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Why the League Cup has never mattered more

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

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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  15. lionroars67 on

    Good morning CQN

     

     

    Bonne chance to Wilfreid and the players today no true Celtic fan wants nothing but success for Wilfreid

     

     

    Cup final day at last, in what feels like at least to this Celtic fan a long exhausting football week, life as a Celtic fan has been coming at us fast, as was the disappointing results.

     

     

    If it felt like a long week for us fans, no wonder the players had a time out meeting at Lennoxtown with Wilfreid, understandably given all what they had to process over the last week a new Leader and his team, two huge games, new systems, new philosophy, new positional positions for some, all this squashed little training ground time frame, it is no surprise Wilfreid was requested by the players to slow the pace of change down, a Leader has to carry those whom he leads with him, a fundamental basic tenet of leadership

     

     

    Wilfred’s naivety in giving performance standards the higher ground over winning football games mid season was an obvious mistake IMO, it also appears to me in the 5 or so weeks it took to finally get Wilfreid in situ, time was not spent in doing due diligence on the players abilities, characters and history, MON would have been a rich seam of knowledge to tap into, before he was in his coffee cafe in London and back on the talk show circuit, I fully understand that rightly Wilfreid wants to be true to thyself and his philosophy, but timing and knowing what is possible were mistakenly dismissed

     

     

    I hope Wilfreid has had a chat with the likes of Shaun, Stephen even wee Johnny Hayes in the last day or two as all have experience in Scottish football cup finals playing and winning for Celtic there insights and knowledge would have been worthwhile to obtain, all work in Lennoxtown

     

     

    With three games in a week sadly the consequence of which is also numerous pressers, I don’t have a high opinion of the gutter rags sports journos, if it was me they would be really short in time given, also minimal answers non expansive answers, your words will be used and held against you by the parasites both internal and external

     

     

    I detest Hampdump the home of the disgraced SFA so gave my ticket away, will be with friends around the TV screen, Wilfreid needs to stop being the centre of the story, a different narrative with which to end the week, a cup final is the perfect opportunity, no need to play beautiful inventive football just win

     

     

    If I was picking the team today and trying to be inclusive of Wilfred’s preferred 3 at the back it would be a 3-2-4-1 formation, team below

     

     

    Schmeichel

     

     

    Murray Trusty Scales

     

     

    Bernardo Engels

     

     

    Yang McGregor Hatate Maeda

     

     

    Iheanacho

     

     

    aff oot

  16. pauloantony on

    Wilfried i hope will prove me wrong i really really do.

     

     

    But for the first time in 40 odd years following Celtic have i doubted a new appointment in a msnager from the off.

     

     

    Is it because of the fractured relationship between the support and the Board? Possibly

     

     

    However when you look at a manager, his acheivements, experience … but most importantly his Beliefs and vision on how the game should be played … you can gauge and set your opinion on how it could play out.

     

     

    Biggest mistake he made was ripping up tactics that were working immediately.

     

    This to me showed his lack of exoerience.

     

     

    Martin took brendans side and tweaked a few things tactically (binned the horseshoe of doom at the back and moved the ball quicker)

     

     

    Did he rip the tactics up and impose his preferred style, formation ?

     

     

    Did he f…..

     

     

    That is his experience.

     

     

    Find a way to win

     

    It was about the team … not him

     

     

    Assess a squad and make tiny tweaks

     

     

    If he got the gig till the end of the season? … well we might have seen more martin style by the end of may …. Gradual

     

     

    Wilfried jumped in and his inexperience (as i hope not arrogance) told him to announce hes arrived … 3 at back

     

     

    Without even assessing the caoabilities of the squad …wow

     

     

    I have no doubt in my mind that his footballing inspiration comes from marcelo bielsa

     

    It has it written all over it

     

     

    Style

     

    Formation

     

    Application

     

     

    And its flawed

     

    It always was flawed

     

    And akways will be

     

     

    The high intensity of Beilsaball will see Teirney and anyone else prone, carrying or coming back from injury back on the table.

     

    The energy sapping intensity of the style of play with result in fatigue = injury

     

     

    We dont have a squad to cover the rotation required or replace injured players.

     

     

    The style 100% doesnt work against the deep block we will face on a weekly basis, and simply we dont have the personel to make the system work.

     

     

    We are playing 3 at the back which theroetically shoukd result in a overload in midfield or up top

     

     

    But

     

     

    We look like were down to 10 men.

     

     

    The player look exhausted after half hour.

     

     

    If …and i say IF this fails then the entire footballing structure needs ripped up with Tidsdale the first out the Door (he should be out already)

     

     

    There is 100% a position in our club for Martin

     

    Surrounded with good people, his exoerience and communcation coukd glue the fabric of the footballing department of our club together.

     

     

    Hope im wrong but all i see and trying to ignore is red flags.

  19. Turkeybhoy on

    Paul Anthony,

     

    Excuse me for asking,just what tactics were working?.We hobbled over the line in most of the games,except the one miracle in. Rotterdam

     

    .Even the Huns were down to 10 men for 75 min.

     

    The guy should never had been thrown into this 3 game,period.It was pure and simple madness.No settling in,no acclimatization, no real knowledge of the players,it beggars belief.But there you go,world class in everything we do.

     

    Hail Hail.😉

  22. quadrophenian on

    Horrific mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

     

     

    RIP the 10 confirmed dead, incl a police officer.

  25. ziggydoc1 on

    quadrophenian on 14th December 2025 10:14 am

     

    Horrific mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

     

    _____

     

    Yes. A place I know well. Horrific.

     

     

    11 Celtic players on the park today who have played for years. Irrespective of formation, they should be able to win it. I believe they will.

  26. Hot Smoked on

    Help !

     

    What was the name of the Pub Paul and CQNers used to meet in before games?

     

    It was on a street parallel to Argyle Street and near Glasgow Cross.

     

    Driving me mad !!!

  34. pauloantony on

    TURKEYBHOY

     

     

    The slight tweaks of moving the ball quicker, and some personel changes resulted in the winning streak and pulling us back into a title race/ europa qualification.

     

    Yes we are hobbling (literally) due to the ever expanding injury list.

     

    You are correct though, this appointment at the most critical stage where weve hit fixture congestion is a massive gamble.

     

    Like the gamble in the summer recruitment

     

    Like the gamble in CL qualification

     

    Like the massive gamble appointing Tidsdale

     

    Like the massive gamble emptying Rodgers

     

     

    The custodians of the club need to look at the very foundations of the Football club.

     

     

    Forward thinking, fresh, experienced :

     

     

    Directors

     

    DOF

     

    Head of recruitment

     

     

    The Standards must me much much higher.

     

     

    A bank bulging balance and domestic success can very quickly disappear.

     

     

    But what about this year

     

    The next

     

    5 years from now

     

     

    What foundations are being laid

     

    Whats the forward thinking plan to develop and future proof the development and success of the club.

     

     

    Barrowfield is a start (though they didnt even get that right- 6 months late and plans changed erasing a seated area)

     

     

    Looking towards the future, with forward /fresh thinking people can only be good ?

     

     

    Im sure Nokia would agree

  41. eratic on

    PAULOANTONY on 14TH DECEMBER 2025 10:59 AM

     

     

    I sort of agree in what you are saying, poor Wilf doesn’t seem to inspire confidence..but……I think we all probably thought that about Ange when he first arrived, yes somehow this does seem a bit different.

     

     

    I suppose if we had to win one game this week this would be the one.

     

     

    Come on Wilf , show us your “ The Mhan “ 👍👍☘️

  42. Jinkyredstar on

    Hot Smoked – we had some great times in the Babbity with vintage CQN back in the day, miss those days.

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