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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The morning after the day before, which was disappointing, but perhaps not surprising in many ways.
I’d love to see the data on posts-per-hour by moniker from 12pm yesterday.
It was incredible stuff a the same handful of people (or person) posted practically the same thing every couple of minutes.
They say the online world is not representative of the real one. I really hope they’re right.
I would have hoped they’d have punched themselves out by now, but I see the usual suspects are starting to gather and am glad I have a busy day ahead that will keep me off line.
Before I go, I’ll say this: I appreciate the sentiments of B78 that you should never judge until you’ve walked a mile in that persons shoes and I’m guessing Paul will be out later to remind us of the vagaries of running a football club.
For me it’s pretty simple: if you’re paid the big bucks you need to deliver. From selling Khun with no replacement to the striker fiasco over the weekend, they have failed to deliver.
Communication is now imperative. Unless it’s forthcoming I can do nothing other than call it as I see it: cack-handed incompetence.
Other clubs were literally laughing at us this transfer window.
There’s reputational damage to the club in terms of doing business with other clubs, agents and players that will take years to put right.
Our hopes now rest on an overweight Iheanacho who has scored 1 goal in two years.
15 spl games till New Years game, we need to stay in touch till this mess can get sorted. Forget about Europa just get as many spl points s we can till then.
And the two wingers we signed will miss a month (including a derby) due to AFCON.
Just gets better 🤦♂️
The Blogger
You write “I appreciate the sentiments of B78 that you should never judge until you’ve walked a mile in that persons shoes”
Though that doesn’t stop B78, or you, from judging Brendan. Constantly, negatively and very vocally.
Still, you go ahead and count the posts from yesterday if that helps you.
Granted, Celtic’s “Long War” strategy ain’t for the faint hearted. Ave Ave
https://youtu.be/ibwxzxER_pY?si=2t3HuH-JoZrUwWU9
….and so might Iheanacho – if it comes to that.
Blogger GM. When you post like that it really shows how bad this particular window had been.
It probably was painful for you to write that.
ShamblesCSC
Can’t get away from the nagging feeling that the failure to improve (or even backfill) the squad has been a measured decision.
BR is in his final year, he has declined the (assumed) offer to extend, and the board has closed the book on him. That’s my take. The transition from elite to lite is simply the natural low point in the cycle, as the board (I think) see it.
To be honest, it’s all been fairly stale on the pitch for a long time and the manager is entirely responsible for that. Failure to win every meaningful match since January is to his account. In other circumstances I might be looking forward to a new face, a new broom, new ideas.
But these aren’t other circumstances. This is the situation we (the club’s leadership) have created ourselves.
If it precipitates the kind of changes that we need from top down it might well be worth it, but I’m looking at the Board, I’m looking at Tom Allison, Brian Wilson, Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond. These guys are not going to change a lifetime of instinct and move out of the way.
We’ve hit the glass ceiling many times, getting so far and no further, but it’s only just dawned on me that the glass ceiling is one we have manufactured and installed ourselves, or at least, requisitioned from elsewhere and pulled down further on top of us.
DismayCSC
Howdy, folks.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for. The big reveal-voting figures from yesterday. This is where JOBO usually gives us an excellent review of the match, but it was totally forgettable in every way. Which I’m trying hard to ensure. Except for Robertson, of course. A masterclass in how to cheat in plain sight-again!-and get away with it. Anyway, here goes.
SENTINEL CELTS PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2025-26
RESULTS FROM GAME SEVEN
R2ngers v Celtic
Schmeichel 0
Ralston 38
CCV 43
Scales 77
Tierney 2
Engels 5
Calmac 1
Hatate 0
Balikwisha 1
Maeda 21
Nygren 1
Forrest 13
Yamada 28
Saracchi 1
McCowan 0
Points awarded
Scales 25
CCV 22
Ralston 19
Yamada 16
Maeda 14
Forrest 12
Engels 11
Tierney 10
Calmac 8
Balakwisha 8
Saracchi 8
Nygren 8
Schmeichel 4
McCowan 4
Hatate 4
Sinasolo 1
Yang 1
Bernardo 1
Murray 1
Donovan 1
Cumulative scores after seven games:-
125: Scales
92: Tierney
91: Forrest
86: Nygren
84: McGregor
80: Engels
70: CCV
63: Hatate
60: Ralston
54: Johnston
53: Murray and Yang
52: McCowan and Maeda
41: Yamada
40: Schmeichel
24: Donovan
22: Inamura and Trusty
21: Kenny and Bernardo
19: Idah
16: Sinisalo
2: Osmond, Simpson-Pusey
1: Doohan
0: All the other players who’ve not yet made a matchday squad!
Good morning CQN.
Waking up a Celt is always worth it, despite the problems and the lack of control.
TAURANGABHOY @ 7:44 AM / TBB a few minutes ago.
Enjoyed your posts. Respect.
List of unattached players…
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statistik/vertragslosespieler
If Brendan Rodgers had an eye for a player or indeed had any tactical nous we would now have Nairwocki,Laegerbielke and Kwon as the spine of our team..All 3 will most likely win the Ballon D’or over the next few years and Brendan forced them out the door.
I am thinking to my self about the Green Brigade getting a warning a few weeks ago, hmmm…….
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 2nd September 2025 9:06 am
Good morning CQN.
Waking up a Celt is always worth it, despite the problems and the lack of control.
TAURANGABHOY @ 7:44 AM / TBB a few minutes ago.
Enjoyed your posts. Respect.
……………………………………………
Thank you!
Last nights “Huddle Breakdown” is a must watch or listen. Alan Morrison sums up the whole current situation perfectly.
“Why are you so fearful, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26)
Celtic ain’t just for Christmas.
https://youtu.be/QmEBlrRRMBQ?si=n7mu1jKjD_GOXmbn
It was in my mind that we’d try to bring in young Bowie from Hibs. He’s been doing well lately and has served a long apprenticeship in the lower leagues in England.
On reflection, we’ve got three young strikers on the books already and the failure to replace BOTH Idah and Kyogo represents a very clear development opportunity for those three bhoys. Why add another development project to an already crowded classroom.
Fair enough, Shin is 25 years old, but he only turned pro 3 years ago and has fewer starts than Johnny Kenny.
Anyway, opportunity knocks for the young team. Let’s see if the manager can set the team up to create the odd chance for them. On recent evidence, that’s by no means a given.
🎶And they gave us two wingers and a prayer🎶
An interview with Brendan Rodgers a week or so before the transfer window closed was tantamount to his valedictory. He’s had a few go’s at ‘review’ but being the best Celtic coach we could get, that’s never been title less in Scotland, couldn’t alter the path of the Celtic way.
It was all so predictable, even what’s left of broadsheet coverage got it right weeks ago as did most of Celtic social media, and heavy internet traffic. We also predicted another exit, just got the name wrong and also screwed up in extra time all the way to the whistle, Celtic have had a potentially sea changing summer.
Ange Postecoglu’s fulcrum, running on fumes under Brendan Rodgers, busy winning and fulfilling another MON like heritage on unfinished business, but trapped where they know how to sell for good value, but baulk when they have to buy. The huge majority of supporters wouldn’t hold it against him, if he walked, – he won’t and his players will respond maybe that’s why he’s in the elite category. There’s a guy works on the internet, swears he clueless.
Player targets waved away all summer long unless they fitted the bargain rail, we swooped for former hero Kieran Tierney as a January bosman and returned him in August. Benjamin Nygren another January target the same, for a ‘good value’ price.
A return to the J-League, but this time guess what, we used the middle of Lidl range.
Form since the Munich peak, a creditable draw with Bayern, then P22 W11 D7 L4 you’d swear someone at the club would have cottoned on, that first team money needed spending, players had to be bedded in, Kairat was coming for 18 months, even star players were creaking, by the time we got to the Cup final the team and the support that day, couldn’t be bothered. Only a winning team manager can pull Celtic through ‘sack the board’ waters, that had been bubbling under in some home games, especially where supporters were ‘sacking off’ or walking out early.
Loan players and cheap punts, don’t even fall into the development category if they do it’s not at Celtic, where we turned into a Europa side at the first hint of having to qualify. You can’t take the money out of the same market where you fail to buy, you can’t start transfers in June and complete them in August, you move on.
The Laurel & Hardy window started up needing a new striker, and closed with us needing two. More importantly, a manager demotivated and a disgusted supporter base, that watched on, in disbelief. It’s not a question of who the manager is , it’s the fact that ‘they’ can do this, time and time again, on a question of cost, not competence.
Crack on with your day like Dermot will, to be
sure.
Hail Hail
In my view it comes down to one of two scenarios
1) Incompetence by our Board to work in the Transfer Market
2) Not supporting the Manager (whatever the reason)
Either way our team is weaker today than it was in January.
I think Brendan will use this chaos to his/our advantage
“We are on our own , they are all against us, its us against the world” (Alex Ferguson was a master at this)
I pray he can win the league, anything else is a bonus
At that point he probably walks – why would he carry on working in this environment
There are some that would rather see Celtic fail than see Brendan Succeed (not just Newco)
Poor performance Celtic Plc
67ECW
glenowen
Lot of time for Stan Collymore, (as a player and now as a pundit) and wish still Martin O’Neil had brought him up to Celtic back in the day, but he is letting his heart rule over his head re his former club Aston Villa. There is no doubt they have had a terrific couple of seasons under Unai Emery and gave even PSG a run for their money in the CL knock out stages last season. But according to Rory Smith, who knows a bit about these things, on Radio 5 last night, Villa, have spent over £700 mill since returning to the EPL five or six years ago, and had not their goalie Martinez been suspended,would have started their first game this season against Newcastle (0-0) with eight players who were already at Villa Park before Emery arrived. And that despite signing twenty two players since he came in as manager. Now how much of a lift does the dressing room need, and how much of a “rebuild” do Villa need after, one the amount they have spent, and two the fact that their starting eleven is not a whole lot different than when Emery arrived. All managers want more players in, most supporters do too, it is a stick with which they can beat their Board, and I suspect in Villa’s case an excuse for their likely deciine this season.
Bournesouprecipe.
Brilliant post. Why do we even bother to be concerned?
The Blogger…
“…they have failed to deliver.”
——-
In the new dualism of the money driven football world, that statement’s debatable.
In terms of financial KPIs and commercial cashflow the selling of Kyogo, Kuhn, Idah and the rest without replacing with comparables, likely makes for decent balance sheet reading: To whit a possible problem – the moneymen giving shareholders’ needs – rather than football fan stakeholders’ – primacy.
Perhaps they feel they have ‘delivered’ if only looking thru a fiscal lens.
I’m still somewhat shocked we seem to have flubbed the fenetre so haphazardly, but keenly await Paul’s honest appraisal mibby with the heading ‘A Window To The Club’s Soul’ .
Not sure about having no tactics, it looks like he’s been seriously underestimated
Brendan has grabbed the wheel and driven the car into a wall. He’ll walk away from it and point at the wreckage as proof that he can’t compete in the race, though
The contrast between where we were in May 23 and now is pretty stark, on and off the pitch.
We’ve gone from a manager saying he’s happy with the model, transfers, personnel through a sacking, an overhaul, him having a direct line to Dermot, several new strategies and him apparently having responsibility. But without accountability. Nobody knows who does what and who carries the can. We have a squad with quality in some areas and big holes in others. We just sold our first choice striker with no replacement after saying we wouldnt. A window with expensive failures, a window with not enough signings.
We’re a mess on the pitch, no clear direction, stopped by the worst teams we’ve faced in crucial qualifiers and derbies. Apparently a lack of pace, no creativity.
It almost always works that didfunction off the pitch is reflected on it. And the disfunction on it results in change off. A sacking would play perfectly into Brendan’s narrative but it’s not the clubs M.O, we don’t sack managers. We face a very difficult season, because of some very basic mistakes of our own making. I hope we don’t see Brendan walking away from it all or forcing the clubs hand, no matter how much or little is his fault. If he is the Celtic man he claims to be he needs to be part of turning things round.
It looks to me that Brendan has learned far more from February 2019 than the board. They’ve been outmaneuvered, it’s up to them to make sure they’re prepared for what comes next. The last thing the club needs is these sort of distractions, but as they must have known it comes as part of the package so they need to start showing some of the strong leadership that seems to have been lacking for too long
Forgive my poor manners: Welcome to Celtic, Sebastian Tounekti – HH !
Celtic Mac
A detailed response.
My interst in what Collymore wrote was less about Villa per se and more to show how transfer activity can affect players.
The better players can actually be encouraged by an active recruitment policy as they see the team strengthen around them. It may be that fringe players may feel squeezed out, though maybe there’s a reason for that.
Anyway, you make interesting points re Villa specifically. Hopefully, the positive energy brought about by squad strengthening is also evident in what he writes.
Shower of doomsday merchants (assimilated Irish-Scots) on here. Anyone out there up for a fight and feeling optimistic, like me?
https://youtu.be/8al5cSQNmME?si=mlx5-z1BMQGFvixq
Today’s article will begin:
‘You and I have discussed all the best business is done at the end of the window. However, it’s impossible to attract any decent players to Glasgow. So suck it up and here’s a link to our 6th away kit’.
TBB – I think you nailed it.
Strong emphasis on “think” BTW.
None of us actually knows.
And the responsibility for us not knowing is, IMHO, 95% with to the board of Directors and the CEO in particular.
Their inability or unwillingness to communicate (even one way messaging) is clear.
I find your take on the cycle, and circumstances leading to today persuasive.
My biggest “next morning” takeaways on where we are?
[ This is long. You might want to scroll past ]
1. Quantity.
Numerically? Not terrible. Not great but not terrible.
I think we are light two half season loans at right full back and winger.
2. Quality.
We have less than we did 01 Sept 2024.
3. Transfer window Scorecard
I’ve said before and I’ll happily repeat. Transfer windows are a means to an end.
I’ll judge that end in May ’26.
Two parts of my assessment though are damning and incontrovertible.
a. We’ve already missed out on one of our ends. I firmly believe the incumbent squad should have been good enough to beat Kairat.
Doesn’t matter what I believe. We lost by a whisker.
I think it is reasonable to assume the presence of just one new player, bringing some quality and lightening the load on others might have been enough to see us win by a whisker.
Hopefully the lessons will be learned when we come to redefine what we want from summer transfer windows.
b. We hear often, and legitimately, R2ngers can do early business because they pursue players no one else wants.
If he signs, Kelechi might turn out to be a very effective player for Celtic. But let’s be clear.
Celtic have pursued a player no one else wants. Not even his own club. And at the 11th hour.
This cameo alone is symptomatic (not necessarily evedentiary) of a transfer strategy being binned in response to events.
We’ll likely argue the root causes for months and … unless there is a change in communications approach, likely in an information vacuum.
My own guess.
Whereas before, someone was in control (for some people, the wrong “someone”), now no one is in control.
If two or more key stakeholders are simultaneously influencing the execution of a process … and they expect different outcomes from it?
That process is immediately not fit for purpose.
4. Saddest part of this window for me.
This might surprise some.
Adam Idah’s comments on leaving Celtic.
The “end goal” bit in particular.
So much for the “dream”.
I’ll try not to be bitter.
The basis of his shocking performance levels at the start of this season seem clear. He chucked it.
(“seem” because I don’t know)
So, where do I think this leaves us?
We are in average shape (not great, not even reasonable) for the entire season ahead.
I expect the same bumpy September to January we witnessed two seasons ago.
How the new players land, how motivated the existing players are and, most importantly, how motivated our manager is … will go a long way to determining our outcomes.
the battered bunnet
“…failure to win every meaningful match since January..”
That just about sums up the sense of entitlement that reeks out of you and many others on here.
Maybe I am becoming something of a minority in thinking, believing even, that every match Celtic play is meaningful, beit against Buckie Thistle or Bayern Munich, but for you that is obviously not the case. Why don’t you dont you lift the needle of the cracked record that you keep playing? And accept that supporting Celtic FC is not always easy….
Celtic were 4/11 to win the title before the window closed. We are now 1/7.
The unemotional bookies don`t share the general negativity on display on CQN.
Off for a bike ride.
Cheerio for now.
The bookies taking the view then that Sevco is worse off post this window, reflecting my own thoughts.
You won’t read that in the SMSM.
glenowen
An old friend of mine is a longstanding supporter of Charlton Athletic, first saw them as a youngster in the late 1940s still looks out for them today. I can guarantee you that when I ask him what he thinks about his club signing David Fofana his reply will be that he has never heard of him. Neither have I, and yet there are those on here in a rage because he never signed for Celtic.
Here’s a list of the players we brought in using the current Chairman’s strategy introduced when Ramgers died.
The list is over ten years, you will notice that no player has been added to the list after the summer 2023 intake.
You may say this is bias as I’m a great believer in what BR&CO are trying to achieve – so, if you think anyone should be added or taken off, let me know.
These players cost us over 100 mn, they took wages, staff resources, expenses and sundries that would see that figure rise hugely.
The list is only players that we signed and in my opinion flopped.
There is a list of Celtic graduates to first team just as long, and a ling list of loan failures.
That very strongly suggests that the recruitment strategy is a failure that has cost Celtic a small fortune.
Not only is it not discussed it is swept under the carpet.
Why our current manager is getting pelters for his recruitment, player development and call for a review of this failed strategy is beyond me.
Mohamed Bangura
Andre Blackman
Radius Ibrahim
Lassad Nouioui
Amido Balde
Steven Mouyokolo
Derk Boerigtor
Holmbert Fridjosson
Jo ings Berget
Teemu Pukki
Stephan Sepovic
Sandy Janko
Login Bailey
Nadir Cifci
Kazim-Richards
Scott Allen
Micheal Duffy
Darnell Fisher
Eboue Kouassi
Kundai Benyu
Lewis Morgan
Armstrong Oko-Flex
Andrew Gutman
Christian Gamboa
Daniel Arzani
Issof Bayo
Marian Shev’d
Manny Perez
Patryk Klimala
Chrispher Jullien
Ismalia Soro
Luca Connell
Abd Hamed
Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo
Vasilis Cornelius Barkas
Jonathan Afolabi
Lee O’Connor
Luca Connell
Albian Ajeti
Liam Shaw
Osaze Urhoghide
Sead Haksabanovic
Oliver Abildgaard
Mario Tilio
Kwon Hyeok-kyu
Oh Hyeon-gyu
Yuki Kobayashi
Gustaf Lagerbielke
Odin Holm
Luis Palma
Maik Nawrocki
2024 seen a marked improvement in our recruitment with every player that was brought in that year contributing to the first team.
However January 2025 seen us returning to the failed model (not the strategy. That was always adhered to)
This has seen a team that was flying high in December 2024 been decimated in 2025.
We had the money, we had the talent but we did not have the ambition to build on our strengths in the January 2025 transfer window.
Where that would have left us in Europe, how many domestic trophies we could have won is now speculation of course – but we could have a Celtic team with our reputation restored going into the 2025 26 season.
Yet the Board has chosen deliberate retrenchment of the football club this year – that is unforgivable if not unexpected.
Hail Hail
Adam Idah’s transfer to Swansea is interesting
Not a sniff of him leaving all window, first choice forward in the first leg of the play off then allowed to go to the first team interested, agree terms and then be told by Brendan he couldnt go until we found a replacement. Then sold when we didn’t, leaving us with a much weaker team for at least the first half of the season
What was Brendan doing? If he talks about not wanting to weaken the squad by letting him go without a replacement, then letting him go, isn’t he deliberately weakening the squad by doing it?
Perhaps there was something of benefit to Celtic in it but I can’t see it. Perhaps removing one of his biggest mistakes from the scene benefited Brendan more than Celtic.
Haven’t seen much talk of Trusty recently either
CAPS NOT SHOUTING SORRY
The Battered Bunnet on 2nd September 2025 9:00 am
ShamblesCSC
Can’t get away from the nagging feeling that the failure to improve (or even backfill) the squad has been a measured decision.
DON’T THINK YOU WILL FIND ANYONE ARGUING WITH THAT. QUESTION IT RAISES WHAT BUSINESS DELIBERATELY SELF HARMS?
BR is in his final year, he has declined the (assumed) offer to extend, and the board has closed the book on him. That’s my take. The transition from elite to lite is simply the natural low point in the cycle, as the board (I think) see it.
NO EXTENSION HAS BEEN OFFERED
To be honest, it’s all been fairly stale on the pitch for a long time and the manager is entirely responsible for that. Failure to win every meaningful match since January is to his account. In other circumstances I might be looking forward to a new face, a new broom, new ideas.
AGAIN LITTLE ARGUEMENT IT HAS BEEN STALE HOWEVER MANAGER IS NOT ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE. DO YOU THINK WE WOULD BE AS STALE IF FOR EXAMPLE WE HAD EFFIECTIVELY REPLACED KYOGO? OR IS WE RECOGNISED THAT KHUN WAS ANGLING AND WE PERHAPS COULD HAVE BACKFILLED EARLY? OR IF WE HAD DONE AS PREVIOUSLY AND LOOKED AT THE WINTER WINDOW SERIOUSLY AS A STEPPING STONE FOR SUMMER EG REO, MATT, DIAZEN? NOT ENTIRELY MANAGERS FAULT THEN.
But these aren’t other circumstances. This is the situation we (the club’s leadership) have created ourselves.
AGREED
If it precipitates the kind of changes that we need from top down it might well be worth it, but I’m looking at the Board, I’m looking at Tom Allison, Brian Wilson, Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond. These guys are not going to change a lifetime of instinct and move out of the way.
AGREED MORE IS THE PITY – BEING A CELTIC MAN MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE
We’ve hit the glass ceiling many times, getting so far and no further, but it’s only just dawned on me that the glass ceiling is one we have manufactured and installed ourselves, or at least, requisitioned from elsewhere and pulled down further on top of us.
AGREED – ITS ALWAYS GOING TO BE THERE JUST WISH IT WAS A LITTLE HIGHER…….
DismayCSC
The cold reality is Brendan was not backed this window, he will not be backed come the next window, therefore we will limp towards the season end with players he did not want, having to make a silk purse out of a sows ear and then face the fannying about to get a new manager in and the circus starts al over again
Brilliant.