Every Celtic Supporter wants Wilfried Nancy to be a success. On Thursday night the game against Roma was over by half time and some Celtic fans had seen enough and made their way to the exits. My journey to Celtic Park began on a warm sunny morning in Spain. I strolled down to the bus station to catch a bus to Alicante listening to some Podcasts previewing the game.

I travelled hoping for the best but fearing the worst. While waiting to board my flight I bumped into Chris from Glasgow. I met Chris first in Malones at Celtic AM back before Covid. We chatted about the current state of play at Celtic. Chris was flying from Majorca and with no direct flight this would be his second flight to get him back to Glasgow. Celtic supporters passion for the club can never be questioned.

The flight was delayed an hour which meant we landed in bumper to bumper rush hour traffic. I dropped the bags in the hotel and made my way by train and foot to Paradise and with 10 minutes to spare I was walking up by the iconic Billy McNeill statue lifting the European Cup at the bottom of the impressive Paradise Way with it’s Christmas lights sparkling on a dark night.

I was glad to see that the other famous statues closer to the main entrance were not surrounding by barriers and that Celtic fans could once again have access to meet friends and take some pictures. I took my seat in the main stand with the Green Brigade ban still in place. The noise was coming from the away supporters to my right. The Roma fans were vocal all night and their players gave them plenty to sing and chant about.

There was a minutes applause for Celtic Legend Dixie Deans but sadly no tifo in the North Curve section of the stadium. The GB have their critics but they know how to honour an iconic Celtic player when they sadly pass away. They were badly missed tonight but fair play to the Bhoys Ultras for their backing of the team on a night when many Celtic supporters had headed for the exits long before full time.

Dermot Desmond made a rare appearance at Celtic Park but he had enough as well and left on the 71^st minute. I presume he was there to welcome the new Celtic manager and tell him he was the boss after he appointed him on the advice of Celtic head of football operations Paul Tisdale. He looked dapper as he left his seat beside Peter Lawell. In fact he looked like a mafia don with his tailored suit, pink shirt and tie and impressive Crombie coat.

Peter Nicholson shuffled up one seat after DD left as did all the Directors. There maybe unity in the Celtic board room but the distance between them and us continues to grow. Banners were visible to see and fans were vocal in their continued disapproval of them. Some older fans offered their opinion to the board members as they left the stadium. Anyone that thinks it is just some young Ultras who are fed up with the way the club is being run should think again.

The results and especially the first half performance were hard to take. Celtic were outplayed and for once I did not want to see Evan Ferguson score. Last night he got 2 goals. We were outplayed and out muscled. The Celtic team needs new blood. You only had to look towards the bench last night to see how weak the squad is. Engels penalty miss on the stroke of half time just summed up a miserable evening. Iheanacho did have us off our seat when he put the ball in the Roma net but it was ruled off side and the visitors also had a second half goal chalked off. By full time the stadium was almost empty. Celtic Park was once a fortress on European Nights on Thursday night it resembled a Grave Yard.

Wilfried Nancy now has to pick the players up after 2 defeats ahead of the League Cup Final on Sunday. St. Mirren will be feeling confident, their players know their system and they have had a week to perfect it.

We now sit 24^th in the Europa League table just still in the play off positions. Between now and our next European adventure we have plenty of games in Scotland including Dundee United, Livingston and Motherwell away and then the rangers at home. Winning is everything at Celtic and Wilfried needs to start winning games. Football is a results business and it will be the manager who pays the price for failure.

Wilfried started the game last night with no recognised right back and finished with two coming off the bench. His style of play has turned a winning team under Martin O’Neill into a losing one in a week. To implement his style of play he may need a summer and 2 transfer windows to get the players in he needs to fit his style of play. He may not get that long.

There is also whispers coming out of Lennoxtown that all is not well within the the football department after the treatment of John Kennedy. Hopefully after Sunday we are celebrating another trophy is the cabinet at Celtic Park but a win will only paper over the cracks that keep appearing at OUR club.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast 

Celtic  are back in action tonight at Celtic Park in the Europa League v Roma.

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Another Celtic legend from the 1970’s has left us. John ‘Dixie’ Deans passed  away aged 79 this week. Dixie was born just 7 years before me and as our Editor Andrew reminded I’m the only regular contributor to Mt90M who actually seen the hit man in the flesh.

Dixie was a steady Scottish league striker for Motherwell between ‘1965-‘1971. He scored 78 goals in 152 appearances. Jock Stein seen something worth a punt in him and for the next 5 years he hit 89 goals in 126 appearances as Celtic completed their first 9 in a row and Deans became a favourite with the Jungle.

His goal scoring record was dynamic. I can still see him gathering the ball back to goal, his sturdy frame punishing defenders as he turned and in his gallus style made for goal and popped it in the bottom corner.  He won 3 titles with Celtic, 2 Scottish Cups and a League Cup during the final years of the Stein era.

He is also the only player to score hat tricks in two cup finals in ‘1972 & ‘1974! But as he said himself many times, he scored 89 goals 126 appearances for Celtic. He will also be remembered for the penalty he missed v Inter Milan in the European Cup semi in April ‘1972. I remember the night vividly, I wasn’t there as the British Government thought it might be better for society if I was interned without trial in Long Kesh so we watched it on TV in the Cages.

Celtic were strong favourites after a determined 0-0 in Milan in the snow. On the night a unique European record was established, two semi finals in Europe in the same city, 75,000 at Paradise, 80,000 at Ibrox.

Kenny Dalglish led the line for Celtic and Sandro Mazzola for Inter Milan also Burgnich, Fachetti and Bedin who had played in Lisbon, Celtic had Craig, Cesar, Murdoch, Jinky and Lennox.

Dixie came on after an hour for Dalglish and as fate would have it he was the man selected to take the first penalty in the shoot out. In his typical style he had his back to the goal and quickly turned and strode confidently forward and sent the ball about a mile over the bar at the old Celtic End. it was so far over it nearly cleared the old stand at what is now the Jock Stein end.

After that each player on both sides scored and Inter went through 4-5 on penalties. It was a devastating result for Celtic and Dixie personally.

John Dixie Deans a Celtic legend RIP.

Paddy McMenamin was born in Belfast with Donegal and Tyrone parents. He spent the 70’s in Long Kesh. He has been going to Paradise since the Benfica game in Nov. 1969. He lived in Donegal for 30 years but now lives in Galway. He returned to University at 50 and became a secondary school teacher of history and English

 

I had booked my flights and hotels for Saturday for the Hearts game. I thought it was a cert for a 3pm kick off on Sat 06 Dec. After all the rangers were away and we have a big Europa League game at home to Roma on Thursday. How wrong I was Sky Sports decided they wanted it moved and moved it was.

I lost the money on my flights but thankfully my regular hotel cancelled the room with no charge. As the rain poured down on match day I was back in the winter sunshine of Spain and joined the members of Paddy’s Point CSC for the game.

There was so much going on around the game. Wilfried Nancy was taking charge of Celtic for the first time, Martin O’Neill was back in semi-retirement working as a pundit and filling the diary for sold out shows.

The Celtic Collective Protest took place and the Green Brigade who are serving a ban from Celtic games home and away had their annual match day foodbank collection.

Wilfried decided to rip up Martin O’Neill’s script which had steadied the Celtic ship since Brendan Rodgers left the building. He introduced a back 3 of Tierney, Scales and Trusty and brought back Tounekti and Nygren to the starting 11.

A late Kieran Tierney goal was not enough to salvage a point for Celtic and the new manager’s start did not go to plan. Wilfried has been ridiculed for the use of a tactics board which I must admit I thought were for dressing rooms and tactical sessions after training and I was a little surprised to see him showing Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney it during the game. Lets hope he has the last laugh on those so quick to judge and mock.

The game reminded me of life under Brendan Rodgers near the end of his time, plenty of possession but no end product and I know I sound like a broken record but that goes back to failure to invest in a quality striker with further investment needed in the first team in a number of positions.

Before kick-off Celtic fans unveiled numerous banners against the current board and then it was time to back the team after Wilfried Nancy was announced and came out of the tunnel to applause from the Celtic fans including the fans packed into Paddy’s Point.

Celtic had chances but failed to take them in the first half and paid the price with sloppy defending to allow Hearts to score just before half time. It was the Edinburgh’s side first chance and they took it. Boos could be heard ringing around the stadium as the teams went up the tunnel. Celtic were the better team in the first half but had nothing to show for it.

What ever was said at half time in the dressing room had no effect on the performance. In fact Celtic looked well out of sorts and Hearts capitalised on it and scored with their third chance of the game. Which came from a corner from their second chance when Kasper pulled off a good save from Shankland.

Celtic had a great chance with 5 minutes to go but the Hearts keeper made a save to deny Engels an equaliser. Hatate then smashed the ball off the bar.

The reaction from the Celtic fans gathered in the bar after the game, was mixed some were angry while others had a more level view.

On Thursday we are back on the road to Celtic Park and we go again against Roma who may be the best team we will face in the Europa League this season. Lets hope Wilfried can get his message through to the Celtic players from now till Thursday because the message seemed to be lost in translation on Sunday.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast 

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Wilfried Nancy was unveiled and the Celtic fan media were not invited to the press conference. He cut alone figure with no CEO or Chairman with him in an unusual step by the Celtic board.  Only the main stream media got the invite to Lennoxtown instead of the usual Celtic Park. Hiding the new Celtic manager away from the Celtic fans is not a good look.

The club seems now to be run like a dictatorship or a Mafia as a friend commented to me on Thursday morning as we sat in Glasgow airport waiting to board our flight back to Ireland.

When Dom McKay arrived at Celtic Park, remember him? The CEO who replaced Peter Lawell after Celtic failed to deliver 10IAR or a trophy. Neil Lennon got the sack and Peter went on holidays until the Chairman’s position came around and he returned to the directors box.

Dom McKay welcomed Ange Postecoglou to Celtic and invited the Celtic Fan Media to a special press conference and they both introduced themselves to us. Ange’s stint was a successful one. He delivered 5 trophies in two years and his brand of football was exciting to watch. Dom would not last so long for reasons which remain unknown to anyone except those who sit in the Celtic board in positions of power.

Pic: Erin Boyle from More than 90 Minutes at the press conference when Dom McKay introduced Ange to Celtic Fan Media 

Maybe a young forward thinking CEO who we were told was headhunted from his position as No. 2 in Scottish Rugby was too much for the old guard in the board room. On Friday for the first time independent Celtic Fan Media were shunned from the press conference since Dom McKay’s forward thinking of embracing fan media. He knew we were not the enemy but sadly now Dermot has said NO those pesky fans will have to go.

As Dom exited his office, Peter Nicholson was appointed interim CEO and with things going well under Ange he slipped into the role on a full time basis and Peter Lawwell came in the back door to take his seat at the top table once again. The old boys club were now back together.

Sadly once again we are talking about the disconnect between the Celtic board and the Celtic fans and not about the appointment of the new manager or what he will bring to the team. We did however get an interview on Celtic TV with Peter Nicholson and he assured us that Wilfried was Celtic’s No. 1 target to replace Brendan Rodgers and they have been aware of him for a while.

Sadly neither the Celtic board or the Celtic recruitment team were aware of a striker in two transfer windows capable of replacing Kyogo. Going into this transfer window let us pray that Wilfried can influence them to replace him after a full year.

Today’s game v Hearts at Celtic Park kicks off at 3pm and will be shown live on Sky Sports and streamed by Celtic TV outside Ireland and the UK.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast