Against a side who started 8 points adrift at the bottom of the table, the champions-elect were miles short of what is required and deserved nothing from the game. St Johnstone gave warning of the danger they could be from a free kick just a minute before they scored. The warning went unheeded as Celtic conceded the only goal of the game inside four minutes.
After the game, Brendan Rodgers suggested the players were timid and too comfortable. It is true they are in a comfortable position, without any domestic challenger worthy of the name. The manager excused only Callum McGregor from this criticism. It is a weighty accusation to level at a group you have coached into a second season.
For most of us, the consequences of yesterday’s defeat is that we will not be there when the title is won. Players (and managers) often don’t get the importance of this. They are always there; the ordinary fans less so. Now, it is just as likely that the title will be won after Aberdeen face Newco on Sunday. You might learn about it by text message.
If the players are too comfortable they will not win the treble. You are the manager, Brendan. Fix it. At least it’s not a continuation of the malaise which was evident during last season…..
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The Bhoys have put in a ton of work this season, fatigue and maybe a few on cruise control, give Bernardo and McCowan a run,and I would have stuck with Nawrocki yesterday, but it looks like Brendan has seen enough.
I get it that St Johnstone are 12th out of 12, but I still think they deserve some respect for their performance yesterday. They had a plan, they stuck with it, it worked. Yes they made their pitch dry and bumpy; there’s nothing in the laws of the game that says they have to present a pitch that suits their opponent. We have better players and they should have been good enough but too many of them were off it. The question is why; but our opponents took full advantage. Surely there are lessons there as to attitude.
Ziggydoc
I remember that well.
They needed five and had 4 by half time.
We were at home to St Mirren and were still 0-0 at half time.
I was only in my early 20s and could have done with a pair of extra absorbent tenna man pants at that point in the afternoon.
We managed to beat St Mirren on a poor pitch at Celtic Park in the second half so all was well.
As much as I hate losing, I have to give St. Johnstone their credit. Their players are fighting for their Premier survival and going down is going to be a huge difference in their weekly pay. They fought tooth and nail from the first whistle. We are weak on attacking corner kicks and freekicks into our own box. It is easier to attack the ball at speed and moving than it is to just jump from your static position. We had enough chances to win two games but it just wasn’t to be. We all want the league to be more competitive so fair play to St. Johnstone as they gave their best. It will be interesting to see what happens next year when the anti time wasting rules come in. Will we have an official next to the VAR folks with a stopwatch watching closely to see how long 8 seconds really are???
Hail Hail my friends.
Sean
B78
I’ve asked you before – who would you have as Brendan’s replacement
Reality is we need a stronger challenger. 14 points dropped in 2025 ad it means not. Thats not healthy .
See we will make a bid for Lennon Miller in the summer,personally I don’t think he would fit into our system ,I expect at least 4 or 5 leaving ,CCV,Idah,Engels ,Trusty,Ralston,Khun,Schullp going back to C/Palace ,and Taylor on a free.
Little wonder 2 pages covers your blog this weather Peter67.
A poor blog,highlightin how much your not in know Peter67.
God bless its seems Brendans back is a sharp tool for blunt knives.
You and Burnley78 should give it a rest.
HH
I think Lennon Miller would be an excellent addition to our squad.
In the 97-98 season, we lost 6 games and drew 8, but all I can remember is the elation of stopping 10 n a row.
Here we are with a chance to win the treble…again, and we are 13 pts in front of our nearest rivals, but on this blog it is despair and doom and gloom. The manager this, the manager that. Thank goodness Wim Jansen never had Celtic Critical news in 1998.
How spoiled are we???
Sean
All the Sevco talk of doing another 9 in a row ….
And I’m just realising that it’s about losses at ibrox , lol.
GaryGillespie- that St Mirren game was 1982 – we ran out 3-0 after the nervy first half. Chant that day was ‘We’ve won the league for Doyale’ in memory of Oor Johnny who had died the previous October.
Lennon Miller in,Hatate out in the summer, he’s been very good, but I think he will want to try a better League, and it’s the optimum time to sell
I haven’t seen enough of Miller to know what type of player he is , is he holding box to box, what? Reo Hatate is a luxury player who isn’t particularly mobile, I would allow him to move on anyway.
Strongly disagree with our hosts’ assessment of yesterday. The players tried hard and created enough good chances to win the game. We made 5 changes which would normally derail how a team plays but it didn’t. McCowan looked the best of the subs and James also made an impact – if only he had slotted that chance! Sometimes you just have to congratulate the opponent and move on.
I was pleased to see Brendan unhappy with the result in his post match interview. He understands the demands of the support and he’ll get the bhoys fired up for the next game.
BOONDOCK SAINT on 7TH APRIL 2025 2:43 PM
In the 97-98 season, we lost 6 games and drew 8, but all I can remember is the elation of stopping 10 n a row.
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A little over ten years ago, Neil Lennon won the league and SC double having beaten Barca to take us into the last 16 of the CL – we lost 7 and drew 7 league games that season.
The shrill bed wetting we’ve seen after every single dropped point in this fantastic season is very tiresome.
BigChipsUK re: pensions and such
I hear you. I don’t normally look at it as it is indeed a long game. But the tank has been huge.
My tuppence,.Do not sign Schluup, sell Engels and play Bernardo and maybe bring Scales back in for Trusty
KINGLuBO
TEN MEN WON THE LEAGUE on 7TH APRIL 2025 1:13 PM
The league will be won, whether its this week, 2 weeks etc. The SC, we will undoubtedly better St J in the semi, especially after yesterdays horror show. However, the Final is an entirely different matter. Aberdeen/Hearts will certainly fancy their chances,
*I mistakenly mentioned yesterday that the other semi was between the sheep and the hibbees who I reckon would have given us a much harder game, as for the other 2, I have no fear there, I also fear though that there will be an exodus of former favourites in the summer and I would go with the Rock on Saturday lunch time against the templars.
BOONDOCK SAINT on 7TH APRIL 2025 2:43 PM
In the 97-98 season, we lost 6 games and drew 8, but all I can remember is the elation of stopping 10 n a row. Here we are with a chance to win the treble…again, and we are 13 pts in front of our nearest rivals, but on this blog it is despair and doom and gloom. The manager this, the manager that. Thank goodness Wim Jansen never had Celtic Critical news in 1998. How spoiled are we???
*I was hame for 9 days, due to a family health concern, during that memorable week and the feeling then amongst the local Tims was that WTT was struggling with the pressure of it all and I do recall hearing that at the game in East End Park the Grim Reiper had been screamin at him tae get a sub on, I flew back out on the Sunday morning and the airport was awash with happy Tims, but lets be honest here it wisnae the players or staff that stopped the dreaded thieven lyin ten but the support who carried the team trough that season despite a horrendous start, oh and WTT jacked it in very quickly after the season ended and NEVER if my memory serves me well managed another top side.
my goodness the bloggers are in meltdown today, even the stock market is crashing because celtic got beat.
Interesting wee story in the Guardian Sports section today.
SK Brann have won a case.(31 March) against Uefa at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
With CAS ruling that UEFA should not have disciplined the club (twice in 2024) when their fans sang
“Uefa Mafia” and displayed banners with the same message. Described as “a landmark freedom of expression case” not too dissimilar to a case against Celtic FC a few seasons back when the Green Brigade made the same point albeit in a more robust Anglo Saxon lingo.
watched the game again.
we would win that fixture 49 times out of 50.
reminded me of ross county last season
Celtic Mac
SK Brann – explains why it went through the courts so quickly?
Tontine Tim,
I was an asst. Coach in college at that time and you remember how slow the auld internet was. I bought one of those crappy hundred minute phonecards that only lasted really 10 minutes. i called using one of the phones in our computer lab and had my wee maw have the radio on for the last 10 minutes. My teammates knew how much this result meant to me so they had a big party down at our apartments on campus. I don’t drink…but I did that night. Behind our flat was our practice field and me and the bhoys went out replayed and demonstrated to perfection, wee harald’s goal. Of course I scored and I jumped on my mates back and we both ended up on the ground, blootered but happy. The only thing was that I lost my championship ring that we received for making it to the national final in 1996, but by God it was worth it. The good times that this magic team has given us over the years, but some folks want to dwell on the few mistakes and defeats, and they are few and far between compared to many years ago.
Hail Hail, and you are right about Wim, too much pressure but him and wee Murdo delivered.
Sean
Paul67 rarely posts again after loading up the leader these days …
… which, I think is a shame.
So I’ll ask again and would welcome responses from anyone
“At least it’s not a continuation of the malaise which was evident during last season…..”
What does this mean?
Paul67 is a pr##k. I used to love the bit of craic on here, but why would bhoys want to support this site by posting when its lead is so clearly anti the Celtic manager. If Brendan leaves, we will find it nigh impossible to replace him, and I say that as someone who originally did not want him back. Brendan has more than made up for what happened. Look at the reaction to Liverpool’s loss yesterday and see how ungrateful some fans are, but there is a different agenda at work here.
bournesouprecipe
Took me a minute there to digest that!
Schlupp shouldn’t have tripped the St Johnstone man on the wing. It was a good header for the only goal but Celtic look vulnerable to that type of delivery. Collectively the team only woke up 15 minutes into the match. It was the same against R2ngers and the same against Hearts
St Johnstone got away with one when Kuhn failed to deliver from his tap-in chance. Hatate had very bad luck from when he hit the post but later totally mis-hit from an even better position. James Forrest made tw6good shooting chances for himself but failed to beat the goalie.
Is this the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire? I doubt it but Brendan must see what’s happening and he must know how to correct it. Whether the solution is tactical tinkering or radical change in personnel it’s up to Brendan. And all things considered, he has done exceptionally well by us these last two years
So,according to many on here,its perfectly fine to have a go at,any player having a bad patch,any Board member who does not meet with your approval,but,heaven forbid,you put up,even the mildest form of non agreement with the players,tactics BR uses.Now I love BR,but to put him in the infallible bracket is preposterous.To think that every,formation he puts on the field,is the right one,is ridiculous.We all watch the game,we will have ideas,we base these on more than 50 years experience of spectating.We know whats good,what’s shit,so to call out people or slyly include them in a post,for having the audacity to not agree every time with BR,mostly on the basis of what the team has won,is ludicrous.
Of course he gets things wrong.Just like every manager in football.Not a slur,or a blemish on his CV,just honest to goodness opinion from, on the whole,fans who think he is doing a very fine job.
Fritzsong,
We have looked vulnerable to crosses for a very long time.Throughout umpteen CH pairings,a handful of managers,the problem just won’t go away.Even with Greg Taylor on the bench.
We are also dreadful at convertting crosses up at the other end.Another great mystery.
“Moisey17 on 7th April 2025 12:16 pm
Completely disagree that we deserved nothing – completely dominated every aspect of the game.”
I agree. I am at a loss as to how so many cannot see that our only failing yesterday was in not taking any of the many chances we created. As you said, we dominated in every aspect of the game but, simply, had a day when we couldn`t find the back of the net.
Have years of success led to a Hun like sense of entitlement?
Can’t trust the word of a manager who kept his mouth shut when his irreplaceable Green Brigade got kettled.
He kept his mouth shut just like the rest of the stadium when GB were banned for flying flags of another country – imagine that. But the bluffs were all called when in a short space of time the team under Brendan, lost 7 points and as if by magic – the GB were immediately unbanned and the team started to pick up points again.
Brendan is not the type of Tim that both MON and NFL are.
When NFL won his first title as manager of Celtic he immediately headed over to the GB section, placed the trophy on the grass in front of them saying “This is for you. We couldn’t have did this without you.” Then he bowed to them and started applauding them which was a magical moment.
MON had to keep turning around to the fans gesturing to them to “SING…FFS” whilst we were playing in our first European Semi Final in 33 years, vs Boavista in 2003. But MON realised that he wasn’t getting through to the fans when the ball went to NFL who took the ball out of a dangerous area of the pitch and rolling it to Rab Douglas so that he could clear the ball up the pitch, only for NFL to be booed by most of the stadium which was unacceptable imho.
MON walked onto the pitch, waved to the fans and made his way into the tunnel after the games, the sensible approach. Now we have this stupid lap of of WTF after every game which needs to be reigned in – walk to the centre circle, wave to all fans, then head to the GB area as they are the only fans who actually put in a shift for the team, and the GB imho should be viewed as the official 12th man of the team and be allowed in for free in every game.
Without the GB Parkhead becomes a big giant boring silent chore for the team to negotiate as well as dealing with the opposition team and their fans.
The GB in for free and the 20+ executive ticketed buses need to be reigned in with closer focus on the antics involved in ticket distribution.
Having said that, when the reality of facial recognition conditioned season tickets kicks in, maybe reality will finally boot the balls of those easy oasey Tims who go along with everything and stand for zilch – not even their own supposed GB comrades when they are either kettled by SNP-Paid Timmy hating cops, or banned from Parkhead by a PLC who bow to woke this, appeasement that, or cover for the Sevco are Rangers grifters, etc.
Brendan is at Celtic because the EPL teams don’t want to risk being relegated by a manager who either is incapable of changing his tactics formations etc, or is too stubborn and precious to think that he might actually be the problem?!
And players also know that no big clubs are trying to take Celtic’s manager from them, and they also know that through the managers too far up himself attitude, that they as players might not reach the career paths that they thought lay ahead of a move to Celtic.
In our CL campaign, both Aston Villa and Bayern were there for a long ball to Maeda type of mugging, but Brendan dizny like that side of the game – even when its the only way out – very strange.
Isn’t it interesting that wee Fergie at the skint on life support Huns got to choose his entire backroom team, yet Brendan puts up with the patch-up cast off’s of long departed managers.
Gentlemen, start your engines…..
garygillespieshamstring on 7th April 2025 2:24 pm
Ziggydoc
I remember that well.
They needed five and had 4 by half time.
We were at home to St Mirren and were still 0-0 at half time.
I was only in my early 20s and could have done with a pair of extra absorbent tenna man pants at that point in the afternoon.
We managed to beat St Mirren on a poor pitch at Celtic Park in the second half so all was well.
—-
😀 and here we are shitting ourselves over some less than great performances. As good as their keeper was yesterday, a lot of our attempts were hit right at him. Hoping our recruitment drive will sevys pose a threat at free kicks and corners (been ages since we did). Tierney will make a massive difference. I’m a bit disappointed that we haven’t seen Murray get some time in recent weeks. Rocky seems to have jumped him in the queue.
Sevys = see us
St Johnstone cannot hope to match us with skillfull football. They have a squad of circa £7.5 m. We have a playing squad valued at >£110m
They need an edge . So they make the pitch industrial. As long as its in the rules its a viable tactic.
They also need a fighting attitude assisted by ” smart” time wasting.
But we know that, don’t we ?. Subsequently we pick a combattive team to meet them head on, utilise squad rotation and change our one dimensional play.
If players are complacent then they should be dropped. Are they showing signs of complacency during training or just during games.?
That is part of management . Evaluation of the squad, mentally and physically then pick accordingly.
On a slightly different topic, many fans do not completely buy into tippy tappy passing across the 18 yard line.
We all know about our transport problems and it is a nightmare at Parkhead, However our football on many league occasions is not exciting and supporters leave early. This trend is increasingly noticeable.
HH