Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic at The Upside-Down

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Despondent Celts

Despondent Celts. Motherwell v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. 30 December 2025 Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

CALMAC – 2/10 – Wherefor art thou, skipper? When the Motherwell keeper has more touches of the ball than the Celtic captain you know you’re somewhere through the Looking-Glass. Lost in the maelstrom midfield, papped at every turn by a busy bee, stung, dispossessed, left a spectator in a domestic contest he habitually dominates. He
must have thought he was playing in the Champions League again.

SAINT BERNARDO – 1/10 – Well, I had imagined Big Paulo would be a fit for sitting deep, tight beside Calmac, founding our midfield domination. If only he had, too…

Reo Hatate

Motherwell v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. 30 December 2025 Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

HAKUNA HATATE – 2.5/10 – That look of trying to work out the clever but, in hindsight, obvious twist in the movie; Reo’s seemingly-fixed expression captured the tortuous ninety minutes entirely. Why was this happening? I didn’t expect it to go like this. Damn, of course… At least he had the benefit of improving his English by reading the names on the backs of the shirts constantly racing away from him with the ball.

Benjamin Nygren. Celtic despair

Celtic despair. Motherwell v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. 30 December 2025 Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

NEGAN – 1.5/10 – At Christmas time there’s always the possibility of a miracle in the air. Sit doon, David Blane, because the Swede somehow avoided the hook despite galloping about for the first 45 with all the effectiveness of Mary Poppins in a diabetic ward. One point for the magic trick and a half for hilariously nearly scoring again late on.

Continues on the next page…

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About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor David Faulds has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email [email protected]

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3 Comments

  1. Excellent, if depressing synopsis David. Invest some time in mentoring your colleagues in the art of fine writing in 2026….

  2. Difficult to disagree with any of that and it’s about time you got brutal with certain players.
    This is the poorest Celtic team I’ve watched, since the eighties, just dire. Far too many just not good enough, or just stale. Absolutely awful at the back, a goalie who gives me palpitations with every attempted piece of ‘distribution’, a midfield with zero creativity, including the captain, a succession of wingers who, simply, just can’t cross a ball and a raft of strikers who couldn’t score in the old ‘Palais de Dance!’
    If we don’t have better than that, in the academy…..then what’s the point of an academy.

  3. Frank Thompson on

    Nancy , Tisdale and most of the Board who formed a concensus to bring these two Saboteur (Duds) to Celtic Park should be instantly dismissed . Add to that , get rid of the over-rated players commanding good salaries with Celtic , starting with :- Engels , Hetate , Tierney , McCowan , Yang , Ralston , McGregor ( who , like Brendan before him ) is off to SAUDI to continue their jersey kissing in warmer climes .
    It could take years to sort-out this mess —-Time for an instant S.O.S. to ANGE and Martin O’ Neil —-Who would hopefully come to oversee a REBUILD and put our Great Club back to where it should be in both Scotland and Europe . In the past we have had some crap players who lacked ability but made-up for this with effort and pride in the jersey they wore sadly those days are gone with crowd of impostors who now wear the Celtic shirt .
    Jock Stein said that , ” The Celtic jersey did not shrink to fit inferior players ” , unfortunately , it has shrunk for many over the last few seasons .