The Full Scottish - February 2025
Welcome to the Full Scottish Football Report – Feb 25 when Celtic faced the wrath of Harry Kane, as well as some tough criticism from the gallery.
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
Key points:
Scottish Clubs’ European Performance and Financial Impact:
Celtic and Rangers have significantly benefited financially from European competitions, earning millions which bolster Scottish football, though smaller clubs face challenges competing at that level.
Challenges for Smaller Scottish Clubs in Europe:
Clubs like Killie and St. Mirren struggle with the demands of European fixtures, which can hurt their domestic performance and lead to issues like managerial resignations and fan abuse.
Celtic’s Transfer Market Activity and Expectations:
While Celtic secured new players and maintained strong league performance, fans and management have high expectations for signings, especially after missing out on a proven striker in the recent transfer window.
Celtic’s Performance Against Bayern Munich:
Despite a resilient display and moral victory moments, Celtic ultimately lost 3-2 on aggregate, with missed opportunities that could have changed the outcome of their Champions League tie.
Media Commentary and Perception of Scottish Football:
North American pundits have shown disrespect and misunderstanding towards Celtic’s performances, often undervaluing their tactical approach and overemphasizing the disparity between Scottish and Bundesliga football.
Celtic and Rangers earn European riches
With Celtic advancing to the playoff round of the Champions’ League and Rangers qualifying for the final 16 of the Europa League, European winnings were flowing into Scottish football. Well, at least to Glasgow’s “big two”—to the tune of £27.14 million for Celtic and £9.15 million for ’Gers.
True, Premiership clubs who failed to qualify for Europe for this campaign—Dundee, Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County, St. Johnstone and St. Mirren—would receive £1.6 million at the end of the season in so-called “solidarity money” intended to “maintain [the] competitive balance” in Europe’s top-flight leagues. Although anyone who watches Scottish football knows there’s very little “solidarity” between its clubs.
About the only benefit Scotland’s other clubs gained from Celtic and Rangers succeeding in Europe is an improved UEFA coefficient for the nation and its league. This, in theory, meant more clubs would have the opportunity to qualify for European competition and, conceivably, earn money, too.
Euro Trap
However, what we’ve seen is that European competition can be a double-edged sword for less well-heeled clubs. In some cases, these clubs lack the resources to build a squad—in terms of both size and quality—to viably compete in Europe. This hurts them on both the continental and domestic fronts.
Consider Killie. Last season, they finished fourth, which meant they qualified for this season’s Europa League second qualifying round, which they lost to Cercle Brugge over two legs in July and August. The extra fixtures early in the season stretched their squad and affected their start to the Premiership campaign.
Similarly, St. Mirren finished the 2023-24 campaign in fifth spot. This was good enough to make the Conference League qualifying rounds. The Paisley side lost in the third round of qualifying and, again with extra figures, struggled for much of the first half of the domestic season. All of which has to have clubs such as Motherwell wondering if they should be careful what they wish for.
In fact, a fifth-place finish would normally be considered a success for a club of Motherwell’s size. Yet a segment of the Fir Park support apparently wants more. Manager Stuart Kettlewell resigned his post earlier this week, citing abuse from fans. Apparently, some were targeting his wife and children. And that was before his side were facing the challenge of European competition.
Years ago, during an interview with us, the legendary Archie Macpherson once conjectured whether certain Scottish clubs should be deemed “too big to fail.” We now know whether those big clubs have an obligation to help those too small to succeed.
Celtic Transfer Haul Not (Never?) Enough
At this point, Celtic have a 13-point lead in the Scottish Premiership table, and have advanced to the playoff round of the Champions’ League.
They have already won the League Cup in Scotland and, again as of this writing, are in line to defend their 2024 Scottish Cup victory.
With that platform of success, just over midway through the season, they brought in the versatile Jeffrey Schlupp—a player with a Premier League winners’ medal from his time at Leicester City—and prolific winger Jota (back for a second stint) during the recently closed January transfer window. And yet… It’s not enough.
By his own admission, manager Brendan Rodgers had hoped the club could bring in a proven striker during the window, what with the departure of Kyogo to Rennes. That they failed to do so, despite knowing of the Japanese striker’s desire to leave months ago, was puzzling to say the least. But it’s hardly the case that the cupboard is bare.
Irish promise
Irish striker Adam Idah seems to have found his scoring boots over the past week or so, and countryman Johnny Kenny (granted, a younger player) has shown promise during brief cameos with the first team (after an outstanding season on loan at Shamrock Rovers). Celtic academy product Daniel Cummings—reportedly wanted by West Ham—is also waiting in the wings.
Further, winger Daizen Maeda also plays through the middle with Japan when on international duty. He “only” has 18 goals this season across all competitions, some of them, at least, while playing as a striker.
In January, in a completely different context, Rodgers pleaded with Celtic supporters to “trust the team” and the coaches. He may want to expand that request to include the club board. Speaking of a disconnect between supporters and club, just a little over a fortnight after, reportedly, driving manager Stuart Kettlewell out of the door, Motherwell supporters have been accused of racial abusing one of their own players during a 3-1 loss to Celtic on Sunday at Fir Park. Shameful.
No wonder former Celt Scott Brown, currently bench boss at Ayr United, has removed himself from consideration for the manager position there.
Missed Opportunities For Celtic In Europe
Moral victories generally don’t mean that much—at least in sports competition. Who comes out ahead at the end of the game/match/fixture is what matters, and it’s all that most will remember. Which is why we’re not putting a lot of stock in much of the commentary following Celtic’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich at Parkhead.
True, the Hoops demonstrated resilience over the final 25 minutes of the match, giving Bayern all they could handle. And, Brendan Rodgers’ side had a legitimate shout for a penalty—and thus, perhaps an equalizer—during that stretch, one that was ultimately denied after a VAR review.
That Harry Kane’s second-half tally ended up being the match-winner seemed harsh, given that it was the result of poor marking rather than a wonder goal. However, though Daizen Maeda’s 79th-minute header kept Celtic’s faint hopes of advancing alive—albeit on life support—the fact remains the Hoops arguably missed an opportunity to put themselves in excellent position.
‘Great result’ for Bayern
Bayern were missing several key players and the match was at the cauldron that is Celtic Park on European nights. Bayern bench boss (we love alliteration) Vincent Kompany, post-match, talked about how the venue “transcends performance sometimes,” lauded his team for remaining resolute under Celtic’s late siege, and hailed the win as a “great result.” Rightfully so.
Celtic were never favorites, but Bayern, it’s fair to say, were certainly vulnerable heading into the match. Look, no one expects Celtic to advance to the next round of the Champions’ League. They are already punching above their weight here. But miracles can and do happen—when you take your opportunities. Celtic missed one here. In other words, moral victories aside, they lost.
TV Pundits Show Disrespect to Celtic and Scotland
After railing against the concept of moral victories in this space, we know full well that sporting contests have winners and losers. And Tuesday night’s playoff round match between Celtic and Bayern Munich ended with the German giants advancing 3-2 on aggregate, following a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena. The Hoops lost. The better team won.
That being said, Brendan Rodgers’ side acquitted themselves well across the two-legged tie. Most pundits expected Bayern to advance easily. However, the tie was anything but a cakewalk for the Germans.
And yet, we found ourselves feeling a bit, well, dismayed at how pundits on this side of the Atlantic reflected upon the matchup between the Scottish champions and current Bundesliga leaders (and champions of 10 of the past 11 seasons).
According to commentators for a certain North American outlet, the goal by Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn on Tuesday night, which temporarily had the sides level in the tie, was the result of sloppy play at the back by Bayern and “shocking defending” by Kim Min-jae.
In general, Bayern’s performance on the night—the Germans spared from extra time by a last-gasp goal by Canadian internationalist Alphonso Davies—was “typical” of their play for much of the season, and highlighted why Vincent Kompany’s side had “no hope” of reaching the tournament final, which will be played in their home ground. We’ll see how well that last hot-take ages come May.
Press disrespect Hoops
Beyond being disrespectful of Scottish football in general, and Celtic specifically, the comments also demonstrated a poor understanding of how Rodgers’ teams play. The high press is designed to force errors such as those that led to Kuhn’s goal. Daizen Maeda, arguably the perfect player for the system, essentially created that goal with his relentless pressing and speed, not just in that particular moment, but throughout the match.
Celtic, in fact, had three legitimate chances to score in the first half, thanks to that press, and failed to take them. We assume it would have been Bayern’s fault for conceding had things gone differently.
Look, we get it: Compared with the Bundesliga, the Scottish Premiership is a footballing backwater. On North American shores, fans are much more likely to see a match from the German top flight (and perhaps its second and third divisions) on television than they are to see one not involving Celtic and/or Rangers. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.
There’s also the quintessentially American obsession with winning and “success” (as defined by monetary riches) and glamor and fame. We could see all of that playing into some of the commentators’ perspectives.
But, given that several of these TV pundits for a certain North American outlet were once players themselves, you’d think they’d at least acknowledge Celtic’s performance on the night. I guess we’re expecting too much from television pundits.
