thought Celtic and controlled the game throughout. The list of Scottish clubs who have already done this, this season, is significant: St Mirren, Hearts, Dundee and Dundee United have all beaten Celtic and bossed them, at least once each. Kilmarnock were denied a point by an added-time penalty, 10-man Aberdeen by two goals after the 87th minute, while a truly awful Livingston twice took the lead against us.
Wilfried Nancy inherited much of this mess. Three misfiring transfer windows proceeded Brendan Rodgers departure and Wilfried’s arrival. Despite significant spending the squad was left imbalanced, the new manager had to cope with that, but he is far from blameless.
When plans meet grass
Few of us looked forward to last night’s game expecting yet another new formation. I am sure this made sense on a flipchart at Lennoxtown on Monday but it was destroyed from the start by a Motherwell squad which benefited from a total spent this summer of £250k.
The lack of structure which caused the alarm in the first half was not due to a lack of a decent striker, it was a consequence of what was written on that flipchart. The second half saw a return to the formation which won the previous two games, and allowed Celtic a degree of control of the ball, but roles were changed. McCowan came on at wingback, not the inside role he has been enjoying so much success in. Maeda, whose crossing was a real asset in recent weeks, was hooked, while Shin Yamada was given the lost striker role. Better than expecting Reo Hatate to plug the gap, I suppose.
We are at the cusp of the ‘favourites for the league title’ shifting from Celtic to God knows who. Either one of two poor-to-average teams who because of Celtic’s inept performances are likely to win the league.
Football fans love a scapegoat; take your pick. None of the players involved last night were to blame, nor was the referee. The result was a failure of team planning and the team planning failure was a consequence of the second successive poor managerial appointment by the board.
When appointing a manager, I support Celtic looking outside the box. We will not out-perform unless we follow different leads to our wealthier competitors. On paper (or a flipchart, if you prefer), finding someone with a bit of form in the MLS ticks this box, so I was happy with the appointment. The diligence and transition planning, however, was woefully short.
20 years ago, Gordon Strachan started his Celtic managerial career with a terrible defeat and an alarming draw (at Motherwell). Despite winning three successive league titles and taking Celtic into the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first and second times, he never quite recovered in the eyes of some supporters. 20 years on, the world has not become more tolerant. Wilfried could recover and win the league, but it will not be enough for some.
Layered on top of this is transfer planning. The head of recruitment brought the manager in and the manager has plans to spend many millions in January. This is what the club hopes will deliver salvation from what ails us. Players suited to the formation in three or four positions might work. The return of Jota and Kelechi Iheanacho, then Callum Osmand and Alistair Johnston, will help. Our prospects of a league title this season are circling the drain, but they have not yet flushed.
The other side of the equation is equally important. It is easy to destroy but difficult to build ‘What next?’ Sack the manager is easy, subsequently recruiting someone who can deliver the kind of success Celtic has come to expect not so much. Sack the board, that’s easy done too. Replaced by what? I’ll save you a lesson in corporate governance structures, but if you think any fool can run a successful Celtic, you are the fool.
My expectation is that Celtic will not win the league this season, despite that being entirely possible right now. Head of Football Operations Paul Tisdale has been thrown in at the deep end in at a level he had little experience of. We are not Exeter City. Nor are we Columbus Crew. Our football structure is simply not operating at the level we were even two years ago.
To our board, I suggest they reflect on how we got here. Why was Brendan brought back, who was inevitably going to play the same games he did during his first spell and resulted in the summer debacle? Why did we move from importing Manchester City’s recruitment imprint to that of Exeter City? Celtic is a big ticket job, recruitment analysts across Europe would jump at the chance to work here.
I expect the club will throw the dice in the January transfer window in the hope of landing some sixes. The fallacy of sunk costs is powerful. You and I do not have all the information, so we should also consider where we are on the Dunning-Krugger chart. People on the outside who believe obviously clear decisions are not being made are usually at the first peak.
Personally, I would have a chat with Shaun Maloney this afternoon. I might be one of the fools, but he is not. We have talent at the club. There is a squad with potential to achieve more than they currently are. There is enough money in the bank to fix whatever is wrong – all a consequence of years of good work.
It has been a real honour sharing 2025 with you. The blog can sail through the good times with little of substance to contribute. It is needed most when clouds gather and perspective is low. Some may regard today’s as being light on perspective, but there is no point having a blog if we do not step forward and say when we believe things are going wrong.
Very best wishes for the new year. I hope you have a healthy and happy one, and I hope we see Celtic back bossing the land once more. Take care, all.
580 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- »
Chelsea in for Wilf 🥴🫣
Celtic have played 19 league games so far this season.
5 with Wilf and 14 between Brendan and Martin
We have conceded the same number of goals (9) during the 5 as the previous 14
We have lost more games (3) under Wilf than across the previous 2 managers (2)
That’s before we consider the Roma and St Mirren games
Let’s have no more talk of the tools WN has to work with. Its the same weakened squad as many of us have pointed out for 18 to 24 months.
Sadly, some were too busy blaming Brendan for everything to have anything close to an unbiased, holistic view of things.
Various snipers have suggested there are things behind the scenes, more to BRs departure than we plebians could ever know. I presume these scoops came from those with a vested interest, a story to tell, a position to hold.
I’ll stick to the data.
The forthcoming Glasgow derby alarms me. I hope I’m wrong, though things could be pretty ugly, on and off the park.
As Auldheid mentioned yesterday, all parties who genuinely have Celtics best interests at heart, need to find areas of common ground, seek and exploit compromise opportunities.
2025 was something of a roller coaster. Time to regroup for 2026.
Happy new year to all real Tim’s.
Not our board, nor manager, nor the host of this site for an embarrassing piece of scribbles that was the article.
SHAME ON YOU.
D. :)
I still think we should be looking to replace Wilf regardless of Saturday’s result . We may beat the huns but we will still lose too many games we should be winning and this will cost us the title .
Naturally, I want us to win every game, but I fear a win on Saturday will only delay the inevitable .
I’ll take absolutely no pleasure in being proved right .
A very happy, healthy and peaceful 2026 to all associated with CQN.
I think we will get hammered by sevco, I have zero confidence that Nancy can set up Celtic to defend when needed and be an attacking force, none, he should be long gone, that he isn’t is on Nicolson Desmond and the rest of the Board. To all genuine Celtic fans with no agenda other than the first team and club being the best it can be Happy New Year.
Bliadhna mhath ùr, dear friends.
Let’s hope it’s a hoopy new year ahead.
Happy new year everyone, good to see the back of it as far as Celtic related stuff is concerned
Here’s hoping for a good year on CQN comments, last year wasnt our finest
It happens daily, multiple times a day, heck, multiple times per page sometimes, I should be inured to it by now but it still makes me bristle: the folk who come on here and insult the guy who puts in the time to make the blog function.
I’m not talking about those who disagree with Paul67, or those who criticise his point of view. I’m talking about those who come on here and insult him, who wish him ill-will. It’s such a hun behaviour.
At least James Forrest has the courage to put his own name to his outbursts. The anonymous crew who spill their animosity towards the host of this site on the very site he provides you with, you shame yourselves.
And on new year’s day too! You know who you are. Absolute shower.
I expect the rangers to beat us on Saturday and hopefully that will be enough to push him out the door, if they dont then our next best bet would be Auchinlec Talbot to dump us out of the Scottish Cup, he surely wont survive that, the board could do us all a favour and get rid of him now as its blatantly obvious to everyone that Nancy is completely and utterly out of his depth, he has to go, the only thing not certain is when.
😊 Happy New Year to all my fellow Celtic Supporters on here and all over the world 🌎.
Happy New Year from Vale park – let’s hope that both Vale and Celtic can turn it round.
New year’s resolution for Wilf – play 4 at the back
hoping celtic get beat just to remove a manager, nay says i.
Never want Celtic to lose
I wonder if Despot Desmond has had a phone call with MON yet??
Gene on 1st January 2026 1:33 pm
Never want Celtic to lose
——————–
Thought same Gene..unless……………..it stopped huns winning league hmmm😉
Gene on 1st January 2026 1:29 pm
Happy New Year from Vale park – let’s hope that both Vale and Celtic can turn it round.
New year’s resolution for Wilf – play 4 at the back
i dont think he knows what that means.
Happy new year to all.
My worst fear for January is that the club doubles down on its bet on Nancy and Tisdale and invests in their transfer targets. In that scenario our odds of winning the league this year plummets towards zero.
Sack both and install Shaun and Foz and our odds climb to around 40% even if we only retain the squad we have. This is in line with P67’s blog.
Nancy seems oblivious to the environment he’s working in. I suspect he will brush off any defeat tomorrow as incidental against the priority of pursuing his football philosophy. If he tries to inflict chaos ball on us again tomorrow I truly hope CalMac performs a mini-mutiny and runs team tactics and shape on the park.
On the state of club report it is very retrospective and backward looking which is not a surprise.
There is no purpose, vision or strategy driving the club forward coupled with a weak Board and junior execs with no gravitas or capability to do the basics. It’s ironic the fans are asking for plan and Nicholson and co are clueless.
The club is a complete shambles and that is on DD for bringing Lawwell back : his legacy is the shambles with lack of structure and management to take the club forward.
I can’t see DD fixing it as that is not his skill set — he needs a strong independent chairman with Celtic leanings ( they do exist). More importantly he needs a top notch CEO and pay him three or four million as a good CEO is worth their weight in gold.
However we need Nancy out now preferably before tomorrow. A disaster of an appointment which was always high risk especially insisting to play his model mid season. Michael Nicholson went all in on Nancy so the buck stops with him.
The club is in a worse place now than when Fergus McCann took over. Even with Hampden we were united Board, Exco, Manager , players and most importantly the fans. The fans knew it would be a tough journey they gave the club their money , however most importantly there unrelenting backing.
Now we have nothing — oh for a Fergus rather than an absentee Landlord.
It’s going to get worse the longer the change is delayed as the split between clubs and fans will grow.
On TBB about people having a go at the host. Always the narrative reshaped in a disingenuous manner — they are providing balance to the nonsense Paul67 has been writing for years now. He has an agenda and it has to be called out as it is damaging Celtic. Turkeybhoys post last was succinct to and to the point. I for sure couldn’t answer his question why ? Only Paul67 can or his acolytes who seem to have an inflated sense of their own importance in the world.
I would hope with the toxic Lawwell gone now we can all get back to supporting Celtic without the pointless agendas.
If he tries to inflict chaos ball on us again tomorrow I truly hope CalMac performs a mini-mutiny and runs team tactics and shape on the park.
——————
here is something I do expect has happened.
Cal and KT, JF and possibly Luke and Tony, as much as they want to be part of the new managers plans, I really hope they have explained to him how much this fixture means to them and the support.
That losing in an exciting way (and what bollocks this mantra is from the Brendan haters) is not an option, that winning is everything.
Harry Brady and a few others are circulating that there is another split in the boardroom around removing Wilfie, and that DD has actually been calling for cool heads.
Lets see how cool if we get a tim-skelpin.
ps to that.
Trust works both ways, the manager needs to trust that the group of senior players know their craft and can indeed win a match if allowed to deploy thier best formation, that they themselves believe in.
pps to that,
if I was a senior player, and Wilfie is still there near end of January I would be demanding a move, who wants to work for a manager that doesnt listen to your input.
I can’t see DD fixing it as that is not his skill set — he needs a strong independent chairman with Celtic leanings ( they do exist). More importantly he needs a top notch CEO and pay him three or four million as a good CEO is worth their weight in gold.
————–
no nay never, we already pay to much for current and past CEOs.
name any other £100m turnover club paying the CEO 15 OF TOTAL REVENUES ?
its actually disgusting and a scandal that our CEO gets paid that amount of money.
it is the worst excesses of corporate greed.
and considering he does basically fk all in terms of ‘representing’ the company in a public sense (desmond does all that), then its an even bigger disgrace.
the most expensive puppet in history.
If we stick with Wilf until the end of the season, there is in fact a strong possibility – if we continue on the current trajectory – that we will be in a relegation play off spot and could be playing in the championship next season.
An Tearmann on 31st December 2025 9:48 pm
Auldheid
AH Well I am not part of the Collective that thinks making the issue personal and confrontational is the right way to bring DD to the table.
Quite the reverse , it is only pissing him off.
AT- The issue is personal to a lot of us.The club has taken my money and not used it.
What do you call that?
[ A reason to ask questions that I have already suggested when setting out the implications of FSR. The money is still in Celtic’s accounts – to what purpose is unknown. In previous years it helped pay for Barrowfield. }
Confrontational- where is that pash coming from?
[For e it goes back to 2009 and why I think Division brings out the worst in us. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ptU3MTk3HbN0eGpxBQHn-6oF_44xzppzmeIOCbTNiuY/edit?usp=sharing
Apart from that how did JF confronting The Board at AGM help resolve anything?]
AT. The club has a duty under the Companies Act to behave and interact,sincec1998 our minority led controller has to be drawn over coals to get disabled access resolutions passed,
[AH I know. I even suggested CST set some money aside to get legal advice on Director responsibilities and blogged about on Sentinel Celts and got £20k pledged for that purpose that CST misrepresented to turn it down.]
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IAPRvu6G7NNOzUiTCFOxAcLpmU_2PQel/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107947982974245186134&rtpof=true&sd=true
AH-What of supporters who disagree with the Collective approach?
[The capacity to do that does not exists, hence my Membership Service idea a development of The Membership Scheme originally suggested in a civil manner to DD in 2009 that Celtic looked into. The aim was to improve communications but the introduction of SLO saw it dropped.]
AT- You, you mean AH, there is a wide range of Celtic knowledge coming together, that has never worked together ,its easy to pick apart from outside.
[If you read first link you will see I have been on a crusade to end division since 2009 and have extensive knowledge of what works and what does not when dealing with Celtic and CSA/CST/GB on Res12. ]
AH-That in itself is divisive.
AT- An opinion that differs from your approach to power at top at CP
[ see first link for my approach and why I call it a culture because it pre dates 2009 going back to 1994* at least when Celtic were skint. That is not the case now so and in any case a new Board will have to work to the same sustainable policy although might do it better by improved communications and making the latest crisis about persons rather than policy is not going to change much as the division is the cause of distrust which makes a meaningful relationship impossible.]
AH-It does not have to be, just the realisation on both sides that both are part of the problem.
AT- Sounds dreamy AH,I don’t think there is any part of the collective looking in from outside that do not see or forward where the problem is?
[ The problem is no trust and it is not dreamy. There are a number of false narratives afoot based on anything Celtic say that drives the divide, addressing them might help, but would anything Celtic said by way of information be trusted or would it be seen as false coming from Board Happy clappers?
Happy clappers and Mineshafters is yet another unhelpful division. It saves having to consider valid points]
Our board did not see a problem, they seen dissent, an attack on them, they replied to Celtic fans in terms that would put Zionist Hasbara to shame(not that zionists can be shamed) our own Celtic men and woman.
AH [That was a mistake but a human reaction to making it personal and what DD would see as ingratitude ]
AH-I’m only interested in what works and nothing will work as long as The Board and Support see themselves on the opposite sides.
AT-Can you point to a time when Celtic and the club where on one side? It is part of the energy that drives Celtic,now the husk of customer relations haunts as the feel of Celtic is corporatized, diluting feel for the club.
[ It might drive Celtic but in what direction? Celtic should be run on community club not for profit lines, but it is a large community club in a PLC straightjacket and so dividends get paid , but exactly how much ? With PL gone and MN likely to follow we will get a better idea if their remuneration was excessive when replacements arrive.]
AHI has become cultural and encourages confrontation on both sides.
AT- where has it become ‘cultural’ on the plc side AH?
[Not communicating on issues that could be addressed because whatever is said is distrusted. Distrust is not a one edged sword in any relationship, it affects both parties and it is lack of trust that causes a breakdown.}
It has become the cultural norm that we know best and ignore dissent and criticism imo at board level
AT Again show there is cultural change on plc side.
[There isn’t, one side is as bad as the other and feeds the other]
AT The cultural change on fans is reacting to a club that is intentionally static.
* [It has been going on for a long enough time to make it cultural. In fact the divide was there from 1875 if you read The Irish by John Burrows and the chapter on The Battle of St Georges Cross, I smiled when I read it]
AH-We reap what we sow and by “we” I mean The Board AND the support.
AT- we have a good idea of the various views in those wanting change, do we have that on a board that was similar to the one MoN walked from in 2006.
[He walked because Brian Quinn and DD decided the price of reaching Seville was unaffordable and MoN was not happy to drive in the slow lane. Nothing has changed since then, affordability and sustainability are a key part of the policy since then, now codified in FSR . That is why I say the focus should start with the policy.
Is it still relevant?
If not what changes are needed?
If sound has it been executed properly?
If not is it the processes that need changed
If not is it the personnel that need changed?.
Top down not bottom up.
In my view The Collective have approached it arse over elbow but that is what my experience leads me to think. The Collective will be influenced by their own experiences.
AH [ I have long feared the division will be Celtic’s undoing since 2009, it has just taken its time to happen.]
AT your long fears would have been soothed by communication, I would say this goes back to choice of model plc alas.
AH [ Yup as I said a not for profit community club is more appropriate but we can only work to make what is better not tear it down with nothing to replace it.
We have problems to solve in 2025.
They are solvable,let’s get on with solving them. Being static solves nowt
Ah [ I agree and a good start would be a change of mind on both sides, stop blaming, labelling and judging each other ]
AH-Maybe catch up at Ship Bank.
AT- so ye are a troublemaker :-))
AH [For sure my Twitter/ X profile says Retired malcontent and mind messer in Celtic Cyberspace.
HNY
HH
SS
At £700 say for a season ticket then it takes over 1000 supporters to just fund the CEO
Just think about that
Link to The Irish by John Burrows on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irish-Remarkable-Saga-Nation-City/dp/1840188510
The Battered Bunnet on 1st January 2026 1:08 pm
…..
Happy New Year.
Would you be so kind as to give us an idea of who is saying these nasty things, like a few names for example, which would remove any uncertainties with usual culprits being blamed.
You mention, James Forrest, but he switches off the comments on his blog and therefore is engaging in “Cancel Culture” which should be nowhere near any Celtic supporters website, apart from outright abuse of other posters.
Sentinel Celts is notorious for its “Cancel Culture” unless you kiss Boaby Winklepickers erchie, and stick to lame toothless narratives which do ZERO to inform its posters.
Hail Hail to THE BATTERED BUNNET and family
Hail Hail to PAUL 67 and his family who have provided the utterly outstanding blog in Celtic Cyberspace, even when it makes me feel like the loneliest guy in the nowadays Celtic world.
But that is ok.
PS, If WILF alters a few sectors of his forged idea of playing the game, then he is a learner and that is a good thing, a unique thing in recent Celtic managerial histories.
BUT.
If WILF proves to be a stubborn unlistening mule, then he is planted into the dugout for Old Firm reasons.
HH
oot.
As agreed between the clubs and Police Scotland, away supporters must gather at the Emirates Arena no later than 10:30am before being escorted across London Road to Celtic Park. Turnstiles will open from 10:15am.
Never worked last time….
Zero evidence that Nancy listens to anyone, he spent 10 minutes at the handover with MON, a manger for 40 years .
Some show, worth a listen!
New Year’s Eve with John Creedon
https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/11771757/
Ave Ave
I and some others have posed the question whether or not Martin knew what we were getting and was warning about it.
I’m certain he did.
Kevracist
Sentinel Celts has better and little more sophisticated than the advert hurdles in security.
Your moniker there The Lions Ram ..part posts the same shite on vax and unfounded rumours on Celtic as you do,as well as givin abuse.He is a nuhhin too.
You are alone and lonely,thats fine
Your default to racism,racism as a narrative with vomit language such as invader/incomer,not of us.Racism every member of the irish diaspora has met head on wherever they land.
Keep telling those romantic wee stories,jumpers for goalposts of your time in the Jungle,noted no girlfriend involved.your blind support for the rancid old board who took Celtic to within 11 minutes of being a memory.
Lols and your Personal attacks on Fergus,Celtic Trust and David Low are funny.You are a nuhhin to them…but type away….even get aggressive by putting thimbles on.
Looking forward to a victory tomorrow vs Shatoot fc.
Remember kev stepping on shoit is avoided everywhere bar Blant’R,you eat it ya banger!!
Stay solo,stay hidden,stay crippled inside your racist head
First and foremost, I wish everyone who love Celtic, a healthy, happy New Year.
So, we bullet Nancy, then what exactly. Nothing will change at all, until we get rid of Nicholson and Dermot’s bum boy Tisdale, nothing.
I fear we will get our arses felt big time on Saturday, and please get rid of Kasper, he’s a joke
kingLUBO
KINGLUBO
Kaspar is becoming a liability and I would have been pushing for Sinisalo, but he too was very unimpressive in his recent outing. Timid, hesitant and not at all commanding . We need to add a first choice keeper to our list
Impressively bad ending to a Celtic football year, with the last Motherwell watershed moment.
Tisdale / Rodgers here for 5 in a row………nope
Tisdale / Nancy here for 5 in a row …….no siree
Not interested in ‘the board’ for quite some time July I think I first wrote them off, changes were inevitable by September. No amount of ‘ smashing figures ‘ can influence a Celtic supporter on his way to watch his team, especially when they are getting beaten, now locally.
If you read MN’s statement on how we tracked WN and compare it to what Celtic supporters see on the park ( plus anecdotal evidence ) you will see exactly why, we are where we are.
The board reconvened after four straight defeats and correctly IMO said stick, January belongs to Wilfried Nancy where the best of ‘club signings’ and more stick or twist.
The big changes will come this year.
Happy Hoopy New Year CSC
Another rumour from the US. This lad is a Uruguayan winger.
https://www.transfermarkt.us/ignacio-laquintana/profil/spieler/577407
https://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/best-xi-wagner-recognized-as-one-of-the-league-s-best
Linked with this guy