GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - APRIL 12: Celtic's Daizen Maeda celebrates with Reo Hatate after scoring to make it 2-0 during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Kilmarnock at Celtic Park, on April 12, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Can it really only be a few weeks since I wrote that I believed our Japanese Bhoys, who have contributed so much to Celtic’s success over the last five years, would still have a role to play in this title race?
After yesterday, I feel a little vindicated. But the full vindication has not yet come. I think they’re going to have an even bigger role than the one they played yesterday, because these two footballers are far too good not to.
After one of his best games for Celtic in a long time on Thursday night, I thought Reo would start yesterday. I felt the team selection was a little flaky, and the first half did nothing to ease that concern. But the way we fought back in the second half, after Reo came on, confirmed that this is a player who is back at his best.
Maeda, whom a lot of people are still criticising, had an excellent second half. He gave their defence nightmares. He would have scored with that header had Sterling’s hand not knocked it into Butland’s body, whatever the wailing Sevconians might want to say.
It is no coincidence that the players who came off at half-time were the ones new to the fixture. Sometimes that’s what it takes. Sometimes it takes players who have been over the road before. And that’s why I remain supremely confident that we can still win this title.
I think the Ibrox club is out of it now. Their away form does not suggest they can win the number of games required. That makes this a straight fight between ourselves and Hearts. And we have the experience. We’ve been over the course often enough. Our players understand the mentality required for the fight.
That’s why I believed Hatate and Maeda would have a role to play. It’s also why I believe their role will grow more important as we approach the end. These are not just good players. They are experienced campaigners. They’ve been in title fights. They’ve helped teams get titles over the line, sometimes in difficult circumstances.
We all know last year was a tough battle towards the end. Once again, a big performance at Ibrox virtually put us in the driving seat. When the games really matter, Celtic finds a way to rouse itself and fight to the death.
When you have that experience in the team, every player who hasn’t been there before feels calmer knowing those figures are on the pitch. And when you have a captain like Callum McGregor, who has lived through multiple versions of this and has the medals to prove it, that matters enormously.
I thought one substitution yesterday was wrong at the time. I would have brought on Cvancara to give their defence something different to think about. But I was wrong. Forrest delivered the cross for Maeda’s header that won the penalty.
And again, that’s experience. Years of being in Celtic teams that fight to the finish. Years of delivering that exact ball into the right area. That’s where experience shows. Martin got it right.
Then there’s Martin himself. There is no more experienced campaigner. Crucially, whatever he did at half-time went beyond substitutions. The team came out with a completely different approach for the second half, and it transformed the game.
As a result, they had no answer. They didn’t know how to handle us. And once we scored the first, the equaliser felt inevitable. Ibrox began to panic. The whole ground tightened. Their support fell quiet, apart from a brief spell late on when the Union Brats tried to lift them. Even then, we silenced them quickly enough.
In games like this, experience matters. Indeed, even a player like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked overwhelmed by the intensity. The pace and physicality left him struggling, and taking him off at half-time was the right call.
Let’s be clear, this is not a holiday. No one dominates up here without a fight. So any idea that he could simply stroll through Scottish football has now disappeared. Meanwhile, the players who know what this environment demands continue to deliver when it matters.
That’s precisely why the calls, a few weeks ago, for Hatate and Maeda never to wear a Celtic shirt again were absurd. These are established players. They’ve scored big goals. They’ve performed in big games. They know what the sharp end of a title race looks like.
So there was never any chance they wouldn’t play a role. From now until the end of the season, we need their best.
Because if we get their best, that could be the difference between finishing second or third… and being champions again.
Letting The Green Brigade In again is pivotal I think as our home form is pure pish pot Jerker !
Although I thought Luke McCowan was the best bet to take the penalty, and Reo looked as though he didn’t want to take it, he showed great alertness to react to the two saves and still make it count.
I didn’t think either of out Japanese bhoys did anything special, they just did their jobs better than they had been previously. It will have to take more effort than that to get me back onside.
I’ve read a fair few post match opinions and I think it’s fair to say that Hatate’s introduction was hugely instrumental in our very positive, second half resurgence.
Pre match I was pretty confident we’d get at least a draw, but like most fans at half time, our chances of rescuing the game, looked pretty bleak.
Hatate & Tounetki’s introductions were required , and with that and a half time rocket from MON, we completely
dominated the second half, and arguably should’ve taken all three points.
It must have broken the hearts of McLean & Beaton in having to award us a last minute penalty. It was an absolute stonewaller, and only Sevco supporting halfwits could argue that it wasn’t !
Like so many of our players, Hatate & Maeda have been well off it this season. Both contributed in different ways yesterday, and let’s see if they, and our squad can raise their game to the consistency and quality level that is now required for these final 10 games, to regain our title.
We made mistakes that led to both of their goals yesterday, and no denying that their first was a cracker. The defending at both, unfortunately, was woeful and indicative of our season.
Having said that, big Murray recovered well and maybe 2-3 successive games will do him the world of good.
As well as Hatate, I thought our much maligned and oft criticised captain, came to the fore in the second half.
I still struggle at times, to fully understand the ongoing attacks of him by some !!!
Some of our fans may also criticise the fact that we didn’t win yesterday, and you can’t disagree with that.
We are all fully aware of our individual and collective failings, in what has been such a disappointing and frustrating season. The players obviously must take some criticism and blame for this, but we are where we are due to our board of incompetents.
With ten league games of a very turbulent season remaining, this board could show their first sign of nous and common sense by allowing our banned fans back in for the run in, to ramp up the atmosphere and at least try and display a modicum of unity!
When you salvage a draw after watching yesterday’s first half, you cannot deny that this team still has sufficient character and ability, to win this league.
Whether we can, still remains to be seen, and I do think we will need the aforementioned traits and every ounce of good fortune, to pull this off!
I think it is, quite literally in the lap of our God, and we all have to keep the faith…a faith that has been tested all season lol.
We move on to another hugely difficult, but just as important game on Wednesday. Yesterday’s comeback becomes irrelevant if we drop any points up in Aberdeen. It’s a must win, and a good victory would really give us the requisite impetus for the forthcoming fixtures!
I really hope we are all still
smiling on Wednesday evening! HH
Hatate played very well when he came on which is well overdue but cannot agree about Maeda, his first touch and composure is just not on it
That’s very true Dan!
If he had a decent first touch and awareness he’d have been well away from us by now !
Have loved Maeda’s contribution since he’s been here and his workrate is still a huge asset !
But as you say, due to the continued absence of a really good, fit and confident striker ( where the hell is Iheanacho) we’ve severely lacked the quality all season, to put so many games to bed early !
Let’s hope we can get over the line with what we’ve got ! HH
Forrest’s cross for the Maeda header/handball was excellent. Compare it to the cross for their opening goal – a dreadful cross (behind the player) which only an outstanding (1 in 10, 20 times it comes off) finish (even their manager, when you see the pictures, was expecting a header from the cross!).
One game at a time, 100% focus on beating Aberdeen. It would be good to hear an update on our injured players – Osmand, Johnston and Engels were all due back early March…and to micmac’s point, what is the story with Iheanacho?