Celtic, alongside Glasgow Rangers, is the flagship of Scottish football, but both capital clubs are struggling this season. Rangers are in a deep crisis – but things are far from good at Celtic either.
The situation has been very, very clear over the past decades. You have to go back over 40 years to find a Scottish champion that isn’t Celtic or Rangers. 1985 was the last time a different club stood at the top of the table at the end of the season. FC Aberdeen, then led by a certain Alex Ferguson. Since then? Celtic and Rangers have shared all titles between themselves.
Both Glasgow giants have now celebrated 55 championships each, putting them level – although Celtic, also known as The Bhoys, recently mounted an impressive comeback. Since 2012, all trophies, with one exception, have gone to the east of the city. And this year, the chance to finally overtake their great local rivals should actually be greater than ever before.
Because Rangers are staggering badly. Apparently, the club is still in a finding phase in the first season since the majority takeover by a US consortium. The media describe the team’s condition as slow, lethargic and weak in the defensive third. Of the first eight league games, Rangers won only one, six ended with differences. Is the way clear for Celtic then?
“This is an average Celtic team”
Theoretically yes, practically no. Because things aren’t going much better at Celtic either. The team of coach Brendan Rodgers is also stumbling through the season. Sometimes victories against Kilmarnock or Motherwell only achieved in stoppage time, sometimes nothing more than a draw against Hibernian. When the club visited Rangers at the end of August, everything screamed top match. But in the end, it hardly was. Neither in the table nor in terms of play.
After 90 minutes, a dismal 0-0 was on the scoreboards at the notorious Ibrox Stadium. Celtic (0.17) and Rangers (0.15) achieved a combined expected goals value of 0.32, which is simply catastrophic. It was the lowest value in a Premiership match since the introduction of this statistic in the 2019/20 season. Celtic only took two shots in the entire game, not one of them in the first half. But at least they saved a point this way.
This was no longer possible in mid-October, when relegation candidate Dundee FC won a home game against Celtic for the first time in 37 years. Thus, the Glaswegians are now five points behind league leaders Heart of Midlothian.
Former professional Chris Sutton subsequently blamed the recent transfer period for the crisis. “This is an average Celtic team, and I think Brendan is aware of that,” he said on Sky Sports.
Celtic? “They simply don’t have the quality”
In his opinion, the Green-Whites have massive problems. “Celtic lacks quality in the final third. That’s a problem,” Sutton added and asked: “How is that supposed to be solved? They simply don’t have the quality, and that’s a problem. They have to make it to January and stay there.”
In the summer, among others, the German Nicolas Kühn left the club for Como. Adequate replacement is still not available. Therefore, coach Rodgers and the club management are increasingly becoming the focus of criticism.
“Once again, we have to wait until the January transfer window, but they have spent money. This team exactly reflects the current state of Brendan Rodgers. Look at him. He looks like he’s just switched off,” emphasizes Kris Boyd, another former player of the club. “The team is exhausted, it seems lifeless.”
Brendan Rodgers (r.) currently doesn’t have the easiest job as Celtic coach
The fans, in turn, targeted the board. In protest against those involved around Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson, Dermot Desmond and Chris McKay, Celtic fans threw tennis balls and oranges onto the pitch during the defeat against Dundee, causing delays. A banner with the inscription “Your incompetence is obvious. Resign!” what unfurled. In addition, chants were heard in which the fans demanded the dismissal of the board. Nicholson and McKay watched the spectacle on site.
Celtic failed in Champions League qualification
That the domestic peace at Celtic is strained after a completely disappointing season so far is clearly visible. In the league, the club is surprisingly under pressure and must stretch to not lose touch with the top of the table. And internationally, they’re currently spreading little joy either. In the Champions League qualification, Celtic sensationally failed against Qairat Almaty.
The Scottish newspaper The Scotsman subsequently wrote about the “horror night in Kazakhstan”. Celtic now compete in the Europa League and after three games with only one win, they sit in 21st place.
It seems as if the unthinkable could happen in the north of Great Britain and the Glasgow dominance could actually crumble. The start to the season at least points to that. Because improvement isn’t in sight for now.