The goals have flowed easily against weaker opposition this season; three or more have gone in against Partick, Livingston and Falkirk, but six goals in our other eight games is below trend. Worrying, though that is, there are positives.
Visits to Pittodrie, Ibrox, Belgrade and Almaty (!) were completed with the concession of only one goal. Indeed, in three of those games Celtic scarcely conceded a chance. Team structure, which has challenges going forward, is protecting the back line with impressive results.
This is curious, as only 11 games into the season, we are on our third right back and have switched between two at left back. I could also add that Cameron Carter-Vickers has looked below his usual high standard. Liam Scales has been an absolute standout so far this season. His speed and industry are unmatched in central defence in recent times, just being in the right place is often enough.
Kelechi Iheanacho’s fitness will continue to improve, the full backs will settle into partnerships with wingers and we can expect more goals going forward. Progress, however, will be built on the defence, with Liam Scales covering the field. This could be the Scales season.
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I agree, Paul. Liam has been developed impressively and is our starting left CB on merit.
“This could be the Scales season.”
And a fine that would be too, but my instinct says he’s the source of most of the attacking possession our opponents enjoy.
MuchRoomToImproveCSC
If he maintains this he’s a stick-on for player of the year. Would love to see it as he’s a top guy. Great attitude, smart boy.
Yeah, 27 years old and getting better, this is a Celtic team based on defence, and potentially the better for it. Johnston CCV, Liam and KT are 26, 27, 27 and 28. If we can keep them together we’ve got a great back line for many years.
Stevie O Podcast on YouTube have a look,
AN DÚN on 1ST OCTOBER 2025 12:05 PM
I agree, Paul. Liam has been developed impressively and is our starting left CB on merit.
It’s almost like young players get better the older they get 🤷
And and older players get worse the older they get
It’s almost like young players get better the older they get 🤷
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If only it were about age, Celtic40me.
More so, many hours of good coaching.
When Liam has to defend he generally defends very well. No messing. He has made critical blocks and clearances time and time again
But . . .
When Liam is playing out from the back and attempting a forward pass, he is prone to giving the ball away or playing it to one of our players who is already being closely marked often resulting in a loss of possession. He does this in pretty much every big game we play. He has been doing the same thing since he broke into the team.
If he could sort that out, we truly would have an excellent CB.
DENIABHOY on 1ST OCTOBER 2025 12:21 PM
I don’t think he’s capable of that – but we won’t be long in selling him on if he does.
He’s limited but does defend well and has come on leaps and bounds from the player that was bombed out by Ange.
Paul,
Nice to see a football post without the digs.
I was at the Hibs game. First visit to CP in over a year. It’s always a privilege to be there and to be amongst Celtic supporters.
Obviously, we need to sharpen up our forward play, but I am sure that Brendan will have the team improving.
Weeron
On the subject of CB’s, Burnley’s man, Maik Nawrocki, has recovered from his latest injury and has made the bench for Hannover’s last 3 German second division league games.
He’s yet to make a competitive appearance this season.
If Pittodrie, Ibrox, Belgrade and Almaty are the benchmarks, i think many defences would be clinking the glasses at the lack of a goal threat
Liam’s controlled aggression is a fantastic asset for us and it’d be nice if we had a few more who could apply it/dial it up the way Liam does, particularly in midfield against the more robust sides and their nyaffs (yes Dio and Nico, I’m looking at youze).
And while Liam is culpable for fairly regular stray passes they’re often committed when he’s trying to play an attacking ball forward; which is good to see from a defender.
Actually, I’d love to see whether he’s any worse than, say, Hatate who’s praised for trying ambitious or cute passes that dont quite come off. Or Daizen or big Arne.
Least Liam isn’t deterred by snipers as he continues to develop and improve; clearly a clever young pro.
Well done to those Celtic fans who backed the Horse DOUBLE yesterday.
The ” DAIZEN and NAKAMURA ” DOUBLE paid out at odds of 60/1.
As for me, I had backed some Horses yesterday at other Meetings, and I hadnt noticed DAIZEN running at AYR, and I also failed to even look at the Race Card for CORK, where NAKAMURA Won.
Sometimes, I can be a CHUMP !
LOL.
HH.
An Dun
Starfelt was clearly a better option for Ange at that time. I don’t believe Scales was ever bombed out by Ange though.
Aye, well done Celtic for developing Liam on his way back to Aberdeen, till BR stepped in.
An dun
Yes our top tier manager would sneer at Hannover just as you do.
Lucky Brugge didn’t as they signed their star player this season from them for £5m. Likewise they signed their star last year from B2 for similar cash from fortuna Düsseldorf. Fortunately for Tony Bloom he plucked his current Brighton coach from St Pauli when they had just won B2.
Still you can enjoy highlighting BRs great development of Scales. And Ange’s failings. You can enjoy BR outdated football for another 8 months or so.
I don’t believe Scales was ever bombed out by Ange though.
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Please allow me to refresh your memory, Burnley.
Liam’s last appearance for Celtic under Ange was in February 2022 against Raith Rovers in the SC. He never played again that season and was sent out to Aberdeen that summer.
I was there when Liam made his Celtic debut, I think, League Cup match against Raith Rovers @ The Park.
Left back if I remember rightly. Thought he hs got something about him, still do. Never saw much of him after that under Ange. Made most of his progress as a player on loan at Aberdeen, under Barry Robson I think, former player who appreciated what Liam brings to the party. Nearly went back there permanently under Brendan, but with Carl going stayed on. Not a bad defender, (Ayebrokes with Acker Bilk/Atalanta/Belgrade etc) but as TBB has pointed out he can bring trouble to our door. He has a tendency, beit at Hampden or elsewhere to pass directly to the opposition, sometimes with disastrous consequences. In Belgrade he brought the ball out left side and after a series of passes, back and forward, which got shorter and shorter, we lost, he lost, possession in our own half. On a chess board the proverbial equivalent of a check mate. Thing is LS can hit a long ball, but as is Brendan’s way of things he rarely does, KT likewise. As a result he can and does play us into trouble and often does. True he can make a last ditch tackle, and does offer threat at set pieces, but he is far from the finished article, more a decent SPL level centre back. Nothing wrong with that, but needs to learn what is the right ball at the right time and as Graham Taylor use to say if that is the long ball then play that instead of the Brendan ball.
Liam has definitely lost a lot of his raw edges which great to see . Something is responsible, depending which camp you’re in , whether it’s Brendan’s coaching, or a genie which popped out of an old lamp Liam found in a skip .
GLENDALYSTONSILS on 1ST OCTOBER 2025 12:58 PM
Liam has definitely lost a lot of his raw edges which great to see . Something is responsible, depending which camp you’re in , whether it’s Brendan’s coaching, or a genie which popped out of an old lamp Liam found in a skip .
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A Dermot Dastardly signing 🥸👍
Incredible that our goals for is down after selling our best goalscorers and not replacing them!
The improvement in Scales highlights the importance of competition for places. He has been far better and more consistent since the arrival of Trusty.
Timbhoy163 on 1st October 2025 12:15 pm
Stevie O Podcast on YouTube have a look,
Timbhoy, got a link?
Ave Ave
bournesouprecipe on 1st October 2025 1:05 pm
A Dermot Dastardly signing 🥸
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He has an eye for a player . The other skelly eye spotted James McCarthy .
The returnof weeron on [1st October 2025 12:28 pm]
……
This isn’t personally aimed at you, but more of a general observation, of why are Celtic fans feeling attacked if someone asks a question of the manager?
That Paul67 is viewed as having digs at our £75,000 per week manager, in the SPL, with zero opposition, every time Paul67 questions Rodgers, demonstrates a mass psychosis [like we saw during the covid plandemic] of Celtic fans who cult like, swallow all of Rodgersism, without placing checks and balances against Rodgers that any other Celtic manager would correctly be subject to.
Why is that?
Are Celtic fans really just 60,000 wee fearties who need to be wrapped in a Rodgers security blanket or they can’t live their lives normally?
Cult mindset is usually associated with those who voted for the Snp crimewave empire, degenerating children, etc, etc, yet if anyone asked a question about it, they are called a racist or a troll, by people who’s little fragile worlds just fall in on them, if someone simply asks a question.
Wy is that?
Maybe the Celtic era were questions are sneered and jeered is the most UN-Celtic era in Celtic’s history?
A fanbase who watch the PLC shafting them at almost all transfer windows, apart from when big grizzly Ange puts the foot down and all business is done in 2 weeks max, allowing new signings to gel into the managers plans.
But under Rodgers there is a monumental disaster in every window.
Why is that?
Is it because Rodgers is scared of standing up to the slippery PLC?
Is it because the PLC are all too aware that Rodgers does not have the steel balls of Neil Lennon who said “F THIS” and walked out, leaving the PLC to come up with Ronny D.
Or does Rodgers actually welcome being shafted by the PLC, because when Rodgers gets found out he can start his Chinese whisper games saying he never bought the players who don’t measure up, knowing that 60,000 easily gulled fans will get out their wee feartie violins and fight Rodgers battles for him just before his contract runs out and he signs a new rolling one as the EPL teams don’t want relegated so won’t risk they’re clubs being relegated because of Rodgers never learn lessons skill set mediocrity.
What a time to be alive.
Desmond appears to be our chief Irish scout. Paddy McCourt is on record as saying Desmond signed him and that Strachan didn’t know who he was when he showed up for training – WGS thought the Derry Pele was part of a tour.
I’m not sure we’ve moved on much in terms of a coordinated recruiting policy.
Kev
I think you make a valid point. My tuppence worth is that the debate has largely become quite polarised
Regardless of topic (finances, recruitment, tactics) there is a tendency to label everyone as Team A or Team B. Peter or Brendan if you will.
There have been some really unhinged character assassinations of the manager on here, they come along fairly regularly. Because of this, some posters may adopt the other extreme and become pretty defensive of BR. I suspect I may fall into this category.
Really, several aspects of our football operation need to be reviewed and improved.
Several individuals are not performing their role adequately. Like wider social media, extreme polarisation stops any constructive debate from happening. The solutions are generally found in the middle ground.
(Gaza, inflation, immigration, Celtic recruitment)
AN DÚN on 1ST OCTOBER 2025 12:20 PM
And physical development, and experience.
All those football players who peaked in their late twenties without Brendan’s expert coaching.
How much influence does he even have on development these days?
“ “John’s brilliant for us,” he said. “Obviously my first time here got to know him and his work and at that time I’d have done a lot of the coaching.
Brendan Rodgers has revealed he allows his coaches to work day-to-day on the training pitch
“But now a lot of the guys I’ve worked with before so they understand what it is we want to do so I can leave that to John and liaise close with him some of the principles or tweaks I would like within that.
“All the guys, even the penalties when we get round to them, we do the work and understand who’s taking and in what order.
“The coaching staff on a day to day for me are absolutely brilliant. And that’s difficult for me because I’ve been a coach all my life.
“I was never a great player like you guys so my work was on the grass and it’s probably only in the last three or four years I’ve taken a wee bit of a step back.”
Lennon then joked Rodgers can sit with his feet up now, to which he chuckled: “Well it’s a different… it’s the management issues then that you deal with and the vision for the club.
“A lot of hard work goes into it.”
I see that the latest Celtic Fan Collective update concedes that the early game silent protests have proved to be less popular than first anticipated.
Time to ditch this nonsense?
Where would Scales development be if first-team-ready Austin Trusty hadnt turned out to be so disappointing?
Talking of Celtic centre backs and development, watching Virgil Van Dijk last night talking after the game it struck me what an exceptional temperament he has for such an outstanding player
It made me think about his development, what was his development timeline from being turned down by the big Northern European clubs to playing at Celtic under Lenny and Ronnie to being voted the second best player in the world and one of the great centre halves of his generation? When does the big progress happen, how much is natural progress, coaching , physical development, experience, the league and competitive environment someone is playing in?
It’s the uncertainties that Celtic have used to our advantage over the years – a lot of hard work and resource goes into finding and developing players that clubs higher up the food chain dont want to, or are unable to do.
It’s what smart football clubs do, we need to get back to it.
Celtic40
Like Kùhn and O’Riley?
Or further back?
Austen Trusty back in training 👍
tom mclaughlin@1.58pm
KInda reminds me of Hirohito on Hiroshima…
“The war situation has developed not necessarily to Japan’s advantage…”
That awkward moment when they release the Henrik Larsson “ coin “‘
Will Dane Murray develop further and be Liam’s replacement? 5 years younger than Liam (22), does he have the potential to be a regular starter or is he seen as a Scottish squad filler for UEFA requirements?
If he is good enough, we could have Donovan, Murray and KT all in the back 4 showing their is a pathway to first team.