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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BelmontBrian @ 9:16 pm,
Yamada for me is a robust confident player.
Unfair to give him a baptism of fire but you know – it works sometimes.
It looks like a cometh the hour, cometh the man situation.
Hail Hail
BR needs to write off the Europa and concentrate on the league.
Our squad is simply not up to fighting on all fronts.
Play weakened teams for the cups. I’ve no doubt we’re in a real fight now for this league title.
CHAIRBHOY on 1ST SEPTEMBER 2025 9:26 PM
Thanks for answering…that makes sense…
Not sure why Munich has any relevance.
The last actual positive big game against decent opposition we won was v a weakened Leipzig.
We have been dross since then
Liverpool have now spent around 420 million this window. Jaw dropping numbers.
Agents commissions must be extraordinary.
We have a plc board not fit for purpose and a manager not performing tactically on the pitch for the past 6 months. Depressing.
Burnley,
What,no invite to the Bunker from your mate to watch the transfer show?.Awww,maybe he did not want to waste your time.
Still,I heard PL laid on quite a spread.Salmon paste and everything.
Hammarby will be naming a stand after that mug Nicholson. 😂😂😂
Checked out Tounekti on YouTube (so usual caveats apply!).
Right-footed, plays on the left. Tends to favour coming inside BUT also effective going on the outside. Can beat a man and deliver a cross or cutback with his left. Kind of a reverse Patrick Roberts. Decent bit of pace too.
Of course that’s purely from a highlights package, so you’re not going to see what he doesn’t do well, but could certainly be a useful player for whichever club outbids us for him!
Any more rumours or is it worth going to bed?
DeniaBhoy on 1st September 2025 9:24 pm
Sebastian Tounekti has played in 105 games as a pro since 2018.
—–
Deniabhoy – cheers. Statistically correct.
But the lad has just turned 23 years old?
So was only just 16 seven years ago?
B78 / DB …
He’s not even in the door yet.
If he signs, how about we give the guy a chance to showcase what he can do?
Might take four months.
The guy whose departure earlier in the window caused an outpouring of grief took similar time to settle before shining ….
…. for 9 months
Gullibles.
I along with the many wait,hope and implore those who lead our club will get it right.
Each transfer window in the last few years came with some disappointment,
“We worked up to the last minute to get (Players) in but just couldn’t get the deal done “ type of response.All the while the money grew!
This feels totally different. This feels like the beginning of the Nineties all over again.
From a position of strength, the club is failing massively.
But,we are wealthier than any other club in the country???
Why are they failing ?
Why punish the fans?
Those in charge don’t have ordinary jobs like us fans
They don’t live in normal houses like us fans
They don’t wait all week for the match like we do
They actually don’t care how we feel
For once, just once I would love them to unite with us.Feel how we feel,then maybe they would understand
This is how it feels to be Celtic
Tounetki,from what I watched,might no be a prolific scorer,seems more like a set them up guy.
Say this though,his pace and acceleration,would give a Porsche a race.Nice crosser as well.
Huns sign Canadian international defender
We played sht since Leipzig game apparently but still managed to score 83 league goals after Leipzig game !!!….boring side to side nonsense..
Wow I’m soo looking forward to having a great manager…..funnily I think we’re in for a real shock when BR goes …a real shock
An Dún on 1st September 2025 9:32 pm
Agree with everything you are saying – same page
67ECW
Brendan will get what he wants.
After nearly a year of turgid football when we have failed to beat a totally dysfunctional rival over 90 mins in 5 attempts and lost a cup final to Aberdeen. Got humiliated in Europe by a team with a fraction of our budget we will incredible potentially pay this guy off for totally failing to identify a single signing target we could sign despite having his own guy in charge of recruitment. Unreal. Matched only by a lack of a single comment from our spineless CEO.
Vinniethedog
Tell me one game we have played well in since Leipzig. Against a decent opponent.
Munich away backs to the wall yup.
Any others ? If so I must have missed them.
Geebee,
Only rumour going about is Burnley chauffeurs Mrs PL about for her shopping.Sometimes undies,gasp!!.
Me,I never believe gossips and rumours,and I cerainly don’t believe this one.
Not at all.🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Back to Basics
Fair point.
Turkeybhoy
Sorry just driven down from Bordeaux to to San Sebastián.
Chairbhoy
The optics of Sevco spending big money whilst we only rake it in, is not a good look , the editorial here is not important, it’s how it’s countered and disapproved that’s important.
This window didn’t to slam shut it shattered, if the chat is in anyway accurate, never mind the eventual profit and zero loss, there’s a lot to come out.
SMSM, who get their information from Celtic social media and the internet, will feast on Celtic’s breath takingly bad judgement to appear to have either unknowingly or not, undermined a successful coach. Tom English has been on it since BR came back and it’s part of why the National Broadcaster sometimes don’t get an invite to CP
HH
Huns signed their 4th loan defender.
A wee unconfirmed rumour on Yang return
Apparently he had travelled down to Birmingham,
Everything was set to be finalised .
Nicholson refused to take their call ,apparently too busy on all our other transfers
Birmingham get pissed off waiting and sign Paddy Robert’s instead .
Sounds a bit far fetched .
Kelechi Iheanacho
Why is it shocking to ,all of a sudden,as Burnley keeps reminding us,get beat by a team with a fraction of your budget.Happens all the time.St Johnstone last year,Kilmarnock,Huns,last year,Queens Park,Grimsby,recently.Could give you thousands.
Is it because it suits your agenda?.
Only Celtic fan I have ever heard,belittling the Munich result.Tosser.
Iheanacho linked. Might be time for bed
Goodnight all
Back to Basics – I am not writing him off. I haven’t seen a minute of him on a football field. I am pointing out he doesn’t score very often. As a 20-23 year old, if that is fairer for you, he has played in 67 games and scored 7 goals. So approx 3 goals a season. My point is we are accustomed to wingers like Jota, Abada, Maeda and Kuhn scoring 10-20 goals a season.
It is an observation. Nothing more.
Cheers
They’d have sold off James McGrory and Paul McStay
They’d overlook Henrik Larsson for Stevie May
And any football greats, who strayed near Parkhead’s gates
Would be over budget, and just turned away
https://www.youtube.com/live/daFtnYqBnsc?si=4guL88ot3cTzXMTo
Acsom live
I’d take Bowie right now – at least he’d be a signing as opposed to loan!
Before i go
Nicholson should be sacked for his efforts or lack of I should say
Where is the forward planning, these people are paid vast amounts of money to do this.its time for action,doing nothing is not an option now
Ray – that made me laugh. Probably true as well.
C’mon Brennan. Give us a circa 2020 update about how this is alll part of your idol Lawwell’s plan and going into the season without an adequate striker is strategy going forward and the plebs are too stupid to understand. You can call us panic merchants and everything.
The CEO Emperor has no tactics, its rinse and repeat of the same old failures time and time again. 700k a year to completely fail, no doubt a wage rise is coming his way 🙌
so no signings?????