GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - OCTOBER 05: Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Motherwell at Celtic Park, on October 05, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Despite the drama of a stoppage time winner against Motherwell Brendan Rodgers has admitted that things aren’t quite right at Celtic.
That reference applies on and off the pitch.
Goals and victories have been a real problem, five times in 11 matches Celtic have failed to score, a year ago the team was racking up the victories with goals coming from all over the squad.
Rodgers had options and scorers in every position, the new signings, despite the lateness of their deals settled quickly with the exception of a very bad night in Dortmund.
The team took that one on the chin, a few weeks later they drew 0-0 away to Atalanta with a glorious autumn launched that peaked with a 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League despite losing the opening goal.
Off the park the support is close to full on rebellion, the Celtic Fans Collective has been formed bringing together more than 400 different fan groupings.
QUESTION: I saw the celebrations in the stands, it was quite animated with all the build up to that?
RODGERS:
There’s no doubt that, and I see myself as trying to see if we can pull it together on the pitch, which can help unify everything.
Because that’s what Celtic’s about. Celtic’s that feeling. And clearly, the feeling isn’t quite right across the club.
It’s not right. However, on the pitch, you have to win and you have to continue to win. And this is why I’m so proud of the players today.
Because you see, when we went 2-1 down, a couple of misplaced passes, you need to hold your nerve here and deal with pressure. And the players found that calmness and found that ability to create the opportunities, and then eventually one goes in for us. So, amazing for the supporters.
Even though we’ve only lost once this season so far, during the week, it’s still been a challenging summer to this point. But that’s for them, and it’s for them to enjoy that. Because we thoroughly deserved it.
There is now a two week break before Celtic are next in action with most of the squad scattered far and wide on international duty.
It has been a very rocky start to the season consisting of a Champions League exit, a disastrous transfer window, statements and briefings with uncertainty over the future of the manager.
There will be no magic remedy before Dens Park on October 19 but the win over Motherwell buys some time and hopefully belief across the dressing room that the team can embark on a winning run with a trip to Tynecastle looming a week after the Dundee game.
Didn’t see the win coming yesterday
I don’t know anyone who is interested in these International breaks, it ruins the football calendar with football matches that a vast number of supporters have no interest in. I personally wouldn’t watch international football if they were playing 50 yards down the road, it is uninteresting and players seem to be going through the motions. Surely it is time for the players to knock this shit on the head, and say, not interested, i’m out.
Why people turn up paying money to an organisation that despises the football club we support, giving backing to a country where 75% of the population treats us with utter contempt, barely disguised is something i will never get my head around. Why they likes of McGregor, Ralston, Tierney and all the rest ever pulled on the jersey is another head scratcher.
The reason they pull on the jersey is because, for the majority for good or bad,
it is the National Jersey of the land of their birth and they are proud to wear it.
Not every Celtic player is Catholic and or a Republican.
If i was employed, and the association that oversaw the work being carried out impedes it at every turn, has an visceral hatred of everything the entity stands for, i would need to be pig ignorant to attempt to aid and assist that association in any way shape or form.
You don’t have to be a Republican or a Catholic to have a modicum of intellect.
That was dreadful to watch, the stadium was emptying by the minute and the real winners were the pubs on London Road. We’re getting away with it but for how much longer
Like you Lance – I DETEST international football these days !
Waste of time, i’d rather spend the time gouging my eyes out with the handle of a rusty spoon than watch it.
I am fed up with Rodgers brass necking it. The man is on £3 million a year and paps out the same team and tactics every week. Who couldn’t do his job and probably better?
KT is just here and he is resorting to backward and side ways passing. You couldn’t make it up. Apart from Maeda and Tounekti the others are clock watching and only put the effort in in the last ten minutes.
Around about the 45 minute mark I saw MacGregor with about 30 clear yards in front of him turn round and pass it backwards. I noticed with 5 mins to go he had the same situation and his first thought was to turn round but checked himself and ran into the open space. It is a mindset which has to change. The effort should be for 90 minutes but they see BR chancing it so why not do the same. Hatate looks knackered after ten mins of strenuously giving the ball away.
I think the fitness levels have to looked at.
The main takeaway from yesterday’s game,for me anyway,was that the Motherwell manager knows his stuff….his brand of football is worth watching,so albeit we were poor ,ponderous and disjointed,his so-called inferior players were generally better than ours in their understanding and execution of their managers tactics and gameplan.
As for Celtic,some of our players are really starting to grate on me…and it’s obvious quite a few have until January to produce the goods,especially our midfield players.
Particularly Hatate and Engels,who are ghosts almost every week…talented ghosts.
Either they are uninterested,unimaginative and thick,or they’re being coached to play as they do. Brendan has,and continues to get a lot of praise,but i now wonder if he’s questioning his own input,because it’s starting to look like certain players have been bailing HIM out,as well as the team…we should also never be relying on the weakness of the opposition for our success,as we have done for a decade oe more.
Board issues aside,it’s the manager and certain players,higher earning ones,who need to shape up. If we’re going to be a stepping stone club or a romantic fairytale homecoming destination for certain players,then we’ll never move forward.
We need guys who are all-in,fully it and firing,and understand the simplicity of score goals and keep them out at the other end of the pitch. It’s Brendans job to remind them of that (not that they should need reminding) and do get them to do it as efficiently as possible. We’re failing at that because of the ponderous pretty patterns and often lazy fancy flick and backheel crap that has crept into our play. All the little things like falling over easily to buy cheap fouls,hopeful flick-ons to avoid the responsibility of taking the ball in and maybe taking a hit,the horseshoe bollocks at the back etc…all passing the buck and signs of basic unwillingness to take responsibility and/or laziness.
In some cases openly admitting you’re just a shit player who’s on a jolly at Celtic.
I’m not surprised Brendan said this is the toughest time of his tenures here…he knows all this and he’s got to fix it…himself included. The clock’s ticking.
The feeling won’t be right across the club after today’s meeting either. Michael Nicholson will use the same tactic as always, to kick the can down the road.
Ladies and gentlemen with your kind attention and permission, I have the honour of presenting to you one of the most elusive men in world football.
How elusive? He’s sweating after taking 39 steps to avoid coming here to confront the Celtic Collective supporter groups. Can you be surprised at that, gentlemen?
Every day MN commits to memory all bank note serial numbers, millions and millions of them from his growing account.
He remembers facts from history, from geography, from politics, from every scientific book, but at this precise moment he’s forgotten everything to do with Celtic Football Club.
Think of the gall involved by this prodigious feat of deceit.
Test him, please! and he’ll provide no interaction other than to give his name, rank, and serial number.
Ladies and gentlemen, ask him your 7 questions and MN will answer you, fully and freely about something else, probably in the form of mime.
I also announce, ladies and gentlemen, before we adjourn, that Mr. Memory Michael Nicholson has in return for the Green Brigade sack the board campaign, kindly donated their ST money to Israel’s military forces.
The board also wish to offer participants the chance to buy season 2025/26 official Adidas club merchandise at a slightly higher than usual price in an effort to further antagonise.
Hail Hail!
Pile of horseshit..
There’s another 11 Players on the pitch and their job, for the most part is to deny you the space you want to manoeuvre in.
In our possession based game it is necessary to choose the optimal pass, flick, back heel, or step over to keep possession till the space opens up for a pass or a forward makes a run between the lines.
In case you haven’t noticed, the type of player you’re looking for only exists in the ‘Roy of the Rovers’ is called ‘Hot Shot Hamish or is wearing ‘Billy’s Boots’. Fans of my age will recognise this fiction.
The aim of possession football is simple, a) deny the your opponent’s possession of the ball and b) keep possession until the on field dynamics creates the optimal chance for scoring or c) moving to another position on the pitch that opens up more room, denies your opponent possession while you keep probing.
Retaining possession means your opponent can’t hurt you and it frustrates them and can cause them to lose their discipline. This opens up more possibilities. Simples. (Not).
When you have wingers available of the standard of Jota and Kuhn then a more direct form of football is possible. You can thank our Board for the changes in personnel and in depth of cover in those areas of the pitch. Hopefully our recent recruitment for those areas succeeds, the early signs are promising and no more.
Editor: ‘You can thank our board’ can we thank them for Holm, Tilio, Yang, Kwon, Nawrocki, Lagerbielke, Palma? No place on this site for cheerleaders and strays from Celtic Thick News, if you don’t want to acknowledge the damage caused by a CEO hellbent on selling off any decent players and the actions of a Chairman with a toxic network of messengers trying to destroy all post August 2023 signings then you can keep your comments for the lads over at CTN.
Hardly a surprise to see you are a board aficionado Jim.
Wouldn’t CQN be a little more highbrow for you and your ilk to be hanging around?
I personally feel rather privileged that you have graced us with your presence and imparted some of your wisdom to us lesser mortals.
I have seen that style of writing before though somewhere else. . . . . .
You really think after watching Celtic for 60 years that the point of possession based football is lost on me ?
F**k off you condescending clown…ITS NOT WORKING,ITS NOT ENTERTAINING,ITS BORING…and seriously flawed unless you have top talent with vision and imagination.
Things aren’t going so well…are haven’t you noticed? The board have questions to answer for their no small part as well.
FFS open your eyes.
Just for the record Joe, I’m fine with being barred from your good site,or any other site for using so-called ‘foul’ language and hitting back at obvious board brown-nosing clowns who refuse to see… especially ones who respond to me in a condescending manner. If my opinions or how i express them don’t comply with someone’s acceptability standards,then I’ll take that on the chin like a man. I say what i say and I’ll take the consequences.. sub-standard crap from the board,the manager and players must be called out and challenged. You do it with great humour,and more power to you…and Eric and James F. The board level incompetence is a given,but Brendan and the players don’t get a free pass. ?
Editor: Yes. When you are working under a CEO selling your best players, a CEO signing projects from Japan and trying to do favours for Man City in the hope of future crumbs and when you have a Chairman with a toxic network of messengers trying to trash every post August 2023 signing I will give the manager a free pass for continuing up against so much internal hostility. Not to mention where senior figures go running to Roger Hannah’s best pal.
Granted,all of what you say is true,Joe…but where we differ is giving a free pass to Brendan and some squad members who,despite having their hands tied to no small degree,must accept their part in our current situation. Even they themselves know that,and some have said so. What we don’t want is a bunch of Captain Disappointed characters coming out and telling us how they’re trying hard in training and hopefully it turns around. That’s why i don’t give them a free pass. Don’t tell us what you’re gonna do….shut up and show us.
That aside I’m pretty much aligned with you,and the Trinity Tim’s views.
Fairly apportioning the reasons for our shortcomings and responsibility for fixing it…how’s 85% board,15% manager and players? Credit for past recent successes: Board 10-15%…manager(s) players 85-90%.
Hence no free passes in my book.
Editor: Get rid of the hologram CEO and the poisonous Chairman, install competent professionals and you will see performances and moral rise overnight, the players know that the ‘managed’ decline is only going to be accelerated under the present CEO.