It was Brugge who showed the way in our Champions League game in November last year. They pressed Celtic in the middle third which was enough to inhibit our ability to progress the ball into advanced areas. Other managers watched.
Five weeks later, Phillippe Clement copied these tactics in a 3-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox. Barry Ferguson followed this up in March, winning at Celtic Park, then again in a draw at Ibrox. Already-eliminated Young Boys came to Celtic Park, went man-for-man in the middle and lost to a late own-goal.
We watched the same show in the Scottish Cup Final in May: 120 minutes of midfield suffocation before a penalty loss to weaker opposition. It was no different over 210 painful minutes against Kairat. Yesterday’s failure to land a glove on the most nervous defenders in Scottish football follows a well-established pattern. Russell Martin changed every tactic he has used in Glasgow and reverted to the play we all know succeeds against Celtic.
Games with against lesser sides and without Kyogo, Jota and Kuhn have floundered in the middle of the park. We seem to be focussed on adding attacking options today. This is necessary but attacking players are blunt if you cannot break a soft press in the middle of the park.
We got draws at Ibrox, against Kairat and in the Cup Final because we can defend well – Liam Scales was well worth his Man of the Match accolade. That will probably be enough to win the league while Newco beat themselves and the Hearts project is too new. But we are at a tactical cul-de-sac. Chris Davies did more than put the cones out.
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‘THEY’RE THERE AND THEY’RE ALWAYS THERE,’
Hit the post
From last page..
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy on 1st September 2025 11:14 am
I’ve just been told that we’ve offered Hibs £2.5m for Bowie but they want £5m. Rumour mill
Rumours this morning that we’re due a £4.5Mill windfall when Oh’s sell-on clause activates with his impending move to Stuttgart, so why not just use that and add the half a million to make it up.. good deal in my books!
/ DB
Why are we so good?
Last minute mad scramble looking for bargains and loan players on deadline day
Last minute badly timed big spend on whatever players are available on deadline day
Buy low , sell high ( 1 in 20 ratio ? )
Buy cheap developmental players in bulk for pre season games.
Buy cheap first team players.
Keep some players too long, Taylor, CCV, Maeda, and Hatate.
Keep squad players too long Welsh, Ralston, Forrest,
25 year old overall ‘ good value ‘ transfer strategy.
No forward planning or adequate depth in squad.
No competition in key positions.
No progression planning for our own youths to break through.
( B team in the Lowland league playing against juniors and amateurs )
Manager clearly ‘emptied’ in summer after winning the league for consecutive years, but no extension?
Now running down the clock and demotivated .
Money not reinvested properly in the playing squad.
Same first team coach since 2014 under different managers.
Supporters don’t turn up ( or leave early ).
No communication with supporters.
No communication with the Media on behalf of supporters.
No public voice of Celtic ( other than the manager )
Regular unexplained banning of sections of the Media.
Regular unexplained failure to meet with supporters groups.
Season ticket holders bombarded with requests for additional money.
Money not re-invested properly in the Stadium ( now dated ).
No proper pricing structure for European games.
HCTS in need of complete review
No incentives to buy season tickets.
No Season Ticket resale option.
The ‘Fan survey’ (20,000 responses) then lost in the long grass.
Digital Ticketing kicked down the road.
Stadium footprint stalled?
Missing basic facilities in the Northstand.
Non existent WIFI technology.
No fanzones ever
Unimproved catering.
Poorly supported fan representation with GDC and Police.
Do you think Celtic have a modern dynamic, forward thinking, innovative football board of directors?
‘THEY’RE THERE AND THEY’RE ALWAYS THERE,’
Is that about ?
A, Celtic supporters
B. The hun
C.Board detractors
D. Brendan snipers
I see the Dunning-Kruger Effect is on display today…
I’m old enough to remember reading on here that Brendan will get what he wants…
Let’s see.
Agree with every word. A tactical rethink is long overdue
The Emperor also has no strikers…. as the Patricians sold them all
Disappointing, if utterly predictable, article
Paul67
What about John Kennedy he outlived Chris Davies, and started with Ronny Deila in 2014, that’s right 2014.👍
Some Cul De Sac right enough CSC
bournesouprecipe on 1st September 2025 12:03 pm
On fire this morning !!!
67ECW
Will be very interesting to see who we sign today and who moves on.
“Games with against lesser sides and without Kyogo, Jota and Kuhn have floundered in the middle of the park.”
That’s a lot of pace and creativity we are missing, Maeda going off the boil hasn’t helped either – Balikwisha and two more quality forwards will help.
What are the chances of getting them in?
Hail Hail
Plenty of blame to go round. Rodgers included. No balance though, ever.
You thought Aberdeen played the same as Bruges??? Wow!
Not to worry Paul, won’t be long until se have wee Sean and big John dictating tactics….
BOURNESOUPRECIPE. Re your last question. In the words of Frankie Howerd……………………………………………………
Nay Nay and Thrice Nay!
Sure when they give the job to Sean , first thing he’ll do is instruct John on corner and throw in tactics …
BR gives the impression of a coach who’s run out of ideas, working at a club that’s run out of patience with him. The entire enterprise is a shambles; Board, Executive team, Football dept.
Each function is similarly dishevelled and defective. It’s quite the trick to pull off given the solid foundations.
Papers reporting that Sebastian Tounekti, a Tunisian winger, is “on his way” to sign for us from Hammarby.
23 years old.
105 profession games played.
RAY WINSTONE’S BIG DISEMBODIED HEID
Titter ye not 😢
BSR @ 12:03 pm,
Truth… The whole truth and nothing but the truth…
Still with the window closing at 7:00 pm we won’t be staying up all night to get Pukki:))
Hail Hail
Tomorrows blog headline
‘Managers tactics prevented club buying players’
TBB @12.18 – 🎯
Are there any lengths board apologists will not go to to protect the pricks in charge?
Chairbhoy
I’m sure it is 11pm in scotland
Martins tactics were a running joke on Match of the Day last season. Their press wasnt even that good yesterday as you’d expect against a team that had two training sessions to prepare but even when we did break it we didn’t have a clue what to do with it
It was the same the last couple of times when we’ve had Kuhn in the team. Hooked at half time in one of the derbies
There is a sound rationale to the phrase ” playing football the Glasgow Celtic way.
We do not expect Supporting Celtic to be easy, but it ishould always be worthwhile .
But a major proviso should be , supporting should be enjoyable.
Most of us do not enjoy negative, one dimensional, out dated. Counterproductive and boring football.
It is not and never will be the Glasgow Celtic way.
In addition to a results driven game , it should also be an entertainment not a frustrating stressful watch when there is no necessity for such negativity.
HH.
CHAIRBHOY on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 12:20 PM
BSR @ 12:03 pm,
Truth… The whole truth and nothing but the truth…
Still with the window closing at 7:00 pm we won’t be staying up all night to get Pukki:))
Hail Hail
——————
I think we’re 11.00pm this gives the directors four extra hours to screw things up 👍
Rodgers frantically scribbling nonsense on a piece of paper with absolutely no idea what to do next sums up his tenure. DD presumably won’t pay him to go away (best part of 10m?) and certainly won’t give him 30m plus to blow on 3 players, so unless an English championship side come in for him we’re going to be watching this bin fire until May.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 12:18 PM
It’s strange how much better things seemed a couple of years ago.
Maybe it is worse, perhaps Paul67 is right and the club need to do better with their messaging.
The Battered Bunnet @ 12:18 pm,
We know our Manager was taking a break from football to recharge after Leicester City.
Our Executive flew to his holiday home in Spain to talk him out of it and come to Celtic, with talk of great ambition and a world class Football Club.
If you were in his shoes would you feel a bit miffed about being conned into taking up a highly demanding position.
Hail Hail
Chairbhoy
Don’t forget Abada – as big a miss as anyone for me.
Will we get anyone in? I know by now not to expect too much, but there’s rumoured to be a lot of activity across the city, so you never know!
Please no more wingers who only come inside…..
Browsing through the blog in the last couple of days, I am amazed that, with Celtic being so bad, our club is still attracting so many new fans.
bournesouprecipe on 1st September 2025 12:03 pm
An excellent if somewhat depressing summary .
Any elite manager worth His salt would have fixed the wifi , got hot water in the loos and laid on some haute cuisine for half time .
No excuses indeed !
leftclicktic @ 12:23 pm, BSR @ 12:26 pm,
Thanks for the correction, those last four hours may prove crucial:))))
Hail Hail
On Sky Rangers signing a striker from Everton for an initial fee of 8 million our board is a disgrace
It’s been a while but I fully agree with you on this Paul. Brendan is getting away with little criticism yet our midfield has been woeful since last season.
Reo is absent in most games and needs replaced.
We clearly need new attacking options but despite the many options we are not looking good in the middle of the park.
Nicholson is incompetent and has cost us the CL but BR needs to entertain and win. Last season wasn’t great other than the CL. We had so many boring league games.
He gets a lot of praise but doesn’t justify his huge salary.
We really tried….no we did honestly…..look we’ve stretched to another 4.5 for another average winger because average is what you get nowadays ( 2025) for under 5 …..if only you could add a couple of million more you might get a jota or god forbid the Bruges winger that cost 6 !!!….fed up with it again………Another windfall from Oh but it matters not a jot !!!
11pm is when the Scottish window closes, after that it’s the out of contract window sill.