The Celtic Underground

A Packet of Revels

Celtic beat Kilmarnock 1–0 in a game that was part football match, part endurance test and, as Andrew neatly puts it, a bit like a packet of Revels: occasionally lovely, occasionally baffling and every so often you get the coffee one. Harry, Andrew and Keith pick over a stodgy afternoon that still contained plenty of chances, a disallowed goal, a penalty with all the conviction of a man changing his mind halfway through, Liam Scales turning striker, Kasper Høgh slowly emerging from his chrysalis, and Celtic’s midfield at the end moving like Frank Sinatra trying to catch the train in Von Ryan’s Express. There’s also time for VAR grumbles, B-team chat, remembrance reflections, blaggis, old game shows and Andrew discovering that blessing yourself left-handed apparently makes you Satan’s son. In the end, though, it’s three points, an international break and one of those gloriously forgettable wins you’ll be very grateful for in May. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Celtic and footballing deaths

World football was yesterday shocked by the tragic death of Spanish footballer Jesus de Miguel. Over the years, Celtic have sadly had numerous connections with footballing deaths. This latest podcast tells the story of these awful events. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). You can also buy his new book ‘Green, white and silverware – Part 1’, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. It is available now in the Celtic Shop and on Amazon as hardback, paperback and Kindle. You can get it here: https://amzn.eu/d/0bZ3rJYi Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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We’re sh!te and we know we are

Andrew and Stephen gather for what begins with the wonderfully reassuring theme of “we’re shite and we know we are” and somehow manages to become an hour-long attempt to work out exactly how shite Celtic are, whether the manager can fix it, whether the players can fix it, whether anyone at the club knows who should fix it. Along the way there’s Falkirk frustration, managerial rumours, old taxi-driver transfer tales reborn for the social-media age, Martin O’Neill nostalgia, Fergus McCann memories, boardroom communication, Kieran McKenna hope and the recurring suspicion that Celtic might want to stop doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. Remarkably, despite all that, they finish on something approaching optimism: Celtic still have good players, Europe needn’t be surrendered before kick-off and, with the right mindset, maybe things aren’t quite as bad as everyone thinks. Well… maybe. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

Celtic’s first league cup success

Over the years – although perhaps not this season – Celtic have enjoyed significant success in the League Cup. The Bhoys first celebrated in this competition 70 years ago this week. This latest podcast tells the full story of the 1956 League Cup Final. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). You can also buy his new book ‘Green, white and silverware – Part 1’, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. It is available now on Amazon as hardback, paperback and Kindle. You can get it here: https://amzn.eu/d/0bZ3rJYi Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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The Jigsaw With No Picture on the Box

Celtic get the three points at Easter Road, but not before battling Hibs, the wind and (at times) themselves. Andrew, Stephen and Ross pick through another performance from a team still looking suspiciously like a collection of decent jigsaw pieces from several different boxes: the midfield doesn’t quite connect, Kasper Høgh still can’t buy a goal, Alistair Johnston’s hamstring causes another wobble and Europe remains the place where Celtic’s shortcomings are brutally exposed. There’s also time for Grant Hanley causing actual laughter by appearing up front, a referee apparently wrestling with his own whistle, Dane Murray wondering whether he’s really allowed to invert into midfield, the mystery of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s disappearing game-time and Ross taking an impressively scenic route to the answer “I don’t know”. Ultimately it’s three points, micro layers recommended, and up the road. Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube Thanks for listening to The Celtic Underground Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Andrew H in conversation...Mark McGuigan

In this week’s Celtic Underground In Conversation, Andrew is joined by former Celtic youth player, professional footballer and now PhD graduate Mark McGuigan, who spent four and a half years inside Celtic researching one of the club’s biggest challenges - turning promising youngsters into first-team players. Drawing on his own experience of being released by Celtic and his subsequent work with the Academy, B team and first-team coaching staff, Mark explains why talent alone isn’t enough, why mentality matters just as much as ability, and why the right loan move might teach a youngster more than another season of youth football. They discuss the future of B teams, the threat of English clubs poaching Scotland’s best youngsters, and whether Celtic really have a functioning pathway to the first team. There’s also a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes at Lennoxtown, with insights into the meticulous standards of Brendan Rodgers, the motivational powers of Ange Postecoglou, the quiet authority of John Kennedy and the extraordinary dedication of Celtic’s senior players. An entertaining and illuminating conversation about football, academia and why producing the next Callum McGregor is rather more complicated than simply telling youngsters to be good enough. Available to members of the CU Community from Sunday (as usual) this podcast is also available to all from Thursday as the content is so pertinent to so many current criticisms of the club. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Seventh Heaven - Celtic’s Joy Division

After Celtic’s magnificent seven-goal demolition of Hearts, Harry is joined by Stephen who is in unusually cheerful territory as they pick over a performance that had everything - goals, pace, excitement and Hearts fans heading for the exits before the half-time pies had gone cold. There’s praise for Dane Murray, a debate about giving youngsters a proper chance, and the ongoing search for a midfield enforcer who apparently needs the physique of Virgil van Dijk and the passing range of Andrea Pirlo. We also revisit the Hearts documentary, ponder the remarkable ability of pundits to be right both before and after getting everything wrong, and ask whether Martin O’Neill’s comments are tactical genius or just a man getting older and losing his filter. Finally, attention turns to Celta Vigo and the Europa League, with Stephen confidently predicting a 3-1 Celtic victory based on the most scientific of footballing methods… a good feeling. After seven against Hearts, who are we to argue? Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube The Celtic Underground Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

Celtic & Glasgow’s George Square

This month, Glasgow’s George Square will finally reopen after extensive refurbishment work. Over the decades, Celtic have had many links with Glasgow’s main civic space. This latest podcast tells the full story of this. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). You can also buy his new book ‘Green, white and silverware – Part 1’, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. It is available now on Amazon as hardback, paperback and Kindle. You can get it here: https://amzn.eu/d/0bZ3rJYi Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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65 Years of The Celtic Song

A big part of any Celtic home game is the sound of Glen Daly singing the Celtic Song as the teams enter the field. 65 years ago, this was first heard at Celtic Park. This latest podcast tells the full story of this. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). You can also buy his new book ‘Green, white and silverware – Part 1’, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. It is available now on Amazon as hardback, paperback and Kindle. You can get it here: https://amzn.eu/d/0bZ3rJYi Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube Thanks for reading The Celtic Underground Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Motherwell 0 Celtic 2 - Looking Good?

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More than football - The story of Celtic Park’s other events

You cannot have missed the confirmation that Oasis will perform a series of concerts which will take place next year at Celtic Park. Over the years, numerous non-football events have drawn people to Celtic’s home venue. This latest podcast tells the full story of this. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). You can also buy his new book ‘Green, white and silverware – Part 1’, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. It is available now on Amazon as hardback, paperback and Kindle. You can get it here: https://amzn.eu/d/0bZ3rJYi Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Fore! Anyone for tennis?

It’s the international break, so naturally there’s absolutely nothing to talk about….Apart from balaclavas, tennis balls on the Old Course, an extraordinary late-night statement from Dermot Desmond and the seemingly endless civil war between Celtic and sections of the support. Harry and Andrew attempt the increasingly impossible task of seeing both sides of an argument, asking whether anyone involved actually wants a resolution or whether we’ve all become rather too comfortable shouting at each other. Along the way, Andrew recalls being thrown out of a Celtic Christmas party, failing to interview Johan Cruyff and the joys of dealing with angry supporters, while Harry brings some inconvenient arithmetic to the campaign to remove Dermot Desmond. There’s talk of ownership, strategy, the Celtic Trust, the coming AGM and the increasingly elusive pleasure of simply enjoying the football. Ninety minutes of trying to find a way out of the madness, only to conclude that everyone’s dug themselves into a hole and nobody’s brought a ladder. Game, set and match? Not even close. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube Thanks for listening to The Celtic Underground Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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The three John Divers

Some names in Celtic history stand out because more than one player has been called this. In the case of John Divers, there’s been a ‘hat-trick’ of such men! This latest podcast describes these three men’s experiences. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). From next month, you can also buy Part 1 of the two-part book series ‘Green, white and silverware’ by Matthew Marr, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. For pre-order information, visit: https://celticwalkingtours.wordpress.com/books-and-articles/ Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube The Celtic Underground Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Oasis and football’s soul

Andrew, Stephen and Anthony start with the important stuff - whether £200 for an Oasis ticket is an act of devotion or a cry for help, before somehow ending up asking what’s happened to football itself. There’s international-break fatigue, Celtic injury chat, memories of great gigs, Manchester City and the financial black hole of the English game, and a surprisingly thoughtful wander through why Celtic still means something when so much modern football can feel increasingly soulless. As ever with a Chin Wag, the route from Liam Gallagher to Lisbon Lions is neither obvious nor especially direct, but they get there in the end. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Robert Kelly and Celtic

Some people never pull on the famous Celtic shirt but still influence the club. Robert Kelly is one such example, a man renowned for his iron grip on control of the club in the 1950s and 1960s. This latest podcast tells the full story of this. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). From next month, you can also buy Part 1 of the two-part book series ‘Green, white and silverware’ by Matthew Marr, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. For pre-order information, visit: https://celticwalkingtours.wordpress.com/books-and-articles/ Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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All questions, no answers

Another defeat to Rangers leaves Celtic with one win in twelve against their city rivals and, more worryingly, a team that increasingly looks as though it has forgotten what it is supposed to be. Harry, Andrew and Keith pick through a derby where the change to 3-5-2 quickly descended into tactical roulette, with Celtic starting without a winger and eventually ending up with three of them, while Rangers simply proved stronger, sharper and rather more certain of what they were doing. The discussion moves beyond another poor ninety minutes to the lack of physicality, fitness, identity and leadership throughout the side, the recurring weaknesses of individual players, questions over the coaching structure and whether keeping Martin O’Neill beyond last season's rescue mission was ultimately a mistake. With rumours already circulating about another managerial change, there is also the rather extraordinary prospect of Celtic entering a fifth managerial period in eleven months. It is a fairly sombre assessment of a club badly in need of a spark, although we do establish that Celtic Park's main entrance is currently better defended than the team, Liam Scales may still be tying his bootlaces and, if all else fails, a EuroMillions might just provide enough cash to tempt Pep Guardiola. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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Celtic v Rangers’ 14 locations

This Sunday, Celtic face Rangers at Celtic Park. Over the years, the Celts have played the two Ibrox clubs at 14 different locations. This latest podcast tells the full story of these venues. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). From next month, you can also buy Part 1 of the two-part book series ‘Green, white and silverware’ by Matthew Marr, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. For pre-order information, visit: https://celticwalkingtours.wordpress.com/books-and-articles/ Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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A Jogging Team: Celtic’s Ibrox Capitulation

On this week’s free to all podcast, we pick through the bones of a truly dreadful 3–0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox, with Harry joined by Matthew & Andrew to ask how Celtic could be so comprehensively outfought and outplayed. The discussion starts with team selection but quickly moves to the bigger problem: a side with no coherent shape, no resilience under pressure and seemingly no clear method of progressing the ball from defence to attack. Celtic’s midfield is repeatedly exposed, the forwards become isolated, and the lack of urgency is summed up by Matthew’s description of a wider “malaise” prompting Andrew’s line that Celtic have gone from a “jobbing team” to a “jogging team.” The chat from the bhoys turns to whether this is something Martin O’Neill can actually fix with the squad he has. The use of a system that works against weaker domestic opposition but collapses when Celtic face teams capable of pressing with pace and physicality. With another Rangers game looming, the conclusion is that simply swapping personnel won't be enough: Celtic need more energy in midfield, a clearer structure and, above all, a system that actually suits the players available. As Andrew puts it, the team looks like tissue paper against decent opposition, and after another 3–0 loss at Ibrox, the most positive assessment anyone can muster is - at least it was only three. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

Celtic and the 1901 Exhibition Cup

The 1901 Exhibition Cup is one of Celtic’s strangest trophy successes. It involves a cup won by Rangers but displayed by the Celts. This latest podcast describes the full story. Every week, you can listen for free to more tales from Celtic’s past, as told by Matthew Marr (Hail Hail History). From next month, you can also buy the two-part book series ‘Green, white and silverware’ by Matthew Marr, describing Celtic’s less well-known trophy wins. To get details, follow Hail Hail History on Twitter/X and Bluesky or keep listening to the Celtic Underground. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube Thanks for reading The Celtic Underground Substack! This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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VAR Giveth and VAR Taketh Away

Celtic made it five league wins from five with a 2-1 comeback victory at St Mirren, but much of the post-match discussion inevitably centres on VAR after two Celtic goals were ruled out in controversial circumstances. Andrew, Saint and Stephen pick through those decisions and debate whether, for all its flaws, Scottish football is still better with VAR than without it. There’s also plenty on the football itself: Celtic’s increasingly potent attack, the continuing vulnerability of a midfield without a genuine defensive presence, Yang’s improvement, Duran’s emergence and what happens when Høgh returns, the criticism of Sinisalo, and whether new arrival Sorensen might finally provide the balance the team has been missing. With St Johnstone next and Ibrox looming, the discussion turns to team selection, horses for courses and whether Martin O’Neill should be prepared to change the system when the occasion demands it. Enjoy… Apple podcasts Spotify Amazon Player.fm Spreaker Audioboom Youtube This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

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