Celtic Beneath The Noise

Tactical breakdown, recruitment deep dives and opinion. Profiles over positions. Analysis beneath the noise.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

@jackktheknife From the outset I’ve attributed precisely nothing to Not Another Penny. I asked about a figure the club previously published. You’ve inferred a position I never took, argued against it and then presented your own assumption as fact.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

The club’s latest accounts show commercial/sponsorship revenue down £4.39m and stadium operations down £2.66m. That’s £7.05m combined, while ticketing fell by a much smaller amount of £693k.

Now I’m not suggesting that the ‘Not Another Penny’ campaign has definitely cost the club £7m, but given that merchandising was previously reported separately at £30.1m. Now it’s buried in broader revenue categories you’d be forgiven for assuming that’s been done in an effort to conceal the numbers.

Given what many supporters have been boycotting, surely it’s reasonable to ask what the actual merchandising figure was for 2025/26?

Give us the number Michael.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

So you’re quite happy to attribute the entire decline to Champions League revenue because to you “that’s what it looks like” but questioning whether a spending boycott had any impact is silly?

You’re dismissing one possible explanation while treating your own assumption as the only correct answer.

Essentially you’re just deciding what you want the numbers to mean.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

@jackktheknife And that’s precisely why I’m asking about the merchandising figure. You can’t tell me all the figures are available and then explain that the reporting categories have changed so we can’t compare them. 😂

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

Nope, the Champions League shortfall is in there as well and it’s reported separately under media rights which has fallen by £24.6m.

I’m talking about the £7.05m decline across what’s now listed as commercial/sponsorship and stadium operations.

And I’ve gone back through the previous accounts and merchandising was reported separately at £30.89m in 2024 and £30.61m in 2025.

The latest report doesn't provide the equivalent figure for 2026, which is precisely why we're asking for it and the whole point of this tweet.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

@20MinuteTims So that’s not the official shortlist of candidates? 😂

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

There’s a lot going on with that lineup and I can see what we’re trying to do however I cannot understand the thinking behind McCowan over Oxlade-Chamberlain when we’re clearly setting up to try and control the middle of the park.

He’s more comfortable receiving under pressure, can carry through a press and gives you another player capable of progressing the ball rather than just adding legs.

With that being said this looks more like damage limitation than anything else.

It beggars belief that we find ourselves in this situation less than three weeks after the transfer window shut.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

@TalkScotBall Lennon will never publicly criticise Martin or the board for that matter. And I get it, that’s fine. But when you’re being paid for your opinion and paid handsomely by the way. The least you could do is not insult the intelligence of those sitting listening to you.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

We can talk about tactics, profiles of players at the club, who and what we did or didn’t bring in during the transfer window but for me the glaring thing tonight was effort.

And that’s alarming, simply put the lack of effort and how passive Celtic are in certain defensive situations takes centre stage tonight.

Absolutely baffling!

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

@_mjoneill67 You want to have two good options for every position and often it helps if they are of different profiles had we spent £3m on another striker that wasn’t Kasper Høgh it wouldn’t even look like a problem it would be a simple case of Duran is #1 the fee for Høgh is the catalyst.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

Most of us could have told them this 3 or 4 transfer windows ago. Better late than never I guess?

[CeltsAreHere @HereCelts]

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Celtic are working on plans to add a ball-winning midfielder in January.

CeltsAreHere understands the position is a priority, with work underway to identify the right profile and strengthen the squad for the second half of the season.

@MichaelcShearer ⬇️

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

Sigur to me looked an absolute tap in, he comes in and gives you depth in two areas you need it most. Whether he’s deployed at RB or in the middle of the park his main attributes/strengths are all on the defensive side of the ball, precisely where we’re coming unstuck at the minute.

Now let’s just imagine that we had actually got Gineitis in and that we brought in 3 centre mids before the deadline with him Van De Berg and Sørensen we’d have somehow managed to sign 3 guys for the one position that Baur is already playing in whilst again ignoring the glaring need at CDM. It boggles the mind.

I honestly don’t know what the answer is going forward but I know it’s not McGregor and Nygren playing the same midfield.

Do we see the Ox and McGregor in a double pivot with Baur or Sørensen playing as an 8 just infront of them? Does Van De Berg get an opportunity? Is there a scenario in which both Nygren and McGregor drop out?

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

Celtic have had a serious problem in the middle of the park for quite some time now, and that problem is balance. I was a fan of Arne Engels as a footballer, but I always felt like he was operating in the wrong system at Celtic.

You have to look at profiles when you want to properly assess our midfield, and when you do so you’re left with what I can only describe as confusion.

Confusion over what we’re actually trying to do. Confusion over what the coaching staff are looking for when new players are identified and brought into the club. And most importantly, confusion over what those players are then being asked to do.

For me, Callum McGregor has never been an out and out 6. Whilst being capable of playing that role, he has never ticked all of the boxes required of a central defensive midfielder.

When discussing what I felt Celtic needed most in the summer window, with the obvious glaring need for a striker aside, it was a ball winner in the middle of the park. Someone to sit beside Callum McGregor in a double pivot.

The window came and went without anyone of that profile being brought to the club, and I’m starting to believe it was never identified as a priority.

Cast your mind back to how the window ended. It was a flurry of last minute signings and a failed attempt to “replace Arne Engels” with Gvidas Gineitis a tall, physical, powerful runner with the intent to bring him in to play box to box.

That’s where the alarm bells really start to ring for me.

If Gineitis was the priority and we didn’t follow through with our interest in Niko Sigur, who may or may not have been the man to eventually spell McGregor, what is true of Sigur is that he is exactly the profile of player you need to play that role.

It stands to reason that there is no real appetite or desire to supplement or ultimately replace Callum McGregor with an out and out defensive midfielder.

And this is where I’m at a loss with Celtic in the middle of the park. I simply cannot see what we are trying to do.

We lack physicality and bite. We lack defensive capability. We lack energy. And most importantly, we lack a player who can put his stamp on a game and impose a bit of authority.

Mika Baur, in my eyes, profiles as a tidy, technical footballer who would operate best as a deep lying playmaker in a double pivot beside a commanding 6 who allows him to carry the ball forward and be progressive.

Benjamin Nygren is somewhat of an outlier, almost a maverick of a player. He frustrates more often than he delivers, but when he does deliver it’s often in a big way with goal involvements which fuels the argument he can’t be left out of the team. He’s undoubtedly a talented footballer, but he’s a luxury player and right now our midfield doesn’t have the capacity to carry that.

LASK was a serious warning shot and we didn’t learn from it. Today has to serve as a wake up call.

We may have spent relatively big this summer and we may have brought in numbers, but as far as I can see we’ve not brought in the personnel best suited to play in the system we’re trying to operate in.

And that’s another issue in itself.

I’m not really sure what it is we’re trying to do.

I’m not sure the manager knows either.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

I’d be willing to be that will be in the monitory in the Europa league in terms of teams that play the same shape or similar to us and don’t have an out and out defensive mid sitting at the base of it.

You wouldn’t be shocked if we are the only team attempting to compete in Europe that tries to play this way without a ball winner.

We never replaced Wanyama we simply shifted Brown into his role, and then did the same with McGregor when Brown came to the end of his cycle.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

50+ of those from outside the box and 5 of those resulted in goals. Do you know what helps mitigate facing shots from distance?

A proper defensive midfielder.

Someone who sits in front of the centre backs, closes that space, gets out to shooters and stops second balls dropping straight back your opponents.

[Conor ✍️📺⚽️ @conorbyline]

Just the 148 shots conceded in 10 games. A midfield lacking physicality and a genuine No.6. Hogh accommodated at Duran’s expense. Questions over both GKs. Most concerningly, no clear identity/tactical structure. O’Neill has serious issues to address or this could unravel quickly.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

Celtic have had a serious problem in the middle of the park for quite some time now, and that problem is balance. I was a fan of Arne Engels as a footballer, but I always felt like he was operating in the wrong system at Celtic.

You have to look at profiles when you want to properly assess our midfield, and when you do so you’re left with what I can only describe as confusion.

Confusion over what we’re actually trying to do. Confusion over what the coaching staff are looking for when new players are identified and brought into the club. And most importantly, confusion over what those players are then being asked to do.

For me, Callum McGregor has never been an out and out 6. Whilst being capable of playing that role, he has never ticked all of the boxes required of a central defensive midfielder.

When discussing what I felt Celtic needed most in the summer window, with the obvious glaring need for a striker aside, it was a ball winner in the middle of the park. Someone to sit beside Callum McGregor in a double pivot.

The window came and went without anyone of that profile being brought to the club, and I’m starting to believe it was never identified as a priority.

Cast your mind back to how the window ended. It was a flurry of last minute signings and a failed attempt to “replace Arne Engels” with Gvidas Gineitis a tall, physical, powerful runner with the intent to bring him in to play box to box.

That’s where the alarm bells really start to ring for me.

If Gineitis was the priority and we didn’t follow through with our interest in Niko Sigur, who may or may not have been the man to eventually spell McGregor, what is true of Sigur is that he is exactly the profile of player you need to play that role.

It stands to reason that there is no real appetite or desire to supplement or ultimately replace Callum McGregor with an out and out defensive midfielder.

And this is where I’m at a loss with Celtic in the middle of the park. I simply cannot see what we are trying to do.

We lack physicality and bite. We lack defensive capability. We lack energy. And most importantly, we lack a player who can put his stamp on a game and impose a bit of authority.

Mika Baur, in my eyes, profiles as a tidy, technical footballer who would operate best as a deep lying playmaker in a double pivot beside a commanding 6 who allows him to carry the ball forward and be progressive.

Benjamin Nygren is somewhat of an outlier, almost a maverick of a player. He frustrates more often than he delivers, but when he does deliver it’s often in a big way with goal involvements which fuels the argument he can’t be left out of the team. He’s undoubtedly a talented footballer, but he’s a luxury player and right now our midfield doesn’t have the capacity to carry that.

LASK was a serious warning shot and we didn’t learn from it. Today has to serve as a wake up call.

We may have spent relatively big this summer and we may have brought in numbers, but as far as I can see we’ve not brought in the personnel best suited to play in the system we’re trying to operate in.

And that’s another issue in itself.

I’m not really sure what it is we’re trying to do.

I’m not sure the manager knows either.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

@Jseph193784489 It’s certainly a headache for the manager and coaching staff over the next few days.

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

Bit of a “job done and down the road” in the end. Certainly a few questions to be asked though, Tounekti has more than likely played himself out of a start at Ibrox.

Baur is such a tidy, technical and pleasing on the eye footballer but much like Engels I feel like our midfield isn’t exactly set up in a way to play to his strengths nevertheless the was very good tonight.

The backline as a collective didn’t fill me with confidence tonight, needlessly playing themselves into trouble and getting caught in bad positions.

Could see Høgh start to come alive once Nygren came into the game but I’m still looking for a bit more from him.

Much the same from Hassan as previous games plenty in his locker sometimes his decision making leaves you a bit frustrated but once he’s up to speed and gets a bit of chemistry with Høgh/Duran and Nygren and knows where they want the ball and where they’re going to be he’ll be involved in plenty of goals.

Duran was a big miss, I’m struggling to pinpoint the last new singing that had such a big early impact at Celtic as fast he has? Scott Sinclair maybe.

Oh aye and that ball was never out! Hassans goal should have stood.

Onto Sunday now, need much higher levels from everyone. 🍀

[Celtic Beneath The Noise @CelticBTN]

I won’t be shocked to see Forrest starting, If we’re being totally honest it’s probably the best known option we have at the minute. The curve ball would be putting Duran or Hassan out there. I’d hoped we’d come away from that tonight with the team for Sunday looking much clearer but from my perspective it’s just muddied the waters.