New Look Bhoys on the road
Yes, the troops will hit the road not long after signing, such is life.
Martin isn’t a change for the sake of change manager but what he will do is tell everyone on the bench they need to be better than their direct replacement. Well the window is shut and on paper we have assembled the strongest in decades, it now remains to be translated onto the pitch.
Under Brendan I often felt the final 11 were crucial, I believe Martin is the opposite in that he plays his best from the start. Then he calls the rest to come on. How we integrate this weeks 5 into the team is a good question but the substitute list will be looking a lot different than last weekend I predict. Looking pretty hefty.
I suspect Martin will start the usual suspects with the instruction to the subs to watch then beat their direct opponent. I do expect debuts in a few positions and I hope they are not “dig us out of a hole” debuts but rather a “show us what you got” debut and tomorrow should make good reading as we discuss exactly that.
Who do I want to see the most you ask? Personally,,,Van the Man but in saying that it would please me to the heavens if our bench has it in them to truly kill a game. I would settle for that all season long. It’s a squad game more than ever and we are stacked.
From Saint Mirren’s POV its a bad one,,,,under the lights on a Saturday night the Tims will arrive enmasse, out sing the home crowd, and more than likely outplay the hosts.
Oh dear, how sad.
The gambler in me would back Yang to score again as a partiing gift, he is kinda likeable isn’t he?
Some goals, some debuts, it should be a fun outing.
Up The Hoops!
By Mahe
sentinelcelts.com
We now have a new JustGiving page set up to enable donations to be made for our latest charity appeal.
We wanted to focus again on a local charity, and this time one which is dedicated to helping those suffering from homelessness, addiction or poverty.
The one we have gone for is
GLASGOW CITY MISSION
You can find our dedicated page at
https://www.justgiving.com/page/sentinelcelts67
It is coming up to that time of year when the betting aficionados amongst us have to get our thinking caps on again.
As usual, our site will run a NAPS COMPETITION with some healthy prize money, and once again it will start on St Leger Day in September and run through till the last day of Royal Ascot in June. There will be a short break from the end of November till the end of January.
https://sentinelcelts.com/2026/08/31/saturday-naps-competition-2/
And for those whose betting interests are mainly centred on the football, we will also run our MAGNIFICENT SEVEN accumulator, starting on the same day and finishing when we no longer have eight leagues to pick from. Usually the end of April. Let’s hope that it gives us a more magnificent return than the litany of near-misses and total failures we got last term!
https://sentinelcelts.com/2026/08/31/saturday-football-accumulator/
We will be looking for volunteers for this year’s ACCA , so please join up!
Both these initiatives are FREE TO ENTER, so please click on the links provided.
D R M has also very kindly volunteered to operate a competition over the three days of the AYR GOLD CUP meeting. September 17-19th
Usual rules, with a selection from each race.
There is £100 of prize money, and as alway is FREE TO ENTER!
More details are available on the dedicated page, so click on the link.
https://sentinelcelts.com/2026/08/31/d-r-m-ayr-gold-cup-meeting-competition/
POTY competition sencelpoty@gmail.com
Lennoxtown.
https://youtu.be/RiXOn_RLb5U?is=i4y67ozZ4hnG2XhI
Mahe , you’ve really went full pelt CQN style! Where’s Bobby to nullify your paaaaash??
Morning all,
Reading back,
Rebus,
Stay strong and I know you will fight this terrible disease.
I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers 🙏🙏
John (JC)
From last night,
You would have thought it,
James Cagney at The Shipbank !!!!!
Whose on tonight,
The Stranglers ???
🐀 🐀 🐀 🐀
Leggy
It was funny watching two of the male bar staff running about with brushes chasing it.
John Thomson – 28th. Jan 1909 – 5th. Sept. 1931.
Sair grief has entered mony a heart,
Frae money an e’e the tear draps start,
Swert we are at ha’en tae part,
Wi’ him sae fresh and handsome,
Nae mair we’ll see him lichtly dart,
He’s gane is Johnny Thamson.
John Thomson (95th Anniversary). He helped the team win two Scottish Cups, three Glasgow Cups.
He would represent the national side and national select side four times apiece.
This, my favourite picture of him, it was taken just before he lay stricken on the Ibrox turf.
Good morning friends and a Big Happy Matchday to all who post or lurk on this fine site. Importantly, both of those categories are swelled with educated voters who regularly select their 3 best players. Numbers have been fantastic so far this season but it’s never too late to join in. Hope to hear from loads of you from around 9.55pm tonight. sencelpoty@gmail.com
Mahe,
My conspiracy plots have been empirically analyzed by me and AI. Even AI which is algorithmically programmed to avoid conspiracy theories agrees with the majority of my assertions backing them up stating often that the situation is uncomparable unusual and interesting. That’s AI speak for WTAF ? I reckon if you had read all the links you’d have been less likely to label it a conspiracy plot.
Your theoretical analysis is exactly just that. Your theory. Your beliefs and as you have highlighted possibly crazy. Using your restaurant analogy and applying my need for empirical evidence the latest reincarnation of the restaurant hasn’t turned a profit in 15 years and is still on the march. In fact if you look at the last incarnation of the restaurant that went bust it was bankrolled by Lloyds bank, Murray international metals and Bank of Scotland. This restaurant hasn’t turned a profit since the late seventies. Were you even born then ? I would say it’s more of a soup kitchen – soup bank than a restaurant
The soup is opium flavored only.
I’m not hooked on it but you obviously are.
Bawheid,
What a photo of the cat.
HH 🍀
John and his Sweetheart Margaret Findlay, if he had lived they would have got married. It took her over one year to try to repair her life after his tragic passing. Her family were Celtic supporters and they, the family had a notable life, she was a talented ballerina and her father began his working life on the coal face rising over the years to become the head of the British coal board.
Johns tragic passing affected many lives, he’s one of the most important figures in the history of Celtic Football Club. RIP.
BAD – Yes a great picture indeed. 95 years and still remembered like it happened yesterday.
On this day (his anniversary) I always bring out his picture and place on my dresser along with his memorabilia. Still remember when we first visited his grave in Cardenden, I was 5 years old so about 1953. I must pay tribute to the John Thomson memorial committee who look after his grave as well as ‘Celtic Graves, its great work that they do.
They ensure his memory lives on.
HH.
Johnny Thomson
95 yrs and, as Bawheid says, still remembered fondly by folk who only read stories and heard tales of his heroics.
Lovely picture, if only we knew what was coming next.
RIP
Our game is on at 21.00 my time. That works out just dandy for me. Will be a few empty seats for a top of the table clash tonight I’d imagine. A bit late for the kids.
https://chatgpt.com/share/6a9bd504-0d94-83eb-9c03-738d241bc116?ogimg=plain
Bawheid,
I like anything that relates to the history of our great club. We really should have a museum, as we have some story to tell.
I used to sit for hours just looking at old black and white photos of the Celts in action. That photo of JT would definitely be among my favourites.
Your posts are becoming the highlight of a visit to the site now.
HH buddy 🍀
Awe naw,
I think we’ve established the Americans – As crazy as they’re capable of being – didn’t come to Scotland to put the Huns, the only group of people crazier than them, “Back where they belong”
But ..Unless I missed something from your good self,,
I haven’t read a single theory that explains how they will manage to, do what we all know they are here to do, make money 💰 💰
Like I said the other day, I can’t understand how any of their fans could believe they are here out the goodness of their hearts to Make Rangers Great Again.
I treat this Hun team the way I treated the one that died, I assume they are still cheating ..like they have ALWAYS cheated! that way I don’t think I’ll be too far from the truth.
Let’s be honest, if there was a way for them to level the playing field V us, does anyone believe they would hesitate for a second before doing it? I believe this’ll be the straw that broke the camel’s back for a lot of their fans, and who could blame them.
This time a lot of them really will do walking away.
PS, I wouldn’t go assuming the stuff you post is either ignored or unappreciated. Like a good journo, keep digging away!
HH 🍀
Rebus- so sorry to see your news HH
Noticed there’s 2 new plaques in the Glasgow green that show where the Huns played the first games in their history.
Well, In between rowing up and doon the Clyde 🚣🚣🚣
The one that is high up and easy to miss is fine still, whereas the one that was low down someone has taken a metal bar to ..
I wonder if most know how close our original stadium was to theirs, it can only be a few hundred yards ..both well within the boundaries of Brigton.
Still looking for the plaque that marks the place our original stadium stood.
Mahe, I’m beginning to think that you are actually Ross Desmond
BAD
Our original stadium and plaque commemorating it, is on the wall directly behind the North Stand, at the Green Bridge section.
Been there for a good decade or so.
There’s also a plaque at St.Marys commemorating the establishment of the Club in 1887.
If you know your history!
I think tonight will be tough. We’ve played nobody of note domestically and in Europe we got our arses felt by a strong , fast, physical team. As such, looking at St Mirren, their profile and excellent start to the season , I’m expecting a very tough shift ahead.
3-2 Celtic
@Awe Naw – September 4, 2026 4:40 pm
I noticed your post from yesterday and had a few thoughts on it. Apologies for the length of post.
‘50 national associations are vying for 8 sometimes only 7 CL places. Associations such as Croatia, Sweden who performed better than us at the World Cup are just below us.‘
I’m unsure of the utility of the framing here (at least when looking at things from our perspective), as we (Scotland) are realistically not in competition with many of these league associations (by virtue of them being heavy hitters / minnows).
When considering the difficulties we face, I’d argue that it’s helpful to look at it from both an objective (the difficulties facing a Scottish club given the league’s association ranking) and a subjective (given the objective position, how Celtic as a club may fare) perspective.
On the Objective Side
There are three primary routes towards CL qualification (I’m excluding some of the more novel ones, i.e. see Shakhtar’s route to automatic CL qualification this year):
Automatic qualification is reserved for the league champions from the top 10 league associations which are (based on UEFA’s rankings for 27/28):
Given our anaemic efforts in Europe of late, as well as Rangers’ European performances dropping (albeit from a very high bar) and with only nascent signs of improvement on the European stage amongst the remaining cohort of SPFL teams (Hibs, Hearts and Motherwell), we should not expect to qualify for the CL from this route any time soon.
Looking ahead to 27/28, we can also forget the League Path of the Qualifying route, as that is reserved for the runners up of the league associations ranked 7 to 15 (Greece, Poland, Denmark, Norway and Cyprus filling spaces 11-15) and Scotland are ranked 18th.
So the only route to CL participation in the near future is via the Champions Path of the Qualifying route (adding here that this is a route we have failed to successfully navigate on 8 of the last 10 attempts).
When looking at the above, it does paint a relatively poor picture for Scottish teams – access to the CL limited to a single team and with the prospect of 3 rounds of qualifiers to navigate to get there (as opposed to the recent entries at the play-off round).
On the Subjective Side
In order to qualify for the CL, Celtic will have to vie for one of the five available Champions Path places reserved for the League Phase of the CL proper.
In taking on this challenge, we have the benefit of knowing that the qualifying route is seeded at each turn, so a Club’s individual coefficient ranking comes into play (i.e. we are not wedded to our league association ranking) and can at least contend ourselves that, unlike in years gone by when there was the prospect of playing an Arsenal or Braga, we are now limited to playing a team from a ‘minor’ league.
Below is the comprehensive list of club associations (7-23) – i’ve excluded nations above that for ease of review here (recognising there may be one or two that have clubs of a respectable standard (and also recognise current aberration re Russia’s ranking/exclusion)):
Now, taking the league champions from that list, how many of those clubs would:
I’d wager that only Olympiakos and Shakhtar would make that list and, if Celtic act with a modicum of competency and ambition on the European front, we would likely not meet them due to seeding.
Thoughts
Too much of the current discourse on this subject (particularly that driven by the Celtic Board) removes all agency and accountability from our own Club’s actions and performance.
Save for direct CL entry (and you can debate the merits of UEFA’s approach / favouring of the Big Leagues on that front), the current CL qualifying format provides the most advantageous set of circumstances we could hope for as a club:
Rather than focussing on the subjective and the advantages it presents to us, we instead focus (driven by the narrative emanating from Celtic Park) on the objective – somehow thinking that we have more in common with Hearts (by virtue of geography), as opposed to PSV (by virtue of financial strength).
To evidence this point, PSV had a (record) revenue of c£146m (calculated at today’s FX rate) to our c£143m in 24/25. Based on current UEFA coefficient ranking (26/27), there is a greater difference in coefficient between Celtic (38.00) and PSV (67.25) than Celtic and Hearts (11.5).
Of course, things are at hand within Celtic Park to remedy this malaise and take some level of accountability for our European performances – just look at Martin’s inspiring words recently on the subject:
“But our bread and butter is the league…And if we were fortunate enough to stay in the Europa League until after January time, we may not do, but if we are, then these next three or four months will prove whether they will join that list in January time, if we are still there…‘
*Correction/typo on my previous post – the following should read as ‘(11-23)‘
Below is the comprehensive list of club associations (7-23)
@ Rebus67 – wishing you the best of luck for your treatment and a speedy recovery.
Tom Thumb. Excellent post. Very interesting thoughts.
Where’s Auldhied?
San Luis,
I should have been clearer that I meant a plaque at the place our original stadium stood ..around Colvend st in Brigton. It stood on a piece of ground I had to cross to get to school, and as far as I know it stood empty until this year when they began building new houses
Westcraigs,
Where’s Auldheid?
According to him he got banned from here. I still read CQN and have seen him say that a couple of times, though I’ve never seen Mahe or Bobby ban anyone outside of the usual suspects
HH 🍀
Westcraigs,
Where’s Auldheid?
I think he’s convinced he got banned from posting.
HH 🍀
Westcraigs,
Where’s AH
I think he’s convinced he got banned from posting.
HH 🍀
The site wouldn’t let me post the name Auldheid
The site is preventing me from using his name, Westcraigs 😳
BAD
I think you’re getting Celtic and Clyde mixed up. Celtic have never had a ground at Colvend St.
The original ground, ( May 1888 – 1892) is as stated , between the Cemetery and Springfield RD, directly behind the current Celtic Park.
BAD,
The Americans are opportunists. They are onto a sure thing. They managed to get majority control of the club at a real bargain and will gain outright control without contest. They have gained a UK government approved media friendly money laundering outfit in perpetuity. That is a very nice asset to have. A brand that will eventually make them money one way or another. Selling the assets or turning the club around, season ticket sales, player trading possible future UEFA income, sponsorship, TV deals … what´s not to like. I´m sure they have been polishing up on Derry Walls and the Sash
JLTTB
All very informative but no one that truly matters is listening.
The Champions League? We can’t handle the CL.
I posted this last night.
Let’s face it, where we are now is likely to be a high point.
A once proud Euro giant barely able to be taken seriously.
We have become inured to failure.
Failure as built in obsolescence.
We spend so much time in self examination/ recrimination/judgement, denial and blame we have become a laughing stock.
We are more than able to win a diddy third rate league forever. But so what?
Like last season domestically we will maintain some sort of competitiveness from a collection of second bests and barely competent in house “talents” to beat whatever is put up against us.
The best of those we nurture: Duran Nygren AJ will undoubtedly go as they continue to shine and attract interest.
Who can blame them?
Kenny D and Henrik left because they knew their talent was never gonna be matched by ambition. 50 years ago, 20 years ago.
If anything we have embraced failure even more.
The worst of the rest are unfortunately Scottish which leaves us incredibly short in terms of Euro quotas for the next season and beyond.
The 17/8 ratio will be tested, particularly as Calmac and JF and KT fall off the roster.
We will be lucky to find 4/5 homegrown of any quality. At this rate with deficient squad depth EL qualification will soon be beyond us.
We are destined to be ECL also rans. Joining Hearts and perhaps the Huns playing against the unpronounceables of far flung Europe and whatever occasional EPL mid table outfit qualifies by being eighth or ninth or tenth in their league.
Under our present stewardship this season was the last chance to compete at CL level.
San Luis,
Thanks for that ..I’m about half a mile away 😊
Oasis at Celtic Park: May 22, 23,24, 26 and 29, 2027.
Scottish Cup Final; May 22
Cup final weekend Could be a hell of a weekend for the Oasis/Celtic fans.
Awe naw,
Speaking of them learning the words of the Billy boys, I was just chuckling at that very thought this morning.
I can see what would make them attractive, given the amount of season tickets and probable Euro football most years. So, if they ever get the player trading bit right (Looks like they are now attempting to go down that route) they will definitely be on to a good thing.
I’m surprised none of them have ever tried something with Ibrox itself – Sell, advertising etc – there an obvious reason that’s never happened??
Thanks again.
HH 🍀
JLTTB,
I framed it to demonstrate that we are on the cusp of dropping further down the coefficient table, with countries like Croatia and Sweden — who are very capable, amongst others close to us in the table — of producing and developing their own players, unlike Scotland, and therefore eventually usurping us. Even our national team is full of poor mercenaries. We are that desperate.
I posted a couple of weeks back that our professional environment is very expensive and utterly dilapidated compared with comparable associations, and looking at the SFA’s new directives issued yesterday to solve the problem only hardens my belief that the downward spiral will continue. Throwing money at the problem isn’t going to solve it, especially with our poor club infrastructure.
Comparable associations do not need to spend the vast amounts that we need to spend. They are not held to ransom due to having a very public, massive cash balance to stave off an unaccountable close domestic rival. I also support Eintracht — nobody can tell you how much they have banked recently. It’s deliberately opaque.
Comparable European associations also have modern facilities, especially for youth development, and a proper youth development path. They have modern infrastructure. In Scotland that’s seen as an unwanted cost. They have domestic financial sustainability frameworks — to everyone’s benefit.
It’s a numbers game. It’s a flutter. You assess whether it is worthwhile. That is what our Board is doing, and to be fair to them, it is our money they are gambling with. They have decided not to, and against these odds, who can blame them.
If other Scottish teams — especially our “coefficient monkey” — do not massively improve in Europe, then we are already, objectively speaking, minnows. And if countries like Sweden, Croatia, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Bosnia etc. keep going on their current upward trajectory, and Scotland continues on its downward trajectory, then it will not be long before we are vying with Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, subjectively speaking. Scotland’s coefficient monkey has taken the year off, and with possible FSR punishments looming, it could be much longer. So the future doesn’t look bright. There may be soon enough no CL path.
Your take on matters seems to me to be ensconced in “MON the balance sheet” thinking, as is the entire club. Money will solve all our issues. We have proven time and time again that we are poor in recruitment — see 8 out of 10. We are abject in youth development. We are only interested in improving ourselves financially and not the environment that we operate in. The club is in an entire mess. The improvement needs to start there and then we need to agitate to improve the environment we operate in. Starting with our main rival becoming financially accountable
Time for a rethink before the advantages that we do have become meaningless.
We are almost there.
BAD,
I believe a floating charge still held on the Stadium by John Bennet might prevent renaming. Once he has been paid off and they gain 75%. Next Summer they can do so unopposed
Awe Naw
What are the new SFA directives ?
Never saw or heard.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/16779385/sfa-summit-three-proposals-spfl/
Ex Machina
Great post and very sobering in its conclusion.
Percentage of home grown players playing in their top division
Norway 66.4%
Croatia 63.5%
Sweden 60.2%
Austria 53.8%
Denmark 49.7%
Scotland 38.6%
John (JC)
Thanks.
I’d rather have a more upbeat take but our predicament is based on a horrendous litany of bewildering decisions, poor judgements and craven avoidance of positive actions that would significantly improve the health of the club.
The outcome as things stand, in my opinion, is Euro irrelevance sadly.
Even my erstwhile late night nemesis M McG and I find common ground here!
Awe Naw’s post above highlights the downward spiral in Scottish standards that will eventually shackle our participation in Europe at the lowest level.
Daezen already being criticized for being “Anonymous, having no impact at all, and no surprise when he was substituted after 66 minutes.”
Awe Naw
September 5, 2026 1:23 pm
England is 28%.
So not sure how much bearing the figure on its own has on the quality of the product.