I expected Kairat to be fitter, which they were, but I didn’t expect them to be better organised, which they also were. Celtic’s first half performance was a passive throwback to the Horseshoe of Death we hoped to have moved on from. Nothing was reaching Adam Idah, who was as much a spectator as you and I were. James Forrest seemed to have the wrong boots on, while Daizen continued an unproductive run on the wing which reiterated his poor crossing.
One of my pet dislikes in managers is their refusal to drop expensive signings, so Brendan Rodgers deserves credit for his response at halftime. The team returned with his entire £32m of talent recruited last summer watching from the bench; Daizen in his favoured central position, with Yang and Forrest wide.
Yang (who knew!) made an instant impact which led to Celtic’s best chance of the game, when a Forrest shot hit the post, but Kairat soon settled. As the visitors tired, Celtic dominated more of possession, but this game had 0-0 written all over it.
Kairat are not a good team, it would be humiliating to exit the Champions League to them. Brendan is right, we can and should win the away leg. However, I do not encourage you to bet on that suggestion.
The decision to swap (it was) Kyogo for Jota was not everyone’s choice but had merit. Jota’s subsequent injury could have happened to either player. Selling Kuhn so early in this window, though, that’s an odd one which, contributed to the lack of creativity last night. The manager is the only source of information on squad development and he says little on the subject. He could shed some light on why Kuhn was allowed to leave so soon. Hmmm.
More needs to be spent and quickly, that’s for sure. Maybe if we had £64m of last summer’s signings on the bench everything would fine this morning! Surely that would be enough to overcome the newbie managing Kairat?
When the draw was made I wrote, “No excuses”. I didn’t want to hear them on the radio going home last night. It’s not a good look.
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Quite simple, boycott the EL Package when it comes out. Boycott the Adidas Merch which is dropped every 2 mins via social media.
Broadly on side with everything you say Paul.
(Everything you say isn’t everything there is to say, BTW).
One glaring point though, for me?
“The manager is the only source of information on squad development”
Respectfully, the reason The manager is the only source of information on squad development is precisely because …
… The manager is the only source of information on squad development.
Whether this is formal policy based on agreed roles and responsibilities is unclear …
… because we don’t get told.
To this general point and your Kuhn exit specific concern?
IMHO, this could be cleared up quickly if the following question was publicly asked and answered.
“Who are the named individuals whose formal approval is required for a player to be bought or sold?”
The Tisdale query?
Respectfully, the guy is a functionary, regardless of his remit.
The faultline runs between the club’s executive board and it’s most important employee.
IMHO, both have failed in their leadership duties this month.
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 21st August 2025 12:41 pm
IMHO, both have failed in their leadership duties this month.
What has the manager done in order to branded a failure this month?
I’ll say it again:
Not one pass mark (of all outfield players)
Performance is on the manager and players.
Recruitment…time for some open and honest explanations about who is in charge and why have there been no replacements been brought in.
I’d like to see Nicholson stuck in front of a camera answering these questions.
The board get a free ride. Bunch of charlatans.
The Club (Someone from the board) needs to provide information to the supporters on a regular basis. They treat us like Sh…
Listening last night…BR wont be here next season.
However , how do we shift a board as most wont boycott games ?.
Can anyone shed any light on if we actually practice any corner, free, throw in’s everything seems to be just stand in a position and see if the ball comes to you because it would appear it doesn’t at lennoxtown all we do is welcome each other with a smile and a slap on back and then run about in between sticks or cones
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY on 20TH AUGUST 2025 11:37 PM
It’s the manager’s fault. No excuses.
There, I’ve written your blog for tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off.
Celtic – Kyogo – Kuhn = -40 goals
BR tried to explain this to our Father Dougal of a CEO but sadly Dougal didn’t get it.
If Brendan was backed the way he should be…our expectations would be playing in the latter rounds of the Champions League….its the board and not Brendan who’s breaking every Celtic fans hearts at the moment….
Record income..record bank balance…a BRILLIANT fan base…and we’re putting out dross….
All that’s left for the latest collective failure of leadership is the allocation of blame.
Burnley78
If it’s all Rodgers fault, the board appointed him, so the board have messed up the appointment and selected the wrong man?
That what you are saying? The egos on the board could never admit a mistake could they, so they make it impossible for him to do his job. To try force him out.
Back him or sack him, can’t have your cake and eat it.
Kyogo – Not replaced
Kuhn – Not Replaced
Champions league must win tie with
Ralston
Yang
Scales
Forrest
No cover at left back
Present striker unable to score
But we are a well run club with ££££££££££££££££££ in the bank…
Oh and did anyone actually think if KT would be a good partnership with Maeda as it is not working or just that bringing KT back was only to appease the fans and not for the improvement of the team.
Deja Vu
“ I’ve got a huge respect for the people that work at this club – the board and the directors. They’ve created a very stable foundation, and I have to respect that. ”
” Of course, as a manager, I always want the club to be the very best it can be for the supporters, but I have to maybe understand where the limits are sometimes. ”
Brendan Rodgers 2018
Just before we lost a qualifier to Athens👌
Anyone remember Rodgers first stint and the midnight flit after Gerard’s hun beat us in January, the hun was closing in on the league, and he got papped out of the Europa in February? He realised his stock price was about to crash and he sold up just in time. You don’t have this luxury right now Brendan, gonna have to ride this one out.
RC – I suspect that the board are not expecting Maeda to be in front of KT come September. I also suspect that even if Maeda stays, they were expecting Jota to be on the left and Maeda through the middle. I also suspect that is why Kyogo was not replaced.
From the article:
“More needs to be spent and quickly, that’s for sure.”
Funny, people calling for that weeks ago were bedwetters, still I suppose it is a start.
There needs to be trust between the Manager and The Board and for whatever reason that trust is not there. Whether it is because the Board believe Rodgers is off at the end of the season and won’t back him or that they did back him last summer with guys that haven’t set the heather on fire. Is it because Rodgers is refusing to play the players that have been recruited that he feels are not up to standard.
For whatever reason the team on the park is struggling, and has been since February, and no one within seems to be able to alleviate the issues while everyone on the outside finger points.
MacGregor seem haggered while there are rumours the Maeda will also be sold shortly and that is why he seems distracted. His attempt near the end last night summed the night up.
For some the issues that have been obvious for a while are now erupting into the public domain. Rodgers has stated that it isn’t him holding business up and the Board, while leaking various players names to the media without any follow-up action, are in the bunker hiding hoping they won’t be found while the frustration of the fans grows with each minute.
I personally feel let down by the club. Whoever is to blame, and failure is usually an orphan, we should be so much better than this. Whatever transfer strategy we have is in tatters after the last two windows and currently this one and that needs to be addressed.
When, as it currently appears, your business strategy is based on weakening your business to simply stay half a step ahead of your competitors, then that ultimately leads to seasons like the ten in a row season. If you are happy with that fine, but I believe we should be so much better than that.
The overwhelming majority of Celtic supporters know where the blame lies.
Aff oot CSC
RC – I should clarify, I suspect Kyogo was not replaced in January because Jota, Maeda and Kuhn looked like a formidable front three and with Idah, JF and Yang as back up we were reasonably well covered.
Jota’s injury, Kuhn’s sale and Maeda and Adam’s lack of form has killed that illusion.
It’s 7 months since Kyogo left, we still haven’t signed a replacement.
It’s 4 months since Jota injury, we still haven’t signed a replacement.
It’s 6 weeks since we sold Kuhn, we still haven’t signed a replacement.
If we had those three, or their replacements up front last night, we would have won, probably by 2 or 3.
It’s not really rocket science, it’s basic planning and competence.
The team reflected the manager’s flatness and lack of belief in them.
Rodgers is no angel and has manipulated the fan fury. However, the Board exposed themselves with their standard inertia. If this was out of character the reaction would’ve been different. But i’s very much in-character and they’ve got no goodwill to draw on.
It would only have taken the signing of Breum or Balikwisha to remove this cloud of division. One halfway serious signing. But they can’t do it. They’d rather risk it all than not drive the absolutely hardest bargain on every signing.
I doubt one player would’ve changed the performance last night but it would’ve lifted the toxicity that was such a negative.
These guys are too one-eyed in their judgement and it’s fair to say they are unloved.
As long as we are a finger nail in front of thems then that is the total level of our ambition
An Dún on 21st August 2025 12:46 pm
Celtic – Kyogo – Kuhn = -40 goals
BR tried to explain this to our Father Dougal of a CEO but sadly Dougal didn’t get it.
——
He’d be better talking to Dougal from the magic roundabout. Heard more sense from that Dougal, than our invisible square peg in a round hole CEO.
Still, no excuses for our lack of readiness for a CL playoff.
Sorry I can’t get the …board won’t back the manager because he’s leaving at the end of the season!!
New players are for the benefit of the collective not one person.
Jota needs replaced….Khun needs replaced ..Kyogo needs replaced….KT needs a good back up …( penrice would have been ideal ) AJ now needs replaced as Ralston is a back up …..what part of all that is Rodgers fault ??????
If only we had a player like Kwon
Idah was and is kyogo’s replacement and it has backfired big time.
OK, moving on from players who never materialized….
Who do you fancy from this list?
Broonie
Maloney
Lenny.
May as well open the conversation….
Weeron
The returnof weeron on 21st August 2025 1:18 pm
LOL. As if they would actually listen to what the fans think.
Maloney or Kennedy it will be…. downsizing completed.
You’re an embarrassment Paul. Who negotiated the fees and had no back up plan. Are you genuinely in a relationship with Lawwell?
onenightinlisbon on 21st August 2025 1:21 pm
The returnof weeron on 21st August 2025 1:18 pm
LOL. As if they would actually listen to what the fans think.
Maloney or Kennedy it will be…. downsizing completed.
I entirely agree. Probably why Maloney was brought back.
Who says the board don`t have a plan?
Burnley 78
You keep emphasising that Brendan was left a great team.Do you remember the ICT Cup Final? If ICT hadn’t been on the beach for the previous 3 weeks that final may well have been lost.The last few months of Ange’s reign the football was turgid with the overall feeling being that the team was burnt out.This situation is almost wholly on the Board and no amount of briefing against BR by you and Paul ‘how many times can I name Peter in a conversation’ Brennan will change this.
I am on record here as wanting BR back. I supported him then and I still support him.
He is the best fit manager available to us, both on and off the park.
Yes we need replacements in, however last night’s performance was down to the players, the managerial team and the coaching staff.
HH.
“…should win” in ol’ Kazakhstan
No no no
Could win
More log-in pash
So many thoughts flying round my head
Full disclosure I’m a Brendan Fan.
When BR left in Feb 2019 I took the view that BRs ambition was greater than PLs imagination.
BR wanted to buy a better caliber of player, PL wanted to keep the club financially sound
BR did not feel supported and probably clashed with PL over one or two issues
Obviously I do not know if this view is factual but in my head it made sense and explained why BR left
Fast forward to June 2023 and BR is back. Personally I’m delight
BUT…….
In my head Im asking the question how does this work with PL
I was hoping they would go for a pint and agree to make Celtic brilliant (naive I know)
Then the Son of PL is removed from the club – blimey not sure PL would be happy about that
At this point PL has now got a Manager that he was happy to let go, only to see him return and then (assume) be involved in removing his Son from the club
It’s fair to assume BR is not on PLs Christmas Card list
Then BR makes a wee mistake (IMHO) I am no football manager
Adam Idah is not a £9m footballer ( I think Engles and Trusty are a bit overpriced but good players and we will get our money or most of it back if/when we sell them)
So with that one mistake all of a sudden BR is not getting supported
Hence BRs public comments on players coming in (or not)
Now my theory could be a lot of bo–ocks but in the absence of facts we can all make up our own theory
Regardless of my theory or anybody else’s there is definitely a gap between our Manager and our Board
Something has to give. history teaches us it never the Board
As Brendan toils with limited support we suffer in the knowledge that we should be dominating and enjoying the best times in our History
Alas politics will prevail and you and I will suffer until we reach a crossroads
Sadly I fear for Brendan a great manager who came back under what looks like a false promise
Even when the Huns are in freefall we are capable of stealing their thunder
FFS celtic fix it
67ECW
This isn’t the 90’s and we can’t/won’t stop buying season books as they will be snapped up by supporters on the waiting list.The only way to make these charlatans on the Board wake up is to stop buying club merchandise,don’t buy food and drink at the ground and definitely don’t buy Europa League packages(I’m already resigned to being out of the CL).Money is the only thing the Board understand and the thought of not being able to pick up an unwarranted bonus for not hitting a financial target might just make them think.
To paraphrase Henry 2nd …..
Will no one rid us of this meddlesome board?
Maybe Brendan sent a subliminal message to the board, don’t back the team and me, this is what you get.!!
To be fair, Brendan wanted Idah, we paid way too much, obviously a massive bollock dropped there. Idah does not look remotely interested, ok, he has little service , but the service he does get, well we all know the answer to that one.
I would seriously play Jamsie, Maeda and Yang as my front, maybe give kenny a run three at the weekend.
My biggest grumble by miles is zilch communication ever from the board, scandal. How about issuing a five year plan, , even a season long plan would be good. No , we are mugs, and probably the only ones who actually care about Celtic.
Say it again, there is something seriously rotten at our club.
Oh, and another thing, DD is the major shareholder with around a third of the shares, yeah. That means two thirds are owned by others. Why can’y they form a committee and force any issues. Don’t know.
kingLUBO