Author: Conor Spence

Celtic’s increasingly strained relationship with sections of the support is facing another test after the Celtic Trust published three proposed resolutions ahead of the club’s 2026 AGM. It comes at a particularly sensitive time at Parkhead following the protest involving Dermot Desmond at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Celtic responded furiously to that incident, publicly condemning the protest and announcing that it had ended engagement with the Celtic Fans Collective. However, the board now faces another supporter-led challenge, this time through the formal AGM process. The Celtic Trust has submitted three proposed resolutions covering the club’s long-term strategy, security operations…

Stiliyan Petrov has revealed how Martin O’Neill helped transform his fortunes at Celtic after admitting he had been “celebrating” John Barnes’ departure from the club. https://youtu.be/UOH1FSTSd1k?is=QJfJDjHheyP8Shwn The Bulgarian would eventually become a Celtic great, making more than 300 appearances and winning ten trophies during seven years in Glasgow. However, Petrov’s Parkhead career could have turned out very differently. He struggled badly during his first season following his arrival in 1999, while his infamous £300-a-week contract has since been attributed to what he described as a “dodgy agent”. Reflecting on All Out Football, Petrov said: “Listen, at that time, the money…

Former Celtic hero Daizen Maeda scored the decisive penalty as Japan defeated Ecuador in a shootout this week – after being trusted with the crucial kick by Hoops legend Shunsuke Nakamura. The friendly in Yokohama finished goalless before heading straight to penalties, with Nakamura taking a leading role in deciding Japan’s shootout order. The former Celtic midfielder joined the national team’s coaching staff earlier this year and, unsurprisingly given his reputation as one of the finest set-piece specialists of his generation, has been handed significant responsibility in that area. Nakamura selected Maeda to take Japan’s fifth penalty and the decision…

Benjamin Nygren’s international break has been cut short after the Celtic midfielder withdrew from the Sweden squad through illness. The 24-year-old had made an impressive start to the window, scoring after just eight minutes in Sweden’s 3-1 victory over Poland. However, Nygren was subsequently struck down by illness and missed Friday night’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. There had remained hope that he could recover in time to feature against Romania on Monday, but Sweden have now confirmed that Nygren is one of four players ruled out through illness. His withdrawal means his international duty is officially over and…

Hyunjun Yang will return to Celtic with an Asian Games gold medal after South Korea defeated Japan 1-0 in Saturday’s final. Swansea City attacker Ji-sung Eom scored the decisive goal as South Korea secured a fourth successive men’s football gold medal. Yang was unable to feature in the final after his tournament was disrupted by a hamstring problem. The Celtic winger’s only appearance came in the opening 4-1 victory over Qatar, when he registered an assist before aggravating the injury. Despite his limited action, South Korea boss Min-sung Lee remarkably selected Yang as his personal MVP of the tournament following…

Rudi Skacel has taken aim at Celtic after Hearts saw the Premiership title snatched away from them in dramatic circumstances at Parkhead. The former Tynecastle midfielder had spent time around Derek McInnes’ squad during the title run-in and was convinced Hearts had what it took to finish the job. They travelled to Celtic Park knowing a draw would be enough to become champions and appeared on course to do exactly that when Lawrence Shankland opened the scoring. However, Celtic produced a dramatic response to win 3-1 and retain the title, leaving Skacel devastated by the outcome. Skacel backed Hearts to…

Haissem Hassan is reportedly set to make an early return to Celtic after being left out of Egypt’s upcoming friendly against South Africa. The summer signing has been away on international duty during the extended break and featured for his country against Angola and South Sudan despite previous concerns over his fitness in September. However, Egyptian outlet Ahram reports that Hassan is now expected to sit out the South Africa clash alongside Liverpool star Mohamed Salah and Nice defender Mohamed Abdelmonem. The report claims the Celtic winger “will not participate” in the friendly in order to recover, potentially allowing him…

Chris Sutton has warned Celtic supporters that they may not be getting the same Jota who starred under Ange Postecoglou as the winger closes in on his long-awaited first-team return. Jota took another significant step in his recovery on Friday when he played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors bounce match against Falkirk. The Portuguese star has now been sidelined for more than 500 days following his ACL injury at Tannadice and is expected to move closer to competitive action after the international break. However, Sutton believes there should be caution around expectations. Referring to Jota’s performances following his return to…

Roy Keane has revealed he had agreed a deal to join Real Madrid before deciding to sign for Celtic instead. The Manchester United legend’s arrival at Parkhead in December 2005 was greeted with huge excitement, with Celtic pulling off one of the most eye-catching signings in Scottish football at the time. Keane was approaching the end of his career and his short spell in Glasgow never quite lived up to the enormous expectations surrounding his arrival, although a man-of-the-match performance against Rangers at Ibrox provided a memorable highlight. Almost 21 years later, Keane has now underlined just how significant a…

Michael Gannon has claimed Brendan Rodgers has “never had an appetite” to damage Celtic as the former Hoops manager prepares to return to Glasgow next summer. It was confirmed this week that Rodgers will appear at an A Celtic State of Mind event at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall in June, where his two spells in charge at Parkhead are certain to be major talking points. The announcement has generated huge interest among supporters, particularly as Rodgers has largely remained silent on his acrimonious Celtic departure last year. Dermot Desmond issued an extraordinary statement following the manager’s exit which described…

Charlie Mulgrew has revealed positive feedback from inside Celtic training on Jota after the winger finally made his return to action following 18 months on the sidelines. The Portuguese attacker played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors bounce match against Falkirk at Lennoxtown this week, his first taste of 11-v-11 action since suffering a serious knee injury in April 2025. With several Celtic players away on international duty, Mulgrew’s son Joshua was invited to train alongside members of Martin O’Neill’s first-team squad and saw Jota’s progress first-hand. The former Hoops defender believes the 27-year-old could now effectively provide O’Neill with a…

Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren missed Sweden’s 1-1 draw with Bosnia on Friday after being struck down by illness while on international duty. 🚨 Graham Potter joking about the high number of injuries in the Swedish national team: 🗣️ “Our absentees are almost equal to the number of charges against Manchester City” Peep Viktor Gyökeres’ reaction 😂 https://t.co/eTZK5FFZQX — AFC Xtra (@AFC__Xtra) October 2, 2026 Nygren had been enjoying a positive break after scoring in Sweden’s previous victory over Poland, continuing his emergence as a regular under national team boss Graham Potter. However, Sweden’s preparations for the Bosnia clash were disrupted…

Moussa Dembele insists there is no longer any ill-will towards Brendan Rodgers as the former Celtic striker reflected on their acrimonious split eight years ago. Dembele’s hugely successful two-year spell at Parkhead ended on a sour note in 2018 after a dispute over his future, with the Frenchman publicly hitting out at Rodgers before completing a move to Lyon. Rodgers responded at the time by claiming Dembele had “crossed a line”, while the striker later appeared to take aim at his former manager when Rodgers left Celtic for Leicester City. Both are now working in Saudi Arabia and, with the…

John Hartson insists Celtic will welcome the challenge from Rangers despite admitting his former club’s recent Glasgow Derby defeat exposed a worrying weakness in Martin O’Neill’s side. https://www.youtube.com/live/en3TXNFvM1g?is=vXsZDo-ZboQQLm2F Celtic have had plenty of time for reflection during the extended international break after suffering successive derby defeats either side of a home European loss to Ferencvaros. While the Hoops remain top of the Premiership, the manner of their recent performances has caused concern and increased scrutiny around O’Neill’s future. Speaking to Alan Brazil on talkSPORT, Hartson was asked if he expects his ex-boss to walk away, replying: “I don’t know, Alan.…

Paul John Dykes has revealed how plans for Brendan Rodgers’ return to Glasgow were put together, with the former Celtic manager set to face supporters next summer. https://www.youtube.com/live/T4bURg1OrHY?is=Z2fUS3yUn94Wi-Nq The A Celtic State of Mind host will present An Audience with Brendan Rodgers in June, an event which could provide Rodgers with his first opportunity to speak at length about Celtic since his abrupt resignation last year. There remains considerable intrigue around his departure, particularly after Dermot Desmond issued a remarkable statement at the time describing Rodgers as “self-serving” and “misleading”. There had also been speculation over whether Rodgers could be…

Celtic midfielder Mika Baur has described his Germany debut as “surreal” after becoming the 1,000th player to represent his country at senior level. The 22-year-old was a surprise inclusion in Jurgen Klopp’s latest squad but was handed his first cap from the bench during Germany’s 2-0 Nations League victory over Serbia in Munich. It represents another major step in Baur’s rapid rise since Celtic paid around £7million to sign him from Paderborn in the summer. He has been virtually ever-present for Martin O’Neill since arriving in Glasgow and his performances have now earned recognition on the international stage. Speaking after…

Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Celtic midfielder Mika Baur after handing the 22-year-old his senior Germany debut. Baur was introduced from the bench against Serbia, becoming the 1,000th player to represent Germany’s men’s senior side in the process. His inclusion in Klopp’s squad had initially come as something of a surprise, but the former Liverpool boss believes the Celtic midfielder has a hugely promising future. Firstly, asked about handing out the 1,000th cap, Klopp said: “I don’t remember anymore. If someone showed me the pictures, if someone had asked me, ‘Do you remember Mika Baur like that?’ yes, I…

Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele has reflected fondly on his time at Parkhead, admitting it was only after leaving Glasgow that he fully appreciated what he had achieved. Dembele arrived at Celtic from Fulham as a relatively unknown teenager in 2016 but quickly established himself as a fan favourite, famously scoring a hat-trick against Rangers in his first Glasgow derby. The Frenchman scored 51 goals for the Hoops and played a major role in Brendan Rodgers’ all-conquering side before leaving for Lyon in 2018. Now 30 and playing for Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, Dembele believes his move to Celtic represented…

Former Celtic wonderkid Karamoko Dembele has opened up on his difficult experience at Parkhead, claiming he felt targeted after stepping up to the first team… Dembele was once among the most talked-about young footballers in the world, with clips of his performances in Celtic’s academy attracting millions of views and interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs. He rejected opportunities elsewhere to pursue his dream of playing in front of 60,000 supporters at Celtic Park, but his first-team career never took off. Speaking to The Athletic, Dembele claimed he felt unwelcome after beginning to train regularly with the senior squad.…

Celtic youngster Francis Turley was a surprise absentee from Northern Ireland Under-21 duty this week – despite playing and scoring twice for the Hoops B team just hours later. The 20-year-old had been named in Tommy Wright’s squad for European Championship qualifiers against Malta, Georgia and Greece during the international break. However, Turley was no longer part of the group by the time Northern Ireland opened their campaign against Malta. The Irish FA confirmed Nottingham Forest youngster Kalum Thompson had been drafted into the squad “following the withdrawal of Francis Turley,” but provided no explanation for his absence. There was…