RODGERS v RANGERS (Part Six)

RODGERS v RANGERS (Part Six)

BRENDAN RODGERS got the Glasgow derby-winning show on the road again when he masterminded the 1-0 triumph at Ibrox on September 3.

Lazio 2-0 Celtic: Brendan Rodgers press conference

Following 10 victories, two draws and a solitary loss in his first stint, the Irishman returned to the fixture for the first time following an absence of over four and a half years with an intriguing contest in Govan.

Rodgers was forced to put together a patched-up central defence with Cameron Carter-Vickers and new £4.3million recruit Maik Nawrocki out through injury. Liam Scales and Gustaf Lagerbielke, signed for £3million in the summer, were pitched into the toxic atmosphere.

It was an afternoon for the champions to stand up and be counted – on and off the field.

LOOKING UP…Brendan Rodgers enjoys heaven in Govan after Celtic’s early-season triumph.

September 3 2023: Premiership

CELTIC 1 RANGERS 0

A FLASH of brilliance from master marksman Kyogo Furuhashi settled the High Noon shoot-out and left Ibrox stunned and silent.

It was an awesome true grit performance from the visitors in a hostile stadium without a Hoops supporter in sight. However, that did not prevent Brendan Rodgers from celebrating his eleventh success over the city foes.

Kyogo whipped in the only goal of a tense confrontation on a day for heroes where captain Callum McGregor, veteran keeper Joe Hart, who proved unbeatable, and Liam Scales, almost out on his feet at the end, led the way for the Parkhead men to edge four points clear at the top of the table so early in the campaign.

Rodgers won four of his previous five games in this arena and got off to his second stint as gaffer with another impressive triumph.

STUNNER…Kygo Furuhashi lashes in the only goal of the game with a ferocious first-time drive.

STUNNED…the fans at Ibrox are left in silence as Liel Abada congratulates goal hero Kyogo Furuhashi.

Just before the interval, the home backline tried to play Kyogo offside when Matt O’Riley picked up a wayward clearance from Connor Goldson straight from a downfield punt by Hart.

The stylish playmaker sent a powerful header into the danger zone. The Japanese speedster, clearly played onside by John Souttar, raced after the ball and unleashed an unstoppable right-foot drive from just outside the box.

Keeper Jack Butland didn’t stand a chance as the effort hurtled past his outstretched right hand to nestle low in the corner of the net.

The stadium was struck dumb in that instant as the Hoops players celebrated in silence.

On this occasion, silence was indeed golden.

TEAM: Hart; Johnston (sub: Ralston 66), Lagerbielke, Scales, Taylor (sub: Bernabei 74); Turnbull (sub: Holm 66), McGregor, O’Riley; Abada (sub: Yang 66), Kyogo (sub: Oh 76), Maeda.

* TOMORROW: Don’t miss Rodgers v Rangers (Part Seven) – only in your champion CQN.

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.

AND ALSO

Mikey Johnston told Celtic destiny is in his own hands as Brendan Rodgers sends blunt message

Liel Abada and Reo Hatate given Celtic vs Rangers boost as Brendan Rodgers offers return chance

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.

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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…AMIDO BALDE?

AMIDO BALDE turned out to be another spectacular waste of money for Celtic after he signed for £1.2million from Portuguese outfit Vitoria Guimaraes in June 2013.

Lazio 2-0 Celtic: Brendan Rodgers press…

The towering 22-year-old striker came highly recommended to Neil Lennon after making the breakthrough with his nation’s Under-21 squad the previous year.

However, blundering Balde netted a mere three goals in 20 dismal appearances before his contract was scrapped in the summer of 2015 with two years still to run.

PICK IT OUT…Amido Balde scores one of his three Celtic goals with a shot past Partick Thistle keeper Scott Fox at Firhill in October 2013.

The Hoops had loaned him to Belgian side Waasland-Beveren and Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, but he failed to convince and the switches were not made permanent. After leaving Parkhead, the misfiring marksman went to French Second Division, but he featured only eight times before his deal was ripped up.

His travels took him to Africa where he hoped for better luck with Angolan minnows Sport Luanda Benfica. He joined in January 2016 and left seven months later.

Balde scored six goals in 14 games for Ho Chi Minh City in the Vietnamese League after joining in January 2020. His contract was terminated by mutual consent in August that year.

In the decade since getting the boot from Parkhead, Balde has played for TWELVE teams, but is currently without a club.

He is still one of Celtic’s most baffling signings.

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Todd Cantwell is Rangers pantomime villain and my painful Celtic reminder proves need for calm – Barry Ferguson

The former Ibrox captain and Record Sport columnist is licking his lips ahead of a mouthwatering showdown at Parkhead.

Rangers’ Todd Cantwell celebrates with James Tavernier (Image: SNS Group)

Todd Cantwell appears to have developed into the pantomime villain of Scottish football with fans of every team apart from Rangers lining up to give him abuse.

And there’s no doubt he’ll get it tight from 60,000 Celtic supporters at lunchtime on Saturday. It’s going to take real mental strength for the Rangers playmaker to block it out and concentrate on doing what he does best, which is bringing energy and creativity to a team that is thriving under Philippe Clement.

Look, I know it’s not easy and there have been times I’ve been unable to practice what I’m preaching. August 2000, Parkhead. 6-2 to Celtic and I’m up the tunnel early for two bookings, the second coming after a bit of daft handbags with Jonathan Gould. Let me tell you, that walk off the pitch and into the dressing room should take 10 seconds but it felt like 10 minutes. Then there’s the wait on your own inside for the final whistle. There’s no lonelier place in football.

And yet, I used that experience as fuel after I served my ban. The next time we played Celtic, we beat them 5-1 at our place. That’s the rollercoaster ride that comes with being at the Old Firm and Cantwell seems to thrive on the experience. Yes, he can get involved in the odd bit of silliness that makes him a target, but he can play and right now he is the creative spark that is vital to this run Rangers take into the Old Firm clash.

They’ll also go into it fresher than they would have been if the Ross County game had been played on Wednesday. But that’s a double-edged sword. Yes, the likes of Connor Goldson, who came off against Motherwell late on, will have had more recovery time, but from a player’s perspective, I always wanted to play when the team is going well. So, I’d rather have played the Ross County game and kept the momentum going, because that’s certainly what Rangers have got at the moment.

When you’re winning games, you want to play as many as you can. Right now, Rangers are flying and the manner in which they coped with the conditions at Fir Park on Christmas Eve told me everything about the mentality Clement has instilled in his men very quickly.

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Rangers’ Kieran Dowell celebrates (Image: SNS Group)

I’m only 10 miles from Motherwell, so I know what the weather was like. I was on a walk on Sunday morning and it was horrendous.

I was thinking: as a footballer, these are the worst conditions to play in. Rain isn’t a problem. The odd day when it’s a scorcher, you can deal with that – but wind is horrendous. I hated it and thought to myself, this is one of those days when you get in and out of Fir Park as quickly as possible with three points. The start of the game won the game for Rangers. They were positive and ruthless and had the points won before Motherwell could get a foothold in the game after half time when Stuart Kettlewell had obviously got into his players at the break.

But it was a professional performance from my old team. Job done. What has really impressed me is the way in which they’ve coped with so many injuries and continued to find a way to win. I don’t think anybody in their right mind would have predicted that Rangers would be going into such a crucial spell with Dujon Sterling and Kieren Dowell as the midfield partnership, but they were outstanding at the weekend.

Sterling has been a revelation in that role. He is like a stallion in the middle of the pitch. Big, strong, mobile and athletic but more than that, he can see and play a pass. With Ryan Jack, Nico Raskin, Jose Cifuentes and then John Lundstram all injured, you are thinking there’s a problem. But I always believe there’s a window of opportunity for somebody to come in and show that they can do a job and operate in different positions.

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The prime example is Dujon Sterling and when Clement has all his midfielders available, the big fella will be giving him a pleasant headache because he has made a really strong argument for staying in the team. He was outstanding in the cup final and really good in the second half against Real Betis in Seville when he came on at the break, so he’s shown he can handle big pressure situations.

That said, the manager will be hoping Lundstram and Goldson are fit for Saturday. They are both big game players and they don’t come much bigger than one. Celtic might not have been hitting the heights recently, but back to back wins have steadied their ship and they carry a huge threat from middle to front with Matt O’Riley playing really well, Daizen Maeda back from injury and Luis Palma a threat out wide. Then there’s Kyogo, who has a good recent record against Rangers.

The Ibrox support, watching in the pubs or at home on their TVs, will be confident and with some justification because of how they’ve handled every challenge thrown at them. This might be the biggest one yet. Have they got the mentality to handle it? I think they do.

Ian Wright’s Celtic story stuns Gary Neville as Roy Keane delivers wild retort

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.

AND ALSO

Mikey Johnston told Celtic destiny is in his own hands as Brendan Rodgers sends blunt message

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.

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!

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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’.

Celtic “advance” in talks with “prospect” after summer scouting missions

Celtic are in the market for quality in the January window…

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire to add quality to the ranks at Parkhead in January and his side are now reportedly advancing in negotiations for a known target.

Celtic gearing up for busy January window

Despite a comfortable 3-0 victory over Dundee at Dens Park on Boxing Day, Celtic will be keen to strengthen in January and Rodgers has made his intent to bolster his squad known over the last few weeks.

Speaking earlier this month cited via Sky Sports, the Irishman signalled his intention to add a high calibre of player mid-season, as he stated: “There’s no doubt now that, one, the squad will come down in numbers and obviously we need to add quality. There is no dressing it up, the group lost real quality players in the summer. That’s something that over the coming windows we will look to improve on.”

Boost for Rodgers as Celtic make aggressive January call on Matt O’Riley

Bringing in a striker has become a priority for the Hoops and their need is exacerbated by the fact that Kyogo Furuhashi, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Daizen Maeda could all head off to represent their respective nations on Asian Cup duty. Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Fabio Silva is believed to have been offered on loan as a potential short-term solution to the Scottish Premiership champions’ conceivable shortage of frontmen and it remains to be seen whether the Portugal Under-21 international will move to Parkhead.

Hacken midfielder Romeo Amane, Aberdeen striker Bojan Miovski and Brondby talent Mathias Kvistgaarden are all other names who have been mentioned in connection with Celtic in previous weeks. Now, comments from the manager of a known Hoops target have come to light suggesting that Celtic may be moving closer to completing a signing, as cited by a report.

Celtic “advance” in Jung negotiations

As per reports from South Korea, cited by The Daily Record, Celtic have managed to “advance” in negotiations with Gwangju midfielder Jung Ho-Yeon, who was scouted by Hoops’ chiefs in the summer transfer window.

The Hoops have previously dipped into the South Korean market to recruit Yang Hyun-jun and Oh and could now be set to return to familiar territory for the 23-year-old midfielder.

Jung key statistics – K League 1 2023 (Sofascore)

Balls recovered per game

5.4

Tackles per game

2.0

Accurate passes per game

41.3 (90%)

Team of the week inclusions

5

Average match rating

6.99/10

Speaking to local media, Gwangju manager Lee Jung-Hyo detailed the latest on the situation, stating: “Jung Ho-Yeon is currently in talks to advance to Europe from Gwangju, but still have a long way to go. If you go to Europe now, you are bound to end up in a clumsy situation. It is wise to prepare well like Cho Gue-sung (who signed for Midtjylland last summer) and choose the team and league well.”

Labelled a “prospect” by Asian football expert Dario Focardi, the South Korea Under-23 international has gone on to make 34 appearances in 2023, registering two goals and three assists (Jung statistics – Transfermarkt).

Celtic will need to attract quality reinforcements if they are to retain their Scottish Premiership title and Jung looks like a midfielder who could add a different dimension to Rodgers’ engine room.

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