Yesterday was an accident waiting to happen and it’s been a long time in the making. Our club is in turmoil, fans arguing amongst themselves, former players shouting at each other live on Sky Sports, a manager making team selections, not to put the best possible Celtic team on the park, but to double down on his own point…
A board run by a backroom guy, an administrator at best but clearly no leader, a placement man to keep an old regime in power. He’s so far out his depth that it’s impossible not to have a little sympathy for him. The money’s good right enough.
Brendan Rodgers picks the team and usually gets it right. I remember Ange Postecoglou talking about how the media and the supporters debate his team selections whilst only knowing 10% of the facts that he as the manager does. There are so many factors those on the outside just don’t know. And that’s why the manager is usually correct.
However when his decisions are so clearly wrong, as clear as the nose on his face, then serious questions have to be asked. Brendan Rodgers never made it to Tynecastle as a Celtic supporter but he has been there plenty times as a manager. Enough to know that it’s no place for the rookies.
He had an Aston Martin, in big Trusty on his bench yesterday but didn’t play him because he wanted ‘balance’ with a right footed central defender coming in to replace Cameron Carter-Vickers. On The Celtic Star we called for Trusty and also for Anthony Ralston rather than young Colby Donovan. Why? Because we’ve been going to Tynecastle for decades, much longer than the Celtic manager and know what to expect.
Dane Murray was spooked by the environment and sold the jerseys with a truly awful performance. It happened to big Willie Garner back in the early 1980s and he never recovered. To return to the automobile metaphors, Rodgers has thrown Dane Murray under the bus to prove his point. The boy might not recover from that, Gardner certainly never.
This is no longer a razor sharp football manager capable operating at a level above anyone he’s faced in Scottish football. When we, as mere supporters, saw that team we knew that Donovan and Murray would be targeted by Derek McInnes – a manager who has perhaps been the best of the rest Rodgers has had to face during his two spells at Celtic.
As it turned out Dane Murray had the kind of afternoon you seldom see from a Celtic player, scoring an almost comical own goal, pulling a leg out of the way to facilitate a second and then within a minute gifting Hearts a penalty.
Two of those incidents happened after the break. Last weekend at Dens Park Yang was substituted at the break after contributing nothing and missing a great chance and probably like many of you, I fully expected Trusty to replace Murray at the break. At that stage Celtic were level and should actually have been in front, if it wasn’t for the showboating of Benjamin Nygren who would be some player if he was actually anywhere near as good as he thinks he is.
READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Honeyball v Celtic
Nygren was involved in the second Hearts goal but as a centre-half Dane Murray had no business pulling his leg out the way as presumably he thought it was going wide. Inexperience from a player who has shown nothing at all to suggest he was ready for such an intense, high stakes atmosphere. No chances should be taken, concede the corner and do your flaming job.
A Rolls Royce of a result 🚗 pic.twitter.com/LoVOsFUx2n
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) October 26, 2025
Brendan Rodgers now has to pick a team for Wednesday night’s match against Falkirk at Celtic Park and he also has to have one eye on the weekend with the Glasgow Derby match on Sunday against theRangers an absolutely huge challenge now for Celtic, even accounting for theRangers’ own woes this season. Are you confident? No, me neither.
On Wednesday night, Rodgers needs to go with experience at the back and that means Schmeichel behind a back four of Ralston, Trusty, Scales and Tierney. In midfield there’s no room for passengers so Callum McGregor should be joined by Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan – send a message to Hatate and Engels that there’s a price to pay for not turning up. Did you notice the images in Sandman’s ratings of Hearts trolling Hatate for his anonymous season to date? Here it is…
The front three, dear oh dear. I’d drop Nygren and start with James Forrest against Falkirk. Shin deserves his chance through the middle – Daizen will be back on Sunday – and the entertaining but ineffective Sebastian Tounekti gets my vote for the left despite his increasingly concerning lack of contributions in assists and goals.
It’s not going to be easy against Falkirk and Celtic are under intense pressure with Hearts eight clear. Remember they have St Mirren away on Wednesday night then play Dundee at Tynecastle at the weekend so have a great chance to be at least 11 points clear of Celtic if they win these two matches.
And finally a word on Neil Lennon, who I recall calling out Stan Petrov and I think it was John Hartson for failing to back him during the Covid season. His attack of Chris Sutton and Brendan Rodgers on Sky Sports yesterday was disgraceful, made worse by his shameful partnership with Kris Boyd. For all his faults Neil, Brendan Rodgers is ten times the manager you ever were or will ever be. Frankly, Dunfermline’s your level and I’m glad you’ve found it.
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I read an article from 3 years ago in the Athletic about Rodgers last season with Leicester and it’s groundhog day at Celtic.
If you take Leicester out the wording out and replace with Celtiic it’s uncanny.
They mentioned his last season at Liverpool being the same, so what we’re seeing at Celtic is not a blip, it’s BR,
I believe if murray does not play yesterday we win that game
Regarding him not being subbed at half time is unacceptable. You can’t leave him on after a performance like that. If he is the best iwe have n the academy its going to be a long time before we bring anyone through from there.
And speaking of managers.
BR in good company at the w e.
Slot and Pep with their multi millionaires misfiring.
6 Scots on parade yesterday for Hoops.Long time since that happened.
I’ll reserve judgement until May 26.
Hail Hail.
I was so disappointed by my team yesterday. After drawing level it looked for a while we were going on to do really well, but alas we failed again . I am always behind the bhoys in good and bad times, but where is the Celtic spirit just now?. I bet Celtic to win three one, and for the hun ref to give a penalty to his wee brothers!Yes it was a pen but had it been the other way around would McLean have pointed too the spot so quickly.? Yes we were beaten, and as for two rookies in defence, I can see where Brendan is coming from to show the board what’s what but it should not have been to put a weaker team out against another’ team that hates the Bhoys!,. I will still back Celtic too win the league, as when the heavy pitches come into play, and the wee brothers have a few injuries (as we had yesterday)., then they ( the wee brothers) will struggle and Celts will win the league. Watching their captain yesterday,oh how he celebrated those goals ,but does not celebrate when he scores against the Huns .! What a strange game!, GOYBIG. HAIL HAIL
Disillusioned with Rogers both tactically and team selection. Tippy tappy across the back with only sporadic breaking by into scoring positions and throwing in 3 rookies in such an important match.
Big J