Before we get into this article, I’m going to say a couple of things just to put them on the record. First, I want to make this abundantly clear. If you’re the kind of Celtic supporter who has total disrespect and disregard for the opinions of other fans, you need to take a long look in the mirror, because some of the debate around the transfer window has been horrific.
Whether you think the club is in a good place or possibly heading for a bad one, whether you think it was a success or a failure, never forget that you are talking to fellow supporters who care about their club just as you do. Treat them with the appropriate respect. We’re all here because we care about Celtic. We simply have different views on where we are and where we’re going.
And if your reaction to that spellbinding performance last night was to sneer at fellow fans and try, in some way, to prove that you are superior to them because Maeda scored a couple of goals, and because the team was in great form in spite of the manager not getting the players he wanted, then you are an absolute moron. That’s above and beyond just disagreeing with someone—you’re acting like a dickhead.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let me say that last night restored my enthusiasm, at least as far as watching the team goes. I said on the podcast that I was going to attend the game, although my heart really wasn’t in it, and I really didn’t have any enthusiasm for doing so. But I didn’t go last night because I was still dejected over the failure to support the boss.
But I watched it, of course—my frustration didn’t extend as far as not watching the team. And the performance was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. There were no failures in that team last night. There were no negatives to be had in that display. It was tremendous. Every player hit his stride.
A couple, in particular, were beyond brilliant.
So let me talk about the ones who stood out. And I do this only because they were so far ahead of everyone else on the pitch—not because their teammates weren’t excellent too. They most certainly were. It does feel a little bit churlish to focus on individuals, but boy, these individuals deserve it.
I thought Reo Hatate was superb.
It seems that he’s one of those players who has now started to fully emerge into what we know he can be. He had a couple of months where he had lost a yard, where he wasn’t as focused as he might have been.
People like myself were very harsh on him. Others were even harsher. A couple of us suggested that it would be better to leave him out of the team for a while so he could get some perspective and rebalance. But someone knew better than us. Someone knew that what Reo really needed was support and backing. For someone to put an arm around him and say, “I know what you can do, and that’s why you’re in the team. So, forget about the white noise and just get on with doing it.”
My anger over the transfer window isn’t anger for myself—although I am disappointed. My anger is for Brendan Rodgers, that exceptional manager we have in the dugout. A man capable of getting a player like Hatate to another level. And the confidence is surging through this boy now that he’s got his mojo back.
Equal confidence is evident in the performances of Arne Engels.
He was also superb last night. He scored two, yes, the first from the penalty spot, but he ran much of the midfield show, and his second goal was a work of art, a moment of beauty. He’s been threatening to do that for a few months now.
Again, this is Rodgers taking what’s there and shaping it to make it better.
Arne came here as a player who had spent the bulk of his time in a defensive midfield position, very similar to Callum McGregor. But he had also played as an attacking midfielder, and that’s what Rodgers ultimately wants him to be. You can see it in the number of chances he has created and the number of shots he’s taken in the last few months, especially the last few weeks.
Now he’s starting to put them on target, and I thought it was only a matter of time before he produced something like that.
For him to do it in last night’s game, when so many other players seemed determined to score their own wonder goals (Nicolas Kuhn, that’s how to respond from the bench; masterful) only made it all the better.
For those who wondered why Rodgers had left this guy on the bench at times, it wasn’t an expression of doubt in his ability or lack of confidence in his own signing. Rodgers knows that a new player at a club sometimes has to take his time, has to be eased into it.
That’s why we talked so much on this blog about the importance of this window in preparing us for the summer.
Jota? What is there to say? Except that if this is him only half fit and still trying to find his footing in this rejigged Celtic then I can’t wait to see him hit full speed. He brought the whole box of tricks out last night and was brilliant.
Adam Idah—I am so glad that myself and others wrote so many pieces about him when he was allegedly struggling, when he had gone all those games without a goal. All he needed was that goal. That moment of glory that belonged to him. And once his head was up, it was obvious that he would score plenty.
The irony is that what turned him around wasn’t even a goal that he got credit for. He deserved the credit for it, but the Young Boys goal wasn’t awarded to him. But it was his all the same. It was his big moment.
It was his redemption, and at Villa, he looked—just as I said in my article on the game—like a player who could slot into any of the Premier League’s top teams, provided they play the right type of football to suit his style.
He has the physicality, the energy levels, the eye for goal, and the instincts. And, just like with Engels, those who doubted the transfer fee are in for a big surprise because he is starting to look every bit like a player in that bracket.
We all know there was some furore over the fee we paid for him, but the issue was never whether he was a £9 million player. It was that we didn’t have to pay £9 million. He would have been available for around £6 million had we moved at the right time.
But we waited. We waited until Kyogo was injured. We waited until we didn’t know how long he would be out before the manager was forced to strong-arm those above him into spending the money. Now, Idah is proving he’s worth it.
And then there’s Daizen. What a game he had.
That was next-level football he played last night. And the amazing thing is that he did it on the right side of the pitch instead of on the left, where he always plays. It’s perfectly clear that this guy is one of the most outstanding footballers we’ve had at our club in a long time, and I’m glad to have been a fan before it was fashionable.
I christened him Danger Mouse a couple of years back, and he fits the profile exactly, just like in the song—he’s the strongest, he’s the quickest, he’s the best. Go back and read what I’ve been writing about Maeda over the past couple of days. I’ve never doubted that he could play through the middle. I’ve never doubted for a second that he’s capable of taking Kyogo’s place.
But the manager wants him on the wing. The manager wants him out wide, where he can run all day, cut inside, and still score goals. Of course, at a push, he can play as a central striker—but that’s not the point, and it never was. The point is that the manager didn’t want to do it. That’s the point.
He was outrageously good last night. His first goal was a striker’s goal. His second? Absolutely world-class.
Having spent all this time talking about how Kyogo was the best striker we’ve had since Larsson, I think we can safely say that’s the kind of goal the King of Kings himself would have been proud to score.
It showed a level of technical skill that even Larsson would have admired.
We have to keep this guy. Whatever it takes. If that means elevating him to the highest wage echelon at the club, we should do it. We must do it. He should be one of the first names on the team sheet from now until he’s too old to get up to speed.
Right now, he is as close to irreplaceable as any player I’ve watched at Celtic Park in the last ten years—perhaps even longer.
And as I said, I don’t just want to give credit to a handful of players because everyone was brilliant last night. Even the substitutes came on and did their part, and it was good to see Johnny Kenny getting his latest run-out.
When I said the other day that, as disappointed and shocked as I was that we didn’t bring in a striker, I had a half-suspicion there might be a silver lining, I meant it. If you go and look, that’s right there in the article I wrote after the window closed.
Well, I’ll tell you right now—Johnny Kenny is the player I had in mind when I wrote that. Because he was almost certainly on his way out of the club on another loan deal. And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t have had a problem with that if we’d signed a striker because Johnny has signed a new deal, and he’ll be at Celtic for as long as we want him and as long as we believe he can contribute.
Still, I’d much rather see him stay, get the occasional chance in the first team, train regularly with the squad, and be considered a first-team player. And that might just be the silver lining—the rose poking out of the rubble of the January 2025 transfer window.
I don’t want to say too much. I don’t want to heap pressure on the boy’s shoulders, and nobody else should either.
It’s far too early for that. He’s got his chance now. He’s in the squad. He’s a first-team player. He’ll be a regular on our bench, and opportunities will come along. If he’s got the stuff, he’ll grab them. If he’s got the stuff, we’ll see what he can do.
So, without being too overbearing, without putting too much expectation on him, I have high hopes that he can take his chance. And if he does—if he proves he belongs in the squad and has something to offer—then this transfer window might just have the outcome we all wanted, in a very unexpected way.
One way or another, we’re going to find out what he has to offer. One way or another, we’re going to know if we have a player. Sometimes, all it takes is a player getting a chance like this.
I remember when Ryan Christie returned from his loan spell at Aberdeen—a deal they tried to make permanent but couldn’t agree a fee for. I think most of us assumed Christie had been all but written off by Celtic. And if memory serves, it was a Scottish Cup semi-final at Murrayfield where he grabbed his chance.
He’d been at Celtic for three years by that point, played just 23 games, but after that night, he never looked back. A month later, he signed a new deal and became a key part of everything we did until the day he left, and what I always liked about Ryan was that even when his contract was running down, even when he knew he was going, even when everyone knew he was going, he never gave less than 100 percent. He never gave less than his best. I’ve always respected him for that.
These things happen from time to time, and hopefully, this is one of them. Kenny now has his time to shine. Grab it my son, grab it.
Rodgers indicated last night after the game that he thought it was our best performance of the season. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it was certainly our best in a while. It was the kind of statement victory we’ve been hoping to make.
And at the risk of sounding a little dickish myself, I’m only going to say this: those six goals were scored by players, in a system designed by the manager and worked on in training with him and the coaches.
Those in the directors’ box were nowhere near any of it.
The people who really matter, the people who achieve the success, stepped up to the plate and hit a home run last night—in spite of the directors, not because of them. This is still a very good squad put together by a master architect. And for the rest of this season, my support will be for them and with them.
The credit for their success, I will give to them, to the boss and this squad.
Celtic is the team on the pitch, the man in the dugout, and the fans in the stands.
That symmetry, that single entity, operates entirely independent of the tired old men who watch it from their comfortable chairs, who devise no tactics, create no chances, score no goals, and put nothing on the line.
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Well said James, the team were exquisite last night, poetry in motion, great football, great goals and a great victory and we did it with an arrogance befitting that result. The league isn’t won yet, but who can doubt that 4-in-a-row is almost guaranteed with performances like that one. We needed that, all of us to lift our spirits, and oh how the Hoops gave us the cure we craved. So that’s me back in ‘the next game cannot come quick enough’ frame of mind, a good place to be.
The future is Green and White once again.
@ JG. Ah can’t argue with that ( for once). Spot on.
Got to agree there Johnny,that was an excellent performance and has certainly lifted my spirits up since the disappointment of the transfer window, every one of those players showed up last night , possibly as a show of support for the manager,let’s hope we can repeat that level of performance against Bayern and we just might take something from the home tie to take back to Germany so it’s not a dead rubber and looking at the way we performed last night we ain’t going to drop much points so sevco can do their best but it won’t be nearly good enough.hail hail.
Our best performance of the season was the 6-0 against Aberdeen which we followed up by beating the Germans 3-1, last night was up there with them and I’ll happily take another 3-1 win against the Germans next week. The Raith Rovers game is an important game we need to win without risking too many first team players.
Ah think that performance and result has come at a good time, when after that window, a lot of us are in need of a bit assurance, or encouragement for the rest of this season. There were a few contenders for motm last night imo (personally mine was Engels) and it was a great watch. Also, great tae see big Idah get in on the goals again and again brilliant reflexes for his goal. The whole team were outstandin and we couldnae have asked for anythin more.
Engles is a gem being polishrd by brendan for as long as he stays. This boy has the makings of world class, one of the greats.
Can we keep him?
Ah well, that’s good. No need to go jumping on to other blogs making incendiary comments because others take an alternative view. And those that need to be told to hold their tongues or pens in all this are not from the camp that have accepted there may be very good reasons why it was not possible to sign another expensive striker at this point in time. The infantile foot-stampers tend to be in the other camp and in need of the direction given at the start of this article.
Great performance, the hunger of the team for the 90 mins was evident, life after Kyogo might not be that bad after all. There are enough players in the group who are adaptable in various positions to see us through this season. In fact the opposition may find us harder to play against with players being interchangeable and constantly appearing in different areas of the park. I think we can look forward to an exciting run to the end the season.
Good on BR,his staff and the players for giving everyone a lift last night.
There’s a moment in Father Ted, when Ted and the sergeant spot Father Jack roaming the woods with Tristan and Iseult playing and the sergeant goes “Look at him move – poetry in motion”. That was us last night!
It’s really heartwarming to see the team happy, playing well, every one of them contributing, enjoying their football and playing at a level (and scoring great goals) to keep us entertained.
Okay, this is a personal view, just my take, maybe I imagined it but when Kyogo would score in the months leading up to leaving he wouldn’t go all out to celebrate with Daizen and Reo, the way they support each other. Very subtle, as I say, maybe I imagined it but assuming there’s something in that….where I’m going with it is I don’t think the explanation Kyogo left makes logical sense. You don’t go to Rennes to get picked for the national team. It could be he had a relationship break-up, could be he had fallouts and just wanted away but….anyway, I think there’s more to that than we were told.
As for the current squad, a blogger remarked Kenny had a Tommy Johnston look about him. I suppose he does but if he can become a striker that scores freely in the SPL, then it’ll give him confidence for tougher games. I don’t think anyone is expecting him to be world class but a healthy return, growing in stature and results would be a huge success. The team as a whole were superb last night and hopefully it gives them confidence, going into the big game. Looking forward to the game more now, but I won’t predict the score, no jinxing haha
@ JT. ‘Infantile’ ? Well bein one from the ‘ other camp’ as you call it. Ah still believe we should have signed another striker. As much as we all loved that encouragin performance last night, it still stands, that for a lot of us, with obviously ‘less superior’ views than yours of course, that ye strengthen in certain areas while ahead, especially when we have had the time and the money. It’s a perfectly relevant opinion, so stop soundin like an arrogant nob.
Totally agree Kev, we needed a striker, Brendan wanted a striker but even that is not good enough for the board lovers The last poetry in motion game I recall was the thrashing of StJohnstone and we know what happened in Dortmund after that. No disrespect but it was a Dundee side that Hearts put 6 past in their last game. Some fans get carried away far too easily
I agree 100% about Maeda. I’m one of those who didn’t rate him originally but the game that changed my view was last season when Joe Hart got a red card. For the rest of the game, Maeda kept an entire back line occupied with non stop running.
Great performance from the bhoys last night James.I usually agree with most of what you say,but you are calling for fans to treat each other with respect and then you say some of them are absolute morons?
got to agree bryan as one who tried to see all sides of the argument but with a view that you don’t do business with a gun to your head , get’s me described as a moron lol !!!
If you attitude to last night’s win was to gloat at your fellow fans then yes, that’s not debating a point, that’s being a dickhead. If you see last night as “vindication” of some silly ass point when you’ve missed the point and if – AND ONLY IF – you are using that to rub people’s faces in how “right” you were (as if YOUR opinion or MINE matters here when only the manager’s does, and he’s expressed his very clearly) then yes, you are a moron.
i suppose James , in your mind you are always right and you have your usual support to assure you so ,
but others think differently , and i am one of those who was not prepared to spend 14 million on a player who is unproven outside of the danish league , when we have the league won and even with him in the squad will make very little difference to our final games in europe , BR would be skinned if he did play him and had a nightmare .
He will not be so costly in the summer , he’s unsettled and unhappy after our 4 years looking for him and no other club seems interested , i think the club did brilliant business with tierney and jota with a good summer to come , if we shave 4 million off off the dane and add 0ne or two to miller that will be even better ,
BR said he was disappointed and the side was light , now if you believe he’s not secretly happy with the way it worked out your so innocent that you should not be left out on your own
i have every entitlement to say i am / will be vindicated when the season is over , as are others , it is my right to do so with out being called a prick nob head or moron , but we all know you own the ball and we play by your rules so i know what to expect from you and you will always have the final word , don’t get angry so much it’s bad for the blood pressure , my main point was we didn’t need this new player as we had enough to see us through , but you call it gloating , sneering , rubbing peoples faces in it , it’s just Opinion !!!
Kev Celt, thank you for your response. Like very other Celtic supporter, I would have liked to see the squad improved in areas that seem to need it. Foy years I have believed we needed to improve our defensive midfield against a higher class of opposition. My point was that it is a bit rich to lecture people about their tolerance of others opinions when you have consistently shown contempt for any other view. Unfortunately, while my initial comment was not directed at you, you would appear to have proven the point being made.
JT , i reckon i’m in the other camp and the Irony wasn’t lost on me , i’m sure i am not alone , i agree with your posts except ” infantile ” was going to ruffle a few feathers ,
@ JT. First of all. The latter part of your reply. When you say ‘ you have consistently shown contempt for any other view’ ! That’s just utter rubbish. Aye, ah’ve disagreed with some views and some I agree with. Some, dependin on the nature of the comment, or reply to my own, ye can find yerself bein a bit less tolerant. Ah’ll only reply to a comment, that in some way or other, at the time, sticks out tae me and ahm always happy tae give credit where ah think its due. So tbh, ah don’t see the particular ‘point’ you’ve made or where your comin from with that.
Agree with your point James about treating fellow supporters with respect, Didn’t agree with you then calling fellow supporters dickheads and morons. Didn’t read any further
Cheerio then. Cause you missed the point by miles.
I didn’t miss any point,
So unless the people you were referring to as dickheads and morons aren’t Celtic supporters then I think you have just totally contradicted yourself.
Hi James and all who read and comment on here. I think its now time we all moved on from a transfer window that some are raging about ans some are happy with. At the end of the day we are all Celtic supporters. Supporters being the main thing. This is not a FF blog or forum. Like you James, I was disappointed with the non signing of a top class striker but half glass full, we can now hopefully see what young Cummings and Kenny can do. If we signed a striker then there would be absolutely no point of either being there and what sort of signal would that send to any of our other youths.
Yes indeed, that well commented on transfer window has been well and truly shut and all I have to say regarding those comments is that the Optimists have taken an early significant lead over the Pessimists. However, that could still all change as the remainder of the season progresses and we have to deal with injuries etc. My money though is on the Optimists to eventually romp home.
C’mon the Optimists. 🙂
James , with all respect , regarding your opening introduction about respect and opinions , i believe those like me kept their opinions and well grounded views on the transfer window much to themselves as it was not popular to do otherwise , is it acceptable or permitted to say that we were vindicated so far without being described as a moron or nob head ? our top striker gone and 6 goals scored last night ?
You weren’t vindicated. This is part of the problem. How were you vindicated? Who are you trying to convince?
Let me say again what I said yesterday; your opinion, my opinion, all the opinions held in the stands and on the forums don’t amount to a damned thing. One person’s opinion matters; the manager. He didn’t want to play Maeda as a central striker. He wanted a replacement for Kyogo. Neither the manager nor myself or anyone else EVER disputed that Maeda could play through the middle or that Idah would score goals … none of that is the point.
The point is, the manager wanted a replacement signed. He never wanted to use Maeda in a central role. That does not mean he did not have faith that others could step up and do the job. His wishes were over-ruled. His concerns were ignored. Reading some of what is being written elsewhere, his express wishes are STILL being ignored, by fans, pundits and others.
@ BB. We’re 1 spl game after the window, with 4 and a half months tae go and claimin you’ve been ‘vindicated’ in your approach ! Are you for real ?
All in all, another good article James, and as I’ve previously mentioned, it’s important, regardless of the disparity in opinions, that we don’t resort to verbal abuse or ridicule on here, as it doesn’t make for good reading at all!!
Last night was the perfect antidote to the malaise that can be spread by our board’s apathy, in transfer windows!
We’ve all probably said plenty on this subject and it’s easy to go around in circles…however the fundamental point that I’ll always make is that to progress, especially on the European stage, we have to keep strengthening our team and squad, in order to assist a manager, who continually gets the best out of our players !!!!
I’ve lost count, over the decades, at the number of times we preach this mantra, and as you’ve said in your articles, it’s as if we are allowed a juicy steak or two, then we are denied a dessert, because that would be too much.
Hatate and Engels are coming to the boil at precisely the right time…the business end to the season.
Same as BR and our squad did last year, when the pressure was on, resulting in Sevco’s demise.
Jota is the sort of talent that every team needs ! Not only does he have the skills and trickery to bamboozle opponents, but that confidence of his, rubs off on other players and you can almost see Hatate and others, raising their levels!
Idah will continue to get stronger, more confident and prolific, and I’m absolutely delighted for the big fella. They say everything happens for a reason, and maybe Kyogo’s exit, ( and no excuses for the board,) will turn out to be a blessing.
No failures last night unless there are any nitpickers amongst us, and again as you’ve said, the synergy between manager, team and fans should always be at the forefront.
Regardless of any opinions on our board’s performance!!!
It is always right and fitting to leave the top accolades to our dynamic and dazzling Daizen, the man of the moment.
Give this wee guy another new contract to ensure he’s with us a lot longer. Wonderful team player and his contribution to this season’s success, has been phenomenal!
Whilst I’m on the subject of contracts, and I may be in the minority here, I’d love to see Greg Taylor getting a new contract and remaining with us. Only my opinion, but he deserves it !
Another exciting few fixtures ahead and firstly, we look forward to the SC tie this Saturday.
Let’s hope we can roll on positively from last night, rest a few, and secure our place in the next round ! HH
Greg Taylor, not for me bud, he’s not good enough and I liked the look of Schlupp when he came on last night. I hope he is now our left back at least until Kieran arrives.
We beg to differ Johnny but I respect your opinion !
I know and acknowledge that we require a better left back for Europe, but again, in my opinion Greg has rarely let us down on the domestic front.
We shall get an upgrade when KT arrives, so let’s hope ( and I am an optimist) that he can stay fit!
The points that are made regarding the striker we should have signed, are very pertinent, as it should always be about upgrading and improving EVERY aspect of our team and squad. ALWAYS when in a position of strength …ALWAYS!
We lost a striker, and an adequate replacement, ( even for 4 months on loan ) should have been brought in.
Our board have settled for, we have Idah, ( and Kenny) but can utilise Maeda there, when required …
BR stated on several occasions that he wanted a replacement brought in and his wishes were ignored.
Unless someone from the board or club can articulate why this was the case, then no one can blame fans for accusing the board of selling the manager short !
Simples!!!
By the way, I’ll always be an optimist! HH
In two paragraphs you moved from seeking harmony to language that’s is incredible divisive and essentially unhelpful. I don’t really think it’s where we are or where we want to get that differentiates the fans. It’s more how we get there, the time it takes, is taking or will take and the timing of the actions required to do it. Where division lies seems to be based in some fans ability to be angry at or be angered at.
Regardless of whether you’re a so called board hater or a so called board apologist it’s not difficult to see that that language is divisive in itself.
I want to keep improving the quality of players at the club, to strengthen certain areas of the team and to complete Paradise. I’m pretty sure that’s in line with most thoughts of fans. The debate is that it’s not happening, not happening fast enough or whether we’re seeing a pathway from the board to help us see their plans to get us there. To the promised land. The team’s performance last night should be strengthening, bonding and a guiding light. We are not and should not become a FF fan base, Hail Hail
No I did not. READ WHAT I WROTE.
I said that if your reaction to last night was to sneer at fellow Celtic fans then you’re a dickhead. That’s not divisive. I read comments in the aftermath of the game last night which were along the lines of “Get it up all of you who complained about the window” as if we’d all been hoping Celtic would lose the match.
If you think the people who posted those sorts of comments are interested in a proper discussion you’re off your nut. They are wankers, behaving like brats. I have no problem calling them that. They are the same people I was addressing in the first part paragraph. At the risk of being “divisive” are you too stupid to realise that’s what I was saying?
No I’m not stupid thank you very much, no more than I’m an assumed mind reader. No, I was not aware of those comments and they’re appalling having read what Clach wrote in explanation. If you had explained that what you wrote was with regard to those comments then I’d have agreed wholeheartedly with you. No option really
The interplay between Jota and Hatate was sublime and mercurial,and 10 seconds later the ball was in the net via Engels pinpoint pass and Maeda’s world class finish.The football on show was so pleasurable
Totally agree Sophie…that piece of skill, working it out from a tricky defensive situation, to Engels delivering a pass that Maeda converted with aplomb, was sublime ! Worth the admission money alone lol!
I had surmised that the first three paragraphs of this article might have been referring to a poster at 12 midnight last night on CQN that ‘stumbled’ (aye right) across The Celtic Blog and Video Celts…
We are referred to by this prick / slapper as ‘entitled tits’ that ‘talk shite for hours’ (here’s me thinking we all type sense for minutes as well) ! – We are questioned and second guessed about ‘not having a job’ – ‘not having a wife’ (some of us are happy enough living in ‘sin’ – ‘not having weans’ – but in that prick / slappers mind these are bigger problems than Celtic not signing a striker – Nah they’re not poisoned craynor !
The biggest laugh of the lot in which I nearly spat ma false teeth (top only) into ma celebratory lager and double malt whisky was the said prick / slapper calls himself / herself ‘Saint’ !!!
Think everybody should just chill a bit here. And read MY opinion and MY opinion only. You’re all entitled tae it.