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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ONENIGHTINLISBON on 2ND SEPTEMBER 2025 11:33 AM
That Rodger’s can be a disrupter/narcisstist and the plc wholly incompetent and arrogant to the supporters concerns, while getting rich themselves on the back of our money – can both be true at the same time.
Aston Villa introduced a 17 year old on Sunday plenty of pace ,looks as if he will be a very good winger ,Celtic signed a young Welsh striker with plenty of pace ,I forget his name,maybe Rodgers should give him a run in the first team ,this him being a project confined to the B team to be never seen again ,and this myth about being to young,doesn’t sit with me ,at least give him a few run outs before we judge him,I think he came from Fulham , incidentally I feel sorry for Yang I know he isn’t the greatest but to be subject of all the abuse he is getting, like he is getting it as the club messed up in this transfer window, give him a break it’s not fair.
Roll on the 1st of January !!!🙈🥴😴🤪
The Emperor has no tactics…..
The Board has no Business in running us….
Where’s Ajeti when you need him ? 🤪
Everything is for the best in this the best of all possible Celtic worlds.
Prof Pangloss CFC.
lots of infaltraitors posting sh*** over the last few days for their own objectives and we know who you are ,so give it a rest you are just regurtating the same crap over and over again and boring us to death , it is was it is ,support the team we have a league to win ,so give it a rest , their are enough doubters and ars*holes spewing their hatred of us in the media without or own copying and backing them and posting negativity on this blog, we are Celtic supporters through and through ,aye right.
new article posted.
My only entrenched position is what Celtic do on the field. To understand why they haven’t scored a goal in the last three games ! As the posters on here are stating BR has dismantled the forward line, for the love of me I can’t understand why. If Idah was supposed to replace Kyogo then well be it ( even though many Celtic fans preferred Kyogo as a player ). To now give up on Idah ( whose two goals against Aston Villa proved to me he can bag goals in big games) and not even try to replace him with a new forward is a neglect of duties. I’m no fan of the big wigs at the club but why should they trust BR to spend big when his policy for signings is so erratic? Off the field today we hear of a new signing…a winger we are told…for an undisclosed fee…….and the kid gets a five year contract ! There’s no transparency at the club and the business doings need greater scrutiny
Sad to say it was true that Jimmy Bone had passed away. He was a great number 9 and a better man.
Rest in Peace Mr Bone.
I remember Jimmy Bone well and share RIMTIMTIM’s condolences. He went out his way to help others, not like most technical assessors in the SFA. 25 at the time, I was one of the youngest to attempt a UEFA B LICENCE qualification. Spent invaluable time with him after scheduled hours at Largs on the training field and not only did he do so unpaid, Jimmy Bone applied himself wholeheartedly. He communicated coaching skills in a manner that fitted the audience and despite my relative inexperience encouraged me to remain confident under pressure. That was the difference between passing and falling.
Jimmy Bone, thank you, Requiescat In Pace.