For 30 years the League Cup was our bogey tournament. Celtic won the trophy only three times during the 70s, 80s and 90s. We lost seven finals in the 1970s, winning only one that decade. That 1974 win is cherished especially this week for Dixie Deans’ hattrick in a 6-3 win over Hibernian. Dixie made history with his two cup final hattricks, while Joe Harper carved his name in the history books with his own League Cup Final hattrick for Hibs that day.
The 80s was a decade mostly of elimination before the final. A memorable 1982 win in the Hampden rain over Rangers was followed by two final loses to the same side that decade.
We waited 15 long years for our next League Cup victory. Wim Jansen’s immortal side beat Dundee United at Ibrox, heralding a pivotal season for Celtic. We endured two final defeats that decade, another loss to Rangers and that loss to Raith Rovers.
Celtic have been unequivocal top dogs this century and that shows in the League Cup winner stats, but it was the meek side assembled by John Barnes who won the trophy against Aberdeen under Kenny Dalglish in March 2000.
Martin O’Neill won the League Cup only once, during his first and treble winning 2000-01 season. He lost a final, again to Rangers, in controversial circumstances in 2003. Never question how bad things would be without VAR, kids. We have lost only two finals since, both under Neil Lennon: 2011 to Rangers and the following year to Kilmarnock.
Gordon Strachan won the League Cup twice: over Dunfermline in 2006, when the players wore No. 7 shorts, in memory of the Jimmy Johnstone, who died a few days before the final. Then in 2009, when extra-time goals from Darren O’Dea and Aiden McGeady beat Rangers.
Ronny Deila won the League Cup in his first season at Celtic in a 2015 final against Dundee United, before Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon delivered the Quadruple Treble, an achievement which still sets the tone in Scottish football. The 3-0 win over Aberdeen in 2016 was our 100th trophy and part of the Invincible Treble season. 2017 saw Celtic overcome Motherwell in a difficult final (their fans are still sore), while it was a Ryan Christie goal that beat Aberdeen in 2018.
The 2019 final deserves a moment’s reflection. That Celtic team were clearly at the end of the road and were battered by Newco on the day. But there is a culture of winning these days which is ingrained in the structure at Celtic Park. End of the road or not, Christopher Jullien scored the only goal of the game which saw Fraser Forster deliver one of the all-time great Celtic goalkeeper performances. Even a man advantage was insufficient for Newco.
Neil Lennon would deliver the fourth treble of the series before things fell apart the following year. The 2019-20 season has much in common with this term. This Celtic side is in need of rebuild, but you would be foolish to be bet against them winning any domestic trophy.
Who can forget that magic moment at Hampden when Kyogo lifted the ball over the Hibs keeper to give Celtic the lead and provide Ange Postecoglou with his first trophy in 2021? It was Kyogo who delivered the killer goal in the final a year later, ending Newco’s hopes of taking the trophy for the first time.
Brendan uncharacteristically saw his side eliminated from the League Cup at Kilmarnock on his return two years ago, but the trophy came back home last year, when an epic 3-3 draw with Newco was decided in Celtic’s favour after penalties.
Our incredible record of success in recent seasons has heightened the importance of all trophies, even the once-minor the League Cup. Celtic now cherish winning every trophy, every other club cherishes the prospect of winning any trophy. The League Cup has never mattered more.
Enjoy the day and best of luck to your team.
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Game possibly postponed.Hopefully.Played later in the season.
A Turkish podium.Its a sign,a a sign. ah tells ye
a saturday ‘new article posted’?
shockerammy 😱
Saint Stivs,
The post last night was from Auchinleck Talbot themselves.The only fekin Daftie is you,trying to be smart and making an arse of it.
Better sticking to counting empty seats.You do that well.🤐🤐
Was it not possible to just say good luck to Celtic?
Am surprised the body lingo and semiology experts haven’t been on pointing out how Wilf’s pronounced beard, face and ear stroking in his presser, mibby indicated a guy who was feeling a tad uncomfy wi the hot-seat scrutiny. Oh wait, I’ve just dunnit.
And, conversely, how cool hand Luke seemed way more matter-of-factly at ease in his presser – just insisting BW’s the manager and they’ve simply all got to buy in to whatever game plan and system he wants to play.
What would Dermott, Mike, Peter or Ross’s body-talk say during a live presser at the moment ?
Yes we have to win but we seem shot of confidence that’s what will happen.
PS; I’m just in from playing a blistering set of indie and punk classics with a punk cover band I’m in.
Adrenaline pumping; crowd was rockin’ .
Hail Hail (rock n roll).
Hope you were in complete control 😉😜
quadrophenian on 13th December 2025 12:19 pm
PS; I’m just in from playing a blistering set of indie and punk classics with a punk cover band I’m in.
Adrenaline pumping; crowd was rockin’ .
Hail Hail (rock n roll).
______£
Setlist?😀
Is the game in doubt tomorrow.
BB – that absolutely has to go on the set list but it’s currently eclipsed by the sound of London calling !
👍👍
ZIGGY:
A Forest (Cure)
Fake Tales of San Francisco (Arctic Monkeys)
Helicopter (Bloc Party)
No-One Knows (QOTSA)
Watching The Detectives (Elvis Costello)
Transmission (Joy Division)
Hate To Say I Told You So (The Hives)
Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
Bohemian Like You (Dandy Warhols)
Last Night (The Strokes)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Div)
My Pal (God)
London Calling (The Clash)
No Feelings (Sex Pistols)
Can;t Get you out of My Head (Kylie Minogue)
Domestic stuff will naturally have extra importance to clubs with no European ambition.
‘ Erz yer Sellic League Cup Special edition ‘
quadrophenian on 13th December 2025 12:36 pm
ZIGGY:
______
👍Some crackers there. Four I don’t know. Will check them out
FAVOURITE UNCLE on 13th December 2025 12:31 pm
Is the game in doubt tomorrow.
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I don’t think so. It’ll be windy. 3-0 to the Nancy Bhoys 😊
You snatch a chill and you match a cigarette
She pulls the eyes out with a face like a magnet
I don’t know how much more of this I can take
She’s filing her nails while they’re dragging the lake
WatchingTheTicCSC
ZIGGYDOC1:
Are you a muso yerself?
TBB – Declan really is a poet 👍
quadrophenian – absolutely. And that baseline is an all time great.
quadrophenian on 13th December 2025 12:53 pm
ZIGGYDOC1:
Are you a muso yerself?
___
Not a musician but love music. First concert in 1972, Deep Purple 😎
Is it worth it?
A new winter coat and shoes for the wife
And a bicycle on the boy’s birthday
It’s just a rumor that was spread around town
By the women and children
Soon we’ll be shipbuilding
Quadro
every month or so i listen Golden Brown Mariachi style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy8Y3R4dXyc
last night I listened to a few Stranglers tunes – mainly live
superb
get 1 of theirs into your playlist
🎶 Wilfried Nancy is his name
He’ll bring some great names to the game
When he is the boss at Celtic Park
He’ll teach them how to play football
He’ll make the greatest of them all
Gallacher and Quinn have left their mark.
And they’ll give us 🫏 and 🫏 . 🎶
ZIGGY – Deep Purple 72 ! Think mine was The Police with The Cramps at The Apollo, May 79.
TBB – Thon bass has a real reggae vibe in it.
The duvet is calling. Nytol.
Bourne – Yep that Shipbuilding is a lovely track.
Spikeys – The boys want us to do Peaches, but with no keyboards I think we’d really struggle to do it justice! That Mariachi version shows we could do GB guitar only – ta !
Wim Janssen arrived at Celtic from a league many supporters wrongly imagined was inferior. At the time, it was seen as an uninspiring appointment. In his brief tenure, Wim went on to do great things.
Wilfried has arrived at an even less auspicious juncture than was the case for Wim. He is the third manager in as many months. The board which appointed him is shouted down at any public hearing. Not only that but he will suffer invidious comparisons with the heroic efforts of his immediate predecessors.
What Wilfried needs is time – and that commodity is in short supply in Glasgow.
He also needs patience from the fans. If he fails to secure the fans’ perseverance then we might miss out on something quite special.
Fritz- totally agree
Really dispiriting to hear Nancy is already having clear the air discussions with the players about tactics. Flip flopping is weakness so I really hope that’s not the outcome. We have no tolerance for more shambles.
This season is teetering on the point of total collapse, potentially starting tomorrow. My feeling is 1-1 aet and St Mirren to prevail on pens. Hope I’m wrong.
PETERLATCHFORDSBELLY on 13TH DECEMBER 2025 1:44 PM
Really dispiriting to hear Nancy is already having clear the air discussions with the players about tactics. Flip flopping is weakness so I really hope that’s not the outcome. We have no tolerance for more shambles.
This season is teetering on the point of total collapse, potentially starting tomorrow. My feeling is 1-1 aet and St Mirren to prevail on pens. Hope I’m wrong.
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That’s the spirit 👍
Win on Sunday. Win mid week at Tannadice and win next weekend against aberdeen.
All talk then of a crisis will have disappeared.
PLB…how do you think the penalty shoot-out will go? Who’ll miss for us?
Talking of music, check out SKY ARTS, Mick Fleetwood tribute to Peter Green, sensational talent on show
On footy matters, I would drop Kaspy and KT for tomorrow
kingLUBO
Comfortable win tomorrow – nae bather 🍀
Fritzsong on 13th December 2025 1:29 pm
Wilfried has arrived at an even less auspicious juncture than was the case for Wim
—-
Not for me mate. Wim had the weight of stopping 10 on his shoulders. He’d a squad that had won virtually nothing and he was up against far stronger domestic competition.
While Wilfried has not had a preseason. he’s chosen to change formation so he’ll live or die by that depending on the results.
He’s got St Mirren, Dundee Utd, Aberdeen, Livi and Motherwell to see out 2025. He should be winning all those games. Those are the demands. His job is to deliver the results.
Tom English should stick to talking rugby…he’s being childish and talking mince again…
Raith Rovers was a real low in modern times , fingers crossed no repeat tomorrow.
The away game at Saints was brutal , we survived a couple of narrow squeaks and disallowed Var against us. Hampden should suit us but against that we have Clancy as ref which means really random decision-making.
3 at the back makes us more vulnerable (due to lack of cover out wide) while our guys are finding their feet , so it’s likely we’ll concede tmrw. Benji will be dropped for Paulo and Kelechie for Daizen. I’d line up as follows
KS
KT. LS. AT
Y. Cal. AE ST
PB RH
KI
Arne needs to be pulled back to give a bit of dig and height in front of the centre halves for the rough and tumble of second balls , smaller ball players pushed up.
It will be a tight score line 2-1
HH