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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rodgers is a fake on 1st September 2025 6:54 pm
Rodgers spent 32 Million and they all sat on the bench as we went out of the CL.
Away and lie in your pish.
Someone at Celtic is discovering how difficult it is in real life to get “quality” players to Celtic
Celtic interested in Dolberg, fee reportedly agreed, player interested, Anderlecht need to sell but they keep him until their European qualification is done on Thursday, he says his goodbyes at the derby yesterday, all good
Meanwhile Liam Delap does his hamstring on Saturday, Chelsea spend Saturday trying to get Nicolas Jackson back to London before he signs his deal with Bayern Munich. Jackson tells them to get to France, so they recall Marc Guiu from the loan he just started at Sunderland. Sunderland gp out and spend 22m on Brian Brobbey who’s at Ajax to replace him. Ajax need a striker, Dolberg had four happy years there, fits the bill, Ajax have until Tuesday at 11 to sign him, Anderlecht another week to sell. They come in, offer the same money and thats that
Through no fault of anybody’s the deal breaks down.
Was there any set of circumstances in which he could have been a Celtic player today? They wouldnt have sold him until now, the player has a strong link with Ajax so was always going there instead of us.
With Idah gone now after Kyogo and Kuhn thats 53 goals from last seasons tally out of the club
Very scary
Jackiemac @ 6:53 pm,
We were saying the same thing…
Hail Hail
jackiemac on 1st September 2025 6:53 pm
I worry for lennie – didn’t look well on the telly yesterday
……..
I hope he didn’t fall for the covid plandemic and all of the lies that were told about it by secret services trained tv “presenters” and celebrities all chosen by the Lobby?
CHAIRBHOY on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 6:29 PM
Wondering about the buy low sell high diamonds in the midden ratio with players signed in the modern period.
I’ve a funny feeling that the success rate is very low, maybe one for a stats guy.
onenightinlisbon on 1st September 2025 6:56 pm
rodgers is a fake on 1st September 2025 6:54 pm
Rodgers spent 32 Million and they all sat on the bench as we went out of the CL.
“Away and lie in your pish.”
………….
What pish?
Sutton1888 on 1st September 2025 6:58 pm
With Idah gone now after Kyogo and Kuhn thats 53 goals from last seasons tally out of the club
Very scary
—
None replaced and Maeda had the goal scoring season of his life last season. Which so far, looks very unlikely to be repeated.
But BR tactics are the problem…
An Dún on 1st September 2025 5:51 pm
Brendan will get what he wants, yeah ?
======
If he wanted :
A. Any old loan player that hasn’t kicked a ball in earnest in yonks .
B. Or the tin tack .
Yep it looks like it
😲
Burnley78 @ 6:25
Speaking of the exec, you wrote “i get frustrated too btw but I have not walked in either of these guys shoes. So I struggle to be so critical of how it is done”
Yet you manage to be extremely critical of our manager on a regular basis.
Can I assume you have been a football manager at the highest level or are you just a hypocrite?
(avoidance of doubt, BR not blameless in the position we find ourselves, though root cause is our player trading IMO)
Sutton1888 on 1st September 2025 6:58 pm
With Idah gone now after Kyogo and Kuhn thats 53 goals from last seasons tally out of the club
Very scary
………..
It looks like Rodgers turn to throw the huns a title?!
rodgers is a fake on 1st September 2025 7:00 pm
With a moniker like that ….. seriously.
There has to be a protest on Saturday outside the ground.
stebhoy on 1st September 2025 4:08 pm
Rodgers says we are connected – the board been Celtic. NO! WE ARE NOT FKN CONNECTED! Rodgers has been begging , begging for players for months – A connected board would support him – we didn’t are we are not!
He should have been fired after Almaty (lack of endeveour and shots on goal)
He should walk – deflect responsibility to the board and protect his reputation. why?
Because we will remember this window as the shift of power – failure to qualify for champs league against a basic side and failure to support this team with quality. The power shift is in motion!
…………..
How about……
Rodgers is playing the Celtic fans just like the PLC do?
How about……
The stupid fans stop giving the masonic board any money?
How about if the PLC Lodge/Adidas/Lobby don’t resign as it would be correct, honorable, and show integrity, then the stupid fans smartened up a bit and dragged the masonic lobby sleekits out of the front door on the Celtic way and rid the club of such dangerous people, dancing with all sorts of devils in the pale moon light?
OR, failing that, would it be better for everybody involved in Timdom, if we just all wait until we’ve run out of people to blame and finger point at, until the club is closed down with immediate effect, because the Lobby have found grounds which would tar Celtic FC as being anti-semites and therefore have forsaken their rights to hold a football license?
These are the dangers of having a club run by people who stand for nothing and fall for everything.
Ditto the supporter base.
Sebastian Tounekti reportedly signed
5.2m for a pacey right winger. Be good and quick and creative and make us better immediately please
Celtic spend goes down in a UK ‘record breaking’ summer transfer spend window.
Well, I seem to have misunderstood P67’s leader….
I thought that he meant BR as the naked emperor…… when all the time it was really MN…or DD…or any other faceless, unaccountable toe rag….
Weeron
So Adam Idah has finally left the building according to reports and best wishes for his future at Swansea. He achieved a lot in his brief sojourn at Celtic. Two Championship and Cup doubles, Played and scored good goals against some of the top teams in Europe and a big part in getting the Hoops into the knockout phase with a creditable 29 goals in his brief time here. I doubt if he has any those achievements at his new club but Swansea are in a good challenging position in the English Championship.
The long wait is over @ 6:37 pm,
Well from what I know of Celtic, they historically do not like players blotting their copy book.
As Bernabei had issues in this regard my feeling is this is still very much the case.
Someone would undoubtedly have torn a strip off him –
Which begs the question of how he reacted…
1. Sulked
2. Carried on regardless
What he didn’t do was knuckle down and improve.
It was telling he never got a game in Cork – who issued that directive?
Still, he’s off now and I wish the lad well.
Watch him score a hattrick for the ROI now:))))
Hail Hail
From 20minutetims
Genuinely.
Enough is enough.
It’s done for this current administration. It won’t be quick but it’s over.
No amount of scrambling around for last minute transfers will fix it.
Well said mate 👏👏👏
Johnny Kenny our main striker
Too many fans who backed this board are part of the problem. Huns have signed boy from Aberdeen who’ll score goals & 8 million on an Everton striker & we’re running about wae Johnny f*n Kenny.
In fact fk Saturday protests should be happening now as we speak.
Good luck to Idah Hankray – hope he does a pukki . I’d have kept him but not as the main guy
Looking like a loan from Chelsea for centre forward now – Charlie Musonda.
That will make three in this window. Not great long term thinking
onenightinlisbon on 1st September 2025 7:03 pm
rodgers is a fake on 1st September 2025 7:00 pm
“With a moniker like that ….. seriously.”
………
Rodgers is a fake – that is the truth.
Rodgers has instructed his entire playing squad to 100% ignore the Green Brigade, walk around the pitch wave to the fans, but at the GB section, look above the GB and wave to mostly empty seats.
What is that all about?
If Rodgers, Calmac, Tierney, etc, are on message, then what is going on?
Watch it and you’ll see for yourself.
Rodgers, his players, board, are all multi millionaire glib pretenders.
None of them give a flying monkeys about the fans.
NOT AT ALL! AT ALL! AT ALL!
SUTTON1888 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 7:04 PM
There has to be a protest on Saturday outside the ground.
————-
Supporters are warned entering the pitch protests are in advisable, as they are likely to get a game.👮♂️
JAMES FORREST
Good to see you posting regularly on CQN again.
I may not always agree with your point of view but you certainly raise the standard of debate.
celtic40me on 1st September 2025 7:05 pm
Sebastian Tounekti reportedly signed
“5.2m for a pacey right winger. Be good and quick and creative and make us better immediately please”
……..
Rodgers dizny know how to play wingers.
Look what he did to Khun, once Khun was low-blocked, doubled up on, etc.
Khun would get the ball when tippy-tappy got over the halfway line, then Khun would run up to opposition 18yd box, and everywhere was blocked, forcing him to turn back the way, failing to complete his task, and developing a long face tripping him Khun face.
Idah had a Khun face on as well, watching the winger having to repeatedly turn back, meaning Idah was being made to look like a dumpling as well.
SUTTON1888
Saturday protests should be happening now as we speak.
What? On a Monday evening?
Hilarious.
🤣🤣🤣
bournesouprecipe on 1st September 2025 7:17 pm
SUTTON1888 on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 7:04 PM
There has to be a protest on Saturday outside the ground.
————-
“Supporters are warned entering the pitch protests are in advisable, as they are likely to get a game.👮♂️”
……..
How long would it take till the pitchfork 11 had a Khun face each?
protests on saturday, with no match on, the board members playing golf or away to the theatre, all that would do is upset people using the restraunts.
On 13 September 2024, Fofana was loaned to newly-promoted Turkish club Göztepe until the end of the 2024–25 season. 2 goals
On 3 February 2025, Chelsea recalled Fofana back from his loan due to an injury keeping him out for the remainder of the season
rodgers is a fake
Kevin is a flake
Some people on the Celtic board
Should give themselves a shake
Im having fish for dinner
I’m hoping for a hake
Troops honestly, say what you want but this is a disaster.
Kenny & Maeda up top, embarrassing.
BSR @ 6:59 pm,
That is a very interesting one, of course I’ve got a list of duds bought since the time of Rangers death, that is well over 100 mn in transfer fees alone – it will be worth an update once the window is closes.
This website is indicitive of our sales and purchases over the last number of seasons – using it as a guide and making it more accurate would certainly be a worthwhile chore.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/celtic-glasgow/alletransfers/verein/371
My feeling are we break even on player sales and purchases.
Now, when you think the Board don’t spend what they should to maintain the team, also the sell players on a high bid whim.
In other words Kyogo and Kuhn were sold not when convenient to the Club but to grab the cash, for the stash.
So, even though the policy is heavily skewed in the favour of the business over that of the club, the best they can do is break even.
Much better approaching recruitment as a cost to the business and budget accordingly, you would still have HVPs to sell at a convenient time and a much better functioning football club.
Hail Hail
Ross Hall medics threatening to strike due to lack of work.
The Tounekti signing hope is not a panic signing watch a few of his videos he’s a right footed left winger.
Fofana has a habit of going on a season long loan only to and have his contract ended by Christmas
In 8 months we’ve gone from Kyogo & Idah to Yamada & Kenny.
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 7:22 PM
😂😂😂😂