Hearts’ 3–1 win over Celtic at Tynecastle will be debated not just for the scoreline, but for the sense of conviction and purpose shown by the home side compared to the uncertainty and fragility of Celtic…
And for Brendan Rodgers, and the boardroom, the performance raised uncomfortable questions that stretch well beyond another bad afternoon.
Much of the post-match discussion will inevitably centre on Dane Murray, who endured the kind of day young players sometimes never quite get over. His sliced own goal opened the scoring, his decision making contributed to Hearts’ second, although both Benjamin Nygren and Arne Engels were also culpable, and his unnecessary foul in the box gifted the third from the spot. It was an afternoon in which everything that could go wrong for him did, and it overshadowed the fact that Celtic had actually responded well after the early setback.
Callum McGregor’s equaliser was as well-worked a goal as Celtic have produced all season, a move full of quick interplay and confidence, and for a spell Celtic were the better side. Nygren could and should have put Celtic ahead before the break but tried to lift the ball over the goalkeeper when a driven finish was required. The margins were fine at that stage, and had that gone in the story of the match may have shifted.
At half-time Celtic looked poised to build on a promising recovery. Instead, the second half revealed the same vulnerabilities that have become all too familiar. Hearts increased their intensity, pressed with conviction and belief, and Celtic found themselves increasingly pushed backwards.
When Hearts adjusted by pushing Braga onto McGregor, the rhythm that Celtic had enjoyed disappeared. It is a tactical problem that has unsettled Brendan Rodgers’ team before, and one for which a consistent solution has yet to appear.
The limitations of the Celtic squad, stretched thin by injuries, were laid bare. A backline of Donovan, Murray, Scales and Tierney always looked like a risk in a venue that demands experience and physical authority. Rodgers perhaps chose balance, but Auston Trusty, may, with hindsight, have offered experience.
Meanwhile Johnny Kenny, leading the line in the absence of Iheanacho and Maeda, could not provide the hold-up play or threat required, and Celtic lacked anything resembling genuine creativity to match the endeavour shown in midfield.
There were players who worked, who competed, who tried to take responsibility, such as McGregor, as always, Tierney and Tounekti, who at least showed urgency and drive. But these efforts were isolated rather than part of a collective identity.
Rodgers’ own decisions invited scrutiny too. Aside from the debate over the chosen backline, and an unwillingness to address it during the game, Tounekti, Celtic’s most dangerous and direct player, was withdrawn with half an hour left, despite Hearts being forced backward most often by his movement. Rodgers may well have been managing fitness after the midweek win in Europe, but the substitution only diluted Celtic’s threat further. And while the manager can fairly argue he is working with a depleted and unbalanced squad, it is also true that the choices available were not necessarily used in the most pragmatic way.
Yet focusing solely on the manager risks missing the broader issue. This was a defeat that exposed structural failings rather than merely tactical ones. Celtic’s recruitment has lacked cohesion, clarity, and urgency. Where Hearts added targeted quality to a growing core, Celtic gambled during the summer on development projects and depth players, who may come good in time but cannot yet shoulder responsibility in matches of this intensity. It is far from the first time supporters have voiced frustration on this front, but the consequences were plain to see at Tynecastle.
The concern now is not just the gap at the top of the table, but the direction of travel. After a step forward with a win against Sturm Graz in midweek, this one, frustratingly, felt like another step back. Celtic looked like a team searching for conviction, for physical authority, and, worryingly, after a confidence boosting midweek win, for belief. Hearts, by contrast, played like a team who knew exactly what they were, what they wanted to do, and how to do it.
There is still a long way to go in the season. Players will return. January offers, in theory at least, an opportunity to correct what has gone badly wrong. But unless the club recognises the scale of the problems rather than attributing them to temporary misfortune, the slide will not correct itself.
On the day, Hearts deserved their victory. They ran harder, engaged with more conviction, believed more strongly in their plan, and crucially, played for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, Celtic wilted under pressure, physically and mentally, particularly so in the second half.
What should trouble Celtic most is how familiar the pattern is becoming.
Niall J
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The players and squad that Brendan the elite has access to is still comfortably better than any other in Scotland. The fact he can’t win games with them is not down to the board, but him. He has coached all goals out of this team with his risk free football style. Now to the point where we cannot pass it forward at all because the players are so used to passing it backwards. They are running about aimlessly in the middle of the park looking to get on a ball so they can cut back and pass to the full backs or centre halfs. Today, I watched Arne Engels pass it back to his goalkeeper from inside the Hearts half. Please stop blaming the board, that is solely on our elite manager.
Joe
CQN is the perfect site for you.
You can talk as much shite as you want, provided it is in praise of the board.
‘..Please stop blaming the board..’ what a pathetic quisling and bootlicker you are.
Joe fucking do one!! Your same as the wankets on that board as in quite happy to lose with Brendan in charge! Which is weirdo behaviour considering the man yes is ” elite” he and he alone created the normalisation of Trebles! Created interest again put 15,000 back on the home gates and filled hampden for all games we had there and won them all! Untill last may when our keeper literally threw it away! Before Brendan it was half empty at semis where Loser like that fud lennon lost 6 in a row at hampden! And don’t mention the fat aussie as I live in Australia most of the year since 2008 and he was touting himself via his agent for any job in ” epl mhate” iafter 6 months at our great club all reported in Australia at the time, you see its an aussie sychopantic wet dream that league even for most that don’t even like football! You need to live there to know. It astounds me that a charlatan like him gets this weird love when Brendan a man that could work in any top league in the world chose to come back as he really is a Celtic man unlike losers like aforementioned lennon and ” big ange” who were merely employees tho lennon the biggest fraud of all!! Entitled wee twisted bustard that took our good natured and protective fanbase for granted,no one ever wanted that tool. Now do one back to brennan on cqn or maybe it is you Mr brennan eh Beat it!
Quisling and bootlicker you say. Martin comes in and gets 25% of our season’s goals in 90 minutes with over 20 shots on goal. WITH THE SAME SQUAD. Brendan the elite clearly spun you two clowns his yarn.
Possibly go unnoticed as to where we actually are, regarding our homegrown quota.
Also gives ourselves a better perspective upon Rodgers selection and decision making process also imo.
As a requirement within the squad building process, we need to have 8 homegrown players. A third of a squad that is currently in place for the europa league.
Now I wouldn’t expect all 8 to be at a quality to have to play to much, at europa league level. But I would expect all 8 to be able to play at SPFL, which in turn should provide a freshness and rotational policy, within such a demanding footballing calendar in place nowadays.
So starting with 4 homegrown players, along with Donovan who would have originally been a 3rd choice right back, while able to be listed as a B list player.
Even 2 more were added as subs.
So overall 6 of our 8 homegrown squad players used yesterday, along with a B list player.
Only ralston and 3rd choice keeper in Doohan unused.
This is where we find ourselves currently regarding the homegrown player issue.
Should be an area within the squad where development and stability needs to be at a fairly satisfactory standard for ourselves.
But is it? Or more importantly will it ever going to be within the future?
It continues to get overlooked generally, within the squad building process. Yet it’s becoming a more relevant issue, especially now with injuries and a hectic footballing calendar in operation.
So a third of the squad is not going to improve under Rodgers, especially with selection, coaching, team set up and style of play in operation for ourselves. It’s an area of the squad that hasn’t improved whatsoever and continues to get ignored in terms of the quality factor that’s required within our squad building process.
Ange never had any time for this aspect of the squad in general. Rodgers has tried to improve matters in fairness, but still fairly unsuccessful imo. And with our coaching set up as it currently is, there doesn’t look like improving anytime soon either?
All the while this issue continues to get ignored, without signs of progression ever getting put in place for ourselves. Then trying to get successful European results and keeping Scottish football domination intact is going to start becoming a far harder task for ourselves to overcome imo.
Also shouldn’t be an area where huge amounts of money has to be spent within a transfer market either.
Yesterday showed we still have massive issues that still have to be addressed, within a third of our squad, and hardly helped with calmac and forrest not getting any younger either.
If we are ever going to get serious about changes within the footballing department. Then we can’t keep ignoring the homegrown quota rules that are involved in the squad building process for ourselves imo.