Match Pictures | Matches: 2024 – 2025
Trivia
- KO: 19:45; Wednesday; Celtic TV
- Brendan Rodgers only second time ever facing Dundee Utd (first time at home); so this is his first ever victory over Dundee Utd (last time was a draw).
- Temperatures around -4C tonight! Next game is Ross County at 12.30am!
- Killie v Motherwell also today; Dundee v Sevco next day.
- Celtic on top after 21 games on 56pts & +50GD so 16pts & 29GD ahead but Sevco play next day.
Post-Note: Dundee 1-1 Sevco! So Celtic 15pts & +29GD ahead of Sevco with both on same games played! Incredibly means that Sevco who defeated Celtic last Thursday have lost 4pts since then over 7 days! - Kuhn replaced at kickoff for Yang after a knock in the pre match warm up clutching his thigh.
- Celtic fans chanted for old players after Rodgers’ comments criticising fans who sang for Kieran Tierney. However some were more interested this evening in having a subtle pop at the manager as sections brought out the old songbook for a number of former players. Some top tunes were dusted off including chants for Larsson and Scott Sinclair as well as another old favourite, ‘Don’t sell McCourt’!
Rodgers said with a smile: “It was just the kit man, he was the only one that missed out, I think. It’s all part of the dance here, isn’t it? Listen, my job is to put the best team on the pitch and win, and win consistently, and everyone can smile.” - Bizarre one (8 Jan 2025): MLS side Atlanta Utd official site: “Atlanta United have a new Designated Player No.9, announcing Wednesday they’ve acquired Kyogo Furuhashi from Scottish Premiership powerhouse Celtic FC.” It was deleted just before Kyogo emerged from the subs bench in the 62nd min of this match! They later apologised to Celtic & Kyogo for this error, as another Japanese player had been signed by them on the day. Still very curious.
- Ex-Celt David Turnbull may return in the spring to Cardiff’s team after it was originally feared his season was over as he suffered a hamstring injury which required surgery.
- Champions League opponents BSC Young Boys 4 – 1 Sepsi OSK (friendly).
- Reports: Serie A title challengers Atalanta BC are admirers of Arne Engels & will be monitoring him through the season.
- Stephen Welsh in Belgium to complete a loan move to KV Mechelen. Nawrocki wants to leave this month due to no gametime. Bernabei move to Brazil expected to be completed this week.
- Transfer window:
- None completed so far.
- Crystal Palace and Ipswich set to make improved bids worth £20m for ex-Celt Ben Doak.
- Engels praised the influence of team-mate Greg Taylor at Celtic and is confident that uncertainty over his future and speculation about Kieran Tierney’s return won’t impact the left-back’s form.
Summary
“I am not going to beat about the bush when I am talking about the bush! I am experienced enough to say what I think and what I feel, but not in a derogatory way to anyone. I am so happy that I came back here and love my life and love my job here. But it is also important to be able to say what I think. Sometimes you are paid not to say what you think, but there are moments when you have to and I am at the stage now in my career and my life where I do not need to bite my tongue.”
Brendan Rodgers after the spat over his comments criticising fans for lack of patience etc (pre-match)
@joebloggscity of thecelticwiki: many hearty souls out tonight in this very cold weather, freezing temps. In any case, the players put on a show with Engels & Maeda the standouts. Engels very unfortunate not to have a goal or assist, he has been improving to date, and hope’s are rising for him. Celtic dominated in possession and spent much of the game in the final third, but the players were not capitalising on their advantage as has been the case for much of the games of late. If anything, Celtic needs to stop trying to simply walk the ball into the opposition net! A lot of interchanging of positions all across the front.
Maeda scored a decent goal after all the pressure in the game, but Idah was again poor or didn’t receive the service. Dundee Utd had the odd opportunity to pull themselves into the game which could have put Celtic on shakey ground, only wrapping up the game late with a Hatate goal. Kyogo unfortunate not to score with a great chance at one time.
The loss of Kuhn at just prior to the game was a loss but maybe he also needed a break and could help him get a breather. Some Celtic fans were singing old Celtic player songs from over the past 20 years to wind up the manager, but we’re sure all will have seen the funny side of it but time to draw a line under the whole thing!
fatboab of KDS:
Another fairly straightforward win that should have been more comfortable. First half was a walk in the park, some excellent sideways and backwards passing to applaud, but no real luck in the penalty box. I lost count of the number of excellent crosses we put in with no taker . Goal was a bit scrappy, but it settled any nerves.
Second half Utd decided to make a game of it ( which makes their abysmal first half performance harder to comprehend) and we fell out of it a bit, so it was with a bit relief that Reo popped up to secure the points.
Superb night of trolling from Green Brigade/ Bhoys as we got treated to a “ Greatest Hits” of songs for former players. Know which battles to pick Brendan .
Freezing as predicted, but a good crowd considering, and a nice way to round off the four pack of home games through the holiday season.
Now for a couple of wins on our travels.
Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland ·
FT: Celtic 2-0 Dundee Utd United made it a much better contest second half & caused a bit of anxiety, but Cameron Carter-Vickers snuffed out any potential danger, Reo Hatate killed the game riffling Maeda’s cut back into the top corner. Engels, CCV & Taylor were excellent.
Adam Idah’s started four of the last five League games at Celtic Park, and he’s did absolutely nothing in any of them, he needs to seriously work on his movement, so many good opportunities across the six yard box and he’s never in position to take advantage.
Idah’s movement has to improve, whenever he actually makes a run, he tends to always head for the back post and the three Dundee Utd CB’s have dealt with him comfortably, if he made front post runs he would’ve got on the end of at least two very good balls across the 6 yard line.
David McWeeney @abhoysvoice.bsky.social A win tonight. But I don’t put as much emphasis on possession stats as some others. Having the ball can lead people to think “domination”, but only if you do something with it. 1st half we had total possession. But kept working it down the wings to send in crosses. Dundee United happily sat in, sweeping them up. Bread and butter. But we persisted,with a hint of the old horseshoe. Total possession and more movement and linkup than lately. So “dominated”, but we didn’t threaten from it really at all. Until Maeda pops up with the goal.Utd changed up the 2nd half and pressed us. But we didn’t seem to take advantage as much as we should have with the space that opened, nor look as comfortable being pressed. Hatate & Kyogo gave us more penetration through the middle when they came on, & we got the 2nd goal.But we got the win. Which we can be happy with, but still want to see us offer more. It doesn’t allay my fears for Young Boys or some others if we’re pressed, and our danger men are snuffed out. And regardless of our strikers’ form, we’re still struggling to play them in.
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
01 K. Schmeichel
03 G. Taylor
06 A. Trusty
20 C. Carter-Vickers
02 A. Johnston
27 A. Engels, subbed for Paulo Bernardo at 80mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain
14 L. McCowan, subbed for L. Palma at 76mins
38 D. Maeda
09 A. Idah, subbed for K. Furuhashi at 62mins
13 Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for R. Hatate at 62mins [Kuhn was pulled out just prior to the kick off due to a precaution]
Subs:
08 K. Furuhashi
28 Paulo Bernardo
41 R. Hatate
10 N. Kühn
07 L. Palma
56 A. Ralston
05 L. Scales
12 V. Sinisalo
11 Álex Valle
Goals:
D. Maeda (23′)
R. Hatate (83′)
Assists:
D. Maeda (83′)
Dundee United
Manager: Jim Goodwin
Formation: 4 – 4 – 1 – 1
01 J. Walton
11 W. Ferry
06 R. Graham
31 D. Gallagher (c), Captain
16 E. Adegboyega
15 G. Middleton
05 V. Ševelj, subbed for R. Docherty at 46mins
12 R. Odada, subbed for L. Stephenson at 59mins
18 K. Fotheringham
07 K. Trapanovski, subbed for S. Dalby at 60mins
20 J. van der Sande, subbed for M. Thomson at 78mins
Subs:
37 S. Harding
19 S. Dalby
23 R. Docherty
25 D. Richards
17 L. Stephenson
42 O. Stirton
02 R. Strain
29 M. Thomson
70 M. Ubochioma
Goals:
Assists:
Referee Kevin Clancy
Video Assistant Referee Steven McLean
Assistant Referee 1 Graeme Stewart
Assistant Referee 2 Colin Drummond
Fourth Official Alastair Grieve
Assistant VAR Official Alan Mulvanny
Att:
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
…
Overall possession
Celtic 76.1% Dundee United 23.9%
Shots
Celtic 19 Dundee United 5
Shots on target
Celtic 6 Dundee United 3
Total touches inside the box
Celtic 51 Dundee United 14
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 3 Dundee United 4
Fouls
Celtic 12 Dundee United 4
Corners
Celtic 13 Dundee United 4
Shots
Celtic 19 Dundee United 5
Shots on target
Celtic 6 Dundee United 3
Shots off target
Celtic 5 Dundee United 1
Blocked shots
Celtic 8 Dundee United 1
Attempts out of box
Celtic 8 Dundee United 2
Hit woodwork
Celtic 1 Dundee United 0
Total offside
Celtic 2 Dundee United 2
Total tackles
Celtic 19 Dundee United 11
Won tackles
Celtic 14 Dundee United 9
Fouls
Celtic 12 Dundee United 4
Total clearances
Celtic 30 Dundee United 57
Headed clearances
Celtic 17 Dundee United 21
Duels won
Celtic 50 Dundee United 47
Errors leading to shots
Celtic 0 Dundee United 1
Total passes
Celtic 805 Dundee United 250
Accurate passes
Celtic 725 Dundee United 168
Backward passes
Celtic 114 Dundee United 51
Forward passes
Celtic 256 Dundee United 111
Total long balls
Celtic 38 Dundee United 65
Successful final third passes
Celtic 302 Dundee United 44
Total crosses
Celtic 37 Dundee United 12
Touches
Celtic 1008 Dundee United 465
Touches in the box
Celtic 51 Dundee United 14
Dispossessed
Celtic 6 Dundee United 12
Goalkeeper saves
Celtic 3 Dundee United 4
Diving saves
Celtic 0 Dundee United 3
Saved shots from inside the box
Celtic 2 Dundee United 2
Saved shots from outside the box
Celtic 1 Dundee United 2
Keeper throws
Celtic 4 Dundee United 3
Goal kicks
Celtic 2 Dundee United 10
Punches
Celtic 0 Dundee United 1
Articles
Manager: It was a win we thoroughly deserved
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/january/08/manager–it-was-a-win-we-thoroughly-deserved/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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08 Jan 2025, 10:23 pm
Brendan Rodgers watched his side produce a dominant performance to beat third-placed Dundee United 2-0 at Paradise, thanks to goals from Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.
The result puts the Hoops 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership table, and the Celtic manager was delighted with his team’s display.
It also gave the league leaders a win against a side that had managed to hold them to a goal-less draw at Tannadice just before Christmas.
Speaking to Celtic TV after the game, Brendan Rodgers said: “It was a very good win for us. We were excellent in the first half and got the goal but didn’t quite capitalise on that.
In the second-half, towards the last period of the game, you put yourself in a position that you shouldn’t be in, when it’s 1-0 and maybe you haven’t taken chances and their keeper’s made some really good saves.
“But we weathered that little bit of pressure that came our way in the second half and then we got the second goal, and obviously thoroughly deserve it. So it was a very good three points.
“You have to be able to deal with that as a team, and no matter how dominant you are as a team, there are going to be little spells where you have to defend long throw-ins or balls into the box.
“So I thought the players did that very well and we’re very deserving winners.”
And the manager praised Man of the Match, Arne Engels, who produced another strong performance in the heart of the Celtic midfield.
“Arne’s working very hard and now he’s in the flow of how we work and how we play, and his hard work is paying off and I’m delighted for him.”
Celtic dominant in Paradise win over Dundee United
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/january/08/celtic-dominant-in-paradise-win-over-dundee-united/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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08 Jan 2025, 9:59 pm
Scottish Premiership
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Celtic Park, Glasgow
CELTIC…2
(Maeda 22, Hatate 83)
DUNDEE UNITED… 0
Celtic moved 16 points clear at the top of the Premiership table after a 2-0 home win over Dundee United.
Goals from Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate gave the Hoops the win, on a night when Brendan Rodgers’ side produced another dominant performance at Paradise.
Celtic were on the front foot from the first whistle, and that remained the pattern for the entire 45 minutes, with Brendan Rodgers’ side enjoying over 83% possession.
Arne Engels was showing great attacking intent, either getting into spaces in attacking areas to creat chances for his team-mates, or trying to test the Dundee United keeper himself.
On 13 minutes, Celtic came close to the opening goal and it was Auston Trusty who almost made it two goals in two games, but his header from an Engels corner crashed off the bar.
Engels was at the heart of many of Celtic’s attacks, and he was at the end of a good move involving Greg Taylor and Adam Idah, but his shot went over the bar.
Celtic eventually go the goal their attacking efforts deserved in the 22nd minute through Daizen Maeda.
Luke McCowan managed to curl a left-foot shot goalwards, which was pushed away by the United keeper, but the ball fell into the path of Daizen Maeda who fired home for his 15th goal of the season.
Engels continued to look dangerous around the edge of the United area, while Trusty also had a shot from outside the box which was blocked.
76%
Possession
24%
19
Shots
5
6
Shots On Target
3
12
Corners
4
12
Fouls
4
0
0
Cards
0
0
The second-half saw Celtic continue to dominate possession, although the visitors showed more attacking intent without troubling Kasper Schmeichel.
Again, it was Arne Engels who had two early chances for Celtic but a compact Dundee United side had plenty of bodies behind the ball.
On 53 minutes, United had their first effort, but Kai Fotheringham’s shot was blocked.
Kyogo, who came on as a substitute, almost doubled Celtic’s lead, meeting an Engels corner at the near post, but his header was well-saved by the United keeper.
Dundee United tried to push forward in search of an equaliser, but it was Celtic who grabbed the second goal of the game on 83 minutes.
A ball from the left found Daizen Maeda inside the right side of the area. He rolled the ball across the box and it was perfectly dummied by Paulo Bernardo for the onrushing Reo Hatate, who fired home an unstoppable shot.
Hatate, Paulo Bernardo and Luis Palma all had further efforts before the final whistle, but Celtic could not further extend their lead.
However, it was another three points for Brendan Rodgers’ side, with another strong performance, and the 2-0 win gives Celtic a 16-point lead at the top of the Premiership table.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Alistair Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor, McCowan (Palma 76′), McGregor, Engels (Paulo Bernardo 80′), Hyunjun Yang (Hatate 62′), Idah (Kyogo 62′), Maeda
Subs: Scales, Palma, Kyogo, Kühn, Valle, Sinisalo, Paulo Bernardo, Hatate, Ralston
Dundee Utd: Walton, Adegboyega, Gallagher, Graham, Ferry, Fotheringham, Odada (Stephenson 59′), Sevelj (Docherty 45′), Middleton, Trapanovski (Dalby 60′), van der Sande (Thomson 78′)
Subs: Strain, Stephenson, Dalby, Docherty, Richards, Thomson, Harding, Stirton, Ubochioma
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/cn7r4k78xn8t?page=5#Report
Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter at Celtic Park
Brendan Rodgers said Celtic’s “brilliant” support “pushed us over the line” in response to his call for patience as a hard-fought victory over Dundee United sent the Scottish Premiership leaders 16 points clear.
The Celtic manager had been irked by the reaction to backward passes during Sunday’s 3-0 win over St Mirren, but was full of praise for the fans after Daizen Maeda and a late Reo Hatate strike downed a United side who ran the hosts close.
“The crowd were brilliant because it can get a bit edgy and we are a support, bless us, that we fret a wee bit and we worry a wee bit,” Rodgers said.
“But that support was so important. It was fantastic. Such a cold night to come out and see the team but the numbers turned up, gave the team great support and that pushed us over the line.”
Rodgers had also suggested supporters who chanted about transfer target and former Celtic player Kieran Tierney last weekend were being disrespectful to current left-back Greg Taylor.
The fans responded against United by singing about several former players including Odsonne Edouard, Henrik Larsson, Victor Wanyama and Jimmy Johnstone.
“It was just the kitman, he was the only one that missed out, I think,” Rodgers added.
“It’s all part of the dance here, isn’t it? Listen, my job is to put the best team on the pitch and win and win consistently and everyone can smile.”
Celtic initially seemed set to cruise to victory, but third-place United grew in confidence and looked capable of snatching a point.
Auston Trusty clipped the bar with a header from Arne Engels’ corner, before the breakthrough came when Richard Odada’s pass put team-mate Vicko Sevelj under pressure on the edge of his box, Luke McCowan nipped in and Jack Walton could only parry the ball straight out to the gleeful Maeda to slam home.
United re-emerged after the break in far more adventurous mood. Celtic substitute Kyogo Furuhashi went close with a header before Glenn Middleton produced a near-post save from Kasper Schmeichel at the other end.
As the clock ticked on, substitute Sam Dalby was a yard from connecting with a flick-on just in front of goal and was denied by Schmeichel late on from close range.
The win was eventually sealed when substitute Paulo Bernardo intelligently dummied to allow Hatate to finish off a lovely move.
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Celtic take long route but get desired outcome
This was as one way as it gets, for the first half. Not so in the second period.
Right from the off Celtic took a firm grip of the ball and camped in United’s half looking for any gap to exploit.
They enjoyed 84% possession in the opening 45 minutes, pinning their opponents in, and ultimately deserved this win.
The only frustration will be a failure to threaten Walton nearly enough given their initial dominance.
The late call-off from Nicolas Kuhn – who was injured in the warm-up – may have made a difference to the scoreline or, at least, direct chances as his replacement Hyun-jun Yang hasn’t managed anywhere near the same impact.
That may be an area Rodgers will look to strengthen in this window.
United resolute in defeat
United rang the changes with top scorer Dalby on the bench and that seemed the result of players feeling the effects of a challenging schedule.
They knew they would concede a lot of possession, but struggled to hold the ball at all in the first half.
The opener was crucial but a failure to clear lines when given the opportunity opened the door and from there it was always uphill.
They did, however, retain a strong structure and limit clear chances to keep themselves in the game longer than the initial flow suggested. The visitors defended very well outside the goals.
Despite defeat to Hearts prior to this fixture, it has been a really impressive return to the Premiership. United showed here why they are third in the table despite coming up short.
What they said
Media caption,
Celtic ‘giving everything’ in demanding schedule – Rodgers
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers: “I can’t fault the players, they’re giving everything in what is a really demanding schedule.
“When you’re the team having to take the game to the opponent, it takes a big effort and I think the effort was there from the players. Once we weathered the storm we finished the game really well.”
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: “The players definitely weren’t at 100% in terms of energy levels so the gameplan had to be about conserving energy.
“The players kept going that was the really pleasing aspect, they didn’t throw the towel in. We had one or two opportunities to put the ball into dangerous areas but none of those opportunities fell kindly to us in the box.”
Brendan Rodgers responds to Celtic fan chants with kit man quip and addresses Greg Taylor reaction
By Ross McLeish
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/brendan-rodgers-responds-to-celtic-fan-chants-with-kit-man-quip-and-addresses-greg-taylor-reaction-4935974
Comments
Published 8th Jan 2025, 23:08 GMT
Updated 8th Jan 2025, 23:11 GMT
Celtic manager has say after 2-0 win over Dundee United
Brendan Rodgers praised the “fantastic” Celtic Park crowd following his side’s 2-0 win over Dundee United and laughed off the string of chants about old favourites that sprang from his weekend comments.
The Celtic manager had called for fans to be more patient after expressing frustration over the reaction to backward passes during Sunday’s 3-0 win over St Mirren. Rodgers had also claimed supporters who chanted about transfer target Kieran Tierney were being disrespectful to current left-back Greg Taylor.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and Greg Taylor at full time after the 2-0 win over Dundee United. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers and Greg Taylor at full time after the 2-0 win over Dundee United. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group
The fans responded by reprising songs for a full team of other former players and manager Martin O’Neill. Songs about Artur Boruc, Mikael Lustig, Billy McNeil, Charlie Mulgrew, Tommy Burns, Victor Wanyama, Jimmy Johnstone, Scott Sinclair, Jota, Odsonne Edouard and Henrik Larsson all received an airing.
The fans rounded off their back catalogue with a stoppage-time burst of their song about Arsenal defender Tierney, who is believed to be close to agreeing a pre-contract deal to return to Parkhead.
Rodgers said with a smile: “It was just the kit man, he was the only one that missed out, I think. It’s all part of the dance here, isn’t it? Listen, my job is to put the best team on the pitch and win, and win consistently, and everyone can smile.”
Daizen Maeda put Celtic ahead in a one-sided first half but United improved after the break and Kasper Schmeichel made two saves not long before Reo Hatate sealed the points with a classy finish. There was little sign of tension emanating from the stands and Rodgers praised the crowd’s reaction to his plea.
“The crowd were brilliant because it can get a bit edgy and we are a support, bless us, that we fret a wee bit and we worry a wee bit,” he said. “We can do that. But that support was so important. It was fantastic. Such a cold night to come out and see the team but the numbers turned up, gave the team great support and that pushed us over the line.”
Daizen Maeda celebrates scoring his Celtic’s first goal against Dundee United
Daizen Maeda celebrates scoring his Celtic’s first goal against Dundee United | Getty Images
When asked how Taylor had been after being at the centre of the debate, Rodgers said: “He’s absolutely fine with it. I’d say there’s probably a bigger deal made of it than what it actually was, my observation I made but it’s gone now. He was very good in the game, as he always is, he’s very consistent.”
United manager Jim Goodwin made five changes to his starting line-up after detecting energy levels dropping during Sunday’s defeat by Hearts and he praised his players’ efforts.
“Listen, we knew before the game how difficult a task it was going to be,” he said. “Coming here with a fresh group of players is hard enough, but coming here three days after the previous game with only 48 hours to recover, it was always going to be a huge challenge.
“That was our sixth league game in the space of 17 days. Saturday will be the seventh in less than three weeks. It’s just a crazy amount of fixtures for any player to have to face.
“I’m really pleased with what the players put into it. They never threw the towel in, they never stopped fighting. At 1-0 at half-time, we always felt we were going to be in the game and we believed we would get one or two opportunities.
“I thought we imposed ourselves a little bit more on Celtic in the second half and did have a few chances to put the ball in the box. Unfortunately, nothing fell too kindly to us and there were never any real clear-cut chances. We can’t argue about the result.”
For the good of Celtic, it’s time to draw a line under the whole Brendan saga
For the good of Celtic, it’s time to draw a line under the whole Brendan saga
By justanordinarybhoy 8 January, 2025 3 Comments
Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, looks on prior to the SPL Premier League match between theRangers and Celtic at Ibrox on January 02, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Brendan Rodgers ruffled more than a few feathers in the Celtic support when he criticised our supporters after Celtic’s 3-0 victory over St Mirren on Sunday…
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
Whether you agree with him or disagree with him is all down to a matter of opinion, and like it or not, Brendan is also entitled to his.
Media has been awash with this subject
Since Sunday the back pages, phone ins, and social media have been awash with this subject as you’d expect, giving the Scottish media the perfect opportunity to smear our club in negativity while conveniently forgetting troubles on the other side of the city.
Both Glasgow clubs have had one home match each. The first at Ibrox saw Arne Engels hit in the head with coins, Brendan Rodgers also targeted in the dug-out area in the same way, Nicolas Kuhn violently elbowed in the face and 50,000 bigots chanting their hateful sectarian bile for 90 minutes.
At Celtic Park a few excited young Celtic supporters chanted an old Kieran Tierney chant following the news from Fabrizio Romano that Celtic were in talks with Arsenal to bring the left-back back up the road, and there were some moans and groans in the first half-hour as Celtic struggled to break down the St Mirren low-block and some passes went backwards.
Nothing much is being said about the former while the entire media is focused on the latter.
More fuel was added to the fire
More fuel was added to the fire yesterday afternoon when Brendan Rodgers reiterated his feelings during his press conference ahead of tonight’s match against Dundee United at Celtic Park. So we now know his feelings weren’t said in the heat of the moment, but I think the time has come to draw a line under the entire saga.
We are in a good place at the moment as we sit very comfortably at the top of the table. We’ve just won the first trophy of the season and are on course for a play off place that could see us qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League. Progress this month in the Scottish Premiership, the Scottish Cup and the Champions League are all on the cards and should be our focus.
We don’t need or deserve such negativity
We don’t need or deserve such negativity, Brendan has had his say and so have the Celtic supporters. It’s time to move on – starting tonight – and stop giving the SMSM much needed ammunition in their efforts to deflect from problems elsewhere.
Brendan is inevitably going to be asked about this before and after the match. He has surely got to close it down now, as perhaps he should have done yesterday. There are no Celtic-minded winners in this argument that has come out of nowhere really. If you were unfortunate enough to be a supporter of theRangers you’d be delighted that this is going down across the road.
Danger of scoring an own goal
We’re in danger of scoring a significant own goal here. Enough already folks. Brendan has previously spoken about the Holy Trinity as Celtic’s great strength, meaning the bond that with the players, manager and supporters. That can’t be weakened by this row and everyone at Celtic Park this evening, in below freezing temperatures, needs to be mindful of that.
Enjoy the game folks and COYBIG!
Just an Ordinary Bhoy