Yesterday we discussed that title credentials “are established on plastic pitches and cold nights in places like Falkirk”. Celtic were far from polished but had enough in the tank to win a game in which they withstood a first half onslaught. The credentials are intact.
Martin O’Neill is not a miracle worker, but he knows how to set teams up in order to get results. Confidence, so lacking in the squad in recent weeks, is back in sufficient quantities to see them through challenging pressure.
Across his two tenures this season, Martin has taken charge of seven league games, in which Celtic have conceded only one goal – a penalty kick, awarded by VAR after an incident which passed without on-field concern. That might sound like working miracles, but it is just good old organisation.
When Kyrell Wilson skinned Kieran Tierney and rounded Kasper Schmeichel, he was rushed into the shot by Liam Scales, who arrived to prevent Falkirk taking the lead. Later, when Auston Trusty and Callum McGregor failed to control the ball, green and white shirts arrived on the scene mob-handed, forcing a rushed shot from Williams which Kasper saved. Both were goals prevented by plan.
There is an alternative history for Celtic this season which is even worse than it has been. Can you imagine where we would be had Benjamin Nygren not arrived in the summer? His goals and progressive play are the reason we are still in the title race. Yesterday’s effort was a perfect example of his ability to get into the right place.
He is the best finisher and the most-aware penalty box player we have available right now. A rose by another name is still a rose.
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Mulligan and Bowie?
Play Nygren behind the main striker KENNY, or one of those big untapped genius Livingston stikers, or the big GIANT striker at Killie, MARCUS DACKERS, holding the ball up for the LARSSON/LUBO/esque, BENJAMIN NYGREN.
Put it this way…..
Celtic will NOT feature in any future European final AGAIN by playing EVERY GAME with ONE STRIKER.
The ONE STRIKER curse on Celtic FC, started by the amazing RODGERS, needs to be ended.
All good things come to an end. Thank you Mr RODGERS. YNWA.
MON needs to end THAT One striker curse on Celtic.
Midfield players need a target to hit when their normal way of play has been disrupted, wingers who have to keep turning back all of the time because the one striker is easily marked, etc, and asking CALMAC to run all over the pitch for 90+ minutes in EVERY game whereas he could receive the ball, playing as a front sweeper, turn quickly [like ANDREAS PIRLO] and hit big MARCUS DACKERS, or whoever, to either score themselves, set up NYGREN, or some midfielder breaking into the box for a shot.
BUT.
Playing with ONE striker isn’t fashionable, isn’t cloning Pep, it is PLAYSTATION induced sleekit laziness which will only work in a league with little opposition, and glory hunting fans won’t know the difference.
UNTIL.
Teams start to wise up which is always only a matter of time.
Does a boxer fight every fight the same way?
How long would the boxer get away with throwing the same punch, before he/she is put on their erchie?
Same in football, etc.
Celtic teams play with 2 strikers getting the ball forward at every opportunity, but in the early 1990’s that made us naive and weak sometimes.
BUT.
When wily WIM JANSEN RIP, arrived and showed us how to defend and not be mugs, with an absolute LEGEND/LARSSON up the other end of the pitch, and battling CRAIG BURLEY in midfield instead of 14 YEARS OF PETER THE POINTER, Celtic started to win midfield battles again, and winning crunch games as well.
So, imho, a big GIANT up front with LARSSON/LUBO/esque NYGREN feeding off of him, anything can happen.
If we do not play direct balls up the pitch then we are not to be taken seriously.
God Bless KINGLUBO’s and AULDHEID’s Families.
HH
oot.
Benny…………………Benny, hits the nets.
Nice one Bognor!
BRRB, thanks for the update on Big Jimmy. Great to hear!
Nygren is not a striker
Play him up there and we miss his goals from midfield
Just buy a fecking striler who can score goals
It cant be that hard
Fofana being touted again.In Turkey at the moment,his team rock bottom.7 goals from15 games,very good considering the team has scored 14 altogether.On loan from Chelsea
Croat seems to tick every box.Loads of goals domestic and Europe,something like,23 in 25 games.Incredibly,he is the cheapest, being quoted around £2.5 million.Even cheaper than SPFL strikers
Has to be worth serious consideration. But quickly..
bigrailroadblues on 15th January 2026 4:20 pm
Thank you.
In the absence of a striker scoring for us , it’s good to see Nygren scoring goals, but we need to spread it around a bit . I thought when Arne got himself into the right place at the right time to score v D.U. it was the start of a revival but last night I can’t remember him doing it once . Reo has perfected the art of skying it over the bar in situations where he used to show composure ,and Luke , who has slotted in some nice goals from the edge of the box , has recently perfected the art of the sclaff .
To clarify from earlier I would play Nygren as a striker, until we get one ……and who knows when that will be,Bowie rumour again today…..
the Bada Bing on 15th January 2026 5:23 pm
To clarify from earlier I would play Nygren as a striker, until we get one ……and who knows when that will be,Bowie rumour again today…..
…….
Play BOWIE up front on his own watching 2 wingers turning back all of the time, how long till BOWIE becomes KENNY-2???
HH
oot.
CLUNKS – NYGREN is an untapped genius, imho, who is hampered by having to turn back the way to make room for the 2 sussed out and constantly turning back the way wingers.
Being short sighted re: NYGREN could be regretted further down the line.
HH
oot.
Maolmuire
I assumed the same. Unless it was Braga and Shankland…
I know it’s definitely not Maswanhise from Motherwell as I was behind him in the bank queue yesterday and we got talking. He’s hearing we have a winger in the pipeline from Denmark or Sweden.
Shame as he’s a top prospect and top scorer in the league. The other options will be cheaper, of course.
Desmond out.
https://thecelticbhoys.com/sky-sports-confirm-brilliant-celtic-transfer-rumour
Will players come to Celtic if they don’t know who the manager will be after May????????
Hmmmm.
HH
oot.
Nice rumour. In a tribute to the dearly departed Lawwell we will sign him immediately after losing 1-0 to Herats at Tynecastle.
Or more likely,we will cancel the transfer in recognition that there’s no point in spending money when the league is already gone.
The Plc model is rotten.
spot on article paul67 –
the players were fighting for MON last night.
can we please never not play nygren
stay stoic spikey
We all laugh at the bigots having no money etc etc etc. BUT, they have found the funds to buy half a team, and Celtic, with ” hunners of money” have done the square route of fuck all.
Kinda says it all really
kingLUBO
Charlton sign Dykes……phew….
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/bhoys-will-be-bhoys
Ah the old jungle days,irish republicans and and anti fascism,thats ghe jungle is mind.interesting book.they all are
:-)
Hail Hail
Have that crack group of investigators been able to identify those damn Hunterlopers yet?
jackiemac on 15th January 2026 6:24 pm
spot on article paul67 –
the players were fighting for MON last night.
Fight? I must have missed that bit…. Looked disjointed and lack lustre to me…
Getting rid of the board would need to be done with more awareness of ourselves 1st, imho.
How do we get people in charge of Celtic who’ll not only remove capitalism and all of its traps, and be cute and bold enough to influence others to do likewise, endeavoring to remove this Tory slop from Celtic FC, but remove it in a way were we are not controlled, in any way, by secret Lobby groups invisible hands pulling the strings?????
Remember TORIES are just puppets of the LOBBY groups who own these ACTORS.
Where would such PURE Working Class JAMES CONNOLLY Socialist souls be found????
They are NOT among the present supporter base, or we would have seen them by now, among the Zombied Sheeple Nodding Dogs who have sucked non stop in getting us to this point.
Well, and the majority of Timdom won’t like this, EITHER, and that is just too bad.
The only place in BRITAIN, IRELAND, US, CAN, NZ, AUS, EU, were we can be CERTAIN that ZERO Lobby group has ANY Influence, is the WORKERS PARTY of BRITAIN Membership.
If we don’t admit that WE have a problem ie: Celtic supporter base, then NOTHING gets solved.
We can’t just keep pointing at everybody else who would not be there if WE x 60,000 were not so pathetically weak!!!!
The BIGGEST problem that Celtic FC faces is that we have had for 30+ years now, had a supporter base that has not been JUNGLE-IZED!
That makes the entire club weak.
If a board are not terrified out of their minds about disappointing their supporter base, then that club is already ZOMBIFIED!
Until WE admit that we are lazy dullards who have sucked up oceans of slop from the PLC, then NOTHING will change!
I’m just so glad that I MARCHED out of FRONT DOOR with the blessed MON, in 2005, and from a selfish point of view, I can sleep freely KNOWING that not one drop of this slop can be dropped on me.
What a time to be alive!
HH
oot.
With Malen going to Roma from Villa ,I wonder if we are trying to get Evan Ferguson .
Just a thought .
TT
Timmy7_noted
Oh they are here T7,always present.
I always remember wee Craigi standing on the steps of the u-bend simultaneously on kerrydale street they were outing out all the huns.
Listen t7 when is SD anniv?was up that way the other day a walk.hope the retirements gaun awrite
“-))
HH
An Tearmann on 15th January 2026 6:32 pm
……….
Nice!
When Tims were TIMS and everybody knew it.
HH
oot.
A load of old Bollocks on here today.Who gives a toss about Nygren.He is already our player.
Nygren will not win us the league. Maybe in Kev’s head.We need a good striker,a good RW,I will not be looking for anything else,I think getting these two over the line,and going the rest of a tense season will tax MON.No time to be living in fantasy land.Aurojo,Sarrachi,back soon,gives great cover\ options in full back areas.Iheanacho back,cover. For striker,Maeda,Tounerki,out left,new winger,Nygren
on right.Welsh cover at CH.
If we get the striker ,winger,IF ??????????.
I would be looking for 2 midfield players as well, first teamers and let McCowan and Hatate go.
Two midfielders who can tackle and a big, no nonsense, right sided centre back.
Along with two strikers.
Basically what we needed in August.
Fat chance with Nicholson and co.
Turkeybhoy on 15th January 2026 7:05 pm
……
Even an average Turkey would know that playing the Mercurial NYGREN up front, ON HIS OWN, will NOT win us anything.
ONE trick pony Rodgers has gone, and he was sussed out way before he was gone.
When Rodgers-1 left during the night, the E-Tims website was being called every name under the sun, the week before Rodgers-1 left, because of their rumor mill and its leaks about Rodgers-1, saying that “if Rodgers was chocolate he would have eaten himself” and “hearing he was leaving”, which almost all websites on Celtic Cyberspace were firing volleys at E-Tims saying they were making stuff up for attention, etc.
Well a week later and Rodgers-1 was off oot.
NYGREN is a SUPERSTAR who needs to be managed properly
Playing him up front on his own will destroy him like it destroyed, KYOGO, IDAH, KENNY, and may more.
HH
oot.
yip
no news day
SAINT STIVS on 15TH JANUARY 2026 7:28 PM
no news day
I remember how we used to talk about the Celtic games on here, I’m sure you do as well.
celtic40me on 15th January 2026 7:35 pm
SAINT STIVS on 15TH JANUARY 2026 7:28 PM
no news day
I remember how we used to talk about the Celtic games on here, I’m sure you do as well.
*according to a well known blog out there all we do now on here is argue and bitch
sorry TB – I think he’s good , hope we play whilst our squad is being ‘rebuilt’.
https://videocelts.com/2026/01/features/has-gordon-strachan-pointed-towards-celtics-next-manager/
AnT, Big man’s anniversary is 7th November.
Retirement going great. Eventually finished the house so trying my best to spend the pension on holidays and grandweans.
All the best.
https://videocelts.com/2026/01/blogs/latest-news/celtics-silent-approval-of-daily-record-smear/