Aims to ‘make an impact’ on the Europa League crystalise at Celtic Park with the visit of Portuguese side Sporting Braga this evening. The performance and result in Belgrade on match day 1 was encouraging, but only a win tonight will maintain the same momentum.
Brendan Rodgers has decisions to make about the forward line. Kelechi Iheanacho was left out of last week’s starting line-up against Red Star, but was pivotal in the pick-up in Celtic’s fortunes when he came on at the break. Having played 66 minutes on Saturday, you have to expect the Nigerian will get the nod tonight.
That leaves us the question of what to do about Daizen Maeda. Sebastian Tounekti will surely start on the left, leaving Daizen a consideration on the right, alongside James Forrest, Yang and Michel-Ange Balikwisha. My hunch is Daizen will start.
The main worry in the middle of the park is the fitness of Reo Hatate, who missed out at the weekend. Ignore anything detrimental you read about Reo’s form, he remains critical to Celtic’s play. Brendan will surely give him every chance tonight.
Banjamin Nygren was a stand-out in Belgrade and brought raw energy when he came on during the second half against Hibs on Saturday. I expect him to make another pivotal contribution against Braga.
We have fond memories of Gustaf Lagerbielke – Braga’s new central defender. Gus scored the goal that got a Champions League home win monkey off our back against Feyenoord, and can consider himself unfortunate not to see more action in his time at Celtic. His only other European game for Celtic was away at Feyenoord, where he was one of two Celtic players red carded. Let’s hope that vibe is more consistent with his experiences tonight.
84 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- »
@2:32pm post
https://x.com/WorkersPartyGB/status/1973720625333121337#m
The board (bored) are merely playing the long game (again). Classic strategy right out of a very expensive Tavistock Institute textbook. These strategies are aired in corporate boardrooms every day, and the effects are fascinating to watch at supporter level. I suspect we have some smarter individuals involved than what the stripey ties anticipate. Here’s the bones of it:
A long-running psychological operation that dangles the carrot is best understood as a protracted influence operation or strategic deception campaign. It keeps people engaged, compliant, or hopeful by presenting the illusion of progress or reward—always just out of reach.
How It Works
Gradual Conditioning:
People are nudged to believe change is happening. Even when it does, it’s framed to serve the psyop — reinforcing the illusion of progress.
Shifting Goalposts:
Expectations are constantly adjusted—just enough to maintain faith in the system.
Perpetual Near-Breakthroughs:
The promised reward or event is always almost here, but never actually materializes.
Weaponized Hope:
Hope itself becomes the trap—keeping people from walking away or questioning the narrative.
Why did we sell a striker who was going to get us 30 goals this season?
Will Rodgers regret being unable to make a player out of: Gustaf Lagerbielke?
https://celtsarehere.com/potential-celtic-braga-twist-europa-league-sub-plot/
Includes a map of where some seats are available
https://celtsarehere.com/celtic-braga-europa-league-news/
“celtic40me on 2nd October 2025 2:02 pm
You just made that up”
As one who agrees with Shakespeare that brevity is the soul of wit, that response made me smile :-))
On Hatate , where I recognize his inconsistency, one area he is always consistent on is how easily he is dispossessed.
The worst example of this was against Club Brugge but any team with a decent press can nick the ball from him. Drives me mad!
KevJungle on 2nd October 2025 2:46 pm
Thanks for that. Looks like a decent crowd. Over 50,000 I would say.
My preference for tonight…
Kasper
Tony
CCV
Liam
KT
Benji
Callum
Arne
Daizen
Kels
Seb
2-1 Celtic
Paul Cooney is now the enemy?
Changed days indeed since Paul Cooney went out of his waySTV/Radio/Clyde to save Celtic from disappearing alltogether during the early 1990’s desperate days when 99.9% of the Scottish media were on their knees begging for crumbs from David Murray’s table, as Celtic FC lay on a life support machine.
https://bornceltic.com/2025/10/02/celtic-fan-superbly-takes-paul-cooney-to-task-after-second-clueless-attack-in-two-days/
Paul Cooney CSC
An Dun
For absolute clarity :
I am not arguing that we should not have a far better football structure at the club. A head of football with clout and accountability on the board would be my advocacy.
I am also not arguing we should not have far far better coms than we currently have and a clear strategy better communicated in as unambiguous a manner as we can. Perhaps via a fan representation. (This could be tricky as there is no homogeneous Celtic fan ID really).
I also think we should be doing better against our recruitment strategy (such as it is). Eg I have know idea what BR’s guy is doing.
I just cannot understand why smart people, like yourself, cannot seem to recognise that despite the issues mentioned we are still underperforming as a team and you seem happy to give the manager a ‘free pass’ for losing the cup final, the recent record v rangers and mort importantly the Almaty shambles. To lose to a team with a squad as far below ours in value in such a critical game is a disgrace. Yet the manager deflects and creates chaos emerging unscathed in the eyes of fans.
To suggest not achieving at least last 16 in Europa is not due to the manager is just weird and flies in the face of the stats. I accept that if we had recruited as Brugge or others did then our aspirations could be realistically even higher.
Hot Smoked on [2nd October 2025 2:52 pm]
KevJungle on 2nd October 2025 2:46 pm
Thanks for that. Looks like a decent crowd. Over 50,000 I would say.
………
HH
oot before the racists and trolls come on ;]
Good news fans and Execs are meeting (GLENNOWEN @ 12.28)
I agree
But I would much rather Brendan and Peter were meeting
It my opinion that our “Relationship Management” (lack off) comes from the the divide between Brendan and Petr
I believe this is why Brendan left in Feb 2019, he felt he was not being supported by his Chief Exec (Peter)
He came back (again only my opinion) because DD probably gave him some assurances that Peter was out the game
Probably fair to say Peter is never out the game
You do not have the success and achievements of Peter by sitting on your hands
The appointment of Mark was interesting – was this Peter staying in the game
Without doubt the removal of Mark did nothing to bring Brendan and Peter closer together
The root cause (my opinion) all stems from the lack of a positive working relationship between Brendan and Peter
Nicholson and McKay caught in the middle between Brendan and Peter, DD it would seem is sitting on the fence but possibly Peters side of the fence
In fairness to Peter his track record – trophies won and cash in the bank is pretty impressive
Peter is stuck between a rock and a hard place
He could sack Brendan (or recommend he is sacked as apparently he is Non Exec) but paying up his contract goes against his financial principles, sacking Brendan would cost money
So he has to stick with him – but as he is sticking with him he will not go out of his way to support him
If and it’s a big If Peter was the source of that story about Brendan (for clarity Peter would never leak a story as toxic as that – but he could get someone to do it for him) then we really have got ourselves into a right old mess
From Brendans point of view he is going nowhere he feels the responsibility of seeing out his contract as he probably regrets leaving like he did last time
Throw all of that into the mixer and we have a Manager working with one hand tied behind his back
A non Ecex Chairman who apparently has no influence
A CEO and a CFO who is stuck in the middle and have not shown a backbone between them
And a majority shareholder who is letting the whole thing run
From a personal point of view I have always enjoyed our European nights but Brag is of limited interest
To me the only show in town is to win the league
Having a poor run in Europe is far more easy to deal with emotionally than allowing ‘them’ to win the league
The problem exists because Brendan and Peter have not gone for a pint
Shame it could have been a great season for now I will be happy with the league
67ECW
CELTIC40ME on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 2:35 PM
I was all for Jota coming back. And I agree that moving Kyogo on for Jota was good business.
But I don’t see how any of this prevented us from having a striker brought in to replace the striker we sold. We had the money. We had the time.
I’d hazard a guess that motivating any player at a club with no ambition might be a something of a struggle…..
Celtic Mac,
You compare Halands record with Celtics.Try Liverpool’s,and a few other clubs who have actually spent many millions.
Regards Hatate.Yes brilliant when he is on it,but a very dangerous,to us,when not.Not just being off form,he is very careless in his passing at times.Against sharp European teams,you cannot be careless.
Anyway,enjoy the game.Make a lot of noise.
TEXASTIM on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 2:51 PM
Cant argue with that, we have missed that from our midfield against better opposition and Reo’s been as guilty of it as anyone. I thought he looked better against Red Star but they did stand off us a little bit more than Brugge who were very well drilled.
Tonight we’ll face a team that beat a decent PSV in the last round of fixtures with less possession when playing at home so we it might be a decent test of our ability to handle it.
3pm ticket queue…..
4 people in line.
No doubt it will get busier.
Cheers,
Weeron
A team with SOME green and white does the business:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN5fITkTee0
AN DÚN on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 3:09 PM
But I don’t see how any of this prevented us from having a striker brought in to replace the striker we sold. We had the money. We had the time.
We did replace him. Jota went to left wing, Maeda went from left wing to striker. Maeda was better than the Kyogo we’d been watching, and we had a thirty goal striker as back up – so we actually improved.
But then we sold the thirty goal back up striker and, made more problems for ourselves.
And we’ve somehow ended up with our best player from last season being unhappy and playing out of position. Even though the left winger we signed to take his place on the left wing is injured.
This doesnt seem like very good squad management
Celtic40me
Shall we sell CCV and replace him with Bernardo ?
It’s nonsense to suggest a left winger was Kyogo’s replacement.
It might be a case of me getting the chronology wrong here, so apologies if that’s the case, but was it not that BR was trying to engineer a move to China that led to the inevitable fall out with PL & DD, from such skullduggery?
AN DÚN on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 3:20 PM
It’s nonsense to suggest a left winger was Kyogo’s replacement.
For once we agree. Jota was not Kyogos replacement.
He looks hi place in the squad, Maeda took his place in the team. And did better, which would normally be seen as a good thing, but somehow has been turned into some sort of failure
POR CIERTO on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 3:22 PM
It might be a case of me getting the chronology wrong here, so apologies if that’s the case, but was it not that BR was trying to engineer a move to China that led to the inevitable fall out with PL & DD, from such skullduggery
—
BR spoke about the briefings against him after he left – all untrue he said.
I suspect had BR acted in any way that Desmond thought was disloyal or underhanded, he wouldn’t have been brought back.
Desmond ain’t the forgiving or forgetting kind.
“We should aim to come out of the transfer window stronger than we go into it”
It turns out thats what happened
Por Cierto on 2nd October 2025 3:22 pm
Obviously I do not know
But if the China conversation was real it would have been because BR felt let down by PL
I just googled Jan 2019 and I think we got Andrew Gutman, Maryan Shved, and Jeremey Tolijan
I also think BR was still hurting from the previous summer and not getting John McGinn
I have always thought BR was a bit more ambitious than Peter
I’m not sure that breakdown in the relationship has ever been reconciled
I think we are still suffering for it
67ECW
BIG JIMMY
Just stuck £10 on Celtic to win 2-1 @ 15/2
🤞
AN DUN & 67 EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS
Thanks lads, por cierto
Hot Smoked @ 2:48 pm,
Almost excellent trolling…
Unfortunately there was irony involved.
Celtic40me was taking the proverbially p¡$$ out if me – as I had said that about his comments a few times.
Please, try to keep up…
Hail Hail
We’re in a strange place when it’s put forward that playing someone already in your squad out of position is a replacement for the main striker you sold.
CHAIRBHOY on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 3:45 PM
No irony.
https://www.facebook.com/100063469275204/videos/penalty-to-rangers-nae-on-mulgrews-watch/942102726495366/
Very happy to see the board are willing to talk, about time too. Why can’t we employ a Director of Communications ?
Mentioned before but I think we have a player with quality and a bit of dig in Holm, but feel BR either doesnt rate him or maybe even he dislikes him. I think he is the missing link in midfield.Really do .
king LUBO
BURNLEY78 on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 2:57 PM
Thanks for the reply, Burnley.
I come at this form the realisation that our weaknesses or quite specific in the squad.
Had we witnessed a general downgrade across the squad, I’d agree with you that BR should get more out of the team.
But we lost players in specific areas – upfront.
We’re now struggling for goals. It ain’t very complicated imo.
AN DÚN on 2ND OCTOBER 2025 3:51 PM
We’re in a strange place
Again, we agree. Since Covid I cant remember a stranger time
C40me – FWIW (not much) … I get what you are saying.
We had a guy who played on the wing for us … but who played as a striker for Japan (Maeda)
We had a striker (Kyogo)
So 1 winger and 1 striker.
(a striker that Brendan didn’t love to bits but that’s a different story).
We sold the striker.
We moved the guy who played on the wing for us but as a striker for Japan … into the middle to play for us as a striker.
And we bought a winger.
So we still had a winger and a striker.
The positions and any interchangeability ain’t the problem from a squad management perspective.
These came later.
The problems are the winger is long term injured
and the other guy wants to leave.
Doesnt matter to me if he is a striker who wants to leave or a winger who wants to leave.
“Wants to leave” is the problem.