The Celtic front three were poor last night but they were nowhere near as culpable as these three wearing the suits and the authors of Celtic’s regression…
Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Christopher McKay watch on as Celtic draw 0-0 with Kairat at Celtic Park in the UEFA Champions League play-off match, worth over £40m to the winners.
Sack the board? They’ll just continue to laugh and count your cash…
The morning after the night before, and despite still being in contention to qualify for the group stages it’s still a sore one to take after sitting through what can only be described as a turgid 100 minutes of football.
Celtic were well below par, and lacked the tempo, composure and commitment of a side who crave to play among Europes elite. Our final ball was woeful, and our goal threat was non-existent against a side who without being brilliant were well organised and had far more desire to succeed.
Peter Lawwell and Michael Nicholson watch on as Celtic draw 0-0 with Kairat at Celtic Park in the UEFA Champions League play-off match, worth over £40m to the winners.
There was ten minutes extra added at the end of normal time, but we could have played until midnight and still failed to find the back of the net, yes we were really that bad.
Chants of ‘Sack the Board’ rang out in more than a few occasions as the supporters vented their frustration and anger at the lack of support for the manager in the transfer market, with the three main players behind the scenes Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Christopher McKay looking on.
UEFA Champions League Celtic Glasgow vs Young Boys Bern, Celtic Park. Goal celebration by Kyogo Furuhashi however VAR rules out the goal. Photo Joeran Steinsiek IMAGO
They have ears like the rest of us and would have heard quite clearly, and like the rest of us they have eyes and would have witnessed the sub-standard product we see on the pitch. A 34 year-old winger playing because there was no-one else as they sold Nicolas Kuhn without replacing him. Adam Idah playing because they never replaced Kyogo.
Nicolas Kuehn of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
— CelticQuote (@CelticQuote) August 21, 2025
They watched as Alistair Johnston done his hamstring so will miss much of whatever European campaign is to follow after next Tuesday, knowing that Anthony Ralston could be pitched in against the best wingers in European football if Brendan Rodgers pulls a rabbit out of the hat next Tuesday. Even in the Europa League this weakened Celtic side is likely to struggle but in the Champions League – after the promise of last season – it will be mauled.
Alistair Johnston of Celtic is stretchered off after sustaining an injury during the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
The question is though, do they really care?
No would be the correct answer based on the evidence we have before us. They only care about themselves and will continue to count the mountains of cash we have in reserve whilst laughing at our gullibility. We need change and need it fast.
Arne Engels and Nicolas Kuhn look on as Jota receives treatment. Dundee United 0 Celtic 5 at Tannadice Park on April 26, 2025 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Peter Lawwell is a divisive figure, who was previously to boss of both the current CEO (Michael Nicholson) and the current Financial Director (Christopher McKay), the latter two are supposedly running the show but there remains a lingering suspicion that the work of Lawwell is still having a major impact. It’s time up Peter, for the good of Celtic you must surely see that?
Michael Nicholson’s vow of silence is unacceptable. He is a lawyer and all he knows about signing players is working for the current Celtic Chairman as Celtic’s company secretary. The paperwork was always in order, but a world class football CEO Michael Nicholson is not. After this summer he has shown himself to be well short in what is needed.
Sack the Board was the chant, started in the North Curve but within seconds booming out around the stadium.
Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League Play-offs Round First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Celtic Park on August 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Enough is enough. Brendan Rodgers has not been backed. He has said he will not stay at Celtic if the club fails to show ambition. That was said on the day before the Flag Day win over St Mirren. No-one has been signed since them. Kuhn, Kyogo and Jota have not been replaced so we had a front three of Maeda, Idah and Forrest – one well past his best and the other two well short of their best.
The team ‘selection’ wasn’t down to Rodgers who didn’t have one hand tied behind his back, he had two. He’ll leave in the summer and the long term plan to put John Kennedy in the manager’s post will be implemented, with Shaun Maloney and Gavin Strachan as his wingmen.
The control will be theirs. Maybe even Peter’s boy Mark will come back?
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
CELTIC IN THE EIGHTIES BY DAVID POTTER, FOREWORD BY DANNY McGRAIN is published by Celtic Star Books on the fifth day of September. You can pre-order now to guarantee your copy which will be signed by Danny McGrain, while stocks last. We have LESS THAN FIFTY signed copies remaining of the ones Danny will sign next week.
And there’s another great benefit for readers who pre-order their copy of Celtic in the Eighties. You will also receive a copy of an earlier David Potter book – Celtic’ Icicle – Alec McNair – which you’ll receive for FREE when you pre-order with Celtic in the Eighties.
So you get two great Celtic books by David Potter and better still the postage is only charged on one. Click on the image below to order. (Just order Celtic in the Eighties and we’ll automatically add a copy of the Alec McNair book to your order). This offer is only available for pre-ordered copies sold via Celtic Star Books.
Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Foreword by Danny McGrain. Published on Celtic Star Books on 5 September 2025. Click on image to pre-order.
Help raise funds for Celtic Youth Academy by playing the Celtic Pools Weekly Lottery and you could win up to £25,000. The lottery is £1 per week. Click on image to join.
Let’s be serious here, lawwell and Nicholson are getting it in the neck, WTF is Dermot Desmond doing??? If wanted Celtic to be in the Champions league he would have made sure the club signed the right players. This has become a joke, it’s time to stop buying all their replica shit and let them prove to us they are the club we all want them to be.
Blame the board rightly so but where’s the blame for the so called ELITE manager , his tactics are outdated this recycle the ball pish died years ago , Almatiy only passed back the way in first half 3 times didn’t even go as far back to there keeper ,they attacked as a group defended as a group and cheated as group no tippy tappy sideways pish
#
Meanwhile our so called elite coach has everyone passing backwards , forrest a winger ? gets the ball cut inside pass it back the way , Hatate pass it back the way but with the extra bonus of giving it away, Tierney i can see why Arsenal dumped you , launch in a missile cross to ,,,,,no knt , idah lumber around look busy stop moving once you’ve worked up a sweat , no shots on target ,fk not even someone with balls having a go from outside the box ,,,,,,just stale sideways to you to me to me to you to Yang to the other side ,,,,clocks ticking fk it pass it all the way back to the keeper lets start again
Yang atleast he runs at players and trys to go to the bye line as pish as he is was he supposed to be our saviour on the night ,,,,wow how far have we fallen I believe our petulant managers had players put to him and as iv’e said for years this so called elite clown couldn’t identify a good player if he landed on him, happy to say players aren’t good enough when they come in but ffs look at some of the squad really are they any better ,,,,must be down to all that so caled elite coaching
we were there for the taking last night only bad decisions from the otherside saved us , the return leg on last nights showing is were done in this tie , the footballing tactics we play are outdated ,no wonder we’ve had our arse handed to us on a plate so many times
and you also need to ask what manger allows his best players to be sold without a replacement already lined up think we saw this episode play out before