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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Celtic Mac @ 9:53 am,
Spot on…
Let me put it another way, name one important game that we were expected to win and lost.
That was Aberdeen in the Cup Final which we lost on penalties.
Even then, do we have a God given right to win every demestic trophy, I’d say no.
We qualified for the UCL playoffs this year, we held our own against Bayern Munich in that playoffs, losing by an injury time goal.
We won the League this year.
Spoilt rotten…
Hail Hail
How to win the premier league by Ian Graham, (ex head of data at Liverpool) is a great read.
Rodger’s doesn’t come out of it too well, though. The key takeaway is that almost all new signings did not fail when the manager, video analysts, scouting team and data teams were all aligned all agreed on identified signing targets.
Graham does also highlights that it also worked because the US owners did not interfere and left the process to the footballing division after recruitment budgets were approved.
Unlikely to happen at Celtic fc while DD is pulling the strings and with a board happy to facilitate him without any evidence of challenge.
Celtic40
Some intersting posts from you at 0942 and again at 1036.
You mention Brendan / he / him / his a total of twenty times across the 2 posts. Can I assume you lay all of the blame at his Gucci shoes?!!
I suspect your approach is symptomatic of what we’ll see today. Entrenched positions being defended, often contrary to logic or counter arguments.
My own opinion is that our entire end to end recruitment process is broken. From the identification of a need for a new player, through long lists, short list, club to club negotiations and finally player.
It’s a shambles, a disgrace.
I hope for much constructive debate today.
I fear the worst come the 12 o’clock article!
Tim hats for all
Glenowen
Tim hats for all, don’t know if that’s deliberate ,but some will say only Tim hats we already have , not another penny will they give …
😉😋
Bhoy From The Boyne @ 10:31 am,
That is absolute nonsense, Ian Graham doesn’t like Brendan Rodgers and has tried to do a factionalised autobiography to make out he was the man.
He wasn’t
Brendan Rodgers did some great signings for Liverpool and made the Club money.
Ian Graham is an irrelevant footnote in football circles and bigging himself up does not change that.
Unless you can tell me, independent of his book, what he actually achieved.
Hail Hail
CHAIRBHOY on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2025 10:38 AM
If you say so 😄
BHOY FROM THE BOYNE on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2025 10:31 AM
In any given professional environment, people will have their own views and disagreements. They’ll air those views from their point of view.
Anyone looking at Celtic and blaming our manager for the sale of Kyogo and Idah without replacement is either very stupid, or they think the readers of this blog are very stupid.
It’s that simple.
Bognorbhoy
Oops, apologies.
Should obviously be ‘tin hats’ we’re all wearing today.
Not sure whether frustrations or eyesight takes the blame.
Bit of both probably!
celtic40me on 2nd September 2025 10:16 am
“Haven’t seen much talk of Trusty recently either”
Last spotted in Waitrose yesterday with a fairly hefty lower leg brace – shouldn’t really affect his pace though
\o/
celtic40me on 2nd September 2025 10:16 am
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
________________________________________________
Wow you are relentless
For info Trusty is injured or do you not follow Celtic news?
It is truly amazing the things you can blame BR for – does it ever stop?
Again just for info as you seem hard of thinking – last season Celtic won and league and cup double, had its best return in the CL for decades and came within an ace of the quarters pushing Munich all the way. Remarkably they managed that with a team that contained failures like Engels, Idah and Trusty – who’d have thought that possible.
Try and find some balance
BSR at 9.25
Nicely done, old friend.
Bhoy From The Boyne @ 10:41 am,
I most certainly do…
There was a good debate on the subject on Sentinel Celts – BMCUWPS destroyed TGM nonsense, he was spouting the same nonsense you.
Hail Hail
I think our Emperor might just have experienced “Et tu, Brute?” last night.
True but just as equally, questions need to be asked about Rodger’s inability to beat teams that maintain a low to mid block.
No additional new forwards would have resolved this IMO when the issues against Kairat and Sevco evidently stem from the selected centre backs to central midfielders to progress the ball forward. The whole system is fecked up.
Rodger’s seems to be getting a free pass on his poor tactics and player selections from majority of the fans and he is happy to promote the lack of forwards recruited to deflect from his failings.
CHAIRBHOY on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2025 10:46 AM
Nonsense?
Just stating the authors take on his experience working with Rodger’s.
Take a walk maybe and a bit of rest. The amount of time you spend on here posting nonsense can’t be good for you.
Hearing new article will be –
“Our transfer window has no clothes!”
Bhoy From The Boyne @ 10:58 am,
You arrogance is only trumped by your ignorance.
Using info over ten years old by someone who disliked Brendan Rodgers to try to discredit our manager is thin gruel.
Our Board cocked up mightily again in the transfer window and you are looking at a decade old distraction.
It won’t wash…
Hail Hail
TBB @9:00 and BSR@9:25 two excellent, thoughtful posts
CQN has no news
With respect to many good posters on here, I completely disagree with our focus for the season.
I would put everything into the Europa applying maximum priority .
Our transfer window was a sh@tshow, but no more negativity from our manager and captain. No more tears, roll the sleeves up and work.
We may just regain some credibility and status.. It is factual, European football refreshes the parts that domestic football cannot reach.
This is where an elite manager should demonstrate the meaning of the word.
Our discredited board now have a major part to play. They can price the games to sell. A recognition that they have slept at the wheel and the fans should not pay the price of their collective failure.
Many may disagree but I feel European progress is the only way forward now. It keeps us relevant and it will assist with future signings,
We desperately need the profile.
Our remaining multi million pound squad must produce on two fronts. ( Europe and the league )
Domestic cups must be a lower priority and teams picked accordingly.
The consequential downsizing of CL failure and lack of forward planning must be absorbed by the dysfunctional board..
HH.
THE BATTERED BUNNET
Cheers Tone
DISMAY indeed CSC
Chairbhoy:
There are people on here using flimsier arguments than that mate.
Astonishing that anyone could blame Rodgers for that disaster.
As to the idea that he “benefits” from seeing Idah sold … so ridiculous, so risible, it’s not even worth the energy to argue over.
But this is what we’re up against. Not entrenched positions as much as people pursuing a vendetta.
On the Ian Graham motivation …
… I’m largely with Chairbhoy.
His subsequent career path and need to develop it appear to be drivers for his public utterances.
There are people in life whose response to their new ideas not being well received is to privately declare themselves ahead of their time.
There is a but though.
Brendan Rodgers has a track record of publicly disagreeing with other recruitment stakeholders.
Including these pesky metrics guys.
I’m not saying he is wrong and they are right.
Far from it.
IMHO, the “nod” from the manager should carry the day AFTER a collaborative identification and short listing process.
But I am saying there has been before, and again this month, a bristly feel to BR’s interactions with others involved.
CHAIRBHOY on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2025 10:10 AM
————————
👏👏👏 Played
Trusty has plantar fasciitis unless you don’t believe the Managers medical update on him, he is unfit at the moment.
Greenpinata
I do think winning the league should be a priority also.
I have heard some folk say not too bothered if Hearts or Hibs win it but not rangers. Personally I really think the league is vital. I want Brendan Rodgers to exit positively and allow us to transition next summer.
We have a tricky period of games from now until Xmas with rangers actually having an easier run of it. If we can stay ahead of them and Hearts until we host them in January I will be delighted.
Allowing them a chance to galvanise and grow is not good.
Here they come.The Mealy Mouths.”Its a shared failure.I mean,Brendan just as guilty.We lost games we should have won.Its not Nicholson,(who is on £800,000 a year,)it’s DDs fault.We will just have to hope BR can get us through( If he fails,God help him).The Bookies have got us stronger favs for the League,(.Seemingly clueless to understand how that works),so that proves something.Never heard so much moaning in my life from people.Maybe the Board don’t want to give BR money,( really?how fekin crazy a statement is that).The best of the lot.”Maybe BR was the fault of this car crash.”.
The basic reasons being ignored,
Sold,Kyogo ,Kuhn, Taylor ,Idah,without a replacement in place.Add in Jota injured,no replacement.You have all the reasons right in front of your face.Gross mismanagement.Clueles bargaining on transfers,adding to the cluster fek.We are where we are today.
Every tournament we enter is a priority, everyone! The squad now though does look thin to compete in the EL and the SPFL, por cierto.
Would love to have been party to the phone call last night to Brendan
Hi Brendan……erm you know Seb Tounekti.
Brendan…aye
….well ..( awkward cough ) that’s it !!
James Forrest @ 11:10 am,
That’s absolutely true.
Now we are seeing some, who never really liked the idea of Brendan Rodgers coming back, suggesting it would be best for all if the manager resigned.
That would ne a great mistake, the Board would get what they want without having the grounds or cojones to do it themselves.
However, like you say, it is the agenda and vendetta merchants we need to be aware off…
You have to wonder what type of person is in and around our Club, when a person gets a job because of who they know, not what they know – is found out and allowed to leave on 12 months gardening leave.
Those who are deemed responsible for ‘doing the right thing” have a vendetta against them.
A vendetta so unrelenting that they are prepared to damage our football team, club reputation and history built on the shoulders of giants, to get their own back.
These sad pigmies should be nowhere near our club.
Hail Hail
Burnley,
Just piss off.
” I want Brendan to exit positively next season for an easy transition.The league is vital.”
How condescending is that.
Not any sort of condemnation for the shit show his cronies have just foisted onto the majority of the fans.Perish the thought.
Tosser.
Plenty of blame to go around but I cannot accept the argument that Rodger’s could not have negotiated the CL play-off’s due to the lack of forward signings.
Anybody who cares will also note my disdain for DD and the plc board over the years.
But the most recent failures past 2 weeks are on Rodger’s, his team selections and tactics.
He should have been able to beat Kairat over 2 legs regardless of the recruitment farcical.
TB,
Sorry, BR and the team on the park must share the blame for our disgraceful CL performances and subsequent exit.
It must go down as one of our most embarrassing and costly displays of all time.
Our multi million pound players selected and elite manager should have put this team to the sword. No ifs, no buts.
HH.
For the record, I would be happy to see Rodger’s leave now. He is a disrupter and a narcissist.
Unfortunately not such quick fix exists to remove Desmond and his plc lackies. This will be a long term, painful exercise driven by the fans.
As I’ve stated Rodgers should just walk.
Although that would allow them to replace him with Maloney & Kennedy earlier than they are planning to….
Damnonii nails it.
Grinding out 3 points, from our 14 league games till the end of the year, is all that matters.
Europa League is not the priority.
That is the situation Executive Management has put us in.
Bhoy From The Boyne on 2nd September 2025 11:32 am
For the record, I would be happy to see Rodger’s leave now. He is a disrupter and a narcissist.
Disrupting the boards ineptitude. Aye correct.
Burnley 78,
I did mention the league and the Europa.
Collectively our highly paid players and managerial team must earn their corn.
There are always consequences
HH.