I was dismissive at the prospect of signing Kelechi Iheanacho (now 29) when the move was mooted in September. The player’s contract was terminated by Sevilla, following an unproductive six-month loan at Middlesborough. Injury has blighted his time since, but when fit, he has shown enough to demonstrate he is clearly the best striker at the club.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (32) was a regular for Besiktas last season, spent until November alone, before training with former club Arsenal. He has won all major English trophies this decade and has a Champions League winners’ medal from 2019, when he was an unused Liverpool sub opposite Victor Wanyama on the Tottenham bench.
Victor was a year older than Alex when the former signed for Dunfermline in 2025. That experiment did not end well, as our former idol was a ghost of his former self.
The spectrum of outcomes between Kelechi’s clear ability and Victor’s ineffectiveness are all possible for a player who has been out of the game for a few months. Martin O’Neill has taken scouting updates from Arsenal and has clearly heard enough to convince him to move. Let’s hope he is well informed.
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EMERALDBEE \O/ A DOUBLE NINER!! on 7TH FEBRUARY 2026 1:44 PM
Oh, and the Ox has been spotted with the team, in the team’s hotel, at lunch time.
Looks like it is a goer!
Ave Ave
…………
I hear we’re in for an Italian free contract centre half, Bisto.
HH
Burnley78
Please do not infer that the fans going to the game today are somewhat bigger and better Celtic supporters than those who elect to boycott the match.
The reality is had fans not utilised the boycott option with Celts for Change then we would not have enjoyed the domestic success ( pity not European) we have had in the succeeding years.
I respect your decision to go to the game today and you should respect those Celtic supporters who have decided not to.
We have regressed as a football team/ club under this Board and management team, which can be evidenced by the fact we do not have a properly functioning recruitment department, and to this end we require people with the necessary skills to join our Board and replace a COE who blatantly does not posses skills necessary to improve our team and Club.
I won’t repeat the definition of insanity here, as I won’t insult your intelligence. But this appears to be what you are advocating.
Enjoy the game and I hope we secure a victory.
jeesus h
The SFA have confirmed the appointment of Ryan Lee for the Scottish Cup tie.
Lee will be assisted by David McGeachie and Douglas Ross.
Meanwhile, at Clydesdale House, David Dickinson is on VAR and he will be assisted by Andrew Dallas.
ffs
A Celtic supporter voluntarily choosing to miss a game is a big sacrifice, no doubt. I understand entirely why it is being advocated though I don’t agree with it. I just hope that it crystalises the issue on both sides and results in meaningful dialogue and a resolution.
Some on here, actually only one that I could identify, find it difficult to grasp the difference between being unable to attend a Scottish Cup tie @ Celtic Park, and actively Bhoycotting Martin & Co.’s Celtic team. The former would include the likes of me, Auldheid, TNT, and Turkeybhoy, the latter buying into the narrative parroted by both the Celtic Fans Collective and the Green Brigade. There is substantial opposition to the bhoycott within the former and the latter are formally banned from Celtic Park for a whole host of reasons, all of which they consider trivial. I have said on here before that for all its’ faults the one area we cannot fault the Celtic Board is making match tickets home and away available to both the Green Brigade and Celtic Supporters Clubs, the latter for decades. Looking forward to watching the game later today, and feel, in part because we did not play midweek, that we are in for a football treat, and a few goals. Still got to go out there and do it though. Go to it!
AllonsYCSC
I hope when Celtic Board of directors iron out there differences ,the fans ask if they could have a fanzone built ,and good food outlets ,toilets etc ,which these things are well orverdue,fans have been badly treated over the years ,especially with all the inclement weather we get in this world,there is no excuses,the superstore should have been built a lot bigger,wih hot food outlets being provided,
Country instead of World
Emeraldbee
Would you not agree that we had a much stronger squad and were playing great football during Ange tenure than the 18/19 or 19/20 or 20/21 seasons ?
Sure we signed a few who did not blossom / or return on investment (McCarthy etc) but we finished under Ange in a much better place than when BR left and a much better place than what MON inherited when he took over in the autumn this season.
For whatever reason we have gone from being a treble winning team playing the most enjoyable football we have seen at CP in my life to a club in chaos.
For the record I loved the first 2 years under BR. My mum and dad both saw their last games at Celtic Park in the invincible season and went out on a high. Mum’s last big game was the Aberdeen Cup Final. Incredible memories from that time. He brought another level of professionalism to the club and filled the stands. My son loved his time working in Jack Naylors sports science team there during that period. Scott Brown (a good friend) raced about BR as a boss and credited him with adding 25% to his game. Sadly all good things came to an end. I was flying back from Houston when my son and I heard the news of his departure and we were concerned. Very concerned. The ship steadied though and that’s another story. It was a bit of a mess after our first Derby loss to Gerard’s rangers. We seasoned and won 2 more leagues.
Ange re energised us after the chaos of Covid and I would say our squad with Hart / JJ / Starfelt / CCV / Taylor / Cal / Mooy / MCCarthy / Hatate / Rogic / Bitton / Abada / GG / MOR / Kyogo / Maeda and others was a huge upgrade. The football and results matched. Ultimately we emphatically beat an over spending side who were a penalty away from winning Europa Cup to a league title and won 2 and then 3 trophies.
We were on a high. Ange left and thereafter we have run aground.
I have my views on why this is.
No one is taking money out of the club. The club has been winning domestically. We had a range of fixtures which made it hard to fail to qualify in Europe CL last season but by then we were declining. Football was poor and we seemed to lose our smarts in recruitment.
Sadly I do think the major shareholder made a massive mistake (not his first) in giving BR the management job with no real consultation and then giving him the keys to the whole football division. The football was no longer a good watch and despite a poor domestic opponent we struggled to beat then convincingly. The performance in losing to Bayern was an outlier. For whatever reason (there are many many not nice suggestions as to why) the manager spent months focusing on manipulating the support rather than doing his job. The owner should have removed him in the summer and failed to take the tough decision. I doubt the CEO had the clout to make that happen…..the largest shareholder would not have feared fan reaction as much as it had become ‘personal’.
Sadly the blame attached to the board for this scenario is largely for not challenging a large shareholder over which they had limited power. Annoying the one guy who could have influenced DD in this period had been neutered namely the much maligned PL.
Yes it’s a mess. Yes it is down to the largest shareholder who compounded his error with Nancy. Yes though I do believe he has learned and will get it right and the changes needed will be made re football structure. Not because of fan pressure but because of need to succeed.
Personally I don’t think the board are to blame but it is clear we need a stronger coms set up with board rep, a board level football structure head. A stronger CEO.
All of this will happen but not because of fan pressure. Because it is needed.
Aahh …..
Meant, aahh … EK Bhoy
If the club has made a pre-contract offer for 28 year old Xaver Schlager (and we only have media claims for this) does that suggest that MON or Shaun are staying? If not, who is he being recruited for?
Does it also suggest a change of approach – established player, no resale value.
LADTH @ 12:45am.
Lol.
🤣🤣🤣
Perhaps his other brother, Grol, isn’t as highly rated because he goes down to easily?
(I’ll get my coat)
BURNLEY78 on 7TH FEBRUARY 2026 2:32 PM
….
I would add DD appointment of Tisdale was another shocker , apparently met him at one of Gordon Strachans sons wedding ( warning rumour alert).
There will be a new football structure in place by the summer , I’d have expected MN to have resigned after Wilfried crashed and burn , but there may be a slot available to him in a new structure.
Broadly agreed with your summary , seems to me we have suffered from having Brendan and Tisdale playing silly beggars.
HH
I’m going to the game today , I also hate our present board but love Celtic more than I hate the board.Also if you are going to have a boycott would it not have been better to announce it before people had paid for their tickets ?
thanks for the neil young tips bhoys – lovin the albums today
I also add to above I do not think DD is the problem. He has made mistakes for sure. He needs a structure and leadership in place similar to in his other entities. One which will take full ownership.
Any change (eg to a PE acquirer such as 49rs ) would lead to a significant additional financial burden in the form of leverage payback and other costs. DD / CT etc do not take out of the business. For them it is about asset value growth for long term. That occurs when there is some form of adjustment in European / Global football structure. Before then it will only be tinkering around the edges. The new CL format should have helped us a bit but sadly it will be some time before we get back there I fear.
Burnley78 @ 2:32pm – don’t agree 100% but a number of really good points made.
Respect.
PL’s capacity to influence DD (and to support the CEO) has been lost in the blood lust.
I loved Ange’s year. It was thrilling.
My regular caveat though.
We imploded as a club.
He lifted us up a long way but from a very low starting point.
The short term strategy was clear. Get lots of decent players in quickly and stabilise.
Similar to now.
We also had genuine jeopardy.
Similar to now.
Ange’s leadership … for me more than his management and much more than his coaching … was compelling.
Particularly how he navigated us through that December.
We trusted the guy even in hard times.
Similar to now with Martin.
Final point .. Michael Nicholson as CEO ?
For me, concerns fall largely into 2 broad categories.
1. His qualifications for the job
2. His capacity to be “The Chief”
If MN leaves in next 6 months, addressing #1 is achievable simply enough.
#2 is in DD’s hands and the board’s
I’ll be watching today, on CelticTV, because I’ve paid my subscription. But solidarity with the GB and the boycotting fans.
Re. new signing Schlager, I’m not sure he”has no resale value”. He’s still got quite a few years left in him, has been blighted by injury recently, but is a very good CM. I hate Leipzig – as does anyone with a footballing sense here – but he’s quality. Someone (MoN or Shaun?) has clearly been scouting the Bundesliga quite closely.
Really looking forward to today’s game. Hoping for a big crowd and thorough dismissal of the boycott brigade. Absolutely pitiful behaviour by the collective.
it was never boring. 159 goals in a season.
Boycott: To abstain from or act together in abstaining from using, buying, dealing with, or participating in as an expression of protest or disfavor or as a means of coercion
———
So that includes watching the game in zny format.
HH
Scotland are in trouble in the rain
Elgin game on but 40 miles away Aberdeen in the SPFL has 2 games postponed, Dundee were fined for this a couple of seasons back.
jackiemac
Ten man Scotland back in it
Missed conversion though 18-15 Italy
I also add to above I do not think DD is the problem. He has made mistakes for sure. He needs a structure and leadership in place similar to in his other entities. One which will take full ownership.
—
honestly, thats a ridiculous, and ignorant, comment.
‘ownership’ ?
PLCs are ‘owned’ by the shareholders.
DD has the most amount of shares than any other shareholder, but he only owns 35ish percent.
he has assumed ‘ownership’ and enforced it by getting lap-dogs in the PLC exec and board.
the job of PLC execs and board isnt to take ‘full ownership’. or any ownership for that matter.
to say it again – a PLC is owned by the shareholders.
you can be on the board, and be and exec, without having a single share, therefore ‘owning’ 0%.
No team news?
Scotland are in trouble in the rain
—
ach, its been raining in scotland in the 50-odd years ive been alive.
we will be fine 😁
No team news?
—
half an hour, on the dot.
Oxlade-Chamberlain fishal
WElcome AOC
Dempsey sklaffs it
we have signed a few cart-horses over the years.
so its great to sign an ox 🐂
brilliant LADTH
Penalty ad Scotland
Scotland going for it
Final play…
phase 22 ffs
Italians have done it