Who will win the league?

146

Hearts fans of a certain age know not to get their hopes up, but most in the media (and the bookies) now consider them hot favourites to win the league title.  That status was only achieved in the 91st minute of our game at Ibrox on Sunday.  Prior to that moment, Newco were the fancied outfit, they now sit third in the reckoning.

Motherwell are not out of the title race yet.  They are two points below Celtic having played the same number of games and still have the champions to play twice this season.  The old adage that the best defence wins the league should worry everyone else.  Motherwell are incredible defensively, having lost just 5 goals in their last 18 Premiership games.  That is title winning form.

Sceptics will rightly say even if they win their game in hand, they have seven points to make up on Hearts (whom they will also face twice), but it only takes one team to combust for that to become irrelevant.  I don’t expect Motherwell to win the league, but I don’t expect them to finish fourth either.  They have the look of Kingmakers.  Jens Berthel Askou has achieved miracles and will surely be Manager of the Year.

God love them.  At halftime on Sunday, Newco fans believed they were winning the league.  Now many want to sack their manager.  They have seen this movie before – notably two years ago.  If you want to win the league, you need to eliminate Celtic.  They had a chance on Sunday and blew it.

As it stands, they remain strong candidates, but Celtic can change that this week.  Win at Aberdeen tomorrow and knock them out the Scottish Cup on Sunday, and watch their fans destroy the last gasp of positivity around the club.  When fans turn on their own, it is impossible to hit top form.

Not only would a defeat on Sunday have dented our chances of winning the title, the manner of how we played in the first half was more worrying.  Just 45 minutes of football ago, Celtic were not tactically fit for purpose.  Coming on the back of recent games against Hibs, Kilmarnock, Livingston and Dundee, a pattern was in place.

I don’t expect us to get it as easy as it way in the second half on Sunday again this season.  Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate will not get the room they did so high up the field again.  Defensively, we are not good enough, having conceded at least two goals in 7 of our last 11 matches.  Unless we can shut the back door and learn to play through the block, more points will be dropped.

1986 was the last year Hearts were such strong favourites for a title, which famously evaded them in the last 7 minutes of the season, breaking a 32-game unbeaten run (36 game season) to allow Celtic to take it on goal difference.

Hearts put an incredible run of results together, but were actually fourth best team in the league.  They are the same now.  Newco deservedly battered them last month, they struggled for a point against 10-man Celtic at home, and we have already established how good Motherwell are.

For me, the title remains in Glasgow.   Celtic have Newco, Hearts and Motherwell at home, with only a trip to Fir Park against title rivals.  We have yet to show the form necessary to get over the line, but 1986 has another lesson to give.  Celtic did not drop a point after a draw at Ibrox in March that year, taking the title in Paisley.  Winning this league is very possible, I’m there for it.

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  1. Its why Gobbleaway is unelelectable

     

     

    His workuz party is

     

     

    -George om palestine

     

     

    -nationalize everything.

     

     

    -every conspiracy theory goin.

     

     

    -You have read his invasion vomit from his supporters

     

     

    – you have read his racist vomit against brown and black people from this racist bastard kevscum

     

     

    -George calling himself ‘fenian’🤢yet the term UNIONIST or SHILL is used more about Falls Rd.

     

    A bonafide pishtriot, sums it up .

     

     

    You are a walking advertisement for the Grifter and the cabal of racist zoomers who follow his cult.

     

     

    Funny kevracist is quiet on the “drain the swamp”

     

    rhetoric from the murdering racist scum in the white house.It was popular til recently

     

     

    Aye truly sad are the homes in Blant’R.

  2. Second Tier podcast@secondtierpod

     

    There is so much to take in with this clip.

     

     

    Proof that football is special. Where else do you get this unhinged reaction?

     

     

    https://x.com/secondtierpod/status/2028795347644871103?s=20

     

     

    Bon chance to MO’N and the squad at pitroddie tonight, MO’N has the difficult task of solving the Rubik cube that is the Celtic 1st team squad

     

     

    Doesn’t matter how we do it or whom is selected, back doon the road with 3 points is all that matters

     

     

    Have a good day

  3. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Three points tonight please, Celtic. A few goals would be good but at least get the win.

     

    Hope KT is fit after coming off at the weekend – reckon he must have clocked up a fair few goal contributions at Pittodrie over the years.

  4. Gedinte.

     

     

    What makes you sure that Wullie Haugheys initiative will improve communications?

     

     

    You do recognise that WH,DL and the Celtic Trust have been fishing in the same share pool for years? (that 22% or so of unregistered shareholders)

     

     

    Wullie i guess,like the rest of us is appalled at the lack of communication this year from our board.

     

     

    Why is Wullie acting now?

     

     

    The issues of communication/remoteness have been there for years.

     

     

    I would prefer Wullie to garner those signotories and canvas medium size shareholders like Trainor for eg.(they like Wullie until this year are happy with the status quo).

     

     

    I feel Wullies initiative gives no indication that communication will improve(has it improved at all) ie we get shares and we get same reaction s/h get just now…..nuhhin.

     

     

    Its still unclear how all this runs

     

     

    That pressure we feel from Wullie to join,augment and support his initiative and the £2m etc should really be directed to the next biggest s/h,then the next,to show how active they are in support of our current policy.They are happy,content and silent on our direction of travel( like Wullie was until recently).

     

     

    I know Wullie is not a lone voice in those circles,but fatigue is setting in with how comms can improve in our club(for the weee guy),and the thing is we do not need another share initiative to improve communication we just need improved communication.That could be done at a stroke by our board.

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Hope all wee

  5. What if what is to be or is communicated is more of the same, I think that is why they don’t a new direction isn’t in the offing until dd goes or allows it.

  6. Thunder Road on

    One thing I felt Brendan Rodgers did, was quickly establish his starting 11 and then play that team if possible each week quickly building their understandings of each other and his system.

     

    Between all the managerial changes and the varied ways of playing, several new players arriving in both transfer windows, fitness levels of players, injuries and suspensions it can’t have been easy for the established players never mind the new bhoys.

     

    Although we are far from the finished article and probably never will be if we start next season with someone new at the helm, I think we are becoming more of a team again, rather than 11 individuals.

     

    Araujo and Saracchi have been a massive help, but I feel Tounekti and Nygren are finally finding their feet and where they fit in.

     

    We could really do with one of our strikers making that position their own now by banging in some much needed goals, as not only are they required to win a game, it may well all be settled by goal difference again.

     

    Maeda, Cavancara, Adamu or Iheanacho?

     

    Cavancara and Adamu could do with a bit more time to settle in, but they really need to step up now.

     

    Can any of them consistently bang in the goals we require?

  7. timmy7_noted on

    Thunder road you are correct we desperately need someone to come into some form for the run in. I have no idea if any of them are even capable of it but relying on short term loans to win a league is not a strategic decision but a panic measure. Its not a healthy position to be in particularly since we’ve taken the decisions voluntarily.

     

    😡

  8. Tilmmy7

     

     

    All that is left is to support our team starting tonight v Aberdeen.

     

     

    We are on the rope now T7,the climb has begun.

     

    The team,the need for 3 points overrides everything.

     

     

    3 pts tonight t7.we keep working for that title

     

     

    HailHail

  9. GREENPINATA on 3RD MARCH 2026 9:50 PM

     

    Timmy 7,

     

     

     

    We have made mistakes and there will be change.

     

     

    ———

     

     

    Jeezo, that attitude is why we are in the state we’re in.

     

     

    Give us your money and shut up; we know best.

  10. Timmy 7,

     

     

    At this stage of the season there are only 2 choices.

     

     

    Support the team or don’t support the team..

     

     

    HH.

  11. On this day in 1994

     

     

    Celtic came within 11 minutes of becoming a memory.The White&Kelly’pact’ that putting s/h interest above thee fans ended.They took their dime

     

     

    Celts for change,some folk may recognise Praecepta ex of these pages and a Celtic gentleman.

     

     

    https://x.com/i/status/2029007970646823261

  12. Greenpinta, with all due respect, pish. We do support the team, except the ones who aren’t allowed in, the ones that provided the loudest support. That doesn’t mean we let the incompetents at board level have an easy ride

  13. bournesouprecipe on

    AN TEARMANN on 4TH MARCH 2026 8:35 AM

     

     

    Great pictures thanks Wellshot Rd Public Hall 🇮🇪👍

  14. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    “ At this stage of the season there are only 2 choices.

     

     

    Support the team or don’t support the team..”

     

     

    To support or not to support, that is the question.

     

     

    The 50/50 Brigade think they’re on to a win/win, believing they’ll be able to rejoice if/when we win the league and claim to have supported the club 💯 throughout or they’ll be able to say “I told you so” and spew hate and bile for the entirety of the summer if we don’t.

     

     

    Unfortunately they don’t realise they’re on to a loose/loose: if/when we win the league they’ll know in their heart of hearts they did their best to disrupt and derail the season so any league victory will not truly belong to them; and heaven forbid we don’t, they’ll have blood on their hands for the rest of their days.

  15. BSR

     

    yeh a massive meeting started the ball rolliing and arranged the meeting hall in Shettleston Halls .Joe Beltrami,Brian Dempsey,all attending(its out there on yyou tube)there was a follow up meeting in Govan then the victory meeting in City Halls attended by a lot of the good folk involved.

     

     

    A few have gone sadly from that night as the years roll on.You see one of the 3chaps on right aisle pointing to Minx,may she rip🙏.There are more i recognise sadly but what an energy in those halls BSR

     

     

    Hail

  16. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Good morning CQN

     

     

    Game day. Looking forward to it.

     

     

    Decent weather forecast for Aberdeen tonight.

     

     

    Bit breezy, but when is it not?

     

     

    Missed the blog yesterday due to other.

     

     

    Reading back am quite glad I did.

     

     

    The day after the day after a decent result outcome …. the prevailing mood shifted a chunk to the quite negative.

     

     

    Surprised me.

     

     

    2 down in our statistically most difficult league game, away from home, having played Thursday night then having to travel back to Scotland

     

     

    … I thought the feel good would carry almost by default into tonight.

     

     

    Buckle up.

     

     

    Here we go again. We’re on the road again.

  17. bournesouprecipe on

    CHAIRBHOY on 3RD MARCH 2026 5:11 PM

     

     

    Bournesouprecipe @ 4:56 pm

     

     

    personally, I enjoyed my Dunning-Kruger nomenclature…

     

    ————————————————————

     

     

    Don’t be stoopid be a ‘smarty’ – come and join the Dunning-Kruger party.🤣

     

     

    Lead on, MacDuff march with O’Neill to the Ewe Camp and beyond CSC

     

     

    Hail Hail

  18. bournesouprecipe on

    AN TEARMANN on 4TH MARCH 2026 9:51 AM

     

     

    There was a buzz about the place ©️ the Maestro.

     

     

    HH

  19. THE BLOGGER FORMERLY KNOWN AS GM on 4TH MARCH 2026 9:43 AM

     

    “ At this stage of the season there are only 2 choices.

     

     

    Support the team or don’t support the team..”

     

     

     

    To support or not to support, that is the question…

     

     

    ———-

     

     

    A supporter group is more responsible for derailing the season than a board that didn’t strengthen a team crying out for it?

     

     

    We had to ask the manager (who they shafted) to bring in an old, unfit, pal after the transfer window closed because the board had put an absolute spoofer in charge of recruitment. Was that the supporters fault too?

     

     

    What about the chancer they gave the manager job to? Support to blame for that?

     

     

    You’re another of the ‘shut up and give us the money brigade’

  20. The Blogger Formerly Known As GM on

    MON mentioned a couple of “niggles” following Sunday so quite possible unfortunately.

  21. Sinisalo

     

     

    Kt

     

    Scales

     

    Dane/Trusty if not still banned

     

    Araujo

     

     

    Hatate

     

    Calmac

     

    Maeda

     

    Nyren

     

     

    Cvancara.

     

    Yang

     

     

     

    Help me oot T7 .3 points a must mate

     

     

    Hail Hail

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