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Liam Scales tells Philippe Clement Rangers fell into Celtic trap as he activated Old Firm attack mode

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11 months ago

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Liam Scales tells Philippe Clement Rangers fell into Celtic trap as he activated Old Firm attack mode

The Irishman welcomed Gers trying to press the champions after coming a cropper against teams sitting in over recent weeks.

Liam Scales has accused Philippe Clement of playing right into Celtic’s hands on Saturday – while skipper Callum McGregor has told fans he knew Rangers would ‘unravel’ in the Old Firm cauldron.

The champions brought the curtain down on 2023 with a derby day win over their city rivals which has opened up an eight point gap at the top of the table. The title twist came at the end of a difficult December during which Celtic suffered back-to-back defeats against Kilmarnock and Hearts – as new Ibrox boss Clement closed in on top spot.

But Scales believes the Belgian’s tactical game plan at Parkhead was tailor made for the home side. The defender said: “When teams come and press us and try to get tight to us I feel as if it suits us. We can play through them and it suits the sort of players we have. It’s a nice difference from playing against a low block, which we do a lot in the league.

“The big occasions come against teams who come out and play and we feel as if we can come out and play against most teams.”

And Scales’ verdict has been backed up by McGregor who was caught on camera discussing Celtic’s pre-match mindset going into Saturday’s showdown. After turning in a man of the match performance, McGregor then gave a stinging victory speech to supporters in a corporate hospitality suite – insisting that Rangers struggle to deal with the intensity of derby day.

.A video of the interview has subsequently been posted on social media with McGregor saying: “The boys were outstanding. We spoke before the game about bringing that intensity. We feel like when we play against them they don’t deal with the intensity.

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“If you get after them and press them and make them kick out the pitch then very quickly they will start to unravel.”

Callum McGregor addresses Celtic fans

And McGregor dished out a savage put down when referring to Clement’s run of 16 games unbeaten going into Saturday’s clash.

He said: “They’d been in a good spell but they hadn’t played anyone yet.”

Spectacular strikes from Paulo Bernardo and Kyogo Furuhashi had Celtic two goals in front shortly after half time. Rangers skipper James Tavernier set up a nervous ending with a stunning free-kick of his own to make it 2-1 in 87 minutes as Clement’s side threatened to inflict more festive misery on their neighbours.

But McGregor went on: “We had some critics to answer over the last couple of weeks.

“All I can ask of the boys is that they go out there and give everything and they did that with bits of quality – Kyogo and Paulo Bernardo’s goals top class – but in terms of the running and work ethic of the team was first class.”

 

 

Rangers’ Europa League rivals ‘plotting move’ for Celtic attacker

An Italian Serie A side are willing to pay £400k in compensation to the Hoops for talented youngster Rocco Vata.

Italian giants Atalanta are reportedly ‘preparing a deal’ to sign Celtic youngster Rocco Vata when the January transfer window opens.

According to Calcio Mercato, the Serie A outfit want to bring the highly regarded 18-year-old winger to Bergamo which would see the Scottish champions earn a compensation fee worth €400,000.

Predominately a right-sided attacker, who can also play through the middle, Vata is entering the final six months of his current contract at Parkhead and is no closer to agreeing a new deal to extend his stay beyond the end of the season.

Should he complete the move to Italy, the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international would initially link up with Atalanta’s B team in the Primavera with a view to continuing his development and progressing to the first-team in the future. Celtic are yet to offer Vata – who has scored 11 goals in 18 appearances for the second team this season, including in UEFA Youth League – fresh terms and a parting of ways now seems likely. He travelled with Rodgers’ squad to the Middle East for the pre-season tour of Japan but has made just four first-team outings in total.

Vata joined CAA Base Agency in the summer, indicating a future transfer was in the offing. Other Italian clubs including Torino and Inter Milan have scouted the player but Atalanta are clear front-runners to secure his signature.

Sky Sports commentators aim dig at Rangers allocation stance during broadcast

Sky Sports commentators Ian Crocker and Chris Sutton have aimed a dig towards Ibrox during the live coverage of the Edinburgh Derby this evening. Crocker, who commentates on almost all of the live games in Scotland, was commenting on the 4,000 away supporters at Easter Road.

Crocker made the comment ahead of Saturday’s Glasgow Derby between Celtic and Rangers, which will be the second fourth league gake between the sides without any away fans.

“The two have got their heads together to get a decent away support.”

Chris Sutton responded “It’s a shame it’s not like that everywhere.”

There will be no Rangers supporters at the game as Celtic hold firm over the safety concerns of sending fans to Ibrox with the arrangement of just 750 supporters.

Celtic have been attempting to hold talks about returning larger allocations to pre-petulant levels; however, Rangers have been unwilling to entertain this. Now, fans of both teams will lose out on attending one of the biggest games of the season.

Hopefully, talks of ‘European’ style allocations can be facilitated next season and the topic of allocations can be shelved.

 

 

 

First leaked info of Celtic’s 2024/25 Home Kit Emerge

Adidas is currently entering the final year of its five-year partnership with Celtic, initiated in 2020, and has produced a range of football strips that have sparked varied opinions among fans.

The designs have oscillated between being hailed as unique and stylish to being criticised as unappealing.

The latest speculation about next season’s home shirt, based on leaks reported by Footy Headlines, has stirred up discussion. According to these leaks, the new design, which follows a recent Adidas template, has not been officially confirmed yet.

However, if the leaked designs are accurate, the upcoming shirt is already generating strong reactions, with some suggesting it could be considered one of the least favourable Celtic shirts to date.

This is a design that’s been mocked up that Footy Headlines believes will be near the finished article.



Breaking the hoops… that won’t go down well.

What some fans might consider a bold and fresh look, others might see as a departure from tradition or an aesthetic misstep.

For Celtic and Adidas, the challenge lies in balancing innovation with tradition, ensuring that new designs respect the club’s rich heritage while also appealing to contemporary tastes. As the current contract nears its end, it remains to be seen how this partnership will evolve and what impact it will have on the future aesthetic of Celtic’s kits.

 

 

Mar tin O’Neill shares what Henrik Larsson privately admitted to him about Celtic and Barcelona

Martin O’Neill and Henrik Larsson are two of the biggest Celtic legends of the modern-day era.

Between them both, they helped Celtic through one of the most successful domestic and European periods of their history since the Lisbon Lions.

Winning the first treble in 2001 since the Jock Stein era, O’Neill and Larsson helped end Rangers’ domination of Scottish football to kickstart what we are currently witnessing to this present day.

But there was one trophy that both of these living legends couldn’t get their hands on and it is one that still haunts them to this day. The 2003 UEFA Cup.

Getting to their first major European Final since 1970, Celtic went to Seville that year with great hope that they could lift the UEFA Cup.

With Chris Sutton, Paul Lambert, Neil Lennon and, of course, Larsson in the team, that Celtic side had taken on the might of Liverpool, Blackburn and Stuttgart to get to that final.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t do enough to get past Jose Mourinho’s Porto and despite Larsson bagging a double, Celtic lost the final 3-2 in extra time.

It was a painful end to one of the best memories as a Celtic fan that I can remember and O’Neill has just shared what Larsson would have been willing to sacrifice if it meant that Celtic had won the UEFA Cup in 2003.

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O’Neill said [PLZ Soccer], “It was not that long ago that I was speaking to Henrik Larsson and Henrik’s won the Champions League with Barcelona.

Photo by Team 2 Sportphoto/ullstein bild via Getty Images

“He made a big impact in the game, come on and I was there at the match cheering him on and he said he would have given that up to have won the UEFA Cup with us at Celtic.

“That’s massive.”

That just shows you how much Larsson still holds Celtic dear to his heart. The fact that he would give up the biggest prize in club football to be successful in Europe in the green and white hoops speaks volumes of the player.

It’s why the Celtic fans love him still to this day.

 

 

Ian Wright Celtic history leaves Gary Neville gob-smacked as Roy Keane delivers savage one-liner

Arsenal legend Wright spent four months at Parkhead after being signed as a short-term replacement for injured Henrik Larsson

STICK TO FOOTBALL QUIZ WITH PADDY MCGUINNESS

It goes without saying that Ian Wright’s best years were well behind him when the Arsenal legend pitched up at Celtic Park in 1999.

So much so that close pal and Manchester United legend Gary Neville didn’t even know he played for the Hoops! It’s a period in history that Celtic fans would rather erase from memory, and that’s why Wright’s short stint in Glasgow was a forgettable one.

Following Henrik Larsson’s horror leg break in Lyon, boss John Barnes turned to his ex-England teammate by signing the striker from West Ham on a short-term deal. A player in the twilight of his career and living on past glories, it’s fair to say Wright’s time at Parkhead didn’t go to plan as he scored just three times and came on as a second-half sub during that infamous Scottish Cup defeat to Inverness Caley Thistle.

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Barnes paid the price with his job that night and it wasn’t long before Wright followed him out the door, returning south with Burnley where he eventually pulled the curtain down on his impressive career.

Best known for his iconic years at Crystal Palace and Arsenal, Wright’s association with Celtic left Neville gob-smacked as the Stick to Football pundit and sidekick Jamie Carragher were asked by quiz host Paddy McGuinness to list the clubs the goalscoring frontman played for. After Liverpool hero Carragher answered Celtic, astonished Neville turned to Wright and exclaimed: “You went to Celtic?”

Before Wright could get a word in, devilish Roy Keane – who also spent a short spell at Parkhead – immediately dished out a savage one-liner and teased: “He was up there… he didn’t play, did he?”

Justifying his move to Celtic, Wright explained: “I had a period of my career where I was bouncing from one club to another trying to finish in 2000.”

The 60-year-old added: “I played for Nottingham Forest for a month’s loan before I went to Celtic. So it was Palace, Arsenal and West Ham. Then Forest on loan, Celtic and Burnley. I had four clubs in one season, you can’t do that anymore. Me and Harry Redknapp didn’t get on so he blew me out at West Ham. I went on loan to Forest, then Henrik Larsson got injured so I went to Celtic.

“It all went wrong, Barnesy was there, then I went to Burnley to finish it off and we got promoted. It’s a beautiful story.”

You can watch the full Stick to Football episode in the video player above.

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Join Football Scotland’s Celtic WhatsApp community!

Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our Celtic WhatsApp community today.

You’ll receive daily updates on breaking Hoops news as well as the top headlines from Parkhead.

No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Football Scotland team.

All you have to do is click here if you’re on mobile, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!

If you’re on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click ‘Join Community’.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.

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