Silverware for Celtic but Brendan’s Double Double is Tinged with Regret
Celtic Champions 2025 – Post match title winning celebrations after the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Morning Bhoys and Ghirls…ooppphh…
The morning after a gutting Scottish Cup Final defeat on penalties—against a side we had dismantled 5-1, 5-1, and 6-0 earlier in the season (and it’s not time for Wimbledon yet although the French Open starts today at Roland Garros) there’s a strange cocktail of emotions: disappointment, frustration, and oddly, relief.
Aberdeen with the Scottish Cup
Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
Relief for me that this rollercoaster of a season is finally over.
As always, it all began with hope. A new campaign. Fresh energy. Big friendly wins in the USA and Brendan, the second coming, kicking into gear!
Dreams of a Treble, of free-flowing football, of a proper crack at Europe
The annual dreams of a Treble, of free-flowing football, of a proper crack at Europe. And early signs from our US pre-season tour suggested Brendan had steadied the ship. Kuhn looked electric, we were top of the league on cruise control, and even after the humbling 7-1 in Dortmund, we regrouped well. We went again and resiliency lessons had been learned.
Callum McGregor and Brendan Rodgers
Callum McGregor and Brendan Rodgers with the Premier Sports Cup after Celtic’s victory over theRangers on 15 December 2024 at Hampden Park. Photo Kenny Ramsay
But for me, things began to unravel after that shaky League Cup win on penalties at Hampden. We got by — just—but we looked like strangers on the pitch. Our hunger vanished. We were still in Europe and leading domestically, but something didn’t feel right. Still, the first piece of silverware was back in the trophy cabinet, snatched from the Belgian Waffle. Job done, right?
Then came the New Year…
Then came the New Year. But was it “Happy”? The Baldy Belgian gave us a footballing lesson at Ibrox—arguably the worst performance I’ve seen in over 50 years of watching Celtic. We were torn apart. It was bewildering. Scunnered doesn’t even come close.
Things only got murkier. Kyogo’s baffling departure to Rennes to warm their bench, who were fighting relegation. The return of Jota, nice but a slow burn and uninspired. Paul Tisdale our word class Head of Recruitment (anybody seen him) opted for Jeffrey Schlupp on loan so down flew Brendan to London, a clear signal from the Board that they’d thrown in the towel with Bayern Munich on the horizon.
January exposed Paradise’s flaws
Once again, January exposed Paradise’s flaws. Tierney didn’t land. Jota needed time. Kyogo was gone. Kuhn, who had lit up the early season, imploded. The transfer window, slammed shut again as ever, raising more questions than answers. Same as it always was.
Daizen Maeda celebrates
Daizen Maeda celebrates. St Mirren v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, Saturday 1st March 2025. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
If not for Daizen Maeda’s miraculous resurgence and Rangers’ knack for self-destruction against ‘Diddy teams’, we might’ve been clinging on come April. A silly loss at St Johnstone and yet another no-show in a Glasgow Derby match made the title feel more like a limp inevitability than a triumphant charge.
Then came the run-in
Then came the run-in. Not unexpectedly, our injuries to key influential players piled up —Kasper’s shoulder, Jota sidelined, Hatate crocked in a meaningless game. We clung to form, dragged ourselves over the line, and limped to the finish. James Forrest, the eternal servant, stepped up with a goal that saw him score in his 16th straight season. A legend, no doubt, but symbolic of a team running on fumes.
Kasper Schmeichel of Celtic concedes an own goal
Kasper Schmeichel of Celtic concedes an own goal leading to the first goal for Aberdeen during the Scottish Cup Final match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Hampden Park on May 24, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Fast-forward to the Cup Final
Fast-forward to the Cup Final. Ten minutes to go, 1-0 up, the treble in our grasp. But Brendan’s substitutions once again backfired. Bernardo’s wayward passing invited pressure twice in three minutes to ignite their fans and light their dying embers where there was none for 80 minutes, Morris (with his consistently awful attitude) surged forward, and Schmeichel fluffed his lines.
Cue chaos. Reverse Reverse!!
At the penalties
Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
We hit the woodwork twice, Don Robertson had a mare racking up pointless yellow cards, and Scales and frankly most of Celtic’s midfield looked like men lost at sea. We’ve all seen this before — the sucker punch, the story of the 90s. You could feel it coming. Even extra time offered no real belief, especially after Forrest’s injury took away the last bit of creative spark. Wee Jamesy would save us with a left wand gem but it felt watching him limp off our treble went with him in a macabre kind of way. After the furore and joy of his goal in the 1-1 Escape last weekend. It wasn’t in the script for the Scottish Cup Final.
Then the lottery of penalties
Then the lottery of penalties. Aberdeen’s were world-class. Ours? Telegraphic and tepid. Our captain and Johnston looked like they knew what was coming. Their keeper certainly did. And just like that, the curtain came down. Four world class penalties executed supremely. Mbappe and Messi couldn’t of scored them any sweeter in fairness, the whistle blew and the fairytale was Aberdeen’s – 35 years in the Wilderness – it must have tasted sweet for the Granitemen.
Callum McGregor
Scott Bain consoles Callum McGregor. Photo: Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)
And our post mortem?
Two trophies in the bag. Not bad. Europe? We didn’t embarrass ourselves. But this season will be remembered not for the silverware, but for the way we allowed it all to somehow unravel. Out-thought by theRangers, out-fought by Aberdeen. That’s the mark this season leaves. Bizarre transfer policy and tactics and a bit of a mishmash of a team remaining on the ropes at the end of the Scottish Cup Final.
Now, we need some new names, not quite open-heart surgery—on recruitment, on leadership, on the direction of the club. European qualifiers loom large. If Brendan isn’t backed, will he walk? Maybe not. But how long can we keep spinning this same old record? A fresh broom is needed. Not the same old dance with the Board who have pocketed all the cash and like your old granny try and sneak you a fiver when nobody is looking to get yourself a bag of sweets. No we need to be strategic now.
Kieran Tierney of Arsenal
Kieran Tierney of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Brentford FC at Emirates Stadium on April 12, 2025 (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Tierney may return stronger and wiser, fitness-permitting. The speed of Jota and Hatate’s recoveries into pre-season remain question marks. Idah never really kicked on after his slow start to the season. Every Celtic fan knows the squad needs defensive spine, midfield steel, and structure. And the Board? It’s long past time for them to step up or step aside.
We can’t sleepwalk into another “perceived” resurgence from theRangers. We’ve seen this film before. The manager deserves better. The fans demand it.
Do the right thing, Celtic (for a change) still Championees! See you next season!
Hail Hail
Barry Flaherty
*This is Barrys debut article on The Celtic Star.
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