PAISLEY, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 25: Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson during a William Hill Premiership match between St Mirren and Celtic at the SMiSA Stadium, on August 25, 2024, in Paisley, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Celtic’s title hopes are hanging by a thread after a 2-1 home defeat from Hibs.
With 12 matches left to play Celtic trail Hearts by six points.
Although the hoops have a game in hand matches at Ibrox and Pitodrie looked daunting on the back of today’s defeat.
Following the midweek defeat against Stuttgart Martin O’Neill made two changes to his Starting XI. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yang Hyun-jun came in for Paulo Bernardo and Daizen Maeda.
Kasper Schmeichel kept his place in goals and had little chance at either of the Hibs goals.
After going behind in the 24th minute to a goal from Felix Passlack Ben Nygren headed Celtic level just before half-time.
O’Neill resisted any half time changes, for a while there was some urgency and purpose about Celtic’s play but they failed to get in front.
CELTIC REDUCED TO 10 MEN
In the 74th minute the match turned when Auston Trusty was red carded following a VAR check.
With Jamie McGrath holding the Celtic defender Trusty took his right arm across to knock his opponent away.
After a short delay referee Matthew McDermid went pitchside, he returned with a red card and suddenly Celtic’s hopes faded.
Ben Arthur was sent on for his first taste of action as a Celtic player. Next Sunday the on loan Brentford defender could be lining up at Ibrox in his first Celtic star.
In the 87th minute Kai Andrews curled a low shot into the net from the edge of the box.
After their recent domestic heroics there was no way back for the 10 man Celtic side.
Can Celtic Still Win the SPFL title?
YES- Keep the faith
NO- Not a chance
O’Neill must now embark on a damage limitation against Stuttgart on Thursday with Ibrox in mind.
If Celtic fail to win the Glasgow Derby a week today only the wildly enthusiastic will hold up any hope for a fifth successive title.
Once again the Green Brigade were absent with the first half played out in near silence.
WE had enough chances in the first half to go in 3-1 up at half time. The new Johnny Kenny has two left feet and kicks with his right. The referee was a disgrace.
I actually thought the ref was ok it was the tosser on VAR who did the damage, we have had months of this now without a whiff of a statement from the board….
HH
How did he do ok when he had clear view of scales penalty
Three touch Tierney ,every week he gets picked every week slows the play down ,gets the ball ,,,,stops dead in his tracks 3 wee stupid touches then pass’s it back the way every game , even today looked like the whole front line had the same idea ,,,,why every time we get the ball out to defenders and wingers , do they constantly stop dead in there tracks and play it back the way ,,,,,,all the way back to the backward bhoys scales and trusty
we”ll get destroyed by the Huns ,ive seen better teams From Brady and with more fight than this bunch of weaklings and come the end of the season if we can even get a euro conference place we have a whole rebuild to do
Do you honestly see money being spent when in the last 3 windows we’ve failed and we have never ever bought before a euro qualifying round not to mention we have so many loans
Tierney’s a prime example of why fan signings are rarely a good idea.
I’m glad we have 6 out the 8 games left before the split away from home……
HH
Celtics title hopes evaporated the day the board decided to deliberately jeopardise the season in order to throw a lifeline to the “Old Firm “business plan of the corrupt triumvirate cabal of the SFA Rangers and Celtic which was needed to make sure the huns takeovers could be looked at as a Scottish Football game changer….if Celtic had strengthened and continued their dominance regardless of the overhyped “takeover “ by the 49ers the huns season tickets next year would have collapsed and The SFA Celtic Rangers are petrified of that happening ….the jeapordising tactics were used in the “10” season
Sadly we have strikers who don’t score or are hardly available, couple Japanese boys we ho seem to have given up, a midfield happy passing sideways to zero effect and never shoot… Remember when calmac would rifle one?? And we question the goalie???? Many ahead of him in the lost it stakes
We should have had TWO penalties today…
Cheated again…
If Paddy Stewart was our CEO he’d have spoken out for sure…
But Lucan – He makes me Fu**in SICK !