For a time yesterday, Motherwell led at Celtic Park while Newco led at Falkirk. The in-game gap between the Glasgow sides was four points. It had been nine points eight days earlier. The world pivots on its axis every now and then, and in the last 30 minutes of yesterday’s games, our world pivoted.
We have two weeks before our next game, so allow me time to pick up on the Motherwell result later. First, we need to talk about The Mob.
Mobs the world over are testosterone-fuelled, self-appointed and self-important. Manipulators, from Lenin to Trump, have known they are useful agents of change, but once formed, they have no natural safety mechanism.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst was done for by The Mob. Wee Gio won Newco’s only Scottish Cup, got them to a Europa League final and into the Champions League. But six months after he came within a sliver of winning a European trophy for a club that is a poster child for the Cult of Losing, The Mob got him sacked.
All The Mob needed was an indication that a former assistant manager who had (very) briefly looked like he was getting a side promoted to the EFL wanted Gio’s job. From that moment, Gio was done for.
The Mob got what they wanted. You might think that giving into The Mob would make them go away, but no. All you do is embolden them. You teach them how to act to get what they want, so they will do it again.
Michael Beale was a terrible football manager and it wasn’t long before The Mob turned their tanks on him. Having got someone sacked who came within a whisper of getting a statue built in his honour, they had no compulsion turning on the man, who until shortly before, was their saviour.
Philippe Clement was the unluckiest manager in Scottish football history. He picked up Newco during the October international break two years ago, with his side so far behind Celtic his predecessors position was considered untenable. He narrowed the gap on Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic, and by April was top of the table.
A bizarre deflected clearance, which spun off Daizen Maeda’s shin and flew 20 yards into the net, then a VAR initiated penalty (which no one claimed for) denied Clement a win over Celtic which would have turned the title his way and changed history. Instead, the game finished 3-3. A month later, he lost to an 89th minute Adam Idah goal the Scottish Cup Final. A treble, a treble, could have been his.
Clement’s Newco squad was miles weaker than Celtic’s. It ran out of steam. A talented manager who had won three titles in Belgium with two different sides, who had resurrected a club on its knees and, like wee Gio, came within a whisker of statue-building success, was next up for The Mob.
Mobs turn working environments ugly. That’s why good teams lose to Queen’s Park, it was not because The Mob knows more about football than Philippe Clement, it is because The Mob destroyed Philippe Clement’s chances of success.
If you live in the west of Scotland you will know The Mob have had it in for Russell Martin since the moment he first wore his T-shirt trackside. Subsequent results was just confirmation bias.
The appalling actions of a few dozen who prevented the Newco team bus from leaving Falkirk yesterday will get the blame, but The Mob is more than just them. All the senators turned on Caesar. Martin had to go, mostly because he could not work to the satisfaction of The Mob.
The Mob are now in control. They are emboldened, entitled, and have made the job of managing Newco practically impossible. Candidates with good options will not touch it. Whoever takes the job will be on an iron-clad contract, for he will surely know what to expect.
But it’s not The Mob’s fault. Managers need to be sacked – when results dictate and at the right time. Not because “we’re going to lose the league”, not because they don’t wear a tie, and never to give-in to The Mob. A football club board of directors have many responsibilities. One of the most onerous is to stand up to The Mob (there is always a mob, no matter where you are).
We have been there. Neil Lennon suffered during the Covid season. But Celtic did not have a ‘What next?’ plan. The squad was on its knees, Celtic abided by covid laws (unlike others), no one capable of doing the job wanted to pick up the mess mid-season. Celtic had no good options. They could have given-in to The Mob, but instead they developed a recovery plan.
Watching others destroy their club is informative. There are so many lessons.
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Yo Yo Ma ?
The mob??
Nice ‘sacker’ club ya got there Billy…….would be a shame if something happened to it.
Ya mo be there.
Empty ambitions, makes empty seats.
Celtic supporters worried about the atmosphere verse Motherwell, were marginally outnumbered by those that wanted one, and the North Curve provided as per.
Bewitched, not bothered but beleaguered Board, beleaguered Brendan, beleaguered squad, beleaguered support, well done Celtic a full set , no doublers unless you include left wingers. Sampling the new Parkhead match day experience complete with old drips is a rare thing, three times inside 7 days is suddenly for old dewey eyed romantics, children and grand children.
Good steady hand on the tiller is Brendan Rodgers on his voyage, no panic changes just the best man for the job and playing the cards he’s been dealt. Kasper Schmeichel clearly a case of the survival of the ‘fattest ‘ made a block early on, that justified his selection for those that needed it. Colby Donovan suffered on Thursday and wily BR restored international Tony Ralston as our steady only just Eddie, Colby only 19 with a massive future ahead, is too young to be thrown into a struggling Celtic side even though he’s been outstanding since the pre season games. The VAR penalty this time for Motherwell, is still too distinct from a regular penalty, penalty, the one the referee slopes to VAR are too frequent in the game, which used to be a contact sport.
Good team managing and switching by BR won all three points, Iheanacho is like a Greek statue with less movement, but thank the lord Brendan kept his moby number he’ll be missed along with Seb Tounekti whilst away for the ACON. It was a good moment when Michel – Ange’s assist might help to disprove the notion that there were two Balikwishas? We’ve made it unbeaten in the league to the dreaded international break and hopefully we’ve seen the last of Daizen wasted wide right, a timely BR switch which won us the points, in the end.
None of the midfield rotations have worked to make the three as one, and BR will go back to Lennoxtown to coach and mentor. CalMac should have scored early, he improved on Thursday but still misses Greg Taylor’s drive and availability as his inverted partner. Tried Yang, Forrest, Balikwisha, Nygren, and Maeda on the right, bizarre with Nicolas Kuhn sold in a flash, and not ‘replaced’.
Benny Nygren of diminishing hairline ran straight towards us in the Celtic End when he was seeing his goal tally, not the scoreline at least he’s ambitious, be good to see him with Engels CalMac Hatate in a midfield that needs to be a four?
Oh, for the days of plain bed wetters, spoiled brats, and the entitled, look at them now, all together in a Celtic Collective in front of some much needed listening ears.
MOM Daizen Maeda ( for his goal )
P67 – is there a digital version of the Mob ?
Ken… the kinda partially erudite agitators who attempt to foment discord between, say, a fanbase and a manager. Ye ken, fire stokers and sideline snipers?
Shirley we all recognise that the Huns don’t have a monopoly on mobs.
——
Philcool re ‘Ja Mo Be There’… without Googling it, I’m guessing it was James Ingram? Delicious 80s groove !
Our board dont have a clue how to deal with that scenario and stll dont.
Start the P45 revolution and change the structure.
Still fixated by this lot, I see. And we wonder why we can’t make an impact in Europe.
Difficult to be critical of the board for a lack of ambition when they are just giving people what they want.
Comparing Lenin to Trump ??
Quadro,
Yes correctamundo.
The late great James Ingram.
I’m glad we don’t have a mob . Only a vast number of supporters sickened by a self destructive board threatening the progress and standing of the ‘Celtic the football club’ in favour of ‘Celtic the cashcow’ .
At least we are expressing ourselves with banners and requests to engage rather than with physical menace and intimidation .
Never mind the mob across the city, I’m not pleased to hear the booing which has come to the stadium, to a team that has just lost one game as well. Admittedly we haven’t been at our best but I don’t like to hear supporters doing that.
Clement like all their new managers got a series of incredible decisions, even for them, in their favour. He would have been miles behind after a few games if that hadn’t happened.
They will obviously get a new manager bounce and if it’s the staunch mob in charge again we will once again see them get every decision.
GVB was the only one I couldn’t bring myself to dislike. Obviously we can only focus on ourselves but I’ve read good things about Kevin Muscat and would rather they didn’t get him.
IMO Clements main problem was coming up against a club that had winning in its DNA while his club was born losers.
At this stage in the COVID season we had played 13 games, won 11, drawn 1 and lost the vital CL qualifier with as bad a performance as we gave against Kairat. We were scoring plenty of goals, results were good, but Lenny unfortunately for him was carrying around the baggage of an unpopular appointment by the bete noir.
booo. booo.
at one point we were four points ahead of thems.
what an utter irrelevant reference.
the mob.
meanwhile watching the whole game with no emotion.
we scored three goals.
Another Celtic Quick News article about Rangers.
Better than sniping about the current Celtic manager I suppose.
Old Firmism is alive and well.
Pathetic.
how many of the squad are away for internationals ?
Im sure we’d never refer to ‘Celts for Change’ as a mob.
By extension, the ‘Celtic Fan Collective’ is just that.
I know that wasn’t the between the lines message of the lead article.
That would be devious, cowardly even.
Glad that dialogue is taking place today.
Hopefully, we can all align and future player trading is more efficient and effective
BR will be terrified if they appoint wee bazza as an interim again. Bazza absolutely schooled him
Poster @ 12.06
Always thoughtful, humorous and inspiring – great post, as always. Happy Birthday to Gerry Adams………..and You.🎂
Ha ha ha ha ha ha…
The above was for ” wee bazza” abshoolutly schooled …
All that’s missing is …
I ‘ll tell you this fletch , 😜
‘ no more vegans,Buddhists, or Green Party members please Ragers’
Murdo Mackay MSP
Talking about Mobs ,we have our own lot ,who sing I R A Songs ,they are a complete embarrassment, and if we were to drop points yesterday we would have heard our own mob ,
Interesting leader most of which would be at home on sevcoquicknews…..almost felt sorry for Clement for a second there……………said nobody ever.
Also given the meeting arranged for this evening lots of talk about not listening to or giving in to “the mob” mmm……….
A clear message that despite a destructive year of recruitment feck ups, incompetent squad and financial management and a campaign to discredit players and management there will be no change and we will continue to have backward thinking scaredy cats in charge at Celtic.
Not to be confused with the ‘suited mob’ who also want rid of a manager and after having his toolbox welded shut, run to the press to discredit him.
Moisey17 on 6th October 2025 1:20 pm
I think that would be a serious misjudgement by our board . This call for change will not go away , in fact any prevarication will be met by a stiffening resolve (ooer matron !)
And it will not include pitchforks and flaming torches .
Mobhanded csc
Aye, What Moisey said.😉
What time is the fans meeting with the Celtic Board.
Celtic has its own Mob. They could be clearly heard on the half-time whistle booing the players off the park because they were drawing 1-1 with a good Premiership side.
Yes it was a minority, but minorities who boo are a lot louder than the majority who don’t.
The opportunity has arisen to join Celtic in the role of Head of Business Operations.
This role is fundamental to ensuring that supporter services are delivered in a way which ensures world class supporter service is in place.
It will encompass a broad range of supporter services including the oversight of all retail operations, ticketing, hospitality sales, and stadium services.
The individual will play a key role in ensuring our supporters are able to share in the success and experience of being part of Celtic through multi-channel engagement across the Club.
The Head of Business Operations will drive not only performance and development across each of these areas but also lead on the improvement of supporter service frameworks to ensure a seamless supporter experience across all areas of the Football Club, all in line with the Club’s strategy and commitment to continuous improvement.
——————-
what does world class supporters services look like ?
define it, anyone want a go ?
I will start with –
* power washed and dried all concourses in the stadium,
Have the Huns gotten a new manager yet ?
Russell Martin and his crew heading off with their ” I’LL GOTTEN GAINS”…
Im just teasing a little.
LOL.
HH.
Yes while today’s lead article is ostensibly about the Sevco Mob, the subtext I feel is all about the Celtic support and more directly at the Celtic Collective. The banners in the North Curve have now spread to the Main Stand. The widespread representation amongst the Celtic Collective of Celtic supporters Clubs, Associations representing those Clubs, Celtic fan media etc clearly have the Board rattled. There was a sense of rebellion in the air at yesterday’s game with a very volatile atmosphere throughout the game and particularly when Motherwell took the lead. The last time when there was similar fan unrest was during the COVID season when the Board were protected due to supporters being prevented from attending games. This season the fans will be present and will not hesitate to make their dissatisfaction plain to the Board. I think Paul is trying to get the Board’s excuses in early by talking about not giving in to the Mob. If the Board use that as an excuse to sit back and adhere to the status quo, God help them during home games for the remainder of the season.
If, as expected, we grant Maeda his wish and sell him in January, can we please add Hatate as a job lot?
I just hope they don’t entice McInnes to Mordor…
Nice one Paul.
Glad you mentioned our mini-mob.
It’s smaller than theirs, less nasty, and has far less fuel for their ire.
But it exists.
The mob gathering after Ross County papped us out of the Scottish Cup reeked of entitlement.
(We lost a game? Got eliminated from a competition? How dare we?)
Fast forward three years and having lost our previous game away from home, and losing to Hearts at home … the mob duly turned up MID MATCH and snarled loudly “Lawwell, Lawwell, GTF”.
(Lose 2 games in a row? Heinous !! Get the revolution out of storage and start it up again)
Hat tip to Timbhoy163 earlier.
Our matchday atmosphere has been taken over and monopolised by a group in the corner who sing with almost zero spontaneity.
They go through their song book by rote with almost no reference to the game in front of them … running out of Celtic songs around 50 minutes and moving on to the IRA.
And all with a defiant snarl.
Compare and contrast with this VERY SAME group during Brendan’s first Odyssey …
… they sang with smiles and joy
… it was wonderful to see and hear.
Had a wee look to learn a wee bit about Muscat. Scroll by if not interested.
Because Muscat followed Ange into managing Yokohama and won the title, he was considered a potential Ange successor by many. He was interviewed for the ibrox gig before Clement was appointed.
He has subsequently had two successful seasons in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port. Won it last year and, with four matches to play,, they are currently top of the league.
Goes along with the modern coaching philosophy of high energy, high press and playing out from the back.
Has another year on his contract and isn’t on massive money. 1.6 million gbp a year. Similar to Martin.
Could be a good choice, certainly better than Martin.